Just this week, OpenDNS, an organization with a mission to make the Internet a better place, has released a free service called Family Shield.  Family Shield is a service designed to automatically restrict access to adult websites for all computers on a home network.  It also restricts access for other devices that can access the Internet as well, such as an Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, iPad and smartphones that are connected via wi-fi.  The service is automatically kept up-to-date by OpenDNS.  Family Shield is easy to setup and instantly filters content on all your computers with no software to install or update.

If you have questions about Family Shield or are interested in implementing in your home, please give us a call at 651-454-7729 and we can provide assistance in setting it up, getting it configured, and providing recommendations about how it can help protect you.

The new iPhone 4 is thinner than its most recent predecessor, the iPhone 3GS. It has a greatly improved display as well, even though the iPhone 3GS already had an excellent display. The new iPhone 4 will also be equipped with a 5mp camera (as opposed to a 3mp camera on the iPhone 3GS), which will be capable of HD video recording. Additionally, the iPhone 4 has a camera on the front of the phone. This is used for Apple’s new feature called FaceTime which allows users to have video calls with each other. This is a huge leap forward in cell phone technology, but it only works over a wi-fi network, not over the 3G network. The new iPhone 4 also has wireless-n technology built-in. (See this article we wrote a few months ago on wireless-n networks). Lastly, the battery life has been further improved to last longer.

IOS 4 has over 100 new features. There have been great improvements for multitasking, or running multiple applications simultaneously, without slowing down the performance of the phone. Organization has also been improved. Users are now able to put applications into various folders to organize them. Email has been improved to have a global inbox (as opposed to having multiple separate inboxes), if you want, as well as the ability to open more attachments. It is also more customizable and allows users to have a different home screen wallpaper. For more information visit Apple’s overview.  Current iPhone users may be eligible for an upgrade to iOS 4. If you are a current iPhone user, click here to see if you can upgrade to the new software.

There have been many rumors circulating around about a “4G” iPhone, as well as other carriers getting the iPhone, so let’s clear that up. The iPhone 4 is still going to be over a 3G cellular network; AT&T has made no announcements about a 4G network being implemented. Furthermore, there have been no reports from T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint about getting the iPhone and it will remain an AT&T exclusive phone for now.

If you are interested in upgrading your iPhone or purchasing an iPhone, Emerson Technologies would be happy to assist you and configure it to work properly in your work environment. Just give us a call at 651-454-7729.

When Microsoft released Office 2007, there were significant changes to how the applications looked.  No longer are there menus such as “File” and “Edit” rather there is a ribbon with icons.  This change was designed to make using more features more intuitive. Many users have resisted upgrading from older versions because it takes time to get used to the new versions.  However this new interface is here to stay.  More and more applications from other vendors are utilizing this format.  Some office applications, such as Outlook 2007, did not implement much of this new interface, but Outlook 2010 has this new look and feel.  The ribbon in Office 2010 is much more customizable, allowing you to move tabs and create your own buttons.

If you are thinking about upgrading to a newer version of Office keep in mind that Office 2010 requires a little more powerful hardware than its predecessors, but it has a number of new features.  If you are currently using Office 2003 or an older version, it is strongly recommended that you upgrade.  Older versions of Office will stop receiving security updates and there are compatibility issues that have started creeping into some newer software causing problems with older versions of Microsoft Office.

Office 2010 allows for simultaneous editing of the same file. Have you ever seen a message popping up saying that the file is “in use” but you can open a “read only” version of it? In Office 2010 more than 1 user can be editing the same file at the same time. It will alert you and let you know who is editing it and what they are changing. This could potentially be very useful for a lot of people to collaborate on a project.  There have also been notable improvements to PowerPoint in terms of the video and photo editing capabilities. You are able to add a whole new amount of transitions and effects to pictures and videos.

The bottom line is if you are using Office 2003 or older you should upgrade.  If you are using Office 2007 then the only reason to upgrade is for the new features Office 2010 has, but there is no pressing need to upgrade.

If you have any questions about upgrading or are unsure if you should, or if you have any additional questions about Office 2010 please give us a call at 651-454-7729 and we would be happy to help.

Computers are an investment. When purchasing a computer people often look only at the original sticker price as the full cost. However, the total cost of computer ownership includes original hardware, original software, hardware and software upgrades, maintenance and labor.

There comes a point when it is no longer economical to put money into a computer to fix it. In general that is 3 to 4 years. Now, of course there will be exceptions and this is just a guideline that has been developed from years of experience working with computers.

The question remains, what happens to computers that are around 3 years old? Why do they need to be replaced? There are many reasons for this. First, after 3 years the likelihood of hardware failures is much greater, and the warranties for the hardware are often expired. Also, it is very likely that a lot of software will have been installed on the computer and as newer software comes out, it usually requires more powerful hardware to run it. This means that in order to run the latest software properly, you need to update the hardware. Newer computers lead to less frustration and more productivity saving your company in the long run.

We find that many businesses, especially non-profit organizations, opt not to purchase a new computer because of apprehension about up front costs. However over a three to four year period, the cost of not upgrading easily outweighs the initial investment not to mention the difference in productivity. These costs do not factor in frustration by the user. These inefficiencies play a role and should not be discounted when deciding whether or not to purchase a new computer.

Here is the bottom line: replacement of a computer should strongly be considered after three years of usage.

These products are used around the country to protect computers in server rooms, drugs in pharmacies, expensive medical equipment, document storage rooms and more.

Here is a sample situation in which Invetex’s products could be very useful. Suppose it is a Friday night after everyone has left for the weekend and the air conditioning unit goes out in your building and/or server room and nobody will be in the office until Monday morning. Depending on the setup, the heat could rise to levels that could damage your server and any other of the sensitive electronic equipment in the room. This means that when you get there on Monday morning, there could be a lot of serious problems.  There are also going to be potential costs of replacement hardware and the time it is going to take to reconfigure everything, which could be hours or even days. If you had the proper monitoring equipment in place, then Friday night once the temperature started to rise an alert would have been sent out and action could be taken immediately- preventing any huge complications Monday morning so everyone can return to work and not even know there was a problem over the weekend.

For more information, send us an email or call us at 651-454-7729 and we can assist you in getting these products purchased and set up for you so that you can have peace of mind knowing that the correct precautionary measures have been taken.

It is important to have multiple copies of your data. When discussing the 3-2-1 backup strategy, the first set is the original data: this is the information you work with in real time. The second and third sets of data are considered backups of the original information, but the backups are of 2 different types.
For the two backup copies, they need to be on two different mediums. This is a measure taken for security reasons, in case something happens to one copy, or if something is somehow damaged. Having two copies on two different mediums is essential for a good backup strategy. Some of the most commonly used mediums for backups: external hard drive / USB drive, CD/DVD, tapes, online backup. There are different benefits for each backup medium. For example, tapes are easy to take offsite, but you have to have a tape-reader in order to use them, and tapes have to be regularly changed. Servers may have tape drives built into them, so using backup tapes makes sense in that case. CDs and DVDs are also easy to take off site, but they don’t hold as much data as tapes or external hard drives and also require user intervention. External hard drives are large and easy to transport, but they are also fragile and sensitive to damage. Online backups can be done automatically, and you don’t have to worry about physically changing a tape or taking the backup off site, because it is all done for you, but you do have to worry about bandwidth.

Following the 3-2-1 procedure means that one of the backups should be offsite. There are many reasons for this. First off, if you have all of your data backed up on tapes or an external hard drive that are left on site and there is a burglary, fire, or other natural disaster, then there is a good chance that your backup will be damaged or destroyed. Just because one of the backups needs to be off site does not mean it has to be online. If you are using tape backups or an external hard drive and you take it off site every night then that is considered an off site backup. The reason that Emerson Technologies recommends online backups is because they are very easy to configure, they run automatically, and they are already offsite. This means somebody doesn’t have to remember to take something home every night and every morning.

Here are some examples of recommended 3-2-1 backup strategies:

Strategy 1: External hard drive and online backups – Recommended by Emerson Technologies
3 copies of data – One live copy, one copy on an external hard drive, one copy backed up online.
2 different backup mediums – External hard drive and online
1 offsite backup – Online

Strategy 2: Backup tapes and online backups
3 copies of data – One live copy, one copy on backup tapes, one copy backed up online.
2 different backup mediums – Tapes and online
1 offsite backup – Online

Strategy 3: External hard drive and backup tapes
3 copies of data – One live copy, one copy on an external hard drive, one copy on backup tapes.
2 different backup mediums – External hard drive and tapes.
1 offsite backup – Either take tapes home every night, or take external hard drive home.
If you have any questions about your backup strategy, or if you would like Emerson Technologies to help you in any way, please give us a call at 651-454-7729 and we would be happy to help.

The applications of a Pogoplug are limitless. If you have a very large music collection and like to listen to it on your phone, but you don’t have enough space, then a Pogoplug can be very beneficial. All of the data is stored on a hard drive, and the Pogoplug allows you to access it from your phone! You can watch movies on your phone (though the quality is not the highest because it has to stream all of the data). You can even setup certain folders you want to be shared with others. This means you can have all of your photos online and share them with friends and family very easily.

The Pogoplug currently costs $129. This does not include the cost of any external drives that you will need to store your files. It may seem like an expensive device but the functionality that it provides as well as the ease of use make it very valuable. If you are interested in learning more about the Pogoplug please see the following articles, or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we will assist you the best we can.

For more information see the following articles:

“Pogoplug second generation debuts, coming this holiday with enhanced web interface” – Endgadget

“Pogoplug: A Simple Way to Share Data in Your Personal Cloud”
(older version of the Pogoplug, but same idea)

“What Is Pogoplug” – Pogoplug.com

One of the first things you will notice about Windows 7 is the changes to the look and feel.  There are many newer themes which make the computer look and feel more modern.  A nice feature of Windows 7 is the desktop slideshow. This feature allows a user have their background automatically change to a different picture at a given time interval. Although Windows XP and Windows Vista have been able to do this with the use of third party programs, it is built in to Window 7 which is a nice addition. The Windows 7 taskbar is also very different. It has a unique feature called preview. This allows a user to move the mouse over an icon and a preview of it will pop up. This can be useful to keep organized with different programs. Here is an image of the Windows 7 taskbar including the preview feature.  The taskbar also groups all icons for a given application together.  For example, if you have three different Microsoft Word documents up, they will all be grouped into one Microsoft Word icon, and you will first click on that and then choose which document you want to access.  This helps the taskbar to stay cleaner and more organized.

Windows 7 also added some new “flashy” features, but they do have  a purpose.  For example, there is a feature known as “Aero Snap”. You may have seen this commercial demonstrating the snap feature. Essentially it allows for two programs to be set up side by side so that you can multi-task better.  Another window management feature of Windows 7 is called “Aero Shake”. This feature allows a you to minimize all windows except the one you want by simply clicking on it and “shaking it” it from side to side for a second.  Click here for a video demonstration.

Another improvement of Windows 7 is the Action Center.  The Action Center is a one stop place where you can get a quick look at your computer and how it is performing. The Action Center will alert users about updates, firewalls, problems, and many other potential issues with your computer. It will serve as a reminder to keep your computer updated, backed up, and also makes sure you have proper anti virus software installed.   It also integrates with the notification area to alert you if any action is needed on your computer.

So far we have noted the aesthetic changes of Windows 7 because that is what many people care about – how the system looks. But one of the most important aspects is also how the system performs.  Windows 7 boots up faster than Windows Vista and Windows XP. It also has improved battery life features for laptops. Behind the scenes, Windows 7 has many improvements for the way hardware runs to take advantage of multi core processors as well as solid state hard drives.

Overall, Windows 7 has taken many steps in the right direction. While no Windows operating system has ever been perfect, Windows 7 looks and performs better than its predecessors.

When running updates be careful what options are checked. Often times sponsors of programs will bundle toolbars in with the installation. See this article on toolbars as a reference.  When installing Java updates for example, it will often have an option to install a toolbar with it and the option will already be checked. It is advised that you go through the update carefully to ensure that you don’t have that option checked.  Also, if you want to be sure you are applying the correct updates, for home users there is an excellent free tool called Secunia Personal Software Inspector which will tell you what programs are out of date, and it will show you where to get the most recent updates/versions for your programs.

If you see options for installing updates on any programs on your computer, it is advised that you install those updates. To run Windows updates you can go to http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/

If you need assistance installing updates or are unsure if you are up to date, please give us a call at 651-454-7729 or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we would be happy to help.

When wireless started becoming popular in many households, most people purchased a wireless b or wireless g router, which are backwards compatible with each other. It has only been recently (in the last 2 years or so) that wireless-n routers have been released and started to make their presence known. Wireless-n routers have some improvements over the older versions, but are they worth the additional cost?

Wireless-n routers transmit data at faster speeds than wireless g or b routers. However, the speed at which you browse the Internet is also limited by your Internet connection. Since your Internet connection is going to be a lot slower than the high speeds that data can be transmitted through your wireless router, if you are trying to speed up the use of your Internet, it really doesn’t matter that wireless-n routers can transmit data faster because you are still going to only browse websites at a maximum speed of your Internet connection. All types of wireless routers are still limited by Internet connection speed. If you are moving files around your local network, then wireless-n will not be limited by the speed of your Internet connection. For example, if you have a media center setup at home then a wireless-n network would be very useful for moving large videos around. Also, wireless-n routers can transmit up to 220 feet vs. 120 feet of wireless b or g routers. So if you need to have a wireless connection in a large home or even a small office, then a wireless-n router is advantageous.

Having said that, there is one issue with wireless-n routers to keep in mind: they require n-capable adapters to work at their top speed. This means if you have a laptop that doesn’t come with a built in n-capable wireless adapter, you can still connect to a wireless-n router but you won’t be able to get the full benefits of it. In order to use the benefits of a wireless-n router you have to upgrade the hardware in your laptops, computers, video game systems and portable devices as well. This can be an expensive process if you have multiple wireless devices that need upgrading. Having said that, you do not have to upgrade everything at the same time. As devices get old and are replaced, you will probably be replacing them with a device that supports the newer, faster technology right out of the box.

The bottom line is that for most people, wireless-n routers are not very cost effective unless you are in need of a new wireless device already. If you don’t have n-capable devices in your computers (which most people don’t), the benefit of wireless-n is not worth the cost of replacing all your older wireless devices. Additionally, even though wireless-n routers can transmit at faster speeds it won’t speed up most people’s Internet usage because the speed that matters is limited by your Internet connection. Unless you have a need to transmit wireless data over longer distances, or are moving large files between local computers, don’t worry about upgrading to a wireless-n device until your current equipment is up for replacement. In other words, don’t go out and buy a wireless-n router just for the sake of upgrading, rather wait until you have devices that support it and are in need of an upgrade, then buy a wireless-n router. If you don’t have a wireless router at all and are going to buy one, then it would be wise to purchase a wireless-n router.

If you are looking at buying a wireless-n router or need assistance setting one one, Emerson Technologies would be happy to help. Just call our office at 651-454-7729 or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we will assist you.