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.
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.