Archive for May, 2010
Friday, May 28th, 2010
This morning I had the opportunity to visit with another long term client. We have been providing IT and computer support to this Upstate New York company for well over ten years and it has been very interesting to be a part of the business as they transformed.
Many changes have taken place from when the business was locally owned to now being part of a large national firm. General managers have come and gone, some business functions have been moved to corporate headquarters. Business focus has been massaged and tweaked.
What hasn’t changed is the loyalty and dedication of the staff. It was wonderful to see that despite the turbulent times we live in, the attitude of many of the people I have known for so many years remains positive and upbeat.
It was a nice start to the day.
Tags: Business, Business and Economy, Clifton Park computer repair, Corporate headquarters, Financial services, General manager, Ghost town, Google, Health, IT Services, Metro Areas, New York, New York City Metro, Small business, United States, Upstate New York
Posted in BlackBerry | No Comments »
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to re-connect with a client whom I haven’t spoken to in several months.
Because we are located in Clifton Park, NY and they are in Syracuse, NY, the majority of the computer and network support we do for them is via our remote systems.
It must be over 15 years ago when I met these people. They are two brothers who own a large repair facility. We installed a program called GarageKeeper to help them run their business.
While we have upgraded equipment for them several times, the software hasn’t been changed since 2000. Many would think they are using an out dated program, but the reliability of the system is incredible. As the Timex commercial use to say, “it takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. So it is with the GarageKeeper program.
One of the owners is retired and the owner of daughter has taken her uncle’s place. They are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.
I feel very fortunate that many of the people who I met many years ago, I still serve.
Tags: Business, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Computer, Environment, Garage Keeper, GarageKeeper, New York, Syracuse New York, United States, Waterford
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
This past weekend I joined one of our tech’s in a network upgrade. We had a good battle plan laid out and a good portion of the work was done before we were onsite.
The server we replaced had been in use since the early part of the last decade. It is amazing to think that servers back then had hard drives under 100 MB. Besides the new server we also upgraded the infrastructure.
While the install took longer than anticipated, the results were well worth it. The only bad part is we were inside on a gorgeous Upstate New York weekend.
Tags: Hard disk drive, Hard Drives, Hardware, Infrastructure, New York, Server, Storage, United States
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Many times when in businesses, I am asked for personal information. Usually I do not provide it and if required to do so, I voice my concerns. The person asking me for the information may think I am paranoid or difficult, but I am simply practicing what I preach.
How many businesses really take proactive steps to ensure they are protecting their customer’s data? What are their browsing habits? Do they visit gambling or pornography sites? Is their anti-virus software up-to-date? Do they have a firewall? I could go on and on, but you get my drift.
It is our responsibility to keep our personal data secure. Just because someone asks for information doesn’t mean you have to give it to them.
Tags: AntiVirus, Data, Detection and Removal Tools, Firewall, Malicious Software, Pornography, Security, Viruses
Posted in Life Management, Privacy | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Thinking about how people use their smartphones and the associated applications led me to thinking if we are giving away much of our freedom and anonymity which we will be sorry for later. According to JWire, 76% of smartphone users prefer free apps with location based ads rather than paying for apps.
While location based services can certainly be very helpful, is it really good to have many people know where you are at every given moment?
Could hackers exploit these apps and gain knowledge of our daily habits?
While it may be too soon to know all the implications with which new technologies bring with them, it might be wise to err on the side of caution.
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Business, Handhelds, iPhone, Location and Tracking, Location-based service, Smartphone, Technology, Telecommunications, Windows Mobile
Posted in Life Management, Privacy | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Last week I had the opportunity to speak at a local chapter of BNI International.
The talk I gave was regarding how the staff at ICOM Tech Services assisted the Saratoga City Center preparing for their move to additional facilities while the City Center was being relocated. We created a VPN for the City Center setup a new phone system and coordinated with their phone line supplier and Time Warner for the additional cable requirements. The City Center staff was going to be working from two locations for about a year.
What I found very impressive was how organized and well run the BNI meeting was. I had heard a lot about BNI for years, but never attended any of their meetings. Everyone was held to the time allotted for them to speak and the entire group was cordial and seemed very cohesive.
It was a very positive experience.
Incoming search terms:
- computer bni presentation
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Tags: BNI, Counties, Hotels, Lodging, New York, Saratoga, Saratoga County City Center, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs New York, Time Warner, Travel and Tourism, United States
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Last night most of us went to see Iron man 2. The movie was very enjoyable and worth the price.
Being computer guys, it was great seeing all the technology used in the film. Now if we could only have some of that in real life.
We saw it at the Bow Tie Cinemas in Schenectady as that is fairly close to our office in Clifton Park. The theater also does not bombard viewers with commercials. The screen and sound quality are also exceptional.
The staff at Bow Tie Movieland 6 was very pleasant and held some of our tickets at the front counter for those who weren’t able to make it to the theater early.
Tags: Arts, Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Film, Iron Man, Movies, New York, Schenectady New York, Technology, Theaters, United States
Posted in Life Management | No Comments »
Monday, May 10th, 2010
We see a lot of computers coming into our Clifton Park computer repair facility running several anti-virus programs. The people who installed them, think if one is good, two must be twice as good, and three triple the protection.
While their logic may be sound, the results are not. Typically it is not a good idea to run an anti-virus program such as Norton along with McAfee or perhaps Trend Micro. While these programs may be good, combining them usually causes unexpected and unwanted issues with the computer.
There is an exception where running more than one anti-virus program can be beneficial.
Incoming search terms:
- pros and cons of using different antivirus
Posted in Software, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, May 7th, 2010
Yesterday (as today) was beautiful in Clifton Park and Saratoga County, New York, with temperatures in the mid 60’s and sunshine.
We just completed a new website (www.SaratogaCityCenter.org) for one of our clients, the Saratoga Springs City Center. As this required providing them with training on their new CMS (Content Management System), and I didn’t want to be late, I called and asked if they minded if Toby, my Miniature Schnauzer could accompany me. It was, and he was a big hit.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Saratoga City Center provides meeting space in the heart of Saratoga Springs, NY. Some of the businesses and organizations which utilize the City Center are the Saratoga Economic Development Corp. for their Annual Dinner, the Saratoga Springs High School Junior / Senior Prom, YFC’s Excel and Break-Out, Curtis Lumber for their Annual Contractor Show.
During training, there were a few items which the City Center staff asked about changing. Their requests were passed to one of our web developers, who was able to make the majority of the changes while I was still on-site.
What a fantastic way to end the day. Working with great clients, and a sunny ride home with my dog in the back.
Tags: Clifton Park, Clifton Park New York, Counties, Miniature Schnauzer, New York, New York City, Saratoga, Saratoga City Center, Saratoga County, Saratoga County New York, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs New York, United States
Posted in CRM, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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