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Web Browsers – What’s Your Choice

I’ve been noticing some amongst my clients about the web browser they’re using.  Long established as the predominant browser in the market, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) is experiencing more competition than ever these days.  As a long time fan of Internet Explorer I recently switched due to some frustrations with performance – specifically with the newest iteration, IE 8.  Mostly my problems revolved around the way IE 8 presented text (often so small that it was unreadable) and errors experienced with certain java functions certain sites required.  This isn’t to say that other browsers don’t have problems – quite the opposite, actually – but I found I didn’t mind the problems other browsers had as much.  Anyhow, the three most popular browsers today (in my opinion) are IE, Google’s Chrome, and, Mozilla’s Firefox.  I’ve decided Google Chrome works best for me.  So what do you think?  What browser to you use and why?

Lexis Webinar on Mobility a Success

Thanks to all over 600 of you who joined us on the mobility webinar.  If you would like more information a consultation, training or turnkey server solution to support your mobile goals feel free to contact us (1.877.539.7274).  We also have the Whitepaper available in advance right here:  Mobile Devices Whitepaper.  Excerpt below:

The Rise in Mobile Devices

The rise of mobile devices has been exponential over the past 5 years.  There are many reasons for this, but the most prevalent is that they allow people to communicate faster and more effectively than ever before.  The ability to have access to e-mail, contacts, calendar, and other data has made them an extremely valuable tool for today’s legal professional.  Hence the rise of the mobile device as today’s “always-on” business tool.   Yet, there are downsides to all technologies and mobile devices are not without their share.  Beginning with the multitude of devices available today to the changing landscape services, features, and functions available on each device, finding a the right device can be a challenge.  Additionally, matching a device to your personal needs, technical requirements of your network, and your practice management tool can be next to impossible without assistance from an IT professional.  Often finding the right device is a matter of breaking down the different features it provides.

Contact Joe Ulm at Information Technology Professionals today to setup a consultation on your next mobile office deployment or about ITP’s mobile device network review and training packages.  Paul Hager and other ITP engineers are available to travel to your organization and provide a complete training and setup packages for your mobile workforce.  1.877.539.7274

Online backup – An Abbreviated Overview

I’ve gotten quite a few questions lately on the value/pros/cons of online backup.  So here’s just a quick overview of the world of online backup…

Online backup technology, when deployed correctly, is well established, both in terms of reliability and security.  It is traditionally sold through VARs (like us) or directly through online backup companies themselves.   In our case, we resell an established online providers service, but I know some VARs have developed their own online backup service.  Things to look for in an online provider are:

• Encrypted communications
• Multiple, geographically-separated backup locations
• Data backed up to SAS 70 compliant data centers (there are different tiers)
• Agent-less client (meaning you can install it on your server and backup a workstation/laptop without installing the software on that device, as well)
• Type of backup (full, incremental, or differential)
• Ability to backup application data (Exchange, SQL, etc.) and how “granular” the backup is.  For example, can you restore just one e-mail or is your only option restoring all your e-mail?
• Good user interface
• Number of “generations” backed up (how far back can you restore from?  One day, ten days? More?)

Additionally, pricing tends to be all over the place with online providers mostly because they often price out “storage” differently.  The two most common pricing models are:

Protected – this means you will get X amount of data backed up with the ability to restore from X days back.  In this pricing model you purchase 10 GB of space at say, $5 per GB per month and can go back 30 generations.  It costs you $50 per month, but in essence you’re getting 300 TOTAL GBs of backup space (10 GB X 30 generations).

Unprotected – this is just straight data storage.  Often vendors using this pricing model will give you a “block” of backup space to use as you see fit (100 GB, 200 GB, or more).  This model will be far less expensive than the protected pricing model, but each generation of backup will count against your total space.  So if you’re backing up 10 GB of data and you purchase a 100 GB block of space, you’ll get 10 generations from it.

A couple important additional pricing considerations:

• All pricing should be based on the compressed data size.
• Very rough estimates for pricing would be $2 per GB for unprotected and $5 per GB for protected.
• Backup software should be included at no additional cost

Our recommendations when it comes to backup:

1. Do a combination of online and onsite backup.  Often you can do one or the other “inexpensively” because you’re fully invested in a quality solution for the other.  An example of this would be to back everything up online and then just use inexpensive portable drives or a cheap attached storage unit for onsite backup.
2. Archive.  I know this is a dirty word for many companies, but archiving keeps the online costs down considerably and there are ways to ensure the data is available quickly should anyone need it.

If you have a quality onsite solution now, consider just backing up your firm’s critical data online (accounting, HR, forms, and possibly e-mail) to save money.

ITP Opens a New Office – PRESS RELEASE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS PRESS RELEASE

Information Technology Professionals Opens Its Doors in Madison

Down Economy does not Effect Local IT Company in Growth Mode

March 1, 2010: Founded in 2003, Information Technology Professionals expands again, growing 40% over the past year. Paul Hager, the CEO and 2009 In Business Top 40 under 40 manages and supports the growing list of Madison clients using ITP’s services. Within 12 months Information Technology Professionals has grown within the Madison area and now moved to a new, larger office. Information Technology Professionals is a full service IT Company providing IT Support, networking, line of business applications, software development, web development and web marketing. ITP is known for its delivery of service first, returning honesty and integrity in its process of managing both simple and complex IT services. ITP attributes its growth to strong customer support of its 2 pillar product lines:

• Managed Services – All IT costs are made into a flat rate, networks are monitored 24 x 7 and help desk is available on a 24 x 7 basis as well. On site dispatch of senior network engineers is provided to reduce downtime while simultaneously reducing the risk of unexpected IT costs. With monitoring, antivirus, spam protection, online backup and support services included in one price, companies are able to get more out of their existing technology at a consistent, predictable, and affordable price.

• Online Marketing – ITP stands as a leader in custom web marketing plans for small to large enterprises. ITP can deliver measurable results to businesses that enhance their bottom line with a comprehensive online marketing strategy delivered locally or nationally. With an emphasis on organic and social media marketing, ITP creates a platform that lasts for businesses online presence.

ITP is located just off the beltline at 2800 Royal Ave. Contact Paul Hager, 608-628-0104 for more information or for interview.

www.itprosusa.com | http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhagerwebmarketingseo | http://twitter.com/itprosusa | blog.itprosusa.com ITP serves companies of all sizes in the state of Wisconsin and nationally.

Apple Releases the ipad- would you buy one?

So the ipad is here (watch part of the keynote below).  So its a tablet PC or maybe just a large ipod touch or iphone. The keynote addresses that Apple is not interested in making a netbook that netbooks are just slow cheap laptops.  Hm.  Netbooks are portable, light, fast at what they should be used for and yes inexpensive.  I am not sure about Steve’s assumption that netbooks are not hear to stay.  Lets talk the positive:

1. It looks like a really neat device
2. I am excited by Apple’s choice to make a high powered device in the sub $500.
3. Takes multitouch to a new space
4. ereader + web

The not so positive:

1. iphone OS instead of full OS X
2. no multitasking
3. no flash support
4. no camera would have been a great start to video phones

Apple has knocked their laptops and iphone out of the park will the ipad live up to its brothers?  Time will tell.  The real question is, would you buy one?

Amazon kindle ereader for 250 or this for 500?

Netbook for 500 vs ipad for 500?

Keywords – A Key Component to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Part II

In my last post I talked about what keywords are.  This time, I’m going to go into a bit more about how to determine which keywords are valuable to your online marketing and search engine optimization efforts.  Unlike traditional marketing vehicles where you craft a message that you expect to resonate with prospects, search engine optimization requires you to figure out what words or phrases (keywords) people will use to search for your products or services.  Certainly, this requires you to know your market, your business, and your target prospects, but you also need to know what your competition is doing.  For that, there are some tools that can help you gather more information about what keywords are likely to be valuable to your business AND what keywords your competition is using:

• Google Search Based Keyword Tool (http://www.google.com/sktool/#) – This tool is free and provides some basic information about keywords that could be valuable to you.  It is at the very least insightful and, used correctly, can be invaluable.  Let’s take a look at how it works…  

You can type a domain name in the “domain name” field for suggestions specific to a domain name or you can simply type in some keywords to get “general” information as I did below.

What you’ll find is how often your keywords are used in searches along with some other similar search terms (below).  You’ll also find an estimated dollar amount next to each term.  These dollar amounts are the average prices other businesses are bidding on these terms in their pay-per-click/adwords campaign.  I’ll go more into Google Adwords, pay-per-click campaigns, and writing ads for Google and other search engines in future posts.  For now, however, you can see how this information can be invaluable in your efforts to find the best keywords for your business. 

• Another popular tool is Word Tracker (http://www.wordtracker.com/) which has a few more advanced tools to help you make decisions on your keywords. 

Ultimately, you need to have a good idea what keywords potential prospects are using to look for your products or services.  Once you have a good grasp of the keywords you want to target, you’ll be able to utilize them throughout your search engine optimization efforts.  Next time, we’ll talk about how to use the keywords you’ve targeted.

Paul Hager Speaks at HTHH Social Media the Good the Bad the Great

Watch my video from blip.tv of my speech on social media

Welcome to the New ITP Blog

Welcome to the new ITP blog we will keep you up to date on what the folks at ITP are doing to make life easier using technology. We will have posts by ITP staff and friends about legal technology and a host of computing tidbits. Please subscribe to make sure you get notified when a new post happens at ITP.

Windows 7 First Look

Okay, whether you’re a fan of Vista or one of Vista’s many critics, a little news about Microsoft’s next operating system is interesting reading. The new operating system will be simply named “Windows 7″ and it appears Microsoft has listened to the complaints users have pounded them with about Vista.
In short, a quick look at Windows 7 shows some expected and some unexpected changes. Here’s a quick list of some of the features of the new operating system:
• The Windows sidebar is gone, but the gadgets can still be accessed
• The Windows security center is gone (thank God!!!) though some features have been incorporated into the maintenance section of the control panel
• A function that allows greater Bluetooth functionality
• A “Sticky Notes” feature that allows you to place a sticky note anywhere on the desktop.
• Greater performance analysis tools
• The use of ribbons which were introduced in Office 2007

It is also expected that Windows 7 will be faster to boot and be more compatible with software and peripherals at launch.

Ultimately, only time will tell, but if early indicators are any sign, it appears as though Microsoft is working to eliminate some of the issues associated with Vista.

Check out the full article from Cnet here complete with some screenshots.