Living Outside the Box

At the start of the year, I wiped the hard disk on my laptop to perform a little experiment. I wanted to see if I could be able to do everything that needed to be done without Microsoft applications. Now, the laptop shipped with Windows Vista Business and I just refreshed its image, so I did [...]

Transitioned Almost All Content to Google Apps

Just a programming note – I’ve transitioned all of my online content on my website to Google Apps and YouTube. Pretty slick management tools, and, end-users can view, download to PDF, as well as download to PPT. A much better interface all the way around. R

5 Tech Policies You Should Be Reviewing Right Now

Admittedly, we all have a little extra time on our hands this year. Hey, so now’s the time to take care of those important management details that help govern the operation of your business! Technology-related policies reflect management’s intent to control their information system – the absence of policies usually reflects poorly in court of [...]

A Case Study in IT Strategy

If you’re a business owner, should take a good look at this article found in the latest issue of Inc. Magazine. If you’re a student, or, an IT professional, you should see how the business of IT is dramatically and rapidly changing. Within the article, Fitzgerald illustrates some critical strategic IT conceps everyone should be thinking [...]

It Won’t Get Better

I’m running into this conversation daily – from students, small business owners, employees of major organizations. And it is difficult to tell you this. Everywhere, everyone is telling you, “It’s going to get better.” Well, unfortunately, this is not true. I don’t wish to come across as an alarmist or a pessimist. I am an optimist, [...]

Describing What I Do for Monthly Server Maintenance

I perform a monthly service for my clients to update their server products. Taking a few minutes, I wanted to document my process and describe the value of these services. 1. Update the Windows platform. Microsoft deploys its updates for the Windows platform on the 10th of the month. The Because I want time to [...]

Take Control: Manage Your Viral Marketing Strategy

Like most small business owners, you might have a few questions about marketing your company in the digital age. The choices can be confusing: to blog or not to; to Twitter or to Flickr; to setup a profile on Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn; to Plurk, StumbleUpon, Digg, or Friend; to use email marketing effectively without [...]

The Verizon Task Mistress

Every month, I receive my phone bill from Verizon in email. This woman’s picture accompanies the invoice every month. It’s like, I hear her in the recesses of my mind, her voice dripping like warm liquid sugar, or, a voice-talent from “Snow White”… “Why pleasantries and salutations, happy consumer: it’s time to pay the phone [...]

Ideas on Purchasing Laptops

So I was putting together some laptop quotes for a client today and thought that I’d share a couple of my cliff notes on the blog. Laptops are a commodity purchase and should be considered a disposable asset. It is unlikely that the laptop will have a useful life beyond three years and it is [...]

Troubleshooting PC Performance Problems – Suspected Malware

From: Mary Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 10:40 AM To: Russell Mickler Subject: I was in your SE583 class this past summer and I’m hoping you can give me a suggestion I’m hoping you can make a suggestion regarding my home desktop computer. We seem to have contracted something – a virus or whatever – [...]