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Spotlight on
Us
Rick
Bates
How long have you been with ITSolutions?
3 years
What is your job title?
Support engineer
How did you get into this business?
I was interested in computers due to gaming. I had a
job injury and could no longer do what I was doing and
went to school to learn the IT business.
What is your favorite part of the job?
The versatility of it and my ability to go from job
to job. I also like the interaction with customers and I
believe I have a good rapport with them.
What work related goals do you have?
I want to continue and grow in my understanding of
systems and gain additional certifications.
Do you have a hobby?
Of course, it’s computer gaming - I have over 1000
games and more than 20 gaming systems!
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Drowning
in Data?
Tiered Storage Can Help You
Stay Afloat
The
statistics are overwhelming. Researchers predict that more data will
be produced in the next year than has been generated during the
entire existence of humankind. Unfortunately, this
onslaught means your company data may be growing out of control, and
your staff could be struggling to manage ever-lengthening backup
times.
To keep up, you may be
like many who regularly add storage capacity to their servers and
SANs. But eventually, you may become frustrated with this pricey and
cumbersome habit --and the increasingly long backups it requires. Or, you may seek relief
by limiting your data and regularly deleting files -- or forcing
your employees to do it themselves. But this habit can be risky and,
in regulated industries, illegal.
Read
more
1032 11th Street
Modesto, CA 95354
Voice: (209) 578 9739
800 845 4628
Fax: (209) 578 5463 |
10 Tips for Using Instant Messaging
for Business
By
Monte Enbysk
Reprinted with permission from the
Microsoft Small Business Center
 Blame it on instant
messaging. Here's the scene: A couple dozen professionals at a New
York advertising agency quietly type away at computer screens
congregated near each other, in an open room devoid of office walls
and tall partitions.
Quietly is the key word
here. An occasional laugh or chuckle punctuates the silence. But no
one is talking. Why? They are communicating with one another almost
exclusively through instant messaging (IM).
"When I'm visiting this
firm, I can't help but notice this [lack of people talking]. Seems
odd to an outsider, but this is now pretty much their corporate
culture," says Helen Chan, analyst for The Yankee Group, a
Boston-based technology research group, who has friends at the ad
agency.
Read more |
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How To: Determine if it’s the right
time to change your OS
Here are some things for you to consider before taking the OS
upgrade plunge.
 After
much hype, Microsoft’s newest operating system release in almost
five years, Vista, became available to business users in November
2006. Vista has flashy features and updated capabilities that can
only run on hardware that has enough power and memory to support
them, however for that reason, there are a whole new set of system
requirements for this new OS that are more demanding than previous
Windows operating systems such as XP and 2000. Before you upgrade,
consider the following:
Inventory: If
you are considering an upgrade, start by inventorying every PC,
noting the peripherals and software installed on each one.
Purchasing new hardware is an expense that many businesses haven’t
considered – and upgrading existing machines isn’t inexpensive
either. What is needed to make each PC compatible with a new OS will
vary. If your business’ current PCs don’t meet the OS requirements –
especially when it comes to the need for increased memory and
processing power--then you can either upgrade the existing
computer(s) then install Vista, or purchase all new machines that
come with the OS already installed. Small and mid-sized businesses
will need to compare what’s involved with buying new systems versus
purchasing Vista and upgrading your current PCs. In many cases, the
time, cost, and potential for frustration when upgrading an old
computer with a new operating system may not be worth it.
Read more |
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Get the Big Picture
 Assessing your information technology
You
are certainly familiar with the Rube Goldberg machine – the delightfully
convoluted set of processes required to accomplish a simple task. In the day to
day interactions of information technologies, Goldberg is often hard at work. It
only takes a tiny disagreement between software codes or a mismatch of operating
systems for the marble wobbling down the chute to end up on the floor.
Ideally, you should be evaluating your IT
investment initiatives in the context of a comprehensive business strategy that
ensures maximum returns and facilitates that all-important "alignment" of IT and
business requirements. But the real world too often delivers unrestrained
marbles.
It's indicative of the problem that many
businesses face as they try to maintain an accurate picture of their assets.
When turnover and change of these assets is inevitable and often unmonitored,
you lose track of what you own and reduce the efficiencies of the processes they
impact.
Read
more |
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You
have auto and homeowner’s insurance. But what about your computer
data? The precautions needed to protect against disaster are like an
insurance policy. You may not necessary ever need it but when you
do, you’re sure glad that you have it.
1. Install
uninterruptible power supplies
This is the easiest thing you can do
to protect your hardware and data. I’m surprised by how many people
assume a surge protector suffices. But surge protectors only offer
limited protection against power spikes.
For a better and more
thorough protection, you need an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
A UPS isn’t intended to power you through a blackout. (For that you
would need a generator.) Rather, a UPS will let you save your work
and power down safely.
Read more |
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Test your
mental flexibility:
This test does not measure your intelligence, your
fluency with words, and certainly not your mathematic
ability. It will, however, give you some gauge of your
mental flexibility and creativity. In the years since
the test was first developed, there have been few people
who could solve more than half the problems on their
first try. Many, however, reported getting answers long
after the test had been set aside, particularly at
unexpected moments when their minds were relaxed, and
some reported solving all the problems over a period of
several days. Take this as your personal challenge.
Answers will appear next month.
Instructions: Each question below contains all
the initials of words that will make it correct. Find
the missing words. For example: 16 O. in a P. means 16
ounces in a pound.
1)
26 L. of the A.
2) 7 W. of the A. W.
3) 1,001 A. N.
4) 12 S. of the Z.
5) 54 C. in a D. (with J.)
6) 9 P. in the S. S.
7) 88 P. K.
8) 13 S. on the A. F.
9) 1 D. at a T.
10) 18 H. on a G.C. |
11) 29 D. in F. in a L. Y.
12) 3 P. for a F. G. in F.
13) 1,000 W. that a P. is W.
14) 56 S. of the D. of I.
15) 20 Y. that R. V. W. S.
16) 40 T (with A. B.)
17) 30 D. H. S. A. J. and N.
18) 32 D. F. at which W. F.
19) 10 A. in the B. of R.
20) 435 M. of the H. of R. |
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Using IM for Business