IT Resources at Your Fingertips

Author: Darren Hook

January 2009

In the current economy, small businesses are facing many challenges, from sales to employee satisfaction. To help alleviate unnecessary stress and help people focus on the task at hand, small business owners can empower their employees to take advantage of the tech tools at their fingertips. As employees spend the majority of their day on their PCs, ensuring their technology is up and running smoothly is critical for maximum productivity and a harmonious workplace. The good news is that most common PC issues have quick fixes that can be done without the assistance of a full IT department. Microsoft Customer Service and Support (CSS) helps people get the most out of the technology they use every day.† Below are four of those tips that can  help any business take advantage of the latest innovations to create a stress-free computing environment.

1. Technology that Knows You: For most people, having a routine makes us more efficient throughout the day. The latest operating (OS) system memorizes your routines and preloads applications that you typically use after turning on your computer. For example, with Windows Vista, if you use Excel all the time, the OS will preload the application when the computer starts. As routines change, Vista acknowledges these changes and modifies the applications that preload.

2. Stay Safe: While we may not be able to control the economy, we can definitely control the safety of our computer networks. Small business owners can takeadvantage of two features within the latest OS that can ensure their networks stay secure. Network Access Protection (NAP) ensures all employees have the latest virus protection and security updates before allowing any PC to connect to the network. This minimizes the number of threats employees may accidentally allow into the network. Additionally, User Access Control (UAC) helps employees avoid mistakenly downloading infected software by prompting the user to approve each application before it installs. This gives the user full control over what is downloaded on the PC and what
can ultimately spread to the network.

3. Point, Click, Delete: Many pre-installed programs, advertisements and other miscellaneous items can be pre-installed in newer machines, slowing down the start-up process and taking up important space on the hard drive. Removing unwanted programs can help speed the processor and ensure your computer can easily support all desired applications. To remove an unwanted program completely, click on the Start button and then Control Panel. Next, click on the Programs and features link. Scroll to the program you want to delete and select Remove.

4. Find it Faster: In business, people are moving faster than ever and being asked to do more with fewer resources. Speed can sometimes hinder performance if we work so quickly, we can’t remember where an important document was saved. Fortunately, Windows Vista provides users a system-wide search function that makes finding and organizing information extremely easy. Simply click the Start button, enter a handful of keywords in the Search bar, sit back and relax while Vista finds the file for you within e-mail folders, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and other file types.

About the author: Darren Hook, Global Escalation Manager, works with the Microsoft Customer Service and Support team, providing customer service and support solutions throughout Iowa, including Cedar Valley.