Well April came
and went without any serious problems and we are pretty much back to normal, in
terms of day to day scheduling. I’ve passed the recommended recovery period, so
moderate lifting is allowed as well.
The low pricing
on computers and new flat panel monitors has resulted in a number of companies
opting to complete hardware upgrades and phase out older Pentium 1’s and 2’s. Pentium
3 computers and above are generally fast enough for most business computing but
some high end software does require a fairly fast Celeron or Pentium 4. The
relative complexity of some Internet Web Sites also requires additional power
to navigate them at a reasonable rate of speed. Call or e-mail us if you would
like pricing on Dell upgrades.
Many companies
have added High Speed Internet to their network environments. Most areas of the
city now offer at least one and often several Internet Suppliers. As more and
more users have acquired direct access to the Internet, Windows XP has become a
virtual necessity. Earlier versions of Windows do not have the same degree of
reliability and protection to make the Internet a safe place to visit. Windows
95, 98 and even 2000 routinely crash as a result of something that is
downloaded or accidentally acquired on-line.
To go with
Windows XP a good Anti-Virus and Adware & Spyware removal program is also
highly recommended. Anti-Spam features to weed out junk e-mail are often
provided by your Internet Supplier. If
not these can be added. Rogers has good free Anti-Spam software and supplies
free Anti-Virus protection as well. Other Internet companies vary in what they
supply.
If you haven’t
already done it, upgrading your file server can provide a boost in network
performance and ensure long-term reliability. There are few things more
frustrating than resorting to manual procedures for a week while a failed
server is replaced. Planned server upgrades should occur about every 5 years.
Old file servers can often be relegated to less critical roles.
When upgrading
file servers, some thought should be given to upgrading the operating system as
well. A lot of clients are still using Novell Netware. This limits the selection
of compatible servers but several are still available. The main advantage to
maintaining Novell is cost. The existing software can be transferred to a new
file server. To switch to Windows Server 2003 for example would entail an
expenditure of $1000 to $3000 for software, dependant upon the number of user
licenses required, but would ensure future compatibility with newer file
servers and Windows software.
HP has brought out several new models of
laser printers that offer duplex printing out of the box. We can supply these
printers and configure Libra to print longer reports and postings on both sides
of the page. This has the advantage of reducing filing space at the same time
as reducing paper costs. Let us know if you are interested in either of the
printers below:
HP Laserjet 1320 $400.00 22 pages/min
HP Laserjet 2420d $700.00 30 pages/min
Of the two printers, the 2420 is faster
and has a much better manual feed. If you are looking at the 2420 printer be
sure to order the 2420d model, as the 2420 basic model does not offer
duplexing. It is a little less expensive however. We can have these printers
delivered to your door for a nominal $10 shipping charge. Prices tend to
fluctuate so call us if interested.
A laser printer with a good manual feed
also allows you to easily feed in letterhead, not only for letters, but
invoices, purchase orders and such. Laser cheques can also be easily fed in and
the quality of print is much better than the best dot-matrix printer. The only
downside to laser forms is that you must print as many copies as you need. If
you print a 5 copy invoice on a dot-matrix printer you print one copy. On laser
you must print 5 copies but the printing is much faster and quieter.
Multi-colour copies can also be used. If you employ a printer with multiple
trays, you can print different forms and different colours of forms easily
without changing the forms all the time.
Another feature that we often activate
these days is Laser Printed Envelopes. This allows you to use less expensive
plain envelopes for cheques. These are less obvious targets for individuals
intent on cheque fraud. It can be integrated into Cheque Printing so that as
you print your 20 cheques the program requests you to load and print the 20 matching
envelopes as well. Look at the envelope that this newsletter came in if you
would like to take a look at a basic laser envelope.
With an appropriate printer and magnetic
toner cartridge you can even print cheques on completely blank cheque stock allowing
you to maintain a single source of cheques for multiple companies and multiple
bank accounts. This is often much less expensive than standard pre-printed
cheques providing you order sufficient blank cheque stock.