Once upon a time, large corporations began moving away from mainframe-based systems and started using servers and PCs instead. As technology improved and became more affordable, small and mid-sized businesses invested in servers. Today, even the smallest business has one computer that’s considered ‘mission critical,’ and would negatively impact the business if it failed.

One of the complications of computing software is its reliance on the specific computer hardware on which it is installed. For example, in the past, software files could not be copied from one computer to another with the expectation that they would automatically work. However, this changed with the introduction of “virtualization” in 1999.

Virtualization lets a computer operating system and software run independently of the hardware it uses. The actual physical computer is called the Host, and the computer instances that run on top of it are called Guests. With virtualization, we can now move entire computing systems from one physical box to another with ease. If the hardware is powerful enough, more than one computer can be run on the same physical box.

Apart from being a pretty cool technical trick, virtualization delivers real business benefits, such as:

Less downtime/Faster recovery time: In the event of a hardware failure, you can copy your virtual computer across to another physical box, start it up and away you go again. This can keep your business running while your original hardware is getting replaced or repaired. The only caveat is that a spare physical computer to copy is necessary, but that box can also perform another function (like serve as the bookkeeper’s PC) if it is powerful enough.

Software testing with no business impact: If your business software is being upgraded, take a copy of your virtual computer and run the upgrade on this test copy first. It will include all of your live business information, but enables the upgrade to happen during business hours with no impact to your staff and can prove that everything will go smoothly. When the test is successful, you will have more confidence about upgrading your real system.

Do more with less: If you run multiple pieces of software in your business, a second server may be necessary. Virtualization lets you run two servers on one powerful Host, which will allow you to save physical space and electricity consumption.

Under the covers of many cloud computing services, you will find virtualization. This helps Cloud providers isolate information and software programs from one client to another, using the same common piece of hardware. They can even spread the demand load from their clients across more than one Host during peak times, using hardware virtualization.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters about whether virtualization could benefit your business, or for any of your technology needs.

With today’s smart devices, we take internet connectivity for granted. Now that we’ve untethered ourselves from large, immobile computers, we’re used to accessing websites, social media and emails no matter where we are. So how is “mobile computing” impacted if we travel? Can we expect the same connectivity overseas that we have at home? This varies from country to country and may be expensive if you want to use your own mobile phone. Here’s what to keep in mind when accessing the internet abroad:

Before you go – Set your “out of office” email message before you leave, to notify senders that there may be a delay in your reply. Change your phone’s voicemail greeting as well and leave the details of an alternative contact person. You may even be able to set your voicemail so callers cannot leave a message, if interested. Check with your phone provider in case you need to enable “international roaming” so your phone will work overseas and ask them if they have any arrangements with providers in other countries for preferential rates. Also remember that the governments of countries like Mainland China, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates block access to some internet sites, so additional research prior to travel will be helpful.

When you arrive – Your phone may automatically connect to an available network upon your arrival in a new country. It may be worthwhile to manually choose the provider you prefer to use, as the automatically chosen one will likely not be the most cost effective. It is suggested that you check whether your phone automatically changed to local time, which can alter your calendar entries. You should also confirm the call and data costs of the network you are now using. If the data charges are high, you might want to turn off “mobile data” on your phone and instead rely on WiFi access when it’s available. This should help guard you from large unexpected bills when you return home. Remember that incoming calls and SMS/MMS messages will be charged to your account at international rates and therefore it may be cheaper to buy a local SIM card for calls and other messages. The local tourist information center will be a helpful resource and will offer SIM cards in most countries.

Be wary of free internet – Watch out for free internet access offers and instead opt to use known, trusted organizations. Internet connections can be monitored to capture login names, passwords and credit card details, particularly if you use their computers instead of your own device. Be careful about websites you visit on shared connections, especially when accessing your personal information and always take caution to sign out.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters for more advice on internet access overseas and how to get friendly, local support from our network of franchisees in 25 countries.

Small Business Technology News – Highlights from around the globe

At Computer Troubleshooters, we’ve once again braved the information-overload of the internet to find current trends, important alerts or general hints and tips from other sources. Here’s the best technology information of the month, relevant to small businesses.

Enjoy the articles in bite-sized pieces and click on the Read More links to see the full stories.

Note: Although we take reasonable care in selecting the websites to be linked, these external sites are not under the control of Computer Troubleshooters. As such, we do not endorse, approve, represent, or certify those external sites, nor do we guarantee the accuracy, completeness or quality of the information contained on them.

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Here’s Who Should Buy the New iPad

Advice for your First or Upgraded iPad

Apple’s new iPad is beautiful, but it might not be the perfect fit for everyone. Whether it’s your first iPad or just another upgrade, everyone can use a little buying advice before breaking out the credit card.

Here’s what you can expect from the new iPad.  Is this new tablet worth getting for your business or personal life?

Read More

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10 Key Features in Windows 8

Tablets, Touch, and More!

Released just last week in Developers Preview mode, Windows 8 already contains more than 300 new features. At its Build developers conference, Microsoft pointed to plans to keep adding more new capabilities until Windows 8 evolves into a shipping product. Which of the existing features are most important to get to know about right now?

While no list like this can even approach ‘all inclusiveness’, our list of ten key features in Windows 8 ranges across new jargon such as “charms” and “snap muti-tasking,” to first-time operatibility on ARM-based tablets, to major improvements around support for USB 3.0, touch keyboards, file copying, and more

Read More

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Kony 2012: How to Make a Video Go Viral

Almost overnight, millions of people watched and shared this 30-minute video. Here are five things it got right.

If you haven’t already seen “Kony 2012,” you should—not only because of its message but also because it’s probably going to be one of the most successful viral videos of the year.

The video sheds light on how Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in central Africa has, for decades, been kidnapping thousands of children—reportedly 66,000 of them—and forcing them to do atrocious things like kill, rape, and maim fellow citizens.

The fact that the video has been viewed more than 69 million times (last time I checked) in the last week is impressive. For one thing, it’s 30 minutes long and YouTube viewers aren’t exactly known for their long attention span.

Read More

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7 Classic Tech Blunders to Avoid

Any of these mistakes could cost you time, money, and the security of your business.

You’d like to think of yourself as tech-savvy: You upgraded to the latest Web browser, started using CRM software in your business, and even added a new mail server running Microsoft Exchange. What could go wrong?

Plenty. In fact, you might be making a classic tech blunder at this very moment…

Read More

For help integrating your tablet computers into your network, your applications, and your life, contact Computer Troubleshooters today.

The IT industry may shout that Cloud Computing is the way of the future and that all businesses should move their IT to the Cloud. The reality is that any IT solution should be investigated and planned, whether it’s within your office or accessed via the Internet. So, what factors will you need to consider? The following guidelines address some of the pains that can be experienced with a hurried, unstructured move to Cloud computing.

Identify what you want in the Cloud - Cloud computing doesn’t need to be an ‘all or nothing’ project. Start with a picture of your current IT setup and the functionality that it gives your business. If you’re only just starting up, this will be different than if your business is already established with historical information. Is there something new you want to explore, like email marketing or a prospect database? This could be perfect for the Cloud. But if you are looking to only move pieces of your existing IT capability, consider any flow-on effects to other systems. Make sure that a move to the Cloud won’t hinder any future integration opportunities.

Confirm your ongoing costs & savings - Cloud providers will point out the cost savings from using a centrally owned and managed system. Certainly this may give your business access to IT at a fraction of the cost of owning it yourself. However, can your business handle a cost on an ongoing basis instead of a one-off purchase when you do have the cash to invest? If there is still a large amount of technology needed in your business, Cloud computing may not significantly decrease your support costs. Do your homework and know the costs you will be committing to and where the savings will be coming from.

Confirm the flexibility - Cloud solutions can be cut-down versions of the full software, so if you are getting ‘email’ (for example), make sure you know what functionality is included and what isn’t. How flexible is the hosted system if you want to make changes, like increasing attachment size limits? Are you locked in to what you can change and what you can’t …. and are you OK with that?

Prove the Backup & Disaster Recovery plans - Debate rages on whether businesses with their information in the Cloud also need their own local backup. Thoroughly reviewing your provider’s agreement is only the first step. Ask about their last Disaster Recovery test. Include offsite backup testing reports in your contract. Plan how your business will survive if your Cloud provider fails and ensure your plan is implemented and tested on a regular basis.

Review your Infrastructure - Your Cloud solutions still have to be accessed via your local computers with your internet connection. If your PC is slow, or if you are significantly increasing your internet usage, then your Cloud application may be slow or unreliable. Consider your local IT components and plan for any necessary upgrades. Also consider additional redundancy, like a backup internet connection or spare internet modem, as any failure in your connectivity will have a larger impact.

Ultimately, Cloud computing must deliver increased business benefits or reduce IT costs overall without reducing functionality, unless your business is prepared to make sacrifices to improve your bottom line. Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters to cut through the hype and make your Cloud adoption a success.

Small Business Technology News – Highlights from around the globe

At Computer Troubleshooters, we’ve once again braved the information-overload of the internet to find current trends, important alerts or general hints and tips from other sources. Here’s the best technology information of the month, relevant to small businesses.

Enjoy the articles in bite-sized pieces and click on the Read More links to see the full stories.

Note: Although we take reasonable care in selecting the websites to be linked, these external sites are not under the control of Computer Troubleshooters. As such, we do not endorse, approve, represent, or certify those external sites, nor do we guarantee the accuracy, completeness or quality of the information contained on them.

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Information Overload

Why Small Businesses are Getting So Little Done with So Much

Twenty years ago, experts were predicting that computers would eventually replace many existing jobs in the workforce, as they would eliminate the need for so many workers to process reports, type memos, and travel across the country for meetings that could be handled remotely. Computers have, in fact, provided us access to information that was unimaginable twenty years ago. So why aren’t we more productive?

Skype has made it easy to have meetings without ever leaving our desk. Smart phones allow us to check our e-mail everywhere, ensuring not a second of the day is wasted. We should be getting more done in a day than our 1900s counterparts, yet we aren’t. Experts believe the reason for that is information overload.

Read More

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5 Ways to Work Faster in Microsoft Outlook

Improving Productivity in your Emails.

Email is vital to your day-to-day work, but it can also be a sink hole into which precious time simply disappears. Anything you can do to manage your incoming and outgoing emails more quickly will free up time to other tasks. Here are five ways to improve email management in Microsoft Outlook.

Read More

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Three Ways to Extend the Battery of Smartphones and Tablets

Here are three tips for keeping your business smartphones and tablets charged through the work day – and beyond

In today’s 24/7 business environment, a dead battery is no longer an excuse for missed phone calls, texts and emails. That makes keeping mobile devices charged on the go a constant challenge

But from effective power management to a growing number of portable power devices, there are numerous ways entrepreneurs can keep their mobile devices running longer and more efficiently.

Read More

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Apple set to Announce iPad 3 in Early March

According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple is set to announce the next-generation iPad at an event in March.

Sources close to the company said that while Apple is not planning to hold an event in February, it will in March. Expected at the event is the long awaited arrival of the iPad 3. That is, according to AllThingsD.

It appears to be in line with recent reports that manufacturers were building and increasing production of the device in its factories in China.

Read More

Recently, Google has been very busy implementing various changes to its privacy policy and to its search engine. Let’s look at these changes and how they may impact you.

You may have noticed the banner “We’re changing our privacy policy. This stuff matters.” on some of the Google sites you’ve been visiting. Now that Google is much more than just a search engine, it is consolidating more than 60 individual privacy policies across its products into a single one that promises to be “a lot shorter and easier to read”. Some products (like Wallet and Chrome) will retain their own policy for regulatory purposes and/or to help spell out that product in greater detail. Google believes this will allow them to consolidate your usage across their products, to bring you better integration and more relevant content.

Imagine a scenario where Google notifies you that you may be late for your meeting, because it combines your location, your calendar entry and the local traffic conditions. Sounds helpful, doesn’t it? And if your status on Google+ is often about horse riding, you may start seeing more horse riding videos in the Featured section of YouTube. The other side to this coin is that Google will have a much more detailed picture of you, enabling it to target you with specific advertising, which is a much more valuable commodity to pitch to advertisers. While Google still won’t sell your personal information, access to a tightly defined market will see advertisers running to Google to promote their products, as a targeted audience is much more cost-effective for them than a mass marketing approach

To see your presence across the Google products and to access your personal settings, you can log into the Google Dashboard. To learn more about this topic, view Google’s official policy page, please click here. The change goes into effect on March 1, and if you don’t agree with the change, your only option is to stop using Google’s products (with an account).

The other major changes impact website owners. Google will now lower your search result ranking if your site is packed with advertising ‘above the fold’ (in the top space before a reader needs to scroll down). It will also focus on how relevant your content is to your keywords – do you deliver a helpful website and a great user experience, or are you delivering some slick, copied sales pitch to promote an e-book on a different topic? More than ever, your website needs to focus on being relevant and recently updated. Webmasters also need to be aware the Google search results can now include content from other Google products, so items like your company’s Google+ page updates may also appear. This is good news for businesses who have embraced social media as it will add to their search results presence.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooters about your Google presence or any of your technology needs.

Small Business Technology News – Highlights from around the globe

At Computer Troubleshooters, we’ve once again braved the information-overload of the internet to find current trends, important alerts or general hints and tips from other sources. Here’s the best technology information of the month, relevant to small businesses.

Enjoy the articles in bite-sized pieces and click on the Read More links to see the full stories.

Note: Although we take reasonable care in selecting the websites to be linked, these external sites are not under the control of Computer Troubleshooters. As such, we do not endorse, approve, represent, or certify those external sites, nor do we guarantee the accuracy, completeness or quality of the information contained on them.

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10 gadgets we want to steal before leaving CES

Wired’s Gadget Lab shares the best gear at the Consumer Electronics Show

CES is a four-day assault of non-stop sensory overload. Mile-long taxi lines. Ear-splitting Gaga and Beyonce pumping from every booth. Legions of disheveled businessmen thrusting marketing collateral and contagion at anyone naive enough to take the bait.

In other words, it can be a dehumanizing grind. But it’s also our favorite place for window shopping. We descend on demo booths to mentally earmark the gear we’ll be calling in for testing the moment we’re home.

Would we really steal this stuff directly from the show floor? Well, that’s a moral conundrum each of us must resolve. We don’t think even Erik Malinowski, so full of sports-guy brawn, could muscle away the LG fridge you see above. And we’re still trying to figure out how to get the Tesla Model S out of Nvidia’s booth. Nonetheless, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” has been our mantra for CES 2012, so here are some of the things vendors may want to make sure they’ve still got before packing up.

Read More

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5 ways to boost productivity with new tech tools

Entrepreneur highlights CES devices that help you to work smarter.

The exhibit halls are crowded and bustling at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, and you can bet the long days and frantic energy have attendees thinking about working smarter — not longer. Thankfully, some of the technology showcased here hits on that nerve, from cutting down on the devices in your shoulder bag to keeping your body running at optimum efficiency.

Here’s a look at devices we found here that can amp up your output in five ways.

Read More

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Facebook Timeline: Will it benefit your business?

Social networking site hints that its Timeline feature may soon be available for brands.

Here are some things to consider about Facebook Timeline and the value it could add to your business’ social networking presence.

By now you’ve seen Facebook’s Timeline format. Maybe your own personal Facebook page is in the Timeline format. But what will Timeline mean for brands?

Currently, the Facebook Timeline format–which replaces profile pages and is basically a chronological scrapbook of your life–is available only for personal pages. Facebook has hinted that Timeline will be available for brands at some point in the future, but the company has not announced anything explicitly.

Read More

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4 questions SMBs should ask outsourcing vendors

Small and midsize businesses that plan to outsource their IT operations need to ask these four questions before signing the dotted line.

You wouldn’t hire a new employee without asking them a few questions first. The same should hold true for small businesses that outsource most or all of their IT functions to a third party.

In fact, handling managed service providers (MSPs) and other outside IT firms as an extension of your internal staff–rather than “just a vendor”–is an approach that can produce better long-term results from the relationship. That approach starts with a thorough interview.

Read More

We are happy to announce John Grein has joined our team. John has over 10 years of experience running his own IT business and comes to CTBoulder as a Senior Systems Engineer, with a lot of Microsoft experience as well as extensive small business experience in all aspects of IT.