1pico.com/blog

Cisco CCNA Certification: Becoming A Truly Valuable CCNA.

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:12:49 -0600

I've been active in the Cisco Certification track for four years, working my way from the CCNA to the coveted Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert title, and during that time I've conducted job interviews and casual conversations with hundreds of CCNAs and CCNA candidates.

The CCNA is an exciting beginning to your Cisco career, but just having the certification simply isn't enough.?A recruiter or interviewer isn't going to be impressed just with the cert; you've got to have some real-world knowledge to back it up.

I've been down that road myself, and sat on both sides of the CCNA job interview table.?With that쟧n mind, I'd like to offer to you some tips on becoming a truly valuable and employable CCNA.

Get some hands-on experience.?I know the trap well; you can't get experience until you get a CCNA, and you can't get a CCNA without real experience.?Well, actually, you can, but do you want to??Working on simulators is fine to a certain extent, but don't make the classic mistake of depending on them.?I've seen plenty of CCNAs who were put in front of a set of routers and really didn't know what to do or how to put together a simple configuration, and had NO idea how to begin troubleshooting.

There are CCNA classes that offer you the chance to work with industry experts on real Cisco equipment.?Beyond that, you can put together your own CCNA rack for less than $1000 by buying used routers.?Some people think that's a lot of money, but this is the foundation of your career.?Treat it that way.?The work you do now is the most important work you'll ever do.?Do it on real Cisco equipment.?The skills I learned as a CCNA helped me all the way up to the CCIE.

Besides, after you get your CCNA (and after that, hopefully you'll choose to pursue the CCNP), you can always get some of your money back by selling the equipment. The hands-on experience you gain this way is invaluable.

Know binary math.?Do NOT go the easy route of memorizing a subnet mask chart for the CCNA exam.?I know some people brag about being able to pass the CCNA exam without really understanding binary math.?I've seen those people on the other side of the interview table, and they're not laughing when I ask them to do a subnetting question.?They're not laughing when they can't explain or create a VLSM scheme. That chart does nothing to help you understand what's going on.

If you can add and know the difference between a one and a zero, you can do binary math.?Don't let the name intimidate you.?Become a REAL CCNA -- learn binary math !

Run "show" and "debug" commands.?No commands help you truly understand how things work in a Cisco network than show and debug commands.?As you progress through the Cisco certification ranks, you'll be glad you started using these at the CCNA level.

Do you need to know these commands for the exam??Probably not.?Do you need them to be successul in the real world??Absolutely.

The Cisco certification track has been great to me, and it can boost your career as well, whether you stop at the CCNA, CCNP, or go all the way to the CCIE.?It's the skills you develop today that will truly make you a networking engineer.?Don't take shortcuts or get the attitude of "just passing the exam".?

It's what you achieve after the exam that counts, and it's the work you put in before passing the exam that makes those achievements possible.

Good luck !

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933

Chris Bryant, CCIE (TM) #12933, has been active in the Cisco certification community for years.?He worked his way up from the CCNA to the CCIE, and knows what CCNA and CCNP candidates need to know to be effective on the job and in the exam room.

He is the owner of http://www.thebryantadvantage.com, where he teaches CCNA and CCNP courses to small groups of exam candidates, ensuring they each receive the individual attention they deserve.?Classes are offered over the Internet and in select cities.젨 Chris has custom-written the Study Guide and Lab Workbook used in each course - no third-party training materials or simulators are used.?You're invited to visit our site and check out our CCNA and CCNP courses and study aids, and to sign up for our weekly newsletter written personally by Chris.?Chris is always glad to hear from Cisco certification candidates at chris@thebryantadvantage.com.

Software Companies: Generate New Revenue Streams and Decrease Costs with Custom e-Learning Content

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:12:27 -0600

It's no secret that software companies operate in a very competitive space where rivalry is increasingly fierce and where profit margins can be razor thin. New, smaller software companies are sprouting up each month and the leading software companies continually make strong advancements forward leveraging massive cash flow reserves. This cycle makes it difficult for the mid-sized software company to compete because (a) they don't typically have the cash flow necessary to take giant leaps forward in the industry and (b) because they need to continually move forward to stay ahead of the smaller software companies that are vying for their slot in the marketplace. Consequently, making the jump from an unknown to a mainstream brand can prove to be very difficult for the mid-sized software company.

Finding ways to create new revenue streams and to decrease current costs is imperative to the success of companies caught in this cycle. They need to be thinking on their feet, thinking ahead and thinking creatively, all at the same time. This can be a daunting task, as any software executive will tell you.

Despite all of the challenges that face the mid-sized software market, there are several ways to create these much needed revenue streams and to decrease current costs. New advancements in technology and its use in training and development make generating these revenue streams possible.

Setting the Stage

It is almost taken for granted that when an organization purchases a software package from a reputable vendor, a certain amount of end-user, customer training will be either bundled into the purchase price or made available to them for an additional cost. If training isn't available to the end-user customer, the learning curve on the new software package is going to be fairly steep, depending on the complexity of the software.

Typical training expense categories associated with most mid-sized software companies include:

1.쟕he salaries of offline trainers
2.쟕he travel expenses of offline trainers
3.쟕he costs of producing hard-copy training manuals
4.쟕he time involved in offline, onsite customer training

These expenses should be under a watchful eye and should be consistently viewed as expenses that could be alleviated to some degree to not only improve the company's attractiveness in competitive bid situations but to increase the profit margins of the supplemental training services provided by the company.

At the same time, in the background, mid-sized software companies should be looking for ways to create new revenue streams that they aren't currently capitalizing on to work in collaboration with their cost-reduction initiative.

Step 1: Lowering Training Costs Using Custom e-Learning Content

The first step to any well laid-out cost-reduction plan is to decrease the costs the organization currently incurs in order to get a better handle on profit potential from sheer cost savings. Previously we outlined what our target cost categories are?now we're going to lower the costs associated with those categories by leveraging custom e-Learning content.

Take this scenario: A mid-sized software company that develops intranet portal systems currently employs 3 trainers that are onsite with clients for end-user training 3 days per engagement and they each average approximately 50 engagements per year for a grand total of 150 days on the road per trainer or 450 days on the road collectively.

For these trainers, the onsite training program for the end-user customer may look something like the following:

Day 1:쟔oftware Introduction and Primary Functions
Day 2:쟂unctional Use and Administrative Actions
Day 3:쟓eal-World Functions and Labs

Lowering the costs: By leveraging custom e-Learning content, the company used in the above scenario, can effectively reduce the onsite time required for each trainer, thereby reducing all costs associated with the training program across the board.

By using a professionally designed, self-paced, custom e-Learning module to focus on the Software Introduction and Primary Functions training that normally occurs on Day 1 and then delivering that learning module online to their end-user customers at the time of purchase through an e-Learning Management System (LMS), this company could decrease travel time for all 3 trainers by 1 day per engagement. This would decrease travel time for each trainer by 50 days per year, or 150 days collectively during the year. In addition the end-user customers will already be familiar with the software package before the trainers ever set foot in the front door.

This would successfully:
?BR>Decrease the costs associated with those 150 days of travel that are now being saved.

Enable the company's trainers to perform more training engagements OR enable the company to decrease the number of in-house trainers it employs.
?BR>Decrease the costs associated with creating and publishing the sections of the hard-copy training manuals that deal with the Software Introduction and Primary Functions training session that normally occurs in-person on Day 1 of the training engagement.

Taking it one step further: Reducing each trainers travel schedule by 1 day is good, but it isn't good enough. Software companies employing this cost-reduction method should take it one step further to enhance their end-user customer's experience. They need to make sure that their end-user customers are learning what they need to know to ensure time isn't being wasted covering the same topics when the trainer visits the customer site in-person.

To do this, the software company needs to look at how they plan to deliver the online training to their end-user customers. They will want to make sure that the end-user customers can track and manage the online training portion of their sessions, whether it is self-paced custom e-Learning content or real-time online trainer/student collaboration. Selecting this delivery platform can be difficult but it should include the following basic functions:

1.쟔tudent Knowledge Assessments
2.쟔tudent Success and Progress Tracking
3.쟓eal-Time Interactivity
4.쟔elf-Paced Learning Delivery

By selecting a delivery platform that addresses all four of these facets of end-user customer training, the mid-sized software company can not only decrease their own costs but enhance their client/vendor relationship by delivering more than what is normally expected or experienced in today's software market. What's the bottom line? The customer is pleased with their user's performance and the value they received from the software company.

Step 2: Creating Revenue Using Custom e-Learning Content

Now that we have lowered our costs, the company needs to look at how they can use their new learning technology to generate new revenue streams for their organization.

Take this scenario: The mid-sized intranet portal software company used in the scenario above now has their own proprietary basic end-user e-Learning module to cover 1 day's worth of what was previously onsite training. The company has effectively reduced their overall, offline training costs. Now it is looking for ways to generate new revenue streams using this technology to (a) make back their initial purchase costs and to (b) create more profit potential for the entire organization.

Creating the revenue: One way for a mid-sized software company, such as the one we're using in our example, to create this much needed revenue stream is to create subsequent, more advanced, self-paced, custom e-Learning training modules. Attractively priced, these learning modules could be made available to their end-user customers online without incurring any additional offline training costs.

In order to do this efficiently and without incurring additional offline training costs, the company needs to make it easy for the end-user customer to purchase the more advanced training content and make it easy for the end-user customer to track their own learners as they attend the training courses so they can readily see its effectiveness. By investing the money today to build the more advanced, custom e-Learning content, this mid-sized software company could realize profits from the training modules within 12 to 24 months once they begin marketing and selling it to their existing client base. Such profits would be dependent on development timeframes, how they market their new training service and their chosen modes of delivery.

Taking it one step further: Making the more advanced e-Learning content convincing and attractive to purchase from the client standpoint takes some ingenuity. People are very susceptible to purchasing something that is located right next to the checkout lane at Target. Similarly, it stands to reason that client of this mid-sized software company will be more apt to purchase additional e-Learning content if it is readily available to them and if they can purchase it without any hassle.

One way to accomplish this is to publish the new, more advanced, self-paced e-Learning modules to the company's LMS portal and then make the modules available for purchase via credit card using e-Commerce or via standard invoice with a single phone call. This essentially acts as the product stands we all see at Target next to the checkout lane. Since everyone needs to pass through checkout lane, it makes sense to put additional products available for purchase there. In other words, if the mid-sized software company is delivering portions of their beginner training program online to their end-user customers, this more advanced e-Learning content should be available for purchase right next to those basic training modules, thus, increasing its visibility and increasing the attractiveness to buy from the client perspective.

The Completed Solution

Because of the tight software market and the strain put on mid-sized software companies to perform, if these companies can decrease the costs associated with their current training programs and create new revenue streams at the same time, it becomes a win/win situation both for the vendor and for the customer. The software company gains a competitive edge and continues to move forward while the client gains an easy-to-engage training program and added value from their software vendor.

Synapse SE Staff Contributor

For questions about this article, please contact:

Shawn Torkelson, Synapse SE, 612.501.2620, www.synapse-se.com

Microsoft Great Plains Implementation - Overview for IT Director/Controller

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:12:09 -0600

What is installation in the language of technology??Installation has server and client sides.?

Server side - Installation creates security environment (logins) on MS SQL Server or MSDE, creates system database - DYNAMICS and then company databases.?All these tasks are performed by Microsoft Great Plains Utilities?
Workstation side - workstation installation copies the client side application, installs current version of MDAC (we need SQL ODBC driver - please check documentation on ODBC DSN setup), registers the application.?If you plan to run Great Plains Utilities from the workstation to create server side (see above) - you need to check Install Client and Server Components

What is following implementation??Implementation requires combination of technological and accounting skills

System Setup - you should refer to GP documentation.?In general setup consists of Company information, General GL/AR/AP/Payroll setup, User classes, Customer/Vendor/Employee classes쟴o name a few
Master Records - you should either use integration tools, such as Integration Manager, SQL queries or have users to type in all your GL Accounts, Customers, Vendors, Employees .
Beginning Balances - this is recommended approach - you place aside the old accounting application for querying the historical data and enter beginning balances?in Great Plains GL, AR, AP, SOP, POP, Payroll.?When you have balances in the system you are ready to use it in production
Historical Data conversion - this is optional, in order to do historical data conversion you need to know basic Great Plains tables structure (Setup->Tools->Resource Description->Tables Structure).?This is similar to surgery - so you probably need outside consultant to help you.?If the volume of historical data is small - you can deploy Great Plains Integration Manager and then post the records in the modules.
User Training - we are just listing this item - it is up to you to decide on the way to train your users
Using Two Systems in Parallel - this is recommended.?You should print the reports from both systems during this test period and compare the results
Customization - typical areas of customizations: Invoice form, Crystal Reports, pulling info from multiple databases, including Great Plains database, Great Plains forms modification with Modifier/VBA, Great Plains Dexterity forms and logic customization, integration with CRM, RMS and other business systems, web publishing from Great Plains tables, EDI with your suppliers, SQL Data Transformation packages

Do I need consultant??We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases

You have identified the need for Great Plains Dexterity customization
You are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
You are doing migration from Great Plains Accounting to Microsoft Great Plains
You have to create a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
You have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
Your Great Plains has more than 20 users in this case the mistake may lead to serious business problems
You don't have support for your old Great Plains - then you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade

Good luck with installation,?implementation, upgrade and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help! 쟅f you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, based in Chicago, California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado, Canada, UK, Australia and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is CMA, Great Plains Certified Master, Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.?You can contact Andrew: andrewk@albaspectrum.com

Reduce TCO: The Java Database Way

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:11:45 -0600

TCO (Total Cost Ownership) is the buzzword in today's business world. This metric helps enterprise managers assess direct and indirect costs and benefits derived from their investment on IT components and services. A vital component of overall TCO is database management. All information-centric applications need databases for data storage. Also, the storage demands of small and mid-sized companies are growing rapidly, as more emphasis is given on data backup and long-term archival of data disaster recovery.

Embedded databases have arrived in this scenario as a major cost-cutting tool. They help organizations in managing the growing storage requirements by providing a cost-effective and reliable solution for data backup, file storage and archiving, thereby assuring a lower cost of ownership for small to medium sized business organizations.

The remainder of this article will focus on the database server that I am most familiar with (Daffodil DB) and how it helps in the reduction of TCO. Though the example has some nuances specific to Daffodil DB, I am sure that readers will be able to extrapolate the theme to better understand the role of a database in TCO reduction.

Let's begin with Development and Deployment Costs. Gone are the days when applications had to be tested extensively for all underlying platforms. Now, one can shrink the cost and time required to develop and setup solutions on multiple platforms by using a Java database. A separate deployment for different platform implementations of a large application is a major expense that an enterprise can do without.

Administration Costs are a major concern for many-a-company. Logically, database administration costs are a significant component of TCO. When embedded with an application, a compact Java database can be made practically invisible to the user, since it (the database) requires no administration and runs on the same Java virtual machine (JVM) as does the application. Its simple performance tuning process helps in optimizing database performance and vastly reduces database administration costs.

Now let's move on to Compatibility Cost. Java databases, being platform independent, are compatible with all operating systems and application servers. This feature helps developers in choosing their own range of effective and economical solutions. For example, with Daffodil DB the developer can use Open Source tools like JBOSS application server for reducing overall TCO.

Last, but certainly not the least, let's get to Licensing Costs. Pardon me if I seem to evangelize Daffodil DB, but that's one area where I can 'preach' with confidence. As Daffodil DB can be used / embedded with a wide array of applications, flexible licensing policies have been developed to accommodate the diverse needs of the development community without restricting the same to just one standard license. Each application development organization may pick the right combination of licenses that best meets its needs. The organizations may also acquire additional licenses or upgrade their licenses. Do I hear someone shout 'What about Open Source?'

This article has been contributed by (Mr.) Parveen Aggarwal, Technical Consultant to DSL India. With more than 6 years of industry experience in Java and allied technologies, he has an in-depth understanding of J2EE, J2ME and database management systems. Parveen is currently working on the concept of data-archiving in embedded databases. He can be contacted at parveenaggarwal@hotmail.com

Instant Messaging is a Sweet Way to Communicate

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:11:31 -0600

MSN messenger is a pretty cool invention. I mean I'm not really into serious discussions on the email, answers to questions can often take a few days to arrive because people are so busy these days. I've just been 'hooked up' into Messenger and it's really a different kind of communication, quick, simplistic and even humorous with the capability to express your feelings with 'emotion' cartoons. ?With Messenger you can communicate with a group of close friends or business partners instantly whenever they are at their computer. When a message is received you are informed instantly on your desktop, you don't have to be at an email site. A little box appears flashing the name of the sender, you read the message and send a reply when you've got a second free. ?There's a contact list and when you go on-line, it automatically tells you who of your connections are on and off-line at that moment. If someone goes on-line after you've already been at your computer, a small box appears on your screen to tell you who are now also instantly message able. It's like the spontaneity of a telephone call but you don't even have to dial any numbers! Just log in your password and you're connected. ?The huge array of smiley faces and other 'emotional' icons add another dimension to the conversations. Some of the smiley faces actually move (sticking their tongues out etc.) and there are many other symbols to express the moment. E.g.: Show a little sun when it's sunny in your neighborhood, flash a wilted rose when your love life isn't going to well, put up a black sheep when you're feeling disconnected from society. How about expressing your dream of a holiday by flashing up the tropical island icon when you're stuck in dreary office working hard on a cloudy day. They say a picture speaks a thousand words? ?Well I certainly don't work for Microsoft but I guess Bill Gates and his buddies have made a few bucks because they've had a couple of good ideas. They're helping the world with their knowledge, and I reckon their MSN Messenger is another step forward in bringing the Earth together into one world. Besides the normal email format you can also have web cam and audio conversations, as well as sending files and photos instantly. It's as sweet as that first time you kissed your honey bunny, well maybe not that sweet.

Jesse S. Somer
M6.Net
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is a strange, ignorant, flawed creature hoping to show others like him that technology is going to help humans become more human.

Microsoft Great Plains Upgrade - Version 8.0 Overview for IT Director/Controller

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:11:11 -0600

If you have Microsoft Great Plains as main accounting and ERP system you need to know some technical details on Great Plains version upgrade and what is going on behind the scenes, which options do you have in case of Dexterity, VBA, SQL customizations, ctree/Pervasive migration to MS SQL/MSDE.?As of right now it is reasonable to upgrade to Microsoft Great Plains 8.0
?BR>Is upgrade required??Not actually, but you have to consider these factors?
?쟕echnical Support discontinuation - the old version may not be supported - currently if you are on version 6.0 - support is already discontinued.?You can not have Microsoft Business Solutions help you, but obviously you have MBS partners who can still help you.?If you are on Ctree or Pervasive SQL, then your support expires December, 31 2004.?
?쟕ax Updates/Magnetic media expiration - if you have US Payroll module and depend on it with W2 and other forms - you must stay with the version, which is supported and has tax updates.?If you are on Ctree or Pervasive SQL - then you will not have tax updates for these platforms at the end of 2004 and your W2s maybe inaccurate.?If you have a lot of employees - you may have issues with government.
?쟂ollowing the Technology and Microsoft rules?- Microsoft wants you to be on the newest platform and provides you the best support when you follow this rule
?쟅f you do have heavy customization - we recommend you to skip one version, for example if you are on version 7.5 - do not upgrade to 8.0 and wait for the next version
?BR>What is upgrade in the language of technology??Upgrade has server and client sides.?
?쟔erver side - upgrade converts tables from old format to the new one.?In general words - Microsoft Business Solutions developers may change table structure, append additional fields to add new functionality, things like that.?Upgrade copies the table with changes to temporary table, then drops original table, recreates it with new structure and copies all the data from temp table to the newly created one.?
?쟙orkstation side - workstation is written in Great Plains Dexterity and has Dynamics.exe - engine and DYNAMICS.DIC - dictionary.?These two plus all the additional files will be replaced with the new ones.?Other dictionaries, such us REPORTS.DIC and FORMS.DIC should be also upgraded and upgrade will try to deal with them automatically.?In some cases modified reports (in REPORTS.DIC) could not be upgraded and need to be recreated in the new version.?
What is customization upgrade??You should consider different types of customizations: Dexterity,?VBA/Modifier, SQL, ReportWriter, Crystal Reports
?잻exterity Customization - being very short - Dexterity may have so called Custom Forms - these do not need upgrade - they should work as is.?Then Dexterity may alter existing Great Plains forms (so-called Alternate Great Plains forms) - in this case Dexterity customization should be redone for these forms/screens.?Plus additional consideration should be given to Dexterity triggers, shadow tables, etc.?
?쟗BA/Modifier customization - Modifier allows you to modify existing Great Plains windows - it creates so called modified Great Plains windows, stored in FORMS.DIC.?Usually modification is placing new buttons or fields, which in turn will be given VBA scripts (stored in DYNAMICS.VBA).?VBA scripts may call something nice, like Crystal Report, or have some data access logic.?Usually the old version of DYNAMICS.VBA workds with the new version.?You may need to rearrange buttons on the modified form.
?쟔QL - you may have some stored procs for data integration, EDI or the like - if the addressed tables will be changed in the new version then you need to analyze your SQL code.?The good news is - Microsoft Business Solution doesn't make a lot of changes since version 7.0, because Microsoft is now trying to merge the products it owns: Great Plains, Solomon, Navision and Axapta - and so has different priorities
?쟓eportWriter - MBS doesn't change tables, but it keeps changing Dexterity formulas used in ReportWriter original reports - this is the problem in so-called Modified Reports upgrade - usually you have these reports modified: SOP Blank Invoice form, SOP Blank Picking ticket, etc.젨 If report can not be upgraded - it should be redone in the new version with some exceptions.
?잺rystal Reports - the nice thing about Crystal Report - id doesn't need to be upgraded (if the fields in the tables exist in the new version - which is usually true statement)
What is upgrade for third-party modules??Your Great Plains may have so-called third party modules: Mekorma, Kampdata, Horyzon, Wennsoft, Avalara, Truepay, Trinity, Intellisol to name a few
Third party modules may have their own utility for upgrade.?You just need to know that your third-party is ready for the new Great Plains version - if not - you just wait and stay on the old version.
?BR>What is migration from Ctree/Pervasive.SQL 2000 to MS SQL/MSDE??MBS has migration tool.?You need first to install Great Plains on SQL Server with exactly the same account/segments structure and then install migration tool (it is Dexterity chunk) on your ctree/Pervasive workstation - then, when you integrate the chunk - you will map it to target SQL-based Great Plains Company, select all system and company tables, click the button and it will move all your tables one-by-one.?In the case when your Great Plains ctree/Pervasive has third parties - you need to check if the vendor has migration tool - otherwise you have to do manual move, use SQL Linked server to your legacy data
?BR>Do I need consultant??It is probably good idea to have consultant to do the upgrade.?We strongly recommend you to use consultant in the following cases
?쟛ou have Dexterity customization
?쟛ou are doing migration from Pervasive/Ctree to Microsoft SQL Server/MSDE, especially when you have third-parties without migration tools
?쟛ou have a lot or ReportWriter Modified Great Plains Reports
?쟛ou have old version of Great Plains: Dynamics or eEnterprise 6.0 or prior - in this case you can not appeal to Microsoft Technical Support - it is discontinued
?쟛our Great Plains has more than 20 users and you have to have upgrade done over the weekend - if it fails - you have business problems
?쟛ou don't have support - in this case you have to select your Microsoft Business Solutions Partner and pay for the annual support/enhancement plan - you will get new registration key and will be ready for the upgrade
?BR>Good luck with upgrade and if you have issues or concerns - we are here to help!?If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies - USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, based in Chicago, California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, New York,?Washington, Georgia and Florida and having locations in multiple states and internationally (www.albaspectrum.com), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM SDK developer.

Troubleshoot Windows with Task Manager

(1pico) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:10:51 -0600

Task Manager is a Windows system utility that displays the
tasks or processes currently running on your computer. To
open Task Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The Applcations tab
lists the applications currently running on your computer.
A single application may actually consist of several running
processes, and many programs that run in the background are
not listed (you can see icons for some of these programs in
the System Tray).

Note: With Windows 98 and Windows Me, Ctrl+Alt+Del will
open Program Manager, which allows you only to close
aplications. However, you can download one of the many Task
Manager utilities from the Web.

The Processes tab displays a comprehensive list of all the
processes currently running on your computer. This can be
very useful for monitoring your system. The process tab
displays information about the processor useage and memory
usage of each process. The problem is, how to identify a
process. Below is a list of some processes you may see in
Task Managers Processes list.

"System Idle Process"젨
"System"?The Windows System Process
"SMSS.EXE"?Session Manager Subsystem
"CSRSS.EXE"?Client Server Runtime Subsystem
"WinLOGON.EXE"?The Windows Logon process
"SERVICES.EXE"?Services Control Manager
"LSASS.EXE"?Local Security Authentication Server Service
"svchost.exe"?Service Host
"spoolsv.exe"?The print spooler service
"explorer.exe"?Windows Explorer
"TASKMGR.EXE"?The Task Manager
"regsvc.exe"?Remote Registry Service

"System Idle Process" is basically another name for the
time when Windows is doing nothing. There are hundreds of
thousands of processes that run on a computer, so you will
definitely find names of many other processess that are
not listed above. For a list of well known processes,
visit www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm
You can also learn about almost any task by using it's
name as a search term in google.

Task Manager can also be used to tweak your system if it's
running slow. The Performance tab displays running graphs
of your computers CPU and memory usage. If the CPU usage
seems to be running over 80 percent most of the time, or if
the memory usage seems to be running higher than the total
physical memory, you may want to shut down some
applications or processes.

On the Process tab, you can identify processes that are
consuming a lot of processor time. Click twice on the CPU
column heading to sort the CPU column so the processes
hogging the most CPU time on top. You can sort the
"Mem Usage" column the same way.

On the Application tab, if you right click on the name of
an application and, in the popup menu that appears, choose
"Go To Process", Task Manager will open the Processes tab
and highlight the process that runs the application. On the
Processes tab, if you right-click on the name of a process,
you can choose "SetPriority" and promote the priority of
the process you need (or demote the priority of a different
process to free up some resources).

If you go to the Application tab and shut down an
application, you will shut down any processes related to
that application. Or, you might choose to shut down a
background process that you can identify. To shut down an
application or process, click on it's name in the list to
highlight it, then click on the End Task button.

On the Processes tab, if you right click on the name of a
process, you can choose "End Process Tree" to kill the
process and any sub-processes started by the process.

Task Manager can also be used for troubleshooting. If an
application freezes up, you can open Task Manager and shut
down the application. If the entire system freezes up, you
can use Task Manager to shut down a process that is hogging
all the CPU time or memory.

If you spend some time monitoring your computer with task
Manager, eventually you will become familiar with the
processes that commonly run. Then, when you see an
unfamiliar process, you can do a little investigation to
make sure it's not a virus. For example, if you see
msblast.exe in the process list, your computer is infected
with the Blaster virus. You might be able to detect and
eliminate a new virus before an antivirus update is available.

----------------------------------------------------------
Resource Box:
Copyright(C)2004 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain
your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web
site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com
To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank
email to subscribe@bucarotechelp.com
----------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------
Permission is granted for the below article to forward,
reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,
offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long
as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the
resource box below is included.
----------------------------------------------------------

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to subscribe@bucarotechelp.com

How to Collect Business Cards

(1pico) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:14:34 -0600

Why the business card grab is not why you are there? So how do you obtain the card and show interest that gains confidence?

One of the things I am also always asked is, "How do you collect cards?" and "What do you do with them when you get them back to the office?" What really happens when you collect business cards? Often they get put into a pocket with many others. Have you ever collected cards to later find out that you have no idea who the person was? This happens all the time. It is probably better to pick a few good leads rather than collect everything (sometimes that is difficult to do if people trade cards with you). Choose one pocket for the timely leads and carry post it notes to add information.

It is quite easy to cull the cads as you gather them. First, I only collect cards from people that I can either do business with, form an alliance with, or simply become a referral for them. Sounds easy, but the trick is to be able to ferret out who these people are. I also take notes on the back of the card or on a pad of sticky notes and attach it to the card so that I do not forget who they are and what services they provide. I even try to put faces to the cards by describing them on the sticky notes. These people will be amazed that you can remember them the next time you meet and they will then want to talk to you.

Some people look at their stack of cards the next day, or two days later is even worse, and they are bewildered: they can't remember who was who. Cards with simply black and white designs can look very alike; it is very important that you try to differentiate the cards you collect. Do this by writing on the back with a Y or N or M for Yes, No, Maybe significance. I then keep my cards in a zip lock bag for each type of card. It makes it easier to follow up. I also make note of the event we attended so as to keep a record of what we were there for. It also helps me to keep track of where the best events for attracting business are. If you are starting out cold, then keeping records will be very important - just remember not to collect every card on the floor.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://BlueprintBooks.com/

Plan for the Event or Flounder

(1pico) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:14:22 -0600

Rather than being there to eat the food and drink the drinks, planning before attending an event will change your view.

Have you ever attended an event and seen all the people gravitating towards the food and the drinks? That is the first thing people seem to go for. Well, it is natural, especially if you are there alone and do not know anyone. It seems that food and drink are there for comfort. It is really difficult to talk to anyone with a mouthful, so if you can, stay away from the food, but certainly go and get a drink. You can still give your pitch with a drink in hand.

Take a look at your calendar before you head off to one of these events. You will need to know from memory when you are free for a follow-up appointment. This is part of the preparation you need to do before getting there. Then you can make a date and know there is no conflict with other items on your agenda. Nothing is worse than setting an appointment and finding out that you already have scheduled someone else in that time slot. It may seem like a good excuse for a follow up, but it usually does not bode well with a potential client.

You do not want to partake of any conversation that is whining about some guy that can never get anything straight. Just remember that you are at the event for one purpose and one purpose alone - it is not to eat and drink - it is to gain new business relationships and maybe cement some of the existing ones you have. The more visible you are and the more prepared you are, then the more likely someone will want to talk to you. You should also plan on how to get into private conversations without barging in and losing the flow of information.

Have you ever gone to an event and not worn the correct attire? Part of planning an event (seeing who will be attending) is to also research the nature of the event. Does the weather have an effect on who attends? Does the required dress have an effect on where it is held? Who will be leading the event and how are they regarded? What attitude does the event portray? It all comes down to knowing your audience and researching the event before you attend.

Practice Makes Pefect

(1pico) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:14:09 -0600

What is the problem when people try to describe what they do and they stumble over their words and never consistently repeat the same message?

Have you ever gone to a networking event and the person next to you is trying to describe what they do and they keep miscuing the words? This happens so often at these events. The major problem, besides focus, is the fact that they have not practiced their spiel. Why is it that they do not practice? Quite often you feel self-conscious when trying to practice in front of a mirror and others are around to hear you try over and over again. The solution is to make sure you have a door closed where you cannot be disturbed. Or you may decide that taping yourself (audio only) or videotaping yourself to hear and see how you look while making the presentation. This is how the professionals do it. They practice and practice until their presentation is smooth. Did you know that Robin Williams takes at least 37 tries on any movie set before he feels that his performance is up to par? He is a seasoned pro, yet he still practices all the time. Could you also imagine Michael Jordan not practicing throwing balls into the hoop?

Even having reached the professional level, practice becomes even more imperative. Without practice, there is no moving forward; without it, you will be surprised that the words do not flow the way they should. You must become the expert if you are to work a room effectively. Do not think of this in terms of a smooth talking salesman (the connotation is often negative), but as the way you present yourself, with confidence and poise. People will more likely enjoy listening to you when your message is practiced.

Practice is like acting, you need to keep working on it until you think the pitch is perfect. Practicing the words is not the only thing you need to work on. How you move your body, your eye contact, hand gestures, arm positions, how you stand, and how your face looks, all play a part in your practice sessions. You need to treat your practice session like you are playing a part in a movie. Soft skills such as body language and intonation all contribute to the pitch.