Software integration consulting - sic

24/01/2025

According to Forbes, over a billion passwords were stolen in 2024 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/01/23/security-alert-issued-as-1-billion-passwords-stolen-by-malware-act-now/
Just having secure passwords, isn't enough - you have to securely manage your passwords. Even 2FA isn't always enough.
There are solid free options available, like Bitwarden - always enable MFA and use a secure master password (longer passwords are stronger passwords). If you think you have never been a victim of credential theft, head to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ for an eye opener.

Have I Been Pwned allows you to search across multiple data breaches to see if your email address or phone number has been compromised.

19/07/2024

If you're affected by CrowdStrike, get in touch for recovery guidance.

27/06/2023

We see a lot of ex-office PC's being purchased for home use, with a headache from insufficient PSU power and/or insufficient space for graphics cards or other components. Each case design has their own compatible components, and most of them can be upgraded to be both SOHO workhorses and useful gaming systems - if you have such a system, get in touch for a list of potential upgrades that won't break the bank but will bring your old system out of the stone age!

12/06/2023

Community hour - businesses are an essential part of the community, and as such we believe they should invest in their own area. As such, we are offering one hour of free IT support in neighbouring suburbs. Get in touch with your PC trouble, and if you're the first callout to Matua or Otumoetai in that week, there will be no charge unless you need parts replaced. Spread the word!

07/06/2023

One client bought off-lease PC's from work, but upon going home these PC's would not boot. Instead of installing the default system image, the IT department completely erased all hard drives - meaning there was no operating system. If you're in the same boat, don't fret - we can have you up and running in no time - and recommend the right upgrades to make your off-lease work PC a capable gaming machine or home office workhorse!

07/06/2023

sic Solutions - the hardware side of sic has just been launched. We solve technology problems in Tauranga: Printing problems, internet issues, computer crashes - give us a call to take the hassle out of tech.

Rates are simple: $50 per half hour, with a minimum charge of 1 hour, and an extra half hour charged for after hours, weekends and public holidays.

Contact [email protected] or 0272867039

10/04/2023

SMS scams are on the rise - keep these tips in mind:
1. If you are in one country and the SMS comes from another be EXTRA careful. This is a common indicator that the sender is pretending to be someone else. Most value added services use short (4 or 5 digit) numbers, though this itself does NOT mean they are trustworthy.
2. Just because the security certificate is valid, it does NOT mean you can trust the site. A valid certificate simply means that the issuer has confirmed that the site belongs to the owner. You have to also investigate the actual site. For example help-nzpost is NOT the NZ post site (www.nzpost.co.nz) so their valid certificate, means nothing. Make sure you know and trust the entire domain name, instead of just recognising a part of it.
3. When someone who should have your details, asks for your details, STOP. If a bank or post institution that you deal with regularly asks for your card details or address, be extra careful. DO NOT follow links sent to you by SMS. Go to their site on your browser normally and see if the SMS was legitimate.
4. If anyone ever asks for your password, STOP. You should only use your password on the familiar site where you created the password as your password is yours only. No bank will ever ask for your password because they should not have access to it. Most browsers have a secure password vault and can auto fill your passwords on the sites where they belong - if autofill doesn't show options, this usually means you're on a different site and someone is trying to steal your information.
Treating all emails and SMS as a scam until confirmed otherwise. If unsure, ask someone with cybersecurity skills. If you do not know someone like that, contact sic.

14/03/2023

sic - for the developer who wants to make the change from 'junior dev with 10 years of experience' to 'advanced developer'.

14/03/2023

With more languages, tools, packages and libraries than ever before, software quality is steadily decreasing. Even toddlers are familiar with concepts that should be rare and hidden: Mobile phones crashing, websites hanging (or performing so poorly that you assume they are hanging), apps getting stuck in input loops and counter-intuitive design. Why is that? Simply put - developer time is more valuable than computing time.

sic aims to change that. Software developers owe it to themselves, and their users (yes, employers too) to do better. To spend that extra couple of minutes automating your tests, or improving your query performance, or removing your test code.

Extra reading - https://tonsky.me/blog/disenchantment/

If you are a developer stuck in a rut, or looking for your next adventure but don't quite have the skills or confidence to take that leap, get in touch. Our services range from interview readines and on the job training to team performance tweaking and advanced integration consulting.