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Archive for category: General Business
First draft of Unlocking Android 2.0 is complete
Posted by: Frank Ableson in General Business, Software Development, Technology, Android, Unlocking Android on September 06, 2010
Unlocking Android, Second Edition, is under review. A bunch of edits to take care of over the next week or so, then on to the copy-editing process that is exciting for the editors but challenging for the authors... and then on to the printer before too long. The book should be on shelves sometime in November or December of this year.
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MSI President named to NJ Biz 40 under 40
Posted by: Administrator in General Business, Company News on September 06, 2010
NJBiz announced their annual 40 under 40 recognition of leaders in the Garden State. MSI's President, Frank Ableson, recently celebrated his first 39th birthday and was able to sneak in under the wire to be counted among this year's class of honorees.
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First Lego League challenges released
Posted by: Frank Ableson in Fun, General Business, Software Development on September 05, 2010
The First Lego League competition season is under way. On Friday, September 3, this year's Lego competition details were released. The First Lego League is an organization started by inventor Dean Kaemen (guy who brought us the "Segway" transportation "thing") a number of years ago. FIRST stands for For Innovation and Research in Science and Technology. My children and their friends on their team just refer to it as "Robotics". It is a lot more than just messing around with the Lego Mindstorm. In addition to programming a robot to navigate a course and solve a number of challenges, they also need to conduct a research project and prepare a five minute presentation.
The entire experience is good training in teamwork, research, engineering, presentation skills and performing under pressure. Oh, and they have a lot of fun doing it all.
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How To Blog
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business, Network Services, Tips and Tricks, Social Media, Technology on July 29, 2010
In the last issue of The Point, entitled "Blogs: Why and what's in it for you?", I persuaded my readers that they should blog. You can read that issue here. In this issue, I'll explain how to blog. Blogging boils down to three steps - 1) choose a topic, 2) decide where you will host your blog, and 3) begin writing posts that are search engine friendly.
Let's start with the first task - pick your topic. If you're starting a blog for your company, this might have already been predetermined in part by what your company does/what industry you're in. If your company already has one blog, determine if there's room for a new one with a different topic. For example, a financial services firm might offer a blog that talks about financial considerations and another that talks about company research. If there isn't an opportunity for a new blog, consider contributing to the current one. Contributing to an existing blog is an even more attractive option when you consider that a blog can have more than one topic. Blogs that have multiple topics which complement one another will appeal to an even larger audience.
Decide where you want to host your blog. Believe it or not, the vast majority of blogging services are offered free of charge. Certain hosts charge extra fees for more advanced features, but other sites offer everything for free, relying on the popularity of the site as a whole as their business model. If you are interested in creating a blog for your company's website, you might have to purchase relatively inexpensive CMS or blogging software that allows for the proper functionality in-house. Here at MSI, we host our website on our recommended CMS platform, which includes the capability to create blogs and add them to the site as needed.
However, it's also quite possible to host a company blog on a third-party blogging platform. These are also perfect for a personal blog. Here are a few of the best blog hosts:
- For its ease of use, simplicity, and enormous free feature set, http://www.tumblr.com/ takes the cake as the best blogging service I know of. To sign up just click the link - the home page has made it an obvious and simple task, as is Tumblr's style.
- In close second is the tired-and-true http://www.wordpress.com/, which has earned the respect of its dedicated user base. Sign up by clicking the orange "Sign up now" button on the right side of the home page.
Now that you've decided what and where you will blog, there are some basic guidelines for writing your blog posts that you should follow.
- Less is more. If you can describe something in 250 words or 500 words, go with 250 every time.
- Link as much as possible. This helps to boost your post's search engine exposure.
- Don't beat around the bush. Demonstrate your opinion strongly and clearly within the first couple sentences.
- Be consistent in the way you write your posts. If someone likes the way you write, they'll stick around for more.
Happy blogging!
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New application in iPhone AppStore
Posted by: Frank Ableson in General Business, Company News, Software Development, Technology, iPhone on June 29, 2010
MSI has assisted long time client Airtime Manager in bringing their time tracking solution to the iPhone marketplace. Learn more here.
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Cloudy with a Chance of Mail
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business, Network Services, Tips and Tricks, Technology, Windows on June 22, 2010
A Worthwhile Cloud Solution
Most professionals have heard of "the cloud" before. However, like many hyped technology terms, it can be both overused and misunderstood. The majority of business owners just want to know if the cloud can benefit their business. One cloud-based service in particular, Hosted Microsoft Exchange, is emerging as a solution which provides real value for businesses of all sizes.
Here are the benefits of Hosted Exchange to consider:
- Enhanced mobility: Hosted Exchange offers very reliable mobile solutions. Hosted Exchange servers are located in data centers with multiple and redundant high-capacity Internet connections - they are easily accessible through the Internet, even on an international scale. If the data center ever experiences an issue with their Internet connection or server hardware, the solution is usually as simple as off-loading the work to one of the other redundant servers or Internet lines. This feature appears to be increasingly desirable as mobile workforces become a more integral part of business.
- Flexibility and collaboration: Hosted Exchange encompasses all of the benefits of an in-house Exchange server. If your business does not have an Exchange server, but instead uses POP accounts to receive mail, there are several potential benefits of moving to a Hosted Exchange platform. For example, with a traditional POP account, each new email is downloaded by the first device to access it. This means that if a new message is received by your Blackberry, it will not be received later on by your desktop. Exchange allows each device to store a "copy" of the message - even if one device downloads the email, it will still be downloaded to your other devices. Other advantages include the enhanced mobility mentioned above, calendar collaboration, and contact sharing.
- Cost: Hosted Exchange is typically offered at a monthly flat-rate, charged per mail account. This may be appealing if your business is concerned over the up-front cost of purchasing a dedicated Exchange server. However, even if you already have an in-house server, the increased mobility mentioned above is often enough of an advantage to justify the switch.
It is important to consider your businesses needs and future carefully when comparing Hosted Exchange to your current office solution. Our staff is always available to discuss cloud, email, and mobile solutions. If you would like to discuss these considerations with us please dial 973-448-0070 or email sales@msiservices.com.
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Can’t find an email?
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business, Network Services, Tips and Tricks, Technology, Windows on June 14, 2010
Getting the most out of Outlook's search features.
Email has evolved. As the demands of the workplace have shifted to accommodate technology, business owners have realized the importance of holding onto their emails. Outlook has become a priceless database of information and communications. However, this database is only as good as the user's ability to navigate through it and find what they need, when they need it.
Microsoft refers to it as "Instant Search", and it could be one of the best features frequently overlooked by Office users. It allows you to search through various email fields simultaneously and in real time.
Here is a screenshot showing the location of the Instant Search box:
To use the feature, simply begin typing anything that you know was in the email. It could be the name of the person you sent it to, the subject line, a word a phrase you used in the body of the email, and even the name of an attachment. As you begin typing, Outlook will automatically begin filtering messages within the currently selected folder, displaying the results, and highlighting the matching text in highlighter yellow. To search within all mail, including sent items and drafts, click the dropdown arrow next to the magnifying glass and select "Search All Mail Items".
This type of generic search will typically be all that is required to find an email. However, the software also allows you to "lock-in" a specific search criteria. For example, this feature becomes useful when you know an email is from "Client X" and want to restrict results to that client. To use this feature, click the drop-down arrow next to the search box. You can then enter in "Client X" into the "From" field. I have locked in Client X as "From" and "Proposal Suggestion" as the subject in the example below:
Instant Search is just one of many helpful features included within Outlook. Keep an eye out for future advice on better utilizing Microsoft Office for your business needs.
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Tips for Buying a New PC or Laptop
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business, Network Services, Tips and Tricks, Technology, Windows on June 08, 2010
There are certain financial pitfalls associated with purchasing new computer systems that many small businesses frequently and unnecessarily fall into. Specifically, money is often wasted on underpowered hardware, a lack of bundled software, and inadequate warranties.
Many users fail to fully understand what the computer is needed for and what it needs to be able to do. Instead, many individuals will simply purchase the PC that they believe offers the best value and ignore hardware specifics. The bottom line is that different applications and deployments have different horsepower requirements. Here are a few things to avoid:
- Intel Celeron processors - Often bundled with cheap PCs, Celeron processors simply don't have the power for business use. A processor that offers excellent value is the Intel Core 2 Duo.
- "Home" or "Basic" editions of software - These editions are just what they say they are, often lacking business network capabilities. For business use, we ship Windows 7 Professional with new PCs whenever possible.
- Less than 4GB of memory - As time goes on, the memory demands of software will only increase. 4GB is enough to meet requirements today and to be prepared for the demands of future applications.
The second common pitfall has the potential to add to the cost of any new PC. Software is expensive, and it's even more expensive when it is not bundled with your new PC. For example, if you know you need to use Microsoft PowerPoint for presentations, this Basic version of Microsoft Office will not suffice. Instead, you'll have to upgrade to a version that includes PowerPoint, such as Office Small Business Edition. A comparison of Office Editions can be found here. Most PC vendors will have an option to bundle software with the purchase at a significantly discounted rate. Try to take advantage of these opportunities when they are presented to you.
The final pitfall also introduces more cost to the new system down the line. Make sure your new PC is covered by an adequate warranty. The diversity of warranties is such that it would be impossible to discuss all of their ins and outs in this short correspondence. Let's take a look at what adequate protection means. We have found the typical life expectancy of a new PC to be 5 years. The cost of the warranty is not insignificant at $100-$200, but a typical repair such as a new hard drive or memory upgrade could run as high as $600 including service. As such, we sell all new PCs with a three year warranty that includes an option to extend for an additional two years. We recommend that you consider doing the same.
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An Easy Way to Save Time
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business on June 01, 2010
Creating documents from scratch can be a time-consuming exercise.
During my workday, many tasks involve creating documents within Microsoft Office to serve a specific purpose. This could include a service description, quote, or client welcome package. Many documents will be created with a fill-in-the-blank type format and be reused for different purposes including distribution (like this email), service, and in-house purposes. However, creating documents from scratch can be a time-consuming exercise.
To help alleviate some of this cost, I will frequently run a quick search through the Microsoft Office Template gallery before starting work. The Template gallery is an online service hosted by Microsoft that allows Office users to upload and share templates that they have created for specific purposes. There are many useful templates, with categories covering small business forms, diagrams, and presentations. Many times, I'll find that someone else has already created the document I need and I can simply download the file and insert my own company's information. Better yet, the templates are available free of charge and for a large range of Office software including Word, Excel, and Visio.
Follow this link to view the gallery - http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx - the site works best in Internet Explorer. Once you have found the template you were looking for, click the download button and it will automatically open up in the appropriate Office application.
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When the monitor goes dark: Thoughts on power outages
Posted by: Phil Beach in General Business, Technology on May 17, 2010
Last Tuesday morning began just as many others before it. I arrived at the office early, turned on my computer, checked for voicemails, etc. It seemed like just another day at the office until it happened. I had just begun editing a document I had written the day before when my monitor, the lights, and even the screen on my desktop phone went completely black. The chorus of assorted devices that began at once to beep their complaints to the sudden loss of power was annoying to say the least, albeit a little entertaining. It was even more funny to see everyone begin wandering around the office with that what-should-I-do now look in their eyes. However, the event brought to my attention the very serious dangers power outages bring to a place of business.
Any power outage bears a certain level of danger for business networks. Software can be affected in various ways, but perhaps the most noticeable danger is the one that I experienced - the loss of a document you had not saved. Fortunately, my edits were negligible and the bulk of my document had been saved the day before, but others aren't so lucky. On a larger scale, such as an office's BPM server, a software data loss can be catastrophic. Thankfully, our office has implemented the use of UPS and battery backup systems to ensure we are never faced with such a situation.
Within a few minutes of our power loss on Tuesday, one of the guys from the tech team stepped in and informed us that even though the power had gone out, all of our important servers and workstations were running just fine on battery power supplied by our UPS systems. Because of these precious few minutes of battery power, we were able to shut down all of the important systems (including our valuable Microsoft Exchange and PSA servers) without any data loss, corrupted files, or expensive hardware damage. If you feel like your business may be in danger of data loss in the event of a power failure, or would like to discuss UPS solutions, you can contact me at 973.448.0070, Ext. 323.
You can read more about UPS systems at Barry's post - Explained: UPS/Battery Backups.
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