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Microsoft Edge – IE Reskin or Powerful New Browser?

Aug 2015

Browsing the web with Internet Explorer can be a risk, so it’s no surprise that it lags behind. Microsoft is hoping to catch up with its new browser Edge.

Many years ago Internet Explorer was the go to choice for web browsing, but in the last 10 years more innovative browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have come to the fore. Not only are they less clunky, they also improve the user experience.

Naturally, Internet Explorer has fallen to the wayside and feels like a relic from a bygone era of dial-up modems where a single MP3 took an age to download.

Microsoft, it seems, has finally had enough of trailing behind in a niche which they previously dominated, so they’ve announced Edge for the upcoming Windows 10 release.

What is Microsoft Edge?

First and foremost, let’s get one thing straight: Edge is not an evolution of Internet Explorer. It won’t simply be Internet Explorer 12 with a fancy name. Instead, Microsoft is planning for Edge to be a complete revolution of their browsing capabilities.

One of the biggest complaints about Internet Explorer has been its rigid, antiquated design in an age of streamlined simplicity where speed is the key. Edge will be powered a by a new rendering engine which promises to deliver a more user friendly design which will slot seamlessly into mobile as well as desktop devices.

With Chrome being the most popular desktop browser, it’s no surprise to learn that early previews of Edge have revealed it to have a similar, lightweight aesthetic. The accessibility of Chrome will also be apparent in the new features offered by Edge.

Voice activated software has come a long way in the last few years – thanks to Apple’s revolutionary Siri. Microsoft is keen to integrate a similar feature into Edge. That’s why Microsoft’s voice assistant ‘Cortana’ will be available to perform searches and check emails for you.

Touch screen technology is also an area that Microsoft is investing heavily in with Edge and this raises the opportunity for users to annotate/share pages via a stylus which, again, is an amazing increase in accessibility over Internet Explorer.

Edge is also heavily rumoured to be lined up as a downloadable app rather than the built-in default of Windows devices that Internet Explorer is. Not only will this widen the audience available for Edge, it also enhances the ease with which updates can be distributed via the Windows Store.

Will Edge Succeed?

Microsoft certainly has an uphill struggle on their hands to compete with the current market leaders in the battle of the browsers. Due to the popularity of mobile devices in the current digital landscape, users feel more in tune with Chrome, Firefox and Safari.

And developers, too, have been concentrating their efforts on the more popular browsers at the expense of compatibility with Internet Explorer.

With Edge, though, Microsoft appears to finally be getting on track with the trends of this new era of accessible and intuitive browsers. It remains to be seen exactly how much of a dent Edge can make into the market, but by canning Internet Explorer they’ve made a great start!

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Are Solid State Drives Worth It?

hardwarehard drive, hardware, ssdOphtek, LLC

Aug 2015

Solid state drives are non-mechanical storage devices which reduce load times and replace hard drives. Are solid state drives worth it for a small business?

What is an SSD?

Traditionally, the hard drive of a computer has always been a hard disk drive (HDD) made up of spinning disks covered in a magnetic coating to allow data to be read/written.

An SSD, however, has no moving parts and is powered by Flash memory. Essentially it’s a giant USB memory stick. And we all know how much quicker they are than fiddling round with disks!

SSDs, therefore, have become increasingly popular due to the speeds offered. In fact, sales of SSDs are currently doubling each year as HDD sales fall.

But what is it about SSDs that make them so appealing?

The Benefits of an SSD

Increased Speed

We all get frustrated with the load up times for our computers and it’s even more irritating for business users who need to connect to numerous networks. However, by replacing an HDD with an SSD, users can find a 1 minute load time reduced to 15 seconds.

And it’s not just operating systems that receive this sprightly boost. Software such as Microsoft Office will also load in a fraction of the time.

Where SSDs really excel is their capacity to read and write data at speeds that are double that of an HDD. This results in a much quicker rate for creating and transferring files.

There are never enough hours in a business day, so anything which increases work time is a real bonus.

Better Data Integrity

A huge benefit of SSDs is that they’ll never crash and take all their data to silicon heaven. They simply stop writing data and preserve the current data load. Anyone who’s ever lost data to a hard drive crash will know that this is invaluable.

No Moving Parts

The fact that SSDs have no moving parts brings a number of benefits to your computer.

The main area of concern for a business is the process of wear and tear on an HDD due to the intense pressure the disk is put under by running at up to 7200rpm. An SSD, though, is never going to wear out and die.

No moving parts also make SSDs more energy efficient and help promote your business’ green image.

Is an SSD Worth the Extra Cost?

You’re probably getting quite excited over the prospect of SSDs, but they do have one drawback – the cost.

A 128gb SSD costs around $40 at the time of this writing, but a 160gb HDD can be as low as $15. This may not be a huge difference for a one off consumer, but if you’ve got a workforce of 50 computers then it begins to get pricey!

However, costs are dropping rapidly – as with all new technology – so SSDs are only going to become more affordable. You’re getting more bang for your buck with SSDs due to the increases in speed and reliability they offer.

For a small business, SSDs offer an exciting upgrade which will increase productivity and help your business reach the next level.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Increase Productivity with Better Peripherals

hardwarekeyboard, mouse, productivityOphtek, LLC

Aug 2015

PC peripherals such as mice and keyboards are vital for any office, but firms rarely spend much on them. Spending a little more can increase productivity.

If you take a look in the gaming section of any PC store you’re likely to find two things:

Teenagers
An array of futuristic looking keyboards and mice covered in much more than just a click wheel and two buttons.

You see, the use of gaming peripherals isn’t just limited to commanding digital armies and flying spaceships. In fact, they could be just the thing you need to maximize productivity levels in your business.

The Problems with Standard Peripherals

If you’re lucky your keyboard may have a button which launches Internet Explorer and saves you a few clicks on your mouse. However, this is about the extent of most standard keyboard options for shortcuts.

Your firm may even have invested in some hotkey software to launch macros (automatic commands) such as holding down ‘ctrl + N + F3’ to open an email template no matter what program you’re in. It definitely saves a bit of time, but it comes with a couple of problems:

Remembering the correct combination of keystrokes is tricky
You’re limited by the number of shortcuts due to the difficulty in holding down keys at opposite ends of the keyboard
Getting to grips with new software always involves training which eats into productivity
Setting up the software on each individual computer in the office

So, how do you overcome these obstacles and get more productive?

High End Peripherals to the Rescue

Let’s take a look at how you can utilize gaming peripherals to take control of your workload like never before!

Mice

Mice are generally known as having two buttons – a left and a right, but doesn’t this seem a little limited when we’ve got five fingers on each hand?! Pay a few more dollars and you could end up with around 20 buttons on your mouse!

It may feel a little strange at first, but by being able to execute so many macros without taking your hand off the mouse will save your staff hours in fiddling about with the keyboard and then having to get back to grips with the mouse.

Slightly higher end mice are also designed with better tracking in mind. This level of design ensures that you’re more in control of the cursor on your screen. We’ve all had that frustrating moment where the cursor has flown off screen and then takes a minute or two to find again.

Keyboards

Keyboards at the higher end of the market can have up to 20 programmable one touch buttons which means you’ve always got plenty of options for generating new macros.

And, don’t forget, all the ‘easy to reach’ hotkey shortcuts are already taken e.g. ‘CTRL + C’ for copy, so you’re left having to stretch your fingers all over the keyboard. One touch buttons, though, are much more intuitive to use and easier to execute.

Standard peripherals may well save you money in the short term, but in the long term they’re going to cost you in wasted man hours as your staff struggle to work with them. Invest a little extra cash in your peripherals, though, and you’ll find productivity improves.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Google Chrome Helps Block Flash Ads

Internetads, chrome, Flash, securityOphtek, LLC

Aug 2015

Wouldn’t it be great if you could block Flash ads which drain your PC’s resources? New features in Google Chrome disable flash ads automatically.

The Problem with Flash Ads

There is nothing more irritating than loading up a webpage and beginning to devour the content on offer when, out of the blue, a noisy Flash advert pops up and takes over your speakers.

It jars your concentration and means you lose focus on that amazing article about Malware you were enjoying.

Yep, we’ve all been there and we’ve all rolled our eyes and tutted aloud!

Unfortunately, for users of Chrome, the only choice they’ve had in these situations is to take a heavy handed approach to Flash plugins (tiny pieces of software embedded in a webpage). The choice has been to either allow all Flash plugins or disable all Flash plugins.

Now, with the dynamic nature of the web these days it’s impossible to disable all Flash plugins or you’ll find that you miss out on key information e.g. some older website still use flash to deliver the content you want.

Taking on the Ads

Google, as we all know, are pretty much the guardians of the internet these days. They protect us from dangerous websites, offer us incredibly personalised search results and even find us the best price for a pair of jeans.

It’s this dedication to customer service which has inspired them to go that little bit further and make our web experience smoother than ever.

This is why Google has teamed up with Adobe (creators of Flash) to tackle this advertising nightmare through the Google Chrome browser.

Hitting the Pause Button

By utilising intelligent software, Google and Adobe have managed to program the latest beta version of Chrome to give context to content on a web page.

Say, for example, you’re on a website which features IT tutorials and you want to view their video on how to setup printers. If there’s a series of Flash adverts trying to sell you holidays to Brazil then Chrome will be able to determine which one to silence.

And, believe me, you won’t be hearing about holidays to Rio de Janeiro for long!

No piece of software, of course, is 100% fool proof so, yes, there’s a chance that Chrome could accidentally pause your video tutorial on printers. But the key word here is “pause”. No content will ever be blocked and it will all be readily available at the click of a button.

Thumbs up for Chrome

Google is cooking up something special with this latest advancement in browser software and we can only applaud them for it. We wouldn’t stand for an advert popping up unannounced in the middle of a TV show, so why would we tolerate it online?

The feature is currently only available in the Chrome desktop Beta version, but all the signs are pointing to it becoming a permanent Chrome feature in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Practical Steps to Reduce Printer Usage in the Workplace

UncategorizedOphtek, LLC

Aug 2015

Do you want to reduce printer usage in the workplace? Read our tips on how to save on printing resources, which can help reduce expenses and waste.

Many administrators in charge of purchasing, planning and implementing printers face the daunting task of justifying their purchases for office supplies. For instance, purchasing X amount of toner cartridges and paper for a department or for the entire business. Nearly all authentic brand name printer toners come at a premium price compared to the non-branded cheaper alternatives. Non-branded print toner and supplies may not be readily supported by the printer vendors when it comes to fixing print issue involving the equipment. This is why many businesses avoid purchasing cheap toner cartridges altogether.

It’s not just about purchasing enough toner for each printer; it also involves purchasing back up toner cartridges to replace empty ones. Eventually, all this adds up and it eats into the office budget. Paper, on the other hand, is cheaper to purchase than toners. Despite this, paper can be wasted quite easily, further adding to the costs. Wasting paper is also not very eco-friendly for the trees.

With the above examples highlighting the common problems we frequently hear of from businesses, we’ve outlined a list to help save on printer usage and resources. These practical steps will ultimately help to lower costs.

Practical steps to reduce printer usage

Print double sided– This helps save paper, and would just about half the usual amount printed in a given period of time.
Digitize and share documents– By digitizing and sharing documents over the network, this will help save on paper. Digital documents are easy to update and maintain, saving more on paper.
Non important documents– These should be printed in 300dpi rather than 600dpi and helps use less toner. Also use “draft quality” rather than “regular” or “high”.
Text print setting– The “text” print setting is advised over “graphics” for text documents. It’ll make a small difference, but with many users using the office printer, it all adds up to being resourceful.
Limit printer usage policy– Office reminders in team meetings and via email are a good way to communicate to staff about not using office printers to print personal stuff.
Default to print in black– It’s a good idea to configure color printers to printing in black by default unless the option “print in color” is made. The most common print jobs are actually fine being printed in just plain black text. If a color printer is not required by the office, then replacing a color printer for one that just prints in black will be enough. This helps to reduce or eliminate the need for expensive color toners.
Secure print solution– There are printers that support the need to authenticate users in order to use the printer. This has been known to help deter wasted print jobs.

Some, if not most of these can be applied via a Group Policy over a Windows network, others my need to be configured trough the print server or a third party software solution.

Since each office will have different requirements, adopt the tips which most suit your office environment. If what is needed is a way to track printer usage, then a specialized print management solution such as Papercut would be ideal.

For more ideas to be resourceful with IT equipment, contact your local IT professionals.

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