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Audit – it’s a very painful word that conjures up images of the taxation department.  If done correctly though, an audit of the technology in your small business should be quick and painless and yield you with some valuable information.  Here are our top 5 reasons why your business would benefit from a technology audit:

1. Find immediate areas for improvement – If you’re thinking of replacing your computer, an audit may reveal that upgrading the memory would give you a significant performance boost.  It could also highlight incorrect system settings or poor security configurations that could easily be fixed.  With a clear picture of what technology you have, it might be easy to find some quick, inexpensive areas for improvement.

2. Budget for longer-term areas of improvement – An audit may reveal out-dated hardware that should be replaced with newer, faster components.  It could also highlight disks that are close to their capacity, but still have some spare space.  You can then plan and budget to address these areas in the future, instead of having to react tomorrow to an unforeseen full disk.

3. Know what software is on your computers – If your employees are able to install software onto your computers, do you know what they have been installing? An audit will reveal if your computers have illegal file sharing software or other programs that may be relevant to their hobbies, not their work (e.g. share trading).

4. Know you have the correct software licenses – In some cases, it is a software manufacturer’s right to randomly audit your business and check that you have the correct license number and the right kind of license for their software.  If you’ve taken on more staff since you started, or you’ve had employees installing software on your computers, an audit can reveal where your software licensing might need some attention.

5. Compile an asset register – Your business will have certain assets listed for accounting purposes.  That audit may not include many of your IT devices that are under a certain monetary value.  If a theft or natural disaster hit your business, wouldn’t it be great to have a full list of all of your technology components? Ask your I.T. guy to store a copy of your audit results, off site, in case you need to refer to that asset list to make an insurance claim.

The outcomes of your audit should be a comprehensive list of your I.T. assets and recommendations for improvement that fit in with your business plans (both short and long term).  If your I.T. guy uses your audit as an opportunity to sell as much of his products and services as he can, call Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover for an independent trusted second opinion.

Google has recently completed the biggest change to its service in at least 5 years.  This will impact how your website appears in the search engine’s list of results.  The impact is being felt the most by small, local businesses who may have suddenly disappeared to page 2 or beyond of the search results.

The new ‘Place Search’ sorts information around locations, making it easier to compare results in your local area.  These results will automatically appear at the top (under the paid ads) if Google thinks you’re searching for local information.   It’s important to note that as these appear before any other free search results, all other free listings are pushed further down the page.  You can also click on the Places link to the left of your search results to see the Places listings.

To be listed in the Places results, you need to have a free Google account and claim your own Places listing.  It’s a simple process and only takes a few minutes:

1.  Visit Google Places (http://google.com/places) and click the Business Owner link.

2.  Log in, or if you don’t yet have a Google account, you can sign up for free.  Make sure that you use an email address that will not change as it’s permanently tied to your Places listing.

3.  Take the time to completely fill in your business information, not just the required fields.  If your business only provides onsite services and you don’t want to display your address, you can choose to not show your address on the listing.  Specify your operating hours, accepted payment methods and add any additional details (such as on-site parking or years in business).  It’s also recommended that you add photos and video links.

4.  Google will then seek to verify your listing by sending you a PIN number, either via a postcard mailed to your listed address (within 3 – 4weeks), a recorded message phone call to your listed phone number or an SMS to your mobile phone.  Enter this PIN number into your listing and it will then show as an owner-verified listing, which will also help with its ranking.

Your Places listing is not the only thing that Google takes into consideration when ranking the Places results.  You also need to make sure you have a page on your website containing your physical address and phone number, as well as employing other search engine optimization techniques on your website.

Talk to Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover if you need any help claiming your listing in Google Places or any other technology needs.

With much fanfare, Apple has now unveiled its ‘iPad’ computer.  Weighing 1.5 pounds and being 0.5 inch thin, it delivers a 9.7 inch touch screen without the bulk of a traditional laptop.  Opinions about the device range greatly from ‘revolutionary’ to ‘an oversized iPod Touch’.  Computer Troubleshooters has scoured the reviews to bring you the facts about the Apple iPad and what you need to know before purchasing one.

1. Battery Life – The iPad will run for up to 10 hours on battery power.  This is better than most laptops, but significantly less than electronic book readers like Amazon’s Kindle.  This may mean you need to charge your iPad every night if you’re away from a power source all day.  Don’t leave home overnight without your power cable.

2. Touch Screen – The familiar touch screen of the iPhone has been improved to suit this larger device and allow more precise control of the select, scroll, drag, pinch and expand movements of your fingers.  The iPad also supports portrait and landscape auto-rotation viewing of compatible software.    

3. Accessories – From productivity enhancements to just plain fun, extra gadgets can be found for your iPad.  Serious considerations include a keyboard dock or a wireless keyboard, as an alternative to the on-screen touch keyboard.  More light-hearted options include a plastic steering wheel frame for driving games.

4. Connectivity – The iPad supports today’s fastest wireless network connections.  You’ll pay extra for a 3G version, which adds data capability across the mobile or cellular phone network.  Note, this won’t let you make phone calls from your iPad.

5. Apple software – Out of the box, you get 12 Apple software titles including iPhoto, iTunes and iBooks.  iBooks is your virtual bookshelf and reader for electronic books.  You can also purchase the iWorks applications for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.

6. Other software – Like the iPod and iPhone, you’ll have easy access to over 140,000 software titles currently available from the App Store.  Whilst these are not yet fined-tuned for the iPad, Apple has released a kit to software makers so watch out for iPad-optimized programs soon. 

7. Internet browsing – Apple’s Safari web browsing software is pre-installed, but it doesn’t support Adobe’s Flash software.  Flash is used for animations on some websites (though it’s less popular now), so if you rely on web-based functions check if you need Flash or not.

8. Multi-tasking – Like the iPhone, the iPad limits you to using one application at a time.  As an example, you can’t play music whilst visiting websites.

9. Media – Apple will tell you the iPad is the best way to experience photos, video and more.  It certainly could replace the laptops carried by sales professionals for their presentations and provide easy, lightweight storage of service manuals for tradespeople.   

10. Camera – One important omission is a camera, especially for this generation that is used to uploading photos and videos to social networking sites.  The rumours say there is a cut-out in the plastic bezel for one, so maybe it will be introduced in a later version of the device?

Whilst the iPad’s design and features may sound great, any technology has to match your needs and how you work.  So, whether you’re looking to purchase a notebook, netbook or iPad, talk to Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover to ensure you’re getting the best tool for the job.

205.988.9911

Technology is always changing and evolving, but most businesses can’t afford to keep pace with the latest trends.  Instead, focus on laying a solid foundation for your business technology, with a plan and a budget for ongoing support, maintenance and replacement.  It’s just as important to get the technology basics right as it is to have a strong financial or marketing plan.  This month we touch on the ten technology basics that should be in place in your business.

1. Hardware & Software – The most obvious technology components.  To reduce problems, ensure that your hardware isn’t too old and always use legally licensed software. 

2. Power protection – Often neglected, power protection equipment is an essential investment for protecting your more expensive technology assets from power-related damage. 

3. File sharing – Whether using a shared storage device on your network, a ‘hosted’ solution or your own server, save yourself from the tiring and unproductive task of emailing documents around your own team.

4. Backups – Ensure they are functioning, checked daily, tested weekly and stored securely at another location.  It’s not enough to ‘think’ that they are working and that ‘someone’ is looking after them.

5. Internet access – Balance your monthly fee budget with a connection that is reliable and gives you enough speed and data allowance to enable your staff to work effectively.

6. Domain name – The cost is negligible to show people you are serious about your business and you are not just operating with a free email service.  Build your internet presence on this and tap into a great source of new customers.

7. Security – Though network ‘firewalls’ and ‘anti-malware’ software security measures are now considered essential, don’t neglect the physical security of your computers.  Is your server easy to grab during a break-in through your front door?

8. Passwords – Commonly avoided in small business as you trust the people you work with, secure, complex passwords are needed in your defense against hacking attempts and physical theft.

9. Plans & Policies – Technology needs to be managed like any area of your business, not just taken for granted and acted on in an emergency.  Your plans should include budgeting for replacing aging hardware, business continuity processes in case of technology failure, and disaster recovery processes.  Policies for staff covering acceptable usage and computer security are also easier implemented before they are needed. 

10. Trusted I.T. advisor – Develop a relationship with a technology expert who is willing to learn about your business.  Then you’ll get the best possible support and solutions that fit your current needs and future plans. 

Talk to Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover about the next steps for reinforcing your strong technology foundation. 

205.988.9911

Universal Serial Bus (or USB) has rapidly become the standard for connecting devices to your computer. In fact, many computers no longer ship with a floppy disk drive as standard, but will have at least one USB port. USB connectors are used by input devices (mice, keyboards, scanners, digital cameras), output devices (portable CD writers, printers), storage devices (external hard disk drives, flash or USB memory keys/sticks) and even decorations and novelty items such as mobile phone chargers, flashing light snowmen, coffee cup warmers and mini reading lights.

This month we take a look at some of the things to look for in the USB world.

Plugs and cables

Not all USB plugs are created equal. It’s likely that your computer will accept ‘type A’ plugs, but the other end that plugs into your camera or printer may be a ‘type B’, a ‘mini’ or a ‘micro’ USB plug. Ensure that your cable has the correct plugs for your device on both ends. And if your USB cable seems a little short, you can buy extension cables but you may need a special ‘booster’ if you want to go over 5 metres or 15 feet.

Power

Devices can draw a low power current through a 5 volt supply to the USB connection; however this may not be sufficient for high powered devices like external hard drives. Multiple USB devices on one computer can experience performance problems and errors if their combined power requirement is too great. ‘Powered hubs’ are available which provide additional USB connections and an external power source, though some devices may still need their own power supply (e.g. printers).

Storage

After starting out with a capacity of 4 floppy disks, USB storage devices (‘flash’ drives or USB keys) can now hold over 4,000 times that amount, with capacities currently hitting 16 GB.  Flash drive designs range from options like lanyard attachments to crystal studded drives that can be worn as jewellery.  But if you are worried about transporting your important files on such a small, easily lost device, consider security features like encryption or a fingerprint reader. 

Many MP3 players are now the size of a flash drive and provide song file storage through their USB connection, but also have special software installed to allow the song files to be played.        

Speed

Like a traditional hard disk drive, flash drive performances can vary so if you are transferring large amounts of data you will want a fast read and write speed.  A fast speed also allows you to use your flash drive as extra memory for Windows Vista, speeding up the performance of your PC when you need it.  Readyboost won’t work on slower performing flash drives.

Also, make sure your computer and all USB devices adhere to the more recent ‘USB 2.0’ standard, which has a faster transfer rate than the original ‘USB 1.1’ specification. 

Contact Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover and find out how to get the best from your USB devices.

205.988.9911

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the large number of printer models that are available. This month we look at the two main types of printers (inkjet and laser) and what to consider when making your purchasing decision.

Inkjet Printers:

Inkjet (or bubble-jet) printers squirt tiny dots of quick-drying ink onto your paper, one line at a time. All 300-600 jets can fire simultaneously and each dot is tinier than the width of a human hair. Inkjet printers are usually less expensive than laser printers, due to less expensive, fewer mechanical parts. If you are printing graphics, it will use considerably more ink per page than printing text, and ink is more expensive than toner in a laser printer. Also, printed characters generally do not appear as crisp and sharp as those produced from a laser printer, so consider what level of quality you require for your finished documents.

Laser Printers:

Laser printers take advantage of a drum coated with a static electricity charge. A laser “writes” to the drum by changing the static charge where it touches leaving an electrically charged impression of your document on the drum. As the drum turns, toner sticks to the electrically charged parts of the drum. Then, your paper is fed into the printer and charged with a different electrical charge than the drum, so that when it passes by the drum the toner jumps to the paper, transferring your image. It’s like writing with glue then sprinkling sand on top. Finally, the paper passes through heated rollers which fuse the powder to your page, leaving you with a dry, warm and smudge-free document. And whilst laser printers may have a more expensive initial purchase price, their long-term ‘cost per page’ is less.

Ink tanks / toner cartridges:

Laser printers usually have black, yellow, cyan and magenta toner powder cartridges.

Inkjet printers can vary between 2 ink tanks (1 x black and 1 x combined yellow, cyan & magenta) and 8 separate tanks (matte black, photo black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light grey, light cyan & light magenta). With a combined ink tank, if you run out of yellow, you need to replace the whole tank regardless of how much magenta or cyan you have left. With separate tanks, you would just replace the yellow one.

Speed

As paper passes a laser’s drum at speed, the average laser printer can deliver around 26 printed pages per minute.

Inkjets must work one line at a time (around 4 pages per minute), so large volumes of documents will take much longer to print on an inkjet. This might not be a problem if you are printing a few letters at home, but if you are running a busy office then printer speed may be a consideration.

Duplex and paper trays

Some laser printers come with optional extras, like duplex units (for double-sided printing) and additional paper trays (e.g. for your company letterhead paper or envelopes). A duplex feature can literally reduce your ongoing paper costs by up to half.

Multi-Function

Multi-function units can offer features like printing, scanning, copying & faxing all from the one device. This can save you a lot of space. However, consider that if a function like the scanner breaks and needs to be repaired, you may also be without your printer, copier and fax whilst the unit is with the repairer.

Talk to Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover about what they would recommend for your specific printing needs.

205.988.9911

Small Businesses have a dramatic affect on the environment. A computer running for at an office, and left on during the night could cost as much as $200/year with a CRT monitor or $120/year with an LCD screen. Multiply this by the number of computers in your office and you might be surprised at the power consumption of your computer network. These are costs to you, the business owner. What are these costs to the environment?

As business owners and as citizens of earth, it is our responsibility to do our part to minimize the effects we are having on the environment. What is the solution? Solutions must be:

1. Cost Effective

2. Save You Money

3. Build Efficiency into Your Business

4. Increase Employee Satisfaction

5. Help the Environment

Computer Troubleshooters is proud to provide you with simple things that can be done. Our list includes simple changes in attitude, simple changes in daily routines and technology improvements that will enhance your business. But we also hope to save you money and improve employee satisfaction.

It comes down to using technology to REDUCE-REUSE-RECYLE.

The Bad News:

? There are 3.2 million tonnes of electronics in North American Landfills.

? Only 11% of computers are recycled.

? CRT Monitors contain lead to shield us from Radiation.

? Plastics from Electronics leach into ground water.

The Good News:

? 100% of the materials – Metals, Glass, Plastics – can be recycled from Computers

? Not for Profit organizations are taking older – working computers and shipping them worldwide through container projects – reusing computers.

? Numerous companies are accepting electronics for recycling

Technotrash Recycling Ltd. is a Vancouver based company with the mission to recover E-Waste. They are focused on developing and implementing recycling process for electronics. They make things easy for consumers and businesses to recycle electronics. They have numerous drop off locations throughout the lower mainland. They also provide pickup services to your office. You can rest easy as they will destroy all data on the hard drives and provide you with a decommission certificate. They can be reached at their website: www.technotrashrecycling.com.

In Toronto, Hi Tech Recycling Ltd. (www.hitechrecycling.com) will take away obsolete computers and monitors and ensure that they do not end up in the landfill. Hi Tech Recycling will pickup electronics and they will accept computers at their location in Downsview. They will ensure that parts will be reused or disassembled and recycled. They too will provide a certificate of decommission.

Other websites to visit:

www.computerrecyclingsociety.org

www.smileafrica.com

As business owners, it is our responsibility to lead the way. Why not have a computer recycling day at the office where employees can bring in old electronics rather than have them end up in the landfill. Computer Troubleshooters offers free computer recycling as part of the B.E.S.T. (Business Enhanced Support Technology) Managed Service Plan.

How is telecommuting going to lower your impact on the environment? This might be the easiest plan to implement and have the greatest effects. Three things will happen when you implement a telecommuting plan for your staff.

1. Less emissions into our atmosphere.

2. Happier staff – staff retention.

3. Increased Productivity.

Not every employee is a candidate for telecommuting, but many are. The first step is to have a technology solution. The easiest solution to implement is a remote desktop solution where nothing needs to be installed on the employees home PC and they run their office computer through a remote desktop connection. They have access to all files and applications as if they were at their desk in the office. With a Voice over IP solution, staff can even have their office phone in their den at home.

It is a common misconception that productivity will go down when people work from home. This is simply not true. No, not every employee can work productively from home. Many can. The business world is locked into a notion of an 8 hour day. All work must be done between 8:30 and 4:30. Productivity should not be measured by time, but by results. In many cases there are more distractions at the office than there is at home.

Step up and be a results oriented business.

And staff will be happier. By working from home 2 days per week an employee who commutes for 1 hour each way will have an extra 4 hours per week. That’s over 4 weeks extra time each year to spend with their family instead of the car stereo. There is also the cost savings for your employees. Gas, parking and maintenance adds up quickly. Telecommuting will make your staff happy.

Happier staff equals higher productivity.

Then there is the environmental impact. 30% CO2 emissions in North America come from vehicles. Hybrid cars are not the answer. Hybrid cars are a step in the right direction, but they do not eliminate emissions, they only lower them. The only way to eliminate emissions is to eliminate trips in the car.

Computer Troubleshooters use a number of products to solve the telecommuting problem. The most common program used is Remote Desktop which is built right in with Window XP and Vista. The server based solution is called Terminal Services. This allows you to run a desktop at the office from your home PC. Other solutions include LogMeIn and GoToMyPc.

Budget Airlines are making cross country travel cheaper and cheaper. However, the environmental impact is significant. Over the next 25 years the number of airline passengers will double. Before 2030 it is estimated that aircraft emissions will double.

If an alternative to flying across the country for a meeting is available, why not consider it. Video Conferencing has improved dramatically over the past few years and is a viable alternative to flights across the country. Not only will this help minimize the damage on the environment, it will save your company time and money.

Video conferencing can be done with a simple web cam, microphone and free software such as MSN. Skype is quickly becoming a leader in Internet communications both audio and video. Also leading the charge is WebEx for online meetings. The large phone companies now offer video conferencing solutions for both the audio and video portion. For higher end solutions there are a number of companies that offer video conferencing room rentals, where all the equipment is ready for you. If you need a custom designed solution, a Computer Troubleshooter near you can help.

The key ingredient for video conferencing is the quality of the internet – not just the speed/bandwidth, but more importantly the latency of the connection. Latency is simply the speed at which the information is processed. To simple way to test latency is to bring up a command prompt and type: ping www.comptroub.com and see what the “time” is. If the time is 30ms, then you have good latency.

With the speed of the internet becoming faster and faster every year, quality video conferencing is a reality.

Step Number four, Upgrading your Hardware, helps minimize power consumption. Newer equipment uses a lot less power. Remember of course to recycle the old equipment.

A CRT Monitor consumes 75 – 150 Watts

An LCD Monitor consumes 35 – 70 Watts

By upgrading all CRT monitors in your office to LCD monitors you will cut your power consumption in half. Also, newer models of printers include power save modes. Intel based CPU’s require less heating than their counterparts from AMD. This in turn means less power.

Traditional marketing through flyers and newspaper advertising is doing harm to the environment. Everyday stacks of flyers are delivered to millions of homes across the country. Most of these flyers are put straight into the garbage. These end up in the landfills. Flyers are a triple threat. The paper used means cutting down trees, the chemicals used in printing leach into ground water and the waste is filling up landfills. Fortunately flyers are now frequently printed on recycled paper and most homes now recycle flyers they receive. But flyers are still a problem.

This is where technology can help. Most people now have access to the internet and most people use the internet, and the major search engines, to find products and services in their communities. Three web based solutions to do your marketing include:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – techniques which put your website higher on the listings

2. Pay Per Click/Adwords – use keywords, and only pay when people click through to your websites (http://adwords.google.com)

3. Online directories – use online Yellow Pages instead of advertising in the books.

Not only is web based advertising good for the environment – but it is cheaper and much, much more affective. Well planed web based advertising will save you money, and drive more customers to you.

 As computer consultants we are asked all to often which is better, shut down the computer every day or leave it running. Most people are thinking about the damage or wear and tear on a computer by leaving it running. When a computer is left on, and no work is being done, the fans are running, the disk drive is spinning, so yes, leaving a computer turned on will cause some wear and tear. However, the process of shutting down, and starting up a computer is very hard on a computer, especially the power supply and hard drives. So the actually answer is – do neither. What should be done is to use the power management tools built into the computers, monitors and printers.

Did you know that a computer and monitor left on 24 x 7 could cost $10/month.

For Your Computer:

Go to Start/Control Panel

Power Options

Control Panel Icon – Power Options

 Most network or laser printers also have a sleep mode which will save power. Also, most devices such as speakers can be powered through the USB port on your computer. If the computer is in stand by, then any USB devices will no longer be consuming power.

A computer that is in sleep mode will use ½ the power. A monitor that is in sleep mode has an almost negligble power consumption.

Be extremely carefull not to shut down your backup drives at night. Most backups run at night, and your data backups are worht any power consumption they require.

Other Electronics like scanners, inkjet printers, phone chargers, radios etc all use power when left plugged in. A very simple solution is to purchase a basic timer that shuts off power at 7pm to your electronics. It is common practice to use the timers to turn lights and radios on in our homes when we are out of town. Why not use these to turn power off? Timers for other power items in the office such heating and air conditioning can save on power as well.

Ribeyre & Company is an accounting and tax service company based in Port Coquitlam, BC. Started by Ted Ribeyre, Ribeyre & Company has been providing strong accounting support to their clients on an ongoing basis for over 14 years. They also specialize in accounting systems sales and support for such products as ACCPAC. When you walk into the back room at Ribeyre & Company you see rows of filing cabinets. They probably have close to 50 cabinets taking up an entire room. The ironic thing is… they are empty. In fact, they are selling the filing cabinets. Ribeyre & Company has gone paperless.

An entire report could be done just on the benefits, features and reasons to go paperless. With the cost of disk space dropping dramatically, the improvements in security and the costs of the necessary hardware coming down, the ability to go paperless is becoming a reality.

How much time is wasted every day on document related tasks; creating, filing, distributing, retrieving and destroying? Going paperless is a long process that happens over time and takes a fundamental shift in philosophy for the entire company and throughout the staff. You do not go paperless overnight, but you just start using less paper.

The first thing that a newly paperless company will notice is the cost savings in paper, printing, mailing and storing. However, over time the other benefits start to come to the forefront. The long term biggest benefit may be the access to information from anywhere. This means you can start thinking about a virtual office and telecommuting. This is where we start seeing environment saving techniques become cumulative. Going paperless means more telecommuting. More telecommuting means more sharing computers. All of these means – saving money.

But with any paperless solution, it is absolutely vital that you have a good backup solution. Computer Troubleshooters has an industry leading BDR (backup and disaster recovery) solution. Our solution includes onsite backup, offsite backup, full backup management and a disaster recovery solution.

Through virtualization, Terminal services and other new devices, we can share computers. With creative thinking around shift work and office layout, we can share computers. Gone are the days where we have to think about one computer on every desk. Ironically enough we have gone full circle. In the 80’s and even into the 90’severybody had a terminal at their desk if they needed to have a computer. These were basically windows into the mainframe that took up an entire room. The terminals were replaced with full desktops with user friendly interfaces in the early 90’s. As the price of desktops became reasonable and the software became user friendly, it became common place to put a desktop on ever computer. 15 years later we are seeing a reverse trend. We are going back to the dumb terminals – also known as thin clients.

Our goal with this report is to minimize the effects on the environment

Less computers used = less power consumed & less computers in the landfills

The reality is that no one person can possible take advantage of all the processing power that a computer has available to them. A properly maintained computer with anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, regular updates and regular maintenance will only every use 10% of available capacity for the average user.

An extremely unique solution has been designed by NComputing (www.ncomputing.com) where a up to 30 PC’s can be replaced with 1 PC and 30 access devices that use up to 99% less power and less e-waste. Combine this solution with a Terminal Services solution or a Virtual PC solution and you can quickly start seeing the money saving advantages.

Another product that is making its way into mainstream computer is Virtual Servers. Often servers are divided into multiple machines because of the tasks they must perform. However, their processing power remains largely unused. Multiple servers can be combined as virtual machines inside the operating system of a single physical server. This means less power consumed, but it also means less hardware to purchase upfront, saving the business owner money.

In Conclusion…

Nothing proposed here will help improve the environment. Our goal is to do less harm. It doesn’t take a lot of effort, just a unique way of looking at the way we do things. Traditional computing and traditional work methods are not the best way to treat our environment.

What is most interesting though is the side effects that we can have by trying to help the environment. Our goal was to do less harm to the environment but as a result, three things will happen

1. Your company will save money

2. Your business will improve

3. Tremendous social-economic benefits

What is even more interesting though is the cumulative effects these 8 steps will have. First of all it is cumulative on the benefits to the environment. But it is also very much cumulative on your business improvements and the money you will save. By going paperless you setup your office to be virtual or remote. This encourages telecommuting which may lead to the sharing of computers. By sharing computers, implementing a solution such as the one from NComputing or using a terminal server and thin clients you consume less power. Not only that but you generate less heat, in turn lowering your air conditioning costs. All of this leads to saving money on office space and supplies and leads to less electronics ending up in the landfill.

If you need any help with any of these initiatives, please call Computer Troubleshooters of Hoover at

(205) 988-9911

Go Green.