PDF files have become one of the primary file formats for sharing information and documents. It is hard to browse websites without finding multiple links to these types of documents. A quick search of my work laptop turned up 147 different PDF files. These include instruction manuals for routers, documentation on how to configure VPN, release notes on new versions of Laserfiche and copies of my Quarterly Reviews. I would hate to see how many of them we have on… [Read More…]
As one might expect, Microsoft does view Apple as one of its biggest competitors, and in the consumer device market Apple has gained serious momentum. Microsoft’s big picture strategy to compete has been a little bit broken and very reactive over the past years. Their response to the iPod was the “Me Too” release of the Zune, which tanked terribly. Windows smartphones have been around for a long time, but never really presented serious competition to the iPhone. The release… [Read More…]
April 9th 2014, will be the day that Microsoft will finally kill off Windows XP or at least all support for that operating system. As an engineer, who has worked with Microsoft operating systems since Windows 95, there are is place in my heart for the dependable Windows XP. I probably know XP too well, inside and out. However, there comes a time with technology, that we must move away from the old and grudgingly move forward. Of the two workstations and three… [Read More…]
Taking Care of Your Data & Your Company It just happened again this week. One of our customers who uses us solely on a fix-when-broken basis lost data. Why? Their backup was not functioning properly. They needed to recover data, and when we logged into their server it became evident that something had stalled the backup over a week ago. It had not been backing up since then. Fortunately, the file they needed to recover was re-creatable and not a… [Read More…]
What’s Up with Yammer? Yammer is a hot social media tool for business. The easiest way to describe its features is that it creates a Facebook like social media site specifically for your company and your business partners. It allows collaboration in some ways not unlike Microsoft SharePoint, but with a great deal more simplicity. It really makes setting up a company Intranet easy. The big news last year was that Yammer was such a hit that Microsoft decided to… [Read More…]
It is an ongoing challenge for parents to keep kids safe while using the internet. Microsoft has added some new features in Windows 8 to lock down user accounts called Family Safety. You can see and control what your kids are doing on their computers. You can set Web filtering, monitor and restrict apps and even set time limits on computer usage. To Setup Family Safety for Windows 8: When you create an new user account for your child, you will have the option to select a check box… [Read More…]
What is Google Glass? First announced in 2011, Google Glass is Google’s pet project to introduce wearable computers to the modern age. It fits like a pair of glasses (standalone or over an existing pair), and provides mobile computing functionality as an overlay to your normal vision. You interact with Google Glass using voice commands – “Ok Glass”, brings up your menu options, with activities such as sending a message, recording a video, performing a search, getting directions, and so… [Read More…]
Have you ever considered what type of information trail you might be leaving about yourself in cyberspace? In today’s connected world, your digital footprint is out there for everyone to check out, and many do not realize its importance. We have all heard the crazy stories of photos portraying gross indiscretions being posted on the web and people getting fired as a result. Or you may be following the news about prospective employers requiring that they be given Facebook access… [Read More…]
Flurry Analytics recently posted statistics tracking usage of smartphones and tablets across both Android and IOS devices. These statics are interesting, and maybe not what one might expect. According to Flurry, the average time spent per mobile device is slightly more than 2.5 hours per day. Of that time, 80% is spent within applications, and only 20% is spent browsing the web. Surprisingly, email only gets about 3 minutes per day. What is the biggest category? You might have guessed… [Read More…]
Every now and then, we will receive a call about antivirus. Typically these are people calling to know which software they should use at home. Is Malwarebytes good enough? I hear that AVG Free is a great tool? What about Microsoft Essentials? The other day, after over 15 years working in the IT Field, I came up with my final answer. Yes, I’m ready to be a millionaire. The final answer to the home antivirus question is, “What do you use… [Read More…]
