VISUAL NEWSLETTER – NOV 2002

HIGH SPEED FOR BUSINESS

Slowly but surely High Speed Internet options are becoming more widely available to businesses. Companies like Bell, Rogers and the like are constantly expanding infrastructure to permit High Speed connections in different parts of the city.

Most recently Bell & Rogers have offered multiple levels of Internet service where only dial-up service was available before. The advantages of High Speed Internet extend beyond simply an increase in speed. In most cases Internet access can be extended to all users on a network if desired. Unlike dial-up access, all users can access the Internet simultaneously with a High Speed linkage.

High Speed service can in some cases be less expensive on a monthly basis since no phone line is required. Keep in mind that if you do switch to High Speed you will need to drop the extra phone lines that you were using for dial-up service to achieve this benefit. I know of at least one client that converted to High Speed and continued to pay for 3 phone lines for a year afterwards.

This cost the company in excess of $2000.

Business High Speed comes in different price ranges. Both Bell & Rogers are offering High Speed Lite in some areas for as little as $35.00 per month, far less than most phone lines. Regular service is about $45 and High Speed Ultra is $70. If you are in an area only serviced by a single supplier your rates can be considerably higher. The different plans provide different speeds of service, volumes of storage and number of e-mail accounts.

Most Internet companies will install the High Speed modems for you, but Networking is usually left up to the individual company. This is where we can assist by installing the necessary Routers and Bridges to connect your network to the new high speed service.

HOLIDAY HOURS, SUPPORT

We will be closed Dec 25th & 26th and Jan 1^st over the holidays. Support will be available at other times. Time is often a little tight around year-end, so book appointments in advance. Keep in mind if you operate our payroll system that you need to perform a year-end closing and apply tax updates before proceeding with your first 2003 payroll.

Payroll tax changes for 2003 are on the way but some changes are not yet finalized and the 2003 documentation is still only in draft form. We will ship these changes as soon as they are available. Before you reach year-end we recommend that you definitely run the Tax Reconciliation Report on the Payroll Reports screen. This can help you avoid company underpayment assessments when you file your T4’s and Summary Tax Forms.

Underpayments can result from Manual Cheques, Bonuses and Adjustments made throughout the year. If you have employees who turn 18 during the year, make sure that Canada Pension is deducted for the period during which the employee was 18.

SUPPORT CHANGES

Most of our larger clients have already converted to Monthly Telephone Support.

In keeping with emerging industry standards, we will be adjusting our telephone support rates for clients Not on Monthly Support.

Starting Jan 1, 2002 the minimum support rate per call / incident for clients not on Monthly Telephone Support will increase from $20. to $30. Monthly Support Clients will not be affected. Monthly Support rates typically range from $20 - $100 dependant on system complexity and number of users. Monthly Support covers most incidents under 15 minutes as well as many updates including Payroll Tax Updates and the like.