Save your Club or Association time and money

I have done at least 5 Wild Apricot implementations in the last year and have received rave reviews on every one.  What is Wild Apricot? here it is straight from their site,

Wild Apricot is web-based software for small associations and non-profits to help manage membership, website, events and other activities. It is "cloud" software, meaning it runs through a web browser without needing to install anything on your local computer. Since our focus is small organizations, we've designed Wild Apricot to be both powerful and affordable, with pricing plans starting at just $25 per month.

Wild Apricot link

The organizations that I have implemented have been anywhere from 20 to 500 members.  With the scalability and ease of use Wild Apricot has a massive advantage over most other options.  To find out if Wild Apricot is a good fit, click the link below to find out, 

Membership Software Comparison

If you have any questions, please feel free to use the comments or contact me.

8 things to take into account when you are moving your office

Here is a quick list to get an idea of how ready your new location is for you to move in based on your technology needs.

1) Find out if the location is pre-wired, and the standard it is wired at, such as Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6.

2) Determine where the network connections terminate.  D0 you have 24 hour access, if not what are the restrictions?   A restriction can be a big deal if your network is down.  The termination point should be in a network closet, such as the ones below.

3) Find out who currently provides internet / network service to the the location.  Hopefully your current provider does, otherwise you might incur cancellation fees if you have to terminate a service agreement.

4) Determine the distance from the network wall jack / power outlet to each work station.   Look for issues such as a cables stretched across the room.

5) Ensure your lease agreement covers who is responsible for network cabling that is currently part of the property. Substandard wiring can be very costly to troubleshoot. 

6) Be aware of wireless signal interference due to walls and equipment, as well as router location.   If your router / access point is located in a network closet, the wireless signal for the router might not be strong enough to cover you entire office all on it's own.

7) If your landlord provides internet / isp service, make sure to find out about any bandwidth capacity limitations, or speed limitations.  "Free" service tends to come with a lot of restrictions. 

8) If possible, check the density of wireless networks at the new location.   More networks mean the great opportunity for interference and problems.  You can change the network density, but you can be aware of it's impact on your wireless network.

As always, please let me know if you have an comments or questions. 

New Twitter Phishing Scam

Recently a friend of mine received a strange email supposedly via Twitter.   The message claimed that someone was spreading negative information about them via a blog linked to Twitter, see the message below, 

So if you click on the link here is what you get, 

This is a clasic phishing scheme tied to Twitter.  You enter your Twitter account User ID and Password and then get your account compromised.  Always be wary of a unsolicited email from some you do not know.   Verify the links, especially if the go to a URL different from the stated location.

As always if you have any questions, please contact me via comments.

Time to Update Java

Over the past week there have been multiple updates concerning Java.   Here is a brief explanation of what Java is, straight from Oracle, Javas developer, 

What is Java technology and why do I need it?

Java is a programming language and computing platform first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It is the underlying technology that powers state-of-the-art programs including utilities, games, and business applications. Java runs on more than 850 million personal computers worldwide, and on billions of devices worldwide, including mobile and TV devices.

Why do I need Java?

There are lots of applications and websites that won't work unless you have Java installed, and more are created every day. Java is fast, secure, and reliable. From laptops to datacenters, game consoles to scientific supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet, Java is everywhere!

Java at Oracle

Now there has been a lot of concern over people exploiting security flaws in Java,

Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Vulnerability

Oracle Security Alert for CVE-2013-0422

If you want to skip the technical side, my recommendation is to update Java as soon as possible, so here is a link to the Oracle site to download the latest software,

Latest Java Download

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Reminder about Recycling

Old laptop hanging around, need to get rid of that broken printer or monitor, we can help.   Contact us today to arrange for free drop off, or low cost pick up of your electronics items that need to be recycled. A reminder though, we provide electronics recycling to all customers at our discretion and can not handle items larger than 70 lbs or exceeding 144" in combined length and girth, and some items due require a safe recycling fee.   

Here is our current pricing, good for 15 days.

Data / Hard Drive destruction provided at $10.00 per drive

Sample acceptable items for free recycling:

Desktop / Servers, Laptops / tablets, Keyboards & mice, Computer Components, Power & USB cables, network cables, routers & switches, desk & mobile phones, Stereo equipment (without speakers), amplifiers, receivers,

Monitors & Flat Panel TVs (up to 40 inch)

Nothing Larger Accepted

Safe Recycling Fee for the following:

Printers / Faxes

Inkjet Printers $4

Laserjet Printers $4

Fax machines $4

Fax, print, scan $7

CRTs & tube TVs

Up to 17” $14

18” to 22” $18

22” to 28” is $25

29” to 40” is $29

Nothing larger accepted

CRT Monitor compared to a LCD Monitor

Pick up round trip from our Tennyson location less than 5 miles is free, further than that a fee applies and again we provide electronics recycling to all customers at our discretion.

Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, and Visa Accepted

For any questions, call 303-997-2719