| |
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Friday, 30 September 2011 10:57 |
|
As we wrote back in April we believe that Office 365 will be a great solution for small businesses and now it’s out! Right now we are in the process of moving from one Microsoft Online Service to another, BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite) to Office 365. Let the migration start!
Our impression starting the migration was that it would be easy and straight forward. But unfortunately we’ve had a slightly different experience.
Our main issue with the migration from BPOS to Office 365 is with the domains. To be able to transfer over to Office 365 everything needs to be completely removed from BPOS; that includes all email accounts and the domain itself. It can take anything up to 48hrs for the domain to be removed from BPOS and FOPE (Forefront Online Protection for Exchange) and only then can you add the domain to Office 365. We followed the migration plan but when we didn’t receive emails to our Office 365 accounts it turned out that the domain had not been fully deleted from FOPE on the BPOS side. You will need to contact BPOS support to get your domain flushed out. One thing that you will notice is that if the domain gets stuck in Forefront, you will be able to send and receive mail from within online services, send mail outside, but outside mail coming in will receive a relay error.
As I mentioned earlier BPOS and Office 365 are two different services and the two don’t really communicate so you will need to work closely with the transition team!
Here are some things to keep in mind
• Make sure that you save the service request number somewhere; these numbers will save you a lot of time when you call in for support.
• We also started to keep track on who the request was assigned to and asked for the same technician for our follow ups. This will save you tons of hours not having to explain the situation over and over again.
• It’s also a good idea to provide an alternate email address.
• Take Screen shots (Ctrl + Alt + Print Screen) and attach to your service request.
• Save Error Messages and attach these to your service requests.
• Don’t wait for Support to call you back, be on top of it and call in to get all updates!
Contact
Office 365 Support: 1-800-865 9408
BPOS Support: 1-866-676 6546
FOPE Support: 1-866-291 7726
Office 365 Transition Team: 1-888-884 7282
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 30 September 2011 11:21 |
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 12:22 |
|
Do you sometimes get annoyed with updates popping up on your monitor? It’s so easy to click “remind me later” or just ignore it, but that is a bad idea!
According to Danish Security Company CSIS, almost all kit-created virus and malware infections (exploit kit) are caused by the failure to update software packages. These updates from software companies are very important; the company accumulates security patches over a period and the updates will fix all those bugs and vulnerabilities that have been found.
CSIS concludes that "99.8 per cent of all virus/malware infections caused by commercial exploit kits are a direct result of the lack of updating five specific software packages".
1. Java JRE
2. Adobe Reader/Acrobat
3. Adobe Flash
4. Microsoft Internet Explorer
5. Windows HCP
Exploit kits are packs containing malicious programs that are mainly used to carry out automated “drive-by” attacks in order to spread malware. Internet explorer, PDF and Java together represent over 60% of the attack vector used by most popular exploit kits.
So the bottom line is that when a Microsoft Windows machine gets infected by viruses/malware it does so mainly because users forget to or don’t run updates on the software.
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 12:28 |
|
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 11:42 |
|
 The first generation of touch-enabled tablets running the next version of Windows -- code-named Windows 8 -- is expected on the market in about 12 months. Microsoft is gearing up to compete in a touchscreen-friendly market already crowded with Androids and Apple with their new touch-enabled, tablet-friendly operating system!
Windows 8 is optimized for newer touch-centric hardware, a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse. And it’s still delivering the flexibility, connectivity and power that people have come to expect from Windows today.
Microsoft calls the new look "Metro style" and Windows 8 launches by default into the Metro interface. Instead of icons, there are groups of tiles. These tiles are “live” with notifications, showing always up-to-date information from your apps. The user interface and new apps will work with or without a keyboard and mouse on a broad range of screen sizes and pixel densities, from small slates to laptops, desktops, all-in-ones, and even classroom-sized displays. Although the new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, users can still use their mouse and keyboard. Handwriting support has been expanded in Windows 8, so that the system makes it easier to accept input from styluses and convert written notes to legible characters.
Windows 8 boots up surprisingly fast, in seconds the user will get a green screen, and the login is basically the only thing left to do. Microsoft is reducing startup time by 30% to 70% resulting in 10-second boot time. All users sign in with a Windows Live account. This way the apps can tie in with Microsoft cloud services like SkyDrive storage, Hotmail, and any other connected services — Facebook and LinkedIn, for example.
Alternatively, there’s a new login option in Windows 8, a “picture password” in which the user touch and swipe parts of an image to log in. You upload a picture, and then create a simple drawing over it using straight lines, circles, and dots. When you log in, you'll be present with the image and asked to re-draw the password over it. And the final option would be to use a PIN.
Microsoft is working on their app store. One notable difference between this upcoming app store and that of Apple’s Mac OS X is that it will allow trial periods for software sold. Windows 8 also is expected to have an OS X-style Mac App Store, and should include further integration with Microsoft's growing range of online services such as SkyDrive, Office 365, and the free Office Web apps.
Microsoft is not saying anything official about when Windows 8 will ship, different editions or its price. The general consensus, however, is that the operating system will be launched in fall 2012!
For now, check out Microsoft's first video of Windows 8 in actions.
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:15 |
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 11:52 |
|
Yesterday was the second Tuesday of the month of July and it was time for Microsoft's Patch Tuesday!
The biggest news this month was that support for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) ended. So what does that mean? If you're running that version of Vista (SP1), Microsoft will no longer offer updates and other support. But it's not too late to update to the next service pack! Vista SP1 users can continue receiving support from Microsoft by upgrading to Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2).
Service pack
A service pack (SP) is a Windows update, often combining previously released updates, that helps make Windows more reliable. Service packs can include security and performance improvements and support for new types of hardware. Make sure you install the latest service pack to help keep Windows up to date. Service Packs take about 30 minutes to install, and you'll need to restart your computer about halfway through the installation.
The recommended (and easiest) way to get Service Packs is to turn on Windows Update for Windows Vista and let Windows notify you when the Service Packs you need are ready to install. Turning on Automatic Updating is quick and easy, and it saves you time and disk space.
Service Pack Center - Get the latest service pack for your version of Windows here!
Life cycle
Every Windows product has a life cycle. The life cycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported or sold. Knowing key dates in this life cycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software. The consumer editions of Vista SP2 (Vista Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate) exit support in April 2012, while the corporate versions of Vista (Vista Business and Vista Enterprise) will be supported with security patches through mid-April 2017.
We hope that this article helps you make decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your Windows software.
|
|
Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:16 |
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Tuesday, 12 July 2011 09:38 |
|
This month we are entering a raffle to win a grant for small businesses and we need your help! It's Intuit's LoveALocalBusiness.com raffel for July!!
Please show your love by voting for us!! Click on the link above or vote for us using the banner up to your right!
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 July 2011 10:02 |
|
Written by Anna Tael
|
|
Friday, 01 July 2011 12:05 |
|
The launch of Microsoft® Office 365 has been widely anticipated for a long time and it's the next version of Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Services.
These are the main options with Microsoft® Office 365
- Microsoft® Office 365 for small businesses includes Office Web Apps, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and an external Web site for $6 per user per month. It is designed specifically for smaller businesses and professionals who are looking for cloud-based productivity tools without the IT hassles.
- For full Office Professional Plus desktop software, Office Web Apps, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, 24/7 phone support, advanced administration controls, on-premises use rights and more, an enterprise will pay roughly $24 per user per month.
Financially backed 99.9% uptime guarantee!
Microsoft® Office 365 is designed to deliver reliability, availability, and performance with a guaranteed 99.9% uptime, financially backed service level agreement (SLA). What does that really mean? Well, you will get a discount off your monthly payment if uptime falls below 99.9% and Microsoft has three different levels. If your uptime falls below 99.9% - 99% you will get a 25% discount off your monthly payment, and a 50% discount is it falls below 99%, and a 100% discount if uptime falls below 95%.
Microsoft® Office 365 is now available in 40 markets, and it brings an always-up-to-date cloud service, at a predictable monthly subscription.
We have partnered with Microsoft in order to provide these services to our small business costumers. So contact us today to learn how we can help you take advantage of Microsoft® Office 365.
Want to learn more about Microsoft® Office 365?
|
|
Last Updated on Friday, 01 July 2011 12:22 |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 9 |
| |
