November 2008

Workers can buy their own computer.

Citrix Systems, Miami, Florida, may be the first major company to come out with a new plan to get out of the computer business, but they will not be the last by any means. Citrix is giving employees a $2,100 stipend to buy a laptop and three year service plan.  Citrix says that the cost to purchase and maintain company own systems is between $2,500 and $2,600. This is probably a conservative estimate and in fact most companies can save significant dollars by not providing systems to employees.  If this sounds shocking, consider how many employees use company owned equipment for personal shopping, gaming, and social networking. Many crashing the system for IT to repair in the process. Management believes that employees would take better care of equipment they own and in the age of Virtualization,  Software as a Service (SaaS,) and mobile computing the model works. In fact, several large accounting firms have told me they  are getting out of the cell phone business as well. On the premise that we don't buy employees a car to drive to work, cell phones and in some cases computers, are not considered commodities - everyone has one.  The decision is up to you, but when you are ready to make that move remember to properly secure company owned information, software and other resources. 

How Important Is Being Technical?

A recent article in Time, The Off-Line American, concerning John McCain's comments about not being technical and not even being able to do e-mail got me thinking. How important is it to be technically capable today?  I think it is becoming more important every day.  The modern manager must not only be able to text, but Twitter and Blog as well. The failure of not being able to do so means being out of the loop and that could mean loss of business or potentially failure. More technical bosses run more advanced businesses and draw younger more aggressive talent leading to greater success.

Windows 7 - Just around the corner

Microsoft is beginning to reveal some of the new features and an expected release date for the next versions of its Windows Operating System. The beta, to be released in early 2009, has many new graphical enhancements designed to allow users to heavily customize their desktop, as well take advantage of touch screen technology on newer systems and Windows 7 will also feature a new taskbar and a streamlined interface that will make users' most frequently used programs—such as a music player or a word processing app--easier to access, according to Microsoft. Windows 7 will also include a new feature, Device Stage, that's designed to increase compatibility between the host computer and commonly used peripherals such as printers, phones, and digital cameras. So, will the next version of Windows be flexible enough to even power your coffee-maker? Microsoft thinks so. The next version of Embedded Windows OS will be a cousin of Windows 7, offering many new interactive features.

What are My People Doing?

Wondering where your people surf to from your company Internet connection? I receive a number of request year for software recommendations that allow business owners to monitor web usage at the office. There are several solutions that I and associate Randy Johnston have used and recommended to others. It is important to let users know that you do monitor computer usages and to have appropriate use policies in place.

1)      http://www.stbernard.com/products/iprism/web_filtering

2)      http://www.track4win.com/Monitor_Internet_Usage.asp

3)      http://www.cymphonix.com/Products.html

4)      http://www.websense.com/global/en/ProductsServices/WSSecuritySuite/

October 2008:

Release of new Solid State Drives from Intel

Intel has announced two new Solid State Drives (think Flash,) one with 80 GB of disk space, for under $600 in OEM quantities, and we should see 160 GB by the fourth quarter. As capacity increases and cost decrease, look to see Solid State drives as the next big technology for Thin Client workstations and Notebooks. I have clients using Notebooks with 32GB Solid State drives and they absolutely love them. They are fast, very quiet, and have longer battery life. I can't wait! 

For those who travel

For those of you who travel on a regular basis and really enjoy those special moments with TSA, there are now a number of new travel bags which have been approved by TSA for you to leave your laptop in the bag, check out: Pathfinder´s Checkpoint Friendly(TM) CompuBrief(R) $149  recommended by my good friend and travel expert Randy Johnston, www.nmgi.com, http://www.pathfinderluggage.com/. A web search will identify a number of similar options including roller board options and briefs that "fly" through TSA (every pun intended!)

Sorry Boss, I Lost My Laptop!

According to a Communications News article from August 28th, Business travelers are losing more than 12,000 laptops per week at U.S. airports. Only one-third of those are reclaimed, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute, sponsored by Dell. At the same time, more than 53 percent of polled business travelers say their laptops contain confidential or sensitive information, and 65 percent of these travelers admit they do not take steps to protect or secure the information contained on their laptop. Companies are dependent on a mobile workforce with access to information no matter where they travel. This mobility, however, is putting companies at risk of having a data breach if a laptop containing sensitive information is lost or stolen.

To gather more information about this concern, the Ponemon Institute conducted field research at 106 major airports in 46 states and surveyed 864 business travelers in an airport environment. The airports with the highest number of lost, missing or stolen laptops include: Los Angeles International, Miami International, Kennedy International and Chicago O’Hare. While Atlanta’s Hartsfield- Jackson International is the busiest airport in the United States, it is tied for eighth place (with Washington’s Reagan National) for lost, stolen or missing laptop computers. According to the study, the types of company information contained on business travelers’ laptop computers include customer or consumer data (47 percent), business confidential information (46 percent), intellectual property such as software code, drawings or renderings (14 percent), and employee records (13 percent). The average business cost when confidential personal information is lost or stolen is $197 per record, says the Ponemon Institute.

Cyber War - Very Real.

A three-week wave of massive cyber-attacks on the small Baltic country of Estonia (Georgia), the first known incidence of such an assault on a state, is causing alarm across the western alliance, with NATO urgently examining the offensive and its implications. While Russia and Estonia are embroiled in their worst dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country has been subjected to a barrage of cyber warfare, disabling the websites of government ministries, political parties, newspapers, banks, and companies. NATO has dispatched some of its top cyber-terrorism experts to Tallinn to investigate and to help the Estonians beef up their electronic defenses. Alarm over the unprecedented scale of cyber-warfare is to be raised at a summit between Russian and European leaders outside Samara on the Volga. While planning to raise the issue with the Russian authorities, EU and NATO officials have been careful not to accuse the Russians directly. If it were established that Russia is behind the attacks, it would be the first known case of one state targeting another by cyber-warfare.

September 2008:

Google Releases Chrome for Windows Into Beta

Google has released its own Web browser, Chrome, in beta of course, in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine. The Mountain View-based company announced its latest product over the Labor Day holiday.  The free browser, called "Chrome," is available for downloading in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple's Mac computer and the Linux operating system. View the Chrome Comic Book to review all the cool features.

IE 8 Beta 2, May Not be XP SP3 Friendly.

I reported earlier on Internet Explorer 8 Beta and wanted to give you a heads up.  There are a number of problems and performance issues with the Beta and I caution everyone that the product may not be ready for production use.  It is a beta version still, so treat it accordingly. I noticed recently, while editing several web sites I moderate, that IE 8 had issues with properly formatting the page and did not show bullet points, had formatting errors, and could not view some sites properly. I am sure all these issues will be fixed in the final release and am not concerned. I appreciate Microsoft putting the beta version out there for us techies to play with.  Make sure you do a little back ground work before installing. See Channel Web blog on a warning to XP users.  

Temporary e-Mail Address helps with privacy

Mac McClelland, K2 Enterprises, found this little tidbit, a web site that will give you a unique e-Mail address for 10 minutes, more are available if you need a few extra minutes.  www.10minutemail.com is an interesting solution for those who need a temporary mailbox for on-site registration or e-mail box validation. 

August 2008:

Big Brother is Watching...and Copying

According to a report from CBS news last wee, U.S. authorities now have the power to seize and detain travelers’ electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones, and make copies of their contents under new customs policies. The policy gives border agents at any point of entry into the United States the authority to also take documents, books, pamphlets and hard drives. The items can be seized from anyone crossing the border and may then be copied and shared with other government agencies, according to Department of Homeland Security documents dated July 16. "Officers may detain documents and electronic devices, or copies thereof, for a reasonable period of time to perform a thorough border search," the policy says. "The search may take place on-site or at an off-site location."

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has already stated that he finds these policies "alarming" and planned to introduce legislation that would make grounds for border searches more rigorous. If the authorities find there is not probable cause to hold the seized items, copies must be destroyed, however, the policy does not outline a timeframe in which materials must be returned. The policy notes that examinations help authorities detect possible instances of terrorism, narcotics smuggling, child pornography and violations of copyright and trademark laws.

Can these new policies actually do any good?  Well consider a suggestion from a good friend (who's name I shall withhold as he does not want to visit Club Gitmo!) Consider the 'hidden volume' option available from several data encryption providers such as TrueCrypt, www.truecrypt.com. You could put your confidential data on a on a 12gb hidden partition (or SD card and store it in your  iPod, cell phone or camera - who would check your Camera SD card for hidden data?

So, if you are really a bad guy, you just laugh and find one of many ways around discovery. For the rest of us, this seems to be another ineffective and useless procedure. In fact, some might find that these extensive search and seizure policies are intrusive and counter to America's traditional rights and freedoms. If you feel this way, a note to your representative in Washington might be in order.  (If not, well then, a reread of George Orwell's 1984 might be in order :-)  Just wanted to give a heads up to our International travelers, one more reason to retire.

The Next Next Microsoft OS - Midori

What is Cloud Computing?

You may have seen this term a number of places recently, including here. So what is Cloud Computing? It is a key component of what is generally referred to as Web 2.0. The Cloud is a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" and is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "Computing," the term takes on a much larger persona. Cloud Computing comes into focus only when you think about growing resources technology needs to keep up with the rapidly changing demands of business. Cloud Computing is a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software.

Cloud computing functionality encompasses all types of subscription-based or pay-per-use services that extends IT's capabilities in real-time via the Internet. Cloud computing is just emerging with a wide range of providers, large and small, delivering cloud-based services. These services range from full-blown applications to utility services, such as storage services and spam filtering. Currently, IT departments plug directly into cloud-based services, but a number of cloud computing aggregators and integrators are emerging. These entities will package applications and services to match the business needs and collectively sell and support third-party processing power.  Just another evolution of the information hungry age where power means processing power and data is the new currency.  Just thought you would like to know.

Four Don'ts You Should Do

Don't Open e-Mail if you do not know the sender, and e-Mail attachment until you have scanned it first. Save the attachment and then run your virus protection software against the file.

Don't Plug It in. New software allows flash drives to be self aware and automatically run programs when they are plugged in. Hackers are using this technique to invade computers.  If you find a flash drive, DO NOT PLUG IT IN. Take IT for proper identification or destruction.

Don't Throw it Away. Think twice before you discard a memory card fixed disk, as sensitive data may abound on it. Make sure you destroy all magnetic and memory disks completely to be safe.

Don't Share Your Password.  Most of us would not share our toothbrush with our most beloved.Treat your password the same way and do not share it. As soon as you think someone has discovered your password, change it.

Stop Staring!

Let's face it, none of us are getting any younger, and I will be the first to testify that working excessive hours behind a computer screen has taken a toll on my eyes. So, before it is too late, take some well founded advice. Check your work station. Ideally your monitor should be roughly 18 inches from you and 5 to 9 inches below eye level. This brings your eyelids downward, and according to optometrists, this helps maintain the healthiest blink rate. Use a no-glare screen, or purchase a screen protector to place over the display to reduce glare.

If you spend five hours, or more, a day on a computer, ask your eye doctor if a special pair of computer glasses would help reduce strain and save the deterioration of  your eye sight. Finally, follow the 20/20 rule, that is, for every 20 minutes you spend staring at a screen, look away for at least 20 seconds at something  in the distance. This helps maintain your eye's ability to focus correctly.  Buy a quality display. Today we recommend either 22 or 24 inch as optimal. Many users are now using multiple monitors to reduce the effort of moving between applications, and most applications will allow you to zoom out on the display, making the screen text larger and easier to read without actually changing the font size. This helps when reviewing documents or working with large workbooks.

July 2008:

Microsoft SaaS Entry Announced

Microsoft has been talking about entering the Software as a Service (SaaS) market for the past several years, both in their Office suite of products, as well as their solutions for business. The solutions for business we should see in the next year or so, but Microsoft has announced their foray into SaaS (software available via a subscription-like service over the Internet and not locally installed.)  Equipt (beta tested as Albany earlier in the year)  includes a version of Office Home and Student 2007; Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft’s PC management/security bundle; a few Windows Live communication and collaboration services; and Office Live Workspace, Microsoft’s online-collaboration add-on to Office. The pricing is $69 and the software can be run on up to three Windows PCs. Comparably priced Office Home and Student 2007 is $129 and three years of OneCare is $90, making the breakeven for Equipt three years.  With new updates coming out every two years, this makes Equipt a pretty good deal, assuming you have high-speed Internet.

Microsoft Equipt is a subscription service that, in one easy installation, delivers security and performance with Windows Live OneCare plus Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 and other essential tools to help home PC users be more protected, productive and connected.

Windows Live OneCare offers all-in-one security and PC management by combining anti-malware protection, centralized backup and PC maintenance features. Office Home and Student 2007 contains Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007 and OneNote 2007. Note Outlook not included. If you purchase Microsoft Equipt, you can also extend your Office experience via Microsoft Office Live Workspace, a new service from Microsoft for saving and sharing documents to a dedicated online Workspace. Microsoft Equipt also includes Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery. With an active subscription, you’ll get updates for the latest security protection and enhancements, plus version upgrades for Office Home and Student at no additional cost.

You can purchase an annual subscription of Microsoft Equipt for $69.99 (estimated retail price). You can install each subscription on up to three home PCs. Version upgrades for both Office Home and Student and OneCare, plus updated virus definitions, are automatic at no additional cost.

SaaS will be old news soon, as more software is released to run as a service. Some pundits are even projecting that Microsoft may offer the Windows Operating System to run this way. But, whatever happens, the move is still dependent on high-speed quality Internet access at a point-in-time where Internet providers in some parts of the country are struggling to keep up with demand and seeing cost escalate and profits on Internet services drop. Combined with the move to Internet- based phone services, the infrastructure may not be able to keep up with demand. Interesting times we live in.

Adobe Releases PDF Standard to ISO

Not so much new news and interesting news.  I tracked Adobe's talks with the International Standards Committee and the Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM) since before the release of Vista and Office 2007 and knew that Adobe released the standard to AIIM just one day before the release of Vista and Office 2007 with XPS. (Extensible Publishing Specification was considered by many to be the PDF killer, which did not seem to happen, yet.) At a recent meeting, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) voted to approve Adobe’s PDF as an international document format standard. The vote was passed with 13-to-one in favor and PDF is set to become the ISO 32000 Standard. As a result, Adobe will no longer have sole control over what is already the de facto standard for sharing, editing and commenting on documents between multiple platforms. ‘Adobe will be just one of many implementers of that standard. Adobe expects to participate on the ISO committees determining changes that should be included in a revised standard,’ said James King, a senior principle scientist and PDF architect at Adobe.

Bonjour.

No, I am not going to Paris. Darn!! I just wanted to share some information on Bonjour with you. Bonjour, also known as zero-configuration networking, enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on IP networks. Bonjour uses industry standard IP protocols to allow devices to automatically discover each other without the need to enter IP addresses or configure DNS servers. Specifically, Bonjour enables automatic IP address assignment without a DHCP server, name to address translation without a DNS server, and service discovery without a directory server. Bonjour is an open protocol which Apple has submitted to the IETF as part of the ongoing standards-creation process. To learn more, check out the Bonjour Protocol Specifications which detail the technologies that make up Link-Local and Wide-Area Bonjour. 

I know you think this is a Mac thing, but wait.  Apple has released a SDK for Windows as well and Bonjour is running on my Vista 64 bit platform wonderfully.  Bonjour found a following for IT administrators looking for a tool to quickly configure network printers, but it can also be used to quickly and easily connect to local computers and resources, such as Shared Storage Devices. (SSD is a fancy way of saying USB or network ready standalone storage device.)  Non-Mac developers can use the Apple Bonjour SDK to Embed Bonjour in Windows Applications and we are seeing these coming from a number of sources. Bonjour is OS friendly, as comfortable with OS X and Linux as it is with Windows. 

The technical side. I usually do not try to go into deep technical explanation here, and will not do so this time either as many of my visitors are not IT technical.  A simple Google of Bonjour for windows and "download" will provide you with the utility and help manual to get started. For you IT folks - GET IT NOW!  You will love it for setting printers, if nothing else, and a hundred other simple tasks.

Going Topless

I was shocked last week when my wife came in my office and told me I was ahead of my time. She was referring, of course, to my article last month on the need to detoxify from so much computer use.  It seems that there have been a number of news stories about companies going "topless" in the board room.  Now, get your minds out of the gutter! They are referring to the practice of not allowing laptops in meetings. Parts of Microsoft have promoted this practice for some time. The result has been shorter and more productive meetings, with nearly everyone reporting that they left the meeting with greater comprehension of what was discussed than before and felt more productive. Others are taking topless even further by shutting down e-Mail or requiring the employees take tech breaks to spend more time thinking.  Wow, thinking, what a novel concept! 

March 28, 2008

Microsoft Releases Vista SP1

It's here; it's official.  Microsoft has released Vista SP1. I updated my office systems ( I was a beta user on my test machines, but they do not count) and have had no issues. But, I am hearing lots of horror stories about requirements to reactivate the OS and other applications because of forced driver changes and so forth.  If your machine is not current, or you have non-Microsoft recognized drivers installed, you might expect to have to reactivate.  If you are the IT person with 10,000 machines, it could be a really long weekend as you may have to call (yes, use the phone) Microsoft on each machine to reactivate! Do I hear Mac users laughing in the background? 

On top of reactivation woes, a lot of Windows Vista users (wow, now what was an oxymoron, "lot" and "Vista users" in the same sentence)  are having trouble even downloading Vista SP1.  Microsoft has outlined a number of reasons why an install version of Vista is not now allowing SP1 to be installed, or not recognizing the update at all. Also, Vista seems to be having trouble with certain Logitech mice and perhaps other devices as well. For more on the Rage Against Vista SP1, read Kevin McLaughlin's post.

Equal time for the other side:  O.K., I don't want anyone to think I am down on Vista. I like Vista, but I have had almost a year longer to get used to it than most everyone else. Plus, as a certified geek, I don't give a second thought to fixing the little idiosyncrasies that just happen when you deal with computers.

As some of you know, I am a Mac user again (MacBook Pro to be exact.) I am really enjoying getting back into the Mac as I owned an original Apple IIe and an original Lisa (the computer that predated the Macintosh before the name was shortened to just Mac) as well as an original Macintosh, but that was an eternity ago.  The new Leopard OS reminds me of Vista in many ways with its Aqua graphics and other cool stuff. (Wait, there is a Mac guy in the back row screaming that Bill copied the Mac OS for Vista... would you please leave the room, sir?)

But, I have to admit to being turned off a little by being asked to approve every time a program is installed; sound familiar Vista users?  Also, if you follow the security blogs, you would know that the number of threats to Apple computers from Bot and Virus attacks are on the rise.

I am not sure Mac users will appreciate the awakening of Windows users to Mac, and as the number of business users increases, you can bet that the number of attacks on the Mac will increase as well. So does this mean I hate my Mac?  ARE YOU NUTS!  I love it.  It is just not the little piece of heaven that I expected after being gone for so many years. It is true what they say, you can't go home again. Oh! for just a little DOS...

February 28, 2008

If you are on computer overload, maybe you need to Detoxify!

I, like you I imagine, have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by technology of late. Not all technology. I am in the middle of setting up my new apple MacBook Pro (Yes, I will be telling you how to run Windows applications on a Mac, so stay tuned.) But generally, I have begun to wonder if there are times when I just need to turn off the computer. 

I had to chuckle recently as I attended a meeting with four other individuals. As soon as we entered the conference room and made introductions, the laptops all came out (except mine.)  There was a lot of looking around for power connections. There was the aura of establishing each other's territory, if you will, opening up Word or OneNote to take notes, and trying to check e-Mail without anyone else noticing. Why did I not turn my laptop on? Well, I had not seen this particular vendor's product for a couple of years and decided I did not want the distraction.  I knew that I too would be tempted to check e-mail and perhaps do a dozen other tasks waiting for me in cyberspace. 

I have begun carrying a bound journal again. After not doing so for a number of years, I realized I missed it. There are subtle notes I like to take in my journal that were just a lot of bit and bytes in a computer. Though I really like Microsoft OneNote, the experience of writing in a journal is just not the same.  So I take out my beautiful leather bound journal (gold edge paper, really very nice.) I get my ink pen ready and I proceed to... LISTEN. I took brief notes to myself where needed. It was amazing. I actually paid attention to every word spoken, to the interactive demonstration, to the person on the conference call sitting in Canada. I heard it all. 

I left that meeting feeling like I had actually learned something. I was not stressed.  I was not anxious.  I got a lot of ribbing, of course, about my "new computer."  But, I just fired back that it never needed rebooting or a version upgrade. I never encountered the blue screen of death, and it was easily transportable, while the data had a shelf life of hundreds of years.

The experience was so positive that I have decided to repeat it again, and I have. There are times when multi-tasking simply is not beneficial. In fact, there are a few studies that say multi-tasking does not work. In fact, we learn differently when we are multi-tasking and it may not be productive. Now in fairness, I should note that a number of these studies also say it may be a function of age. It is a fact that I learned differently from the way people learn today.  I know this when I watch my six-year old granddaughter taking pictures with her cell phone (yes, you read that correctly) while also playing Wii at the same time.  While I am most likely more open and more technical than most persons of my generation, I still learn differently because of the way I was taught to learn.  Yes, the jury is still out on the affect of multi-tasking on how people learn and, therefore, how the brain develops. I only know how I adapt and how productive I am.

So, begins a great experiment. I think I should stop checking e-mail on weekends. Next I am going to limit myself to checking e-mail twice a day and taking at least two weeks off technology each year. Why?  To detoxify, of course.  I believe that many of us are simply too busy and not actually thinking enough.  Keeping busy is a great excuse for not actually doing anything. Think about it.

Each year, for more than ten years, I used to take a few days and spend in Hawaii after Thanksgiving (hard, I know but someone has to do it.)  The purpose of this time was to simply think - about technology, about business practices, about what I had accomplished during the year and what I wanted to accomplish in the year to come. Even about my kids and wife and what I would like to accomplish in my personal life over the next year.  This was a great time and I did not realize how great it was, until I skipped it last year to be with my youngest son, his wife and their brand new daughter, born in November.  That was a wonderful experience too, but I missed my "thinking" time.

So, I need to detox. I will let you know it works. And, perhaps you should consider doing the same. After all, the world will go on without you... for a few days at least.

Posted February 21, 2008

XP dual-boot is not Vista friendly

I know that many of you are using dual boot systems with both XP and Vista in order to deal with some software compatibility issues. So I thought you should know that there have been a number of reports regarding dual-booting between XP and Vista. In a dual-boot scenario, XP deletes all system restore points on the Vista partition! This is well documented on the Web (there is a Registry hack on the XP side can fix this.) The XP and Vista on the same disk problems extends past Restore Points, if you boot into Windows XP after using Vista's Complete PC Backup feature XP deletes all but the most recent backup file. According to Internet postings, the problem is caused by new disk structures Vista uses that XP does recognize. Microsoft recommends two different workarounds, which involve preventing XP from accessing the Vista partition. This means you won't be able to use your Vista hard drive when you've booted into XP. However, when you boot into Vista, you can access all drives and drive partitions. My recommendation is to drop dual boot altogether and use Virtual Machines. This seems to be a preferred solution as long as you have 2GB of RAM and a reasonably new system. If your system will support Vista to begin with, then you should be able to run Virtual Machines. For more on VM and free downloads, visit;

 www.vmware.com, and http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx

Posted February 14, 2008

Thin is Back In

While we have been talking about Virtual Servers, a.k.a. VMWare and Microsoft Virtual Server, for over a year now, the world is moving on to Virtual Clients. Thin is back in.  This article, from an Intel Study, will give you a good overview of some differences, what the new thin client looks like and how the technology is changing.

Understanding Microsoft Licensing

I was recently looking at software licensing for a client and I can tell you that the different options can be confusing for me so I can only imagine how frustrating it can be for you. I started with a quote for Open licenses with software assurance for Office 2007 Pro. Microsoft was asking $662.00 each for 15 licenses. However, if I simply recommended that the client order Office 2007 Pro with the laptops and desktops at the time of purchase the price was only $260.00 as an add on. So, how can we justify a $400.00 difference in price? For the solution I went to an expert, Ken McClelland with Network Management Group, Inc., www.nmgi.com.  Ken is where I go for that real technical advice on vendor product offerings. NMGI is real good people, so I ask Ken, Why the $400 difference and what should I be telling my clients is the right way to go? Here is Ken's response.

          OEM is cheaper because you don’t get all the “rights” that you receive with Open Licensing. It breaks down like this;

          With OEM you do not have any downgrade rights (if you wanted Office 2003 but they only bundle with 2007).
          With OEM, the license is tied to that PC it was purchased with and you do not have the legal rights be transfer, or install the software, to another PC.

Open License with Software Assurance, however, does allow the license owner to upgrade as the software assurance is kept current and up to date.  So, if you own Version xx07   and xx08 comes out, you have no additional expense to upgrade. 

Proof of ownership is also much simpler under Open License, as all licenses are documented on the Microsoft eOpen website, and there is only a single license key for you to keep track of.

Finally, but a big consideration, is that if you have are under Software Assurance you get "work at home rights." This allows employees to install Office on their home system for only the cost of install media.  They have rights to run the software on their home pc as long as they are employed by your firm and Software Assurance is kept current.  

You should also note that Software Assurance can be added to the OEM license as long as it is done during the first 90 days of ownership. 

By the way, the actual delta between OEM and Open Licensing under Software Assurance will vary routinely depending on special promotions, volume pricing and other considerations. So check often on pricing before making your decision. At the end of the day, you have to consider if the longevity, upgrade, or downgrade rights, and home use are worth the extra costs.

Ken, a special thanks for this sound advice. If you need help with your licensing needs or just buying new hardware, contact Ken McCelland kenm@nmgi.com, Network Management Group, Inc. 800-638-7767 Ext 131

Posted January, 2008

Thoughts from the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas NV 2008

Last week I joined 140,000 of my closes friends and spent several days walking the showroom floor and talking with hundreds of tired and possibly hung over sales people and technology engineers. By now you have read a number of reports of what others saw at the show. Sites such as Engadget and PCWorld have done a good job. I thought my time was better spent thinking on and discussion what was not reported and what I considered announcements to mean.

Digital picture players everywhere. I am considered a pretty high-tech person, but I have to admit I do not get excited by these digital picture frames that flip through multiple images from a flash drive and some pay music, or you can record your grandchildren's voice and the say high to your very few minutes. I like the old fashion picture frames where you just stare, remember and feel good. But I must be in a minority because there where dozens of digital picture frame providers this year, even more than last year and the competition is bound to drive the price down on these this year.

Bigger and cooler HD displays.  Everyone tells me I need HD, so I must.  CES displayed the most beautiful High-density screens you have seen. 1080p was everywhere along with the new 120Mhz refresh rate models.  I watched a 120Mhz and 70Mhz side by side with the same movie playing and could not tell any difference at all - so I think I will keep the extra $2000 in my pocket. Bigger monitors up to 150" kind of made my mouth water, but again $50,000 may be a bit much to slide by my missus without her noticing.

On the more realistic side I saw vendors such as Westinghouse, Apex, LG and Samsung offering some high quality, high definition displays at some very good pricing so watch for TV and Video display monitors to also drop in price this summer.

Some of the cooler innovations included 3-D monitors - which, while very cool, was a little hard on the eyes and the brain after a few minutes of viewing. I saw this technology last year, and this year is it better and less expensive. So next year may be the year for 3-D TV.

Finally, the next big change for computer displays may be USB connections. Before digital displays (DVI) even saturate the market, replacing the older analog VGA, USB connections are quickly making their entry. This eliminates yet another proprietary cable connection, as we did with printer cables and improves performance. Watch for USB monitors later this year.

Fast, faster and fastest were the buzz word for new computers as "gaming" class systems are all the rage. HP (Blackbird) and Dell (Alienware) were showing off their super computers with quadcore processors and 4GB plus of RAM.  NVIDIA chipsets (the 780SLI is out) and EVGA motherboards were the best of show and the first to support the new super fast Intel 45nm (nanometer) Quadcore processors.  Let the games begin or around $9000.

New types of ink cartridges where on display from Canon that reduce the cost of printing and worth taking a look at. For the first time I am seriously considering options to HP. I will cover these in more detail later this year.

The Metaverse, think Second Life,  is continuing to evolve but more business applications are evolving. I truly think that this will be the platform for the Internet. IBM is big on Active Worlds, www.activeworlds.com, and continues to work with and develop new partners to create business Metaverse where millions are waiting to be made.

The one thing that struck me this year was there nothing that really jumped out at me (the car that drives itself was cool, but how practical is that on a Kentucky back road!) I found very little that was "new," but a number of things that was improved.

The new Under $500 Ultra Portable PC

Some of the improved items were the Ultra Mobile Personal Computers.  The Samsung Q1 was slick but pricy for what you can do with it. The salesperson said it ran about 30% of the Windows software. I only care about the 100% I want to run! The OQO was back again this year in the Microsoft pavilion,  but they admitted that while it would run Vista, it was sluggish and ran better with Windows XP - so surprise there. By the way, the Q1 guy said the same thing. Other vendors such as Sprint had their models, but my favorite Windows based UMPC has to be Fujitsu's U800. Starting at around $995 it is a real computer that can be docked. Check it out. But if you are low on cash and have not seen the new ASUS Eee UMPC, perhaps you should take a look!

Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 May be painful for some.

Microsoft Office 2003 SP3 is available to users and may have patches you need, however users of Access 2003 should check update issues first. Access developers are still recommending that you hold back before installing SP3 for Office 2003. For  those who have already installed SP3 and having problems open older versions of files in Word and Excel, a documented Registry edit can fix some patch issues. Visit Microsoft's Knowledge Base article 938810, which describes this workaround, is a bit tricky.

Microsoft Office 2007 SP1.

There are enough enhancements that this is a worthwhile update. Make sure to read the fine print as this update includes the entire Office System so there are patches for Visio, Project and so forth as well. Microsoft Office 2007 SP1 includes more than 450 fixes and features. Microsoft has created a downloadable Excel workbook with all the changes so you can review them for yourself. Note, this now appears to be a Auto Update so be prepared, it is a large update. There have been reports by those who have the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or Home/Student versions of Office 2007 are finding that they get a cryptic 78F error when they try to install SP1. It appears that the cure is to uninstall Office and then reinstall it. which requires you have an install disc. If you don't, contact the OEM manufacturer for a replacement.

Know Your "Downgrade Rights" for Windows Desktop Operating System and Microsoft Office.

I have received many questions regarding the legality of downgrading your Windows desktop operating system version to a previous version. This is most commonly asked in relation to Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows XP Pro.  Perhaps I can direct you to an answer to this truly complicated question, thanks to my friend Brian Tankersley, CPA who found this Microsoft Blog with Microsoft's answer on downgrade rights. Click through and read the official response from the Microsoft Small Business Community Blog.

Posted from December 2007

New Options for Local and Long Distance Calling!

MagicJack's parent company, YMax — founded by telecom veteran Dan Borislow — is a CLEC that's certified in 49 U.S. states (soon to be 50). Because the company owns much of its own switching and gateway hardware, YMax can make money by giving out phone numbers and leasing the lines it owns to other VoIP and telecommunications providers. And, like everyone else, YMax plans to sell advertisements that show up when you use the service. The service agreement even states that these advertisements are necessary to the financial survival of the company so they can offer you such a low rate. Just passing on the information, no promises, but don't see a lot of risk either. For traveling sales staff it could save on hotel phone charges, long distance cell phone charges, or even - those distant collage age students! Here is the link http://www.magicjack.com/site/index.html.

Microsoft reports changes for Vista SP1 (RC1).

Microsoft has released a 17-page document detailing what Microsoft calls "notable changes" in Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate 1. Microsoft listed scores of additions, improvements and enhancements to Vista in areas ranging from hardware support and reliability to security and synchronization with the also-upcoming Windows Server 2008. The "performance and power consumption improvements" category, which sported the largest number of bullet-point items, promised that Vista would copy files locally 25% faster than before and copy files from a remote PC also running Vista SP1 50% faster. Vista SP1 will also read large images faster, and the bundled Internet Explorer 7 has been tweaked so that it renders JavaScript-intensive sites as fast as earlier versions of IE.

Vista SP1 includes all the Vista-related security updates issued from the operating system's debut through November, as well as several new changes. One item in the pack's security improvements list, for example, hints at bug fixes that the company is not calling out as such and won't elucidate. "SP1 includes Secure Development Lifecycle process updates, where Microsoft identifies the root cause of each security bulletin and improves our internal tools to eliminate code patterns that could lead to future vulnerabilities," according to the document.

Microsoft is also making good on a deal it struck over a year ago with Symantec Corp., McAfee Inc. and the European Union, which complained before Vista launched that Microsoft was locking down access to the kernel in the 64-bit edition. The application programming interfaces that Microsoft first revealed last December are part of SP1, the "change-log" document says. "These APIs have been designed to help security and non-security [independent software vendors] develop software that extends the functionality of the Windows kernel on 64-bit systems, in a documented and supported manner, and without disabling or weakening the protection offered by Kernel Patch Protection," it reads.

The Vista SP1 changes can be viewed as an HTML page or by downloading the Word document. Vista SP1 RC1 will be offered to user this week via manual download from the Microsoft Web site, but the company has not set a definite date.

Computing on the scale of clouds.

I ran into a very interesting MSNBC article on Google's massively coupled world-wide server array and the scale of programming and information management that takes place at Google, as well as how Google prepares it's people to work at Google.  The article gives pause to reflect at the truly massive amount of data that is distributed world wide which represents both information and disinformation, and there is as much of the latter as the former. The article is a good quick read and for the non-technical an eye opener for sure. For the technical, it is something to think about as you watch your chosen field of study evolve.

Will Businesses Skip Windows Vista?  That is a million dollar question for Microsoft and while they trumpet 100 million copies sold, independent research seems to say that most business owners, at least, are taking a wait and see for Windows 7, due out in 2009 (2010, 2011...)  See this excellent review from PC World and make your own decision.

Will 2009 bring the next version of Windows, and will it be Windows 7? The number is based on Microsoft's internal operating system numbers: the first version of Windows NT, 3.1, was given the same number as the "Classic" Windows when it was released in 1992. Since then there has been NT 4, Windows 2000 (NT 5), Windows XP (NT 5.1), and Windows Vista (NT 6). You can check these numbers by typing "ver" at a command prompt on any of these operating systems.

With Vista just out the door it is hard to think about another version of the Windows OS being "Just around the corner." But, Microsoft Corp. is now drawing up plans for its follow-up workstation operating system, due by the end of 2009, Microsoft originally planned for Vista to include a number of radical changes, including a new file system and a reinvented user interface, but security issues changed it's focus to XP SP2 and delayed many of the changes that would have been in Vista. Microsoft has used the code name Vienna, for the next release but no official name has been given to the official product. What can we expect to be in Vienna? Some fundamental pieces of enabling technology, hypervisors to support virtual applications, and perhaps even a new interface paradigm (I love that word!)

Posted from November 2007

Information Life Cycle Management is a critical, but not so new, science for managing the storage and flow of information. Information life cycle management (ILM) is a comprehensive approach to managing the flow of an information system's data and associated metadata from creation and initial storage to the time when it becomes obsolete and is deleted. Unlike earlier approaches to data storage management, ILM involves all aspects of dealing with data, starting with user practices, rather than just automating storage procedures, as for example, hierarchical storage management (HSM) does. Also in contrast to older systems, ILM enables more complex criteria for storage management than data age and frequency of access. ILM is not a new science, but it is new to small-to-medium businesses as the importance of data retention and data mining increases as well as the amount of litigation increases.

Microsoft Office Post fix to Excel 2007 Calculation Error. A couple of weeks ago I posted the information about the Excel 2007 calculation error. Microsoft has posted a fix to correct this problem. If your office is using Excel 2007, make sure your systems are patched for this problem, as it is more complicated than simply a couple of numbers being incorrect.

A calculation error was discovered recently in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 caused by principally by a series of floating point calculations as I understand it. Rather than repeat the entire sequence of events it is more important that you understand the problem, the patch and the forthcoming solution (we hope) from Microsoft.   This issue may not effect everyone, but there are some potentially disastrous scenarios you should test for just the same. If you are an Excel 2007 user, read the link information carefully and search for additional input as needed.

Buying a new desktop.

I recently presented at the Minnesota Tax conference in Minnesota where 1500 attendees considered what type of computers they should be purchasing and if it was time for Vista and Office 2007. Responding to the questions, "What type of computer would you purchase?" I would purchase a really good desktop would support 2-4 monitors for increased productivity and robust enough to perform well under the most demanding circumstances.  My ideal system would be;

Posted from September 2007

Microsoft Extends Windows XP Availability

Microsoft announced this week that  they are extending Windows XP resale through OEMs six additional months to sell PCs with Windows XP installed. The extension period from January 31, 2008 to June 30, 2008, is apparently for "Named accounts", those that have volume licensing with Microsoft. The move was expected by large volume resellers and system builders who have reported lack luster enthusiasm for Windows Vista and have been taking Vista off desktops and notebooks they sell and replacing it with Windows XP. Microsoft continues to claim that demand is strong for Vista.  However, the fact that Microsoft has been working on a third service pack for Windows XP, currently slated for release in the first half of 2008, is a reflection of the still-strong demand for the OS. Microsoft faces several Vista issues, first Windows XP SP2 was a solid product, secondly, there have been too many software compatibility issues reported with software vendors being somewhat slow to respond, and third, backward hardware compatibility has been an issue.

While my experience with Vista pre-installed on my latest HP 8510W has been very positive, my experience of retrofitting Vista on several systems was disastrous.  Virtually none of the higher end accounting applications I have tested over the past  nine months work with Vista. So, there remains the value add proposition that there is no great argument for upgrading to Vista on existing machines and a number of reasons not to.  Microsoft may see expanded adoption of Vista, but it will most likely be through new system sales only at this point.

What about Office 2003?

Several readers have asked about the future of Office 2003 and was it safe to migrate to Office 2007.  As of now Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and System Builders licenses for the 2003 release were available for OEMs and OEM Distributors to purchase ended effective June 30, 2007. Goggling the Internet finds Office 2003 still available from inventory, but Microsoft is no longer producing the product for retail. Microsoft's current position of Office 2007 is that customers who purchased Office 2003 with a new computer will continue to receive support for the 2003 release products based on their OEM’s or System Builder’s policy. Customers who purchased Office 2003 from a retailer will have access to Mainstream Support until January 13, 2009. This means retail customers can place calls to Microsoft Customer Service and Support about Office 2003-related issues for the following: Incident support (no-charge incident support, paid incident support, support charged on an hourly basis) Security update support The ability to request non-security Hot Fixes At the end of Mainstream Support, Microsoft offers end-user customers 60 months of Extended Support for the 2003 release until January 14, 2014. Extended Support will allow for: Security update support at no additional cost Paid incident support options only During the Extended Support period, non-security related Hot Fix support requires a separate Extended Hot Fix Support contract to be purchased where per-fix fees will apply. Microsoft will not accept requests for design changes, or new features during the Extended Support phase.

Posted from July 2007

It is going on six months since Vista was officially released - so how are things going? Microsoft is trying hard to convince users that Vista is ready for prime time, and has even issued talking points to convince customers to buy Vista now and not wait for SP1 due out later this year.  Of course, the paper is only targeted to OEM and large resellers to sign a non-disclosure agreement - so if Vista is ready, why not make the paper public? A nondisclosure paper on talking points for why users to buy Vista, sounds a little weird.

Also, while pushing Vista, Microsoft may be making it easier for corporate customers to downgrade from Vista to XP (PDF file) after many complained and petitioned Microsoft to do so. However, small business owners may not be so lucky. If you bought an OEM system with XP installed, you may not legally use the XP CD to install XP on a new Vista box. Sorry, it simply does not work that way.

I have noticed that accounting software vendors and accounting practice solution providers are beginning to slowly leak Vista compatible upgrades, but most are being very quiet about how well their products may work with Vista at their Web sites. It may be months before most (and most likely never all) of the solutions business users need will work with Vista.

In the meantime, Bill and friends at Microsoft are attempting to muscle developers and software manufacturers, as well as hardware manufacturers to push code to and develop drivers for native 64-bit processors and operating systems. That will help the operating system performance and sell more computers, but be careful if your vendor says they are 64-bit native, as many are only doing a code recompile and not optimizing the software for multi-core processors or the new chip sets from Intel for real performance gains. That may still be a few years away.

Before you make your jump to a Vista machine

1. Ensure that all of your software is Vista compliant. If your software is more than a few years old be prepared to pay for your Vista version upgrade and many vendors are not retrofitting versions no longer supported under contract agreements.

2. Get more familiar with Virtual Machines and Virtual Servers! These may be the only solutions you have for running older applications on Windows legacy operating systems (a fancy way of saying XP, 2000, NT, ME, 98 or DOS in some cases.) Check out www.vmware.com, or Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. Both vendors offer free solutions for the desktop, but larger businesses are looking at virtual server solutions.

3. Be ready to buy new hardware and high-end hardware at that, none of that cheap mamby pamby stuff! (I don't know if Mamby Pamby are actually words - but my grandmother said it a lot, so it must be.) If your computers are three years old, it is a good possibility they will not run Vista, or not run Vista well, and many two year old system may have issues as well. Forget 1GB of RAM, we are now at 2GB to 4GB for better performance and ability to support one or more Virtual Machines running on the host Vista OS.

The moral of the story is to go slow implementing Vista; and I also find that praying seems to help. Amen.


Are you managing your Electronically Stored Information - ESI? There's a new buzzword and acronym going around. Electronically Stored Information or ESI. "If you've not heard of ESI yet, you'd best get up to speed," Ephraim Schwartz writes in The art of e-discovery. "The problem is, ESI is more a term of art than a deliberately defined set of rules." It came about because of changes by the Federal Rules for Civil Procedure. But the FRCP is so vague companies need to create their own strategy. The biggest mistake companies make when devising their e-discovery strategy? "In-house lawyers and IT people never have lunch together," says Ralph Losey, an attorney specializing in e-discovery at law firm Akerman Senterfitt. For more on ESI see the worst error in e-discovery strategies.


Wii Wii Wii - all the way home.

I know we are serious business professionals, but we all have to take a break sometime and I am having a ball with my Wii. If you have not looked, the Wii Gaming Console from Nintendo is harder to find than a Cabbage Patch Doll (see who remembers that one!)  It took me (yes me) nearly three weeks of looking and calling GameStop to find one. I had to leave the dinner table and drive to the store to pick mine up. They received 5 units on a Saturday, three were gone in the 20 minutes it took me to get to the store. As I left there was one lone console on the shelf - with ten people on the way to buy it. In the meantime every store I visited had a surplus of XBOX and PlayStations, hum.)

I have had both the XBOX, and the PlayStation, but have decided that these systems were simply no longer fun for me. Too much setup work, too intense, and yes, too expensive. The Wii is $249. New, versus used, games will run you about $49 each. For us adults who just want to veg and have fun; we can bowl, play tennis, table tennis, golf, box, any number of other activities. I found the game to actually be a workout. The wireless remote and activity games get you out of your seat and moving around instead of being a lump in the front of a video screen. There are many accessories for the Wii but Nintendo has said you can expect to see some really neat additions just in time for Christmas this year.

We are now having Wii-bledon parties at my house and many of our "old" friends as well as young family members are coming to play. So forget Bridge and Cribbage, we are the Wii generation!

Posted from May 2007

All work and no play makes Bob a dull boy

So I purchased a pair of virtual glasses for my iPOD.  The MyVu from www.myvu.com  is one of the first of the new breed of virtual eyewear  ($299,) and they work great.  The Video iPOD has  a small screen that can be difficult to see, and tires the eyes quickly. MyVu gives me the equivalent of a 27" screen at 6 feet away. I reviewed other models and brands but Myvu had the right resolution, quality of product and the 9 hour battery pack my iPOD slips into for those really  long flights! For those who wear glasses, you can even order a special clip-on with your personal prescription. There are several reviews of the product if you want to find out more. Now you might consider this a frivolous expense but to me they are a glimpse into the future.  My iPOD not only holds 10GB of fine music, I also am carrying 7 movies, and two books (www.audible.com.)  26GB of the 80GB fixed disk holds my backup, and as soon as Mojo Pac, www.mojopac.com, releases its Vista version, I can use my iPOD as a mobile operating system, or perhaps VMware's new Pocket ACE 2 will fill the bill as a virtual PC running off my iPOD.  There are a number of possibilities for future Ultra Mobile Portable Computers and wearable computers where my virtual glasses will be my display, my handheld computer for processing and storage and of course my virtual infrared keyboard for typing, or perhaps voice data entry.. the future is closer than you think. 

Office 2007 Migration Information - Posted April 2007

I may be spending more time on the conversion to Office 2007 than I should, but I continue to receive many questions on the topic. First, Microsoft has released several Interactive Guides for Excel, Word, PowerPoint to help you determine where the new command are. With these handy flash guides, simply click on the familiar menu or toolbar command for 2003 and the flash video will show you how to execute the command in 2007, not perfect but not a bad tool either. 

Craving Classic? If you really miss the 2003 Menu Bar try the new Addintools add-in for Excel 2007 (also available for Word.)  The Tab is called Menu and is added to the 2007 Ribbon. You can try this add-in for free or purchase for $15.99 U.S. 

For those moving forward, I still recommend you check out the Ribbon Customizer Pro by Patrick Schmid.  The utility installs in Office 2007 and allows you to create your own customized Ribbons.  Now you can install your tasks in groups and execute menu commands just the way you want.  The Ribbon Customizer Pro is priced single user for $29.95, very reasonable, and pricing is discounted for volume purchases. Patrick has done a very good job of the implementation and provides an easy to understand tutorial at his web site.  Download and try for free.

By the way if you are looking for some of those 2003 and earlier add-ins like Solver and Report Manager, these still work and are available in 2007. Here is how to find them:

1. Click on the round Windows Button (top left of the Ribbon)
2. Click on Excel Options Button
3. Click on Add-Ins from the right column
4. Click on the Go Button (now that was easy, right?)

This is the old Add-ins window so you will recognize it. Select your favorites and they will be added in. You may be asked to insert your Office DVD depending on how you did the installation. If you use Report Manager, you can still download it from www.microsoft.com and follow Microsoft's instructions for adding it Excel 2007. So what's missing in Office 2007?

Found an Error?

Unbelievable as it may be, at least to me, more than 7000 persons visit TSIF each week. While I strive to make this a top drawer resource for you,  I do most of the editing and writing myself as time permits.   I believe the information contained herein is important to business professionals dealing with technology, and I want you to be informed about the "right stuff."  Many of the above articles include hyperlinks to more detail or supporting information. While every effort is made to keep links current, sometimes broken links occur. If you find one, please let me know quickly so the link can be reestablished or removed. If you find a typo or misspelled word, please forgive. Like many writers, I tend to depend on my editor to check me and sometimes I rush new information to print before they have time to clean it up. Hopefully the content will be worthwhile, and I promise to get better at punctuation. A promise I have been pursuing for a long time!  Your comments and input are always appreciated. 

bob