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Small Business Server Does it All

Battle has raged over which kind of server to use to host files shares and domain based services. For many the cost-effectiveness and security of Linux was worth the extra bother. For some it was Microsoft all the way. Now Microsoft has stepped up-- have a secure and affordable online presence using Microsoft Small Business Server. It will host Exchange-based email, intranet, it can function as a web server, DHCP server, and more. It will also host the Microsoft Dynamics CRM product given a dual Xeon processor and 1 Gb of memory.

Backup Online

How many times have you heard the sad tale? Users, and even sometimes entire organizations lose data. Now, no matter where you are, you can have a file share for your organization and backup online. Use free solutions like AOL's Xdrive, or better yet, splurge and use IBackup, Iron Mountain, or Microsoft Hosted Services. These latter solutions, billed monthly on a per user basis, are secure, and arguably more robust than a tape deck on your server. This sort of backup solution can help greatly with disaster recovery or preparedness.

What Makes a PC Go Fast?

Too often, the first thing that a technical support person hears is a comment to the effect that a user's computer is too slow. There are a number of things that can slow one down. Many times, the hardware configuration was never good to begin with. A low end video card, coupled with display setting which almost beyond the mathematical capability of the video card to render can slow even a PC with a powerful processor to a crawl. For mathematically intensive applications such as CAD, extra memory and RAID 0 or RAID 5 disk configurations are helpful, as is the inclusion of a high end display. We can help configure equipment with enough memory, display power and processor speed so you get the most for your money.

(Software configuration can be as important, too. Particularly troublesome are programs that run at startup, spyware, and corrupt or unpatched programs. There are ways to configure PC hardware and software to run faster. We can help you tune up.)

External Management of Your Network

With the right hardware and configuration, it is no longer imperative that you be on site to reach your PC desktop. There are a number of schemes which allow you to reach your desktop in the office from your desktop at home using Windows Remote Desktop, or one of the Citrix-style solutions such GoToMyPC or WebEx. This model can also be made to apply to routers, servers, and even printers if they are correctly configured. We can enhance usability of the assets you already own and also provide faster responses to problems using an external management model.

Powerful New Software for Your PC --FREE!

Mozilla Firefox. Mozilla Firebird. Star Office. These are but three names which you should get to know. Let us show you how a free browser, a free office suite, and a free email client can help you get work done effectively and save the company budget hundreds of dollars per desktop. In many cases these programs are more secure than Microsoft's! Learn the advantages of Google calendar, and its office suite. Take advantage of the improved Yahoo mail system. If you are interested in a glimpse of the world of open source software, check out sourceforge.net.

Hosted Exchange Solutions

"I want Outlook Web Acess and the full features of Exchange, but I don't want to pay so much for a server and someone to administrate it." We understand your need to control costs, especially in smaller firms. Therefore, we promote the following compromise. Why not get acquiainted with hosted Exchange services? We can help you select a service and administer to it. It is more expensive than a POP3 type of mail service, but more secure and more fully featured. Costs run to about 10 to 15 dollars per user per month.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Every day servers crash and people lose important data becasue they haven't either purchased uninterruptible power supplies or installed them correctly. Compared to the cost of losing data or rebuilding a mission-critical machine, the time and money expended in installing and configuring a UPS is minimal. Not only do these devices save their owners from losses during power outages, but they provide important protection during lightning strikes, brown outs, and other "dirty" power events. Don't overlook this vital hardware.

Wireless Encryption

Too many end users of wireless technology are leaving their wireless connections needlessly vulnerable to outside use and possible data theft. An open connection represents an unnecessary risk to network security and increases the likelihood that you will not be able to use the network bandwidth you have paid for to do vital work. We recommend the use of a device with WPA or WPA2 encryption (supported by almost all 802.11g devices). Even if you are using earlier hardware, we recommend the use of a WEP encryption key at a minimum. Additionally, networks can mask their SSID (the broadcast ID you may have seen on your laptop). For the most secure applications, we recommend MAC access control, which gives a network administrator the right to accept or reject devices according to the specific hardware ID of the wireless interface of a device, such as a laptop. If you find this complicated, we can implement a turn-key solution for you.

Where to Go and what to Do...

As important as the software you run as antivirus or what kind of firewall you may use is the orientation your staff receives. Keep them safe. Allow us to inform them about the software that protects them and how to know if it is working. Let us show them the ways that any security can be compromised (such as booting the the computer with bootable media in a drive or downloading and installing an unknown executable file). Our firm belief is that work computers are for work, not for peer to peer file swapping or gaming, or other activities that may be hazardous. Let us inform them about packet sniffers and meta file data, two of many ways security and privacy may be breached.

Specialized PC Hardware

Devices will only work if configured correctly. To get the right performance from a machine meant to do video or audio editing, the machine must be designed for that purpose from the start. Some software requires an external modem. There is a world of interesting computer peripherals from surveillance cameras to fingerprint readers and barcode scanners which can be put on a PC. You could be tracking those boxes or that valuable equipment using a bar code scanner andsave yourself a great deal of time and effort.