The UPS Your Business Can’t Be Without

Posted in: Backup & Disaster Recovery, Network Logix News, Technology Quick Tips by Andrew Moon on July 27, 2010 | No Comments

(And No, We’re Not Talking About The Post Office!)

A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, is a battery backup power source for computers, servers and network equipment. When the power goes out, a UPS will keep your equipment going long enough to save any documents and shut down the machine properly. Why should you care?

Because, if you are actively working on a document when the power goes out, 1 of 3 things could happen.

#1 – Your document could be gone forever. The auto-save feature in Windows often stops working when the computer is unexpectedly shut off. Unless you manually saved the document multiple times while working on it, it’s not likely to be there after a power outage.

#2 – The file is there, but it’s useless. A power outage can corrupt any open files, even if you’ve saved them. The document opens back up on start-up, but its garbled characters make it look like a really long ransom note. To get it back, you have to re-create it all over again.

#3 – You get really, really, lucky. The average business will experience 15 power outages a year. If you are fortunate enough to recover your document after a power outage, count your lucky stars; you probably won’t be so lucky next time.

While many home PCs or non-critical workstations can live without a UPS, a server cannot.

Servers run 24-7 providing files and services to a number of other machines. A sudden shutdown can corrupt files on the server causing more widespread damage.

We recommend all our clients get a UPS device for the servers in their office at a minimum and, for additional protection, for all the workstations.

Are You Making These “Summertime Mistakes” With Your Company Server?

Posted in: Backup & Disaster Recovery, Blog, Technology Quick Tips by Andrew Moon on July 20, 2010 | No Comments

How To Ensure The Heat Doesn’t Fry Your Server (And Your Data!)

With the “dog days” of summer upon us, many business owners are looking for ways to keep their company’s sales and profits HOT, while keeping their IT expenses COOL. But if proper attention is not given to your server and network equipment during the summer, all that heat outside can actually cause serious damage to your server, causing your system to crash and burn - literally!

Excess heat IS a big problem for all computer equipment including laptops and PCs. But since your server is carrying the load, overheating will cost you more in electric bills and problems. And once a server gets too hot and blows out, it weakens components so that they are more susceptible to failure forever afterward, not just during the particular moment they overheated.

“9 Steps Every Business Owner Must Know To Prevent a Server Crash”

Here are a few things simply things you can do to prevent your server and network equipment from overheating and crashing this summer:

• Tidy up the server room; a neater room will increase air flow.
• If you have more than one server, arrange them in a row so that the cold air comes from the front and is expelled out the back.
• Keep the doors to the server room closed and seal off the space to prevent dust buildup which can contribute to electronic equipment overheating.
• Make sure cold air reaches all the equipment.
• Have a redundant A/C that is specifically designed for computers.
• Buy a rack enclosure where the cooling is built in to the bottom of the rack.
• Keep the temperature at no more than 77 degrees.
• Use blanking panels over any empty spaces on your server rack.
• Consider virtualization so you are generating a lower amount of heat in the first place.
  
  

Drive Business: Use Social Networking Tools

Posted in: Small Business Growth Strategies, Small Business Web Strategies, Technology Quick Tips by Andrew Moon on September 18, 2009 | No Comments

Twitter is an Excellent Tool – Use It!

Some of you are using Twitter, some of you are not. Those who use it may not understand the power that Twitter gives you to control your brand. Those who don’t use it make jokes about the people who do. Generally saying things like “I don’t care what you had for breakfast,” or “do people really need to know what you are doing all the time?”

My answer is: no, people don’t need to know what I’m doing every minute of the day. However, if people are going to tell me what they are thinking, I’m going to use it to my advantage. You should be, too. Read more…

How I got a grip on my workweek

Posted in: Blog, Small Business Management Strategies, Technology Quick Tips by Administrator on September 17, 2009 | No Comments

One of the David Allen Company senior coaches recently worked with Business Week Executive Editor Ellen Joan Pollock. Read Ellen’s entertaining account of how she got a grip on her workweek.

The goal: 10 extra hours in my week.

The plan of attack: none.

Read the full article.