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If you’re just starting on virtualization, you need to know it’s not just plug-and-play. You need to understand your IT environment, and that’s not something that’s immediately easy to grasp. If you’re a beginner, better follow this virtualization guide. Conduct an assessment Evaluating your IT environment is an important step in the implementation process. After […]

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If you’re just starting on virtualization, you need to know it’s not just plug-and-play. You need to understand your IT environment, and that’s not something that’s immediately easy to grasp. If you’re a beginner, better follow this virtualization guide.

Conduct an assessment

Evaluating your IT environment is an important step in the implementation process. After all, you can’t just go around virtualizing everything without a plan. An IT assessment performed by an impartial managed services provider (MSP) like us helps you understand what type of virtualization solution you need.

For example, if the report shows that your computers don’t have enough processing power to run certain apps, desktop virtualization — which consolidates operating systems and apps into a single powerful server — is an ideal solution.

From there, you should be able to estimate costs and set realistic timelines for its implementation.

Don’t forget about hardware

Just because virtualization frees up space in your server room, does not mean hardware is no longer an issue. No matter what type of solution you opt for, the servers you use must be strong enough to support the entire company’s computing demands.

This means you must take stock of your apps and their hardware requirements and make sure your server has all the processing power, RAM, network capacity, and storage necessary to run them.

Underutilized servers are excellent candidates for virtualization, but purchasing new equipment may pay dividends in the long run. If you choose the latter option, ask your provider for recommendations. Chances are they’re partnered with virtualization-optimized hardware vendors that offer top-of-the-line servers.

Prevent VM sprawl

Virtualization allows you to deliver computing resources to workstations in your network via virtual machines (VMs), which can be created on a server in just a few minutes. While this lets you scale and provision resources quickly, there are risks if you don’t have someone regularly reviewing which VMs are worthwhile and which are outdated. You could be losing out on cost savings and efficiency benefits.

When too many VMs are created, they can quickly consume server resources and complicate licensing and asset management.

To prevent sprawl, you must establish policies and restrictions for VM creation. For instance, users must have a solid justification for creating a VM (e.g., testing software or provisioning apps for new users).

Prioritize business continuity

You must also protect the hardware running your virtual servers. Make sure to lock up server rooms and have secondary servers available in case the first one breaks down. While you’re at it, take advantage of automated backup solutions that make copies of your VMs and their files regularly.

Work with experts

Building and maintaining a virtual infrastructure is no simple task. That’s why you’ll want to work with a virtualization specialist who can guarantee a seamless implementation and provide continuous management services.

For more tips on virtualization, call our experts today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Useful tweaks for your new MacBookLike other Apple products, MacBooks are notoriously expensive, especially compared to their Windows counterparts. But as legions of personal and business users will tell you, a MacBook is well worth the price. And to make sure you get the most bang for your buck, you need to set it up properly by tweaking these settings. […]

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Useful tweaks for your new MacBook

Like other Apple products, MacBooks are notoriously expensive, especially compared to their Windows counterparts. But as legions of personal and business users will tell you, a MacBook is well worth the price. And to make sure you get the most bang for your buck, you need to set it up properly by tweaking these settings.

Check for updates

From time to time, Apple releases updates to macOS. If the tech giant has released a new one since your MacBook was built, you don’t have to miss out on the latest features and patches. You can manually check for updates by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen and choosing System Preferences. If any updates are available, click on Update Now to install them or More Info to see the details about the updates.

Choose a default browser

Safari is the default browser on Apple devices, and many prefer it over other browsers for several reasons. But if you don’t like Safari, you can easily change your default browser to Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Mozilla Firefox. Simply go to System Preferences > General and select the browser of your choice.

Enable the Dashboard

Mojave, the latest major release of macOS, became available to the public in September 2018. In Mojave, the Dashboard, which has been used for hosting widgets since it was launched in 2005, is disabled by default. Luckily, you can turn this productivity favorite back on and enjoy easy access to various apps and widgets such as Calculator and Calendar.

To enable the Dashboard, go to System Preferences > Mission Control. Change the Dashboard setting to “As Space” or “As Overlay” to set the Dashboard as the leftmost desktop or to overlay it on the current desktop, respectively.

Configure the Dock

By default, the Dock is located at the bottom of the screen, but you can move it to the left or right by going to System Preferences > Dock. Under “Position on screen,” choose Left or Right.

You can also make room on the Dock for the apps that you frequently use. To remove apps that you don’t need from the Dock, click on its icon and drag it to the desktop until “Remove” appears above the icon, and then release. To add an app to the Dock, open it and right-click on its icon in the Dock. From the menu that appears, go to Option > Keep in Dock.

Set up Siri

Apple’s virtual assistant is enabled by default on your MacBook, but if you prefer not to use Siri, go to System Preferences > Siri and uncheck the box for Enable Ask Siri. Conversely, if want to use Siri, you can choose to customize Siri’s voice, language, and keyboard shortcut in the same menu. Finally, switch Voice Feedback to Off if you want to mute Siri and get responses to your queries as text displayed on your screen.

Flip the scrolling direction

By default, moving two fingers down a MacBook’s trackpad makes the view move down an open document or website on your screen. You can change your trackpad’s scrolling direction so that the same gesture makes the view move up. Go to System Preferences > Trackpad, and under the Scroll & Zoom tab, uncheck Scroll direction: Natural.

Set your screen to lock automatically

Keep unauthorized users out of your MacBook by setting the screen to lock automatically after the system has been idle for a while. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General. In the “Require password...after sleep or screen saver begins” option, select “immediately” from the drop-down menu.

Your new MacBook offers many other exciting features that will boost your productivity both at work and at home. For help setting these up and for any other Mac-related questions, contact our team of experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Hints to improve your Google Search experienceYou know what Google is, but do you understand how to maximize its capabilities? Here are some tips and tricks to draw the most gains out of the most powerful search engine in the world. Include and exclude keywords Google will understand most of the search terms you type into it. However, at times the […]

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Hints to improve your Google Search experience

You know what Google is, but do you understand how to maximize its capabilities? Here are some tips and tricks to draw the most gains out of the most powerful search engine in the world.

Include and exclude keywords

Google will understand most of the search terms you type into it. However, at times the search engine will match only some of the words you typed, showing limited results. To avoid this, just point out which keywords are the most important by adding a plus symbol (+) in front of words you would like Google to include in the search results.

And if the results you’re looking for get pushed off the first page by similar-yet-irrelevant articles, adding a minus symbol (-) in front of keywords you don’t want to see will keep them from showing up. For example, “+virtualization -vSphere” will provide search results about different virtualization services while excluding results related to VMWare’s virtualization product, vSphere.

Additionally, searching a phrase within double quotation marks guarantees to retrieve results that include only the word-for-word phrase that matches your query.

Do a website search

Ever need to look for information from a specific website? Instead of visiting that website and sifting through different pages, Google makes it a breeze by allowing you to add “site:url” to the end of your search query.

For example, if you want to find what Forbes has written about security, simply head to Google’s homepage and type “security site:www.forbes.com.” This makes sure Google includes only pages from Forbes that are about security in your search results.

You can also limit search results to university and government websites by adding “site:.edu” or “site:.gov” to your search query. Combining this with the keyword manipulation trick above will further narrow your search.

Search by time period

Google has been indexing the web for decades in order to add web pages into its database. Because of that, it could be quite time-consuming sifting through countless search results to find an old website or page, or even recent stories, too. Time period search helps by allowing you to specify a date range so you can find recent stories or archived news faster.

Just run a search like you normally would. Then click on Tools under the search box and hit the Any time drop-down menu. From there, you can choose the time period parameter, such as the past month or past week, or fill in an exact time period.

Use Google to locate files

While Google mainly focuses on indexing web pages, it also indexes publicly available files like PDFs and spreadsheets. To look for them, just type in “filetype:” after your search query. For example, typing “report filetype:pdf” will provide PDFs with “report” in the title.

Advance your search

Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking Settings from the toolbar located under the search box. This gives you more ways to refine your searches, such as by region or language. By default, search results are prioritized based on your location, so you should adjust that according to the topics you’re searching for.

These tips will help you optimize your search habits so that you get the information you need each time. Optimized Googling means less time is wasted manually sifting through links you may not need and more time accomplishing actual work.

For any questions on how to use Google products to streamline your daily routine and increase productivity, feel free to drop us a line!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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ERP: the software your business needsManaging a business is complicated enough: different departments like accounting, management, and sales each have its own software and systems. Don’t you just wish there was a less difficult and more efficient way to manage your enterprise? Wish no more, because enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can solve management problems for you. Read on to […]

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ERP: the software your business needs

Managing a business is complicated enough: different departments like accounting, management, and sales each have its own software and systems. Don’t you just wish there was a less difficult and more efficient way to manage your enterprise? Wish no more, because enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can solve management problems for you. Read on to find out how.

ERP explained

ERP is a program that integrates all your systems into a single database, so if you want to take a look at human resources, accounting, or sales, you only need to access one system instead of three. In practice, this means that everyone, regardless of department, will be able to access the same information. This also means that employees will no longer have to re-enter data onto their department-specific database, because all databases will already have been linked.

Deeper insight

Simplicity isn’t the only merit of an ERP, however. A single database lets you see all information across every branch of your business and gain actionable insights that enable you to make more informed decisions. Financial reporting, for example, benefits a lot from ERP, since general ledgers, revenue recognition, and tax reporting functionality are built into most ERP software solutions.

In addition to this, ERP systems come equipped with business intelligence features that provide intuitive analysis into your operations and forecast the growth of your company. This helps you and other executives identify bottlenecks and business opportunities.

Better customer service

ERP makes better and faster customer service possible. For instance, if a customer asks whether or not an item is still in stock, customer service representatives can easily access the ERP database and provide a quick answer, instead of having to ask the supply manager.

Simplified compliance

With an ERP, meeting stringent data management regulations is much easier. That’s because the software generally comes with audit functionality, giving you full visibility into your processes. It also provides templates and guidance to help you meet regulations within your industry, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the International Financial Reporting Standards.

Streamlined workflows

ERP streamlines workflows by eliminating redundant and time-consuming tasks through automation. For one, you can set your ERP to instantly reorder materials when stock levels have reached a certain threshold. This ensures that your enterprise won’t have to deal with out-of-stock or overstocking incidents. Moreover, you can even assign workflows that route invoices and reimbursements to the right accountant to make sure tasks are handled quickly and efficiently.

Rich integrations

One of the most beautiful things about ERP is its integration capabilities: you can integrate it with other services to extend its capabilities. For example, if you need to track customer information and sales figures, you can combine ERP with customer relationship management software or pair it with e-commerce services to streamline web-based purchases. This way, your processes will be seamless and everything you need will be at your fingertips.

As your business grows, your business needs change as well. ERP systems can adapt to your ever-changing needs by giving you unparalleled business management solutions. If you need to add further value to your business, call us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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