This won’t be all that shocking to you. One of the secrets to fewer computer and network problems is making sure you’re not operating using old hardware and outdated software.

Therefore an obvious solution to this is to be proactively planning to upgrade hardware and software. When a business is not doing this, it is typically because of one of the following two reasons:

1. A business owner is trying to save money and doesn`t see the benefit of buying new hardware or software;
2. A business owner does not have the proper information available to them in order to make effective decisions and implement a strong plan.

In most cases we see, it’s the second reason so I’m going to focus on how to solve that.

This doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Every type of hardware you have as part of your IT infrastructure has an expected life span. Computers will last you 3-4 years before having more chronic problems and slowing your staff down. Servers are typically good for four years and network devices are around the same.

On the software side you can expect Microsoft to come out with a new version of Office every three years. For your accounting or Line of Business software, you can expect it to be updated on a regular basis as well. If you’re not sure what to expect, a simple look at the history of upgrades will tell you.

So that’s the simple part, here comes the more difficult challenge. How do you know what you have and collect the information regularly for analysis and planning? If you had someone going around to each computer, network device and server looking at their age, power, warranty status and software you might need to hire someone extra.

The solution is to ensure your IT partner has the technology and skills to be able to collect this information automatically, analyze it for you and present the information to you in a manner that you can make quick and effective decisions that you’re confident in.

For your servers, you should know how old they are, when the warranty expires and when you’ll likely need to replace them as this will be a large expenditure in your budget.

You desktops and laptops should be equally transparent. First you should decide if you’re going to be on a three or four-year replacement cycle with your computers. This will depend on how your team is using them.

Then you can plan out on an annual basis how many computers need to be replaced and put it in your budget. Most businesses don’t replace all their computers all at once. They usually do 25-35 percent of them a year.

In order to do this you should receive a full inventory of your machines and a recommendation on which ones should be replaced this year. If you incorporate this into your annual budgeting process then it becomes very straightforward.

Where the problem lies is when you get a surprise half way through the year that you need to buy 10 new computers or you start having a bunch of them break and productivity grinds to a halt for your team.

Your network devices are an important consideration as well. The risk of downtime increases with age and for the relative cost of these devices, it’s better you budget to replace them on a four-year cycle than wait for them to fail and have your office down for a few hours or more as a result.

The time to do this planning is on an annual basis as part of your IT plan and then review it quarterly to ensure it is being implemented. This is a great way to be proactive and prevent all sorts of headaches for your business.

I’m seeing a trend across many businesses these days – people are allowing a huge security hole in their networks because of mobile devices.

It would be rare to walk into a business and boot up a computer that doesn’t ask for a password to log on. The reasoning behind this is obvious. Everyone wants to make sure that their important business files and email are secure.

Now if you walked into the same businesses you would find many people checking their email on smartphones and tablets. However, if you looked at those devices you’d probably find most aren’t secured by a password.

Here’s the problem with that… If you lose your phone, forget it somewhere or it gets stolen, there is nothing stopping someone from looking through your emails and the corporate documents attached to them.

There’s a simple solution to this if your business has an Exchange server (which most do either onsite or hosted in the cloud). Most phones and tablets connect to email through something called ActiveSync. There are settings within that which will force any mobile devices connecting to email to have a password securing them, otherwise email won’t work.

Many offices are allowing staff to bring their own device into the workplace. Forcing mobile device passwords isn’t much of an inconvenience and will ensure you’re not opening up a big security hole in your network by allowing staff to use their own device.

For more on this subject, watch my video tech tip here.

Just when you thought you were finally getting everyone onto the same version of Microsoft Office, a new version is out – Microsoft Office 2013.

Why does that matter to you? Well, if you’re buying a computer today, you are almost forced to go with Office 2013. Let me explain why.

The best practice for software is to upgrade your entire business at the same time. However, that simply is not practical for a lot of companies and most businesses with less than 100 employees don’t take this approach because it’s really expensive (close to $600/computer).

What most businesses will do is buy the less expensive Microsoft Office Home and Business licenses (less than $300/computer) at the time they buy a new computer. This is a different type of Office license that is less expensive because it is computer-specific and can’t be used any further when that computer is replaced.

Which brings us back to what will happen if you buy a new computer today.

Microsoft has stopped selling Office 2010 licenses because their new version is out. If you buy Office Home and Business license (which is less than $300) you have to install Office 2013 and it cannot be downgraded to Office 2010.

If you want to stick with Office 2010 for a while, your only choice is to buy the license that costs twice as much and then use that on your new machine.

If you are going to take the less expensive route, you’ll need to train your staff on the new version of Office. Microsoft has a bunch of short training videos here that you can provide to your staff.

I’ll also be posting a video tech tip on Office 2013 later this week that you’ll want to watch.

Well I did it to myself. After over 20 years of supporting Windows computers, one would think that diving into a brand new version of Windows – and dragging my family with me – is the last thing that I would do. But dive I did, and so far, so good.

Over the holiday season I added four Windows 8 devices to the family network, a Lenovo Twist Convertible Ultrabook , a Lenovo Tablet 2 Tablet, a Microsoft Surface Windows RT Tablet and a Nokia Lumia 920 Windows 8 cell phone.

I will begin with the Twist which was a Christmas gift for my wife. She is primarily a social media user, photographer and email user. She is quite pleased with the size, form factor and battery life of the system, we all agree it is an incredible device. There is a learning curve with the Windows 8 Metro interface, she still struggles with finding where things are occasionally, but having a touch screen really adds a dynamic new layer to the computing experience.

My 10 year old daughter wanted a MacBook and the Microsoft Surface was the compromise. She quite likes the portability, enjoys playing games, writing email and using Skype. She thinks it is cool, but I recognize some of the elements that make this a real gem. The magnetic cover that snaps to the side doubles as a laptop keyboard complete with touch pad. An integrated kickstand flips off the back to hold it upright when sitting on a table or desk. Add a magnetic power connector (like on the MacBook) and a version of Microsoft Office 2013 RT – it is a perfect laptop replacement for home or school. With a Windows 8 Pro version coming out shortly, I will likely be getting another for my older daughter to use in high school next year.

I often compare the Lenovo Tablet 2 to the Surface and find myself jealous of the keyboard cover and magnetic power connector, however the fact that it is lighter, thinner, runs the full version of Windows 8 Professional and includes a full-sized USB port and pen input balances things out. This is one powerhouse of a device. Compatible with current and legacy Windows applications, it is the perfect system for professionals on the go who want the convenience and portability of a tablet, but cannot give up key desktop applications like Project, QuickBooks, or other key line of business applications. It can be managed like any corporate desktop and offers a host of productivity tools lacking in many other tablet devices on the market.

The last device to cover is the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows 8 Phone. I was a BlackBerry user that switched to Android; however it never felt natural to me. I decided to take a chance on this device and hope that it was a better fit, and I am pleased to say I am extremely happy with it to date. It feels more together and natural than Android, and although the device is large and heavy, the battery life and number of hardware features that are packed into it more than make up for the added size and weight.

To conclude, Windows 8 has turned out to be a win in my household. While I do not believe that it is a good choice for an office desktop, stay with Windows 7 Professional, it makes a great deal of sense for home use, particularly for social media, student use and in the case of the phone, if you’re unhappy with Android but unwilling to go iPhone. Get out to the Microsoft Store in Yorkdale Mall to see the Surface and the selection of Windows 8 phones or speak to us about the Lenovo Twist or Tablet 2 devices .

- Written by Stefan Kanitz

I received an iPad mini recently from work as a Holiday present, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

For a person like me, who’s never had a smart phone, or any Apple-related products, I have to admit that I was impressed with the speed at which I set up the Mini. Even setting up my Outlook email on the Mini was easy, so easy that I was a little bit surprised at it. I kept on thinking, I must be doing something wrong here, it can’t be that easy to do.

I set up my Facebook app, LinkedIn app, and Royal Bank app in a jiffy, and was all set to be social in a few minutes. Setting up the wireless on the Mini is easy, and convenient, because it remembers the passwords for the various networks, so when I moved from the office, to my house, to my friends’, it seamlessly moved from network to network, without me needing to type in the password again and again, which is a bonus, considering some of these network passwords are 16 digits long.

I really love all the amazing free apps on the iPad, which is the major benefit that I can see for this tablet over others. I have recipe apps, errands apps, shopping list apps, and others. It helps me make my life a little bit more efficient and definitely a lot more fun.

But there is one thing about the iPad that irks me to no end. Every single time I have to buy an app, a paid one or free, I have to put in my password. The reason they began doing this is because there are a lot of children’s games that you can buy additional items for, that parents want to keep their children from spending hundreds of dollars on. That makes sense to me, but there should definitely be an option in settings that allows you to opt in or out of the password being asked for every single time.

Do you have an iPad? Do you hate it or love it? Let me know at blogs@tdcnet.ca. Or if you are interested in learning more about our IT services, please click here .

- Written by Shikha Dhawan

One of the challenges many businesses are having these days is that their internet connections just aren’t fast enough for their business and they are not sure what to do about it.

This stems from the fact that standard cable or ADSL Internet lines that businesses have used for years are no longer good enough because of how much is done online or remotely from your office. I’ve been spending a lot of time lately helping clients improve their Internet connectivity and I thought it would be useful to spend some time on this on our blog.

So here’s an overview of the connectivity options your business has and some advice when you’re considering your options.

Firstly, you must have two Internet connections for redundancy. It will cost your business way too much if your Internet goes offline for a few hours and you can get a backup for as little as $30/month.

Next, you need to ask yourself how important speed is with your Internet connection. If a lot of the applications you use are hosted offsite or if you deal with large files (such as video or design files) regularly, you will need a better line.

Most people don’t know there are lots of options available so I wanted to give a quick rundown of what’s out there. Note, internet speeds are measures in megabits per second or Mbps, which is used to measure data transfer speeds. The higher that is, the faster your internet line will be.

• ADSL - this is a standard Internet connection used by many businesses. It uses the unused portion of traditional phone lines. It starts at 6 Mbps (download and 800k/s upload. For most businesses this is too slow. Price is usually around $60-$90/month.
• VDSL2 - also using phone lines, this is a much newer type of Internet connection and much faster. It can be 4 times faster than ADSL download speeds and almost 10 times faster uploads (25 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up). Price is usually around $130-$150/month.
• Cable - many businesses now get their Internet connections through cable from Rogers. Provided its available in your neighbourhood, this can be as fast as 12 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up. Price ranges from $50-$170/month depending on speeds and whether you need a static IP address, which most businesses need.
• Ethernet over Cable - this is the next step up in terms of speed. You can get up to 10 Mbps upload and download with this service, which is usually around $400-$600/month. If you’re doing voice over your Internet lines you’ll want at least this speed. Again availability is limited to buildings wired with Rogers cable.
• Fixed Wireless - this is usually for businesses who do not have any of the connectivity options described above because of where their office is. Many pockets of Toronto are virtual dead zones for Internet connectivity. Fixed wireless connections can be as fast as 100 Mbps up and down but they require an antenna on the roof and a line of sight to the provider (i.e. if you’re surrounded by tall buildings this won’t work). Price point here is between $400-$1,000/month depending on your location and speed requested.
• Fibre - this is the best and most reliable connectivity option. Fibre lines are usually either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps, although you can get faster. This type of Internet is cheaper if you’re in some parts of downtown Toronto or along Yonge street. You can expect to pay between $1000-$2000/month for this type of connection. Most businesses above 30 staff use this type of connection, especially if IP phones are in use.

Hopefully that helps give you a bit of an idea of your Internet options. The first thing you need to consider is how many staff you have, what they use the Internet for, if you use it for phone systems, video conferencing or big uploads/downloads.

As always, give us a call and we can help you navigate through these options and make the best choice for your business!

-Written by Brendan Howe

I normally write on our blog about technology but today I wanted to write about something a bit different – books.

A friend of mine inspired me to come up with a goal to read a book month this year about business, leadership or successful people. I’ve done more than that and it’s been one of the most enjoyable goals I’ve had this year.

If you’re like me, you’re constantly looking for good books to read so I thought I’d share some of my favourites here. I recommend all of these if you’re looking for ideas for your business or inspiration for how to provide stronger leadership. Some of them are also quite entertaining as well.

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – This book by Michael Gerber is the updated version of the classic E-Myth. It’s full of great tips on how to scale a business and in written in an easy-to-read business fable format.

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All – the newest book by Jim Collins (author of Good to Great) is the result of extensive research of why some companies thrive in unpredictable and chaotic times and some underperform.

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability – This is the best book on accountability I’ve read. Written by Craig Hickman, Tom Smith and Roger Connors, it really challenges you to be more accountable and evaluate whether your organization is making excuses or accepting responsibility in order to get results. I’m trying to get my entire team to read this book.

EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches – By Dave Ramsey, this book goes through his approach to leadership and how he’s implemented that to build a successful company.

Steve Jobs – Given my profession, I should clearly read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs. It was fascinating and I can definitely say after reading it that I don’t want to be like Steve Jobs as a person. He built a great company, but as an individual? Not the type of person I aspire to be.

It Worked For Me – Colin Powell’s book about life and leadership is a series of easy-to-read and interesting stories from his life. It also details his 13 rules for leadership which are good principles to use in decision-making or dealing with situations that arise.

Decisions: Making the Right Ones, Righting the Wrong Ones – I enjoy watching Dragon’s Den and enjoy even more reading the success stories of Canadian entrepreneurs on the show. Jim Trevling’s book didn’t disappoint. I’ve also read Robert Herjavec’s Driven and Kevin O’Leary’s Cold Hard Truth. They were all interesting but I’d probably rank them in the order I’ve listed them here.

Cornered: Hijinks, Highlights, Late Nights and Insights – I have to sneak in a book about hockey here somewhere! I read Ron MacLean’s book while I was on vacation over the summer. It’s a fun read.

I’ve also gotten interested lately in books about military leadership and specifically Vietnam. These are fascinating stories about a war which I found I knew very little about:

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard Wasdin and Stephen Templin.

13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam by John Culbertson

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes

And last but definitely not least, I read another great book this year by a friend and new author named Todd Nielsen. I read the manuscript and it’s being published in the New Year – I will make sure to post once it’s out.

In the meantime, Todd has a bunch of other great book ideas on his website – http://www.toddnielsen.com/personal-recommendations. These should keep you busy for a while…

-Written by Brendan Howe

As mentioned by Brendan in a recent blog post, I too have switched from BlackBerry, but I chose the Android platform instead of the iPhone.

My reason for the change was simple and it started in my stomach. Sound strange? Well here is the story of the moment that determined my switch. I was driving home after a long day and decided that I wanted to treat myself to chicken wings. A simple craving to satisfy, however I thought I might be able to locate somewhere that was offering a special that day.

I stopped in a plaza parking lot, I did an Internet search using my BlackBerry for wing places and the BlackBerry Web browser listed a few, however when I clicked on the links, the browser was unable to effectively load the related sites. After many frustrating attempts, I gave up on finding a special and went to the first place I passed heading home.

As I paid full price at the end of the meal, I decided at that moment that I needed a smartphone that featured a real Web browser. After some research, and based partly on price, I selected a Samsung Galaxy Android based phone – with a real Web browser – and have increased both my productivity and searches for dinner specials greatly.

Do I miss my BlackBerry? I much preferred the keyboard over typing on a glass screen, though the tactile response (small vibration) in the Android keyboard helps a great deal. The BlackBerry battery life was great, iPhones and Android devices drain quickly, although with the limited things I was able to do with the device this is a reasonable trade-off.

In a word – no – both my stomach and I are quite happy with my new smartphone.

Written by Stefan Kanitz

Computer problems and glitches. We all have them from time to time, and for many of us, it is a minor inconvenience that gives us time to take a break, grab a coffee or chat with colleagues while we wait for a reboot or an update to install.

The ugly truth about computer problems is the impact they have on productivity, and in some cases, as illustrated by WestJet’s computer crash over the weekend that caused flight cancellations and major delays, they can be very costly to both the bottom line and corporate reputation. Computers are no different than automobiles; they require regular maintenance to prevent failures. If you never performed automotive maintenance, your car would eventually break down, leaving you late or stranded.

I am not sure why WestJet’s computer failed, perhaps it was an unpredictable hardware issue, however I have seen many business systems fail over my career, some with disastrous and costly results. The sad fact of the matter is that most of the failures were preventable through the application of scheduled preventative maintenance or a strong backup system.

Click here to read more about the incident. If you are interested in learning more about TDCNet and our IT services, please click here.

Written by Stefan Kanitz

(Toronto, ON) – TDCNet today announced the Canadian government has approved its application for Controlled Goods registration, an industrial security program.

The Controlled Goods program helps strengthen Canada’s defence trade controls and prevents the proliferation of tactical and strategic assets including weapons, satellite global positioning systems and communications equipment, military equipment and related intellectual property. TDCNet applied for registration as a requirement for providing outsourced IT services to clients who fall under Controlled Goods registration.

“This is a great vote of confidence in the security practices we have in place at TDCNet and the quality of our team,” said TDCNet President and CEO Brendan Howe. “There’s nothing we take more seriously than security and confidentiality of our clients important data. We continually upgrade and improve our procedures to ensure our clients are protected.”

The registration means that businesses who deal with sensitive, controlled material, can now turn to an outsourced IT company to improve their IT infrastructure, instead of relying on in-house staff who frequently have less experience and training than the team at TDCNet. This can lead to security vulnerabilities and poor service to end users, hurting both the productivity and profitability of a company.

About TDCNet Inc.

TDCNet is a computer and network support company specializing in preventing IT issues for businesses with more than 15 employees. Our mission is to use technical wonder to wow businesses. For more information – www.tdcnet.ca

About the Controlled Goods Program (CGP)
The Controlled Goods Program (CGP) is a domestic industrial security program administered by the Controlled Goods Directorate (CGD) of the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada. The objective of the program is to safeguard controlled goods within Canada and prevent controlled goods from being accessed by unauthorized persons. For more information – http://ssi-iss.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/dmc-cgd/index-eng.html

-Written by Brendan Howe