Consider It Fixed

Creating My Private Music Cloud

I have a large collection of music.  It is diverse with many styles and artists.  A few years ago, I converted my CDs to digital format.  When I started to consume digital music, I vowed to only purchase music lacking draconian digital rights management after spending days converting the music that I purchased from Apples iTunes into MP3 format.  To me, it’s very infuriating to discover that the music I paid for won’t play on my new Android phone.  That’s just wrong.  Today, I have about 300GB of music.  It’s too much music for any phone or small portable player.  So, I looked to the cloud for a solution.

My first attempt at storing my music library in the cloud was with Amazon Cloud Player.  I assumed that if anyone could do this right, it would be the good folks at Amazon. I started with a 100GB subset of my music.  It took days to upload with several unfortunate starts and stops.  I ended up with several duplicates, a reorganized music library that I didn’t like and the potential ongoing cost of about $200 per year for the storage space.  My costs would go higher if I wanted to put my entire collection online.  I became frustrated with the weak functionality and high cost, and asked for a refund.

Next, I tested Google Music beta.  The upload process worked smoothly and the android player was very nice with many features lacking in the Amazon player.  But I was disappointed when I discovered that Google’s product would not play music in the FLAC (A free, open source codec for lossless audio compression and decompression) format.  Further, the cost of the service remains unknown.  Free for now, but what will it be in the future.  I don’t like unknowns that cost money.

I considered my remaining options:

Dropbox - I already have a 100GB plan for $200 a year with Dropbox.  I don’t want to spend more money to store my music.  It would be too expensive.

Pogoplug – I could use Pogoplug software and my own storage.  I tried it and found it’s music player to be primitive at best.  I didn’t love it and found it somewhat odd.

With my options narrowing I started to look at how I could create my own cloud.  I searched solutions that would offer mature players and offer multi-platform support.  It was then that I discovered Subsonic at www.subsonic.org.  I downloaded it’s software to one of my PCs hosting a large storage array for my media.  Within 30 minutes, I was up and running with my own private cloud hosting my entire music collection at a total cost of a $10 donation.  Subsonic offered browser, iPhone, and Android players.  Subsonic offered user accounts for controlled access.  Subsonic allowed me to download songs to local devices.  Adding new music was as simple as copying songs to my music directory.  Can you feel the love?

Subsonic is developed by Sindre Mehus, a Java consultant who lives in Oslo, Norway.  According to his website, “Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music. Use it to share your music with friends, or to listen to your own music while at work.  You can stream to multiple players simultaneously, for instance to one player in your kitchen and another in your living room.

Subsonic is designed to handle very large music collections (hundreds of gigabytes). Although optimized for MP3 streaming, it works for any audio or video format that can stream over HTTP, for  instance AAC and OGG. By using transcoder plug-ins, Subsonic supports on-the-fly conversion and streaming of virtually any audio format, including WMA, FLAC, APE, Musepack, WavPack and Shorten.

If you have constrained bandwidth, you may set an upper limit for the bitrate of the music streams. Subsonic will then automatically resample the music to a suitable bitrate.

In addition to being a streaming media server, Subsonic works very well as a local jukebox. The intuitive web interface, as well as search and index facilities, are optimized for efficient browsing through large media libraries. Subsonic also comes with an integrated Podcast receiver, with many of the same features as you find in iTunes.

Based on Java technology, Subsonic runs on most platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux and Unix variants.

Subsonic is open-source software licensed under GLP.”

 

Subsonic is a home run for me.  What about you?

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Cloud Computing: Light Weight Computing

An examination of the pros and cons of migrating parts of your small business to cloud computing is simple because the pros simply outweigh the cons.  The cons are a small set of predictable objections including concerns about data security and vendor viability.  The pros are many that do vary from business to business. 

A good strategy for migrating to cloud computing for many small businesses is to migrate parts of the business that make sense one at a time.  For example, when it’s time to replace an aging server hosting Microsoft Exchange, migrate to a hosted Microsoft Exchange Server.  It’s not smart business to try to migrate too many applications at once.  Change is good for any organization.  But too much change can be overwhelming.  This approach remains true for most existing businesses.  However, if you are starting a new business, it’s very smart to use the cloud for nearly every business application.

Cloud computing is a game changer.  Customers do not need to own as much IT infrastructure as in the past.  They can rapidly deploy new applications without up front capital expense and pay as they go.  Many cloud application vendors offer new users a free trial period and then either a monthly or annual fee for service typically based on the number of users.  New users can often be added through the application’s administrative console.

Cloud computing lowers the cost of using computers in small businesses. Capital expenditures are limited to the devices used to access the applications and the infrastructure to access the Internet.  The need for multiple servers, private networks, server and application software licenses, maintenance contracts, software updates, and the support staff needed to maintain the client/server environment simply goes away.  Cloud computing enables small businesses to have rapid access to the type of computing power previously only available to large businesses.

Cloud computing enables users to work more effectively.  Users are able to access their business systems and data from many locations.  All that is needed is an Internet connected device that supports industry standards – PCs, Macs, smartphones, and tablets.  Users can work as efficiently from a hotel in London as their home office in Boston.  The need for a virtual private network (VPN) or remote control software is gone as well as the complaints about their poor performance and reliability.

Cloud computing is highly reliable.  Users of cloud computing share costs and resources amongst many users allowing for efficiencies and cost savings around things like performance, load balancing, and even locations.  Data centers can be located in areas with lower real estate costs leveraging very smart employees and state-of-the-art equipment and data centers.  These are costs far beyond the IT budgets available to small businesses in a typical client/server model.  Cloud computing is thought to affect reliability, security, and scalability in positive ways.  In a cloud infrastructure, security and availability typically improves as the vendors comply to industry standards.

Cloud computing makes small business applications much less costly to maintain.  Cloud-based applications are being used by an increasingly large audience.  Application reliability improves as more users become involved, application updates are automatic and do not require local IT staff involvement, and technical support – when needed – is provided by highly trained staff at no additional cost.  Technical support is included as part of the monthly or annual use fee.  All costs associated with server and private networks disappear. 

Examples of Cloud Computing in Small Businesses

A Restaurant

A customer of Consider It Fixed has owned 1 restaurant for several years where they use a client/server application to manage their catering business.  Due to the high cost of purchasing and installing upgrades, they have been using a very old release of their catering software.

Recently, this customer purchased another restaurant in a different town.  They plan to offer catering at this location as well.  If they were to employ a traditional approach to integrating both locations into their catering system, they would need to add additional user licenses, a dedicated server, and a private network (including communications hardware/data services) to join the 2 locations together.  This is a typical approach, but one that requires a large capital investment and high, ongoing maintenance costs.

I discussed my client’s requirements with their catering software vendor.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the vendor offers a cloud-based solution in addition to their client/server solution.  The solution to my client’s expansion became simple.  The vendor took my client’s existing data, migrated it to their cloud-based application, and the multi-site catering software was up and running within 2 hours.  Now, they can access their catering system from any Internet connected PC at a fraction of the cost typical of client/server solutions.

A Gas and Oil Investment Company

Consider It Fixed recently migrated a small investment company from a traditional, 5 year old client/server environment to a light weight, cloud-based architecture.  Consider It Fixed made many changes to their computing environment and moved their user data from their internal server to the cloud via a very smart application service called Dropbox.  The server is now only used for print services and to run an old accounting program that is specific to their industry.  Dropbox allows multiple users to access data via the cloud, synchronize file changes, share files, maintain file change history, and automatically back up their data to a state-of-the-art data center.

The other day, I received a call the from the managing partner.  He had a problem with a very important Excel spreadsheet.  He explained that the problem began a couple of days earlier when he updated the file’s format from .xls to .xlsx.

I reminded him that Dropbox saves 30 days of file change history.  He simply needed to log into www.dropbox.com to access an older version of the file that pre-existed the problem.  His problem was solved in a couple of minutes.  This would not have been possible before their migration to the cloud.  Previously, the company backed up its data files infrequently and no one in the company has ever retrieved a file from a backup. 

A Lobbying Company

Consider It Fixed setup a new political lobbying company leveraging light weight, cloud-based technologies.  They purchased one desktop PC, a multifunction printer, netbooks, blackberry smartphones, and Microsoft Office for each users.  I setup:

1. Hosted Microsoft Exchange for messaging, calendaring, and contact management
2. Dropbox for file management, sharing, and backup
3. Xmarks for bookmark/favorites synchronization between the PC and a netbook
4. Internet access was provided by each user's home broadband connection and from free Wi-Fi access available in the state capital buildings.

It took the equivalent of one day of consulting to order the equipment, setup the equipment, and setup the applications software and cloud-based applications.  I refer to this approach as light weight computing.  It is very low in cost, rapidly deployed, and highly reliable.  In fact, I have had only two requests for support from this client over this past year totally one hour of work.  My client is very happy with the setup and has better access to modern technology than they did before as partners in a large law firm.

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A Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit That Works

I have tried a number of Bluetooth devices in my car.  I live in Connecticut, a state that enforces laws that require drivers to use their cell phone hands-free.  Complicating my quest for the perfect device is that I’m just a bit hard of hearing.  So, I need a device that is loud and clear.

I have tried a number of Bluetooth headsets.  My overall problem is that either the people that I’m talking to say that I sound terrible or the device isn’t loud enough for me to hear my callers.  So, I find myself pushing the headset into my ear canal to get the most volume possible.  This sort of defeats the idea of hands-free. 

So, I decided to look at hands-free car kit.  I wanted a plug and play kit that would be inexpensive and portable from car to car.  I drive a 2005 Land Rover LR3 and use an iPhone 4.  My first purchase was the Parrot Minikit Slim.  Parrot has a great reputation and has been making Bluetooth solutions probably longer than anyone.  So, I figured that they would have a great product.

The Minkit setup easily and synch’d with my address book.  It worked fine.  The calls were clear and loud.  But after sometime, my problems began.  Many times, the device would not connect to my iPhone and the only way that I could get it to connect was to reset the Minikit.  It happened so often that I stopped using it.  I read all of the tech bulletins and updated the firmware, but the problem remained.

My next purchase was IOGEAR’s Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit.  This device setup easily and connected to my iPhone.  The call volume is loud and clear.  One of the nicest features of IOGEAR’s device is that it has a built-in solar charger.  It come with 2 different mounts – one that attaches to the windshield where is can charge and another that attaches to the visor.  I have never had a problem getting the device to connect to my iPhone.  This device works as advertised, is inexpensive, and never needs to be attached to a charger.  It is widely available for less that $40.  At this price, it’s a bargain and I recommend it.

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Problem Solved: My iPhone Skips Songs When I Ride My Bike

I've been on a quest to find a product that will let me safely listen to music when I ride my bike.  The operating word here is safely.  Headphones don't cut it as they block the ear canal.  So, you can't hear what's going on around you.  Another solution I've considered is mounting speakers on the handlebars.  But they require batteries and add weight to the bike.  I've looked at a number of possible speakers, but nothing resonated with me.  As I continued to look, I became aware of a new product called the Tunebug Shake by Silicon Valley Global LLC. The Shake is a very cool product - it uses SurfaceSound speaker technology making a helmet into a speaker and bluetooth for a wireless connection between it and the music player. The Shake just started shipping in June.  So, I ordered one.

Silicon Valley Global describes the Shake as:

"Mobile music typically means listening through headphones, dangerously isolating yourself from others and your environment. The Tunebug Shake is an ultra-portable sound generator that can be connected to iPods, MP3 players or mobile phones or used wirelessly using Bluetooth®. When mounted on a bike, skate or snowboard helmet, the Shake creates a surround sound experience."

I received my Shake, charged it up, and fitted it to my bike helmet.  I tried it with my iPhone 3G.  The bluetooth setup with straight forward and worked the first time.  I turned on iPod and listened to music.  I did the same with Pandora.  I tried connecting the Shake with a stereo cable.  The music sounded fuller and louder.  I'm a bit hard of hearing.  So, having good volume is helpful to me. 

I have an iPhone holder on my bike.  So, I mounted the iPhone, connected the Shake, and went for a ride.  Everything started off great.  I now had music that I could hear well and still be totally aware of all of the sounds around me.  Unfortunately, that didn't last long.  As I continued to ride, the iPod application started to randomly change songs on me.  I have never had this problem before with my iPhone and a number of different headphones and speakers. 

I fiddled with the wiring, the controls, the iPhone, the Shake, restarted the iPhone, read through the Shake documentation, and looked at the support area on the Tunebug website.  Unfortunately, I didn't find anything that could explain the random song changing.  Could it be a faulty Shake?  Could it be interfance from my wireless bike computer?  Could it be a bad cable?  I tested everything and found no solution.  But I did notice one thing - when my bike was stationary, the iPhone didn't skip songs. It only skipped songs when I was riding.

In growing frustration, I called Tunebug support.  My call was answered immediately.  They took my information and told me that I would be contacted in short order.  The folks at Tunebug were very responsive, but since the device is new and hasn't been exposed to all user scenarios, they didn't have a fix.  I agreed to do some more testing and they agreed to discuss the problem with engineering.  That was yesterday.

Today, I got an email from Tunebug.  They told me that they have had other reports of this problem with iPhone and iTouch.  And better, they provided a simple fix.  This is the version of the fix for an iPhone:

1. Open Settings
2. Select iPod
3. In the iPod setting, turn off "Shake to Shuffle"

This sure did make me laugh.  I had no idea that this feature was available and set to on by default.  I think that it's even funnier since the name of the feature is the same as the name of the Tunebug product.

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Managing Your Medications with an Internet Calendar and a Smart Phone

I was recently diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease.  Lucky me – I live in central Connecticut – the epicenter for Lyme disease.  My treatment consists of a significant regiment of medications and supplements that I take 3 to 4 times a day.  To make matters a bit more complex, these medications and supplements may be changed, added, and subtracted as my treatment progresses.  Initially, I was very overwhelmed as I tried to organize and manage my treatment.  As a technologist, my predisposition was to find a simple solution to manage this complex task.  Simply put, I needed to be reminded of what I need to take at the time that I need to take it.

I live in a world where I have easy access to computers, online calendars, and smart phones.  I currently use these tools to manage my personal and business life - much of which centers on my calendar.  So, I set out to adapt these same tools to my medication/supplement challenge.  I was easily able to create a working solution using my preferred tool: Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCal, Microsoft Exchange Server, and an Apple iPhone.  However, this solution can be easily created using many other popular software tools found on PCs, Macs, and the Internet.  Several free calendars are available from Google, Yahoo, Windows Live, and others that can readily synchronize with a number of popular smart phones.  As well, not everyone needs to use a smartphone.  For many, just using an online calendar with reminders will be a significant enough improvement. 

Setting up the Calendar

While it’s not well known, most calendar programs support the idea of using multiple calendars.  For example, you can have a personal calendar, business calendar, and in this case, a medication calendar.  Several  calendar programs also allow you to have a calendar with others.  In a business, this may be useful for booking a meeting room.  A family may use a shared calendar to manage everyones' summer schedule.  I suggest using a separate calendar from the one that you may already be using for your personal and/or business information.  In my case, I added a new calendar in Microsoft Outlook that is called Ian’s Medication Calendar.

Let’s say that you need to take 6 medications in the morning, 4 at noon, 5 at dinner, and 8 before bed.  To start, create an appointment in your medication calendar on whatever day is currently is.  For the title of the appointment, input the names of your 6 morning medications and their dosages, or as I do, the number of each pill that I take.  I list them all separated by commas.  Let’s say that you need to take these medications around 8 in the morning.  So, set an appointment time at 8am and give the appointment a length of 2 hours.  The reason for the 2 hour duration is so you have a large enough appointment block available to show the entire list of medications.  Next, set the appointment as reoccurring (or repeating) for as long as you will be taking this mediation.  If it’s open ended, simply set the end date for sometime in the future.  I typically set mine for around 6 weeks as I see my doctor around every 6 weeks.  Most calendar programs have the option to select that days that the appointment repeats on – everyday, every other day, selected days, etc.  This is very useful if you need to take one medication on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays rather than every day of the week.  The last step is to create a reminder for the appointment so that you will be notified when it’s time to take your medication.  The final step is to repeat this process so that all of your medications and schedule times are listed throughout the day and by using repeating settings for as long as you need.  You now have a calendar listing all of your medications, the times that they need to be taken, and a reminder system.  You can use your computer or simply print out your calendar in a weekly view to have a schedule that you can carry with you.  As your medications and supplements change, you can simply change the appointment title and repeating information as needed.

Figure 1 is a screen shot of my medication calendar in Microsoft Outlook.

Figure 1

Figure 2 is a screen shot of my appointment settings for my morning medications in Microsoft Outlook.  You can see my medication/supplement list in the Subject field.

Figure 2

Figure 3 is a screen shot of my appointment reoccurrence settings for my morning medications in Microsoft Outlook.  Here I can set the length of the appointment so that it displays correctly and I can set the reoccurrence to daily and for 6 weeks long.

Figure 3

Integrating the Calendar with a Smart Phone

If you’re like me, you may be out and about during the day, and need to be reminded to take your medications.  If your calendar is based on a calendar on web, it is often easy to add it to your smart phone.  I use Microsoft Exchange Server with Microsoft Outlook to do this.  As I mentioned earlier, many Internet-based calendars can easily synchronize with popular smart phones.  If you don’t know how to setup this part, many Internet calendars provide help and instructions or you may want to contact your smart phone vendor for technical assistance.  Since I already had my calendar integrated with my smart phone, my new medication calendar magically showed up on my iPhone as soon as I created it. 

Figure 4 shows my 2 calendars on my iPhone.

Figure 4

Figure 5 shows Ian’s Medication Calendar on my iPhone.

Figure 5

Figure 6 shows my business calendar on my iPhone.

Figure 6

Figure 7 shows my Medication Calendar and Business Calendar overlapping on my iPhone.

Figure 7

In closing, I offer to you a simple solution to a somewhat daunting task.  My approach is one that uses widely available computer-based tools.  You can even take this approach further.  As some of you may know, several technology companies are working on tools to help manage our medical information.  I'm referring to significant companies like Microsoft and Google.  Image if your doctor had access to your medication calendar.  During your office visit, your doctor could update your calendar so any changes would be available immediately.  By doing this, we could reduce mistakes, create excellent records of medication changes and everyone would benefit.

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Consider It Fixed: Top Tech Picks

Cloud Computing: A Law firm in the Clouds

The law firm, Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP of West Hartford, Connecticut had a huge challenge.  They decided to depart from their parent firm that provided their information technology infrastructure, and they needed to get on their own systems as quickly as possible.  The current systems were “state of the art” IT solutions for the legal world.  No expense had been spared in selecting server, communications, and office hardware; and the software choices were modern and considered among the best.

 

In my interviews with the partners, I found that while they had these great systems in place, they often referenced their limitations, not their capabilities.  Slow was often used in describing email, and remote access was often described as painful.  Quite a shame since these attorneys spend a good deal of time on the road traveling both domestically and internationally.

Background

Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP (SGL) is a law firm founded on the principle of doing things differently and better.  In contrast to the traditional law firm model, focused on billable house and staffing matters based on a hierarchical pyramid, SGL’s focus is on obtaining results for its clients in the most efficient ways possible.  Today, SGL is comprised of 8 experienced and tenacious litigators from some of the largest international law firms in the world. 

Its existing IT solutions consisted of Microsoft Exchange Server, Hummingbird DM, Time Matters, Equitracs, and Blackberry phones.  Their branch office was connected to the main office via a T1 and the applications were hosted either in the main office or on a local server.  For example, the Exchange Server was hosted at the main office.  Remote access was provided by connecting to the local server and then routing over the internal network from the office in West Hartford, Connecticut, to the main office several states away.  Other applications resided in the local office.  So, the users always had to connect via the local office.  As well, since they were accessing their network via a virtual private network (VPN), they couldn’t easily access Exchange via Outlook Web Access nor run Outlook on more than one machine outside the office.  Every application had to pass through the VPN.

SGL needed to deploy their new IT solutions rapidly, manage costs, and have excellent remote access.  A traditional approach would work, but also reproduce the limitations that they had with their current IT infrastructure.  It was time for a different approach and an opportunity to get out of the business of leasing and managing servers, communications hardware, and several complex software licenses and upgrade programs.

I talked to the partners about the multiple benefits of using the Internet and Internet-based solutions for their business.  These type of modern solutions are called Software as Services or SaaS.  The category as a whole is often referred to as cloud computing where the cloud is the Internet.  Cloud computing, according to the Wikipedia, is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet.  Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them.  My job was to identify, test, select, and implement applications that would solve SGL’s IT requirements.

In the world of technology, major advancements occur that enable newer, and often times, better approaches to solving the same problem.  Things that we now take for granted, were once recognized as major advances.  In the 1980s, most business computers were large and complex.  They were called mainframe and mini computers.  Users accessed business applications via character-based terminals.  These computers cost thousands of dollars, and were very complex to operate and support.  In the 1990’s, these computers were replaced by lower cost PC-based servers and clients running graphical operating systems.  This drove down the cost of business computing and made it much more accessible.  But is still had a fair amount of complexity in that the systems required specialized software running on the client as well as the server.  Today, while this model of computing is still in broad use, the client/server model is being replaced by a newer model which doesn’t require specialize software on the client, and the server is maintained by a 3rd party on a fee per use basis.  The client accesses the business application through an Internet browser.  This simplifies the configuration significantly as the business no longer needs to maintain complex servers and the client configuration is dramatically simpler.  In truth, the clients still needs to run applications like Microsoft Office and utilities like virus protection software.  But these are off the shelf applications.  As a testament to the validity of this approach to computing, millions of people are already using Internet hosted applications in the form of Gmail, Amazon, Google, E*TRADE, and the list goes on and on.

Application Selection

Calendar and Messaging.  The first application that we selected for SGL was Microsoft Exchange Server.  But rather than purchasing hardware and software licenses, we selected a vendor that provides what is called hosted Microsoft Exchange Server.  To setup the service, we pointed SGL’s MX record to the right DNS, setup accounts, and configured Outlook on each workstation.  Even better, our hosting vendor offers full support for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and iPhone synchronization as well as modern SPAM and virus protection.  Deployment was rapid and without fault.  Each employee had access to Outlook on all of their PCs, Outlook Web Access, and an iPhones with full support for mail, calendar, and contacts.

Cost: $12.95 per user a month including unlimited mailbox size, SPAM and virus protection, and smartphone synchronization.

Document Management.  Good document management is a key ingredient in any successful law practice.  SGL had been using Hummingbird DM.  It provided excellent document storage and retrieval, with integration into Microsoft Office and Outlook.  They had it setup on their local server and replicated over their internal network to headquarters.  As a client/server application, Hummingbird had to be installed and setup on all PCs that access the system.  It was a good solution, yet it required constant supervision and maintenance.  Considering that this application is the ‘bread and butter’ of the firm, a move into the clouds had to meet with extremely stringent criteria.  It had to be secure, reliable, and offer very similar capabilities to what the firm was used to – easy access, robust search, and Office and Outlook integration.  SGL choose a solution that they immediately were able to use.  The vendor provided free migration support which went flawlessly - users, client numbers, matter numbers were setup, their document library imported, and they were up and running.  To use the product, all you need to do is open a web browser and login. Additional, the product has the ability to create restricted access so that others outside the organization can access documents in the library if needed.  So, now they have the ability to dynamically virtualize their organization with external resources.  SGL now has all of this combined with the peace of mind knowing that their most important data is maintained and backed up in a secure, world-class data center.

Cost: $30 per user per month.

Time and Billing.  The next application we selected for SGL was time and billing.  In the past, SGL had used a powerful system that required a server and individual user licenses.  The cost of purchase combining hardware and software licenses was very high.  As well, remote access into the system required a VPN connection.  This can be extremely complicated when 3rd party book keeping and accounting staff need access into the system.  SGL looked at a number of solutions and quickly settled on a product that met their requirements.  It is available from a web browser so they and their designees, can easily access the system from any place, and their data is safely stored in a state of the art data center. 

Cost: $19.95 per user a month.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

1. Ease of deployment.  Cloud computing is the next evolution in modern computing.  Deployment is simplified in that you don’t need a local server, software licenses, and server support and maintenance.  Furthermore, applications are accessed through a browser and data is securely maintained and backed up in a state of the art data center.  So, client-side configuration is simplified.
2. Pay as you go.  Fees are typically paid monthly calculated by the number of users.  There is no capital expense nor depreciation of expensive server and communications hardware.  You are out of the business of software maintenance programs, and installing upgrades and patches.
3. Automatic backup.  Your data resides in state of the art data centers where is it secure and backed up.  Often times, these data centers are in multiple locations and regularly audited by security experts.
4. Technical Support.  Technical support is provided as part of the business application.  There is no special fee for support.  Support is part of the product and typically available 7/24/36.
5. No software updates.  All application improvements are managed by the application hosting company and added in when available.  You are no longer in the businesses of patches, hot fixed, and updates.
6. Rapid deployment.  New application deployment is rapid and can often happen as soon as an account is setup with the application vendor.  Users typically have access to an administrative portal where they can add, manage, and delete users.  Deployment for new users is typically a simple add user function.
7. High availability.  Users can access their business applications from anywhere using nearly any computer.  When a computer fails, the user can simply move to another computer and get busy without installing and configuring new software.

A Testimonial

The senior partner at SGL recently traveled to the UK.  He took a brand new netbook, an ASUS 1008HA.  To setup the new PC, I installed virus protection, Microsoft Office, Skype, configured Outlook, and setup Office integration software for the document management system.  That’s it, nothing else, nothing more.  The senior partner was able to connect to the Internet from his hotel in London and access all of his critical applications and data just as if he were in the Office.  He’s never been able to do this before.  Now, he can simply work anywhere as productively as if he were in the office.

If you are interested in learning more about how cloud computing can integrate and benefit your business, please contact Consider It Fixed.

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Clouding Computer, Legal, Law, Software as Services Saas, NetDocuments, TimeSolv, AppRiver Mailstreet,  Legal software, Law Firm software, Law software, document management, time and billing, host Microsoft Exchange Server, Mark Seiger, Charles Gfeller, Robert Laurie, Seiger Gfeller Laurie LLP

Are You Listening Ralph de la Vega?

I fell off my chair yesterday when the local AT&T Retail Sales Manager told me how much it would cost to setup my client's new firm with iPhones.  AT&T wants, in addition to the cost of the iPhones and setup fees, a $1000 dollar security deposit for each line.  Better yet, they want to hold the security deposit for 1 year to insure that they get paid.  My client needs 7 iPhones and 3 international data cards.  The deposit would be $10,000!

My client is a law firm.  They've been in business for a while as a branch of another firm.  But they are now going out on their own.  So, they have a new name and a new tax ID.  They have a bunch of clients, uniquely specialized skills and revenue.  But they have no business history and no record of financial stability. In my view, that's just the way it is for a new business.  This gets to the question - Is AT&T interested in attracting new businesses as customers?  In this case, AT&T is very anti-new business as it's looking no further than 'new tax ID requires a large deposit'.

Most companies, particularly in our current state of economic recession, are willing to bend over backwards to acquire new customers.  The local AT&T Retail Sales Manager is very motivated to get my client's business and he's been very responsive.  He's pushed this harebrained decision as high up the ladder as he can.  But, it seems like his hands are tied.  If it weren't for the iPhone, there is no question that we'd be doing business with Verizon or Sprint.  I wonder - would Lowell C. McAdam, CEO of Verizon Wireless let this happen?  What about Dan Hesse, Sprint's CEO, would he let this happen?  Would he give up a new and profitable account with this firm's potential.  Ralph de la Vega is AT&T Mobility's CEO.  I wonder if he's listening?  Oh, but wait, the story gets better.

Is this where you want to bring your business?

Almost anyone can walk into an AT&T retail store and purchase 5 iPhones on a family plan.  I mean almost anyone.  The credit check is brief, vague at best.  All you need is a credit card.  If my client really wants iPhones, they can have one partner purchase 5 and another partner purchase the others until the firm has been in business long enough to satisfy AT&T's inane policy.  So, why is AT&T's small business team being so shortsighted and unwilling to support new businesses?  Ralph, are you listening?  I don't get it.  Do you? 

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

Cloud Computing: Moving into the Cloud

For many years, I seek the best computing environment that I can find.  I used to think that it was a big, fat laptop.  Next, I thought that it was a tablet PC.  Then, I became convinced it was an Apple.  But today, I've changed.  I no longer need the latest and greatest computer.  In any given day, I may use 2, 3 or more computers - a Apple laptop, a PC desktop, an iPhone, or my media center connected to a 52 HDTV.  What's become my central need is easy and full access to my data no matter what device I'm using.  I need applications that store data on the web and can be accessed equally well from a PC, Apple,  iPhone, or a web browser.  The good news is that many software developers understand this and are building applications that can live in the Cloud.  As of today, I am using 5 applications that live in the Cloud that I can't live without.

The Cloud, according to Wikipedia is:

"Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualised resources are provided as a service over the Internet.  Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them.

The concept incorporates infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service as well as Web 2.0 and other recent technology trends that have the common theme of reliance on the Internet for satisfying the computing needs of the users. Examples of software as a service vendors include Salesforce.com and Google Apps which provide common business applications online that are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on the servers.

The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet, based on how the Internet is depicted in computer network diagrams, and is an abstraction for the complex infrastructure it conceals."

Here are my top application picks:

Microsoft Exchange.  My use of the Cloud began many years ago after I left Microsoft in the late 1990's.  I registered my first domain name and set up a hosted Microsoft Exchange account.  With ease, I could get access to my email, calendar, contacts from multiple PCs, web browser, and Windows Mobile smartphone.  Any change to my data made on any device was synchronized on the server.  So, I was always working on current data no matter how I was accessing it.  Since that early time, Exchange has evolved to include Apple via Entourage and iPhone, and Linux via Evolution.  Using hosted Exchange was my first experience at putting my data on somebody else's server and trusting that they will manage it well.  In retrospect, I made a smart decision picking Mailstreet as my hosted Exchange provider. Mailstreet is now owned by Apptix (www.apptix.com).  I am still with them today.

LassPass (www.lastpass.com).  I have used Roboform on my PCs and 1Password on my Apple to manage my passwords and web form filling.  I used to use some local synchronization software to copy Roboform's data across my various computers.  It was a clever approach and it worked, but it was a bit heavy handed and didn't work at all across platforms.  Synchronization, in its early days was rather dangerous.  One bad move could create data duplication or loss.  I recently learned about LassPass from one of my readers, ran a trial, and quickly migrated to it on all of my computers.  It's cross platform (although I'm still waiting on the iPhone client) and manages my passwords, data scraps, and form filling.  Any change made on any computer is synchronized and stored on its servers.  It works great and I highly recommend it.

Foxmarks (www.foxmarks.com).  Foxmarks began as a tool to synchronize bookmarks across several computers as long as you use Firefox.  It has evolved and is now supporting Internet Explorer, Safari, and web access.  More recently it started the process of changing it's name to Xmarks as it's no longer a Firefox only utility.  It is just too sweet to open up a browser on any of my computers and have access to all of my bookmarks.  If I'm not at my PC, I can access my bookmarks from the web or my iPhone.  If you're like me and have hundreds of bookmarks, this is a killer app.  It works reliably, it's free, and comes with my personal recommendation.

Dropbox (www.mydropbox.com).  Dropbox is virtual and synchronized storage for PCs, Apples, and the web.  Put a file in it, change it on one computer and it's updated and available to all of your computers.  Put a file in it and you can share it with others.  I put a video file in it and my daughter who's away at college can have access to it.  She can even play the file directly from the Dropbox via a web browser.  I use Dropbox daily to make my data available across my computers - accounting data, spreadsheets, documents that I'm working on and other stuff that I just always need access too.   Because it's in the Cloud, my data is safe and always backed up.  You can setup a trial account for free with 2GB of storage.

Evernote (www.evernote.com).  Evernote is the latest addition to my Cloud.  I used to keep my client information in Microsoft Onenote.  Then I move to Apple and started to use NoteTaker.  In both cases, the data was not portable.  So, I had to manually migrate it to my most popular platform of the month.  As you can imagine - quite a pain.  Enter Evernote - it's a cross platform, note creation and management program.  It runs on the PC, Apple, web, and iPhone.  No matter where I am, I have access to my client records.  Each note is a container that can hold text, graphics, and data files.  It's simple to setup and easy to use and it just works.  Evernote has a free version that is quite capable.  So, you can give it a try for free.

Cloud computing is here to stay.  It's a significant move from PC-centric computing to data-centric computing.  The idea is to not worry about your data, but to simply have flexible and easy access to it.  An added benefit of the Cloud, is that a crashed hard drive doesn't need to be such a big deal anymore.  Your data is safely living in the Cloud, not vulnerable to hardware failure and the sometimes doubtful success of your last backup.  If my computer doesn't work, I just go to another without missing a beat.  Can you do that?

Contact Info: info@consideritfixed.com

How to Update a Sprint Motorola Q

For a long time, I've been looking for the perfect smartphone. I started with Palm's first PDA and moved to Windows CE. Now, I've been using Windows Mobile for a while where I've had my share of learning opportunities along the way. My current phone is a Motorola Q from Sprint which I ordered the day it became available. I really like the phone. It's been the most reliable and useable of any that I have tried. It's a great dialup modem (super fast), connects to my Exchange server flawlessly, and has acceptable battery life once I upgraded to the Seidio 2100mAh aftermarket battery http://www.seidioonline.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1106.

Sprint recently announced an update to the Q that's supposed to fix a number of issues. I found out about the update on www.everythingq.com where I also learned that a number of users were having a lot of problems apply it. So, to help clarify and generally make it easier to update, I will provide correct and explicit instructions here:

You can download the update here: http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/motosupport/source/softwareupdatesummary.asp

Phone Information:

Before update: Q2-BP_C_06.1E.00R
After update: Q2-BP_C_06.26.00R

How to update:

First of all, sync your phone. Next, download the update to your Windows XP PC. If you are running Vista or a Mac, you are not supported. Get over it and find a Windows XP PC. You need to make sure that you have Microsoft's ActiveSync installed on the PC. The update won't work without it. I recommend that you update to version 4.5 of ActiveSync. Next, backup your data on the phone either using a 3rd party backup utility or plan to reinstall or recreate via ActiveSync or the Vista Windows Mobile Device Center. The Motorola update offers backup and restore, but I don't recommend using it. It seems like a lot of users are reporting problems with it. Also, it's a good idea to make a list of your mail settings and 3rd party installed programs so that you can more easily get everything working following the update. It's very important to understand that the update will remove all data, settings, and 3 party applications from your phone. Next, run a master reset on your phone before applying the update. This will reset your phone to its factory state and eliminated potential conflicts either before or after the install. This also means that you won't be able to use the Motorola option for backup and restore during the update. The master reset is located here: Start/System Tools/Master Reset.

Once all of this is done, you can start the update process. First, install the update software and start it. It will give you very specific instruction that you need to read and follow. If you don't or you deviate, you may be taking your phone to the Sprint store for repair. I strongly suggest that you pay attention to the instructions for the installation of the USB drivers for the flash interface. Next, the instructions will tell you to connect your phone via your USB cable to your PC. Next, software will begin the update. If your PC doesn't recognize your phone, go into the Device Manager, uninstall any devices registered as yellow question marks, and restart your PC. Restart the update software and follow the update manager's instructions. You can expect that the connection will be dropped at least once during the update. Don't panic, just simply follow the instructions. The Update will ask you to restart your phone. Just follow the instructions. Once complete, after about 10 minutes, you will have a better phone. Now all you need to do is reinstall your apps, set up your email and sync your phone on your PC. Now you can Consider It Fixed!

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

Contact info: info@consideritfixed.com