The Ekaru Technology Advisor Vol 5-7 October 2005
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!
Pocket Back-up:
We get a lot of questions about backup. The exciting news in back-up is that hard drives have become inexpensive enough that back-up has become very convenient and portable. Here's a product that we think is great to back up a single system: CMS Peripherals 40GB Automatic Backup System. It's small enough to fit in your pocket, and big enough to complete a full back up of your hard drive, including all files, applications and operating system, creating a fully bootable drive. Its also fast, automated, and provides several ways to recover from even the worst disasters. In the event of a complete hard drive failure on your main system, you can even replace your failed drive with the unit inside the ABSplus. A scheduler is included, and the system allows for unattended power-down. There's no excuse to not run a proper backup! -- especially, if your main computer is a laptop which can easily be lost or stolen.
Microsoft Beta Anti-Spyware
We have recommended the Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) product to many clients. If your beta version has expired, go to the Microsoft web site (www.microsoft.com) to download the latest version. There have been several enhancements over the past year. A head's up to you the beta period is scheduled to conclude at the end of this year, according to the Microsoft web site. The final release version will be available at no additional charge for currently licensed Windows customers. You will need to validate that your version of windows in genuine. What is genuine software? Genuine means that you have a valid license. Validation takes only a few moments, and enables Microsoft to create a match between your computer and your 25-character Product Key (located on the Certificate of Authenticity), which Microsoft stores and checks against future activation and validation attempts.
A Note on Cookies:
A "cookie" is a very small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web Page server which identifies you when you return to that site. Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware doesn't detect cookies because many cookies are used for legitimate purposes. For example, if you visit a web site that stores your name or password or other personally identifiable information, the site may remember you when you return, saving you some time. If you delete the cookie, you will need to re-enter that information if you were to visit the site again, which could be inconvenient. The subject of cookies is a somewhat controversial issue. To delete a cookie, in Internet Explorer, on the "Tools" menu, click on "Internet Options". On the "General" tab, click on "Settings" and then "View Files". Select and delete any files you want to delete.
Constant Contact Workshop
November 1, 2005 - 7:30am-9:00am. Ever tried to send out an email to a large distribution group in Outlook and it became a big headache? Constant Contact is the tool we recommend to make your life easier! In 2005, Constant Contact was awarded SmallBusinessComputing.com's "Excellence in Technology Award" and Web Marketing Today's 2005 Award of Merit for Excellence in E-Mail Marketing Software. Send us an e-mail if you're interested in the workshop and we'll put you on the invitation list.
Ekaru in the News!
Technology Tip:
Curious about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? - Check out the Google web site for some great information to get started!
Below are statistics about searching from NetRatings provided to Search Engine Watch (Data from July 2005): The activity at more than 60 search sites makes up the total search volume upon which percentages are based -- 4.5 billion searches in this month. As you can see, Google is by far the most powerful.
For a very basic technology introduction, check: http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html.
Another great link contains the basics about site rankings: http://www.google.com/webmasters.
Check out to see some interesting trends in what people are searching for at: http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html
We recommend:
If you really to learn some more, go you your favorite book store and pick up a copy of The Search, by John Battelle, Founder of The Industry Standard and one of the original editors of Wired.
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Sincerely, 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.
You can take it with you thanks to 'smart' devices
The Westford Eagle - October 14, 2005
With buyers of all kinds of products and services conducting a lot of their research on line these days before making a buying decision, it's important to consider the potential impact of search.
Happy Halloween!
Team Ekaru
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