How To Identify, Cure and Prevent Spyware/Adware Infections
June 30, 2007
Just when you thought you were Web savvy, one more privacy, security, and functionality issue crops up - spyware. Installed on your computer without your consent, spyware software monitors or controls your computer use. It may be used to send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which, in turn, could lead to identity theft.
Many experienced Web users have learned how to recognize spyware, avoid it, and delete it. According to officials at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, all computer users should get wise to the signs that spyware has been installed on their machines, and then take the appropriate steps to delete it.
The clues that spyware is on a computer include:
- a barrage of pop-up ads
- a hijacked browser - that is, a browser that takes you to sites other than those you type into the address box
- a sudden or repeated change in your computer’s Internet home page
- new and unexpected toolbars
- new and unexpected icons on the system tray at the bottom of your computer screen
Microsoft Great Plains: Manufacturing or Bill of Materials - Overview for IT Specialist
June 29, 2007
Microsoft Great Plains is main Microsoft Business Solutions product, targeted to mid-size companies. Currently Microsoft is in progress of transforming several ERP products it has: Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon and Navision into several business suites - Microsoft Financial, Microsoft HR, Microsoft Manufacturing, Microsoft Logistics.
These suites may be (in the future) put together and work for your company as integrated ERP solution with web interface (Microsoft Business Portal). If you are midsize company with some manufacturing - you should make the research on light manufacturing packages available on software market. In the case of your commitment to Great Plains (if you use it as your accounting system) you should probably first answer this question - do we need full featured manufacturing or we should implement just bill of materials and have missing functionality be filled with custom Crystal Reports and light Dexterity customization?
And one more thing to consider - Microsoft Manufacturing will be more likely build on Navision manufacturing base. If you have process manufacturing - you should not implement GP manufacturing - it is discreet manufacturing.
If you answer yes on most of these questions, you do need manufacturing
Make or Break Factors - When Considering Estimating Software
June 29, 2007
Make-or-Break Factors in Success and Profitability
For quick printers, estimating can prove to be a major factor in the success or failure of their business.
When a customer requests a bid on a job, they need a fast turnaround, and the best price. For a printer, there are two important issues; first of course is the price and second the profit. If they price a job too high they might miss out on getting the job, and if they price it too low, this starts cutting into their potential profits.
Estimating software is a tool that helps eliminate this margin for error and make every printer’s job easier. This ease is why estimating software is becoming an integral part for many companies in the printing and graphics industry. But what type of estimating software should a printer look for? With so many different companies selling estimating software it can become difficult to find a solution that is the right one.
How To Make Good Use of Spreadsheets
June 28, 2007
Most computer users use spreadsheets software such as Microsoft Excel in their daily home and office. However very few are aware of the potential of spreadsheets in helping them in financial accounting and statistical analysis.
There are many uses of spreadsheets beyond the simple arithmetical and data analysis we are used to. Spreadsheets can assist us in many tasks with accuracy and speed.
Before we look at some of the uses we can put Spreadsheet software to let’s look at a few of its features, which make it unique and useful.
The most important features of any spreadsheet are the calculation of figures using arithmetic signs or functions. While not completely unique to spreadsheets, this feature is particularly more visible and word processing software.
For example in Microsoft Excel, there is a formula bar for typing or displaying typed formulas. The formula can be inserted in this bar or in a specific cell preceded by an = (equal) sign.
You need not insert actual figures, as that would be cumbersome. You simply specify a function such as SUM, AVERAGE, e.t.c and enclose into brackets the beginning column and row numbers and the ending column and row numbers.
How To Develop Software For Your Business
June 27, 2007
Software development is a risky business.
Many software developers are barely skilled at their trade, much less at business. They can’t understand how your business operates - and their code isn’t unreliable.
It crashes constantly.
It isn’t professional.
It hurts your business.
If you want software developed for your business, what can you do?
You need a software development professional - a consumate bussinessman, and you need to deal with him on your terms. How can you do that?
First, you need to make sure that you find a professional who understands business - your business. He has to listen, and be cautious before giving advice. If he tries to drop a pre-packaged solution on you, drop him. Make sure he charges by the project, not by the hour - hourly rates are great for developers, but not for clients. Hourly rates mean they get paid *more* for every bug they create - so they create as many as they can.
Once you have chosen a developer, the next step is to come to an agreement on what needs to be done. Don’t worry about the particular technology used - the developer should worry about that. Worry about what you need on your end - and stick to your guns! You know your business best, and your developer should respect that.
Algebra Help Software
June 26, 2007
Need help making sense of algebra? Have algebra lectures in your classroom left you scratching your head and wondering: "How on earth did they get that answer"? Do not despair, because help is at hand. AlgebraSolver from Softmath can make all the pieces of the algebra puzzle fall into place, improving your grasp of the subject with step-by-step problem solving that demonstrates exactly how a solution has been reached.
One of the most powerful algebra software programs ever developed, AlgebraSolver software can help you solve any problem from your textbook. It has the ability to respond to your request for explanations, making sure that you actually understand how you reached the solution. With this software you can easily:
Tackle arithmetics and complex numbers Simplify algebraic expressions Solve linear, quadratic and other equations and inequalities Solve a system of equations Tackle graphing Get unlimited practice in problem solving
Instead of tearing your hair out in exasperation each time homework deadline approaches, investing just $67 in it can put a permanent end to your algebra woes. You have nothing to lose. If for some reason you feel the software does not help solve problems and increase your understanding of algebra, you can return it for a full refund.
Tools for Customizing Great Plains
June 25, 2007
Microsoft Business Solutions ? Great Plains has captured the US market with its integrated business applications for small and mid-size organizations. Its comprehensive accounting and business management capabilities provide businesses with tools to customize various modules of the Great Plains software. These tools have been proven to have contributed to business growth and tighter control over its processes.
There are several ways in which customization and integration can be applied to Great Plains applications because of its open architecture characteristic. Integrity of data and performance of processes can also be validated using one of the many tools as listed in this article. So how do we answer the question of Customizing Great Plains?
Dexterity
Although Dexterity requires the user an extensive knowledge in software development (primarily in C/C++ or Pascal) and experience in scripting languages (VBScript, or Dexterity’s own script - SanScript), this proprietary programming language that Great Plains was developed in allows access to all of Great Plains resources such as tables, reports and scripts. With this access, you can manipulate and define triggers such as opening a form or leaving a field. Moreover, it can be used to call up procedures and functions and create new applications without interfering with other customizations already in place and integrate them into Great Plains user interface easily.
Data Quality Best Practices for Salesforce.com
June 24, 2007
Executive Summary
An effective plan for entering, cleaning and updating the data for your salesforce.com (SFDC) system is critical for achieving success with SFDC. According to industry experts poor planning for managing the data entry/data quality issue has historically been one of the largest reasons for failure with CRM systems.
The data entry/data quality challenges faced by a SFDC customer, and the corresponding solutions and best practices to be considered will vary depending on the company sales process and size. However applying data management best practices can be instrumental for creating revenue growth and a competitive advantage with your SFDC investment.
Why Does Data Quality Matter for Salesforce.com Customers? This whitepaper concentrates on the data impact and benefits to sales and marketing users selling to other businesses. Although SFDC is used by a variety of other company functions, such as service and support, this analysis focuses on the best practice recommendations for sales and marketing.
There are two main reasons why current stakeholders in a SFDC project should have a strategy for addressing the quality of data in their SFDC system.
1) Historical Lessons Learned from Prior CRM Project Failures:
RSS: Get Notified When Your Favorite Websites Are Updated
June 24, 2007
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way for a site to publish it’s updates. RSS readers can read these notifications and display a listing of the updates to you, the user.
It’s sort of like having a special ‘inbox’ for emails announcing updates to your selected websites.
Many applications and websites support RSS feeds. You can add RSS feeds to your My Yahoo! page, Firefox has several RSS extensions such as Sage, there are sites that deal w/ RSS feeds such as Feedster and FastBuzz. Thunderbird even allows you to set up RSS feeds similar to your inbox.
There are also stand alone applications for RSS feeds like Pluck, RSSReader and SharpReader.
Different readers allow you to subscribe to a feed differently. Using Firefox w/ Sage, for example, you can drag-and-drop the RSS icon into your RSS feed folder and it’s done.
What’s the benefit?
You can use RSS feeds to see if there’s anything new at a given site before visiting the site. This wouldn’t be a big help if you only had one RSS feed. However, if you have several sites you check routinely, this can cut the time down tremendously.
Software: What Suits Me?
June 23, 2007
Almost all new and major brand of PCs come with bundled software packages that can handle both business and personal needs.
However, if you purchase a stripped down model, you might have to spend considerable time and money to add appropriate software packages you vitally need.
Should that be the case, there are certain steps and factor you will need to consider to select the correct software for your computer.
Write down your machines’ vital statistics: i.e., operating system, amount of RAM and hard disk space available. You can access this information by going to the control panel and finally to system. If you have difficulty, select Help.
In all likelihood, your needs will fall into the Internet applications category which includes web browsers and email. As with every other home business purchase decision, clarify what technical support you will have access to. Find out if there is any additional charge, if the support is live and if so, the hours. This is imperative if you cannot install or run it on your own.
You will also require utility programs which include firewalls, anti-virus programs, backup and recovery and disk management. If appropriate, check out graphics and multimedia software which provides your business with the means to do digital photo manipulation, drawing, video editing and sound.
