Being a Trusted Business on the Trusted Saskatoon Directory of Excellence comes with alot of responsibility, no other directory, advertising medium or 'watchdog organization' puts businesses through the process we do before we promote and endorse them. Most other organizations offer is checking that the business has a valid business license, and maybe that they have insurance and don't have a bad rating, 99% don't even bother with that and those that do rely on the consumers to provide ratings, mostly unverified and un-qualified.

The Trusted Saskatoon businesses become Partners with a contract, and they become part of a community. In a community we all have our parts to play to ensure the directory maintains the standards and high level of integrity that it does. To ensure that our partners are upholding these guarantees on a daily basis we have a MYSTERY SHOPPER PROGRAM, where normal everyday people mystery shop our Trusted Partners, we then get our mystery shoppers to fill out a report to tell us about the experience!

Perfection Plumbing was founded in 1996 and is locally owned and operated. They are different than any other plumbing company in the area. In 2001 they became affiliated with a national plumbing association called Plumbers Success International. Through this affiliation, they are able to bring valuable products and services to clients that they cannot obtain from any other plumbing service company in the area.

Perfection Plumbing are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers on the Saskatoon Directory

Here is some pro advice from the very best plumbers at Perfection Plumbing:

Pro Advice on How to Maintain a Clean, Functional Toilet From Plumbing Experts at Perfection Plumbing

The Trusted team at Burnt Orange Solutions are located in the Computers & Web Design Category.

Honesty and respect are important factors in the daily communication at Burnt Orange. Gareth and the team at Burnt Orange Solutions are YOUR Saskatoon IT stress solution. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts. 

Burnt Orange Solutions Provides Advice About Hacks and Mac's

For more than a decade, there’s been a rumor that Apple products are hacker proof, but the reality is that no operating system or data structure is completely airtight.  Historically speaking, there are fewer viruses and malware that are targeted to Macs than to PCs, but that doesn’t mean that any Apple OS is immune from threats.  There have been more attacks in recent years as ransomware has leaked to the dark web.  While Android and Windows will likely always receive a higher percentage of malware than Apple devices, the threats continue to multiply as Apple becomes ever more popular in the marketplace.  It’s only a matter of time until specific devices are targeted with browser-specific hacks that bypass some of the security that is baked into OS X.

Mac Attacks

Phishing emails and third-party exploits of software such as Java or Adobe are also some of the current crops of attacks against Macs, but they’re not the only ones.  Macs have been plagued by adware and bloatware — whether malicious or just annoying — that can float pop-up ads on your system to tempt users to download non-essential software tools.  These problem spots can slow down the system overall or spawn additional pop-ups, and generally aren’t dangerous. Malicious iOS apps are another form of malware that is likely to be found on a Mac.  It’s important to stick with only downloading apps from the official App Store, as others could potentially include subsets of code that can steal user information or infect the device in a much more widespread fashion.  While buying from within the App Store helps combat nearly all malicious software, the ever-diligent app reviewers don’t catch everything.  In the last 24 months, XcodeGhost was able to introduce a framework into legitimate apps that hijacked back-end servers and ultimately infecting the third-party advertising network.

Rise of Ransomware

Hackers are always looking for new ways to hold your device hostage, essentially locking you out of your device until you pay a ransom which is generally requested in nearly-untraceable Bitcoin currency.  With ransomware up nearly 250 percent in 2017, cybercriminals have discovered that there is significant money to be made in locking down computers both for individuals and for businesses.  Ransomware has often targeted PCs in the past, but mobile devices and Macs are a growing part of the threat landscape.  The U.S. has been hit particularly hard, most likely due to the high number of available computers and relatively high per capita income — which translates into funds available to pay for ransom demands.  Ransomware often completely disables the boot-up process for your computer, a crippling effect on any system.

Find My Mac

This recent risk is related to the Find My Mac application, or FMM, which is being targeted by hackers who then request Bitcoin payments in order to provide renewed access to the system. This particular app makes it simple to pinpoint the current location of your device and is helpful in the case of a lost phone or stolen Mac computer.  Apparently, hackers have illegally obtained a large quantity of iCloud passwords and usernames, and are leveraging these assets to lock people out of their Macs and mobile devices.  The good news is that there’s a relatively easy fix that doesn’t involve paying the ransom, but only if you’re willing to lose all of the data on your device by doing a hard reset.  This can also be accomplished by bringing your Mac to an Apple store and verifying your identity.

Reducing the Risk of Loss

Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can reduce the risk of being hit by these cybercriminals.  Creating a password that is highly secure is the first step, as is turning off the Find My Mac or Find My iPhone in your device’s Settings.  Turn on two-factor authentication on your Apple account to ensure your password cannot be reset without your knowledge, and consider utilizing a password vault app that provides additional levels of security.  

If your IT admins are struggling to keep security under control, let the professionals at Burnt Orange support your Saskatoon organization.  They work to ensure that all risks are addressed in a timely manner throughout your fleet of devices and computers.

Contact Burnt Orange today for more information or to take advantage of your FREE initial consultation. View them on Facebook here. They are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts!

The Trusted Saskatoon team is thrilled to welcome Hounjet Tastad Harpham Accountants to our Saskatoon directory of excellence in the Saskatoon Financial Services Category!

Hounjet Tastad Harpham

Allyn Tastad - B.Comm, CPA, CGA

Allyn has been a public accountant since 1988. He provides tax and accounting services to a wide range of clients, from individuals to large-scale enterprises. Allyn is also a regular contributor to the Western Producer as a columnist. He is still actively involved with the family farm near Loreburn, SK, and lives in Saskatoon with his wife Pattie and their two children. 

Dustin Harpham - B.Comm, CPA, CGA

Dustin has been working in public accounting since 1996. Dustin brings diverse tax expertise to the firm and enjoys applying computer applications to accounting and tax problems. Dustin lives in Saskatoon with his wife Angela and their three children. 

Why Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants. 

We knew about Hounjet Tastad Harpham as they have been Trusted's accountants since 2011- in addition they have been the personal accountants of Sara the Trusted founder since 2006. They have an exceptional reputation within the Saskatoon business community. Therefore, we were thrilled when they showed interest in joining the family of TrustedSaskatoon.com businesses. While interviewing clients for their verification, they received stellar ratings - 10/10 after 10/10!

Don't just take it from us, check outwit their other clients had to say ! 

Yvonne Crozier of Straightline Builders had this to say about Hounjet Tastad Harpham:

"Hounjet Tastad Harpham took over our accounting after a bad experience with another firm. They took over and fixed the issue right away. The experience working with Hounjet Tastad Harpham has been nothing but wonderful." 

Another satisfied customer from Saskatoon had this to say:

"Roseline has always been at the forefront of non-profit accounting. I appreciate her cautious and careful approach to avoid any potential issues. They always went above and beyond to educate us, and their bilingual service is a great added value that not a lot of accountants offer." - Julien Gaudet (Saskatoon)

While interviewing clients, a couple of themes consistently came up. 

The first was that the accountants at Hounjet Tastad Harpham go out of their way to educate their clients on their accounting affairs in a straightforward way that the client can understand. The second was that Hounjet Tastad Harpham Accountants are very customer service focused; they are very attentive to their client's needs and provide prompt responses and feedback. 

Trusted Saskatoon warmly welcomes Houjet Tastad Harpham Accountants to our directory of excellence in the Saskatoon financial services category, and we are proud to give them the thumbs up!

Check out the Hounjet Tastad Harpham Accountants listing and read more reviews here.

Trusted Saskatoon owner and founder Sara Wheelwright recently accepted a fitness challenge from the excellent team at Trusted Saskatoon gym Fitness Focus. Over the next few months, you can follow along on her fitness journey as she blogs and video journals her motivations, successes, failures, frustration and her pain as she struggles to get fit and fabulous in her forties!  

WEEK 7 - GETTING INTO A STRIDE &  SEEING RESULTS

I am back - eating better, seeing Denise and I am starting to see ( and feel ) the results. I have more energy overall and even spent time last week organizing my closet and drawers ( If my Mother in the UK reads that she will be shaking her head in disbelief!). I am finding the cardio easier and, I must admit, I am starting to enjoy myself. 

In the last 7 weeks, I have had to navigate many many many temptations.   Mothers Day, events with girlfriends, Grad parties, my 44th Birthday, time at the lake and even multiple shows at Jazz Fest. I have spent time in hotels, on the road, eating in restaurants with clients.  May, June and the beginning of July this year has brought hot temps and it has been perfect for sipping cocktails on a deck.    I cannot hand on heart say I have not lost my way a few times and overindulged, but what I can say is for the first time I haven't let that get in the way of me moving forward. 

The team at Fitness Focus have not judged my slips, and that is why I love the gym ( Also the coffee protein shakes!! GENUIUS!)  - such a supportive, relaxed atmosphere. 

Denise is the best trainer ever, and she really does inspire me with her dedication and the passion she has for fitness. You go, girl!! She is competing this week. 

As I count down the last 3 weeks to my UK trip, I pledge to be better, to be more focused and to get fully onboard with the drinks, eats, cardio and activity. I know it is working and I look forward to the final weigh-in ( of phase 1 )  at the end of July.  

You can see some of the results in the video and pic below - the rest you will have to wait and see.