Written by Brian Weiss, the CEO of ITECH Solutions

Feb. 10, 2010 ---

In the modern workplace it is imperative to stay on top of the day-to-day tasks required to keep your workplace running smoothly. Everyone knows the value of a computer in the workplace for keeping track of your email, calendar and contacts. These items are vital for managing your schedule and keeping in touch with the contacts used to operate and produce income for your business.  

Most of our days are filled with appointments and tasks that can easily take us away from our desk and computer. This effectively separates us from the device that helps us operate in an efficient manner which can cause delays in projects and overall productivity.

Sometimes all it takes is a quick response to an email, or access to a calendar to keep a project or task on schedule for completion. When you are away from your computer you are not able to keep up with these essential items for sometimes up to a whole day. This is a counterproductive problem that a smart phone can easily solve.

There are many smart phones on the market so the question becomes: “Which smart phone is right for me?” Here are some things to consider when purchasing a Smart Phone:

1. Touch Screen Keyboard or Traditional Keypad?
   Consider they type of keypad you feel comfortable using when entering information into your smart phone. There are touch-screen keyboards, and the traditional keypad which is easier for users that need to feel the keys as they are typing. If you are a new smart phone user, both types of keypads will take getting used to. Existing smart phone users have already learned one type of keypad and tend to prefer the one they already use. Some smart phone keypads may just be incompatible with your hands altogether making it very difficult to enter any information.

Written by Russ Levanway, the CEO of TekTegrity, Inc.

Jan. 14, 2010 ---

In most areas of our life, inconsistency is a major obstacle to overcome.  Going to a different doctor for every checkup means many things need to be repeated or explained again. Bringing your car to a different repair shop every time can result in a higher repair bill and repeated work.  

Consistency creates a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) with many things. It’s no different with computers. Here are two examples of companies that will help illustrate this point. “Company A” spent 50% more than “Company B.” Find out why and you could save your business thousands of dollars:

Company A

• Bought 10 computers over 6 months.
• Looked for the cheapest possible computers each time, often going to Staples, Costco or looking for the latest online deal.
• Purchased each computer for an average of $500

The 3-year total cost these computers (hardware, software, ongoing technical support, training and company specific software) was $4,040/each, so $40,400 total.

Why was the TCO so high?

Dec. 8, 2009 ---

Written by Russ Levanway, SLO Chamber TAC Committee

Warranties for computers come in all shapes and sizes. Consumer systems come with a warranty between 90 days and 1 year in duration. Business level computers usually come with 1 or 3 year extended warranties. The cost of an extended warranty is often 10% or more of the total cost of a computer. While you can get a warranty that covers support for software on your computer, most computer warranties are only useful if you have a hardware issue.

Below are some questions we are often asked about warranties:

How long should the warranty on my computer be?

We recommend 3 years. This is the expected lifespan of a computer in a typical work environment. Computers can be used longer in environments where they are only used for basic tasks or by home users, but typically, 3 years is the rule. 

 Nov. 16, 2009 ---

Written by Russ Levanway, SLO Chamber TAC Committee

Did the title catch your attention?  In the world of technology, a renewed focus on conservation and sustainability has resulted in new EPA Energy Star standards for servers, several incentive programs to use less power, and innovative new solutions to reduce wasted computing resources. Some of these programs will not only allow you to save hundreds of dollars monthly on your bill, but they will give you rebates for the equipment and software necessary to do so.

Improving Desktop Power Management

Desktop computers tend to be left on for long periods of time when they are not in use and people are unaware that both computers running Windows and Mac software have power management capabilities built in. A computer set up to take advantage of the power management can shut off the monitor, suspend the hard disks, and shut off the processor when idle.  If the computer is not used for a longer period of time, it can shut off or go into standby mode.  However, this software does have limitations. The settings often result in slower computer performance, especially right after a computer comes out of standby mode.  In addition, most companies do not have a central policy for power management and do not properly configure the software to achieve real power savings. 

Oct. 13, 2009 ---

Written by Russ Levanway, SLO Chamber TAC Committee

Windows 7 is on the way

The release date for Windows 7 is October 22nd. This is exciting news for many of us who have been eagerly awaiting a replacement for Windows Vista, which was officially released on January 30th, 2007. 

As you may have heard or experienced yourself, Windows Vista has not performed up to expectations, especially in business environments. For a typical home user, Vista has performed reasonably well.  However, in a business environment, numerous compatibility and stability issues caused Vista to fall short of meeting key operational requirements.