May 15, 2008
I don’t have nearly enough time to post to this blog. That being said there are two easy ways to post to WordPress blogs. One is to use the built in web interface, which works great. The second is to use Windows Live Writer which I find makes the experience even easier. So if you are reluctant to start blogging, then start small using these tools.
Sign up for a FREE WordPress blog site at: http://wordpress.com/
Download Live Writer FREE at: http://get.live.com/writer/overview
If you still need a little help give www.stylindirect.com a call.
Happy Blogging!
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February 29, 2008
If Oprah was recommending technology books for her book club then she would definitely be mentioning Take Back Your Life.
I am about half way through this book and I have found it extremely useful in organizing my small business. It leverages Microsoft Outlook as the technology tool to get organized. It is a nice balance of technology and practical organizational techniques.
In the past I have though about leaving Microsoft Outlook for a better email client; however, after reading this book I may be using Outlook for a little bit longer. For all of its technical drawbacks, Outlook does provide a cost effective way to simplify work-flow. This book does remind us why Outlook is one of the most widely used email programs in the world.
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February 29, 2008
The economy is in the tank. The real estate crisis is “real”. Guess what, small business keeps on trucking. Small business is the least effected by the downturn. Why? Small business owners are practical. They are cautious. Are you taking advantage of the competitive advantages that technology can bring to your business?
In the infamous words of ex-Red Sox player Kevin Millar, “it’s time to cowboy up!”. In other words, suck it up, move on. Now is the time to seize market share. Is your glass half empty or half full?
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February 28, 2008
Last week I wrote a post documenting my experience with Comcast support. The next morning I received a voice-mail from Comcast’s Executive Customer Care office stating that they would like to hear more about my conversation with technical support. Maybe, there is something to this Web 2.0 blogging thing? Big companies actually read this crap? Well, maybe not, but at least they are smart enough to sift through the negative alerts.
The woman I spoke with from Comcast was very apologetic for the lack of service on the part of her company. She listened to all of my feedback and did not interrupt once, which is atypical of their customer service staff. I appreciate what Comcast is trying to do to change its image. I just hope that they will continue to be proactive rather than reactive in their approach towards their customers (who pay their salaries).
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February 21, 2008
Today, I went to a friends house to help him setup his wireless router. He said that his daughter was coming to visit and that she would need to have wireless access throughout the house. I said, “easy enough, should take about an hour”. I guess I spoke too soon. I should know better being in the business.
So here’s my beef. Why in the world do large companies like Comcast, Verizon, Dell, HP, etc. think that they can put unqualified people on their technical support line? That is absolute bullshit. In this case I needed to call Comcast “technical” support to find out why the Motorola Surfboard modem was not connecting to the Internet after putting in a Netgear wireless router. They told me that in order to fix the problem I would need to call Netgear for support. Are you shitting me?
This is why small business owners call my company rather than make a “free” call to a company like Comcast. There is no such thing as “free” support because someone has to pay for it. In this instance it was me. Luckily, he is a good friend. Rather, than stay on hold I decided to dig in to Google and ran a search for some common problems. Bingo! Problem solved. I guess there is such a thing as free support.
P.S. - Comcast it was your problem because your techs setup the modem and your operators should at least know the basics of how field techs set them up. Newsflash! People want to be able to run a wireless network in their home as part of your service.
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February 21, 2008
There are two reasons why I cannot leave Microsoft Outlook as my email application of choice.
1. Exchange Messaging (Collaboration, Group Calendars, Public Folders, etc.)
2. Tasks
The first reason makes total sense because there aren’t a lot of options out there yet. Although, this is changing rapidly with Google Apps, Zimbra and the Novell stuff. Microsoft really did some good work from a business process standpoint with Exchange.
However, the second reason why I run Outlook may seem a little odd. You can use just about anything to keep track of your daily tasks. What makes Outlook Tasks so special? Habit. Pure and simple I and many others out there are not interested in changing the way we work. Change takes time. Time is money.
Oh, the ability to share, track and assign tasks isn’t bad either!
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February 21, 2008
Small businesses do have Microsoft Outlook alternatives. Although most of our clients use Outlook for their email needs we are keenly aware of (and use) the competition. Are you feeling the heat Steve Ballmer? If not you might want to look at this.
Thunderbird (Win, Linux, Mac) http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/
Gmail (Web Based, Platform Independent) http://www.gmail.com
Google Apps http://www.google.com/a
Evolution (Linux) http://www.gnome.org/projects/evolution/
P.S.- For the companies still running Eudora, time to move on to a new program. If you have not received the memo they have stopped supporting their email client. I believe they are working with the rest of the Thunderbird team.
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February 20, 2008
As a former email administrator for a small data center I know firsthand the effects of unsolicited junk mail on an organization. Part of my daily routine was to sift through logs, ip addresses and scripts to find ways to combat the problem. Now as an outsourced IT consultant to small business I am faced with the same problem albeit at a much more manageable level. Small business owners are looking to me for cost effective solutions to their junk mail dilemma. So what is the answer?
One way to cut down on the junk is to use filtering on the perimeter of your network. Hosted services or network appliances are the best way to go. Simply put, you need to filter it out before it gets to your desktop computer. Outlook does have a junk mail filter but that is not the best way to go. Most importantly you don’t want to be the human junk mail filter. Here’s why.
Right now, ways that I stop spam from infringing on my productivity include:
1. I run a hosted filtering service on the perimeter of my network. I pay a small monthly fee for this service and I don’t have to manage the server. I just need to manage the filter settings. Throttle up or down depending on volume.
2. Microsoft Small Business Server is running in the office with built in mail filtering software. Which also can be throttled up and down as needed.
3. Lastly, if anything sneaks through then it is usually dropped into the junk mail folder in my Outlook mail application. There are hundreds of other ways you can accomplish the same thing for very little money. These are just a couple of solutions I use to keep the SPAM in the can and clients more productive. Can someone pass the mustard?
Need other tips, tricks and advice then go here: Top 10 Ways to Eliminate Spam in Your Business
Posted in Security, Workflow Comments Off
February 8, 2008
- All my contacts, emails, tasks and other important data are the same no matter which computer I am on. This includes my Motorola Q smartphone.
- It has Sharepoint built in which allows me to organize documents and information easily.
- We can still access information when phone or cable line is down.
- I can work from anywhere. The remote tools are very good for workers and administrators.
- It sends me email reports if anything goes wrong with the server.
- SBS sends me a status report outlining daily performance
- It automatically backs up key company data (simple, but effective)
- Collaboration capabilities are built into Sharepoint and easily added to as my business expands.
- I can easily share emails, tasks, and calendars which saves time.
- It is a vast improvement over versions 4.5 and 2000.
Being well versed in UNIX and LINUX, I do have other options. Nevertheless, using SBS as a file server, email server and collaboration tool gives me a lot more than just an operating system. Additionally, it has a low total cost of ownership (TOC) which is a beautiful thing for a small business like mine.
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February 8, 2008
Do you remember when your Mom use to say that you need to put on a few extra layers to protect yourself from the elements? Ah, the good old days. Well, she might not have been an IT security expert but she still had the right idea.
Like wearing multiple pieces of clothing your business technology should be dressed in the same manner. Most important is the outer layer. In the networking world we call that “the perimeter of your network”. At a minimum the perimeter should contain a network firewall that protects against attacks from the Internet. Underneath the firewall should be software that checks for malware that contain viruses and spyware (i.e. AVG, McAffee, etc.) Lastly, it is in not a bad idea to have another firewall on your desktop to protect against possible worm virus infections on the local network.
Other layers that could be added for more protection include hosted spam and virus filtering from companies such as Google, Microsoft and your current web host.
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