http://itleaders.com.au/ IT Leaders Pty Ltd Articles http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=9218 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=9218 What is Cloud Computing? (...in plain English!) Cloud computing is just the provision of computing resources over the Internet. In plain English, this means that an IT provider sets up servers, applications and storage in their data centre, and customers make use of these facilities over the internet, without needing to have any servers themselves, nor any knowledge of how to maintain that infrastructure. What is a Virtual... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7804 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7804  If you’re like me, you are fed up with trying to remember passwords. And you’ve probably noticed that its getting even harder because a lot of websites and business databases are insisting that you use complex passwords of over 7 characters, and must include some numbers and capitals, etc etc. It is important for security that you don’t use overly simple passwords and also that the same password... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5956 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5956 Offsite Backups for Disaster Prevention   Everyone knows that data backups are important for a business.  We have written comprehensive articles in the past on why you need backups and what types of backup systems are available.  It doesn't matter how good your onsite backup system is, however,  if it gets fried by lightening, or drowned in a flash flood.  Your busines MUST therefore have the... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5955 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5955  This article was produced in conjunction with our expert power consultants, QLD Power Protection. What is a UPS? Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are power conditioning appliances that regulate the voltage and purity of power flowing to your attached office equipment.  UPSs have built-in batteries to kalso eep your equipment running when the mains power fails. There are different types of UPS and the... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5781 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5781   Some purchases can actually help you save time and money. Such is the case with a specialised computer and software solution called a server. A server makes file sharing easier, security tighter and backups easier. It is an investment that pays off well over time. But before you buy your server, consider these five points. 1. Recognise when you need a server  Evaluate your business and it's workflow and number of... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4550 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4550 Email marketing may well be a hugely effective form of online marketing, but to avoid huge penalties under spam legislation, your recipients have to agree to receive your material. This is why email marketing is fantastic at building repeat business among established customers, rather than acquiring new ones. But that is not a negative. Far from it. It means you are communicating your offers and marketing message to the people who have... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5039 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=5039 What is Phishing? Phishing (derived from "fishing") is an electronic attempt to obtain information of value from people fraudulently.  It often takes the form of emails that appear to be from legitimate sources (For example your bank, ebay, Google Adwords) and attempt to trick the receiver into visiting a website and entering some personal information such as lging information, credit mard numbers... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3987 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3987 IT Leaders recently conducted an SME technology survey aimed at enterprise managers and owners. Here are some key findings you might be interested in: The Top 3 concerns with an IT provider were: 1. fast resolution to issues, 2. consistency of service, 3. You having to spend as little management time as possible on following up IT issues. The Top 3 areas of IT frustration: 1.Staff Complaints about slow or non-functional technology 2.... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3498 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3498 Websites work internationally 24/7 to advertise a business and its capabilities and successes, whereas traditional marketing works for specific periods of time and geography only. This is a great reason to make your website the centre of ALL of your marketing campaigns. If you ensure that all other marketing efforts point back to the website in addition to whatever else they are trying to achieve, then the value of every other piece of... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1272 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1272 Budgeting For Your IT     A major failing of small businesses is their lack of planning each financial year.   Even those that do set budgets each year, forget or ignore budgeting for Information Technology, instead adopting a reactive "band-aid" policy which ends up costing far more in downtime and repairs.   This report is designed to help small businesses budget for their IT... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3035 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3035 As an IT provider dedicated to achieving the unthinkable goal of 100% client retention and satisfaction each year, there are some tough realities to face. We need to not only provide fast and accurate repairs to problems, but we also often need to be able to explain these issues simply to the clients. Often all the client knows is that their computer is broken for the third time, it's very frustrating, and its holding up their work. Many... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2117 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2117 Spyware is burning your money - be AWARE.   Spyware - A Plague on YOUR Computer First written and published for National Accountant Magazine in June 2005. Updated in June 2007. Viruses are given plenty of media attention, and most people know the importance of AntiVirus software. Although Spyware is not as publicised, IT Leaders estimates from our onsite work, that Spyware is costing small businesses far more... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1273 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1273 Cut price and direct computer retailers have made a huge impact on the IT industry, with the continual downward trend in hardware pricing proving fantastic for consumers and businesses alike.However, problems arise when the service side of IT is stripped away from the bare mechanics of the hardware and software. When computer  equipment is sold like kitchen appliances, small businesses buy the wrong... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1609 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1609 Free RSS Feeds Now Available You can have these and all the latest business technology articles published automatically and FREE on your website using RSS feeds. All you have to do is go to the IT Leaders website, scroll to the bottom and click on the RSS / XML feeds button. http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1438 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1438 It used to be easy to tell which PC and Server processors (CPUs) were faster; the higher the clock speed the faster the processor (eg: 2GHz versus 3GHz). But with clock speeds basically at their maximum due to heat issues, processor manufacturers turned to other means to get faster results, like adding multiple CPU cores and tweaking processing methods. To the business buyer, this has lead to significant confusion as to which processor... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1439 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1439 In the never-ending race for faster processing ability, Intel has come up with a lot of buzz words to explain it's newest technology.  Recently it has become quite confusing so I have summarised several commonly used terms in this article.  This article may not read easily to the lay person but will be of use to those who wish to cut through a salesman's fluff and see the real value of these... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1316 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1316 Every man and his dog seems to be writing websites these days. This can make it very confusing for business managers to select the right solution for their business. Some key points follow. What do you want to ACHIEVE?   Many business people purchase the wrong website for their business simply because they have no clear understanding of what they want to get out of having the website. With the advances in technology... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1274 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1274 Did you know that BACKUPS are the second most important thing you can do with your valuable data? The most important being to create it in the first place!It is every bit as essential as having the correct business insurance policies, and should be viewed in this light.  If you never need to claim on your fire insurance, you wont be disappointed; but if you do, you'll think the insurance premium was an absolute... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1276 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1276 Spam is another name for unsolicited email, and unfortunately it's a part of online life. Despite new strict laws in various countries (including Australia), there are still massive amounts of Spam clogging up email systems daily.  This article will help you understand why Spam exists, and how to minimise its impact on you or your business.     Here are some... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1275 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1275 When Good Data Goes Bad:   what to do with a dead drive Picture this:  you are 95% complete on a stocktake for your large convenience store.   Your computer has been getting slower over the last week, and occasionally rebooting itself. You're also vaguely aware that it sounds a bit different, and think that it might need a service, or grease and oil change...or something.  Suddenly... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1227 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=1227 Do you Need AntiVirus Software? There are approximately 500 new viruses and virus variants EVERY MONTH.   Firstly, lets confirm that without a doubt you DO need antivirus software for any computers that have Internet connectivity.   The lost productivity for most businesses from one virus is far higher than the cost of the software.     How to Protect Your Business. Firstly, let it be said... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2142 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2142 What is Disc Rot and Why Should I Care? Disc rot is something that gives the lie to the widely-held belief that storage discs such CDRs (Compact Disc-Recordable) and CDRWs (Compact Disk-Rewritable) are a highly reliable medium for backing up data - that they will, in fact, last for 100 years. The horrible fact is that research shows some discs will start to fail in as little as two years, EVEN when stored in ideal conditions. Why is this?... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7805 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7805  May 21, 2009 - 2:33PM Australian scientists have unveiled new DVD technology that stores data in five dimensions, making it possible to pack more than 2000 movies onto a single disc. A team of researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, have used nanotechnology to boost the storage potential nearly 10,000-fold compared to standard DVDs, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal... http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7239 http://itleaders.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=7239 Server Virtualisation is getting a lot of press, but like most new technologies, this 'IT gibberish' takes some translation for business owners to see the benefits. IT Leaders recently completed virutalisation of its head office server rack, giving an easy to understand case study for you.   What is Virtualisation and why is it good? Traditionally a business will run a different server for every one or two server roles....