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Date posted: March 23, 2012
We are excited to announce that Microsoft has asked CTS to become a member of the Microsoft Partner Research Panel (MSPRP). This panel presents a chance for a limited number of Microsoft partners to have their voices heard through ongoing research studies with Microsoft. The insights and suggestions of this vital partner community help shape products and programs which are critical to our mutual success.
Date posted: November 18, 2011
Microsoft released Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Office 2007 on October 25, 2011. This is the final SP for Office 2007 and we have been installing across all of our clients without any issues. SP3 contains a roll-up of all 2007 Cumulative and Public Updates since SP2, as well as a handful of additional fixes discovered since SP2.
To download and install SP3, you can run Microsoft Windows Update or you can download it directly from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2526086
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Date posted: August 24, 2011
From T1s and Comcast broadband connections and all the way up to dedicated fiber connections, every Internet connection has its limit. Every business requires a stable and reasonably fast Internet connection for their operations to run smoothly. This is especially important as organizations are migrating services to the Cloud. So here are some practices to conserve that precious and critical Internet bandwidth:
- Block access to all streaming websites – One of the largest drains on an Internet connection is the streaming of media sites. Examples of these would be Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, and even radio stations that broadcast over the Internet. Each of the media streams takes up a steady and small/medium sized portion of bandwidth. If you were to have a T1, which is the typical business connection, it would only take eight employees streaming an audio feed and it would consume one-third of your entire connection.
- Limit the use of personal phone calls – The second most bandwidth-intensive application is VoIP calls and each live/active call take up to 90 Kbps, which is about one-fourteenth of the capacity of a T1. So if you were to have three employees on the phone for personal reasons, it would take up a 270 Kbps, which takes away that bandwidth for business calls and data.
- Implement an external/hosted firewall – Most Internet providers offer a hosted firewall, so that all SPAM and unwanted attacks are blocked and filtered on their core routers before it is passed along to your circuit. This is especially important if you are hosting e-mail in-house, because blocking tens of thousands of SPAM before it hits your router/firewall and travels over your business Internet connection can make a huge difference.
- Regular malware scans of computers – Malicious software (spyware, viruses, and Trojans) very often make connections out to the Internet and take up bandwidth. When computers are infected, they are turned into bots and attempt to infect other computers inside the network and out on the Internet. Regular scans and reporting are necessary to ensure that no hidden infected computers are lurking.
If you have any additional questions on Internet bandwidth management, please feel free to contact us.
Date posted: August 22, 2011
A firewall is a security solution that prevents other computers on the Internet or your network to connect to your computer. A firewall protects your computer by not allowing any data connections from external systems in which you did not initiate the connection first. An example of this would be if you try to access www.google.com, you are initiating the connection to the Google server, so as the data passes outbound through your firewall, your firewall will then take any data coming from the Google server and pass it along to your computer. And if a Google server attempts to send data to your computer without you trying to access it first, then your firewall will block all of that data traffic. So if you are at a Starbucks and using the public Internet connection, your Windows firewall is what prevents others at the Starbucks to make connections or try to break into your laptop.
There are two types of firewalls – software and hardware. A hardware firewall is a physical device that will sit between your computer and the Internet. In most cases your Internet router has a built-in firewall. A software firewall resides on your computer and monitors the data passing through your wireless or Ethernet ports. Typically hardware firewalls are Cisco, SonicWALL, Netgear, Linksys, and DLink. Examples of software firewalls are Symantec 360 Protection and Windows’ built-in firewall.
So what if there was something that you wanted to share or host with others? For example, what if you wanted to share files with another user on your office network or host a website to the Internet? What you would be doing is placing firewall exceptions for only those hosted services, and then deny any other traffic besides those specific items.
More advanced firewalls can also scan and prevent viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. And even more advanced firewalls have IPS (intrusion protection system). IPSes not only blocks external attackers, but contain intelligence with how it will detect and scan, as well as advanced reporting tools.
If you have any additional questions on firewalls, please feel free to contact us.
Date posted: August 5, 2011
On a monthly basis, a client will ask for suggestions on how to get their users to be more productive. Here is a list of quick and inexpensive solutions:
1) Increase your computer’s memory to at least 4 GB of RAM: The cost of memory has significantly dropped over the years. You can get 4 GB for about $125 and for users with less than 2 GB now, they will see a huge increase in performance. Their computer will not only run faster, but it will be more stable and they will be able to run more applications at the same time. If you think you need more than 4 GB, then make sure that you are running a 64-bit OS (operating system), because 32-bit OSes will only allow you to utilize up to 4 GB of RAM.
2) Add an additional monitor to their configuration (desktop or laptop): With a dual monitor setup, users will be able to view applications and files across two different monitors, which most people think that it does not increase productivity, but it makes a world of difference. Having the ability to view e-mails and faxes on one screen, and then entering that information into your ERP or billing system on the other screen makes that process much simpler and quicker. Being able to read/view multiple supporting documents on one screen, and creating a letter/e-mail on the other screen is invaluable. The cost of a secondary 19-inch LCD is around $110 and if you need a secondary video output, that is around $60.
3) Implement and enforce a web surfing policing solution: I do not have to give you the statistics because they been published many time, but employees waste hours at work surfing the web and sitting on Facebook. Those hours of surfing add up and are the largest productivity loss on an organization. I don’t recommend completely blocking non-business web surfing, because that has a negative effect on employees’ morale and (in turn) productivity.
The first step is to publish a Acceptable Use Policy, if you have not already, that informs employees that they may surf the web for personal items, but within reason and a specific usage per day. Part of that policy should state that violations will be met with written warnings, suspension, or even termination.
Now we all know that these published policies are not that effective, but there are technologies that will assist in the “babysitting.” There are several low cost solutions that will do the following and this is what we recommend:
a) Monitoring and logging – You are able to track, monitor, and create reports on usage and trends for each user. This is a very powerful solution especially when you need to get HR involved.
b) Restrict categories of website – You have the ability to block specific types of websites and examples are: Adult/Mature, Gambling, Social Media (Facebook, MySpace, etc), Violence, Weapons, Chatrooms, Dating, and Personal E-mail.
c) Restrict the hours – You are able to create restricted and non-restricted time windows for web surfing. This is the best of both worlds when you mix it with item 2. You can allow users to surf for all websites during early morning, lunch break, and then late afternoon. So this way users do not feel like they are being completely blocked, but you are restricting the peak business times and capping the amount of time they can surf.
Date posted: June 6, 2011
It is unfortunate, but we live in a time that allows us access to our office data and systems 24/7/365 and without geographical limitations. So if it is 2:00 AM on a Sunday and you are flying over China in an airplane, technically you are able to access your files, e-mail and voicemail if the proper systems are in place. Does that mean you SHOULD be accessing it? Remote access technologies include webmail, smartphones, voice to text, VPN and remote desktop to name a few.
When I was a kid growing up in the 80s I remember my father coming home from work and not being bothered by a coworker, vendor, or customer. If anything, he got a call from the office at home about once a year when there was a real emergency. No pager, no cell phone, no texting and definitely no e-mail were available back then, but the U.S. prospered and had amazing business and economical growth.
Times have definitely changed to the point in which if you don’t reply to any e-mail that is sent at 9:00 PM by midnight, people wonder if you are on vacation or ill. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a global world that operates 24 hours a day without any interruption and responses within 4 hours. What concerns me is that businesses out there preach the “work and life balance” programs, but I don’t know of many organizations that actually implement or enforce it.
Maybe the work/life balance is becoming more important as my kids are growing up and I don’t want to miss any time with them. Very often I’ll be at a t-ball game, at the mall or even going for a walk in the neighborhood, and I find myself zoning out my family to respond to clients or coworkers. I know this is almost impossible, but I challenge everyone to put down their phones and shutdown their computers from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM every weekday. Do whatever non-business activities make you happy because you don’t need to work, the e-mail or voicemail will still be waiting for you at 7:01 AM.
Date posted: March 8, 2011
Despite what people think, computers do not last forever and they have a life span. Your typical desktop will last between four and five years, and a typical laptop will last between three and four years. A computer’s life is determined by hardware failure and also its limits in keeping up with software advances. For example, you would not want a computer from 2006 running Windows 7. Sure it will run, but the performance is not even worth it.
By performing monthly computer maintenance on your systems, you will ensure that you will be getting the most longevity and performance standpoints. Here is a list of items that you should do on a monthly basis:
- Make sure that all critical Microsoft security patches are installed
- Verify that your virus protection software is updating properly
- Delete Windows temporary files located at C:\Windows\Temp
- Delete users’ temporary files located at C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp (Windows XP) or C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp (Windows Vista or 7)
- Delete all Internet Explorer temporary files. While in Internet Explorer, click on Tools –> Internet Options –> Click on Delete and then make sure that you delete Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History
- Uninstall any programs that are no longer needed from the Control Panel (Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features)
- Empty the Windows Recycling Bin
- Defragment the hard drive. Click on Start –> Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools and then click on Disk Defragmenter
- Restart the computer (this is recommended weekly)
For any questions on computer maintenance, please e-mail us at support@onlineCTS.com
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