Preparing for Hurricane Irene

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It appears likely that Hurricane Irene may make a direct hit on the New York metropolitan area over the upcoming weekend.  The latest reports suggest that it will arrive very late on Saturday and continue all day Sunday.  I want you to know that Heliotropic Systems is actively monitoring the forecasts and taking several steps to assist our clients in the event of any impact.

Please review the following list of 8 recommendations and share it with the appropriate members of your company.  Obviously, I hope that no one will suffer any impact, personally or professionally, from this storm.  One of my favorite sayings is “Better to have a plan and not need it, than need a plan and not have it.”  I hope that the simple step of reading this blog posting and taking these recommendations seriously, will help you weather the storm (yes, the pun is intended) without issue.
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Sometimes Remote Technical Support Is Not Enough

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I just came back from a very, very, short client visit – and I feel bad about it.  Not because I couldn’t solve the problem that he called about (I did).  I feel bad because I could not arrange to get to see him for more than a day and a half, and the problem identification and resolution took less than one minute.  To make matters worse, he had spent most of the day waiting for a Time Warner Cable technician to come to fix the problem with his modem, after having spent almost one hour on the phone with their technical support the day before.  The issue he was experiencing:  no Internet connectivity.

My client called me on Tuesday, right after the July 4th holiday weekend, and said that he could not connect to the Internet.  He’s a businessperson who works out of his home office, and I know that getting his email and the attached documents is extremely important to him.  He told me that he thought the problem started sometime on Sunday evening, but that he waited until after the holiday to call me.

He said that the lights on the modem were not all lit, and asked if that could be the problem.  I told him that it sounded like a bad modem.  I also explained that I was booked with appointments for the entire day, but that if he had the patience, he should call Time Warner Cable to see if the problem was on their end.  He was willing to do that.

During a brief follow-up phone call later in the day, he told me that he spent almost an hour on the phone with a support representative, who after exhausting her script, told him that she would dispatch a technician the following day.  Good for him, right?  No, not really – the appointment could not be narrowed down to anything other than between 9 am and 7 pm.  My client was going to be a captive in his office with nothing to do but wait.

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Preventative maintenance is the key to a healthy computer system

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In the March/April 2011 issue of the AAA North Jersey Traveler magazine, author Jim Grey wrote an article entitled, “Preventative maintenance helps the life of your vehicle.”  While I won’t reprint the article in its entirety, I do want to highlight a few of the statements he uses to describe how to take care of your car, and apply them to the care of your computer network.

“Consumers may think it’s the luck of the draw when a car reaches 200,000 miles and another bites the dust at 100,000, [while] it really comes down to preventative maintenance.

Scheduling regular trips to your mechanic can mean the difference in tens of thousands of miles in your car’s life.”

Well, most small business owners know that their computer networks can last anywhere from two years to ten.  But very few of them contact a technician to take care of them until something breaks.  Most people don’t know (and even fewer even care) about the common maintenance techniques necessary to keep their computer networks running properly.
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Can’t print a PDF file? Join the club!

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I received a frantic call from a client just the other day.  He had just returned from a trip and had not used his computer in three weeks.  He told me he was able to print out the contents of an email, but when he tried to print the attached PDF file, nothing happened.

I went to see this for myself, because I could not understand what was wrong.  Sure enough, nothing happened when I tried to print the PDF file; not a flicker, not an hourglass, and nothing in the print queue.

I approached diagnosing the problem in a logical manner.  I restarted the printers (there were two – and neither one worked), rebooted the computer, and tried to print the PDF file.  Still nothing.
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Larry on Laptops

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One of my favorite “guilty pleasures” is to turn on the HGTV network on a Sunday evening, and watch Mike Holmes renovate a house.  For those who don’t know who he is, let me explain.  Mike is a professional contractor, based in Canada, who demands that others in the building trade live up to their word.  He often appears at a lovely house where the homeowners describe some kind of problem that they have experienced with their builder, contractor, or building inspector.  Mike investigates the problem, turns up more horrors than the owners had imagined, and then – with a large, very skilled, crew – proceeds to demolish things and fix them up better than new.

I revel in this kind of reality television because it resonates with me.  In my job, people often call upon me to fix some kind of computer mess.  For me, there are two kinds:  home computer users and small businesses.

When I work with home computer users, it is often a matter of asking a few questions, and then working through a series of decision boxes.  Does the computer have this or that software, problem, or malware?  Does the computer respond when this setting is used or not?  Has this selection been checked in the program properties or not?  It gets to be repetitive sometimes, but there is a basic flow and I can resolve most problems in about an hour.  It takes me longer to clean up malware because I use three different system scans.

On the other hand, small businesses present a greater challenge for me because more of them resemble “Holmes on Homes” situations.  At this point, the reality show becomes “Larry on Laptops.”

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Not A Slogan I Would Use With My Clients

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I recently ran across an old postcard from a local area computer repair shop.  I don’t want to quote it because you might think I made it up.  So here’s a picture:

Now, how in the world can the company be comfortable making that claim?  And how would you, as a client, feel about taking advantage of it?

A competent computer technician will tell you at the outset whether he can fix your computer.  I mean, come on!  How many things can go wrong?

Here’s a list of the most common hardware problems:

  • Your monitor no longer displays anything
  • Your printer no longer prints anything you send to it
  • Your computer beeps when you turn it on and nothing happens
  • Your computer doesn’t turn on at all

Here’s a list of the most common software problems:

  • Your computer is infected with malware
  • Your computer displays a blue screen with white text when you turn it on
  • Your computer freezes in the middle of a game
  • Your computer displays an “End Program” message when you shut down

Obviously, these are very short lists.  You may encounter other errors from the software and hardware that you are running, but there are very few instances where something absolutely cannot be fixed.  To make the claim this company did is disingenuous; it implies that there will be situations where a customer will receive free computer support.

I certainly don’t operate Heliotropic Systems like that.  You know right from the start that all of my work has a 100% guarantee.  If you are not satisfied with what I have done, I will work to correct what ever is wrong – or refund your money.  It is as simple as that.  No muss, no fuss, and no idiotic statements about “free.”

My Business Grew In the Midst of a Recession

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I am pleased that I was able to provide computer support to a larger client base during 2010.  Because Heliotropic Systems specializes in home computer users and small businesses (5 to 10 PCs), it was difficult to gain traction against the overwhelming forces of the economy – but I did.  And so, I would like to take a moment to say, “Thank you!” to my client base, for helping me achieve growth during a difficult time.

Now that the overall economy appears to be settling down, I look forward to 2011 as a year in which I can make a greater improvement in my support of all things computer-related.

The other day, I was reading an article by Harry Brelsford in a recent issue of SMB Partner Community.  Here is an excerpt:

Have you ever worked with a client who insisted on doing too much of their own IT?  Maybe they buy their own computers (from whatever’s on sale at Costco) and try to add them to the network themselves, maybe they pick security applications from magazine ads and do their own installations, maybe they spend hours on the phone with Dell tech support trying to figure out a server issue.  What’s the result?  In my experience they usually wind up paying a lot more for a real IT pro to come in later and clean up their mess.  In fact many of us use the same sales pitch with those types of clients, something like “You have your own work to do.  Why don’t you save money, time, and frustration by letting a professional handle this for you?”

It is quite obvious that Harry knows some of my clients and what I say to them.  And it is true – you don’t need to know about computers.  All you have to do is let me do my job so that you can do yours.

In the coming year, I hope more of you will contact Heliotropic Systems when you need a professional to take care of your computer systems.

Computers, The Cloud, And Thanksgiving

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In the November 2010 issue of “Redmond Channel Partner” magazine, Paul DeGroot, a senior analyst at an independent research firm commented on an aspect of Microsoft’s product development trajectory and how it relates to the partner community that supports Redmond.  He states:

Assume that before the end of this decade, a new computing device will either include or will automatically connect to a full set of hosted applications and maintenance services that regularly update its capabilities and fend off malware and configuration errors.  The device may even be “free,” when you subscribe to all the applications and services

Of course, he is talking about a computer and all of the requisite add-ons that make up our daily existence.  In the present case, that would include the operating system, the desktop office suite, the e-mail client, the web browser, a security product, and any other software we install to perform one function or another on our PCs.

I have always stressed that it is important to be mindful of what is installed on your computer.  I also insist that you make sure that all of your software is kept current to ensure you reduce the possibility of being adversely affected by malware.  These are key reasons that Heliotropic Systems offers SPF plans for home users and SHADE plans for small businesses.  This software takes care of several often mundane tasks that most people tend to ignore, or do not realize they need to perform.

Yet, after I read DeGroot’s article a second time, I believe his example of a future device doesn’t resemble a computer at all, but something else that everyone uses on a daily basis – a cell phone!

Over time, technology that was affordable only by large corporations has become more prevalent in the small business and even consumer space.  Two of the more popular offerings are online back-up and online e-mail.  These are exemplified by companies such as Carbonite and Mozy, and Google with its Gmail offering.  These companies tend to talk about their products use of “the cloud,” which is nothing more than another way of saying “on the Internet.”

Today the trend is for software vendors is to create their product so that it runs on the Internet instead of directly on your desktop.  This means that you no longer have to install software, you simply point your favorite web browser to a URL and sign on to your account.  While you do not need to install these products, they all require some kind of constant Internet connection.

And, to carry the analogy just a little bit further, when you buy a cell phone, you automatically get a variety of applications and can purchase more through your phone vendor’s online store.  Most of these apps are updated automatically when your cell phone is on.  You don’t have to worry about making sure the updates take place – Verizon, or AT&T or Sprint take care of that for you.

As DeGroot concludes:

I can’t predict what the partner role will be, except that there will be one.  Someone needs to make devices, applications that run on them, systems that connect them to applications.  Someone needs to guide businesses through a myriad of choices and rescue those businesses from bad decisions.

Perhaps most important, someone needs to map hardware and software against human needs and wants, and help people and businesses integrate the digital landscape with people, process, and products.  Those skills will be as rare and valuable a decade from now, just as they are today.

I thought it was very fitting to reflect on these words just before we celebrate Thanksgiving.  Because it is my sincere belief that Heliotropic Systems is in business to help people – both home users and small businesses – use the technology they have so that they can do what they want in the best and safest manner.  No matter what device they are using.

Your Clients Can Teach You New Things

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I received a phone call from a client the other day.  She complained that the USB mouse she was using with her laptop had stopped working.  I went through the normal series of diagnostic questions:

  • Did you remove it and plug it back in?
  • Did you shut down Windows and restart your laptop?
  • Did you try it in another USB port?

She replied “yes” to all of these questions.  She also told me that the transceiver – the part that actually plugs into the laptop – had gotten extremely hot.

That surprised me, because I would not expect the transceiver to get very hot.  Nevertheless, I believed that it was defective and had died.  I suggested that if she was going to Staples any time soon, she could pick up a new one.  A quick look at their web site confirmed this was not an inexpensive purchase; replacing this mouse would cost $39.99 plus tax.

Obviously undeterred by this set back, my client did what most people would not.  She called Microsoft!  She spoke with a customer service representative who acknowledged the problem and offered a free replacement.  When she called me back later in the day, extremely pleased with her exploits, I was quite surprised.

At that point, I took some time to research the issue with more care, and it is quite prevalent.  The mouse works for a while, the transceiver becomes extremely hot, the circuits inside melt, and the wireless mouse no longer works.  While Microsoft has not issued a recall for this product, it has established a policy of free replacements for which it provides a three-year warranty.

So, if you happen to have a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000 (Model D5D-00001) and it stops working, you don’t have to call me.  You can call Microsoft at 800-933-4750, and don’t worry; this call center is located in Canada.  Have your mouse handy when you call them.  They will need the Product ID (PID) from the bottom.

Did this information help you?  Please let me know!

Proactive vendor updates with an e-mail blast!

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I received an e-mail today from Norton. Yes, that was the “from” name in Outlook. At first, I suspected the subject line, “Larry, your free update to Norton™ AntiVirus is Available” was spam. However, a careful review of the contents (thank you SpamBayes) revealed this was legitimately from Symantec.

Norton 2011 Update

After spending a moment reading the contents, I thought this marketing effort was quite impressive. The 2011 AntiVirus and Internet Security products were released to the public on September 9, 2010. Now, one month later, it is all the more impressive that Symantec would alert customers to take advantage of what amounts to a “free” upgrade.

Most consumers usually wait until the product starts to nag them (30 days – every day) before they update their subscription. Others wait until they can manage to obtain the new version of the product for $9.99 at their local office supply store.

In this case, Symantec is taking a preemptive step towards ensuring their customer base is on the latest version of the product. That is something aggressive and new.

Yet this actually fits in with something I have been telling my clients for a long time now:  You should update the product version at least every two years to take advantage of the latest available detection technology. Simply renewing your subscription to the updates is not sufficient to keep your computer secure from all of the nastiness that is out on the Internet.

In keeping with a recent ruling, the e-mail contains the requisite text that informs customers of the following:

If your product is not updated yet and you choose to download Norton AntiVirus 2011, you will have the right to use this product for no additional charge until the expiration of your current Norton AntiVirus subscription, subject to acceptance of the Symantec License Agreement included with this product and available for review at www.symantec.com.

I’d be interested to learn about your reaction to this e-mail.