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March 2006
Introduction: Well Spring has arrived and with it the spring sunshine which makes the days seem warmer than they really are. In spring our minds are on renewal, new growth, spring flowers, spring cleaning and taxes.
March can be a very busy month for many small businesses, as they struggle to file in their business tax returns. Click here to learn more about Canadian tax and financial information, as well as ways to help save money.
Spring is also a good time to reassess your small business needs; new computers, a server, expansion. What's the advantage of adding a server to your workplace?
For most businesses, the benefit comes from creating a central place to hold critical business data. Consolidating your business data in one place ensures that employees know where to find and access the information they need to stay productive. It also means your data is easier to back up and protect than when it is spread over a number of individual PCs.
Yet providing centralised, well-organized data storage is just one benefit of operating a server in your workplace. Today's server programs can do much more. Here are some examples:
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TIP:
Windows Small Business Server 2003 helps you block unsolicited e-mail (spam) when Exchange Server 2003 — an e-mail program included with the software — is deployed. Spam blocking filters in Exchange and Outlook 2003 can both be configured automatically using Windows Small Business Server. |
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- Access data at home or branch office: By adding a server to your workplace you can provide access to documents, spreadsheets, e-mail and other information employees who work from home or at branch offices need to use. Windows Small Business Server 2003 has smartly simplified remote access with a feature called Remote Web Workplace. Remote Web Workplace is a website that you can create with Windows Small Business Server that provides a simple entry point to your business network for any employee authorised to use it. All your employees need to do is log on to the site to access their e-mail, documents and even their own office PC.
- Host an intranet: An intranet is an internal company website where you can provide information that only your workers should access. Windows Small Business Server 2003 includes Windows SharePoint Services, which enables a server to host a preconfigured internal website. Your employees can use the site to post and collaborate on documents. You can also use the site to post announcements, events, calendars and links to important company resources.
- Host your own e-mail: You can set up a server to handle your e-mail. This means your employees' mailboxes will reside on your server, not on a server operated by an internet service provider. Many businesses find that operating their own e-mail services gives them greater control over their business e-mail. Windows Small Business Server comes with Exchange Server 2003, e-mail server software that provides a messaging solution for internet and intranet e-mail. Exchange integrates with Outlook 2003 for scheduling meetings and online conferences. Exchange also enables businesses to use a web-based e-mail program called Outlook Web Access. Outlook Web Access provides users with remote web access to e-mail, scheduling and contacts when Exchange is used in your business network.
- Access data from a mobile device: Servers can also make data available to cell phones or other portable devices that connect to the internet. For example, you can use Exchange 2003 to automatically synchronise your data by connecting directly to your business server. Employees using Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition devices can access and update e-mail, contacts and calendars throughout the day, as if they were sitting at their desktop computer.
- Use database-dependent business programs: By adding a server to your business, you can use special business programs designed to work with a database. For example, Microsoft CRM is a business application designed to help businesses manage customer relationships. By locating the CRM database on a server, all those in your organization who use the data—sales representatives, marketing managers, customer service staff—can access and work with the data there. Windows Small Business Server 2003 includes the database software required to effectively run business applications. Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine is a component of both the standard and premium editions. More advanced database software — Microsoft SQL Server 2000 — comes with the premium edition of Windows Small Business Server.
- Send and receive faxes: Sending and receiving faxes remains a day-to-day activity in many businesses. Yet faxing can tie up your phone lines. Windows Small Business Server comes with Microsoft Shared Fax Services to enable you to fax from your desktop PC, and receive faxes through your e-mail, office printer or Windows SharePoint Services intranet site.
With versatile server software like Windows Small Business Server 2003 now available in the marketplace, business owners will have a hard time finding reasons not to move their offices to server-based systems.
Our special this month is two-fold;
- a PC spring cleaning for $56.18, includes GST.
- Six hours of training for the cost of 5 - $107 , includes GST.
Call us to make an appointment - 905-512-8787.
Enjoy this month's newsletter and happy computing.
Robert
News: VIRUS ENCRYPTS DATA, DEMANDS RANSOM
Trojan horse asks you to pay $300 to regain access to your documents. Learn more
MICROSOFT PATCHES UP OFFICE
Updates fix critical security flaws found in Office suite. More
NEW BROWSERS PROVE A TOUGH SELL
Opera is the latest browser to past the Acid2 test, but can it lure users away from IE?
Find out more.
Google Goes to Mars - You've probably used Google Maps before, and the Google satellite stuff is way cool too. Now you can take a virtual trip to Mars, using similar technology. Why go to Mars? What do the maps look like? You have to see it to believe it--our story explains what's there, and then links you to the brand-new Google service.
Google Will Sell Books Online - Look out, Amazon! Google plans on selling books online soon, through its much-maligned library service. However, the books are electronic only, and can't even be downloaded--you have to read them online. Why read a book in your browser? How valuable can this be if you can't read the books offline? Check out our update on this story, with details on when the service might actually be available.
New Intel Caching Scheme Speeds Up Hard Drives- The CPU has made great strides in performance over the past 10 years. The hard drive, alas, has lagged further and further behind. But now Intel has a new way to get around the lack of advances in physical hard drives. It's a new caching technique, called Robson, that promises near-instant boot-ups, dramatic advances in access speed and longer battery life. How? Read our story for details, but imagine sticking a USB thumb drive between disk and CPU.
Which version of Windows Vista is right for you?
People use computers for an unimaginable variety of work and leisure activities. To fit this wide range of uses, Windows Vista will be broadly available in five versions:
For Home:
Windows Vista Home Premium: Goes beyond basic tasks and helps you get more done around the house while more fully enjoying your digital entertainment.
Windows Vista Ultimate: Includes the full set of business, mobility, and home entertainment features for those who use their PCs at work, at home, and on the road.
Windows Vista Home Basic: Increases reliability, security, and ease of use for entry-level computers and basic tasks such as writing e-mail and surfing the Web.
For Business:
Windows Vista Enterprise: Adds protection for sensitive data and helps lower IT costs for large global organizations with highly complex IT infrastructures.
Windows Vista Business: Helps people in organizations of all sizes reduce costs, improve security, increase productivity, and stay better connected.
Microsoft Rolls Out Google "Killer" - It's called Windows Live Search, and the new search beta is designed to offer a real alternative to Google. It's an interesting product, with all sorts of interactive capability. But it eschews Google's clean look for a busy Microsoft interface. Check out our story on the new product: It might just be too much, too late
Tips and Tricks: LOCK IT DOWN IN 10 STEPS Laptop computers can be a common mechanism for viruses, spyware, and other security threats to enter an otherwise well-protected corporate network. When roaming users return to the office and reconnect to the corporate LAN, they can unleash major security headaches for IT departments. Here are 10 things that your IT department can do to better protect your organization's laptops.
AVOID EMBARRASSING SPELLING ERRORS WITH A CUSTOM NAMES DICTIONARY When you misspell a word or name listed in your custom dictionary, Word will flag it and give you the correct spelling in the shortcut menu. Your custom dictionary will also prevent Word from flagging correctly-spelled last names that aren't already included in your default dictionary. Learn how.
Put your PC maintenance routine on autopilot
Set up an automated PC maintenance schedule to keep your computer working its best. Learn to automate the weekly cleaning of your hard disk, rearrange fragmented files monthly, and check your hard disk weekly for errors.
Protecting your computer from the potential dangers of downloading takes a bit of caution and strict adherence to the rule: "When in doubt, save before you download." Find out how you can address safety risks when downloading files.
Giving a presentation can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. In this article, you'll learn how to keep your audience's attention by using the interactive features of a Tablet PC and Microsoft PowerPoint.
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Last month, we told you about the latest anti-spyware protection available from Microsoft, the new Windows Defender (Beta 2). Now here's everything that you need to know to install it on your computer, configure basic program settings, and run your first spyware scan. |
Featured tip: Open files with one click
If you can do the same thing in Windows with a single click of the mouse that you can do with two clicks, you'd take the shorter route, right? To take the one-click path:
1. Click the Start menu and then My Computer.
2. Click Tools and then Folder Options.
3. Select the General tab, choose Single-click to open an item (point to select), and then click OK.
Featured tip is courtesy of the book Windows XP Killer Tips by Kleber Stephenson.
If your high-speed system is running slower than a clogged drain, don't complain just yet. Before you pay for an expensive visit from your Internet service provider's tech support, here are four things you should check out.
5 safety tips for using a public computer
Use these tips to help keep your personal information secure when using public computers at libraries, Internet cafés, or copy shops.
Strong passwords: How to create and use them
It's not hard to create strong passwords. With a small amount of effort and some tricks provided in this article, you can help improve the security of your PC.
Downloads:
FotoSlate
FotoSlate is deceptively simple photo printing tool. It's easy to quickly master the basics, yet has deep options to keep the interest of the more serious photographer. Use it for quick printing by simply selecting a photo and a layout and hitting Print. Or get creative and employ the full range of the program by making calendars, cards, photo albums, contact sheets, and more. FotoSlate comes with over 450 premade pages for printing to different sizes. This software has a high degree of flexibility, letting alter premade pages for a customized look or design an entire layout from scratch. Now all your pictures can be suitable for framing.
Version: 2.0
Price: Free trial; $40 to purchase
Download FotoSlate here:
PhotoCleaner
PhotoCleaner lets you employ a plethora of touch up and clean up techniques to your photos by simply dragging and dropping. Like a car wash for your photos, PhotoCleaner automatically performs a sequence of operations to clean up and correct general photo problems, such as dullness or color shift. If you want more control, PhotoCleaner lets you manually select the processes you want it to perform, or leave it on automatic and let it do its thing. It also includes a batch mode setting for running multiple photos through the virtual wash.
Version: 2.2
Price: Free trial; $13 to purchase
Download PhotoCleaner here:
This months special:
Our special this month is two-fold;
- a PC spring cleaning for $56.18, includes GST.
- Six hours of training for the cost of 5 - $107 , includes GST.
Call us to make an appointment - 905-512-8787.
