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Geek Free Radio Show Starts Monday

After a lengthy process involving transmitter moves, tower relocations, land purchases, network installs, and other issues, the wait is finally over.

I am happy to report that KSET 1300 AM begins it's live broadcasting on Monday 12/21/2009! If you are in the Southeast Texas listening area, please tune in (and call in) to Geek Free Radio, hosted by yours truly, at 11:00AM CST, every weekday.

If you aren't in the listening area, you can still catch us at www.ksetlive.com where the show is streamed live 24hours a day.

I promise to keep it as "Geek Free" as possible. Just good solutions to computer issues experienced by you, with an emphasis placed on technology and how it can benefit the small business, which is the backbone of the American economy. Look for interviews with Antivirus companies, Microsoft, and other software vendors. Don't worry. I won't be easy on them either.
I'm honored to be the host of the show, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the radio. So check out the station anytime, and remember, it goes live on Monday. I'll do my best to answer your technology questions.

You can also check out the lineup at www.ksetlive.com We have some radio veterans on our team, including the infamous Jack Pieper from 2pm to 5pm every day. I know Jack is anxious to get back on the air as well.

Thanks for listening!

To Your Success,

Tim

The Best Compliment a Business Owner Can Get

In the course of taking calls today during the Geek Free Radio Show  I received one of the highest compliments a business owner can get. The caller to the show just called to tell me two things. First, he sincerely appreciated the solid advice I was offering to the listeners regarding watching what your children do not only on the Internet, but while they are playing with the seemingly infinite number of game consols available today. He was referencing the segment of the show where I discussed how parents may often keep up with what their kids do when it comes to surfing the Internet, but often overlook what is happening when kids are playing with the gaming consoles. Many, if not most of the modern consoles have the ability for the gamer to play online (the Internet) either with or against other players across the World. A pedophile was recently captured in the US stalking a 15 year old child whom he befriended while playing these games online. The caller stated he had never really thought of video games having that ability, and it was certainly something to watch out for. That is gratifying to know you can help people when it comes to technology in other ways than just offering advice for repairing computer issues.

Oh, and the second reason for his call? Well, the caller offered that he was a former client of mine from a previous business from the days many years ago when we offered Internet access to Southeast Texas. It was nice to hear him talk about how we always treated our customers in a professional and courteous manner. That was just the icing on the cake!

To your Success,

Tim

Verizon Drastically Drops Smartphone Pricing

Verizon's website is showing virtually every smartphone (with the exception of 2) has been reduced in price to $99 with a two year contract. 3 months ago, I paid $400 for my Touchpro! What could this mean? Has Verizon turned the corporate corner and decided to be nice to customers? I doubt it.

Most likely, this is a combination of two factors. First, this action is a late reaction to the $99 IPhone from AT&T. But more importantly, I would bet new phones offerings are just around the corner from Verizon. If you are looking to upgrade your phone/smartphone, now is a good time to get a good deal on the most current models available (I love my TouchPro). However, if want the absolute latest and greatest soon to be on the market, then you might want to wait it out for awhile, as more than likely we will see new models not previously released at Verizon appearing on the website and in Verizon stores soon.

Windows 7 Pricing Confirmed

New Excuse for "The Dog Ate My Homework"

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to my blog. I am passionate about technology. Especially when it comes to integrating technology with small and medium business. This is a highly connected world we live in. If business wants to survive, it must not only allow new technology, it must embrace it with gusto. To that end, I will post thoughts on the subject. Comments are welcome, although they may be subject to editing and/or exclusion at my discretion.  Thanks for reading!

MS Finally Gets It Right

Just back from Seattle (Microsoft's Headquarters) where we attended SMB Nation. This is the world's largest gathering of Microsoft Small Business Specialists. A tech with SBSC behind their name is certified on MS SBS 2003 Standard or Premium Edition. At this 4 day workshop, the best of the best debated, discussed and debunked Microsoft's newest offering in the smb arena, Small Business Server 2008.

SBS 2008 becomes available to the public on November 12, 2008 along with MS Essential Business Server, the bigger brother to SBS. This has been a long time coming, and is not just a pretty upgrade to the exsiting product, SBS 2003 R2. In fact, it is a major rewrite of the core operating system. SBS now joins the ranks of 64 bit operating systems.

What does this mean to you and me? More memory, for starters. SBS 2008 will now allow up to 32 gigabytes of RAM. Currently, SBS 2003 only supports up to 4GB, which is one of the biggest gripes about Small Business Server. After you load up a server with core server software, add in Internet Information Services (IIS), Sharepoint Portal (an internal website), Windows Software Update Server (WSUS), Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA), then finally load up MS SQL database, there's not much memory left to run things.

With SBS 2008 Premium comes a new way of doing things. Premium will come with TWO server licenses. One to run SBS 2008 and all that entails, and another Windows Server 2008 license you can install on separate hardware and run SQL database on. This, my friends, is wonderful news.

Stay tuned for more info regarding this.

To your success,

Tim

The Top 250? Boy, has this industry grown!

While doing my normal surf of the Internet blogs and sites relevant to our industry, I came across MSP Mentor, a website/blog for managed service providers. Lo and behold, it turns out I am on the MSP Mentors top 250 list of MSP CEO's. While it's an honor to be recognized, its even better when you find out some person nominated your name and accomplishments for you! The info below is straight from the mspmentor.net where the list resides, and describes how one gets on "the list".

To Your success,

Tim

So, what’s the difference between the MSPmentor 100 (unveiled each January) and the MSPmentor 250 (unveiled each July)? It’s simple: While the MSPmentor 100 focuses on the world’s most successful managed service provider businesses, the MSPmentor 250 focuses on the personalities you need to know across this industry. The MSPmentor 100 leverages fact-based metrics (annual MSP revenue growth, revenue per employee, revenue per managed device, etc.) but the MSPmentor 250 is driven purely by word of mouth and personal reputation.

Instead of looking for the obvious names, we pushed our readers to identify the hidden leaders driving managed services and software as a service (SaaS). A prime example: You likely know about the MSP and SaaS initiatives under way at Amazon.com, Cisco, Dell, Google and Microsoft. But do you know the key internal executives who are driving those strategies? You will — once you dive into the MSPmentor 250.

Equally important: The MSPmentor 250 isn’t reserved for Global 2000 companies. Hundreds of executives representing regional MSPs and SaaS startups are also on the list.

Free? The Price is Certainly Right!

One of my favorite sites is Giveawayoftheday.com For those who've never heard of it, every day they feature a new software that the vendor has agreed to "give away" for a 24 hour period. This is not shareware or crippled software. It is the full-blown version of whatever product is being given away. Granted you won't find Microsoft Vista Business or anything like that here, but I have downloaded many usefull programs from the site. I've also downloaded some not so good programs. I like to look in mid-afternoon at the site after many have already downloaded whatever is being offered. Users will report back on the site with their findings and a running tally marked in percentages is kept as to whether the software is "good" or "bad" Check it out, you may just find what you're looking for. At least the price is right!

To your success,

Tim

Microsoft Finally Gets it....Partially Right

In one of my previous posts, I talked about Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition and how this product will now ship with the Small Business Server software, and an additional license of Windows 2008 Server. This will allow the owner to actually run a second server in addition to the Small Business Server. The new licensing also allows the owner to install SQL Server database onto the second server, in order to run company line of business (LOB) software on the additional server. This will allow for much better performance. Current versions only ship with one server license, and you cannot install any part of the package on a second server.

One of the big problems we Small Business Certified Partners saw was that under the original proposed licensing changes, SBS 2008 was only going to ship with SQL 2008. The problem was that most current LOB software packages are just now compatible with SQL version 2005. While the LOB software will more than likely run on the 2008 version of SQL, owners with support agreements for their respective LOB software packages would lose support as the software vendors will not support their software on the newer version of SQL.

The partners(like us) complained loudly enough that Microsoft decided to ship SBS 2008 Premium with both version 2005 and version 2008 of SQL Server. The license would allow for ONE version of SQL to be run. However, they stipulated that if you chose to downgrade to SQL 2005 you would only be allowed to do so until approximately Nov. 2009. After that time, if your software vendor still did not support SQL 2008, your only logical choice of action would be to downgrade the entire system back to SBS 2003, which is no easy feat.

Which leads me to the final answer, which is copied below and comes from Eric Ligman of Microsoft. Eric has headed up the Microsoft Small Business Specialist program, and he is the only person I know that can explain the Microsoft licensing program, usually off the top of his head. The short answer is, if you have already purchased, or choose to purchase SBS 2008 premium within a very short (and getting shorter) time period, you will be allowed to run either version of SQL for as long as you want without a downgrade. If I haven't lost you by now, you will probably want to read Eric's explanation below.

To Your Success,

Tim

Last weekend at SMB Nation, one of the most asked questions was, “If my clients buy SBS 2008 Premium, what version of SQL can they use?” This followed my earlier post, “Is Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 Premium going to ship with SQL 2005 or SQL 2008?” This question was even discussed in great depth during Jeff Middleton’s party where Susan Bradley, Kevin Beares, Dean Paron, and I had a nice long conversation about the various possibilities, all leading to the final outcome where I promised to find out the definitive answer to the question and post it here for everyone. As such, here you go:

Components of SBS cannot be downgraded independently. If you choose to downgrade one component, you must downgrade the entire suite. Because Microsoft recognizes that line-of-business applications may experience compatibility issues moving from one version to the next, for approximately one year from the SBS 2008 Release to Manufacturing (RTM) date, we will ship SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition (both 32 and 64-bit platforms) in addition to the SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business with SBS 2008 for the customer’s use in order to address these potential issues.

Customers who receive SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition for Small Business with their SBS 2008 Premium can choose to run SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition instead of SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition with their SBS 2008 Server Premium Edition without having to downgrade their SBS 2008 suite.

Once we stop shipping both versions of SQL Server with SBS 2008 Premium, customers are restricted from downgrading just the SQL Server component.

Customers who received SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition with their SBS 2008 Premium can continue to use it after the shipping period ends, but they may not use both SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition and SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business simultaneously. If they choose to continue using SQL Server 2005 after the shipping period ends, they can later choose to install SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition for Small Business instead of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition.

Customers who do not receive both versions of SQL Server (2005 and 2008) Standard Edition with their SBS 2008 Premium Server license (included for approximately one year from the SBS 2008 Release to Manufacturing (RTM) date) do not receive the rights listed above to run SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition with their SBS 2008 Premium Edition. If they choose to run SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition, they will need to downgrade their entire SBS Premium Edition to SBS 2003 R2 Premium in order to do so.

We will be updating the SBS Downgrade FAQs page shortly with these updated clarifications to help ensure everyone fully understands what version of SQL Server they can and cannot run with their SBS 2008 Premium Server license.

Thank you to everyone for your patience while we worked to get you these clarifications on this issue.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman Non-Managed Partner CPE LeadMicrosoft Worldwide Partner Group

How about a Phone System for the Little Guy?

Microsoft released its entry into the smb telephone marketplace about 9 months ago. Responsepoint is the first affordable telephone system that runs on your own computer network, integrates with Microsoft Small Business Server, and has a simplified form of Unified Messaging. It also integrates with your Outlook Contacts, so when one of your contacts calls, it pops up on your screen with the contact's information.

But here's the best part: When you are ready to make a call to one of those contacts, you simply press the Responsepoint blue button on the unit (we like to call it the Magic button) and simply speak the name of your contact. Voila, the phone dials your contact for you!

I have been using this system in our office for over 6 months now, and I have to say, I fired my telephone guy. It's just too easy to configure yourself. Automated attendant, voicemail, no answer call forward, voicemail conversion to email, it's got it all! If you want to know more, there is more info here.

To your success,

Tim

Are you a PC?

Last month I told you I was in Seattle mixing with the SMB partners and Microsoft types. While there, Microsoft VP Cindy Bates shared with us the new "I'm a pc" advertising campaign. Microsoft has put together a site where visitors can view and even create their own "I'm a pc" commercial. I must admit, we "pc" types are a very creative lot. Click here to see some of the "I'm a pc" uploads, and hey, if you want to make one of your own, I won't tell! You might just find mine if you look hard enough!

To your success,

Tim

Need a Company Logo, But Can't Afford It?

The other day I ran into a post on a forum I frequent. The poster was asking what the other small business owners did in regards to having a logo created. One of the answers was to utilize the power of the web.

99 Designs is a website created for the mutual benifit for all parties. It brings the designers of the World in contact with small, medium, and for that matter, Fortune 100 companies. For a fee of $39 dollars (or credits as they call them) anyone can start a contest, describe what you are looking for in a logo, a website, business card, letterhead, etc., post a prize amount, then sit back and watch the magic happen! 99 Designs uses the power of "crowdsourcing" to get maximum imput for your design.

What is crowdsourcing you ask? It's the power of sourcing skills, in this case design skills, from a group of people. In this instance, the group of people who are members of 99 Designs. Contests run for 7 days (or shorter if you find what you want and award the prize sooner), then you choose the best design, pay the designer, get the copyright, and you have a new logo!

I used 99 Designs to design a new company logo for my company, Networthy Systems. I had hundreds of submissions. One tidbit of advice: if you truly want designers to participate, you need to continously rank the designs, and leave lots of feedback for each designer. They like feedback, good AND bad. If you don't like the design, tell them!

I got a wonderful logo for $325.00 US. I had a hard time choosing between some of them, so I offered a lesser amount to some of the runner-ups, and secured those logos as well.

So, if you need a new look for your company, but can't afford thousands of dollars, give 99Designs a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

To your Success,

Tim

Phone System - Part 2

Last week in "How About a Phone System for the Little Guy" I talked about Microsoft Responsepoint, the new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system for small and medium business. It has the blue Responsepoint button that, when pushed, responds to your voice commands. It also has a built-in auto attendant, voicemail capabilities, and even the ability to convert your voicemails automatically to emails to send to your email account.

What I didn't tell you at the time was that this system has the ability to accept regular telephone lines (POTS) or VOIP inbound lines. By signing up with various VOIP carriers, you can keep your existing telephone numbers, and send both your inbound and outbound phone calls over your business internet connection. This allows you to save bundles of money on long distance charges, among other things. Now, you may have tried VOIP calls in the past, or even used it on your pc. But this is not the old voip. This is business class service. I've been using it in my business for all phone operations for the last nine months. The trick is you have to find the right carrier.

My carrier of choice is New Global Telecom. NGT does voip right, by installing a special router at your business location to make sure the phone traffic is routed correctly overy your internet connection. They constantly monitor the connection, and can even forward the calls automatically to another number (your cell phone, for example) if your internet connection ges down.

If you want to save money on your long distance phone bill, and have all the features of a business class phone system, without the huge expense, Response Point and NGT may be for you.

To your success,

Tim

If Operating Systems were Airlines

Since I have strong ties to the airline industry (those who know me know why) I found this little bit of humor all too true. Enjoy!

To your success,

Tim

DOS AIR All the passengers go out onto the runway, grab hold of the plane, push it until it gets in the air, hop on, jump off when it hits the ground again. Then they grab the plane again, push it back into the air, hop on, etcetera.

WINDOWS '95 AIRLINES The terminal is very neat and clean, the attendants are all very attractive and the pilots very capable. The fleet is immense. After your plane arrives 6 months late, you begin to wonder why it has not arrived yet. Your jet takes off without a hitch, pushing above the clouds, and at 20,000 feet it crashes without warning.

MAC AIRWAYS The cashiers, flight attendants, and pilots all look the same, feel the same and act the same. When asked questions about the flight they reply that you don't want to know, don't need to know, and would you please return to your seat and watch the movie.

OS/2 SKYWAYS The terminal is almost empty, with only a few prospective passengers milling about. Airline personnel walk around, apologising profusely to customers in hushed voices, pointing from time to time to the sleek, powerful jets outside the terminal on the field. They tell each passenger how good the real flight will be on these new jets and how much safer it will be than Windows Airlines, but that they will have to wait a little longer for the technicians to finish the flight systems.

FLY WINDOWS NT All the passengers carry their seats out onto the tarmac, placing the chairs in the outline of a plane. They all sit down, flap their arms and make jet swooshing sounds as if they are flying.

WINGS of AS/400 The airline has bought ancient DC-3s, arguably the best and safest planes that ever flew and painted "747" on their tails to make them look as if they are fast. The flight attendants, of course, attend to your every need, though the drinks cost $15 a pop. Stupid questions cost $230 per hour, unless you have SupportLine, which requires a first class ticket and membership in the frequent flyer club.

VMS AIRLINES The passengers all gather in the hanger, watching hundreds of technicians check the flight systems on this immense, luxury aircraft. This plane has at least 10 engines and seats over 1,000 passengers. All the passengers scramble aboard, as do the necessary complement of 200 technicians. The pilot takes his place up in the glass cockpit. He guns the engines, only to realise that the plane is too big to get through the hangar doors!

UNIX EXPRESS Each passenger brings a piece of the airplane and a box of tools to the airport. They gather on the tarmac, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they want to build and how to put it together. Eventually, they build several different aircraft, but give them all the same name. Some passengers actually reach their destinations. All passengers believe they got there.

Can't Install Adobe Reader

Are you running Vista and can't get Adobe Reader to install? Well you aren't alone. It was recently listed as one of the top complaints regarding Vista. Fortunately, we have an answer to the issue. Actually, two answers!

First, unless you logged right into the administrator account, or you are a power user and have turned off User Access Control (UAC) you will need to turn it back on, then install Adobe. I would then recommend you leave UAC on for normal operations. To do this, go to Control Panel, click on User accounts, then click on the setting to turn UAC on. Restart your computer, then install Adobe.

If that doesn't work, or UAC was NOT turned off, then you can install Adobe in Windows XP compatibility mode. Browse to the folder where you placed the Adobe installer file. Right click it, and select the compatibility tab. Check "run this program in compatibility mode" then select Windows XP in the list. Adobe should then install.

To your success,

Tim

Will Your Network Handle the Time Change?

This following is from one of the many technical blogs that we follow. It is worth reading in regards to Daylight Savings time. The change comes at a different time than normal again this year. Not all computers can cope with it.

To your Success,

Tim

Daylight Savings Time for 2008 will end this weekend on Sunday, November 2nd. This is a reminder to those who have not applied their DST patches to the SBS 2003 network to do so as soon as possible. Common issues that are fixed by these patches include:

1. Calendar items and appointments in Outlook are off by an hour

2. Timestamps in OWA are off by an hour

3. Time skews between patched and un-patched machines

4. Date and Time fields are off by an hour in Sharepoint

5. SQL Server notifications are delayed

For the full list of updates that are applicable to the SBS 2003 environment please visit:

http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2007/02/13/extended-daylight-saving-time-sbs-2003-and-you.aspx

There are several methods to check for these updates, including:

1. Use the official Microsoft Daylight Savings Time Help Center at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst

2. Run the SBS 2003 Best Practices Analyzer from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3874527A-DE19-49BB-800F-352F3B6F2922&displaylang=en

3. To check the OS only (client or server) run the "w32tm /tz" command.

If you have any further questions on DST and the DST changes please see: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst

How to check the timezone setting using "w32tm /tz":

The output will look like this for the Central timezone on a patched machine:

Time zone: Current:TIME_ZONE_ID_DAYLIGHT Bias: 360min (UTC=LocalTime+Bias)

[Standard Name:"Central Standard Time" Bias:0min Date:(M:11 D:1 DoW:0)]

[Daylight Name:"Central Daylight Time" Bias:-60min Date:(M:3 D:2 DoW:0)]

What you want to look for is M:11, this translates to “Month 11: November” for start of Standard Time. (M:3 which is “Month 3: March” for start of Daylight Standard Time.)

An unpatched machine will show the following: Time zone:

Current:TIME_ZONE_ID_STANDARD Bias: 360min (UTC=LocalTime+Bias)

[Standard Name:"Central Standard Time" Bias:0min Date:(M:10 D:5 DoW:0)]

[Daylight Name:"Central Daylight Time" Bias:-60min Date:(M:4 D:1 DoW:0)]

A patched machine that does not have "Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes" set will show:

Time zone: Current:TIME_ZONE_ID_DAYLIGHT Bias: 360min (UTC=LocalTime+Bias)

[Standard Name:"Central Standard Time" Bias:0min Date:(M:11 D:1 DoW:0)]

[Daylight Name:"Central Standard Time" Bias:0min Date:(M:11 D:1 DoW:0)]

What a Connected World We Live In

You have to be careful what you say nowadays. A case in point revolves around a post I recently made on a blog that tracks the industry my company is in. I was commenting on the site about a particular business model we use and how it has simplified our billing, etc. Another poster asked me what software we used to track some specifics. I replied back with the name of the software, but added a caveat that we were in the middle of implementing a different solution.

Wow! You would think it was a presidential press release! Within 12 hours, I had 2 phone calls, and several emails from upper level vice presidents of the company we were dropping. And this company has over 20,000 users (I'm told).

There are a few interesting lessons to be learned here, I think. First, if you don't want anyone to know what you are doing, don't email or post anything regarding the information you are trying to keep from the public. While this particular information regarding our software change is by no means top secret, I really didn't need this particular interuption from our business of providing excellent customer service. Secondly, you never know where your comments will end up, no matter how benign they may seem. A few little comments started a firestorm from upper level management in a company much larger than mine.

So, the moral is, don't post anything you don't want known. ANYWHERE. Social networking performs at the speed of the Internet.

To your success,

Tim

WiFi On the Plane?

It looks like WiFi is finally available while you are on your flight. American Airlines has been testing a new WiFi service from GoGoInflight which allows you to get high speed Internet access (for a fee, of course) while you are cruising at 30,000 feet. From most reports I have read, the service works well, and is fairly reliable. So, now you can send and receive those emails, download that important presentation you forgot to bring with you, or just surf the web.

The service is priced at $12.95 for now. No reports on whether the connection will slow down if more users login on the same flight. It will be interesting to see if only higher level executives utilize the service to work while enroute, or if companies will now expect employees to get more work done while they are getting paid to travel. I expect other airlines to quickly follow suit.

Let me know what your thoughts are on this. Should employees be reasonably expected to work while flying on company business now? Do you see it as an intrusion on the other passengers?

To your success,

Tim

Is My Network Ready for Small Business Server 2008?

With the announcement that Microsoft is launching SBS 2008 on November 12, 2008 it might be a good time to address a few house cleaning items you will need to get in order if you are planning this upgrade. 

If you are currently using SBS 2003 Premium, and using Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004 (ISA 2004) as your firewall (ISA 2004 is included in the premium version), there is one very important difference in SBS 2008. ISA is not included any longer. What does this mean to companies upgrading? Simply put, you no longer have a firewall. You will have to purchase either a hardware or software based firewall to protect your data. 

There are pros and cons of both types of firewalls, and I will discuss some differences in a later post. For now, companies planning their upgrade should either start researching firewall solutions that fit their needs, or begin discussions with their IT services provider on the subject. If you contact your provider, and they have no idea what you are talking about, I would run, not walk, out of that relationship. I recommend you choose a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, commonly referred to in the industry with the designation SBSC. These Microsoft partners have gone through testing that proves their knowlege of Microsoft server products in geneal, and Microsoft Small Business Server in particular. They will have specific recommendations on this subject. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

78 Ways to Control Your Business Costs

Some busines owners see these uncertain economic times as tough roads ahead, while others see this as a perfect opportunity to get out in front of their competition, and truly help their customers weather this storm. 

While there are good arguments on both sides of the economy issue, one thing is common to all businesses: controlling your business costs is paramount to surviving in good, or bad times. I found this article on the website of Inside CRM, a site related to CRM, or Customer Relationship Management Software. It applies to all companies, I think. 

Read the entire article here: 78 Ways to Control Your Business Costs 

Be sure to come back here to post your thoughts! 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Getting your Christmas Gifts at Circuit City?

Circuit City, which WAS the number two big box electronic store, filed for bankruptcy last week. They plan on closing 150 stores nationwide. From what I have been told, the local Beaumont, Texas store is not slated for closure. But I wouldn't hold my breath. 

This is Chapter 11 Reorganization Bankruptcy. Circuit City is aksing customers not to shy away from their stores just because they are in bankruptcy. 

I'm not advocating whether you should shop there or not. I just think this has come in under the media radar for some reason, and isn't generating much press. 

Hey, maybe the "Fire Dogs" will merge with the "Geek Squad". So is it Fire Squad or Geek Dogs? 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim B

Is Your Company Leveraging Its Email System?

Is your company still using the old email provided by your Internet Service Provider? You know who you are. Your company uses emails for its employees like , , , , or some other iteration similar to these examples. It might be time to step up to "real" email. 

While these email accounts are functional, they are not feature rich by any stretch of the imagination. Not to mention they essentially advertise your ISP's name, not yours, with every email you send. 

By using Microsoft Exchange, either inhouse or hosted, along with Microsoft Outlook, you open a world of new tools for your company. Tools like shared calendars, email archiving, a common user experience no matter what computer you use, and integration with Microsoft Office products. All of these tools can be used in your organization to improve employee productivity, eliminate employee (and owner) email frustrations, maintain compliance with the various Federal and State laws regarding corporate communications (you ARE doing this, aren't you), and free advertising. Using your company's name as the suffix to your email address (if the domain is available) is smart. 

It would be wise to hire an IT consultant familiar with these products to help you set up your company email system, as there are some best practices that will help as your company grows. Best practices such as a common strategy for assigning email addresses (first initial, last name, etc) and developing an Acceptable Use Policy for emails sent through your system.

 So quit using your aol address and start taking advantage of these tools! 

To your success, 

 Tim

Energy Star Specification 5.0

The Energy Star specification for computers is currently under revision for version 5.0. Did you know that the new Energy Star compliant laptops and PCs actually use 15 to 25% less energy on average than the other new computers on the shelf? 

If you are in the market for a new PC this holiday season, consider an Energy Star rated product. This program inspired manufacturers to produce more efficient models and, in turn, consumers and businesses are looking to save over $1.8 billion in energy costs over the next 5 years. This savings helps us all prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to that given off from 2.7 million automobiles. Since, “teleportation devices” have no defined release date, and we all love our cars, why not dive into the conservation efforts through purchasing Energy Star toys?

 If you are interested in reading more about this program or further conservation efforts, visit http://www.energystar.gov/

Circuit City Closing More Stores?

While I previously blogged about Circuity City filing for Chapter 11 reorganization and cloing 155 stores nationwide in the process, I mentioned that the local store here was not included in the list of closings. 

However, some pretty reliable sources are now saying that the previous number 2 big box electronic store is now planning on adding an additional 150 stores to the list. And they plan to announce it in as few as 2 weeks from now. I haven't seen the new list, but if the rumor holds true, Circuit City coud very well be leaving our area. Apparently, the black friday sales numbers are to play a big part in the final decision. 

In my mind, this just verifies that business owners really want small VAR's to help them with technology decisions. Price is apparently not always the determining factor. 

Stay tuned to see if our local store is leaving. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

VOIP is Great, But Buyer Beware!

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is definitely here to stay. If you haven't checked into it yet for your company, you should. It could possibly save you a ton of money. The quality is generally excellent now, and this is not your old voip in the beginning where the call quality was marginal at best. This is now a very mature product, and in fact, the long distance companies have been doing it behind the scenes for a long time. If you ever made a long distance phone call, odds are some part of the call was run over voip, with or without your knowledge. 

However, when choosing a voip provider, you need to be aware of one very important point. 911 calls are handled differently between the providers. Very differently. With some providers, it doesnt' work at all. 

Unfortunately, some VOIP services aren't tied in to the 911 system and this can quickly move them to the bottom of your list of potential companies to work with. Then again, on the opposite end of the spectrum, some VOIP carriers offer Enhanced 911 service, where 911 calls using your VOIP service automatically send your name, location and other info. These companies might quickly find themselves at the top of your list. 

The bottom line is you should investigate this exciting technology, but make sure you ask about their 911 capabilities during the discovery phase. My recommendation? NGT (New Global Telecom) at www.ngt.com I use them in my business, and they are first rate! 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Don't Forget Your Cell Phone On Your Next Flight

Two weeks ago I flew out to see a client in Nashville for a few days. Houston Intercontinental Airport and Continental Airlines instituted a new test program where you could have your boarding pass displayed on your browser enabled cell phone. I decided to give this a try and it worked like a charm! 

Here's how it works: I logged into Continentals website to print my boarding pass. I saw a new link to have the boarding pass sent to my phone. So I clicked the link, and shortly an email showed up in my phone's email reader with a link to the boarding pass. When I got to the airport to go through security, I showed my driver's license, whipped out my phone, clicked the link, and my boarding pass with the bar code displayed on the screen. The TSA person used a hand scanner to scan the barcode, and I then proceed through security. Then at the gate during boarding, I again showed the same screen to the gate agent. She scanned the screen on my phone again, and I then boarded the plane for the trip to Nashille! 

American Airlines is beginning to test this as well at various airports, and I would expect to see it rolled out pretty quickly to most airports. I intend to use the system again on my next flight. I must admit, I was a little nervous while standing in the security line, without a physical replication of my boarding pass in my hand. But, it worked fine, and helped the environment (albeit a tiny bit) in the process. Give it a try if you get the chance. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

In Case You Were Thinking About a Blackberry

I ran across this article on one of the blogs I frequent. This study tracked specific cell phone models for a year. The results are, well, let's just say I'm glad I didn't get a Blackberry. 

To Your Sucess, 

 Tim

Research group SquareTrade recently released the results of a massive cellphone study. They tracked 15,000 individual handsets over their first year of use, and they found some large discrepancies in reliability. The iPhone malfunction rate sat at a comfortable 5.6%. The Blackberry (in its various incarnations) jumped to 11.9%. But it's all better than the Palm Treo, which malfunctioned 16.2% of the time within the first year.
To be honest, none of these numbers are particularly good, and I have a feeling that there may be a confounding iPhone White Glove Effect—I keep that phone's glass screen in mind every time I put it in the pocket opposite my keys. (Ironically, iPhone users were found 3% more likely to accidentally damage their phones than their Blackberry/Palm counterparts.)
When projected to two years, the iPhone's failure rate jumps to 11% while Blackberries level to 14% and Treos reach a scary 21%. I guess it's a good thing we have those ridiculously binding contracts to bail us out after all. [SquareTrade via CNET]

Dramatic Drop in Spam?

According to some Internet news reports, McColo Corp., located in downton San Jose, California was shut down a few weeks ago when its two Internet backbone providers finally shut off their Internet backbone connection. McColo is a web hosting provider for many international organizations involved in spamming of everything from pornography to pharmaceuticals. 

The two backbone providers are Global Crossing and Hurricane Electric. It's unclear if the FBI will be pursuing charges against McColo for being partially responsible for the billions of spam messages sent. 

Reports from various Internet security agencies reported varying degrees of a drop in spam. One report showed an immediate 66% drop in unsolicited commercial email (UCE) and another report showed a decline from 40 spam messages/second down to 10/second. 

No matter what the decline actually was, any decline is good news. It's about time. 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Finally, A Faster USB!

Finally, A Faster USB! For the first time in over 8 years, Universal Serial Bus, or USB for short, is finally getting an upgrade. The non-profit group formed by various manufacturers to set the standard is scheduled to announce the new USB 3.0 standard. 

The difference? About 10 times the speed. The new USB 3.0 standard supports a 10 fold increase in data transfer speeds versus its cousin, USB 2.0. In fact, that's faster than firewire, and could signal the beginning of the end to te firewire standard. USB truly started the plug and play revolution, and has been more widely accepted by computer users than firewire. 

How does this play into your business? Well, your employees won't be sitting around waiting on files to transfer to thumb drives. Which means increased employee productivity. For those of you who utilize external hard drives for backups of server data, now the backups will take considerably less time. This translates into a better chance of having a valid backup since it won't take all night to backup your company data. 

This, is truly good news for the computing industry. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

So You Want Out of Your Sprint Contract?

So you want out of your Sprint contract and you don't want to pay the early termination fee? Well, I ran across a post on how to get out of your contract now without paying the fee. It seems Sprint has added a 99 cent administrative fee increase per line will give you the ammo you need to say goodbye. 

Read all the details here. Just in time for Christmas. Now you can use the money you saved to buy that special someone a gift! 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Protecting your Laptop Data

I ran across this article recently on some of the forums I subscribe to. It might be food for thought if you travel internationally. 

To Your Success, 

 Tim 

How to Secure Laptops from U.S. Government's Prying Eyes 

By Jack E. Gold 2008-11-07 

The U.S. government has recently been given full permission to check the contents of laptops and mobile devices belonging to travelers passing into the United States at border control checkpoints. Enterprises with international travelers should take immediate steps to safeguard the sensitive corporate data that exists on their executives' laptops and mobile devices. Knowledge Center contributor Jack E. Gold explains the steps you must take to ensure that your company's mission-critical data is protected from prying eyes. 

On April 21, 2008, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals essentially gave the U.S. government carte blanche permission to check any and every piece of data on laptops belonging to travelers passing into the United States at border control checkpoints. 

In its decision, the court stated that they “are satisfied that reasonable suspicion is not needed for customs officials to search a laptop or other personal electronic storage devices at the border.” This decision also allows the U.S. government to confiscate the laptop for an unlimited period of time, and with no recourse for the owner of the device. Most business laptop owners have nearly everything about themselves stored on their hard drives, including financial information, pictures, e-mails from a variety of sources, and, of course, work-related sensitive information. 

 Encrypt and back up 

This case highlights the need for every enterprise--and any individual who travels internationally--to take immediate steps. The typical password log-in protection is not sufficient to mitigate this risk. Enterprises should require that all users have their hard drives encrypted. Further, it is imperative that a backup of the data on the drive be made and left in a safe place. This should be done in case the U.S. government decides to confiscate the user’s machine (although this is an unlikely scenario, it is nevertheless possible). Typically, 50 to 75 percent of critical business information is stored on user PCs, and it is often never backed up. So, if an executive’s machine is confiscated, the potential for disruption is alarming. 

 Use laptop security suites, file backup and employee awareness 

Any company with international travelers should initiate the following three precautionary steps immediately: 

Precautionary Step No. 1: If there isn’t a laptop security suite already in place, companies should deploy one. There are suites available such as Sybase Afaria, Credant, Trust Digital, PGP, RSA and Utimaco. Using this technology, companies should enable a secure storage capability on each device by turning on and maintaining file encryption. It usually isn’t desirable to do whole disk encryption (available within Windows XP and Vista), as this could cause performance issues. But specific files of sensitive information should be selectively encrypted. 

Precautionary Step No. 2: Next, make sure that all data files on each laptop are backed up to a server or to a portable hard drive provided to the end user. Then follow up with appropriate “nagging” to make sure the user performs the backup regularly. Automated tools are available to accomplish this at a reasonable cost, and often within the same security suite deployed for encryption. 

Precautionary Step No. 3: Finally, inform every business traveler of the new rules, and make sure they understand that the new security regimen is not optional. 

Re-evaluate lax laptop security attitudes 

It is estimated that 75 percent or more of corporate laptops go unprotected (except for the use of passwords). This is despite the risks inherent in losing or having the laptop stolen, and with the risk of the consequent data loss. This action by the U.S. government should finally force the majority of companies to re-evaluate their lax attitude toward laptop security, and provide a robust and secure environment for their users. 

Know the ruling also applies to all mobile devices 

This ruling does not only apply to laptops. Smart phones, including RIM’s BlackBerry, are also included in the powers of review and seizure. Companies should take all necessary steps to secure them as well. Users of many wireless e-mail solutions (such as BlackBerry, Good, Sybase and MSFT Direct Push) already have higher levels of built-in security than the majority of users with enterprise-deployed laptops. Many of the wireless devices already include the ability to do a remote wipe of the device, which many security suites also enable.

 Although the risk to individuals of data snooping or laptop loss because of this government ruling is minimal, it nevertheless does represent a real threat--especially in regulated industries such as finance and health care. Further, the risk is disproportionately higher for upper management, since many of a company’s highest-level executives regularly engage in international travel while carrying highly sensitive corporate data. 

Protect all mission-critical data 

Although we hope sanity returns and Congress acts against this unprecedented invasion of privacy, we do not believe that this is a near-term likelihood. Therefore, each company with users who travel with their laptops must go into defensive mode and make sure all mission-critical data is protected. This can be done through the proper deployment of security and backup technology. Failure to act may cause the loss of sensitive information and potentially result in substantial harm to the company from confidential data being publicly disclosed. 

Jack E. Gold is the founder and principal analyst at J. Gold Associates. He is a former vice president of Research Services at the META Group. He has over 35 years experience in the computer and electronics industries.

Keeping Business Travel Costs Down

I ran across an article on telephonation.com a forum for us techy types that dabble in computer phone systems. It had some interesting points to make about saving money during business travel, or any travel for that matter. 

Plan ahead, search for deals, and maximize your gas mileage. Some tips: 

Hotel chains offer "frequent-flyer" programs similar to airlines. The idea is every time you stay, you acquire points. When you get enough points, you get a free night. Ask the hotel employee when you check in next time about their program. 

Heres a thought: how about planning ahead when you drive around in a new city? Get a car with a built-in GPS system or bring your own (I have one built into my phone). Avoid traffic jams, construction and other bothers using traffic.com They offer free realtime info on your intended route. If you don't have time to check it before you leave, once you get there, call them at (866) MY-TRAFC (866-698-7232). 

Speaking of GPS devices, if you do use one, make sure you have the latest maps available for your particular system. That way you have the latest info on detours, gas locations, etc. It's aggravating to plan your route ahead of time, only to find out the road is closed because your map was too old! 

If you are driving with your own vehicle, make sure tire pressures are at the recommended pressure (that doesn't mean the maximum pressure on the tire). Before you go on a long trip, pull your air filter out and blow out the dust, or replace it. Use your air conditioner sparingly, if possible, but roll up the windows for better aerodynamics. And believe it or not, keeping the inside clean can make a difference. Accumulated litter actually adds to the weight of the car, which increases your fuel consumption. 

Hey, every little bit helps nowadays. If you travel a lot, utilizing all these tips could save you some money! 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Workstations Taking Up Too Much Space?

A Year of Popular Mechanics for 5 Bucks?

In the spirit of saving your company money, I ran across a blog indicating Hearst Publications is selling some of their magazine subscriptions at greatly reduced rates. Popular Mechanics is available for a one year subscription for 5 dollars. There are others there as well, including O magazine, Smart Money, and many more. To take advantage for yourself, or to give as a gift, follow this link: https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/veranda/20180 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Nothing Lasts Forever

Recently I blogged about the dramatic reduction in spam across the Internet, literally overnight. It seems that nothing lasts forever. The huge crime cartel responsible for the majority of spam sent across the Internet managed to resurrect itself after being shut down back in November. The post is copied below for your review. All the more reason to have a GOOD Antispam solution in place for your company. The money you spend for employees to sift through this junk would amaze you, and the cost of a decent antispam solution will immediately pay for itself, many times over in a very short period of time. 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

A big spam-spewing botnet shut down two weeks ago has been resurrected, security researchers said today, and is again under the control of criminals.
The "Srizbi" botnet returned from the dead late Tuesday, said Fengmin Gong, chief security content officer at FireEye Inc., when the infected PCs were able to successfully reconnect with new command-and-control servers, which are now based in Estonia.
Srizbi was knocked out more than two weeks ago when McColo Corp., a hosting company that had been accused of harboring a wide range of criminal activities, was yanked off the Internet by its upstream service providers. With McColo down, PCs infected with Srizbi and other bot Trojan horses were unable to communicate with their command servers, which had been hosted by McColo. As a result, spam levels dropped precipitously.
But as other researchers noted last week, Srizbi had a fallback strategy. In the end, that strategy paid off for the criminals who control the botnet.
According to Gong, when Srizbi bots were unable to connect with the command-and-control servers hosted by McColo, they tried to connect with new servers via domains that were generated on the fly by an internal algorithm. FireEye reverse-engineered Srizbi, rooted out that algorithm and used it to predict, then preemptively register, several hundred of the possible routing domains.
The domain names, said Gong, were generated on a three-day cycle, and for a while, FireEye was able to keep up -- and effectively block Srizbi's handlers from regaining control.
"We have registered a couple hundred domains," Gong said, "but we made the decision that we cannot afford to spend so much money to keep registering so many [domain] names."
Once FireEye stopped preempting Srizbi's makers, the latter swooped in and registered the five domains in the next cycle. Those domains, in turn, pointed Srizbi bots to the new command-and-control servers, which then immediately updated the infected machines to a new version of the malware.
"Once each bot was updated, the next command was to send spam," said Gong, who noted that the first campaign used a template targeting Russian speakers.
The updated Srizbi includes hard-coded references to the Estonian command-and-control servers, but Gong was unaware of any current attempt to convince the firm now hosting those servers to yank them off the Web.
In the meantime, FireEye is working with several other companies -- including VeriSign Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Network Solutions Inc., a domain registrar -- on ways to reach the more than 100,000 users whose PCs FireEye has identified as infected with Srizbi.
Discussions about how to best handle any future McColo-Srizbi situation are also ongoing, Gong said. "We're trying to find a solution, and talking about ideas of how they can help fund efforts for some period of time to [preemptively] register domains," he said.

No Mr. Business Owner, You Can't Use Office Home And Student

With Christmas shopping in full swing, do not be swayed by salespeople trying to sell you Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition for your business. You CANNOT legally use this version of Office in your business operations. If you want proof, the licensing terms are here.

 In the licensing terms, you will find the following listed under INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS under section a. It says: “Licensed Device. You may install one copy of the software on three licensed devices in your household for use by people who reside there. The software is not licensed for use in any commercial, non-profit, or revenue generating business activities.”

 It's written in plain and simple english. You can't do it, regardless of what someone at the big box store on the freeway tells you. Don't put your business in the position of using unlicensed software. It may just cost you a whole lot more than what you initially saved. 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Microsoft Releases Out Of Band Patch

Today, Microsoft released a patch out of band (OOB) or separate from its normal patch schedule. This is the second time Microsoft has released a patch in this fashion in as many months. This patch resolves a publicly known vulnerability called the "Zero Day Exploit" that affects Internet Explorer in various versions. 

If you haven't applied this patch to your systems yet, I highly recommend you do so immediately. You can find the information regarding the issue and the patch at Security Bulletin MS08-078. 

It should be noted that there seems to be mixed feelings among IT professionals on whether this patch should have been released out of band, or bundled during the normal "patch Tuesday" for Microsoft products. I, for one, am glad to see Microsoft step up and offer this patch out of band. You can never be too careful, IMHO. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Geek Free Radio

I am proud to announce that I will be hosting a daily Monday through Friday computer radio show starting sometime in late January. We have tentatively named the show the "Geek Free Radio Show". 

The show will air on KSET (stands for Southeast Texas) 1300AM. This new station is an ALL local talk format, which is sorely lacking in this area. I intend to focus the show on small and medium business technologies and how they affect those businesses. We will also cover home users, and other computer related news. Interviews with various technology vendors, software reviews, and a lot more to come. The station will also stream via the Internet. I hope you will join us. 

I welcome your comments on the show name, suggestions for topics, etc. I will post more details in the coming days. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Quickbooks Pro 2009 For Free!

Okay Folks, 

This is the real deal and only available Monday December 22, 2008. Either go to your local Staples store, or better, go to www.staples.com and purchase Intuit Quickbooks Pro 2009 single user for $199. At checkout, you get a $40 instant rebate, which makes it $159. Then fill out the rebate form for $159. When you get your rebate check, that makes it free (not including sales tax, of course). 

This is the best deal I have seen all year. My sources confirm the validity of the offer, and it is only available today. Local stores may run out, and there are no rain checks. So your best bet is to purchase online. The link should be on the Staples home page on this day only. 

I'm taking advantage of the offer. You'll never get Quickbooks Pro any cheaper. The word is that Intuit is trying to help small businesses grow their businesses in the new year. Whatever the reason, don't miss out. And if you are reading this post after the fact, which means you missed this opportunity, then shame on you! You are subscribed to this blog, aren't you? So you get it right away, right? No? Well, then sign up so you don't miss the next good deal! 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Is Best Buy Next?

Rumor has it that Best Buy is having problems, and they are offering 4000 employees a buyout. The plan is voluntary. Benefits of this buyout include ony year of health care benefits, and 7 1/2 months of severance pay. Employees have to signup by Jan. 5th, 2009. 

While I feel sorry for the employees, I don't feel sorry for the corporate giant. This is just another example of why small business rules in this country. People want excellent customer service, and nobody can deliver that like a small business can. Just because something costs less doesn't mean it's superior. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Merry Christmas

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to all the readers. I hope your Christmas finds everyone safe. Please remember the reason for Christmas. We all know it's certainly not presents! 

I look forward to an excellent 2009 for my business. I, for one, am choosing not to participate in the recession. Small business can survive. You just have to be adaptable. Don't just keep doing the same old thing. Think outside the box. It may be harder to make money, and the low hanging fruit may go away, but you can make it! 

One of the ways I'm choosing not to participate is by turning off the radio. I typically have the radio playing in my office as background noise. I'm tired of hearing all the negative reports on the news about the economy, so I've turned off the radio so I won't have to listen to it. You see, if you hear something long enough, you may just begin to believe it. So, I'm choosing to make myself more productive. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Staggering Search Stats (What Google Knows)

Here's some stats on Internet searches from comScore, a company that "measures" the digital world. 

 November searches in the US: 12.3 Billion 

 Percentage using Google: 63.5 

 What's my point? Um, if you haven't noticed, Google has the lion's share of the search engine market by far. Maybe small business owners should research Google to see what they are doing right. At least searching will help increase their market share some more! :-) 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Should You "Twitter"

Do you know what Twitter is? If you don't, you may want to google it to find out. Dell announed that Twitter has made it over 1 million dollars in the last year and a half. Sure, that's nothing for Dell, but, every little bit helps, right? 

Twitter is a social networking site, where people (or companies) who have a free Twitter account post their current location, or what they are doing at the moment. Friends, or other interested persons can then get alerts on their computers, or cell phones immediately. 

Sounds like something your teenager would like, but not your clients? Guess again. Dell uses Twitter to announce special sales, or discounts. People following can then login to get these short term discounts, and even pass it along to their friends. 

It's all part of the new Web 2.0, where marketing can certainly play. So, go Google Twitter, and see how you can take your marketing up a notch, with little or no money. 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Happy New Year!

Just a quick blog to say Happy New Year to everybody who follows my ramblings. I hope 2009 finds you healthy, happy, and profitable in your business. Forget the doom and gloom that the media seems to thrive upon. If your business is down, find a way to bring it up. Adapt, adjust, do what you have to. Find a way to distance yourself from your competition during these times. Invest in your business. Find marketing that works, and use it! 

Happy New Year, and best wishes in 2009! 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Technology Finds New Species

A scientist looking around on Google Earth discovered 7000 Hectares of forest that was previously undiscovered, in Mozambique. An expedition was quickly put together. In the first two weeks, they discovered new species of butterflies, and a snake that can kill a man with one bite. I've always known Google Earth was exceptional, but who knew it was capable of this?

 This discovery has the science community in an uproar, with the hopes that there are other parts of the World out there as yet undiscovered. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

How To Get a Measly Hundred Bucks Out of NASA

Just in case you thought the government was taking care of your tax dollars in a fiscally responsible manner, along comes this story. 

If you happen to be in the ocean (for whatever reason) and run across a floating rubber ducky, NASA would like for you to call them. It seems NASA dumped 90 of the little yellow floaters in a hole in the ice in Greenland about 3 months ago. The idea was to determine how the polar ice cap is melting. To date, they haven't gotten a single one of them back. So, they put up a $100 reward for the first person to find one. 

I'm betting with the amount of tax dollars they spent on this project, they can afford to offer more than $100. Personally, I'm keeping my rubber ducky until they up the ante more! 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Notebooks Sales Top Desktops For the First Time

According to Isuppli, world sales of notebooks surpassed those of desktops for the first time in history. In the 3rd quarter of 2008, 38.6 million notebooks were sold. During the same period, desktop sales declined to 386 million. That's an increase in notebook sales of over 40 percent for the same period last year. That's a lot of notebooks! 

This is a trend I think will continue in the business world. Users of notebooks no longer have to settle for second rate. Speeds, storage, and video sizes are now comparable to desktops at a fraction of the price they used to be. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Window XP Lives! (Again)

Microsoft has extended the cutoff date for PC makers to install XP on new systems yet again. The new date: May 30, 2009. Now, it may seem to you that this is hardly worth blogging about, especially since it's Jan. 9th, 2009 and the new cutoff date is little more than 4 months away. But, before you pass judgement on this particular post, consider this: THE ORIGINAL DATE FOR XP'S DEMISE WAS JANUARY 30TH......OF 2008! 

It seems that Vista has just not taken off like the marketing gurus in Redmond told us it would. The original date of Jan. 2008 was made to make way for Vista which was released to the masses in early 2007. The idea was, since the people aren't buying Vista, and the manufacturers aren't loading Vista on new systems, we'll just take XP off the market, and the mindless people will HAVE to buy Vista. 

Seems like that didn't work either. Now, here's the new dilemna: with Windows 7 scheduled for release this year, should users skip Vista all together, and just install Windows 7? Time will tell.

 For the record, I'm writing this blog on a laptop running Vista Professional. Vista has matured enough for most applications. It just can't seem to shake the early stigma of being buggy when it first came out. 

I wouldn't doubt that the XP expiration date gets pushed back some more. Far enough back that Windows 7 will be released to the masses, and users will be able to go directly to that OS from XP. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

In Case You Think the Internet Is a Passing Fad...

For those die-hards that still think the Internet is a passing fad, consider this new report. For the first time, the Internet has passed all other media except TV as a main source for national and international news. All the other media have steadily dropped, while the Internet has, for the most part, continued to climb. This confirms the reports of newspapers continuing to struggle across the country.

Just When I Posted the Newspaper's Demise...

Just after I posted regarding the Internet taking over as the preferred medium for news, I ran across a small article about a newspaper company that has continually grown where others have not. It's the TriCityNews of Monmouth County, New Jersey, and it has grown at over 10 % a year since the dot.com bust. You can read all about it here. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Why You Are Getting Ripped Off by the Mobile Carriers

I ran across an article from the New York Times regarding the hows and how much of texting via your flavor of mobile carrier. While the article is a little technical, it explains why it costs the carriers virtually nothing to carry your sms messages. It raises the question of why the carriers have doubled the cost of texting over the last 3 years. 

You can read the full article here. It will be interesting to see how the class action lawsuits turn out. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Man, This Drive is Small!

We all know devices continue to get smaller. And they continue to do more. I, like millions of others, carry a device that is cell phone, computer, instant messenger, and email reader all rolled up in one small package. One of the issues with these devices however, has been the limited amount of storage capacity. Most of these devices utilize SSD, or solid state drives. This type of storage has typically been expensive, and limited in storage capacity. Until now.

 Toshiba recently announced the availability of a 512 GB SSD drive. That's half a TERRABYTE! That's probably more than 50 percent of the computers on the market right now. While this may not seem like headline news, it is a big step in the area of storage. I would be looking for more devices that will "do it all" and will truly hold everything you need while you are away from the office. Read about it here. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Windows 7 Beta Still Available

Microsoft released Windows 7 in beta form last month. Then they closed the beta, then opened it again. For those that don't know, Windows 7 is Microsoft's latest operating system, set to replace Vista. 

I have downloaded it myself, and we run it at our office in a "virtual" window. I am fairly impresed so far. It has great promise. 

Please DO NOT RUN THIS SOFTWARE IN A PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT! What this means is you should not install this software on any computer that you don't want to lose data on. You should expect to lose data on any machine you put this on. After all, it's beta. That means testing mode. If you want to try it out, the link is here. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Windows 7 Shutting Down on You?

July 1st is the day that the Windows 7 Beta will begin shutting down every two hours. Which is Microsoft's way of telling you to go get the Windows 7 Release Candidate(really, you should have done it quite a while ago). 

Just to make sure you don't get to keep Windows 7 Release Candidate for free either, it will begin shutting down every two hours or so about a year from now. Remember, Windows 7 is scheduled for public release on October 22nd. 

 To your success, 

 Tim

Why Buying the Cheapest Printer May Not be the Best Move

I ran across an article about differences in cheap laser printers versus more expensive professional versions. As it turns out, for your business, it may just end up costing you more money over time. So the next time you think you might save some money and go on the cheap, you might want to think again. The link is below:

 http://www.gearlog.com/2009/06/why_a_100_color_laser_printer.php 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

Like New Gadgets? Here's a Cool Site!

I admit it. I am an early adopter and I love to get the latest gadget, whether it's a phone or a robot vacuum cleaner. But keeping up with and researching the latest and greatest gadget can be time-consuming, to say the least. Enter GDGT What's this, you ask? Pronounced "gadget" it's gdgt.com a website dedicated to all us techophiles. 

The cool thing about this site is it's database driven, so that you can enter the stuff you are interested in, and track only information about those items, leaving out the things you don't really care to read about. Give it a try. The site is new, but growing fast. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Mega Telecoms under investigation by DOJ?

According to the Wall Street Journal, ATT, Verizon, Sprint and some others are under investigation by the Department of Justice. It seems the DOJ thinks they may be abusing their power on the cell phone market. How, you ask? One reason that comes to mind is the fact you can only get an i-phone from one carrier, and it cannot be used on any other carrier. 

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, the entreprenour in me wants to commend a carrier for being proactive and inking a deal with a phone manufacturer that gives them exclusive access to a product. On the other hand, I have many friends who feel most of this technology should be open-source in order for anybody to make improvements to the software for these products, effectively accelerating the process of improvements. 

Regardless of which way you feel about this, I wouldn't look for an answer anytime soon. This investigation is just now beginning, and given the enormous size of these carriers, and the potential implications of monkeying with the American business model, this will be a long drawn-out investigation. Let me know your thoughts by posting here. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Windows 7 Moves To Production

Windows 7 has been in Release Candidate status for a few months. We have received information from Microsoft that Windows 7 will go to RTM, or Release To Manufacturing on October 22, 2009. That means it will be released in its final production form, available for purchase. 

Release Candidate downloads will end on August 20th. After then, you can't download the software, but you can still get a key for installation until the production date. 

Microsoft is making a concerted effort to get the public to accept Windows 7. I have to say, it is pretty impressive so far, with my experiences coming from the Release Candidate software running on non-production machines. They are offering pretty competitive pricing on this new version of operating system, unlike versions of Vista. 

So, if you have been thinking about taking Windows 7 for a test drive, hurry up and download the RC software before August 20th. You can do that here. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

According To Amazon, You Don't Own It Even If You Buy It!

According to Amazon, You Don't Own It Even If You Buy It! According to a news report, Amazon removed some electronic versions of George Orwell's books from the kindle store, and deposited a refund in accounts of people who had previously bought them. 

What's a kindle? It's the wildly popular handheld reader that can download and store newspapers, books, and virtually anything else originally published on paper. Owners of the Kindle can get their favorite newspaper or book, store it on the device and read it at their leisure. Convenient AND environmentally friendly (for a fee, of course). 

Apparently the publisher of the Orwell books (one of the books was the famous 1984) changed its mind about publishing electronic versions and pressured Amazon to remove the books from their store AND remotely delete versions on individuals' Kindle devices. While Amazon did reimburse those who had previously purchased the books, it does raise the question, "Do you ever really own the book in the first place?" 

This is akin to your favorite bookstore taking your favorite paperback away and giving you a "store credit". I really feel sorry for the people halfway through the book! That's just mean! 

To Your Success, 

 Tim

How Much Storage Do You Need?

With barely one month passing since the arrival of 128GB thumb drives, Kingston steps up to the plate by releasing a thumb drive capable of 256GB of storage! That's right, it's not a typo. This is a 256 GB thumb drive! Although it's not available in the United States as of yet, the street price is estimated to be around $900 US. So I wouldn't rush out and get one just yet, but I would expect the prices to drop rapidly once its been on the market for awhile. 

Just how much is 256GB anyway? Well, to put it in perspective, Kingston says that's enough space to hold: 

 365 CD's (~700MB each) 

54 DVD's (~4.7 GB each) 

 or 10 Blue-Ray Disks (~25GB each) 

This is more storage than most DVR players hooked to Televisions at the present. Oh, and in case you are wondering how many photos it can hold, that's over 230,000 photos saved in the 3 megapixel format. 

Will this barrier be surpassed? In a word, yes! We just don't know if it will be as quickly as the 256GB barrier. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Be Careful What You Accept On Your Phone

The BBC is reporting that Etisalat, a United Arab Emirates telecommunications firm, sent a text about an update to Blackberry users, suggesting it would improve performance. Those who downloaded and installed the application, found their battery life reduced, and their cellphones crashing. 

RIM, the company that makes the Blackberry, announced that this was an unauthorized update, and in an official company statement said, "Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application... independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorised access to private or confidential information stored on the user's smartphone.", and "independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server". 

Wow, spying on its own customers? If you can't trust your cell phone company, who can you trust? Be careful out there. 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Its Official Now

Today, Microsoft has officially RTM'ed, or Released To Manufacturing the new Windows 7 Operating System. Not a huge deal really, but there is one fact worth noting. 

With RTM complete, this means there will be NO changes to the specifications of the hardware required to run Windows 7. According to Microsoft, this is the first major Windows release that does not require double the specs of the preceeding Windows OS. Hopefully, a sign of things to come from this software giant. 

Look for Windows 7 to be available to the public in October (I guess it takes a while to make all those pretty DVD's with holograms!) 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Best Time To Buy a Laptop?

I ran across this article on Deal News, a site whose motto is "Every Day is Black Friday". They took a middle-of-the-road laptop and did price comparisons during the year. They confirmed the best time to buy a laptop is: back to school time or August and September.

Other good times to purchase are November (black Friday) and April. Prices ranged from a high of $580 in July to below $500 in April.

So if you are contemplating a laptop purchase, get your credit card warmed up. Back to school time is just around the corner!

To Your Success,

Tim

Microsoft Adding Other Browsers

According to Reuters (if you can believe them) Microsoft has offered to put other browsers into their operating system in order to settle a lawsuit from the European Union.

In the old days where profits were consistently up quarter over quarter, MS would hang in there and fight out lawsuits to the bitter end. In today's market, it could make more sense for MS to cave in and settle the lawsuit.

I wonder if this is a sign of times to come from the Redmond campus. Let me know your thoughts, please. The entire article may be found here.

To Your Success,

Tim

Would You Invest In This Company?

Would You have invested in this company back in 1978? I mean, look at them! Kids, really. What do they know about running a business? No way this small business is going to make it. Especially with the nasty economy we had after President Carter came onboard. Doomed for failure, I would say.

What a pathetic accumulation of geeks! No fashion sense, that's for sure. And that guy on the front row, bottom left. What a nerd! And he's in charge? You gotta be kidding me!

For those of you who don't recognize anybody in the picture, this is the original employees of Microsoft when they were still in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Shortly after, they moved to Seattle, doubled in size, and well, the rest is, shall we say, History!

To Your Success,

Tim

Here We Go Again!

No sooner do I post a blog about storage space getting bigger while form factor gets smaller, then along comes another big player in the storage market with another milestone. It seems Western Digital has announced the first 1 Terrabyte 2.5 inch mobile drive. WD claims a 3GB/s transfer speed as well. 

MSRP on the 1TB model is $249.99, not a bad price considering what it is. I would, however, look for the price to come down quickly in the next year. The drive also comes with a 3 year warranty. 

This is excellent news for those who need 1TB of portable storage, or those looking for a laptop with more than about 600GB storage currently available. 

There is a 750GB model available as well, but the big news is the 1TB drive. When will it end? I don't know, but I'm glad they keep pushing the envelope! 

 To Your Success, 

 Tim

Free WiFi at the Bookstore

According to MacWorld, Barnes & Noble bookstores along with AT&T have decided to make their WiFi access free to anyone in their bookstores nationwide. Previously, WiFi access at the bookstores was only available as a pay for service through At&T.

Why are these two companies being so generous? Well, probably not because they are trying to be nice. Barnes & Noble has launched an e-book service similar to the Amazon Kindle offering, and is ramping up to compete against the behemoth book seller. And how could they get you to buy an e-book from them if you have to pay to get WiFi in the first place?

And you thought they were just trying to help you out during a poor economy? C'mon folks. Let's get real!

At any rate, it's a win for any business person needing to get online while traveling. Just hop into your nearest Barnes & Noble and score some free WiFi access! Nobody said you had to buy an e-book from them!

To Your Success,

Tim

Microsoft Releases Final Version of Free Antivirus Suite

Microsoft's Security Essentials has left beta status and is now available as a "real" product.  I haven't personally tried this product yet, but hey, at least the price is right. Keep in mind there are other free antivirus products out there like AVG, but typically they are only free for non-commercial use. Apparently, Microsoft is not making a distinction in how or where you use their product. If you want to give it a spin, the link is here.

To Your Success,
Tim

MS Office 2010 Free Version

Sometime in 2010 Microsoft is scheduled to release Office 2010 Starter Edition. This will be a free version that only includes Word and Excel. In exchange for receiving and using this edition of Office for free, you will have to put up with ads. Here is the quote from Microsoft:

As part of Office 2010 software that will be pre-loaded by the PC manufacturers on their PCs, we're introducing Microsoft Office Starter 2010. Office Starter 2010 is a reduced-functionality, advertising-supported version of Office 2010, available exclusively on new PCs. Office Starter 2010 will provide new PC owners with immediate exposure to the Office 2010 experience on new PCs right out of the box.

For some casual home users, this will probably be ok. We will have to wait and see if the public accepts this new business model from Microsoft. I would expect to see more of this in the future.

To Your Success,

Tim

Barnes & Noble To Announce Color E-book Reader

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Barnes & Noble will announce a new e-book reader tomorrow. It's dubbed the "Nook" and this color reader will retail for $259

Some other sources on the internet are saying that B&N are partnering with Best Buy to boost sales of the new product. Sources are also saying it will be available in Best Buy stores on Thursday, which just happens to coincide with Windows 7 Launch Day. That's either incredibly smart, or incredibly stupid, if it's true.

One of the unique features touted is the ability to "lend" books to friends. I'm not sure exactly what this entails, but none of the other e-book readers on the market have this feature. If you want the details from the WSJ, click here.

To Your Success,

Tim

T-Mobile to Sidekick Users: Microsoft Lost Your Data!

If you use T-Mobile and a SideKick for your mobile access, this announcement comes as no surprise to you. If you don't, then read on.

Apparently, all of the data for Sidekick users is stored "in the cloud" and not locally on the phone. What this means is that your data resides on a server somewhere in cyberspace. If the server crashes, your mobile data (contacts, emails, etc.) is gone.

Which is exactly what happened to T-Mobile Sidekick users last week. The kicker is that T-mobile is blaming Microsoft (in a subtle way) for the data loss. Apparently, T-mobile's data cloud is managed by Danger, a company purchased by Microsoft last year. The company was performing update maintenance to the systems, which caused a crash. And guess what? No usable backup! The information is gone forever. T-Mobile initially issued an initial message of hope Saturday, but then changed their mind and let its customers know their information is gone forever. They are offering a free months data service to affected customers, but that seems like too little, too late in my opinion.

How can this happen to a huge company you ask? Simple. We see it every day at Networthy Systems with small and large companies. A backup program is turned on, and everybody assumes it is working properly. Backups are not managed, or monitored. Test restores are never performed to make sure that backup you have is actually usable.

If you run a small business, or even a large business, you need a third party to monitor your networks for various issues, including this one. Most businesses never recover from catastrophic data loss, and end up going out of business. If the person/group responsible for your IT needs is not regularly monitoring and TESTING your backups routinely, you are a ticking timebomb.

To Your Success,

Tim

Am I Breaking the Law with Email?

The podcast regarding Email encryption, archiving, and SPAM prevention is now available for listening at Geek Free Radio. Tim Beard interviews Scott Barlow, VP at Reflexion Networks regarding new Federal and state laws about sending personal identifiable information via electronic means. They also discuss the merits of automatic archiving of all email communications in your company, and how you can combat SPAM as well. If you are responsible for a business, you'll want to listen to this podcast!

All Things Digital Photography

The podcast on digital photography is now posted on  Geek Free Radio. This show originally aired on March 2, 2010. Tim interviews Danny Keffer of Keffer's Photography regarding digital photography and the advances made over the last few years. If you get you megapixels confused with your megabytes, then this show is for you!

How NOT to run an IT Business (or any business for that matter)

Yesterday was a holiday for employees of Networthy Systems. I worked in the office anyway, and when I arrived I noticed I had a voicemail waiting for me. I casually hit the button to listen to the voicemail, and much to my surprise, there was a woman from a small town north of our Beaumont offices demanding to know why I was stealing her business.

Below is the transcript of the voicemail, quoted word for word.

"Hi, this is *****   ********* from ********   ****. My issue is that you are using my domain name to direct business from people that search for my company to your business, which I would like to know why you're doing this. My number is *******. I'm sure ******   ********* would like to speak with you about this. So, give us a call back please."

Now, I don't know how most small business owners conduct their business, but I can tell you that I would never leave a voicemail like that for another business owner, even if they were guilty (which, of course, I'm not)  I politely called her back, and she proceeded to tell me that she had been doing "research" on this, and she would trust me if I told her that I wasn't doing this. To put this in plain english, she has no idea what she is saying, but she knows she is wrong, and she is not going to apologize. Instead she is going to make excuses, try to make up some techno-babble, and pretend that I might not be telling her the truth.

For the record, if she was a true web page designer, she would know what she was accusing me of was virtually impossible. And she didn't even take the time to research our website. If she had, she would have found that we don't even compete with them. We look for smart businesses, that know they need IT support and Proactive maintenance, and also know they should leave it to professionals. We don't even have a retail store front!!

I was perhaps abrupt with her, and for that, I must apologize. I just don't take unfounded, ridiculous accusations lightly.

After all, is it my fault that our web page is optimized so that a google search shows our company before hers? After all, the word "computer" returns over 922 MILLION hits!

Please don't run your business in this manner. It certainly won't make you a trusted professional!

To Your Success,

Tim Beard

Godspeed Geek Girl

I'm still in a little bit of shock this morning. I got a phone call this morning from the station manager of AM 1300 KSET who let me know Teresa Hanson passed away last night from ovarian cancer.

If you've ever listened to my show Geek Free Radio, you will know that Teresa was the afternoon news anchor at KSET, as well as the sidekick for Jack Pieper on The Afternoon Talk Show with Jack Pieper for 3 hours every weekday.

Teresa's facebook introduction says it all: