08/20/2009

The Mythical "IP Address" Explained. by Dana Dunn

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IP stands for Internet Protocol.  It is a logical address of a network adapter. Every computer and server has an IP address. The IP address is unique and identifies computers on a network.  

The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.  Each set of numbers tells the receiving computer what country, service provider, host, and computer sent the info.

Don’t know your IP address?  Here’s an easy way to find it.  

Using Windows XP: Start > Run > type in "cmd".  A box will appear, then type in "ipconfig" at the cursor.  Your IP Address is now displayed.  

Using Windows Vista: Start > type Command Prompt in the search field then click Command Prompt once it appears.  At the Command Prompt screen type "ipconfig" then press enter.    The IP address should appear along with other LAN details.  (If this doesn’t work try typing in "ipconfig/all".)
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08/12/2009

If Only Lewis And Clark Had Google. by Dana Dunn

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Did you know when you are using a web browser you don’t have to type "http://www" in the address bar?  Just type the remainder of the address and it will put the beginning in for you.  For example, just type “zetaone.com” or “msnbc.msn.com”

Get what you want out of your searches too.  When you enter information in the search bar, you can enter them in either UPPERCASE or lowercase and you will get the same result, but the best practice is to enter them all in lowercase.  
If you want to search for an exact match, type the words in double quotation marks.  For example to search for Michigan Legislative Branch, type as: “Michigan Legislative Branch”

If you want to search for all words you enter use + sign between words.  For example to search for Drive-in Movies, type as: drive+in+movies

Always avoid using “and” and “or” with keywords because those words will affect the search results.

There is an abundance of information on the World Wide Web and I’m sure these tips will help you find what you’re looking for.
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08/05/2009

To Shut Down Or Not To Shut Down? by Dana Dunn

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Please welcome Dana Dunn, our newest ZetaOne BLOG OF SECRITS contributor. Less than a year working with our crew and she's already nerdin' it up! Thanks Dana, the floor is yours ...

In today’s economy we all should be concerned with Energy Conservation and Computer Component Longevity.  Many people ask if they should turn their computer off or leave it on?  There are many views on this subject and most all of them have valid points. Some believe that leaving a computer on will wear out components much faster, while others believe that shutting a computer down each day does more harm.  

Operating a PC costs very little, on average less than $1 per day.  The amount you will spend on energy cost can be greatly reduced if you adjust your PC settings to have the monitor turn off after being idle for 10 minutes.  And since most people don’t leave their system running on the weekends when they are away from their office or when they are on vacation, energy cost is probably not a factor.  

Next we move on to Component Longevity.  Computers have Cooling Fans that keep the case and components at a consistent temperature.  If you keep your computer case cleaned out and pay attention to the fan’s operation you will greatly improve its longevity.  

The Hard Drive is the main concern when considering whether or not to shut your PC down.  When turned on, a hard drive will experience a surge of electricity, start to warm up and reach operating temperature, and then the cooling fans will keep it at that temperature.  Once you turn the system off, the hard drive cools to room temperature.  Those temperature swings, along with the voltage surges when powering on, can reduce the life of your hard drive if you shut the system down regularly.  If you replace your system with newer systems every 2 years then longevity is not a concern.  If you tend to keep your computer system longer and care about component longevity then it would be a good idea to leave your system running unless you are away from it for more than a day at a time.

THE BLOG OF SECRITS by Aaron Garn (and friends) is focused on delivering time & money saving tips and tricks, IT news that impacts our clients, and straight forward IT consulting. Please contact Aaron Garn at aaron.garn@zetaone.com with any questions or topics you would like to see addresses on THE BLOG OF SECRITS.
For more information about ZetaOne or the SECRITS NEWSLETTER, please visit www.ZetaOne.com.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

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07/29/2009

ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection - RULE #5

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On-Server Redundancy - Data redundancy is the best tool in the toolbox for data disaster recovery. Basically, the more copies you have of your data, the safer the data is. Next week I’ll add more to this idea with RULE #5 – Rotational Backups, but this week, the rule focuses on automatic redundancy at the server level. On-Server Redundancy can take on different forms, but the most common is called a RAID. Depending on who you ask, RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. The idea being that you have more than one physical hard drive hooked to your server, and the server automatically manages the drives to create copies of each other.

Hit the 'Read More' link for the rest of the story.
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07/22/2009

ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection - RULE #4

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Single Location Data Storage - In the coming weeks, we’ll talk about the importance of having your data in different places, but this week, we’re going to talk about the importance of having your data in one place. Don’t worry, it’ll make sense when we get to those. Rule #4 boils down to having a server where everyone stores their data files. 16% of all hard drives suffer from some sort of data loss every year … that’s about 1 out of every 6 hard drives. Therefore, if you have important data on every computer in your business, your chances of loosing data on one of them goes up dramatically. In fact, if you have 6 or 7 computers in your business, statistically, you will loose data on one of them every year!
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07/15/2009

ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection - RULE #3

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Build a Wall of Fire - A proper firewall lets the good guys out but keeps the bad guys from getting in. Think of a garage door on your home that magically knows to let you and your family, come and go freely, but is impenetrable to the people you want to keep out. That’s what a firewall is intended to do for your computers. If you don’t have a good firewall it’s much easier for unwanted predators to access your computers.

Hit the 'Read More’ link for the rest of the story.
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07/10/2009

Why Is Process Engineering Important To You? Harness the power or be thrown.

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Process Engineering in it’s raw, wild form is the ‘information age’, and has swept nearly every market segment like a tidal wave. A tidal wave that keeps coming back, redefining every trench in the sand it had previously redefined the last time it came through.

So why even try to exist in this chaos? The answer is in harnessing the power of the tidal wave. The energy represented in a tidal wave is so vast that capitalizing on even small parts of it can yield large dividends.


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07/08/2009

ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection - RULE #2

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NO MORE SPAM - SPAM accounts for some estimated 90% of all email. The cost to business in dealing with SPAM and SPAM related problems costs companies an estimated $1,930 per year per employee. Further, unchecked SPAM brings in invitations to questionable business scams, identity theft, adware, viruses, the entire gambit of malware, and more.

So what’s the answer? Hit the 'Read More' link to find out.
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07/06/2009

Adapt, Inc. Reduces Overhead and Increases Capabilities with New Software Systems by ZetaOne

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COLDWATER, MI - Adapt Inc. in looking to upgrade their existing software to further streamline their time tracking and handle several HR functions called on software development firm, ZetaOne Solutions Group. The resulting solution leveraged Adapt’s existing computer hardware, and helped them to more efficiently track their employees. “We wanted a system that would do the accounting work for us but not get in the way of our people in the field.” said Tom Kramer, Adapt Executive Director, “We worked closely with ZetaOne to get just what we wanted, and we’re happy with the result.”
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07/02/2009

Businesses That Lose Crucial Data Risk Losing Their Entire Business. ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection.

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Your I.T. infrastructure along with the data and operational systems running on that infrastructure is your company’s life-blood. If you fail to properly service and protect your I.T. infrastructure your company will suffer.

Companies that are not able to resume operations within ten days of a disaster hit, including systems failure or critical data loss, are statistically, not likely to survive. (Strategic Research Institute)

This is a big concept for most companies to get their arms around, so we have put together a proactive, full-featured solution that covers all the major areas of data preservation, and distilled it down to, ZetaOne’s 7 Golden Rules of Data Protection.

I'm going to feature a new Golden Rule each week. Hit up the 'Read More' link to see Rule #1.
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06/29/2009

SECRITS NEWSLETTER: $9,000 Hidden In Every Employee? Find Out If This Is Your Business ...

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Our latest newsletter is out and it extolls the virtues of hardware related productivity.

Here's an excerpt from my article:

"The idea of equipment productivity is one of my favorite topics. You can walk in to most any office (99% at least) and find multiple examples of people using unproductive technology at a net loss to the bottom line. The base of this idea is the fact that people cost is typically much higher than equipment cost. Therefore, it’s easy to extrapolate that having a person make adjustments to accommodate a machine is poor use of resources. One example I frequently use is the idea of shared network printers. A decent laser printer, even a fancy, color model, might run a thousand dollars. A typical office employee with normal business overhead might easily run twenty-five thousand dollars.

Now consider the longevity of the printer. A good printer might last five, six, seven years or more. For the purpose of this discussion let’s assume that the printer will last 4 years. That gives us a cost ratio of printer to employee of 100 to 1. (a $25,000 per-year person X 4 years vs. a $1,000 printer used for 4 years) Now, put one of these printers in an office of five people. The ratio is now 500 to 1.

Does it make sense to have 5 people getting up from their desk and walking to where the printer is? Does it make sense that these people have to wait their turn, or remove the regular paper to load envelopes, etc. Does it make sense that if this printer breaks down or runs out of toner that the five people can’t do their jobs properly until it’s fixed … maybe days later?

Sounds like poor office management doesn’t it? Yet, this is how most offices are set up. This would be like having a group of seven-figure CEO’s having to bottleneck their work through a hamburger flipper at Burger King to get their job done everyday. Seriously.

You get the idea."

To find out if you have $9,000 hidden in each of your employees that can be pried out for about $500, subscribe to the SECRITS NEWSLETTER

THE BLOG OF SECRITS by Aaron Garn is focused on delivering time & money saving tips and tricks, IT news that impacts our clients, and straight forward IT consulting. Please contact Aaron Garn at aaron.garn@zetaone.com with any questions or topics you would like to see addresses on THE BLOG OF SECRITS.
For more information about ZetaOne or the SECRITS NEWSLETTER, please visit www.ZetaOne.com.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.


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06/26/2009

BLOG OF SECRITS is Born

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The total, world wide, estimated count for blogs is now over 120 million. Someone do me a favor and shoot an email to whomever is counting and let them know I have added one more. If I get some sort of swag or a gift basket or something have it sent to our business address at 11 W Chicago St, downtown Coldwater, Michigan c/o blog affairs dept.  

Even more special is the fact that this blog is about 'Computers and IT', a niche that probably hasn't been addressed yet. So hold on tight, it's bound to be an enlightening ride.


THE BLOG OF SECRITS by Aaron Garn is focused on delivering time & money saving tips and tricks, IT news that impacts our clients, and straight forward IT consulting. Please contact Aaron Garn at aaron.garn@zetaone.com with any questions or topics you would like to see addresses on THE BLOG OF SECRITS.
For more information about ZetaOne or the SECRITS NEWSLETTER, please visit www.ZetaOne.com.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

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