It’s a changing world in the IT business and with new Microsoft product cycles hitting all at once there is a lot we have to consider in designing cost-effective and robust Business Information systems for you.

Over the next 3 months much of our everyday Microsoft products have major new releases.  Server, Windows 8, Windows 8 mobile and Surface tablets, Office 2013 and Office 365 are all being refreshed.

  Windows 8

The new Windows desktop operating system is released today, October 26.  We have tested Windows 8 on some trial machines here and while it seems solid I am still cautious about recommending it right away.  I f you need a new laptop I would go with Windows 8, especially one that has touch screen but for the desktop I am waiting, at least to hear more feedback.

Windows 8 is about the experience, yes the old Start screen menu is gone so some learning will be needed but over time I believe we will like what the designers have given us instead.  Touch capabilities will add a new dimension, the mouse still involves less movement and is faster than the finger but I believe we will see touch screens in many uses.

Fortunately Windows 8 can be installed as an update on Windows 7 machines, if your computer is XP however it will require a clean install of Windows and all your programs. 

Those of you who purchased a new PC with Windows 7 since September 15 will have the ability to get an upgrade licenses for $15.  If your PC is from Parsec we will assist you with that process even if you do not want to install it right away.

Microsoft Surface Tablet

In case you have not heard, Microsoft is back in the hardware business with their version of the iPad.  The “Surface” runs Windows 8 RT operating system, this is not a Windows computer and will not run Windows programs so be clear about that. New tablets are available from laptop manufacturers with full Windows 8 capabilities but they will cost more and be larger than the Surface tablet now on sale.  Click the link below to shop now!

            Buy Surface with Windows RT. Available Now!

Microsoft Server 2012

Server 2012 was released in September and this brings some major new features that you will never see. But as the people responsible for keeping your applications and data safe and available these new features are very welcome. Touted as “The Cloud O.S.” Microsoft has built-in more scalable virtualization capabilities. A single physical server can host even more Virtual Hosts Servers and these are easier to manage.  New “Live Migration” tools allow a virtual server to replicate to backup or another server at a remote location.  This all adds up to more speed, more reliability and more disaster recovery capabilities.

Microsoft has altered the versions of Server 2008 dramatically.  The Standard Edition allows for up to two virtual servers while the Datacenter edition supports unlimited virtual servers.  Gone are the SBS (Small Business Server) editions but somewhat offset with the Server Essentials edition. Limited at 25-users and bundled with 25 user licenses (CAL’s).  The SBS servers with Exchange Server are no longer available and Microsoft expects that small business will use their Office 365 Exchange Online services in the cloud in conjunction with an Essentials server locally installed for applications and Active Directory security controls.

We have been very busy migrating clients to the Microsoft cloud base Office 365, over 30 clients so far!  In-house Exchange Servers require heavy maintenance and support and in most cases the cost of the Office 365 subscription is lower than in-house costs.  Office 365 has optional applications of SharePoint Online and Lync Online too and these services really benefit business productivity and communications.  Parsec is a leader in SharePoint consulting and training and can help you realize the promise of improving business productivity!  See more information on our Office 365 webpage.

MAS90 is now called Sage 100

Sage is officially announcing today the renaming of their ERP software products, in particular to you is the MAS90 product line.

With these changes Sage also has changes their product bundles and these may have some value to you.

Sage CRM.  With Sage 100 version 4.5, a Sage CRM server license and a single Sage CRM user license is now included.

This product requires an SQL data base and IIS.  For Demo or Single user use, SQL Express may be used.  Above a single user, Sage indicates a full version of SQL is necessary.

Custom Office / Customizer – Sage 100 systems that have 5 or more users but do not have Custom Office may now order a Custom Office license at no charge.  If Custom Office is not ordered, the keys will be updated to include it at the next maintenance renewal.

SMI or Sage MAS Intelligence is changing to Sage Business Intelligence.  A user automatically gets a single Report Manager License for Sage Business Intelligence.

There are 4 components for Sage Business Intelligence:

Report Manager – The Report Manager allows you to Create, Modify and Run reports based on the supplied Containers.  A container is like a view or data block from which you can use data fields.  The system comes with a series of predefined containers for General Ledger and other modules.  An FRx like Tree capability is part of the 4.5 and up version of Sage Business Intelligence and a tool to assist in recreating FRx reports in SBI is available by download.

Report Viewer  - The Report View is an optional module that allows a user to run existing reports.

Connector – The Connector is an optional module that allows a user to create their own special containers including those that access other ODBC compliant data bases.  It also allows multi-company reporting.

Designer – The Designer module provides a graphic tool to assist in creating SBI reports in Excel.

If you have any questions on these changes please contact Bob or John at Parsec (aka DSD Business Systems - Yakima)

Our thanks go to Mai Hoang and the Yakima Herald for a very nice article on Parsec Computer. 

Read article here

I’m very pleased to announce that Shannon Moyer has successfully completed the requirements and testing to become a StorageCraft Certified Engineer.  This demonstrates our commitment to do all that we can provide disaster protection for your business.  We now also have an escalated level of support from StorageCraft as needed.  StorageCraft is the leader in providing software solutions for backup and recovery of your servers and workstations.

IT giant Microsoft has made Parsec Computer Corp a Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Partner in recognition of the firms accomplishments in providing Microsoft cloud computing solutions to its customers. Parsec also was named to the exclusive Cloud Champions Club.

Launched in 2010, the exclusive Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Partner program is designed to recognize and reward high performing companies who have a proven track record of delivering Microsoft cloud solutions to their customers. Parsec met the required criteria through its promotion and implementation of Microsoft Office 365 hosted e-mail solutions.

Microsoft Office 365 is an internet-based hosted service that gives users the option of remote working from any location with an internet connection. Including Microsoft Office Professional Plus, Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lync Online, the solution is hosted in the cloud and offers in a cost effective alternative to purchasing hardware and software upfront.

Robert Guchee, CEO at Parsec commented: “We are excited to continue our evolution in providing real business solutions to our clients. It is vital to the success of our business that we keep up with these emerging technologies. The recognition is testament to the hard work of our engineers and we are proud to be leading the way in this ever-changing industry.

“Although still a new concept to many businesses, cloud computing offers a far more cost effective alternative to traditional on-premise solutions, increasing flexibility and productivity, and ultimately contributing to business growth.”

As a Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Partner Parsec will now benefit from internal technology use rights, marketing resources, pre-sales and technical support and other business benefits.

Parsec offers this new cloud based solution in addition to on-premises Exchange servers for small to medium sized businesses throughout central Washington State.

Do you even know what this is?  Do you care?  Well, if you accept credit cards you will need to know and you may start seeing an extra charge on credit card processor statement for non-compliance.  If you accept credit cards there are security requirements and assessment filing you must complete.  I sure hope you don’t have an Excel spreadsheet with credit cards numbers on it!  Passing PCI requirements can be simple or very complex depending on your needs.  Please contact us for a free discussion of your options. 

At Parsec we have long understood the business need to have all documents saved on a server and available from anywhere.  Well that same thing is needed for home users too.  My son is a senior in high school and forgot he homework on the printer.  No problem, he borrowed a computer at school, logged into Dropbox.com and opened his Word document.  50% downgrade was avoided.

We all use laptops and these are very prone to being stolen, dropped or misplaced.  Don’t leave your data on the local drive.  Dropbox.com offers 2Gb free storage and you can buy more very inexpensively.  It is a very simple program and you can install it on all your computers and your smartphone.  You can also share a folder with other Dropbox users. 

It’s free and it works.  Save your day and move your important documents into the cloud today.  Just friendly advice from your thankful friends at Parsec!

Bob

Yakima, Washington – August 24, 2011 – Parsec Computer Corp, a provider of IT solutions and managed services to small and medium businesses, received the honor of a ranking of No. 4195 in Inc. Magazines 30^th annual listing of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.

“Being recognized with this distinguished group of companies is a tremendous validation of the hard work and commitment of our entire team,” said Robert Guchee, founder of Parsec. “We have an excellent team of people who are committed to making our customers successful, and that drive and energy has been what has grown our business.”

Parsec success can be attributed to their approach. They develop and maintain systems that meet their client objectives. Successful consulting comes from a grasp of the client’s business as a whole and using their 30-year history of delivering technology to business. By serving the customer with a local sales person, a qualified and readily available help desk staff, and an accessible engineer, customers get the expertise and attention they need and deserve.

Complete information on this year’s Inc. 5000, including company profiles and a list of the fastest-growing companies can be found at www.inc5000.com.

This blog is intended for those of you that have your own Exchange Server that we are managing for you but may apply to others as well.

Mobile smartphones are amazing devices with their ability to integrate and store your personal and business information but this also opens up big security threats.  We need to work together to keep your information as safe as possible and that may require you to deal with some annoyances.  If your phone is not secured with a PIN or password that you have to enter before accessing information then understand that whoever finds your misplaced or stolen phone can access whatever is on your phone.  Our ability to remotely erase your phone is also limited if you do not have it secured with a PIN.  Yes, entering the PIN every time you want to access your phone is a pain but so is locking your house. We can enforce a policy that will require PIN protection for connect phones.

Remember to let us know if your phone is lost – we can remotely wipe the phone.  If you find it again you will have to setup everything again but it is better to be safe than sorry.  If you lose your phone we need to remotely send codes to your phone BEFORE you suspend service with your phone carrier. Please contact us and we can erase the contents of the phone.  You should have a company policy that everyone is aware of for notification protocol of any lost phones.

We also need to know when you get any new phone, even if it is a replacement for a damaged or defective unit.  We need to remove the partnership in the settings on your server.   The partnership is assigned based on the ID of the phone.  You should also be resetting the old phone to factory settings to remove all data and also erase or remove any memory cards.