Computers are continually increasing in power. In fact, such is the weight of this pattern of hardware power doubling in power every two years that it even has it's own phrase to acknowledge this observation: Moore's Law. While processing power may be going from strength to strength, the fact is that many businesses struggle, or simply cannot keep up with the changes; it's just too costly. This is one reason why the idea of virtualization can be appealing to many company owners and managers.

Virtualization is the act of taking an existing system, say a server, and creating a virtual copy of it that is hosted either in a physical unit or somewhere out of the office. Some systems you can virtualize include: Desktops, Operating Systems, servers, hardware and storage. Most small businesses start with storage and server virtualization as this can usually be done with relative ease and at an affordable cost.

Benefits of virtualization The question many business owners ask when they are looking into virtualization is what benefits it can bring. While the positives are numerous, here are the five most common:

1. Reduced space Physical hardware can take up a lot of space, and the common trend among many businesses is that the space available per person is shrinking in order to save costs. Take for example your servers. If you virtualize these, you can probably fit all of them onto one or two units. This will reduce the space your hardware takes up, freeing up extra storage capacity or possibly another desk.

2. Reduced overhead Having hardware and servers in an office can be expensive to maintain. You have to have climate control to start with which means higher electricity bills and higher maintenance costs. Virtualization will often reduce overhead costs and save you money. Beyond that, many solutions offer a pay-per-use pricing model which makes predicting costs easier.

3. Quicker backup and recovery Many virtualization solution providers also offer backup services that can be automated. This means that your vital data is always backed up and protected. Beyond that, the backups can be stored at a different location, meaning that if there is a disaster, you can recover lost data quickly and easily.

4. Longer hardware replacement cycles Virtualized solutions and platforms often require lower computing resources because they are hosted on the provider's servers. This means that you won't have to replace existing tech hardware. Beyond that, existing systems can be used for longer which will save you money.

5. Virtualization is scalable If your company is growing, you will eventually have to add new systems. In an already cramped office this means finding the space for hardware or servers needed to support your growth, not to mention investing in systems that are compatible with existing hardware. Virtualization is highly scalable, and can grow with your company, often without the need for extra services.

In general, virtualization could help your business grow, while IT costs remain stable, or are even decreased. If you would like to learn more about how virtualization of your systems can help your company, contact us today.

In the modern age of technology, with nearly everything going online, making business decisions has become incredibly tough. There is so much data available to us that we simply can't assimilate and comprehend all of it. The danger being that this is potentially causing us to make the wrong decisions. Business Intelligence (BI) is the idea of harnessing this data and analyzing it so we can make better choices. One of the newer components of BI is the concept of social data.

Here's an overview of social data and three ways small business owners and managers can use it to make decisions.

What is social data? Social data is any data or information collected from the various social media sites available. The easiest way to define social data is to differentiate it from social media. Social media is content that a user has created, copied or linked with the idea of sharing it with other people using a platform i.e., Facebook. Social data is the information that is linked to this content, such as shares, likes, location, time posted, etc.

It is social data that powers analytics and social media monitoring, (how popular your content, profile, etc. is), and if utilized efficiently could go a long way in helping you make better business decisions and a more focused marketing strategy.

Because there is so much data relating to and generated by social media activities, it can be nearly impossible to track and analyze it all. But, it is quickly becoming an important part of Business Intelligence, and will continue to become even more so as the number of social media sites and users continues to expand. That's why many BI solutions are starting to integrate social data gathering and analysis tools. While you may be able to track and analyze this data, do you know what you can do with it?

Three uses of social data

• Competitor research - Many companies currently focus on data related directly to their content. Why not expand it and look at your competitors, such what they are posting and how their followers are reacting? If done properly, this can give you valuable industry insight and generate ideas as to what you could also be doing to better leverage your brand and position.
• Judge health of marketing campaigns and overall interest - The main use of social data should be to help you track how well your current marketing campaigns and content is doing. Being able to analyze this data will reveal what works and what doesn't, allowing you to tweak and fine tune your efforts. The best platforms can provide near instant results which allow you to update or change on-the-fly.
• Gauge current public opinion - Social media is like a stream. There's always content flowing by you, much of it potentially useful. If you can track what people are saying, sharing and commenting on, you can spot trends faster, enabling you to come up with even more relevant content for followers to share, thus expanding presence.

There are numerous uses for social data in organizations and many bigger companies have started to track and implement learnings in different departments such as marketing, human resources and even finance. This is a great way for you to better know and provide what your customers and followers want.

If you would like to learn more about social data and how your company can use it effectively, call us today for a chat.

An integral component of the modern tablet and smartphone is the software, or more specifically the apps. Apps provide users with the ability to interact with their phones and do virtually anything. The way the vast majority of users get apps onto their tablets is by downloading them from an app store. Google users do this through Google Play, which has recently been updated with a new layout.

Here's an overview of the new Google Play layout which was introduced May 15, along with some tips on how you can get the most out of it.

The new layout When you first open the updated app you will notice that there is now a series of buttons under the search bar. These colorful buttons will bring you to the different services associated with Google Play. For example, in the US there is now a button for: Movies & TV, Books, Games, Music, Magazines and Apps. Tapping on each will take you to the different stores. i.e., Apps will take you to the Apps section of the Play store.

Each section of Play now has an expanded layout, with three (two for phones) apps/books/albums per row. Just below the search bar is a horizontal menu bar that you can swipe left or right to see different options. For example, on the Apps section you will see the different app categories like Home, Top Paid, Top Free, etc. Swiping to the left will bring up more app categories.

Each app is now shown in its own card with a larger picture, the name, rating and price. Tapping on an app will open a new window that shows more information about that specific app. All apps now have integration with Google+ meaning that if a friend +1's the app, their profile picture will show up in the app's information.

Probably the biggest update, aside from the improved layout, is Google Play will now notify you when there is a large app update, if you are connected to mobile data. This is really useful, especially if you have a limited amount of data.

How to use the new Play store While the idea and basic use of Google Play hasn't changed, it may be harder to find some information, or to figure out how to use it at first. Here's an overview of how to use the new Play store:

Installing apps You can either tap the Apps button from the landing page of the Play store to look for apps, or type the name or type of app you're looking for in the search bar. Once you find the right app, tap on it to bring up the information screen. Pressing Install at the top of the window will open the App permissions window. Tap Accept and the app will download and install. If it costs money, you will first be asked to select a method of payment before you are able to download.

Find what apps you have installed Searching your tablet for apps you have installed can be a be a chore. Luckily Google Play keeps a record of all apps you have installed. To see your apps:

1. Open Google Play.
2. Press the three vertical grey squares in the top right of the window.
3. Select My apps.
4. You can tap on an app to bring up more information about it, and uninstall it by tapping Uninstall.

Tinker with your settings We recommend that you take a minute and ensure your settings meet your requirements. You can access Google Play's settings by:

1. Opening Google Play.
2. Pressing the three vertical grey squares in the top right of the window.
3. Selecting Settings.

It is a good idea to tap on Auto-update apps and set it to Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only. This will ensure that you are not using mobile data to download updates. If you have a credit card linked with your Google account, it is a good idea to set a password to restrict purchases. Simply tap on Password from the Settings menu and enter a password.

Overall, this update makes the Google Play store look inviting, and easier to use. If you would like to learn more about how an Android tablet or device can be used in your organization, contact us today.

To some fans of Apple's products the thought of using anything from Google is simply ludicrous. Why would you use something from a competitor? Well, it could be that the product or app is better than anything else out there. This is true for Google Search, which brings Google's powerful search tools to the iPad and iPhone. The app has recently been updated with a new feature called Google Now. Have you heard of it?

Here's a brief overview of Google Now, and how to install and use it.

Ok, so, what exactly is Google Now? Google Now is best thought of as Google's answer to Apple's Siri. It's an app that functions like a personal assistant and has become a large component of Google's Search for mobile app. The idea of Now is that you can use natural language to search for answers to questions, find recommendations or even perform actions like creating a calendar entry, or writing an email.

Google Now also passively delivers information that it thinks is useful to you. While creepy at first, especially when you see how accurate predictions can be, it is actually a really cool tool. What's interesting about Google Now is that relevant information is displayed below search results in what are called 'cards'. The cards shown will depend on your location, recent searches, calendar and even method of transport.

Probably the best way to explain Google Now is through an example:

Say you have a meeting with a potential supplier at a coffee shop across town tomorrow. You pull up the Google Search app on your iPad, tap the microphone button and ask Google, "What's the coffee shop on 5th Avenue?". Google searches for the coffee shop and comes back with three search results including the shop you are looking for. You then enter the name and address in your Google Calendar, along with the date and time.

The next day, you look at the Google Search app again because you've forgotten the exact address. Just below the Search bar you will see that new cards have popped up. The first is a reminder of the scheduled event, along with the contact information of the person you are meeting. Just below that is a map on how to get to the coffee shop, along with driving directions.

When you get in the car, you notice that traffic seems a little heavier than usual, so you pull up Google Search and the card has been updated with a map showing current traffic along with what Google thinks will be the fastest route, without you having to ask.

This app works surprisingly well, and many users have noted that both search results and the cards are accurate. Where Google Now really shines is when you are traveling. If you go to another country, cards will pop up with the exchange rate, translator, local map with landmarks, time back home and even flight information (assuming the reservation has been sent to your Gmail account).

How to install and use If this app sounds interesting, all you have to do to get it is download Google Search app from the Apple App Store, install it, open it and sign in using your Google account. Cards will start to popup after a couple of days. You can tweak what cards appear by using the search feature, or through the app's settings.

While this is a Google product, it can be useful for your Apple device, especially if you have a Google account. If you would like to learn more about this app or how the iPad can make your business easier, contact us today to see how we can help.

One of the cardinal rules of document creation is that you need white space. We are taught from a young age to separate our written thoughts into paragraphs which make them easier to read and make documents look professional. This has carried over to documents created using word processors like Microsoft Word. While Word is great, it can be a hassle formatting documents, especially when you need to add gaps or breaks between text. Did you know that Word actually has features that can help you format your text by adding breaks?

There are numerous types of text breaks you can use in Word:

• Page break - Will insert a break where the cursor is and move the next line of text to the following page. This break is good for formatting reports and other longer documents, especially if you have headings with multiple subheadings; a page break between each main heading will make a report easier to read.
• Column break - If you have a document with more than one column, inserting a column break will move the cursor or text to the next column on the right. If you don't have columns, this will function as a page break.
• Section break - There are four different types of section breaks that can be used when you want to divide a document into different sections. For example, if you have a report where 3 pages need to be in a column, you can insert a section break around these pages and format them separately from the rest of the document.
• Line break - These breaks will move text to the next line. This can be useful if your document has an extra line between paragraphs, or when you are writing a list and need to add another paragraph without a new list point. You can insert a line break by hitting Shift+Return.

How to break your documents If you need to insert a break in your document, we first recommend that you turn on Show/Hide. This can be done by:

1. Clicking on Tools from the menu bar at the top of the window.
2. Selecting Options followed by the View tab in the window that pops up.
3. Ticking All under the Formatting Marks section.
4. Clicking Ok.

This will show all formatting marks on the document, making it easier for you to see what breaks and changes to formatting you have made. You can then insert breaks by:

1. Clicking where you would like to insert the break in the document (The break will be inserted where the blinking cursor is located, so be sure it's in the right spot.)
2. Clicking Insert from the menu bar at the top of the screen followed by Break.
3. Ticking the type of break you want to insert.
4. Clicking Ok.

Breaks are a great way to create documents that not only look more professional but are easier to read. If you are looking to learn more about using Word to its full potential, please contact us today.

One of the more popular tech trends in recent years is the increasing adoption of video based communication. Many are familiar with products like Skype which allow face-to-face communication from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Did you know that Google has baked video conferencing into their newly released Google Hangouts? If your company uses Google, this could be a great marketing tool. The only question is, how exactly can you leverage it?

Below are four ways you or your business could use the video conferencing capabilities of Google Hangouts.

1. Provide customer support If you have a product or service, you have likely had clients contact you with questions or concerns. When customers are having problems, they normally prefer to talk face-to-face with a real person. The problem is, you may not be where your customers are, or they may not be able to reach you.

Hangouts provides you with an ideal channel where customers can contact you, see your face and discuss problems they may be having.

2. Product demonstrations Have a product that customers have been asking how to use, or would like to know more about? Why not host a Hangout? This is a great platform that allows you and up to 10 customers to interact. You can show them how the product works, how it can help them and answer questions all face-to-face. If a participant would like to learn more, you can then host a one-on-one Hangout.

3. Conduct team meetings There are two useful Hangouts features that could be a boon to productivity. The first is the ability to share your screen with participants and the other is built in compatibility with productivity apps like Google Drive. This allows you and your team to collaborate on a document, spreadsheet or even presentation.

Hosting a Hangout is also great if you or a teammate is away. You can still work together because Hangouts is now Google's main chat app with integration across desktop and mobile devices. As long as you have an Internet connection, and a device with a camera you can join a Hangout. Imagine having someone out in the field with a tablet talking to colleagues who are on their desktops. This will make your team and company more productive.

4. Launch a new product or service Google Hangouts allows you to live stream events on both Google+ and YouTube. This could be useful if you are launching a new product, or service and want to enable people who can't make it to the event to take part. You can even record the event so people can watch it later.

While still relatively new, video conferencing and webinars are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for small businesses to really connect with their customers regardless of their location. If you are looking to learn more about Google Hangouts and how they could be used in your business, please contact us today.

One of the more popular productivity oriented programs on the market today is Microsoft's Office 365. Based in the cloud, this platform offers business users a way to increase productivity of their whole organization while making communication and sharing easier. A lesser known feature included in Office 365 subscriptions is Office Web Apps. Microsoft aims to make this a more prominent feature and has recently announced two new updates that could make it more useful.

Here's an overview of Office Web Apps and the two upcoming updates for the platform.

What exactly is Office Web Apps? Office Web Apps (OWA) is a browser based version of Microsoft Office. OWA includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote which users can access through almost any web browser. These apps are available free of charge to everyone with a Microsoft SkyDrive and most Office 365 users.

The beauty of OWA is that it allows users to open, edit, collaborate on, and store the most popular Office documents from a variety of devices. What this means is that as long as a user has a Microsoft Account and is connected to the Internet, they can access Office software without actually having it installed on their computer or device.

If you've used OWA, you know that it's great for opening Office documents, basic editing and creating basic documents. The major downside is, these web based apps are missing a number of more advanced features e.g., Find and Replace in Word. Microsoft has stated that they are committed to introducing more features, and have recently announced two that could make OWA an even more viable solution for businesses.

Real-time collaboration In the current version of OWA collaboration is possible. However a user will need to refresh the browser window to see changes made by another editor. This is hardly ideal, especially if you have more than two people working on the same document.

Microsoft aims to change this by introducing real-time editing. This means that if you and three other colleagues are working on the same document, you will see the changes as they are made; so there's no need to refresh.

This feature is currently being rolled out to PowerPoint users, and should be applied to the other OWA apps sometime in the near future (there has been no specific date set by Microsoft, but it should be by the end of the year).

Editing from Android tablets While OWA may not be the best choice for desktop users, especially since the vast majority already have Office installed on their computers, it's great for mobile users. At this time, only Windows 8 tablet and iPad users have been able to access OWA from their devices. The recently announced update will soon bring this functionality to Android tablets as well.

Microsoft has not set a date as to when Android tablets will be able to access OWA, but it should be before the end of 2013, possibly the end of the summer. They also noted that they are working to speed up the service for tablets, which will foster even more efficient collaboration.

If you are interested in learning more about OWA, Office 365 or any of Microsoft's other programs please contact us today to see how we can help.

Cyber crime has been around since the very early days of the Internet and has it has become an increasingly serious problem as the number of Internet users has increased. This trend is likely to continue, and you can be guaranteed that you'll continue to see news about websites being hacked and valuable information exposed. One of the latest sites to be hacked is LivingSocial.

LivingSocial is a daily deals website that focuses on bringing bargains and original deals to users based on their geographical location. In late April, news broke that the website had suffered a massive cyber attack with 50 million accounts being compromised.

From the reports we have seen, the attack targeted accounts world-wide with only account holders in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and the Philippines being unaffected. An email sent out by Tim O'Shaughnessy, LivingSocial's CEO shortly after the incident said, "We recently experienced a cyber-attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorized access to some customer data from our servers. We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this issue."

The company assured users that their credit card data had not been compromised, as they are kept in another database. Account passwords were also encrypted, which means they are harder to crack but not impossible.

What should you do? If you have a LivingSocial account, we recommend that you go and change your password immediately. This can be done by:

1. Going to LivingSocial's forgot your password page.
2. Entering the email address you used to sign up for the account with.
3. Pressing Reset Password.
4. Checking your email for an email from LivingSocial and following the instructions in the email.

It is advisable to pick a new password, one that is as different as possible from your old password and, as always, the longer, the better.

Is there anything I can to do protect my company? If you are a business owner who has websites that encourage customers to sign up for updates, accounts, etc. you may be wondering how you can keep your user's information secure from cyber attack. In truth, you can't keep your important information 100% secure, if a hacker is committed enough, they will be able to get the information they need or wreak the havoc they want to. But what you can do is to make it as hard as possible for cybercriminals to get your information. This could be as simple as using multiple databases to store different bits of information, or as complex as using the latest encryption methods and systems.

Each business is unique, and the best way to ensure your valuable data is secure is to work with an IT partner who takes the time to get to know your security needs and develop a solution that is as near to 100% secure as possible.

If you are worried about the security of your systems, contact us today. We may have the perfect solution that will meet your needs and budget.

Computers and the hardware components that run them are always evolving, getting faster and faster. Unfortunately, small to medium businesses often can’t take advantage of the latest and greatest simply because it’s too expensive to be constantly updating. This means using older systems that will get slower with age. That’s why it’s important to take steps to keep your computer running fast.

Below are four things you can do to keep your PC running smoothly.

1. Shutdown properly
If you turn your computer off at the end of the day, or it freezes, it may be tempting to flick the off switch on the power bar, or press the power button until it turns off. This isn’t ideal for your computer’s health because when a computer is unexpectedly shut down, there could be damage to the operating system.

You may notice that when your computer crashes, it takes longer to reboot. This is because Windows is actually searching for, or trying to repair any damage that may have been done. There is a chance that powering down improperly could cause files to become corrupted which may make the system inoperable.

Therefore, you should follow proper shutdown procedures. If you need to shut down quickly, try pressing Control+Alt+Delete and selecting Shut Down from there.

2. Close unnecessary programs running in the background
Some programs are written to be always running in the background. If you look in the bottom right of your screen, you should see programs running beside the clock. In truth, most of these likely don’t need to be open. You should be able to right click on the icon and close them. This will save computing resources and make your computer run smoother.

A word of warning: It’s best not to shut down the antivirus or security software as this will leave your computer open to attack. Also, don’t shut down anything from NVIDIA or AMD as this is your video card software. Closing programs like this could cause your computer to crash.

3. Utilize Add/Remove on a regular basis
Chances are high that you have installed a fairly high number of programs on your computer, some of which you may not use anymore. Those you don’t use just take up valuable hard drive space, and should be removed on a regular basis. You can do this by:

1. Clicking on Start or the Windows Orb.
   • Selecting Settings followed by Control Panel.
   • Opening Add/Remove Programs.

It may take a few minutes to scan your system for programs, but a window will open with all the programs you have installed. Click on those you don’t use anymore and remove them. We strongly recommend that you do not go into different files and delete programs, this could damage your system.

4. Use a malware scanner and antivirus program
This may sound like a no-brainer, but it is still worth mentioning that having an antivirus program and malware scanner is a good idea. Many viruses and other malware often hijack system resources causing the computer to run slower, or crash. A regular scan can go a long way in minimizing this, which means your computer will likely run better for longer.

If you are looking for ways to keep your older systems running at their optimal levels, please contact us today to see how we can help you.

Take a moment and think about your business and if you are prepared for a disaster. If you are like most business owners or managers you have some form of backup and maybe even a basic disaster recovery plan. While this is a start, recent big disasters around the world have proven that a simple backup is not enough. If you feel that your business is under prepared, there are steps you can take to fix that.

Here are five tips to help ensure that your business is fully ready for the next disaster.

1. Backup everything While it can be tempting to only backup the most important data and programs, it can be a chore to identify what is deemed to be important. Who knows, a file that is non-essential today may become essential in the future. If it is lost due to a disaster, this could prove to be a problem.

It would be a good idea to look for a backup solution that covers all data and programs. But, having a full backup solution isn't enough, you also need to ensure that recovery is easy and can be implemented quickly.

2. Look into tiered recovery Establishing a tiered recovery method means identifying the value and importance of existing systems and utilizing a recovery method that meets needs. It would be a good idea to identify mission critical systems and adopt a recovery method that can have these systems up and running as quickly as possible. From there you can tier different systems and match a recovery method. For example, archived files are likely not needed right away, so they can be recovered at a later date, using a slower recovery method.

3. Keep copies of all keys and licenses With the amount of software and programs businesses use on a daily basis growing, it would be a good idea to keep copies of the activation keys (the string of digits and letters you enter to activate the full version of software) and purchased licenses.

While many of these are now distributed electronically through email, there are still software developers that distribute keys by mail or with the physical install CDs. If you lose the codes in a fire, you will be out of luck and have to purchase the software again. This is an extra charge you likely don't want.

4. Pick the right recovery locations The best recovery plans offer numerous backup solutions which are hosted in different locations. A good provider knows this and will utilize data storage centers as far apart as possible. If you choose to backup your own data, it would not be a good idea to keep the backups in the office.

Similarly, if you are preparing for a big disaster, you likely have physical locations that you can move to if your main business location is damaged or destroyed. Optimal plans will have more than one location identified, and have them as far apart as possible. This will minimize the chances of losing full operations and increase your business's ability to bounce back quicker.

5. Match your recovery plan to your business There are so many different backup and recovery options that it can be tough to pick one. The best course of action is to look at your systems and how they work. If you operate strictly offline, a cloud based backup solution likely isn't your best bet. Or, if you operate fully in the cloud, a physical tape or hard disk backup may not be optimal.

If you are looking to beef up, or establish a disaster recovery plan, try working with an IT partner like us, who can help you find the optimal solution that can meet your needs and budget.