For every dollar spent on hardware, another 50 cents is spent on energy. So it’s crucial for today’s companies to monitor and reduce energy consumption. IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager measures, monitors and manages energy usage of your IT systems, giving you a more complete view of your server room.

Northern Computer is a leader in IT consulting, computer support and network services serving business in the beautiful Okanagan Valley including Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton for over 30 years.

We ensure nothing less than reliability and security for your computer networks and IT Support services. We view technology as an effective tool that can help gain competitive advantages.

Northern Computer Kelowna
www.norhterncomputer.ca

http://northerncomputer.blogspot.com

Continue Reading

An SLA is a negotiated agreement between two parties designed to create a common understanding about services, priorities and responsibilities. Here are some ways to use an SLA to benefit your business. Use the SLA as a communications tool. The value of an agreement may not be just in the final product. The very process of establishing an SLA helps to open up communications and identify areas that need improvement and clarification.

Use the SLA as a conflict-prevention tool. A good agreement helps to avoid or alleviate disputes by providing a shared understanding of needs and priorities. And if conflicts do occur, they tend to be resolved more quickly.

Use the SLA as a basis for gauging service effectiveness. An SLA ensures that both parties use the same criteria to evaluate service quality.

Click here to read more on Northern Computer Kelowna’s blog.

Continue Reading

An important consideration when buying a laptop or desktop computer for work purposes is whether you should purchase a consumer model or a model specifically designed for business. Many computer manufacturers offer what appear to be the same make and model in both their home and business divisions, but they are actually not the same computer. Business computers are built to last, with higher quality components that are tested more rigorously. Parts used for consumer computers may be more generic or even cheap, while computers designed for professional use more often include higher grade materials and name-brand parts. This emphasis on durability means that the business class laptop or desktop you buy now should last you many trouble free years.

These computers offer more features for professional work, such as fingerprint readers, remote desktop control software, data encryption tools plus high quality mice and keyboards. The professional operating system version that comes on business PCs is also more suited for workers than the home version; Windows 7 Professional, for example, has features — which Windows 7 Starter and Home editions do not have — for easily joining a corporate network and using Windows XP software.  They are also bundled with business tool software such as…

Click here to read more in Northern Computer Kelowna’s Blog.

Continue Reading

In IT, we hear many different terms. One of the most confusing scenarios is when a computer becomes infected with malware since the infection can be referred to as viruses, malware, adware, spyware, rootkits, etc. Some of these terms have the same meaning, some are sub-categories, and some are even just simply network tools. Some of the different forms of malware can be trojans, worms, hacktools, password revealers, etc. depending on the purpose of the program. To clarify things a bit, here is a list of common “infection” terms and their definitions:

Malware: Short for malicious software, (sometimes referred to as pestware) designed to harm or secretly access a computer system without the owner’s consent. The expression is a general term used to define a  variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or program. Essentially, it is the broadest term to cover all forms of infections.

Click here to read more in Northern Computer Kelowna’s blog

Continue Reading

I am often asked whether printers should be serviced or not. Customers are concerned, of course, about the cost of regular maintenance but often forget about the cost of a breakdown. If a machine is regularly maintained the cost to service the machine is minimal, often around a half hour per machine (under $50.00). When the machine goes down the lost time and priority service cost to the company is typically far more than the cost of maintenance. This does not suggest that maintenance will prevent all breakdowns, however properly performed maintenance by a qualified technician will prevent many failures. The frequency of maintenance is dependent on machine type, volume and environment. If the printer is in a high volume application or a dirty or dusty environment more frequent service is needed to keep it running at its best. Your printer technician can help you to determine the best schedule for your equipment.

Regular printer maintenance is not often thought of but it will give you increased reliability, consistent quality and it could even save you money. Our cleaning and service includes the following applicable items:

Click here to read more on Northern Computer Kelowna’s Blog.

Continue Reading

Don’t you wish your home PC, your work PC and your smart phone could all sync together, or your email on your laptop could just work from anywhere without having to change any settings? These are a few of the many benefits that Microsoft Exchange Server has to offfer.

Continue Reading

The cloud – it’s all the hype right now, but what does it mean? Simply stated, it is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. The name was inspired by the cloud symbol that’s often used to represent the Internet in flowcharts and diagrams. Chances are, you are already using an application in the cloud or storing files there. Are you using gmail or facebook? Have you ever uploaded anything to the internet? Do you have a website?

Years ago, when you had a website, you would have it sitting on a server in your office. But as more people stopped by to visit your website, you needed new, bigger and better servers to handle all of this traffic. This became costly and took more time and resources to maintain it all. New businesses were formed that bought lots of servers and did all of the work to service them and sold you space to put your website on their servers. In other terminology, they “host” your website. Where is the content from your website physically sitting? It could be in a datacenter anywhere. It is in the cloud.

Click here to continue reading.

Continue Reading

Are you thinking about recycling or reselling your old computer? If so, your first step should be to delete the data on it. Having data stolen, lost, or misplaced contributes to the ever growing number of people who are affected by identity theft. It an also cause corporations to lose more than data and money.

So how do you get rid of that data?

Simply deleting your files and emptying your recycle bin only deletes the record of your file, but not the data that it points to. It’s like removing the labels from the folders in your filing cabinet. The folders and information still exist, but retrieving he data now takes more time and effort.

Click here to read more on Northern Computer Kelowna’s Blog and for a list of recycling locations.

Continue Reading

Finding a good antivirus package can be a daunting task for anybody with a computer.  There are a lot of choices and as many opinions.  Once you have chosen a package there are no guarantees you will be problem free.

Antivirus applications today deal with three basic classifications; Spyware, Malware and Viruses.  Spyware monitors internet usage and reports this to companies for marketing purposes. Malware entices users to click on links to ‘fix’ problems
for a cost, or buy services. Actual viruses allow remote access to systems and try and look for and infect other computers. It becomes even more complicated in a corporate environment.  Business owners require that their networks run reliably nd fast.  A small network of 5 computers can cost hundreds of dollars an hour in lost productivity when they are not functioning.

Click here to read more on Northern Computer Kelowna’s blog.

Continue Reading

Your plugging away, getting work done and suddenly your system crashes. You could bring your system in to get looked at or there may be another option.

Remote technical support has become a valuable and efficient tool for technical professionals as well their clients. Whether you are a home user or part of a business’ network , there are many advantages to this type of support .Remote support allows a technician to troubleshoot and resolve software related problems for their clients from anywhere in the world using remote desktop software. Remote desktop software lets the technicians take control of a computer in a different location, transfer diagnostic and repair tools onto the user’s desktop and uses these tools to perform the tasks needed to resolve the user’s issue. And all that is needed is an Internet connection (and the user’s permission)!

Click here to read more in Northern Computer Kelowna’s blog.

Continue Reading