Articles by Category: Small & Medium Business

Free Blackberry Enterprise Server? RIM Says “You Bet”

May 18th, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

BES_expressSeveral months ago, RIM launched a Blackberry Enterprise Server Express product targeted squarely at small businesses. It’s a slightly watered-down version of their regular BES product, but it works and it’s free!

We’ve finally had the chance to test it out with a couple customers, and I can tell you that for a small business, the BES Express will do the trick. In case you’re new to this, the Blackberry Enterprise Server is RIM’s product that lets you connect BlackBerry smartphones to your Microsoft Exchange Server for seamless emailing, calendar-contacts-notes-tasks syncing, contacts sharing, meeting and resource booking, etc.. Previously, you had to pay the friendly Canadians $2,999 plus $99 per user fees to use the BES, but RIM is apparently feeling the pressure from ActiveSync and Google, so it started offering the entry-level product for free.  You can even run it right on your Exchange Server (albeit with a 75 user limit), which spares you from any additional infrastructure expenses.

We like it. If you already have Microsoft Exchange, then you have one less reason to wait on getting your email on BlackBerry. If you don’t have Microsoft Exchange, then this is one more reason to finally upgrade. Have questions or want a quote? Email us at info@itmaxgroup.com or call 888-77-ITMAX

To learn more about Blackberry Express on RIM’s website, go here.

IT MAX Group beta-testing FreshBooks to QuickBooks integration

May 3rd, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

Many of you know and love QuickBooks: the small business accounting software from Intuit. At IT MAX Group, we’ve started using a complementary solution called FreshBooks to send out our customer invoices. One spoiler: the two systems don’t talk. Being the geeks we are, we’ve developed our own connector to integrate QuickBooks with FreshBooks invoicing. The solution lets you:

  • Push invoices from Freshbooks to Quickbooks
  • Synchronize customers and customer data between the two systems
  • Synchronize items with billing categories
  • Edit invoices directly in Freshbooks and have the changes be reflected in Quickbooks automatically.

Cool, eh? To learn more or to sign up as one of our testers, go to www.freshqb.com

How to speed up your Internet browsing using DNS

February 23rd, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

This probably happened to you at some point: you enter a web address or click a link, and your browser takes its sweet time to respond. Sometimes you need to click “go” again or refresh the page for it to get out of its limbo — and sometimes it just wouldn’t go to the page that worked fine a minute ago. You, being the power user that you are, curse [insert your ISP name here] under your breath and go to www.speedtest.net to see what speed you’re getting — only to find that the connection works as advertised. You even restart your router — and that doesn’t help either. Before you get on the phone with your ISP and hold endlessly while they’re “testing” the line, try our little DNS trick.

DNS or the Domain Name System is essentially your computer’s phone book for the Internet. It helps translate an Internet domain name like www.itmaxgroup.com into an IP address that your browser needs to connect to that website. Each time you visit a new website, a DNS query is issued in the background to one of the many servers that handle such translations. Your ISP configured one for you, but they likely send thousands of other customers to the same server – causing it to get overworked and slow to return the IP addresses your browser needs. Hence the low responsiveness you get during browsing. This doesn’t affect the speed of your downloads or bandwidth tests — just how long it takes you to go to new web destinations. Most of the time, all you need to do is configure your computer or router to use a different DNS server — and you’ll see the difference immediately. Here’s what you need to do:

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5 Microsoft Outlook tricks you should know

February 1st, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

Use color to identify messages from specific senders

Expecting important mail? Identify it as soon as it comes in by displaying it in a distinctive color. Start by select an existing message from the sender in question, if you have one. If you don’t, that’s okay; you can enter the sender’s name manually. Now follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Tools menu up on top and click Organize
  2. In the Ways To Organize Mail pane, click the Colors link on the left side.
  3. In the first condition statement (we won’t use the second), choose From in the first drop-down list.
  4. If you chose a message before starting, the sender’s name will appear in the text box to the right. If it’s the wrong name, enter the right name or the person’s e-mail address.
  5. Choose a color from the second drop-down list.
  6. Click Apply Color and close the pane.

color-email

Afterward, Outlook will display all messages, existing and new, from the person you specified in step 4 in the color you selected in step 5.

Force “Reply to All”

Sometimes you need to talk to your entire team at once and have everybody be in the loop on the conversation. You may be working on a common project or trying to organize an office function of some sort – so you need people to “reply to all”  to make it easy. Then some knucklehead doesn’t follow protocol. Well, good news! You can configure your message to automatically “Reply to all” before you send it. Here’s what you do: Read the rest of this entry »

Which Version of Windows 7 is best for small businesses?

January 20th, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

We get this question enough that it makes sense to outline some differences among the 6 Windows 7 editions that are out there. To give you the answer upfront, though: we think it’s Windows 7 Professional

  • Windows 7 Starter – not much you have to know about this one. It’s bundled with some low-end computers; you can’t buy it separately and you probably wouldn’t want to since it’s devoid of any usability, productivity or customization features.
  • Windows 7 Home Basic – don’t worry about this one either. It’s an emerging markets version that isn’t sold in the US. By the way, even if you get it in Indonesia, Pakistan or another picturesque destination, you can’t activate it here. Don’t forget to call and cancel those plane tickets.
  • Windows 7 Home Premium – This version is targeted squarely at the home market and includes features like Windows Media Center, Windows Aero and touch-screen controls (for PCs with touch-screen displays).  This version’s main limitations are its inability to back up to a network location, inability to host a remote desktop connection, lack of location-aware printing and no “offline files” support.
  • Windows 7 Professional, in our view, is the best pick for SMBs. It includes all features of Windows Home Premium, and adds the ability to participate in a Windows Server domain (so that you can set up Active Directory services to control the computer’s access to your network and other resources). Additional features include operating as a Remote Desktop server, location aware printing, Encrypting File System, Presentation Mode, offline files and folder redirection, backup to network and Software Restriction Policies. You can even run your XP-compatible applications in “XP Mode,” which virtualizes a Windows XP machine right in your Windows 7 interface.
  • Windows 7 Enterprise isn’t much of an option to SMBs, since it isn’t sold through retail markets (it’s available to larger companies that have volume licensing agreements with Microsoft).
  • Windows 7 Ultimate, unlike the Enterprise, can be purchased on an individual license basis. It includes some advanced remote access features like multiple displays and full Aero interface, as well as some advanced security functionality (including BitLocker and AppLocker). It may be an overkill for how most small businesses use their computers.

If you have questions about specific Windows 7 features or need help upgrading to Windows 7, don’t hesitate to call us at 888-77-ITMAX.

10 Steps to Troubleshoot Printer Problems

January 13th, 2010 by Max Longin

Ok, so your printer has a mind of its own. Sometimes it prints with no problem, other times it throws error messages at you… or even worse, it says nothing and does nothing. Here are 10 common things it could be. I bet if you walk through them in this order, you’ll fix 95% of printer problems right there on the spot. Or, of course, you could submit an IT support ticket for help.

1. Make sure the printer is plugged in. It sounds silly (and “of course it’s plugged in — I plugged it in myself”), but check anyway. You may just be surprised.

  • Plug the printer in and try printing again

2. Make sure the printer is turned on and that all status lights are green. A red or yellow light may indicate a problem like a paper jam, low toner, no paper, etc..

  • Some problems will be pretty obvious. For example, you will easily spot a paper jam by sliding out the paper tray or opening the top cover. Some printers will even show you where the problem is by flashing designated lights or displaying messages on the LCD screen. Other problems will be more difficult to understand. Some older Brother printers, fox example, showed a different combination of error lights and blinking sequences to alert users to common problems. You will obviously need the printer’s manual to decipher those.

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Should I Switch to Windows 7?

January 3rd, 2010 by Alex Nozdrin

windows7There’s quite a bit of buzz out there about Microsoft’s newest Windows 7 operating system. You’ve probably heard it’s easier to use, more stable and secure, and packs a bunch of productivity features right out of the box. But you’ve been running Windows XP (with not much drama, you might add) since 2001, and keep wondering just why you’re supposed to switch. You obviously don’t have to. Although Microsoft will start significantly scaling back support for Windows XP in 2010, your PC will work just fine. There are, however, some things about Windows 7 that may make it worth it for a small/medium business like yours to upgrade:

  • Decreased boot time: If you’ve been running Windows XP (or worse, Vista) for a while, you probably have a morning ritual of turning on your machine and going to get some coffee while it boots up. Some of our clients can squeeze in a budget review meeting as well. Windows 7 can help put an end to that, with the average machine booting up in under 60 seconds.
  • Better performance: When booted up, Windows 7 is also less busy with the processor and RAM  (if you’ve ever run Windows Vista, you’ve probably at some point felt like your machine is looking for a cure for cancer when you’re just reading email). It accomplishes this by only running speed-sapping background services when you need them and running leaner overall. Windows 7 is also quicker at discovering your USB devices and connecting to your wireless networks than either XP or Vista were.
  • Better search: you can also save a lot of time searching for things on your PC. In Windows 7, when you start typing into the Start menu search box, you’ll instantly see a list of relevant documents, pictures, music and email on your machine. Results are now grouped by category and contain highlighted keywords and text snippets to make them easier to scan. You can even do this with attached storage (like external hard drives and USB drives) and networked computers.
  • Snap is Windows 7’s new way to resize and compare windows on your desktop. With many of you now working on nice new widescreen LCD monitors, this feature lets you easily arrange two documents side by side so it’s easier to multitask. This is the closest you’ll get to a two-screen setup without actually getting a second monitor.
  • Location-Aware Printing is a cool feature that remembers which printer you use with what network when you travel from home to office with your laptop.
  • It’s not obnoxious like Windows Vista was with all the security notifications, “are you really-really sure?” questions, dimming of the screen and such. Windows 7 still has Windows Defender, a solid firewall (now with multi-location policies) and other security features, but it doesn’t feel compelled to ask your permission to run Notepad.
  • Better power management: This is important for you laptop-toting professionals. Windows 7 runs fewer background activities so your PC processor doesn’t work as hard and draws less power. Other innovations include less power-hungry DVD playback (handy on long flights), automatic screen dimming, powering off unused ports, and a more accurate battery-life indicator.

Windows 7 also features a much improved, more convenient and better-looking user interface and a host of entertainment-focused improvements but chances are that won’t drive your decision to upgrade your business PCs. You can find a complete list of Windows 7 features here.

Want to know more about Windows 7 or ways to upgrade? Get in touch with your IT MAX Consultant or call 888-77-ITMAX.

Benefits of Outsourcing IT support

November 28th, 2009 by Alex Nozdrin

At IT MAX Group, we’re big believers in the concept of doing what you do best and letting other people do the same. After all, that’s why you got into the business you’re in today: you thought you had a skill, process or product that can make you successful. Stick with that. Yes, you can figure out how to do your own taxes, plumbing or deliveries. It doesn’t mean you should. When you get distracted doing things you aren’t good at, you sabotage your business, miss opportunities and get frustrated in the process. IT MAX Group has seen great growth in the last several years because more small businesses come to realize that in this economic climate they can’t afford to spend time on non-core activities. For most of you, IT support is a non-core activity — and one that’s relatively easy to get help with. Here’s what you have to gain:

Save money:

Most anything you do is better than letting your regular staff handle their own IT needs. That’s just too expensive. We’ve seen some interesting examples of $250/hour attorneys spending hours troubleshooting their desktop computers (a $30/month service with IT MAX Group) or offices full of CPA’s shutting down for the afternoon after a server crash. Few business owners consciously try to quantify the costs of this – but you won’t like the results if you do the math.
Having an IT person on staff may seem like a logical option once you have 15 or 20 people in your office, but after self-service, this is the second most expensive way to go. A going rate for a midlevel IT support person is about $70,000. Add to that benefits, training and turnover costs, and you’ll often find your entire IT budget eaten up by this one individual – who by the way usually has a rather singular skill set.

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Blackberry Tips & Tricks

November 10th, 2009 by Max Longin

Got a ‘berry? Here are some cool shortcuts to help you talk to it:

  • When typing an email or a text, simply push the Space Bar twice to create a period at the end of blackberry-shortcutsyour sentence and automatically capitalize the first letter of the next sentence.
  • When typing an email or a text, hold down a letter for one extra second to capitalize it.
  • When in your messages inbox (text or email), use B to get to the bottom of the list, and T to get to the top.
  • In the phone application, you can dial 1-888-FLOWERS (or any number that contains letters) by simply dialing 1-888 then press the ALT key to spell out the desired letters. The device changes the letters into a format that the phone system recognizes, therefore dials the appropriate number tones. This also works for spelling last names in a company directory! So, using this method to dial 1-866-ATT-SMBZ would automatically dial 1-866-288-7629.
  • To type an accented or special character, hold letter key and roll trackball to the left or right, then release letter key when accented or special character appears.
  • When viewing pictures, zoom in by pressing 3; zoom out by pressing 9; to return to center of a picture press 5 and to rotate a picture press L

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Document Management Solutions: Primer

October 15th, 2009 by Alex Nozdrin

Ever been curious what paperwork at your company really costs you? I just came across some good stats from analysts and companies like Gartner, Laserfishe and eCopy:

  • $30: average cost to file and store one document
  • $120: average cost to find a misfiled document
  • $220: average cost to reproduce a lost document
  • 7.5%: percentage of documents that gets lost
  • 90%: how many papers are shuffled when handled

The answer for many small businesses lies in deploying a document management solution to electronically store, share, distribute and collaborate on documents and records. Many companies are adopting the technology to free up office space, improve search and retrieval, ensure regulatory compliance and achieve efficient and secure archiving of business information.

Why It’s on Our Radar

Hard as you may try, there’s no way to avoid paper documents. From mail correspondence and vendor invoices to customer contracts and meeting notes, a lot of your business information lives on paper — or is at least born on paper. Depending on your industry and your day-to-day processes, digitizing these records for easy storage, search and retrieval can produce enormous time savings and help you become a more responsive and flexible organization.

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