5 Tips to Keep Your Technology Costs Down and WORKING for You

In the day to day demands of managing your company’s network there can be challenges in keeping servers and workstations operating flawlessly and controlling ongoing costs. These challenges are complicated by the demands from the business to support more devices, more crossover technologies and to keep costs down. So we’ve compiled a list of tips that can help to keep your technology costs down and WORKING for you:

1.       Lease new equipment. This can give you the advantage of no upfront costs and a fixed monthly fee.

2.       Make the move to cloud services. Cloud services allow you to create a budget with fixed monthly costs without the worries of network maintenance. Read more about Northern Computer’s cloud services here.

3.       Have an emergency backup plan. Being unprepared for hardware failure can result in unforeseen costs and downtime and possibly even data loss. An IT consultant can help with disaster planning.

4.       Consider outsourcing or signing up for managed services that offer a fixed monthly cost.For those companies that don’t have the budget for an dedicated IT person, this allows you to have a part time IT professional to monitor your critical servers or systems, provide priority based break-fix and support, and provide scheduled maintenance. Read more about managed services here.

5.       Keep your virus and malware protection up to date. Each time a workstation or server has problems IT resources must be redirected to fix those problems, you incur additional costs and workers are robbed of productivity. Your company’s information security can even be jeopardized.

If you plan to purchase new systems or services to replace or add to current assets and are looking for options, but don't know exactly what kind of technology you require to grow your business, or aren't sure how much it will cost, talking to a trusted IT consultant can be your biggest ally. If they know your business, they can often pinpoint what you need or recommend a variety of solutions to choose from.


Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca  or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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Web Filtering

How are your employees using their time at work? Are you concerned that employees may be using the Internet for non-work-related surfing that can pose security threats, such as viruses, to your company network and reduce productivity?

What is web filtering?

Web filtering is a security solution that allows you to control Internet traffic that flows through your network. It encompasses non work related surfing, virus and malware protection. The program screens an incoming web page and determines whether some or all of it should be displayed to a user. It checks the content against a set of rules that is put in place by an administrator. Web pages are also checked for malicious content. It enforces Internet usage policies by blocking access to Web sites and Internet applications that are not related to business, and it eliminates spyware and other forms of malware from your organization. No more productivity loss trying to repair computers or make computers usable again after they have been infected with malware or viruses.

How does it Work?

Policies and rules are setup through a web based interface. Four types of rules can be applied that are able to block, allow, warn (display company policies) or monitor users. When a user tries to enter a restricted site or use a restricted application, an access denied screen will pop up and deny the user from entering the site. Below is an overview of how web filtering restrictions can be set up:

1.       Choose the restrictions for web filtering and application usage:

·         There are over 50 categories of websites that can be chosen

·         Applications (iTunes, messaging, Skype) can be allowed or blocked

·         Specific sites can be blocked or allowed

·         Specific types of content can be blocked, such as flash files

·         Create custom categories

2.       Choose Who to Apply the Rules to:

·         Rules can be set as global policies (your entire organization), to specific users or groups or machines, or to guest users. Exceptions can also be set up for certain users or restricting access for certain times of the day.

3.       Generate Reports:

·         The reporting feature is capable of generating over 50 types of reports. Reports can be generated to monitor specific users, attempted entry to blocked sites, amount of time spent on the Internet and much more. These reports can be automatically scheduled to be emailed as well.

What does it cost?

The average employee is reported to spend up to 2 hours a day surfing the Internet on non -work related activities. Web filtering is an investment in increased productivity, security and business continuity.  Filtering is paid on a monthly basis for each user or device that filtering is setup for. Northern Computer’s monthly filtering fee is less than $5.00 per user or device. A one-time setup fee may apply.

For more information please contact our sales team at sales@northerncomputer.ca or call us at 250-762-7753 Ext 3.


Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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How to send a large file

Have you ever had trouble sending a particular file attachment through e-mail, and wondered why? The file is probably too large. Most mail servers restrict attachment sizes to a maximum of 10MB, and sometimes even less than that. If you're trying to send someone a video file, a large batch of photos, or anything else that exceeds the limit, the e-mail won't go through. (Think of it as trying to stuff an oversize package into a small mailbox.) Fortunately, there are ways around these restrictions.

Email: For Large Files Under 10-25 MB

Email is one of the most common ways to make file transfers, especially among users who do not transfer files often. Email is also safe and secure, so you do not have to worry about other individuals accessing the files. You can also compress large files with compression software. The user on the other end does not need the compression software to decompress the attachment.

Online File Delivery Services: For Larger File Sizes

A variety of online services exist that let users send, receive and track files. YouSendIt is a simple to use program that offers different options, features and costs. The service is provided at no cost for file sizes up to 50MB. The sender just needs to create an account, enter the recipients email address, attach the file and send it. The recipient receives an email notification with a URL that lets them download the file.

Another option is Dropbox. Dropbox also offers free and paid services with varying options, but works differently than YouSendIt. It integrates with your desktop, laptop or any other devices that you have so that all of your files are available on the web and all these files automatically sync between all of your devices. Shared files and folders can be setup for different users to share and access. You can read more about Dropbox on our blog http://northerncomputer.blogspot.ca/2012/03/what-is-dropbox.html.

FTP: For Heavy File Transfer Loads

FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is designed to transfer many large files at once. If you have the need to make large file transfers often, then you can look into this option. Unfortunately, setting up FTP accounts and servers can be a tedious task.  A secure FTP site may be required if you are transferring sensitive documents. Northern Computer technicians can help to setup an FTP site if you are often required to transfer large files.

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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Do I need an SSD? Is it worth the price?

A solid state drive (SSD) is a hard drive for your computer without the moving parts. A normal hard disk drive has spinning disks from which data is written and read.

What are the advantages of an SSD?

Because SSDs have no moving parts, they tend to be much more durable and reliable. A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is prone to mechanical failure from vibrations or drops – an SSD is not. This decreases the risk of data loss due to shock and vibration, and this means time between failure (MTBF) greatly exceeds that of traditional hard disk drives, giving users peace of mind that it will retain their files for the long term.

An SSD is up to 10 times faster than a 7,200 RPM HDD. Users can quickly boot and shut down their systems, launch applications faster and reduce wait times. SSDs are the types of drives found in tablets.

They are more durable and power efficient. They consume 30 percent less power than a HDD while generating less heat and noise, making it an ideal solution for notebook users who want to maximize their battery life while computing on the go.

So, is it worth it?

For the price of my 128 GB SSD one could buy a 1 TB HDD. SSDs are still expensive and it can be hard to trade-off storage space for performance. If you have a PC with expansion space it’s no problem, just put your operating system on the SSD and pictures, videos, and music on your HDD. If you’re looking to upgrade a laptop it can be harder to decide. There may be other, cheaper ways to increase performance, such as a RAM upgrade.

However, if you need more space you might need to go for a traditional HDD, but make sure that it is at least a 7200 RPM drive.

As technology makes advancements and memory capacity can be added to smaller spaces, the price of SSDs will reduce.  For now, you just need to decide on what is more important - space or performance.

- Janet F, IT Consultant

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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Bandwidth Explained

The term Bandwidth refers to how much data is sent (uploaded) and retrieved (downloaded) from one source to another through the internet. Bandwidth is a term commonly used by both Internet Service Providers (ISP), and Website Hosting Providers to track and limit the data that is transferred using their services.


Data transfer over your Internet connection is measured at bits per second. One kilobit per second, or kbps, is a unit of data transfer rate equal to 1000 bits per second, or 125 bytes per second. One megabit per second, or Mbps, is equal to one million bits per second, or 125000 bytes per second. The higher the number of your download and upload speeds, the faster your data will transfer across the network.

The uploading of files is typically slower than downloading files. This is because most Internet connections are designed to provide much better speed for downloading than uploading. Most users spend more time downloading (which includes viewing web pages or multimedia files) than they do uploading and ISPs have designed their systems to give priority to downloading.

Your upload and download speeds will not match the maximum advertised speed of your connection. It's normal to only get 80-90% of the advertised maximum, and in the small print of your service provider's terms you'll find that they only promise "up to" the advertised speed, not that you will always get that speed. This happens for several reasons. First, your connection may be shared with other people in your building or neighborhood, so if a lot of other people are using the Internet you may experience a slowdown. Second, servers may be busy uploading and downloading files for many different users, so they are unable to provide the maximum possible speed for your files. Finally, other network activity on your computer may slow down your transfer, since it must all share the same connection.

When evaluating options for ISPs, choose one that offers the appropriate amount of bandwidth for your needs, along with good service and support for a reasonable cost. Plans can be compared by the monthly bandwidth included and the download and upload speeds.
Bandwidth prices have been gradually dropping over the last few years and capacity is constantly increasing as consumers demand more bandwidth. As cloud services/data centres become more common place, the need for more bandwidth will also continue to grow.

 

- Janet F, IT Consultant

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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Recycle and Help Out a Charity

What should be done with your old toner and inkjet cartridges, laptops, cell phones and digital cameras? The right thing to do is to recycle them and prevent the improper disposal of them by diverting them from entering landfills where they can take up to 1000 years to decompose.

You can also choose to go one step better and choose to help both the environment and the Canadian Diabetes Association by donating your recyclable items. The Canadian Diabetes Association has two programs in place that provide a convenient and environmentally friendly way to donate household items and electronics – Clothesline and Think Recycle.

The funds raised when these items are donated help to advocate for people with diabetes, further professional education, inform and educate Canadians about Diabetes, fund research programs and initiatives such as camps for kids.

Besides these recyclable items, the Canadian Diabetes Association also accepts these other items:

• Digital Cameras
• Cell Phones
• Inkjet Cartridges
• Toner Cartridges
• Clothing
• Cloth based items
• Footwear
• Books
• Toys
• Kitchenware
• Electronics

Items can be dropped off at their new location at 1054 Ellis Street (#102) or you can visit www.diabetes.ca/dropbox to find a local donation box. Alternatively, you can call 1-800-505-5525 to schedule a free pickup from the convenience of your home or business.  Ink and toner cartridges should be in sealed in a separate plastic bag.


Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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Managing Conversations in Outlook

How often do you search for an email that you sent or for an email that someone had replied back to? I often reference past emails to confirm information that was exchanged and spend too much time looking for “the one I want”. Well Outlook has a tool to make searching a whole lot simpler. This is called grouping conversations and it organizes email threads by subject. 

Below is an example of how email messages look when Outlook’s “Show as Conversations” option is selected. In this example, Outlook has grouped the thread of emails that share the same subject line. Here, you can see that there are 6 emails that share the subject “Future Business Plans”. A conversation can be expanded by clicking on the arrow on the message header.

Even sent items will appear and items that you have filed away into folders. As shown in the example below, the items in Italics are from folders. The email from Janet (me)  is in my sent items folder and two of the emails from Doris have been filed into a folder that I have that is named Sales. The other two emails from Doris are still in my Inbox. This makes it so easy to see every email that was sent and received.

 

Now that you can see the benefits of grouping conversations in Outlook, here is how it’s done. On the view tab, in the Conversations group, select the Show as Conversations check box. For more information on viewing emails by conversation, visit Microsoft at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/view-email-messages-by-conversation-HA010362041.aspx.

Northern Computer - Your Trusted Partner
#1 - 495 Banks Road Kelowna, BC V1X 6A2
Phone: 250.762.7753 Fax: 250.861.1861 Toll-Free: 1.877.257.2896
Email: sales@northerncomputer.ca or service@northerncomputer.ca
Web: http://www.northerncomputer.ca

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