News

Syscon Completes 4th Annual Charity Bike Ride

2009-07-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hinsdale, IL - July 18, 2009 Syscon, Inc. of Hinsdale completed its fourth annual 200 mile bike ride. The ride - known as the "Syscon Double-Century (Almost)" - was from Elmhurst to Utica, IL on Saturday, June 27th returning to Elmhurst on the 28th. The total distance is 210 miles, but it is referred to as an "Almost" Double-Century because the 200 miles is split over two days rather than one. This year, there were 8 riders that participated.

The ride was the concept of Larry Wendt, president of Syscon. "The purpose of the ride is to promote balance and health in our busy lives as well as generate some much needed funding for a good organization. Daybreak is a cause the really resonates with many of our clients. The idea of breaking free of welfare and becoming self-sufficient is appealing and natural to the men and women that take risks every day running a business." said Wendt.

The bike ride has provided fund raising for Daybreak of Elmhurst for the last three years. Daybreak is an organization that provides transitional housing, support, and mentoring to families wishing to become independent of welfare. In 2008, the Syscon ride raised over $5,000 for Daybreak.

Information on next years ride can be found at http://www.syscon-inc.com/Blog/Double-Century/.

About Syscon, Inc.
Syscon, Inc. is based out of Hinsdale, Illinois and services Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the Milwaukee areas. Syscon provides technology solutions small and mid-sized business market. As an independent consulting firm, Syscon concentrates on bringing best-in-class solutions to its clients. In addition, Syscon has extensive expertise to provide IT infrastructure support, consulting, training, and integration services to support their clients who have made an investment in technology. For more information regarding Syscon, see http://www.syscon-inc.com/.

VIRUS ALERT! Conficker Worm - January 23, 2009

2009-01-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Security Alert: Conficker Worm

Also known as:
Trojan.Downloader.JLIW (BitDefender)
Win32/Conficker.A (CA)
Win32/Conficker.A (ESET)
Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.aqfw (Kaspersky)
W32/Conficker.worm (McAfee)
W32/Conficker.E (Norman)
W32/Confick-A (Sophos)
W32.Downadup (Symantec)
Trojan.Disken.B (VirusBuster)
TA08-297A (other)
CVE-2008-4250 (other)
VU827267 (other)
Win32/Conficker.worm.62976 (AhnLab)

Computer Operating Systems at Risk:

Windows 2000 (All Editions)
Windows XP (All Editions)
Windows Server 2003 (All Editions)
Windows Vista (All Editions)
Windows Server 2008 (All Editions)

What the worm does:

It exploits a security lapse in the Microsoft Windows Operating system, which in turn infects your computer’s system files, deletes any restore points (which hampers our ability to restore your computer in case of infection or disaster), and then looks for other computers to infect.

To defend/prevent your network from attack you should do the following:

Update all workstations, laptops, & servers with the latest security updates by running windows update and installing any security related patches. If you are a Syscon Managed Services client that subscribes to our Windows Update Service, then this has already been done for you.

Update all Anti-Virus software to the latest release and verify that your systems are running the latest virus definition files. If you are a Syscon Managed Services Client, our remote monitoring constantly checks to make sure your Anti-Virus Software is up to date and you have the latest virus definitions available.

Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the internet to services that should not be publicly available. Update any available firmware and filter software and use complex passwords for your user accounts.

What to do if you think one of your PC’s is infected:

Immediately remove the infected device from the network. You can do this by unplugging the network cable from the back of the computer. Boot your operating system to safe mode and run a full virus scan using the latest Virus definition files available to your Anti-Virus Software. If an infection is found, most Anti-Virus software will automatically remove the threat. Once the threat is found and removed you will need to reboot your computer to completely remove the virus. If your software does not automatically remove it, there are several removal tools available from the major Anti-Virus Software Manufactures that you can download and use.

To Get Help:
If you are a Syscon Managed Services client, we will have already notified you of this potential issue and taken any known precautionary steps. Call us at 800-545-2012 or contact us via the Web if you would like to get confirmation and an status update for your network.

If you need help with resolving or preventing this and future virus attacks, call us at 800-545-2012 or contact us via the Web.

Other Informative Links on this Virus Threat:
Information from Microsoft
PC World
Norton Anti-Virus from Symantec
McAfee Anti-Virus

Syscon Founder Named to Twenty Influential Women in Business for 2008

2008-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

October 16, 2008, Hinsdale - Catherine Wendt, Vice President and co-founder of Syscon, Inc. has been named as one of the twenty “Influential Women in Business” for 2008 by The Business Ledger of Suburban Chicago.

This is the 11th “class” of women to be recognized by the newspaper and its partner in the event, the National Association of Women Business Owners, Chicago Area Chapter, since the program’s inception in 1998. (The Business Ledger)

About Catherine Wendt

Catherine Wendt is a truly unique and multi-dimensional individual that has significantly impacted the local business community with over 20 years of service. She is an active owner and executive in two successful businesses, a professional musician, an entrepreneur, a trusted advisor for many local businesses, and a philanthropist.

Catherine is the Executive Vice President of Syscon, Inc., a technology consulting firm in Hinsdale, Illinois. As a business consultant, Catherine has brought many local businesses successfully into the computer age – a difficult proposition 20 years ago. Specializing in construction, Catherine earned the respect of tough construction business owners who viewed women in construction as a novelty. Catherine became a trusted advisor and colleague that owners consider an essential resource to run their businesses successfully.

As the owner of a music production firm, Realmusic, Inc. Catherine has produced numerous commercial albums, one being nominated for a Grammy Award. Catherine spent five years singing with the Chicago Symphony chorus and in 1999 she became the “Artist in Residence” at Hubbard High School in Chicago. At Hubbard, Catherine was the professional vocal coach working directly with hundreds of students of one of the most successful high school choirs in the United States under the direction of William T. Wilson.

Catherine established the William T. Wilson scholarship in 2001 to assist students with college expenses. The William T. Wilson scholarship is funded entirely from Catherine’s company, Realmusic, Inc. and to date has provided over 30 scholarship awards.

Catherine is currently the conductor of the Elmhurst Männerchor, a German Men’s chorus that has been in continuous existence for 101 years.

Catherine Wendt is one of those remarkable people with the gift of teaching. She has intimately and significantly touched more lives in 20 years than many of us do in a lifetime.

Syscon, Inc. President Honored as ASA Chicago Outstanding Professional Member

2007-05-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hinsdale, IL - May 11, 2007 Larry Wendt, President and co-founder of Syscon, Inc., was named this month as “Oustanding Professional Member” by the Association of Subcontractors and Affiliates of Chicago. The award was presented to Mr. Wendt during the annual awards dinner for ASA Chicago at the Eaglewood Resort in Itasca. Over 400 people from the construction industry attended the event. Syscon has been a member of ASA Chicago since 2001 and Wendt has been the chairman of the ASA Chicago Technology Committee for the last two years.

“I really enjoy working with the ASA members. The organization is active, vibrant, and one of the best in the area for providing real educational and networking value to its membership,” said Wendt. “There are so many good people contributing their skills, I feel very honored to be recognized in this way along with the others in this year’s award presentations. These are all excellent people volunteering their time and skills to better the industry.”

This is the second consecutive year that Wendt has earned an award from ASA Chicago. In 2006, Wendt received a special award for his workshop series on using technology in construction.

About ASA Chicago
ASA Chicago is located in DesPlaines, Illinois and serves over 400 subcontractors, material suppliers, and associate members in the six county Chicago metropolitan area. ASA Chicago represents all trades, both union and open shops, by providing information and education on such business issues as: retainage, contracts, prompt payments, lien rights, and bidding practices.

About Syscon, Inc.
Syscon, Inc. is based out of Hinsdale, Illinois and services Illinois, Northwest Indiana, and the Milwaukee areas. Syscon provides technology solutions to the AEC (Architect, Engineering, and Construction), non-profit, manufacturing, and service markets. As an independent consulting firm, Syscon concentrates on bringing best-of-breed solutions to its clients. In addition, Syscon has extensive expertise in providing IT infrastructure support, consulting, training, and integration services to support their clients who have made an investment in technology. More information about can be found at http://www.syscon-inc.com/.

Local Firm Wins National Award

2002-08-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hinsdale, IL, August 18, 2002 – Syscon, Inc. earned recognition last week as one of the top five (5) sales organizations for Intuit’s new Construction Software Division. Syscon has been providing technology solutions to the Construction Industry since 1986, supporting networks of various sizes, providing needs analysis, as well as hardware and software installation. The award was presented at Intuit’s Master Builder 2002 National Convention for its construction services division. The award ceremony was held on the final day of the Conference in Rohnert Park, California, attended by over two hundred (200) Construction Industry Consultants, members of the Intuit Staff and Intuit’s CEO, Steve Bennett, and Co-Founder and Chairman, Scott Cook. Accepting the award for Syscon, Inc. were the company’s co-founders, Larry and Cathy Wendt.

Master Builder is a Construction Management product that includes Accounting and Project Management specifically for the Construction Industry. The Master Builder software began in 1982 as Omware, Inc. and was spearheaded by Dan Smith, President of Omware, now Vice-President of Intuit’s Construction Division. After a thorough review of Construction Accounting software products, their company cultures and installed customer base, Intuit chose to add Master Builder to its product family in November of 2001. The August 2002 Conference marks the first annual conference under the Intuit brand name after ten (10) annual conferences as Omware, Inc.