Archive for May, 2010
The U.S. Government has been downright glacial in it’s adoption of Vista (with the exception of the U.S. Military that is – go figure). However, the excitement for Microsoft’s newest O/S, Windows 7, is palpable, with numerous requests for product briefings and an avalanche of downloads. Many departments that have held steady with Windows XP are electing to skip the Vista experience and move straight to Windows 7. Read more at:
http://redmondmag.com/articles/2009/10/01/feds-prepare-leap-to-windows-7.aspx
adoption, downloads, Goodbye Vista!, government, US Government, Vista, Win7, Windows 7, Windows 7 is a Winner!
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Quick Stylized Lines in Word 2007
You can quickly create a variety of horizontal line-types in Microsoft Word 2007 by using any of the following three characters. Simply type three of the same character in a row, without spaces, and press ENTER.
These characters include:
- * (asterisk)
- _ (underscore)
- – (hiphen)
- # (hash mark – or octothorpe for you geeks)
Computer Tips and Tricks, Microsoft Word 2007 Tips and Tricks, Tips & Tricks, Tips and Tricks, Tricks
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Who stole My Browser?
If InterNet Explorer takes forever to load pages or tabs, it’s worthwhile investigating the add-ons installed.
In IE8, click Tools/Manage Add-Ons and scroll down the list of Toolbars and Extensions – checking out the Load Time for each (right-most column). On my own system Adobe, iTunes and Groove GFS were the worst culprits with over 2.5 minutes of load-time between them.
To disable, merely ‘Right-Click’ and chose Disable. Be ruthless – you can always re-enable.
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Who Stole My Outlook?
Last month’s tip on Internet Explorer was very popular; so here’s a similar one for Outlook 2007.
If Outlook is bogging down, try disabling some unnecessary Add-Ins.
- In OL-2007, select menu Tools/Trust Center, then ‘Add-Ins’
- At the bottom of the dialog, select ‘COM Add-Ins’ beside the Manager: and select the ‘Go’ button
- From here you are presented with a list of Add-Ins
- By checking/unchecking boxes, you can enable/disable any Add-In you suspect is giving you problems – or all of them, turning on those you need as you require. (By disabling iTunes, PDFMaker and Office Groove Proxy, my Outlook perked up significantly and I no longer get ‘hangs’ at exit)
Note that turning off the check only disables the Add-On from loading, and does not remove it completely.
Discuss removal of your Add-In with your support team at helpdesk@blueedgetech.ca first.
Computer Tips and Tricks, Outlook Tips and Tricks, Poor Outlook Performance, Tips & Tricks, Tips and Tricks, Tricks
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Bulleted columns in Word
A customer recently asked why I spent so much time bulleting columns in a recent quote. “Wasn’t it frustrating?” she asked. When I showed her how to do it in about six clicks, she almost cried.
First, insert a table with the number of columns needed. Then select the whole table and select the Bullet function. All table cells will now be bulleted. Next, Right-Click and select “ Borders and Shading” and select “None”.
You now have a nicely bulleted, multi-column list with very little aggravation.
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Shorter URL’s
Have you ever tried to send someone a URL only to find it is about 4,000 characters long (well, maybe not quite), that wraps around, breaking up the link and generally making a nuisance of itself?
One of my favorite tricks is to use the TinyURL service at www.tinyurl.com. Simply copy that big long URL from your web browser, and surf to www.tinyurl.com. From here you can paste the URL in a box (to make it tiny). You even add an alias that you chose. So something like:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/business/server/express/?CPID=STBANNACAFY11Q1000000113300000930012001BAN032
Becomes
http://tinyurl.com/FreeBESXPress
Now you can simply paste this much more manageable URL/Web link instead. (Helps reduce spelling errors too!)
Browser, Computer, Computer tips, TinyURL, Tips & Tricks, Tricks
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In the last issue, we looked at data classification, and some of the main attributes used to differentiate the different data classes. In this issue, we will continue with some strategies used for data classification, with the ultimate goal of providing the IT infrastructure to support these data silos.
In Part One we examined what I call the ‘relevancy’ of data – in short:
- Mission Critical
- Vital
- Sensitive
- Non-Critical
- Non-Business Related
In Part Two, we complete the classification process with the following three concepts; Volatility, Structure, and Security.
Data Volatility
In a typical organization you have the following Data Volatility profiles:
- Dynamic
- Periodic
- Archival
Dynamic data includes all information that changes rapidly over a given period of time, generally a business day. This includes accounting and sales information, as well as communications and scheduling.
Periodic data does not have the volatility of Dynamic data, but is still subject to change – generally over a 30 day cycle.
Archival data refers to data that is static in nature, and should not or cannot be changed – generally due to compliance issues. This data may include accounting history and communications archives.
Relevance and Volatility together determine how ‘close at hand’ data needs to be; in Tech-Speak, the “Recovery Point Objective” needs to be high. As such, local storage devices with high availability are generally the rule. As well, the “Recovery Time Objective” needs to be high. This has a very specific influence on how the data backup is performed, and how it is safeguarded from corruption. More on this later.
Data Structure (Complexity)
Data generally falls into two broad categories. Structured and Unstructured; the difference being how the data is accessed. Structured Data is usually housed within database architecture (Exchange, Oracle, SQL etc.) and accessed within a custom application or Application Program Interface (API). This ‘structured’ approach has a significant impact on how data is migrated and the manner in which it is recovered; it may be completely dependent on a specific application or application version.
Unstructured Data is generally stored in discrete data packets or documents and has no interconnectivity with other documents, application modules or interfaces. Most people are familiar with this data type as the documents, spreadsheets, pictures, and multimedia files they use daily.
A key point to consider when dealing with data classified as ‘Structured’ is the Application Framework necessary to access that information once recovered. Think of this… you might have all your 1988 tax information faithfully backed up on a Commodore 64 disk – but how would you ever access that information if the hardware and application that created it were unavailable?
Of course this is a very simple example – imagine dealing with a multi-module ERP or accounting system that is two or three versions old – could your new version make use of that recovered data from five years ago, if necessary?
Data Security
Data Security represents the final key component of data classification, and generally relates to who has access and regulatory compliance. It also relates to the safeguarding of data against corruption due to flaws and errors in the storage medium itself.
In part three of this series, we will look at specific mechanisms, using data classification to design systems for data storage and recovery.
data classifications
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Each day we see the continued encroachment and entrenchment of social networking products such as FaceBook, Twitter, and MySpace. No doubt that if you are in business, you likely have heard of LinkedIn too. If not, we can best describe LinkedIn as FaceBook for grownups; or perhaps more accurately, FaceBook for business professionals.
While most people, including self-proclaimed addicts, will see FaceBook as a recreational diversion, what distinguishes LinkedIn from having the same label is its pure focus on business and business relationships. Even the main Home Page shows little about it but a work ethic with Contacts, Groups, Jobs and Inbox being the primary headings. In fact, the most ‘recreational’ aspect of this section would be Your Reading List – where you can list books you have read and even post a review and whether or not you recommend it.
The key value of LinkedIn is getting plugged into a form of business networking like no other. While attending networking groups in person is valuable, most busy professionals do not have the time to travel and engage in these activities on a regular basis. With LinkedIn, your contacts immediately become your networking group, with a section on the Home Page even suggesting “People You May Know”, and their degree of separation. Other sections on the main page include updates from your contacts and groups, announcements on events and peer-to-peer recommendations on people and products.
Recommendations are a particularly powerful tool, giving you and your company credibility and free press with each garnered. This is where some effort is required on your part too. Adding contacts and constantly updating your profile to include new business products and services is mandatory. Real value becomes evident in telling your story through the Education and Experience sections. Active participation in groups does much to enhance your profile too.
Like so many things, with LinkedIn you get out of it what you invest. Most successful members spend at least 15 minutes a week tweaking their profile and relationships. While a professional version of the service exists, most people will find excellent value in the free version. And while LinkedIn suffered some growing pains a year or two ago, their IT strategy now ensures a robust and solid interface, with quick page navigation and solid security.
If you are not already a LinkedIn member, consider giving it a try – if you are already….send me an invite for some special tips.
- Rich. Lambert
- Founder/ CEO of Blue/Edge Technology Solutions
linked in, social networking, web 2.0
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Introducing Zach Hans! by Zach Hans
I’m extremely pleased to be working with the great team at Blue/Edge and I’m looking forward to meeting all of you. In the meantime, you might want to know a little bit more about the newest addition to the team.
I’ve had 11 years of experiences in a wide range of LAN/WAN networking, primarily in a Network/Systems Administrator role. Here are some of my strengths:
- Active Directory
- GPOs
- MS Exchange 2000/2003 management
- Microsoft Server NT, 2000 & 2003 expert
- MS Sharepoint Server 2003/2007
- Disaster Recovery
- VMWare ESX 3.5
- Symantec Backup Exec
- Implementation and management of network services such as WINS, DNS and DHCP
- the ability to combine diverse technologies to resolve technical issues
- I have extensive knowledge of installing, configuring and maintaining servers
- desktop support
- network hardware
- MS SMS/SUS Patch management
- MacAffee & Symantec Anti-Virus management
- experience supporting numerous client\server applications
- software license maintenance
So, I’m somewhat qualified to help you and I’m a pretty friendly guy while I do it. I’m looking forward to writing articles for the Blue/Edge Newsletter… wait until you read next months!
-Zach
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Unless you have been doing business under the proverbial rock with no viable access to information on major IT trends, you have heard or seen some techie talk about virtualization technology. And if you are under that proverbial rock, how are you reading this anyway?
Put simply, virtualization is the ability to install a multitude of almost any operating system into a single, physical computer and have them work independently. The advantages of this are immediately obvious: lower hardware TCO, lower energy costs, simpler network configuration, lower migration costs, etc – the list goes on and on.
VMware has long been the standalone player in this arena until Microsoft recently made its first real foray into it with Server 2008 and its answer: Hyper-V. The first release was really a stepping stone – but Microsoft has quickly matured the product with the 2008 R2 release. Now, the two companies are closer to standing shoulder to shoulder than ever before.
While both products have the same goal of running multiple virtual servers from a single physical server, under the hood there are many fundamental differences on how Hyper-V and ESXi approach it. Despite the significant advances Microsoft has made, at the end of the day, Hyper-V still requires more resources than VMware. In general, when it comes to the SMB market that we service, most of these technical differences will not be of serious consideration. In the SMB arena, there is only one deal breaker here: cost.
On paper, both Hyper-V and ESXi are offered free to its users. Unfortunately, that is where the similarities end. Should your business require more than the basic virtualization solution, Microsoft and VMware both have very different methods of licensing.
VMware charges a set amount per physical processor installed in your server depending on the version of vSphere – note that this does not include any operating system licensing cost.
Microsoft, on the other hand, maintains its Hyper-V product as being a free component of its Server OS, and requires licensing based on the number of virtual servers you plan to run. The exception to this is their Server Datacenter edition, which is licensed by processor.
This may sound like VMware ends up being a pricier solution if virtualizing Microsoft OS’s, as one would need to purchase the VMware solution as well as the Microsoft licensing to match. However, the right decision depends on services critical to each business, which we can help identify and determine the correct solution.
But that is a story for another time…
esxi, hyper-v, virtualization, VMware
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