Computers and Technology Articles

Whether your career lies in the I.T. department, or on the business side; we’ve all seen the scenario play out. Salesman A gets asked a question by a potential customer, “can your software do this?”

“I’ll have to check and get back with you,” replies the dutiful salesman. Later that day, Salesman A goes through the software documentation to realize he already knows the answer to his question. No, the software can’t do this. But if it could, the customer would buy the product. The salesman knows he is supposed to bring new product ideas to the company Product Analyst… at the next monthly product meeting. With some luck, the new idea can get added on “The List” of future enhancements. Getting on The List of shuffling priorities, pencil whipped ROIs, and silly nice-to-haves is a major accomplishment of corporate politics itself. But the smart salesman knows his chances are doomed to make the sale.

Developer B walks by the office of our salesman. The developer has just filled up his water bottle of God-knows-how-many-years. “Don’t look at that nasty water bottle,” thinks the salesman to himself. “Hey,” he yells into the hallway, “I have a quick question.”

“Man, I know better than to walk through Sales,” Developer B thinks to himself. And then out loud, “Hey sure, what is it.”

The sales pitch begins by Salesman A, “we have this customer…” And the developer actually hears, “yada, yada, yada, revenue, revenue, revenue.” Until the end, he hears the meat of the tech question, “can the software do this.”

Everyone knows the software can’t do this, but the developer assumes the question really is, “can you make the software do this?” Now comes the three possible answers as heard by the salesman.

1. “Yes, no problem, yada, yada, yada, in 5 minutes.”
2. “Yes, … (long pause) … no problem, yada, yada, yada, it may take a while.”
3. “Yes, but… (even longer pause) … yada, yada, yada, it may change things.”

“Oh, cool,” replies the salesman, “that will be great news for our customer.” The boiled down answer to the customer, you guessed it, a single plain, “Yes, we can do that.”

The Homer Simpson “Doh” rings in the developer’s head. “What have I done, now I’ll have to create this,” the developer mentally adds these items to his to-do list.

So, what’s wrong with this picture? There is that nasty water bottle! Bypassing company product enhancement procedures is a breakdown of policy. And finally, subverting the software development life cycle (SDLC if you insist on industry acronyms) is another breakdown of policy. So, why did Developer B say yes?

Developers, programmers, software engineers, or just plain propeller-heads are a curious bunch, to say the least. The Yes answer is purely a response to the challenge of creating something new. We all have aspects of our jobs that require creativity, but a developer’s number one job is to creatively write code, to create a set of step-by-step instructions for our computers to follow.

The funny thing about computer code is there are often dozens of ways to accomplish the same results. Sometimes more. Each and every day, a developer’s job to create code is a puzzle of choosing the simplest and fastest set of instructions. Computer code can be a work of art, or a mess of spaghetti. It’s their world, just let them have it.

Asking a developer directly for a product enhancement can truly spark the creative juices. Any change in code comes with the consequences of affecting (read crash-and-burn) another set of code within the application. Sometimes, the challenge is just being able to make a seemingly smallest change without affecting anything else. It’s the Jenga game of pulling out the single wood block without making the whole tower fall.

Responding Yes to this challenge does not regard business policies, return on investments, or even sometimes common sense. It’s just a literal answer to the perceived question, “can you make the software do this.” Any self-respecting computer geek can almost never answer the question, “No.”

Is it ok to let them answer Yes? [Project Managers and Product Analysts cover your ears.] Yes, of course it is! Creativity is never a bad thing. It’s the driving force behind innovation. Great ideas should never be held up in once-a-month committees of the paper-pushers. Remember the laws of relative motion? Even if you are standing still, and everyone else is moving forward; you are moving backwards from everyone else. And that’s not good for business.

When the answer is, “Yes, no problem,” let that five minute, or five hour change occur. If the answer is, “Yes, but…” Stop, read the worried look on the developer’s face, and interpret as “No.” Then proceed with company policy and send the request to the product committee.

You can have your complete website hosted in SharePoint web hosting. Microsoft SharePoint 2007 comes with great features like predefined templates; project management; task management; discussion forums and many others. You can use these features to improve productivity and increase efficiency of your employees.

Using features in Project Management and task management in Microsoft SharePoint 2007 you can create a project, assign tasks and sub-tasks of the project to team members and track the development of the project. This is so important if your team is spread in different parts of the world; work in different locations or work in a 24 X 7 environment. Projects can be tracked using the Internet in a location independent manner.

Microsoft SharePoint server comes with solutions that are tailored for specific businesses or tasks. You can customize the template with your own logo, forms, and create user alerts. Managers and CEOs can keep track of activities using these templates. Forums and discussion groups can be used to discuss important projects. This saves a lot of time in organizing meetings and co-ordination.

Using Microsoft Sharepoint 2007 you can centrally store the documents which can be accessed by users. You can control which document is accessible to which user. Changes to the document can be tracked. These files can be accessed from any location in the world. Many documents like Word and Excel can be opened and edited in the browser itself.

With Microsoft SharePoint Hosting you can create meeting space, and use the workspace to publish the agenda; invite attendees and discuss points. You can use the same workspace to track the points and tasks that were discussed during the meeting. You can view the calendar and determine the best time for you and the attendees before scheduling the meeting.

As we move towards a world, where time and boundaries no longer are hindrance towards doing business; Microsoft SharePoint And hosted Exchange 2007 are becoming feature rich tools which will help us improve productivity and increase efficiency. Using a vendor to host these feature rich collaborative suites will significantly save your precious dollars and time.

Except for a few lucky ones, most college students have had to take a student loan to fund their college education. But it is important to remember that it is after all a debt, and needs to be repaid. And while this debt is yet to be repaid, it makes sense that a student keeps his monthly budget in check in order to ensure that he doesn’t find himself in more debt.

It is important for a college student to budget his or her finances. A lot of student end up spending they don’t really have to keep up with the activities of other students. If one is not exactly aware of how much money he has, he is very likely to end up spending more than he can afford and end up in debt during college. If, however, a student has maintained a budget for his money, he knows exactly how much money he has to spend on extra curricular activities and is less likely to overspend. This is where a personal financial software comes in handy.

On the other hand, soon after graduation, a student is possibly going to have to manage his own money for purposes like rent, electricity, food, etc. It is difficult to start a life on one’s and have to manage one’s money at the same time. Most graduates end up overspending simply because they are unused to the concept of budgeting. Using a personal financial software in college not only helps a student manage his money during college, but also prepares him in managing his own finances for the rest of his life.

Personal finance software has to be used with discipline. A student will need to find out from senior student, faculty or the administrative office exactly what kind of expenses to expect. After providing a buffer for unexpected expenses, the money left over is what is available to be spent on ‘fun’ things. But, for the software to work effectively, the student is going to need to be diligent about recording all his expenses in the software, whether it is paper and pencils, or gum and soda.

LCD or Liquid Crystal Display initially intended for laptops has gained wide acceptance in digital clocks, microwave ovens and CD players and other electronic devices. Before discussing the advantages of LCDs, it is important to understand how the technology works. The LCDs trap a liquid crystal solution between two panes of polarized glass. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align in such a manner that light is either allowed to pass or is blocked. Based on the wavelength of the light and where it is passed, the LCD monitor displays the images.

The salient features of the LCD technology include brighter, clearer, and sharper images obtained at a click of a mouse. Features such as a high picture resolution, color, clarity and brightness coupled with improved visibility of smaller fonts and a reduction in response time have all contributed towards increasing the market demand for LCD monitors by industrial enterprises ranging from banking, ATMs, games to hospitals and restaurants.

The dynamics of constant research has resulted in many advances in this technology. Initially incepted for a screen of about 12 to 14 inches, LCD is now a popular choice for a 50-inch screen. Another benefit of the advancement of technology is that the manufacturers have been able to cut down on the cost of production. This in turn, has brought down the cost of LCDs thereby making it a feasible choice for various industrial enterprises. Also, the LCD has a long life of about two decades allowing a person to use it between 8 to 10 hours daily.

The advantages of LCD monitors are such that they are gradually replacing CRT or the cathode ray tube monitors. This is because LCD technology is better for the eyes. LCDs have uniform screen brightness. Also, the screens covered with a flexible surface are less susceptible to glare as compared to the CRT screen.

Given the advantages of LCD, it is not surprising that LCD monitors are slowly and steadily replacing the conventional computer systems that used CRT technology for the computer display.

Software development has come a very long way ahead when we talk in terms of its technology, functions and its significance in today’s market. India has emerged as one of the most convenient and appropriate destination for all kinds of software development of any product and services.

All the software development companies in India are making the best use of the availability of the technical resources and making a very good place for them in this competitive market. As we notice today, there is huge number of companies coming to India; either to advertise their products through the services provided by the software development companies or to use the resources available for branding their identity in the competitive market of Information &Technology.

The software development market in India has developed and grown at a very fast pace to provide its clients the best of the services. As the attractive destination for software development, Indian IT companies have proven expertise and caliber in catering the business requirements to its customers and clients all across the globe. In terms of resources, India has the largest population which can communicate in the global language “English”. There is an equal number of technically proficient workforces to provide the best services in the web promotions and development for the upcoming businesses.

Internet provides all the good support and the platform for all the new comers in this market and with the services provided by the software companies it becomes all the more convenient to make a place in the competitive market and brand its own identity.

In Google, the search term “remote backup” yields 649,000 results. This is a crowded marketplace with a great degree of disparity in service levels. 

 

Here are some helpful questions to consider when selecting a remote backup provider:

 

1.     Can I maintain a local copy of my data using your solution?

A local copy of your data allows you to restore data at the fastest possible speed. Without a local copy, your provider is transmitting over the Internet or shipping your data to you overnight. A typical small business with a T1 connection (1.5 Mbps) will take over 14 hours to transmit 10-gigabytes worth of data. 

 

2.     Is my data encrypted in transit AND while it is in your data center?

They must use an encryption key you create, choose and control not an automated encryption key. The data must be encrypted in transmission and while it is stored at the data center. Some providers only encrypt the data during transmission.

 

3.     Describe your data center and the level of security you employ.

Remote backup providers should have their security policies ready for review. You should look for redundant Internet, power and generator run time in case of power loss. Other items include firewalls, authentication, background clearances and physical security.

 

4.     Do you offer continuous data protection (CDP)?

Some businesses operate a paperless office, such as a doctor’s office that treats hundreds of patients. If they use a wireless tablet, there is no paper trail to recreate patient records if there is a data loss. These companies must have CDP that backs up data in real time as it changes. 

 

5.     Do you offer a flexible data retention policy and long-term archiving? 

Many providers force you into a retention policy like a 30-day plan or some other rigid policy. A one-size fits all approach to retention data doesn’t work. In the real world, some data is retained for years while other data can be deleted after months. Some data is essential for your business while other data is operationally important. The right remote backup service provider will help you identify your specific needs and customize the retention program to meet those needs.

 

6.     Do you protect multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, AS400 and VMWare?

Ideally, you want to have one solution provider that covers your whole computing environment. Understanding virtual system data protection is increasingly important.

 

7.     Can you do a bare metal restore to my server?

This feature streamlines the server recovery process, making it unnecessary to update the operating system and manually install all the program files and user accounts prior to restoring your data. Some provider’s software has a dissimilar hardware restore feature that allows you to do bare metal restores to dissimilar hardware platforms or to virtual machines.

 

8.     What databases do you online or hot backup support?

Businesses should make sure the remote backup provider includes support for all the database platforms it uses such as Oracle and MS-SQL. Some allow you to issue “pre” and “post” commands to databases for increased flexibility and support. The technology should also support multi-threaded backup scheduling.

 

9.     Do you support “brick-level” restores and CDP for emails?

Terian Solutions, a remote backup service provider using Asigra, reports that 87% of its restores are Exchange “brick-level” restores. Today, employees spend the majority of their time communicating via e-mail. ”Brick-level” allows you to restore one message or mailbox rather than the whole Exchange data store.

 

10. Do you use deduplication technology AND will it save me money?

Some remote backup services employ deduplication at the “block” level. This eliminates common “blocks” or parts within a file. It can also eliminate whole files like common operating systems and software application files that are already stored in its data vaults. This means you store less data, which saves you money. If the provider charges based on natural data (more in #16) then you will not save any money. It will reduce the providers cost, but that saving is not passed on to you.

 

11. How much experience do your support technicians have?

You should schedule a technical interview or direct call to the customer support line to experience their service. A main difference between a “low cost” providers and a more expensive alternative is the quality of its support staff. As with any service business, employees are a large operating cost. Backups happen automatically. Restores are another story. Many times after you lose a server, the difference between the longest day of your life and an inconvenience is the quality of the team supporting you.

 

12. How long have you been providing data protection services?

Check how long they have been in business and understand the financial commitment that has been made to protect your data. 

 

13. Describe your data vault environment and redundancy?

Although it takes several hundred thousand dollars to properly protect a company’s data, there are service providers that start and operate on a shoestring budget. With today’s technology, a company can play the part of a reliable remote backup service provider with a single server, couple of large hard drives and a website all hosted in their garage. 

 

14. Walk me through a disaster scenario; I call you, what’s next?

Your provider should have a structured recovery plan that ensures constant communication until your complete recovery. This is when a high touch approach is necessary.

 

15. Do you have references from companies that are my size?

The remote data backup service provider’s client list and history of service is very important to consider. Contact references that have experience working with the company during a restore procedure. You’re buying a professional hand during the data recovery process. 

 

16. What will be the total price of your solutions?

Narrow your choices down to only those qualified to protect your data to the level you require. With the survival of your company at stake, this is not an area to compromise quality for price. Remember, per GB prices can be deceiving. They can be based on “natural” (as it sits on your computer), “stored” (amount stored in the vault) or “protected” (the total restorable data). Some providers use deduplication (covered in #10). Deduplication can save you up to 35% depending on your situation and service provider. If you focus on the total cost of the solutions, you are heading in the right direction.

 

17. Do you offer a money back guarantee? 

It is impossible to know exactly how your implementation will work until after it is in place for a few weeks. You should only consider a remote backup service provider that stands behind their service with an unconditional satisfaction guarantee.

 

18. What size is your largest account?

Will the remote backup service provider be able to expand as you do? Data grows at an incredible rate. You need to make sure the service provider has scalable technology and will respond to the ever increasing demands of large data sets. Some service providers use technology that works for 20-30 gigabytes of data, but isn’t scalable into hundreds of terabytes. Again, use references and ask specific questions about the amount of data and performance.

 

I hope these questions help you navigate the vast choices in the remote backup provide arena.

 

Using a remote backup service provider is an ideal solution for any company that relies on its computers everyday to manage important data. It is important to select a high quality long-term partner. 

 

In order to find the right managed remote backup service provider for your business, it is important to engage in an extensive interview process with the provider that results in cost efficiency, convenience and assures more security than traditional data protection systems. Remember, choosing the right provider for your business means getting the most effective data protection at the best price.

                                                            

In a business world dominated by how quickly we can produce results there are few things that are as damaging as a slow computer network. We rely on our computers to store our company’s most valuable information and retrieve files in a matter of seconds; we depend on these systems to bring not just the convenience of quick results but the necessity of efficiency.

Despite such a marked reliance on our computers and the functions that they serve, we often overlook simple methods to ensure that they operate at their highest speed and functionality.

While most businesses invest in products that filter spam from email inboxes and software that protects hard drives from dangerous viruses that could impair the network very little is done to protect our computers from the effect of fragmented files.

This can usually be attributed to the subtle nature of slow computer fragmentation. Spam and viruses typically show themselves in a quick strike and the computer user is aware of the problem almost immediately whereas fragmentation occurs over time and can leave the computer user with the impression that the problem is related to a computer’s age and not how files are saved on the hard drive.

When we think of computer attacks we are inundated with stories of infamous spammers and Trojan horses carrying destructive viruses. It’s hard for us to imagine a computer disease that originates on our own hard drive and so we do little to protect against such an attack. This is essentially how fragmentation becomes the great crippler that it is.

As a progressive computer disease, fragmentation will show itself in many different forms. Each of these symptoms are related to computer speed and are tell-tale signs that its time to act. If logging on to your computer is becoming an increasingly longer and longer process, if you are experiencing a slowdown in retrieving files from your hard drive, or if you experience delays in loading applications, your computer is almost certainly experiencing fragmentation.

There is a solution to your fragmentation problem and, unlike the solutions related to spam and outside virus attacks, the answer is one simple step. By installing defragmentation software onto your hard drive you can effectively clean your computer of fragmented files without losing any information.

Defragmentation software doesn’t require a yearly subscription to maintain nor does it require you to strip your hard drive of all its existing files and applications to become virus free. It’s as easy as inserting a disc into your drive and allowing it to run. Once your defrag software begins running it will work to re-organize your hard drive and clean it of fragmented files and create larger blocks of space in which your files can be saved. This will increase the response speed of your computer and keep it running at its optimal speed.

Taking a proactive approach to keeping your computer’s hard drive free of fragmented files will ensure you won’t be waiting minutes to log on to your computer or wondering when an application is going to load and appear on your screen. If you value your computer as much as you do your time you should certainly take the steps to guarantee a slowdown on your hard drive doesn’t occur.

The sad fact is that most computers run slow. There are millions of PCs across the world, which are currently making their users annoyed and frustrated because they can’t seem to do the simplest of things. Fortunately, there’s actually an easy way to make them run fast, and here’s how.

There’s actually a simple reason as to why your computer runs slow. This reason is often overlooked, and is actually one of the biggest causes of a slow PC on the planet. Basically, it’s all to do with your computer having too many junk files inside it. These junk files work to block up your computer from being able to find the files it needs, which makes it spend more time looking for them, which slows it down.

It all boils down to a part of your computer known as the ‘registry’. This is the central database for your PC, and is where all your computer’s files and settings are stored. The best way to describe it, is that this database is like a ‘library’ for your computer system. This library is where your computer comes to read up on how to run all its programs, which makes it extremely important. It’s so important that your computer can’t function without the files inside it.

This means that if any files inside this library become corrupted, or even lost, then your computer is going to spend a lot more time trying to find what it needs. It’s like putting all the library files in a big pile and getting Windows to route through them, every time it needs a file. And since it can’t do without these files, your computer ends up spending longer and longer trying to find them.

So to fix this, and to dramatically speed up your computer, you simply need to use a tool called a registry cleaner to go through the registry database, and clean up all the damaged files that are in there. This will allow Windows to find the files that it wants, when it wants… making it speed up exponentially.

For those laptop users looking for power, lightweight features and clarity, the MSI Wind u100-432US 10-inch notebook is just the ticket. Its 10-inch screen is clear and great for web browsing, using the power of Intel’s newest processing platform. While the screen may be small, it offers full capability for viewing full web pages with a simple click. And while this laptop may be small, its keyboard is only slightly smaller than its full size counterparts, making it easy to use.

Standard with the Windows operating system, this mini laptop offers all of the popular features of its larger counterparts. In addition to typical functionality, this mini laptop offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity features along with a built in microphone and camera, giving users the ability to stay in touch with their friends and family when they are on the go. Users can talk and share pictures from their mini laptop by simply using the already integrated features. Also standard with the LED power saving back-light system, this mini laptop offers the ability to reduce power usage for the user. And, this LED light gives a richer and brighter color palate when browsing.

While the standard model is offered in black, it is also available in other colors. So, for the fashion conscious or computer user looking to add a flair of individuality to their operating system, the option is available. So, while this system may be smaller than its competition, it is no less powerful, offering all of the same features as a full size laptop, just in a smaller size.

Contract phones:

Usually lasting around 12 or 18 months, contract phones are basically phones that will give you a certain number of minutes and texts (or sometimes referred to as “caller credits”), for either 12 to 18 month period. When you buy a phone on contract, you are agreeing to pay a certain sum of money to that company each month for the allocated number of texts and minutes. Why is this beneficial you may ask? This will be explained in the next paragraph.

Mainly people who deal with businesses and own a business buy phones on contract as this is the most suitable option for them. They will usually purchase between 600 - 1500 mins per month and about 500 - 1200 texts. As you can imagine, this will be a lot more expensive than the other types of contracts you sign with but it is reasonable for them because that is how much they need communication devices. This means they don’t have to waste time topping up their phone every so often and as many business people will tell you, in business - time is everything.

In the long run it turns out to be a lot cheaper than the original price of pay-as-you-go minutes. Pay-as-you-go is as I described above - you are not fixed to a contract, but it is annoying having to top-up all the time. Contract phones are generally cheaper because along with the reduction in the cost of the minutes, you will usually get a phone thrown into the deal. In addition to that, the phone you received is yours to keep after the contract expires. So if you were to buy the Nokia N95 today you could possibly save about £200 - 300 if you bought it on contract.

You will save even more money sometimes because you can buy your phone on contract and receive a “FREE GIFT” too. A “FREE GIFT” is basically a free gift that you get for purchasing that phone with those amount of minutes and texts. They can vary from Microsoft’s Xbox 360’s and Nintendo’s Wii to the Sony Playstation 3 and the Apple 80 GB Ipod. You will never come across a “FREE GIFT” for a pay-as-you-go phone in your life.

These are the 3 main advantages of your phone on contract and there are many more (e.g. receive bonus minutes, texts, internet credits etc.). I hope from this article you have learned a few benefits about buying phones on contract and save yourself about £100 - £500 on your next purchase of a contract phone.

Thank You for reading this article.