Google Voice provides you with a single number to centralize all the phones in your life. Your Google Voice number can ring multiple phones — either all at the same time or individually, depending upon your preferences. Google Voice also includes Web-based voicemail with instant text transcription, the option to set personalized greetings for different callers, and the ability to send and receive unlimited text messages, free of charge.

Setup: Pain Free

Setup is quick and easy. Simply create a Google voice account. If you already have a google account, sign in with your credentials.  The rest is a step-by-step walk through process.  You can also access google voice via any Android or Blackberry device. The application is equipped with a fully functional SMS (text) utility and voicemail. To use the application on your cell phone, open up the App and all messages will appear for each number linked to your account.

 Downside? Images are not supported within the SMS function.

Want to integrate Google Voice into your business setup? Contact MTI today.

 Items to avoid:

Avoid using the same password for every PC in your office or the same letter password with slight deviation i.e. Tech1, Tech2, Tech3.

 Avoid sequences or repeating characters i.e. 123456, 444444, abcdefg and so on.

 Need more assistance on creating stronger passwords? Contact MTI today.

 How to streamline this process:

Make a checklist of items needed on the laptop: i.e. software, data transferred from old pc, programs and software (remember to have the licenses) and provide this information to your IT service provider prior to your scheduled visit.

Need assistance purchasing a laptop or ready to install one? Please call MTI today.

 1). Back-up your data to an external hard drive or have an outside company back-up your data for you . Monsoon season is notorious for causing power outages and can result in the loss of your important data. We recommend backing up your PC every night and implementing the use of a surge protector.

 2). Avoid keeping your PC in areas that are exposed to the high temperatures. As with any electronics, the heat can take it toll on your PC. We recommend placing your PC in a well ventilated/cooled area during these hot summer months.

3). Rid your PC of all the dust that it collects over time. If you have ever opened up a computer, you would know that tons of dust settles inside & in time it could affect the PC’s efficiency. There are several products you can purchase that can help you “Spring Clean”.

 4). Keep your PC up-to-date with the latest Microsoft critical updates, virus protection, spy ware cleaning & disk defrag.

An operating system is the software on a computer that manages the way different programs  use its hardware, and regulates the ways that a usercontrols the computer. The operating system does not include Microsoft Office software that includes programs like outlook, word, excel and PowerPoint. These programs are installed on the PC via installation disk or download, and are additional “accessories” outside of the operating system.  

What does all this mean?

If you recently upgraded your PC to Windows 7 operating system, you may still be running an older version of Microsoft Office

 What is the difference between a server and a pc?

The main difference is the operating system placed on the machine. Server operating systems are designed from the ground up to provide platforms for multi-user, frequently business-critical, networked applications. The focus of such operating systems tends to be security, stability and collaboration, rather than user interface like a normal PC operating system would include.

 Want to learn more? Contact MTI Today.

 The worm lures victims by utilizing a link embedded in a spam IM message. Once clicked, the link leads to a so called image file, but in actuality it is a malicious payload. From there the malware begins to work its magic installing numerous files that compromise the Windows firewall.

 The malware continues to install further malware and/or captures passwords entered using Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The worm copies itself to network shares from the infected PC as well as USB sticks or other external drives. Any unprotected system with the Windows auto run feature turned on – basically almost every PC – will find itself infected as those drives are moved from PC to PC.

 MTI recommends prohibiting the use of personal USB drives in the workplace as well as anti-virus and anti-spyware/malware protection.

 There is a “Today” follow up flag, a “Tomorrow” follow up flag, a “This Week”, a “Next Week” and a “Custom”. Obviously, if you use a “Today” follow up flag (which is the default), it will remind you today. If you set a “Tomorrow” follow up flag, it will remind you tomorrow and so forth.

 In addition, Outlook now allows you to categorize your contacts I.e. personal, customer, vendor etc. Now you can search for a contact by category instead of scrolling through a massive list of contacts.

Stay tuned for more Office 2007 tips and hints.

 Another series of patches addresses vulnerability in Windows, XP, Vista & Server 2007 that if not corrected, could be used o hijack a PC if “a user opened a specially crafted .avi file containing an MPEG Layer-3 audio stream.

 In all, the patches fixed five flaws that were flagged “important” by Microsoft, another one was tagged moderate and last 5 were deemed critical.

 Need help installing the latest updates on your machines? Contact MTI today.

 Utilizing normal household products such as Windex can actually damage the protective surface on the monitor.

 MTI recommends purchasing a cleaner made specifically for electronics. They are relatively inexpensive and safe to use on most electronic devices.