Taking good notes during class and meetings - even with the most rapid-fire professor – just got a whole lot easier. The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen may look like your average pen (it’s about the size of a Sharpie), but it also packs in a voice recorder and up to 2 GB of storage. So far so good, but here’s the really cool part: Not only does the Pulse remember everything you’ve written in digital form (you can sync your handwritten notes onto your PC or Mac and even share them online), it also keeps track of whatever was being said while you were scribbling a detail — just tap a word to hear all of what Professor or Executive Motormouth was saying at that particular moment.

  What’s the trick? The Pulse Smartpen’s infrared sensor uses the tiny dots on the custom (and required) Livescribe notebook paper as reference points.

for more info:  http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/

If you ask most business owners why they invest in computers and technology, you will hear things like “to increase employee productivity”, or “to improve customer service” or even to lower operating costs, make information more accessible, and give them a competitive advantage.

But the question is, are the computers in your office actually contributing to your productivity, or do they act as a money-sucking stumbling block to your businesses success?

In this dog-eat-dog world, you cannot afford to have anything slowing you down or interfering with your day to day operations. Especially the tools you rely on in your computer network. If you want to learn how you can experience fewer interruptions, problems, and downtime, AND lower the overall costs associated with your computer network, then you’ll want to know about “Managed Services”.

Managed Services is the term commonly used to describe computer support designed specifically for businesses that do not have a full time IT staff taking care of their computer network.

Typically, computer support companies who offer managed services do so for a fixed monthly fee, and they will monitor and maintain your computer network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to make sure all systems are running at peak performance. They should also make sure critical network maintenance such as security and virus updates, back ups, and system optimization happens when it should to avoid bigger, more expensive problems from happening.

#2. Upgrade The Processor Or Add A Graphics Accelerator. If you are just looking for a little more “zoom,” upgrading the processor or installing a graphics accelerator will give your computer the ability to process information faster and improve its overall speed.

#3. Perform Regular Maintenance On Your Servers and Desktops.  Computers, like cars, need regular maintenance to perform at top speed and reliability. At a minimum, you should run ScanDisk and the Disk Defrag Utility on your machines once a month. This will make your applications and files load and run faster.

#4. Run A Spyware Scan Once A Week. One telltale sign that your computer is infected with spyware is slow, unstable performance. Spyware sucks up your system’s resources to carry out its evil intent, slowing down your computer and even causing it to freeze and crash.

#5. Disable Or Remove Unnecessary Programs Running In The Background. Many computers have pre-installed software programs that use up system resources and slow down your computer.

While these recommendations will certainly speed up your system, they aren’t a miracle cure for a seriously out-of-date computer network. If your computer or network constantly crashes, freezes up, or runs painfully slow, then it’s time for an upgrade.

“As the security becomes better at large companies, the small business begins to look more and more enticing to computer criminals,” said Charles Matthews, President of the International Council for Small Business, “It’s the path of least resistance.”

Think your network is secure? Take a look at these surprising statistics:

• One-fifth of small businesses don’t have up-to-date antivirus software installed.
• Sixty percent don’t encrypt their wireless links.
• Two-thirds of small businesses don’t have a security plan in place.
• Eighty-five percent of the fraud occurs in small and medium-sized businesses.

Why is security so poor for small business? Primarily for two reasons:

Ignorance. Most small businesses believe that nothing could ever happen to them, and therefore don’t take the necessary precautions to secure their network, monitor their systems, and train their staff. They are also ignorant on HOW to get this done (which makes a strong argument for getting all of our clients on one of our managed services plans!

The second reason is that they are being cheap in the wrong places. Some simply refuse to spend money on securing their network. That’s akin to having a beautiful home full of expensive furnishings and valuables, but refusing to buy a good lock for the door because it “costs too much.”

So what should you do at a minimum to protect your company? Here are 7 fundamentals:

1. Educate your users on security basics such as using strong passwords, shutting down PCs at night, and not downloading “cute” screen savers and illegal music. Some companies make computer security rules part of their standard HR policies and make each employee sign that they understand the rules.
2. Install a web filtering software to police users and prevent accidental (or intentional) slip-ups on the above-mentioned usage policies.
3. Install a good virus protection system on all computers on your network and maintain it.
4. Install a firewall and check the logs periodically.
5. Remove all unessential services and applications installed on your servers. After e-mail, this is probably the biggest security vulnerability. If a hacker gets in, this will reduce their ability to use a forgotten service or application to exploit your network.
6. Keep all your servers updated with all the latest security patches.
7. Never keep any of the manufacturer’s default settings on any of the appliances or software you install. Hackers know what these settings are and will use them to gain easy access to your network. This item nails more systems administrators than we care to admit.

This training and software is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you’ll have over your network’s security. And since 80% of all security breaches happen because of an end user mistake, you’ll also be taking a big step towards protecting your assets.

DO – Find out if all your software programs will be compatible
Anytime Microsoft creates a new operating system, software companies often scramble to make their package work properly with it so there are no errors, glitches, or data corruption (a.k.a “your information deleted”). Some software companies are faster and better at this than others, so be sure to check with your software manufacturer to make sure you won’t end up with more problems than when you started.

DON’T – Hold back from getting the new computers you need
Maybe you want to wait until Windows 7 gets the bugs out. Or, maybe it’s because you’re worried about buying a computer now that will be considered “old” when Windows 7 is officially released.  The good news is you don’t have to wait. For a limited time when you buy  from Microsoft-approved vendors, your new computer purchase will come with the ability to upgrade to Windows 7 for free, giving you the flexibility to have the upgrade option now and install it when you choose. Also, if you participate in Microsoft’s “Software Assurance” program for your operating system, you’ll be entitled to the new version for free as well.

DO – Know how to “shake” it
Have you ever had a bunch of windows open on your computer and felt  like it was out of control and you couldn’t find anything? Then Windows 7 might be for you. It is designed to save time for people who work on multiple documents, spreadsheets, and web pages at once by allowing you to simply shake your mouse vigorously and make all those open Windows drop to the bottom of the screen and clear up your workspace.  In addition to the “shake”  feature, Windows 7 also makes it easier to view side-by-side with just one click.

DON’T – Expect Miracles
Windows 7 does truly make using your computer faster since many of the features Microsoft has rolled out to help business owners and their teams work on multiple projects at once easier to use than ever before.  Initial studies are showing that it might ad one to two hours of productivity to your week over previous version.  But, if you expect Windows 7 to actually do the work for you, you may be disappointed.

That is why many small businesses are switching to a fixed-price model of I.T. services (often called “managed services”) where the focus is on preventing issues from happening, rather than reacting to the problems as they come up. While paying by the hour may seem cheaper on the surface, the cost of being down far out-weighs the potentially higher investment of preventing issues.

If even ONE employee in your company is spending ONE hour surfing the web instead of doing what they should be doing, it is impacting your bottom line. Add to that the fact that many employees reduce productivity for your whole staff  when they peruse the web because their activity slows your company’s Internet speed way down… (If you’ve ever gotten frustrated because your Internet all of a sudden slowed to a halt…a time-wasting employee may be the cause)… and you’ve got a recipe for losing money without even realizing it.

 So, other than looking over each employee’s shoulder every hour of every day, how do you even know if this is going on in your business? And if it is going on, how do you stop it?  Check out these tips for help:

Determine Your Rules – Figuring out what websites are actually productive for your business will help to prevent or eliminate any wasted web time. For example, many companies ban job searching sites for obvious reasons; they don’t want their employees finding another job on the company’s dime. However, if your company places job postings online, then you would WANT your admin to have access to those sites so he/she could post the ads for you. Social media is another example. If you do any marketing through sites like MySpace, FaceBook, or Twitter, then your employees would need access to that, too.  If they don’t need access to any of these sites for their jobs, they can be easily and affordably blocked.

Get An Internet Usage Audit – Any reputable IT company should have tools available to be able to report on your employee’s Internet activity, most times without the employee even knowing.  This can give you insight into who in your organization (if anyone) is the biggest culprit and how much productivity loss you currently have in your company.

Have An Internet Filtering System Installed – Sounds complicated…but it’s not. Typically, a piece of hardware is installed on your network, or you simply subscribe to a service, and either’s job is to block any specific websites or categories of websites (all shopping sites, for example). There are literally dozens of different models and pricing structures for these devices. The most basic ones allow you to control the types of websites your employees can visit by blocking them altogether. There are other models, though, that for basically the same price point allow you to control the things they can or cannot download, and the speed at which they are allowed to access certain sites. You can also control which activities get the highest Internet speeds (for example, payroll website) and which sites will only work if no other work-related functions are happening at the same time. (for example, iTunes downloads)

With the following 4 features, Net Nanny Parental Controls software by ContentWatch ($29 at www.hermanstreet.com) helps you do just that.

1. Blocks “Mature” Games. The software scans the online game for its ESRB ratings (like movie ratings, but for computer games). If the game isn’t kid-friendly, the computer blocks it.

2. Filters Facebook. Net Nanny can provide parents with a report on who their kids’ “friends” are, what pictures and videos they are looking at, and their Facebook Instant Message conversations.

3. Prevents Proxy Sites From Working. Content filters work by making a “blacklist” of sites that it won’t allow. If you tried to type in a blacklisted website address, you wouldn’t get very far. But there’s a sneaky way around this called a “Proxy Server.”

Proxy Server web addresses are usually content neutral, so users can go there without flagging the blacklist system. Once in, your child can navigate to their original blacklisted site. Net Nanny prevents this by blocking both proxy server entries and the inappropriate website itself.

4. Keeps Parents Informed. Whenever your child is trying to gain access to something you have blocked, Net Nanny sends an e-mail notification to the
parents.

Keep It Clean
There is no faster way to gunk up a laser printer and cause printing problems than by letting it get dirty.

On a monthly basis, use compressed air to blow out the inside of the printer. Remove the toner cartridge for better access, and don’t forget to do the back if it is accessible. It also helps to take a vacuum to the outside. If you print labels or use any other type of specialty media like transparencies, use rubbing alcohol to clean the rollers inside the printer.

Do Your Maintenance
You can almost infinitely extend your printers lifespan by doing the regular maintenance suggested by the manufacturer.  This includes replacing rollers, filters, and occasionally replacing the fuser (the printer’s internal furnace.)  Here’s a little money-saving secret: you only need to do this type of maintenance at 1.5 to 2 times the manufacturer’s usage recommendation. In other words, if your printer’s manufacturer says to replace rollers every 100,000 pages, you really only need to do so every 150,000 to 200,000 pages.

Use a Surge Protector
Nothing will send your printer to the bone yard faster than an electrical surge caused by lightning or other issues on the power grid.

When internal components are fried, it is often cheaper to buy a new printer than it is to fix the existing one.  It is easy to protect yourself with a $25 surge protector.  DO NOT plug a laser printer into a UPS or other battery backup system. The printer’s power draw is too much for a battery to handle.

Xobni is an Outlook plug-in that pulls contact information from several sources including LinkedIn profiles, Facebook, Twitter, Salesforce, Hoovers and Yahoo mail. It also organizes your e-mails into threaded conversations and makes searching for documents and e-mails much easier.

If there is a phone number, address or company name in an e-mail, that person’s information profile will be automatically populated. It’s the same thing if one of your contact’s e-mail addresses matches a profile on Facebook, Yahoo or LinkedIn. Company information is automatically pulled from Hoovers.

Another cool feature is the contact statistics, which gives you a graph showing what times people tend to send you e-mail so you can quickly identify the most likely times you’ll be able to reach that person. Additionally, it ranks that person with regards to the number of e-mails exchanged and displays the balance between sent and received e-mails. Xobni Actions supplies you with quick templates for asking a contact for their phone number or to schedule a meeting. Icons for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Hoovers allow you to quickly pull information from these sites including Facebook updates.
While there is a free version you can download, the paid version only costs $30 and gives you advanced search capabilities.