The Ekaru Technology Advisor  Vol 6-6  August 2006

Welcome to this month's issue! The Technology Advisor's mission is to provide quick technology tips and trends to help you manage and grow your business!

Dell Laptop Battery Recall
If you own a Dell laptop, you need to know about this! Dell is recalling certain laptop batteries and offering free replacements. Under rare circumstances, these specific batteries can overheat and create a fire hazard. The laptops affected were shipped between April 1 2004 and July 18, 2006. Dell has set up a web site: www.dellbatteryprogram.com to help users identify if their laptop battery is affected.

It's a two step process as only certain models are affected. If your laptop is on the list of potentially affected models, there is a form to click through to submit the serial number "PPID". If it turns out that your battery is affected, you'll be able to click through to a form to order a replacement. Note that only the battery needs to be replaced, not the entire laptop. If your laptop is affected, Dell recommends only operating with A/C power (that is, plug your laptop into an electrical outlet) until the replacement battery arrives. If you own a Dell laptop, and if you haven't already done so, we recommend that you immediately go to the link provided above and follow the instructions for the recall. Feel free to call us if you need help with this process.

Surge Protectors and Uninterruptible Power Supplies
It's summertime, and with thunderstorms in the area causing power surges, outages, and other power anomalies, its time to think of a small investment that can protect your technology investment. Often people think only of protecting their computers, but you really need to think of your entire network and protect all the network devices. As little as a $20-$40 investment can protect against $1000s of damage.

Surge Protection: Protects against power surges typically caused by lightening strikes and other power anomalies. Any of your expensive office technology items - computer, fax, modems, printers, etc, should be plugged into one of these units. Many of the units offer phone line splitters, data line protection, and coax protection (to protect your cable data and video lines). Also, if you bring a laptop into the office, remember that it also needs protection!

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): Provides surge protection AND battery backup in the event of a power outage or brown out. You will be able to operate your computer through short outages, and most models come equipped with software to automatically enable a safe shut down of the operating system and open files (note: this must be properly installed to work!). This feature is especially important for protecting servers. The run time varies depending on the battery size and the load, but you can expect minutes worth of coverage for the lower-end units up to around 30-min for typical small business units.

Technology Workshop: Power Tricks and Tips for PowerPoint
Thursday, August 17; 8:30am - 10:30 am
This will be a two-hour workshop designed to help you learn how to get value from Microsoft PowerPoint and make fabulous presentations. Send us an email if you're interested and we'll get a registration form out to you. Location: Ekaru office: 319 Littleton Road; Westford, MA. Space is limited.

Technology Tip: Create an "Org Chart" in 5 minutes!
There are a lot of smart features in Microsoft PowerPoint that many people don't know about. Here's a helpful feature that's important for any small business. In PowerPoint, start a new document, choose "Blank Presentation", under "Apply Slide Layout", "Other Layouts" choose "Title and Diagram or Organization Chart". (If you don't see these options on the right hand side, select "View" / "Task Pane".) Follow the simple instructions to enter your company's information. You can easily add subordinates, assistants, and co-workers using the "insert shape" command. Instead of taking a lot of time drawing boxes and filling in names, have PowerPoint do the work for you!

Starting in the Fall, we'll be running short webinars on a regular basis to help small businesses get more from the technology they already have, with live tips like the one above. If you're interested, send us an email and we'll get you a schedule as it becomes available.

Was this newsletter helpful to you? If so, forward it to a friend or colleague! Do you have suggestions for future newsletter topics? Send us an email!. We want to write about what's important to you! Click here to read past issues.

Would you like to start an e-newsletter like this for your business? We have used Constant Contact for our e-newsletter for the past several years. We highly recommend this product. Sign up for a free 60-day trial for a test-drive.

Have you backed up your data today? Now through August 31, 2006, we are doubling the free-trial period for small business back-up service so you get one month free. Follow this link to try it out.

   Enjoy the rest of Summer!

Sincerely,
Team Ekaru

Introductory Technology Assessment Over 170 local small businesses have chosen Ekaru to manage their computers and networks. We offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation to get started. We'll visit your office, review your network, and make recommendations. Call us toll-free at 866-463-5278 x1 or email us to schedule a no-obligation assessment.

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