The Ekaru Technology Advisor Vol 4-6 July 2004
Welcome to this month's issue! Ekaru's mission is to provide technology information and support to help you manage and grow your business!
Preparing for an office move:
Several small businesses have contacted us recently with plans for an office move. If you're thinking about re-locating your office, here are some tips and strategies to help your office move run smoothly:
- Cost-effective high-speed Internet service (DSL and Cable) is not available everywhere, so check well in advance to make sure your new address will have affordable high-speed Internet access. If not, your other options will be more expensive.
- Do a walk-through of the new facility to see what the network wiring requirements will be. Perhaps there's already CAT5 wiring in place? Do you need more connections? Will a wireless network work?
- Watch out for users who bring laptops onto the network - they could have been infected from outside. After a system is infected, the worm randomly scans for the local network and Internet for other systems to infect.
- It's a good time to document everything including network diagram, passwords, Internet connections, telephone connections, etc.
- Back up all critical data before you move
- Consider having each employee move their own computer
- Label all PC's, monitors, keyboard, mice, peripherals so you match them up properly on the other end
- Order phone service and broadband Internet access far in advance of move, and validate that the service is active before you move by actually testing it: plugging in a phone, and plugging in a simple router and computer. It can take a long time to remedy if physical plant needs to be enhanced and telephone or cable company didn't do the work properly before you move in and test it.
With the high cost of "down-time", your advance investment will be well worth it.
Telecommuting during the DNC? 2004 Technology Workshop Series: June 22, 2004: Technology Tip: eMail and Vacation:
If you're planning to take some extended time off for vacation this summer, it's wise to think about what will happen to your
email in your absence. Microsoft Outlook includes the capability of setting up an Out-of-Office reply using the Rules Wizard,
but your computer needs to be on and receiving email for this to work, which is usually impractical. If you're using an Exchange Server,
then the capability is built-in, and with a server supporting other people, the server is always on. If you use hosted email,
a work-around is to set up an out-of-office reply directly with your ISP. You may consider forwarding your email to another person
in your office so important emails aren't missed, and making sure that the people you work with regularly know you're away so they
don't fill up your mailbox with large attachments. Spend a few minutes thinking about your email before you leave, and you'll
avoid missing important opportunities, and "bouncing" incoming messages due to a full mailbox.
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.
Sincerely, Introductory Technology Assessment Over 150 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.
If you're one of the many people who will be affected by DNC traffic restrictions, and you plan to tele-commute next week, now is a good time to run a last minute check of your home office environment. There's still time to set up a wireless network and secure remote access, if you need it. Check everything this week so you don't waste important productive time next week struggling with network problems.
QuickBooks:® Tips, Strategies, and What's New!
We are proud to announce that Comcast is sponsoring the 2004 Ekaru Technology Workshop Series. These workshops are designed to help you get more from the technology you already have, and introduce you to the new technologies you need to know about. For more information on the QuickBooks:® Tips, Strategies, and What's New!, click here.
Enjoy Summer!
Team Ekaru
©2004 Ekaru, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
