Symantec has just released a true all in one desktop solution called Symantec Protection Suite! This product does it all: anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and a truly amazing feature: desktop image backups. This component of the program backs up all desktop computers constantly, so in the event of a catastrophic computer failure, you can restore all data and programs to a whole new computer in minutes! Just think of all the downtime prevented by using this tool! The tool can do a backup to either the computer itself or to network attached storage.

This tool is really a no brainer for any business trying to avoid downtime. Contact us for more details.

As any user of Office 2007 is keenly aware of, Office 2007 changed the location of all menu items. Microsoft went for a "logical grouping" approach, which many users have found confusing as they can no longer locate menu items they used to use.

Microsoft has made some amends now by releasing a reference guide that shows you the location of all your favourite menu items. This tool shows you the Office 2003 version of the program, then you hover over the menu item you want to use, and the tool tells you where it is in Office 2007! Genius!

Here are links to the various reference guides:

Word 2003 --> 2007:  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100744321033.aspx

Excel 2003 --> 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HA101491511033.aspx

Powerpoint 2003 --> 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/HA101490761033.aspx

Access 2003 --> 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/access/HA102388991033.aspx

Outlook 2003 --> 2007: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102221621033.aspx

Microsoft has just released their best priced server offering yet, Windows Server 2008 Foundation! With complete server solutions priced at less than $1500, you get pretty much all the functionality of Windows Server 2008 as well as 15-user licenses. 

Microsoft intends for this server to be used in small businesses where the cost of Windows Server 2008 or Small Business Server 2008 would be prohibitive. As such, Server 2008 Foundation has the following limitations:

• A maximum 15 users can be created in Active Directory
• A maximum of 30 connections can be made to the server
• No Microsoft Exchange installed, unlike SBS 2008

Despite these limitations, this is an excellent product for small businesses on a limited budget. Call us for more information!

Edison by Verdiem is a Green IT software solution that saves energy on your computer, making your IT greener!

After installing the software, you enter your regular working hours and the software agressively saves power during non-work hours, potentially saving a lot of energy. The software informs you how much you will save each year in energy!

On my computer alone, the highest power save setting will save me $72 per year in energy costs, 700 Kilowatt hours and remove 1 ton of carbon from the environment!

Let's all go green and install this software. You can call us to install it, or you can do it yourself here:

http://www.verdiem.com/edison.aspx

We also have other green IT solutions, such as virtualization of your servers and desktops which can save you substantially more energy. Visit our Green IT Solutions section in IT solutions for more information!

There is an unbelievable phone product on the market that gives you phone service for 20 bucks a year including unlimited North America long distance! It is called Magic Jack and it consists of a small USB phone jack you plug into your computer, and with an internet connection, you can start making phone calls.

I purchased a unit to try it out at home so here is a mini review:

Installation is simple; just plug the USB jack into your computer, run through a quick setup and you are ready to start making calls. One issue I did discover through the setup is that there are currently no Canadian area codes available; only US area codes are there for you to choose from. This is not a huge deal for outgoing calls as calls in North America are free, but incoming calls are a bit of an issue.

The Magic Jack comes bundled with PC software that allows you to add contacts for quick calling and it retains a call history; you can also watch the numbers populate in the software as someone dials on the phone (useful for snooping I guess).

All in all, the Magic Jack is incredible value for 20 bucks a year and I cancelled my Rogers phone service shortly after setting up the unit. Bravo Magic Jack!