• May 6, 2011

    Use Shortcuts Instead of File Duplicates

    3:00 pm By InTech Tips
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    Instead of copying files to multiple locations in your hard drive to make sure you can find it easily, consider using shortcuts instead. Shortcuts are simply links to the original file, folder, or programs from which it was created. You can distinguish a shortcut by the arrow in the lower-left corner of the icon. To create a shortcut, right-click the file and then click Create Shortcut . Create as many as you want, and drag them to the appropriate locations within your hard drive.

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  • April 30, 2011

    “About” Commands in Firefox

    4:47 am By InTech Tips
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    Did you know that typing “about:” plus another word in Firefox will allow you to view special configuration information of the browser—some of which you can actually tweak and customize? To try it, type “about:” to show general and version information. Try “about:cache” to view the browser cache, or “about:plugins” to show plugin information. If you are feeling adventurous, try “about:config” to show the browser configuration settings (but be careful when changing settings here). And for some extra fun, type “about:Mozilla” to see a special things provided by the developers.

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  • April 21, 2011

    Restrict Users of Your Computer from Accessing Folder Options in Windows

    5:00 pm By InTech Tips
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    If you share your computer with other users or manage the computers in your home or office, there are times when you may want to restrict users from changing folder options, such as making Windows system files visible which are invisible by default or showing file extensions. To do this, go to the Windows Start Menu and click on Run . Type “regedit” to launch the windows system registry tool. Next, go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Software / Microsoft / Windows / Curre ntVersion / Policies / Explorer. It may be a good idea to backup your registry at this point . After creating a back-up, double-click on NoFolderOptions and set its value to 1 . After doing so, users will no longer be able to edit Folder Options.   To reverse, set the value back to 0 .

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  • April 16, 2011

    Using Outlook to Access your Gmail Account

    4:00 am By InTech Tips
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    Do you have a Gmail account but prefer using Outlook to access your email? You can configure your Gmail to behave like a normal mailbox so that you can download it using your favorite desktop or mobile client such as Outlook. You can then access your mail offline, and use tools you already use with Outlook, such as Outlook’s mail formatting features and MS Office integration. Here’s how: 1.       First set up your Gmail account for POP or IMAP . If you use other Outlook features such as Tasks and Notes, consider using Google App Sync for Outlook instead. 2.       In Outlook, add a new email account.  Remember to use your email address when setting up your account (including ‘@gmail.com’ or ‘@your_domain.com’). For the exact steps, follow the instructions here . 3.       Are you using a mail client other than Outlook? Check out instructions from Google here .

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  • April 13, 2011

    Research Initiatives in Internet Security Promise a Safer Web Experience

    4:00 pm By InNews
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    Internet security is an issue not to be taken lightly. As an increasing number of businesses use the web for more efficient operations, there is also more risk of being affected by malware and viruses. But thanks to initiatives such as WebBlaze and BitBlaze from Professor Dawn Song, developers are better equipped to make more effective IT security systems. If you think hackers are the only ones doing their research to release newer and scarier viruses and malware on the web, think again. It is comforting to know that there are also very capable people doing what they can to make the internet a safer place – like Professor Dawn Song, associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley and MacArthur Foundation fellow. In a nutshell, Professor Song has been looking at different ways to make the internet experience more secure. Her two initiatives – WebBlaze and BitBlaze – are aimed toward developers who want to create better and much more secure programs and applications. WebBlaze is a compilation of different strategies from Song and other like minds who tackle different problems and solutions in all sorts of platforms, and BitBlaze is an analysis tool for malicious software. While we won’t go into too much detail (it involves very complicated math), the gist is that Song and her colleagues are drawing up some very solid solutions to constantly evolving security issues on the web. It’s exciting to see developments like these in the security industry. As threats continue to evolve, so does the means through which they are fought. The more we use the internet and the more the online experience becomes integral to the day-to-day operations of businesses big and small, the more important securing your data and information becomes. And because of efforts such as Professor Song’s, we can expect security programs to be much more effective and efficient as time passes. Know more about BitBlaze and WebBlaze Learn more about Dawn Song here If you are looking to assess and beef up your security systems, we’d be happy to sit down with you and take a look at improvements that can make your business and your data much more secure.

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  • April 1, 2011

    Customize the Windows 7 Logon Screen

    3:00 pm By InTech Tips
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    Would you like to customize the Windows 7 Logon Screen and use your own wallpaper image? There are actually several ways to do this. The first method involves editing the registry and creating a folder containing your own custom images. However, if you are uncomfortable doing this, or if it seems like too much work, there is a free application that can do it for you called Windows 7 Logon Background Changer . The download is a zip file, and once you unzip it, just run the installer. After installation, the program will allow you to choose from images already on your drive and view a preview of how it will look. Find out more by downloading the program .

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  • March 9, 2011

    Important Update: President Signs Red Flag Clarification Act into Law

    2:00 pm By InArticles
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    Professional service providers such as attorneys, accountants, and doctors no longer fall within the definition of a creditor under the Red Flag Rule. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) so-called “Red Flag Rule,” which requires all businesses that are potential identity-theft targets to develop plans to spot red flags and prevent theft, received much criticism for being too broad. But now there’s some relief:  S. 3987, the Red Flag Clarification Act, which President Obama signed into law in December 2010. To recap, under the Red Flag Rule, the FTC had been interpreting “creditor” broadly by including organizations that defer payment for goods or services and bill clients later. This led to widespread concern that the Red Flag Rule would be applicable to entities not typically thought of as creditors, including law firms and health care providers. The Red Flag Clarification Act exempts such entities by revising the definition of creditor to exclude creditors “that advance funds on behalf of a person for expenses incidental to a service provided by the creditor to that person.” Essentially, the Red Flag Clarification Act limits the scope of the Red Flag Rule to creditors that regularly and in the ordinary course of business obtain or use consumer reports in connection with a credit transaction; furnish information to consumer reporting agencies in connection with a credit transaction; or advance funds to a person based on the person’s obligation to repay the funds. The legislation does include a provision that would allow other types of creditors to be subject to the Red Flag Rule if the agency with authority over the creditor (such as federal banking agencies) determines that the creditor has accounts that are subject to a reasonably foreseeable risk of identity theft.

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  • January 21, 2011

    Need A Break? Tax Law Extends Single-year Equipment Deduction Through 2011

    6:23 pm By InArticles
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    When you acquire equipment for your businesses, you can deduct the entire cost in a single year, thanks to a tax break that’s been extended through the end of 2011. In the past, business equipment such as computers and machinery had to be deducted over a number of years. Then a new tax code provision was enacted to help spur economic growth. That provision, called Section 179, allowed taxpayers to deduct the cost of equipment as an expense rather than requiring the cost of the property to be capitalized and depreciated. In other words, single-year deductions were permitted — much to the benefit of small and medium businesses. The Section 179 deduction started out at $25,000, increased to $125,000 then $250,000, and finally ended up at $500,000. And many assets qualify for the tax break, including computers, software, office machines and furniture, manufacturing equipment, and vehicles that weigh more than 6,000 pounds. How does it work? Lets’ say you have a $600,000 profit and don’t want to pay taxes on that entire amount. At the same time, you need new computer equipment. You can buy that new equipment for $500,000 and only owe taxes on $100,000 of your profits. Section 179 was set to expire at the end of 2010, but it’s now been extended. The Tax Relief Act of 2010, signed on 12/17/10, allows business owners to take Section 179 deductions through the 2011 tax year. That means 2011 is a great year to consider purchasing equipment, because the immediate writeoff helps businesses such as yours keep more cash free for other purposes. “There is a big advantage to having that cash flow right away,” says Abe Schneier, a senior manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. “Even in the best of times, it is hard for many small businesses to borrow money for any sizeable investment.” Related articles: Equipment eligible for the Section 179 deduction

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  • January 13, 2011

    Is Unfriending Good for Your Business?

    3:30 pm By InNews
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    One thing is clear, quality is still more important than quantity. Especially with the current economic downturn, people are downsize everything – including online social circles. November 17, 2010 was declared by Jimmy Kimmel during his television show as “National Unfriend Day”, the opportunity for all Facebook users to declutter their Facebook pages by “unfriending” people in their friends’ lists. He claims that Facebook has been “cheapening” the idea of friendship. To many the idea was hilarious, but others are seriously considering the wisdom of unfriending. Is Kimmel on to something here? Can unfriending benefit your online business? Research shows that as social media gets bigger, we’re getting smaller. Brian Wong, a network marketer says it simply: “With the growth of social networking, I am finding it increasingly difficult to separate business connections and personal connections.” He says that having almost 1,000 friends on Facebook has made it difficult for him to see the feeds and updates of his “real” friends and important business partners. Lately there is a growing trend of de-scaling on the internet. People have started “pruning” their social lives online. For example, the popular Farmville app lost 30 million players this year, and people are beginning to realize that conversations and comments are more important than a huge number of blog hits. So how can de-scaling and unfriending help your business? The drive to be more intimate can benefit your business by allowing you to form a tighter circle of customers, more successfully establishing you as a preferred channel for consumption. Luckily, there are tools that can help you descale your social networks: Path – Offers small-scale communities where people feel more comfortable sharing personal information. It controls who can view your information and does not include features that make your content viral. Letter.ly – A subscription-based newsletter for bloggers who feel that public posts decrease the quality of conversations. This newsletter opens discussion only to people who pay, or who are privately invited to read a blog post. GroupMe – A texting app which limits your group text participants to only 14, to ensure that meaningful dialogues take place. What about the flip side of unfriending and descaling? While you’re considering who to eliminate from your social circles, your contacts are likely doing the same. Here are some tips to help you make their cuts: 1.       Be selective in your communications. Of course, your product is important – to you. But not every little detail is as important to your audience. Be sure to focus on key features and benefits from your audience’s perspective. 2.       Stay on topic. Always give relevant communications to your customers, and never rant or badmouth competitors. This is a sure way to lose customers. 3.       Provide value. In addition to talking about your product or service, find ways to provide value to your circle of friends. Understand topics and pain points important to them, and provide valuable information and advice to help them succeed. You’ll soon come to be considered as a valuable resource to your contacts – one that they want to keep in their online social groups. One thing is clear: quality is still more important than quantity, especially in the current economic downturn when people are downsizing everything. Start “pruning” your social network – and take steps to avoid being pruned – and you’ll reap the benefits of having a tight circle of loyal friends and customers.

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