Welcome to the November Edition of That's Correct!
As you dust off the box of decorations stored and all but forgotten on the bottom shelf of the stationary cupboard, our Service Manager David has been calling around with regards to arranging some Festive TLC for your network.
Typically, the quieter Christmas period is a perfect time for us to perform maintenance tasks such as:
- Patching
- Trend upgrades to Version 6.0 (for Trend maintenance clients)
- A general health check
- A general clean up of log files etc.
If you're anticipating a reduced load on the server due to Christmas closures and would like to organise some server maintenance during this period, please let David know so that he may schedule you in.
Correct's Christmas Closures:
Dates Closed: 25th, 26th and 28th December 2009, 1st January 2010
Skeleton Crew: 24th till 31st December 2009 (excluding dates listed above)
4th till the 8th January 2010
- Uninterruptible Power Supplies - we explore some of the things your UPS can (and can’t) do for you…
- So, we've all heard the line about keyboards having more germs than a toilet seat, right? HP is on the quest for a cleaner working environment…
- Microsoft Windows 7 is here…so what happens now?
An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is an important part of many computer installations. Its primary purpose is to protect the server/computer and its data from damage or loss due to power events. In the event of a power failure, severe dip or surge, the UPS will continue to provide power to protected equipment for as long as the batteries are capable (this depends on the rated capacity and the age of the UPS). When the batteries are near to being flat the UPS will issue a signal to the server to automatically shutdown safely.
There are many things that a UPS will NOT do for you. In general they will not run your systems for hours. For a typical small to medium business, a UPS will usually run a server for 5-30 minutes depending on the specifications of both the server and the UPS.
Normally only your server and perhaps some networking equipment are protected by the UPS, not your entire computing infrastructure. Laser printers usually cannot be run off a UPS. Depending on the model being used, many UPS can only safely shutdown a single server. Network connectible UPS are available to remove this constraint. Unfortunately it is not recommended that you run your coffee machine off your UPS either!
Virtually all small UPS use sealed batteries to provide power. While these batteries require no regular maintenance they do require some care. As with any battery, those within a UPS will degrade over time. This will manifest itself by reducing the available run time for your server. The usual lifespan of a UPS battery is around 3 years, after which they will need to be replaced. Some models allow “hot swapping” of batteries while others require any connected equipment to be shutdown first. The best way to prolong the life of the batteries is to keep them cool.
Regular testing of your UPS is important to ensure that it will protect your server and data if called on to do so. Most UPS are supplied with software that will allow us to setup them up according to what you want to have happen in the event of a power failure and how you want to be alerted. It also allows us to setup scheduled automated testing to alert regarding any problems, battery degradation etc. This should be setup to run at least every couple of weeks.
If you have any questions regarding your own UPS or if you would like us to quote on the supply and installation of a UPS that best suits your needs then please contact us.
So, we've all heard the line about keyboards having more germs than a toilet seat, right?
Whether you believe it or not, if our News Peddlers are short on topics and choose to rebrand the story as relevant, it always makes you pause to consider what that really means when you hear it. More germs than a toilet seat? Nobody likes touching the toilet seat yet we sit at our computers all day touching the keys! We eat lunch at our desks. Type, munch. Type, munch.
For the average user, making sure we wash our hands regularly has been the only real solution. For the average user, that is good enough. But there are some environments where a 'good enough' level of clean isn't anywhere near good enough; doctor's surgeries, laboratories, places where food and money are handled to name a few. There are some environments where the transfer of dirt is not restricted to the application of an unwashed hand; Industrial environments, factories, mechanics' workshops, mining - the list goes on.
Keyboards are notoriously painful to keep clean - wouldn't it be great if you could run them under the tap and give them a good wash!
You can't...can you?
Well now you can - HP have released a Washable Keyboard, with a waterproof exterior that protects against windblown dust, rain, splashing water and hose-directed water!
The beauty of this unit is that - unlike some other washable keyboards available on the market (complete with protective over coat to make typing nearly impossible) this looks and more importantly feels like a regular keyboard. In our test we submerged the unit and washed it with detergent, after which it continued to function perfectly.
The HP Washable Keyboard is great product at a great price! For more information and a quote, contact Correct Solutions today!
The much anticipated release date of October 22, 2009 has been and gone, with stocks of Windows 7 pre-loaded PCs hitting shelves (and flying off them) everywhere. Customers still have choice; the vendors are still shipping PCs pre-loaded with XP Professional and with Windows 7 recovery media, but for how long we do not know. The good news is the apprehension that came with Vista seems to be quickly abating; techies have been chomping at the bit for Windows 7 to hit the market. We predict customers will soon be doing the same to get their hands on it.
And what's not to love! It is quick, secure, stylish, (and did we mention quick?)
Begin formulating a Windows 7 Action Plan.
For retail customers who are looking to upgrade to Windows 7, the choice is fairly simple. Buy a retail upgrade pack or purchase a new PC; if you're budget permits and the time is right.
For a business, the plan of attack should involve investing in a Windows 7 PC as soon as possible, to trial on the network. We say "as soon as possible" as the time to take advantage of the Government's 50% tax breaks is quickly running out; upgrading an aging fleet has never been timelier!
There are also a number of licensing options that can facilitate an Operating System upgrade of your existing fleet (note, software purchases are not eligible for the tax breaks).
Reasons to consider an upgrade:
- Windows 7 is not Windows Vista. Some people disliked the mere thought of Vista, a mindset exacerbated by negative press. For those that actually used Vista, one of the biggest complaints was the "User Account Control" pop up alerts. Windows 7 provides much greater control over the alert prompts. There was also a lot of push back over the lack of driver support, which has been addressed. The other main bug-bear was the critical issue of speed and performance. Well - thanks to Windows 7 - get ready to realise productivity gains!
- Legacy Line of Business applications that will only run on XP (and thus created a headache for anyone trying to roll out Vista machines) can now run on Windows 7 in the "Virtual XP Mode". By removing this roadblock, upgrading company-wide to the latest Operating System should no longer seem impossible.
- Better Security and data encryption. A lot has changed since XP was released, Windows 7 is designed to offer protection from threats that never even existed and for which XP just wasn't built.
- A simpler and more intuitive user interface packed with features - Click here to check out a demo video...
Like to know more? Feel free to call us for more information on obtaining Microsoft Windows 7.
That's all for this month! If you would like more information on any of these articles, please give us a call on 02 8831 8200.
