If you buy a new PC then it will almost always be supplied with a new “Flat Panel” display. Many users are doing “dual display” in order to extend their PC Desktop across two displays or simply replacing a bulky old monitor for a slimmer display to save desk space. Choosing the most appropriate display for your needs is important and there are many considerations to be born in mind:
Computers do not last forever otherwise manufacturers’ would give unlimited warranties to their customers. Unfortunately most of these devices only last for an average of three years and do not function optimally for over half the time. When this happens our options are limited – we can either discard, replace or upgrade the gadget. However, as it is not advisable to just throw away a device that was bought with hard earned money I would say the best options would be to either replace or upgrade it.
Most computer faults usually occur in one of the following hardware.
By Derek Rogers
The benefits of completing a network audit on your computer network are numerous. Not only does it help keep your computer network at optimal condition through analyzing power consumption, needed equipment upgrades or security issues, but can help establish an asset base and future cash flow needs for equipment and office space planning.
Typically, the benefits can keep you informed of versions of software and licenses to help detect shortages or plan mass upgrades. Network audits can locate hard drives, network adapters, CPU details, motherboard specifications and peripherals and detect security issues, such as where antivirus or firewalls need to be installed.
Another one of the main benefits is to give you a comprehensive, no-hassle network inventory database that is extremely helpful in determining future needs when it comes to hardware and software. Another benefit of a network audit, is analyzing security needs, which is especially important to keep from costly downtime, or complete data loss, especially on large and scattered out networks.
When providing IT support to small businesses we’re often asked the same questions by our clients:
What can we improve in our existing setup?
How will implementing new hardware / services provide benefits to my business?.
How can IT changes save me time and money?
For a small business owner these are important questions and ones that you may be asking when thinking about changing IT for your own business. If so I hope the following information is useful to you. This is only intended to be a brief overview, if you would like any more information about anything mentioned here then my contact details are at the end of this article.
Starting on Tuesday and spread over 2 weeks I’ll discuss ten products and services that I think all small businesses can benefit from and the product I’d recommend for each category. The ten areas will be:
Don’t be put off by the unusual term ‘Firewall’ or it sounding like Geek Speak!
The job of a firewall is to stop unwanted intruders from getting access to your PC, data and network. It works by sitting between your internet connection and your PC or server. Then using some really clever stuff it analyses the data request that’s leaving and entering your network. If it’s worked out that either event is not what it expects then it’ll block the request.
Without getting too complicated it also allows ‘authorised’ users to have access to your PC and network – I’ll come on to this a little later.
A firewall comes in two forms – hardware and software. Let’s take a look at a hardware firewall first.
David Thomas When a computer problem occurs why do a lot of companies who provide IT support fail to focus on the impact to their client’s business rather than simply on the computer problem?
Computers are now an integral element of every business throughout the land and sadly they occasionally go wrong! So it’s obvious that computer problems can result in serious problems and hardship for a business.
As a business owner and/or PC user, you can often be left feeling frustrated and lonely when you encounter a problem. In fact I know that’s how I felt when my original consultancy business had problems and I was left in a vacuum by those who supported me not understanding the impact on my business.
This problem is further compounded by the findings in a recent article that stated 22% of SMEs believe that when they take into account lost time and productivity that they’d lost £5,000 worth of business per annum. Oh that’s OK because the cost of IT support will be far greater than the £5,000 lost! Not so. For the majority of SMEs the cost of IT support is significantly less than £5,000.
It may seem obvious that technology can impact a business but how many businesses actually assess what impact poor or failing technology has cost their business. Without wishing to be controversial I’d estimate that less than 1% of SMEs understand the financial impact. Technology can be a fantastic enabler but it can equally be a train on costs without you even noticing.
I came across the following on a website called SmallBizod and it demonstrates the point very well. A link to the full article can be found at the end of this posting.
Tom Lord