Tablet-style computers and smartphones provide convenient access to your information and to the internet, from wherever you are. Unfortunately, the downside to their portable nature is that they don’t stay within the secure confines of your office. They can be easily left at another location by mistake or even stolen. So, this month we look at the 5 things that you should do before you lose your gadget.

1. Add Identification – If you found someone’s tablet or phone, you’d look for any identification that told you whose it was, so you could return it. Just as parents label their children’s clothing, add some form of identification to your device. This could consist of a business card in your tablet case, a power-on message with your contact phone number or even engraving your phone number or business name on the device.

2. Password Protect – Most portable devices allow you to set a password or number that must be entered when the device is turned on. This will help prevent a stranger from gaining access to the information you have stored on it. You may also be able to set a ‘time out period’, which will automatically lock your device with the password after a period of time of inactivity.

3. Sync – Most tablets and smartphones copy (or ‘synchronize’) their information to another computer or to an internet-based service. Check that your synchronization is configured and working correctly, with no errors. Then if you do lose your device, you’ll have somewhere else where you can log in and access a copy of your information.

4. Backup – Not everything on your tablet or smartphone may ‘sync’ to another location. A great example of this is contact information that is only stored on your phone’s SIM card, or information that you have entered into an application that only exists on your portable device (such as notes). Make sure you have a plan for regularly taking a snapshot of this information too and storing it in a secure place, just as you should for your office-bound computers.

5. Add Remote Control & Tracking – For tablets and smartphones that have a GPS function, applications have been developed that will show you where your device is located, based on its GPS data. Most of these applications need to be installed or configured before you lose your device. In addition to locating your device, some services will allow you to remotely lock your device or even remotely wipe all of the information on it. Check out Find my iPhone, Find my iPad, Where’s My Droid and Samsung’s DIVE. Security software manufacturers are also starting to release anti-virus software for portable devices with remote locate and remote wipe features.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooter about the best protection mechanisms for your portable devices, or about any of your technology needs … before it’s too late!

There are many sources of data loss – power hits, theft, malware, mechanical failure, etc. Don’t risk losing your valuable information – photos, financial records, contacts, etc. Be sure you have a current backup of your important data. Don’t have time? Let’s discuss automated solutions that might be right for you!  Call us if you need help!

Apple’s much hyped iPad gave a boost to a now thriving ‘tablet computing’ industry.  And with the recent launch of the iPad2, many business owners are wondering if this technology should be invested in or not. 

The latest iPad is thinner, lighter and faster than the original and now boasts a front camera in addition to the rear-facing camera. Other manufacturers can also be found in the small, touchscreen computer market, including Samsung, HP, Toshiba, Motorola, Dell, Lenovo and Sony. They predominately use either Google’s Android software or Microsoft’s Windows.

But is this technology just for nerds, high flying corporate executives and people addicted to the Angry Birds game?  If you’re thinking about a tablet computer, learn about its limitations and focus on what benefit it could add to your business.

With a tablet, you can read information on a screen much larger than your phone, without having the weight and start-up time of your laptop.  You can browse through documents, emails and websites, check your calendar or find telephone numbers or directions.  They can also handle small amounts of data entry easily, replacing your paper & pen at the meeting table.  However, they would never replace your ‘full-function’ computer completely as they are not suitable for long hours of data entry, printing can be problematic and not all of your preferred software titles will run on them.

So, let’s look at how tablets are being used in the small business market:

Real estate – A great website is a realtor’s dream, enabling them to showcase multiple images of many properties.  Add a good search function and you can narrow down your portfolio as you discuss the needs of the prospective buyer that’s in front of you. The tablet now gives you that website on the road, ready to hand to the prospective buyer for them to thumb through property images as you sip coffee between open home sessions.

Anyone in sales – As many small business sales meetings are conducted at coffee shops or at the buyer’s premises, see ‘Real estate’ above, but add the ability to showcase product presentations and customer testimonials during your meeting. 

Competitions – If you are running a promotion where people have to enter their details to win, the tablet is a great device to have at fairs and trade shows. Let people enter their own details and save you the data entry. This works even better if your entry form is already on your website anyway. 

Subscriptions & registrations – See ‘Competitions’ above, but think of newsletters, sports teams etc. In fact, this can apply to nearly anywhere that you need to get capture people’s information. Just make sure they’re not going to run off with your tablet!

As with any technology purchasing decision, you want to know that your investment is going to enhance and improve how you do business. Talk to your Computer Troubleshooter about your technology needs and whether a tablet is right for your business, or whether it’s just another gadget.

Audit – it’s a very painful word that conjures up images of the taxation department.  If done correctly though, an audit of the technology in your small business should be quick and painless and yield you with some valuable information.  Here are our top 5 reasons why your business would benefit from a technology audit:

1. Find immediate areas for improvement – If you’re thinking of replacing your computer, an audit may reveal that upgrading the memory would give you a significant performance boost.  It could also highlight incorrect system settings or poor security configurations that could easily be fixed.  With a clear picture of what technology you have, it might be easy to find some quick, inexpensive areas for improvement.

2. Budget for longer-term areas of improvement – An audit may reveal out-dated hardware that should be replaced with newer, faster components.  It could also highlight disks that are close to their capacity, but still have some spare space.  You can then plan and budget to address these areas in the future, instead of having to react tomorrow to an unforeseen full disk.

3. Know what software is on your computers – If your employees are able to install software onto your computers, do you know what they have been installing? An audit will reveal if your computers have illegal file sharing software or other programs that may be relevant to their hobbies, not their work (e.g. share trading).

4. Know you have the correct software licenses – In some cases, it is a software manufacturer’s right to randomly audit your business and check that you have the correct license number and the right kind of license for their software.  If you’ve taken on more staff since you started, or you’ve had employees installing software on your computers, an audit can reveal where your software licensing might need some attention.  

5. Compile an asset register – Your business will have certain assets listed for accounting purposes.  That audit may not include many of your IT devices that are under a certain monetary value.  If a theft or natural disaster hit your business, wouldn’t it be great to have a full list of all of your technology components? Ask your I.T. guy to store a copy of your audit results, off site, in case you need to refer to that asset list to make an insurance claim.

The outcomes of your audit should be a comprehensive list of your I.T. assets and recommendations for improvement that fit in with your business plans (both short and long term).  If your I.T. guy uses your audit as an opportunity to sell as much of his products and services as he can, call Computer Troubleshooters for an independent trusted second opinion.

The EPA and similar organizations are working hard at promoting the reuse and recycling of electronics as one of the many ways to improve the condition of our environment. Many people do not know that electronics contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. When disposed of in landfills, these toxic materials can leach into the soil and ground water. As such, it is important that we all practice and promote the proper disposal of electronic devices and their components. CTNW is currently developing a reuse/recycling program that does just that. If you donate your electronics to us for reuse/recycling, we’ll make sure that they are disposed of properly, and you will receive a coupon towards your next service. Please join in helping us promote a better environment for future generations by properly recycling your electronics. Or better yet, let us do it for you!

www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/index.htm
www.greenerchoices.org/electronicsrecycling/el_home.cfm

Computer Troubleshooters is now sharing its computer expertise in another medium for its customers. Online! Computer Troubleshooters now has its own blog, which we hope will become a valuable resource for you as you navigate the sometimes complicated world of understanding computers.

Looking for networking tips, how to solve connectivity problems? Or even some more basic tips on how to use Excel or Powerpoint? We’ll be posting tips, suggestions and valuable resource material for your convenience.

We might even blog a little about what’s happening inside Computer Troubleshooters, so check back often.

And while you’re at it, feel free to contact us with your own tips and suggestions on what you would like to read on our new Computer Troubleshooters Blog.

Computer Troubleshooters now offers a variety of VoIP phone services! We have specialists for both hosted (cloud-based, no server needed) systems and more powerful digital PBX systems. Here’s a sales video we put together to talk about some of the benefits VoIP can offer: