Simplex-IT BizBlog

If you weren’t able to attend Simplex-IT’s January Lunchinar you can now enjoy it online. I just posted the video on our YouTube Channel, but you can view it right here. Simply click the thumbnail below, put your feet up, kick back and relax. Bob Coppedge is going to tell you what he believes will be the big tech stories in the coming year, including:

• The Cloud
  • Are outages inevitable?
• Microsoft’s Strategy
  • New Products – Windows 8, Office 2012, SQL Server 2012…Kinect!
• Climate Change – Weather’s Impact on Global Production
• Backup’s Focus is Shifting to Business Continuity
• Government Regulations (SOPA)
• Social Media (of course!)

We hope you enjoy!

Today’s workers are ALL mobile, whether they are on the road or not; a recent study found the average employee was at his or her desk only 40% of the time. Yet most companies’ communications infrastructure is designed for a deskbound workforce. Happily there IS a better way!

During Simplex-IT’s next free lunchinar, you will learn about Microsoft Lync, an often under-appreciated component of Office 365. Offering secure instant messaging, Internet-based voice, video conferencing, collaborative whiteboarding, presence and seamless document sharing on almost any device, Lync is transforming business productivity. If you’d like to see how your information workers can get more done in less time, this presentation is for you!

Where: Hattie’s Café, 164 N. Main Street, Hudson
When: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 11:30am-1:00pm

As a bonus, we will be awarding door prizes of Windows 7 and Office 2010 to two lucky attendees. Free food AND free software – how awesome is that!

We remind you, though, seating is limited. To reserve yours, email John@Simplex-IT.com or call 234.380.1277. Come join the fun!

Simplex-IT successfully hosted its first free Lunchinar of 2012 with approximately 20 business owners, executives and IT professionals in attendance.

President and Chief Technical Guru Bob Coppedge entertained the group with his prognostications of IT Trends we can expect to see in the coming year. The Cloud, the differences between backups and business continuity and Microsoft’s planned new product offerings for 2012 (Windows 8, Office 2012, Server 2012, others) were among those topics highlighted. An energetic discussion of his picks occurred throughout the presentation.

Simplex-IT hosts these free lunchinars every 3^rd Wednesday of each month. Watch this blog for announcements of future events. In addition, our monthly eNewsletter provides details of each monthly gathering. To sign up to receive it, just go to our website – www.Simplex-IT.com – and click the link for the newsletter.

On January 30, 2012, Research in Motion announced the general availability of free cloud services for using and managing BlackBerry devices with the Microsoft Office 365 suite.

A similar BlackBerry service for Office 365’s precursor, the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), originally cost users $10. But RIM made the service free for BPOS a year ago and committed to making an Office 365 version free, as well, when it shipped. It now looks like that is Mission Accomplished!

Key features of the new service include:

• Wireless synchronization between a BlackBerry device and Microsoft Exchange
• Self-service security access that allows employees to reset their passwords and remotely lock or wipe their devices in case of loss or theft
• Web-based console for provisioning, managing and securing BlackBerry devices
• BlackBerry Balance, a RIM technology that presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry while keeping the content separate and secure

If you have been holding off on moving to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud services until they can fully accommodate BlackBerrys, now is the time to give Simplex-IT a call to get the ball moving. Your last excuse has just been removed!

One of the questions I hear frequently from users of Office is “Why did Microsoft switch from the familiar Menu-based interface in Office 2003 and earlier to the new Ribbon User Interface in Office 2007/2010?” Well, the short answer is the Ribbon is intended to be easier to use – with fewer clicks to accomplish frequent tasks.

For some, whether Microsoft met their goal remains open to debate.

But, for me, I was curious as to how they actually arrived at and ultimately decided upon the Ribbon configuration. I’m happy to report if you have 90 minutes to spare I have located The Story of the Ribbon, documenting the entire history of how this User Interface was created. It’s a truly fascinating story and entertainingly presented.

It’s not often you get to go “behind the scenes” of the development of a product and this is truly an eye-opening experience. You may find it even helps you understand Ribbon better.

If you are still using Office 2003 or earlier, this might just motivate you to consider making the jump to Office 2010. To those I would say “Come on in, the Ribbon’s fine!”

Enjoy!

Like every year before, 2012 promises to bring continued evolution in the world of information technology. Of course, some segments will gain in popularity while others will diminish or even disappear altogether. Who will be the ultimate winners and losers? How will the inevitable changes impact the decisions you will be called upon to make in your professional role?

Join Simplex-IT for our first free Lunchinar of 2012 as Bob Coppedge peers into his crystal ball to suggest what technologies you should be following in the New Year to help your business prosper. Will it be the Cloud, Social Media, Virtualization…or something else? Join us and find out!

Where: Hattie’s Café, 164 N. Main Street, Hudson
When: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 from 11:30am-1:00pm

As a bonus, we will be awarding door prizes of Windows 7 and Office 2010 to two lucky attendees. Free food AND free software – how awesome is that!

We remind you, though, seating is limited. To reserve yours, email John@Simplex-IT.com or call 234.380.1277. Come join the fun!

I know, I know, Christmas is over. But I just couldn’t resist passing along just one more free gift. This one’s from one of my favorite websites, MakeUseOf. They have all kinds of cool, helpful and free stuff, like: Tips & How To Articles, Best of Tools, Must Read Guides, Cool Sites Directory and more.

If you own both a Mac and a PC, you’re not alone. According to a 2009 survey, 85% of Mac owners also own a PC. This means millions of people need to make these two systems work together.

If you’re one of those, check out “Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X,” the latest free MakeUseOf manual. Just click on the link above and you’ll be on your way to making these rivals work better together.

Enjoy. And Merry Christmas from Simplex-IT and MakeUseOf.com!

“At the beginning of the year, there were a lot of predictions on how 2011 would be the year of the cloud, and that it would be a tipping point for cloud adoption everywhere. These predictions have been largely confirmed.”

So reports Thoran Rodrigues on his TechRepublic blog article entitled “2011: The Year the Cloud Went Mainstream.” The article goes on to cite some of the growing pains the cloud encountered in 2011 and what the prospects are for 2012. Suffice it to say the future looks bright indeed.

Also featured is a link to an article in Harvard Business Review titled “What Every CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud.” Cited as “a very simple measure of how widespread cloud computing has become” it makes for very interesting reading, particularly if you’re contemplating how cloud services may benefit your company.

Of course, if you’re looking for specific guidance you are always invited to contact us here at Simplex-IT (John@Simplex-IT.com or phone 234.380.1277). We’re always happy to help!

Happy New Year!

Once a month Simplex-IT hosts a free Lunchinar that features an informational presentation aimed at business owners and/or IT professionals. But this year, for the month of December, we decided to do something different. It worked out so well we decided to make it an annual tradition!

First, we kept the free lunch idea. After all, we reasoned, who doesn’t like a free lunch? But instead of a business presentation, we decided to simply open the room to a relaxed atmosphere of networking. It worked! A good number of folks accepted our invitation to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and mingle with other like-minded professionals. The forum was very well received!

Networking at the Simplex-IT Holiday Lunch

In addition, in keeping with the Christmas spirit of giving we held a raffle for nearly a dozen Geek gifts, the top prize being a copy of Office Professional 2010, donated by Simplex-IT partner, Microsoft. There were several other prizes donated by one of our clients, Life Equity of Hudson. Other geek gifts were hand-picked by our own Chief-Geek-in-Residence, Kevin Dutkiewicz.

Prizes for the Geek Charity Raffle

In addition to the raffle proceeds of just over $200, Simplex-IT wrote a check for an additional amount and contributed a total of $500 to the Hattie Larlham Foundation (http://hattielarlham.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults in Northeast Ohio with developmental disabilities. Sandy, one of the hard-working employees at Hattie’s Café, gave a brief presentation on the Foundation and thanked everyone for their attendance and participation.

John introduces Sandy from Hattie's Cafe

At the end, everyone agreed a good time was had by all! And that is how an annual tradition is born!!

Simplex-IT president Bob Coppedge gives his fireside address

Merry Christmas to everyone from Simplex-IT, and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

On December 11 the Simplex-IT staff and significant others gathered for the company’s annual holiday brunch. The food buffet was great as was the freshly squeezed orange juice. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time, clearly evident from all our smiling faces in the group portrait below.

Bob, Sam, Kevin, John, Doug, Mario, Cyndee, Steve

Thanks go out to all of you whom we’ve had the pleasure of working with during this past year. We are looking forward to continuing our tradition of exceeding our clients’ expectations in 2012.