Computer Solutions in the greater brisbane area.
Author archive
Author archive
Why you would benefit from a network audit
A SHIFT analysis of your small business will be quick and painless and provide you with valuable information.
Here are our top 5 reasons why your business would benefit from a technology analysis:
1.Examination of current technology – If you’re thinking of replacing your computer, a SHIFT analysis may reveal that upgrading specific components, such as memory, would give you a significant performance boost. It could also highlight incorrect system settings or poor security configurations that could easily be fixed. once we determine what technology you have, it will be easy to find some quick, inexpensive areas for improvement.
2. Long term assessment of your system requirements – A SHIFT analysis may reveal components that are out dated and should be replaced with newer, faster components. It could also highlight storage capacity issues on your system and where there is more space to be found. You can then plan and budget to address these areas in the future, without any costly interuption to your business
3. Know what software is in your system – A SHIFT analysis of the software in your system will reveal if your computers have illegal file sharing software, other programs that may be harmful to the system or just taking up valuble space. Remember if your employees are able to install software onto your computers, do you know what they have been installing?
4. Determine you have the correct software licenses – In some cases, a software manufacturer has the right to randomly check your business for the correct license number and the right kind of license for their software. If you’ve taken on more staff, or you’ve had employees installing software on your system, a SHIFT analysis can reveal where your software licensing might need to be updated.
5. Complete IT asset register – Your business will have certain assets listed for accounting purposes. If a theft or natural disaster hit your business, SHIFT can store a copy of your SHIFT analysis results, including a detailed list of your system assets, off site in case you need to refer to that list to make an insurance claim.
The outcomes of your SHIFT analysis will be a comprehensive list of your I.T. assets and recommendations for improvements (both short and long term) that fit in with your budget and your business plans.
iPhone Setup for Office 365
We’ve produced this short video to show you how to configure your iPhone or iPad with your new Office 365 login details. We shot the video using an iPad but the setup is exactly the same on the iPhone.
Clearing your web history
A lot of clients ask how to go about clearing their web browsing history from their computer. We’ve made this quick video to show you how its done. Starting with Internet Explorer, then Google Chrome and finally showing you how its done in Firefox.
Got more questions, please ask them in the comments!
Clearing Browser History from Mathew Taylor on Vimeo.
Always consider total cost of ownership
Today I saw an advisory issued by a Queensland group (I won’t name them) that told its members that the group was organising to provide IT services to its members. The particular area of concern for me was where they suggested they would periodically arrange “group buying” of new computers which they assured their members would “save them money”.
The reality is that this type of buying never saves anyone any money. You want to make sure that your equipment is provided by a local, honest vendor who is prepared to give you the support and assistance required to ensure the lowest possible “cost of ownership”.
Firstly, bulk deals will always land you cheap hardware. If your vendor is struggling to come up with the lowest possible price, they are going to provide you the cheapest, lowest quality parts. You should make sure you aren’t being ripped off, but you should never buy solely on price alone. You get what you pay for.
Secondly, the types of vendors likely to bid for a bulk deal like this (as it’s a statewide group) are going to simply deliver a bunch of boxes to the buyer, as they aren’t local to the businesses in question. So there’s no support, no installation and no help. Buying from a vendor like Shift Computer Solutions gives you not only great equipment, but that equipment is delivered, installed and working 100% without ANY intervention on your part. Your time is valuable, and if you are wasting it setting up computers, that needs to be added to the cost, as it forms part of the total cost of ownership of that computer.
Warranty is also a big issue. Most vendors are going to offer 3rd party warranties, which means the vendor isn’t responsible for fixing any problems, a 3rd party is. The problem here is that the 3rd party is paid a flat, up front fee for carrying the warranty, and thus they actually lose money if they do any work for you. This makes them look for ways to avoid assisting you, and can waste valuable time and cost your business valuable money.
Finally, the biggest cost of ownership issue is support. If you are buying your equipment from your IT support vendor, you are getting a team of technicians who know all your systems and equipment, so issues that crop up are dealt with quickly. By putting in cheap hardware from a 3rd vendor, you increase the number of vendors responsible for your site, make it harder to get problems fixed and increase your overall costs.
Change your Facebook password immediately.
News out this week that authority tokens used by facebook apps to access peoples facebook profiles have leaked onto the internet hasn’t got a lot of mainstream coverage. While Facebook has fixed the security loophole, the problem remains that those authority tokens do not expire, and once leaked, are out there forever.
The good news is that changing your Facebook password resets ALL the authority tokens, making the ones that have already leaked out void and useless to potential hackers.
We are advising all our clients to immediately change their Facebook password to make sure full security of their account is maintained.
Computer Solutions
We called our business Shift Computer Solutions because we wanted to tell people right from the start that we do a whole lot more than just fix problems.
Providing solutions means listening to you to understand exactly what you need. Too often people are left with poor quality fixes to poorly understood problems. We look at your problems, but also your needs and the things you want to get done, and we supply a fully prepared solution.
Working with a solutions paradigm means you get much better value. Often issues you didn’t even realise might be a problem are resolved or avoided by the implementation of a quality computer solution. In the long run, this means lower support costs, less downtime and much improved productivity.
Contact mathew@shiftsolutions.com.au for more information on the solutions we can provide your business.
30 Days Free Technical Support
At the bottom of nearly every proposal we give to our clients, we mention that we include 30 days of free technical support. We thought we should explain exactly what that means, and why it is such a great benefit to our clients.
Post Installation Phone Support
We know, because we’ve been doing this for 15 years, that every client will have questions after they get new equipment installed. This is why we offer completely free phone support for 30 days after we install your new computer, laptop or other equipment. We take away the stress of not knowing those little differences that come with a new system. Just give our office a call, and one of our technicians (usually the same one who installed your equipment) will sort it out for you.
System Monitoring
We monitor your new computer, laptop or server for 30 days after installation to ensure everything runs smoothly. Plenty of our clients have “bought a lemon” elsewhere before coming to us, and so we take extra care to ensure your new equipment is flawless. If we detect any adjustments are necessary, we make them, so your new computer is perfectly tailored to suit your needs.
Security Updates
During the 30 days, we check and make sure your computer is properly secured and updated against all current threats. You avoid having to worry that your new computer wasn’t fully and completely configured when you got it. If you’re security conscious, talk to your technician about how you extend this protection to a full year.
What if your ADSL goes down?
For many small businesses, losing connection to the internet is something that must be avoided; With so many business processes relying on connetivity, savvy business owners are looking for ways to minimise the risk of internet downtime and keeping their business working.
Start with a high quality ADSL connection from a reputable ISP like Internode is a very good start. But there are still things that go wrong, even mundane things like the council digging up the phone lines in the street. The good news is that there is a way you can avoid these risks.
The Billion 7402NX is an ADSL router that will also connect to a 3G service, and automatically fail over to the 3G service if your ADSL fails. When your ADSL service is restored, the router will switch back to the faster, more reliable ADSL service.
To get this benefit, you will need to sign up for a 3G service with a USB type “dongle”. We’d generally recommend Telstra for the 3G option, as you are less likely to have coverage problems, and their equipment is usually better tested. Once it’s all setup, it’s worth having the solution tested regularly so you know it’s there to keep you online if your ADSL fails.
If you’d like more information on how Shift Computer Solutions can implement a 3G failover solution in your business, just fill out the form below;
Crafting an Email Signature
Email signatures are not something many business owners think much about, but they are an important part of your communication toolkit, and some thought should be put into them.
Key Details
Make sure your email signature includes, at the very least, your contact details besides your email address. Your phone number is a must, fax number if your industry still uses faxes. If you are using Twitter and Facebook for your business, make sure you have links to those profiles.
Branding
Some would say you should not include graphics, but I disagree. Including your business branding in the signature keeps all your communications consistent. Don’t go overboard though, your signature shouldn’t be too big.
Your Website
It’s worth linking to your website in your signature. Giving the people you email a quick and easy way to get to your website and find out more when they need do. Sure, it isn’t that hard to get to your site manually, but making life easy for people who are doing business with you is always the name of the game.
Consider a Signature Service
A site like Wisestamp can create your signature for you, and append it to your emails. They can take a lot of the tricky stuff off your hands, and are a good idea if you don’t have the technical skills to set it up easily yourself.
Avoid Software Licencing Traps
Something every small business owner should pay serious attention to is software licensing. Keeping track of your licensing can lead to disaster, as it’s all too easy for software providers like Microsoft, Adobe and others to get judgements against your business, and ultimately, you, that the average small business won’t survive.
There are several ways that small business owners end up falling foul of licensing issues, so with this post we hope to illuminate these trouble spots so you can make sure your business doesn’t end up being a software piracy statistic.
Unlicensed Software on New PC’s
This is still very common, although getting less so as we move away from Windows XP. If you are buying new machines, you need to make sure that the people providing them are providing you with fully legal copies of the software on the machine. In the case of Windows, thats easy, there should be a sticker on the tower, or on the underside if it’s a laptop, that proves the machine has a legal copy installed on it.
In the case of things like Office, photoshop and other business software, you should be given something with the PC. Exactly what you get depends on the software, the company making it, and the specific license you are being supplied. For example, it’s normal not to be given a disc with Microsoft Office, but you still get a little package with a licence key;
It’s up to you to make sure everything is above board, as if it’s not, you’ll end up paying twice when you have to go out and buy the software again to get legal.
Academic Licenses
This is another common problem; Microsoft and Adobe in particular provide students, and sometimes teachers, with heavily discounted licences for software. They do this so that students can learn how to use the software without having to spend the big bucks for the software, but these licences are ONLY valid if being used by a student. We recently saw a quote given to a child care centre where academic licences had been offered. If the centre agreed to use that software, they could be liable for signifant penalties, and be forced to purchase a new copy of the software with a licence for business use.
Multiple Installations
The area where business owners leave themselves with no defence is where a single license is purchased and installed on multiple machines. Most business owners are savvy enough to know this is a recipe for disaster, and with technologies like Microsoft’s activation, it’s actually quite difficult in many cases. The real problem here is where staff decide they know best, and start installing stuff themselves. This is where having your IT managed by a reputable firm (like us!) can be a benefit, as the software licenses on each machine can be logged and checked periodically, and problems avoided.
Staff Theft
It’s a good thing this isn’t common, but from time to time staff decide that it would be great to take home the software your business has paid for and install it there. Apart from being a licensing problem for your business, this can lead to all sorts of trouble down the line when you need to reinstall your software;
The obvious problem of missing installation discs and licence codes are enough of a headache, but most modern software uses activation systems, which means your licence may no longer work, as it will have been activated too many times. The amount of trouble this causes usually leads affected business owners to simply buy a new copy, but with a little preparation and vigilance, all of these costs and burdens can be avoided completely.
Have you run into licensing trouble? Leave us a comment and tell us about it!
