Blog

• Virtual desktops are said to save money - PUC Chronicle - Purdue University Calumet#.TtT1ALLNltl November 29, 2011  "'It's a very cost effective solution for managing desktops. There are around 3,500 desktops that we manage around campus now, and we could manage all of those through a single cloud device...We are so overwhelmed with servicing the amount of actual des...
• Recognize Best-of-Breed to Maintain the Competitive Edge November 18, 2011 By Bob Herman IT Tropolis FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA - In today's world of endless competing products and services, recognizing best-of-breed has never been more important. Save time, headaches and that stressful feeling of, "am I missing something," by ad...
• Cloud Computing? What’s All The Buzz??? September 1, 2011 By Bob Herman IT Tropolis FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA - What’s all this buzz about cloud computing?  Just yesterday I was watching a special on Google wherein their VP of yadayadayada indicated that authorities in Washington D.C. use Google Apps and cloud...
• 3 strategies for conducting virtual meetings April 15, 2011 Although many prefer face-to-face meetings, virtual meetings are a common part of today’s business environment. It is critical, however, to consider certain things when you’re conducting these meetings. Proper etiquette is essential to the success ...
• Pros and cons of e-readers April 12, 2011 E-readers have become very popular in recent years. Those who use them swear by them for their convenience and portability. Everybody doesn’t share their enthusiasm, however. There are a number of things to take into consideration before you decide if a...
• Keep your employees motivated with these 4 ideas April 8, 2011 Motivating employees can often be hard to do when you’re running a small business. Funds are typically limited and there is not a lot of time to spare. Keeping your employees inspired, however, is critical to the success of your business. Thankfully,...
• Smartpens can help make you more efficient – here’s how April 6, 2011 Smartpens are a new office trend with ever-expanding possibilities. The capabilities of smartpens have grown leaps and bounds since the technology first came about, and they’re still expanding. Most smartpens simply translate your handwritten notes i...
• Motion is the next popular trend from Google April 1, 2011 Everybody has been talking today about the new feature to be revealed by Google. It is called Gmail Motion and it lets users perform standard email commands with simple gestures. Simple actions like search, forward, reply and mark as unread can all be ...
• 3 on-the-go security gadgets March 30, 2011 Sometimes it can be hard to keep your belongings safe while you are on the go. Luckily, there are many tools that make it easier. Things like notebook locks and personal safes are extremely handy and portable enough that you can take them with you whe...
• How to manage your email inbox March 25, 2011 Your email inbox is probably one of your primary connections to the world but, if it goes unattended for just one day, it can quickly become too much to handle. Missing emails can mean overlooking important details or missing out on opportunities. Luckily...
• Are wired mice better than their wired counterparts? March 23, 2011 Whether you’re a wireless mouse user or you’ve stayed with the wired version, you probably know that there are benefits of both. The debate between the two options has been happening for years. While it probably won’t be resolved anytime soon, these...
• Check out the modified commenting feature in Google Docs March 18, 2011 Many of us are familiar with Google Docs as a tool for quick and easy document creation. What many people don’t know is how great of a collaboration tool it can be, especially due to its recent updates. The commenting feature in Google Docs saw some ...
• A few of the best ideas to come out of SXSW so far March 16, 2011 Every year the South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) takes over Austin with its many festivals and presentations. It connects some of the greatest thinkers from music, movies, and new media. Creativity and innovation are the themes of the conference, and t...
• Where do search engine results come from? March 12, 2011 For the majority of us, online search engines are the first place we turn when we’re looking for information. We trust them to provide us with the most relevant results, but those results are not always consistent. The reason for that inconsistency h...
• Flash storage – what precisely is it? March 11, 2011 Flash storage is something that is prevalent in many of our daily lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Plenty of the gadgets we use on a daily basis, such as smartphones, and laptops, have flash storage built in. What exactly is flash storage? Fl...
• The greatest innovations being showcased at TED 2011 March 4, 2011 The TED Conference, taking place this week, brings together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design. TED lets people from these three fields showcase their knowledge and ideas, and gives them only 18 minutes to do so. This year�...
• These are the major trends emerging from the DEMO Spring conference March 2, 2011 The DEMO Spring conference is the “launchpad for emerging technology” and it is full of excellent ideas. Social media is the primary theme of this week’s show, with three sessions entitled “Demofocus on social on media technologies.” These are...
• Spam levels are declining – a couple of possible explanations for the phenomenon February 25, 2011 Email spam saw a massive decline at the end of last year. One company’s report shows a decrease of 150 billion spam messages per day from August to December. Although it’s difficult to say for sure what caused this decline, these are some of the b...
• How to carefully remove a USB device February 23, 2011 Unplugging a USB device without ejecting it from your computer can be a scary concept. The majority of us know the alarming warning icon that pops up on an iPod when you plug it into your computer. Does the danger associated with preemptively unplugging a...
• Strategies for finding your ideal desk height February 18, 2011 Most of us spend a good chunk of the day sitting at a desk. So, selecting desks that fit our bodies is a vital part of our everyday comfort. There is one factor, however, that many people don’t consider when looking for a desk, and that’s height. E...
• How to effectively preserve your smartphone battery February 16, 2011 For many of us, our smartphone is our primary link to the outside world. So, when that smartphone is out of commission because of a dead battery or something worse, we can feel totally lost. Fortunately, there are a number of simple tricks that can he...
• Cloud computing: what it really means February 11, 2011 Cloud computing is a tricky thing. It’s something we all hear about, and think we should be familiar with, but the majority of us aren’t quite sure what it is. There are lots of conflicting views out there, which only add to the confusion. What...
• 6 tips for creating more effective PowerPoint presentations February 9, 2011 We’re all bound to work with PowerPoint to create presentations at one point or another in our academic or professional lives. Unfortunately, many of us are still unsure of how to best utilize PowerPoint to create a presentation that is both engaging an...
• 3 great applications for keeping track of receipts February 4, 2011 Creating expense reports can be a hassle – lots of receipts, struggling to remember what it is you bought, etc. Luckily, there are plenty of mobile applications out there that permit you to record expenses immediately and make expense reports easy. ...
• How to create a good password for every site February 2, 2011 Creating a strong password might appear to be a rather straightforward concept. In fact, many websites even tell you when your password is “good” or “strong”. Unfortunately, many people still overlook the vital rules to creating a strong password....
• Should you use a microfiber cloth to clean your computer screen? January 28, 2011 Cleaning your computer screen may seem like a fairly simple task. Unfortunately, damage can easily be done to your screen if you don’t take the appropriate measures. Microfiber cloths are thought to be the best tool, but are there other materials th...
• What precisely is a mobile hotspot? January 26, 2011 As the Verizon iPhone makes its way onto the market, a lot of people are talking about personal hotspots and tethering. But just what these hotspots are and how to best use them are still mysteries to many people. What they are A mobile hotspot is fun...
• The mystery that is 4G January 20, 2011 4G networks appear to be all any mobile carrier can talk about nowadays. The catch is, with so many carriers claiming to have the biggest or fastest network, the 4G landscape can get pretty complex. As it turns out, 4G isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem....
• Keyboard shortcuts – what they are and how they may help you January 17, 2011 A keyboard shortcut is a seemingly basic concept. It is a combination of keystrokes that shortens a task, such as opening up a browser or saving a document. Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t take advantage of these simple time-savers. Plenty of pro...
• Implementing PPM software to manage your projects more effectively January 15, 2011 Project and portfolio management solutions, also called PPM solutions, are a big trend in business right now, and it’s clear why. The tools included in PPM software, like scheduling, budget management and collaboration tools, make it easier for business...
• The SMS of death – what it really is and how it may impact you January 14, 2011 Lately, there has been plenty of talk about an “SMS of death”. The fact is, this supposedly deadly text isn’t actually a problem for most phones. Read on to see who may be in danger and how to protect yourself. How can this impact me? Unlike mos...
• Top 3 business products from the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show January 12, 2011 This year’s Consumer Electronics Show showcased many great ideas and devices that will influence businesses of all sizes. Now that the show is over, let’s reflect on three of the top products that could have an influence on small businesses in 2011. ...
• Undelete critical files that you deleted on accident January 6, 2011 Accidentally deleting essential files is a common mistake and can cause you quite a bit of trouble. The good news is that if you catch the mistake quickly enough, the file will most likely still be on your computer and in one piece. Keep reading for tips ...
• McAfee’s predictions for 2011 December 29, 2010 McAfee, one of the world’s biggest computer security organizations, has just unveiled its predictions for cyber attack targets in 2011 and the report features several platforms that are quite common. On the list are both the Android and iPhone along wit...