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In This Issue

Free Webinar! Managing Your Email in Outlook 2013

October Lunchinar: When Do You Know Your IT is Obsolete?

Windows 10 is coming!

Personal Mobile Security

Servers in the Cloud Online

"Intro to Visio 2013" webinar online

Don't follow us online?

And the Winner Is...

Microsoft Introduces the New Office 365 Home Page

Office Lens: Free Windows Phone App Lets You Capture Notes, Paper Documents, save them in OneNote!

Why Trust Your Data To The Cloud?

Jeff Buskirk recognized

The Art of SQL Performance Tuning

I Have Returned

Grasp the Business Value of a Complete SQL Server Health Check

Blogs, Blogs, Blogs...

Plain Funny

Issue: #78

October/2014

I started writing this at 11:50pm on Tuesday, September 30th.

For those of you wondering, let's split my life over the past week into several layers and review:

Personal:

Took grandkids (3, ages 7-13) to Cedar Point Sunday.
4th grandchild due right before Halloween.
Just joined Alumni Committee for alma mater, Hiram College. Go...<sigh>...Terriers! Yup...Terriers. Love the school, but seriously...Terriers?!

Professional:

Spent Monday in Columbus, visiting clients and partaking annual MS Dog Food Conference, where Microsoft Partners do deep tech dives about Microsoft technology.
Realized Tuesday at 6pm that we now have an indoor pool at Simplex-IT's worldwide International Headquarters. Some might say that's because of a busted water heater. I would say those people are jealous.
Spoke earlier this month to a CPA group (specifically manufacturing) about IT Security.

Additional:

Read with interest Microsoft's announcement about the next operating system, Windows 10. Apparently Windows 9, after Windows 7 and 8, didn't make sense.
My conviction that Microsoft was going to call it "Microsoft Timmy" was apparently unfounded.
Same day Microsoft announces Windows 10, first case of Ebola reported in Texas.
Apple Cider time. You're on notice, Beckwith Orchards in Kent. Do not run out.
4th quarter for Simplex-IT (and many other companies) begins. On track for another record year in terms of sales, customers and the like.

Finally:

This has got to be the biggest newsletter we've ever put together in terms of the amount of content. 3 new videos, return of a familiar face, a couple of articles about SQL, lunchinars, webinars, new OS from Microsoft.

And that's not including the 30+ or so additional posts we did throughout the month.

We've been busy!

Bob

Free Webinar! Managing Your Email in Outlook 2013

Microsoft Outlook is the most widely used email client in the business world. Yet surprisingly there are a host of features designed to enhance your productivity of which many people are unaware. We hope to change that with this webinar!

Are you overwhelmed with the emails in your Inbox? We can help! In this free, streaming Webinar Simplex-IT's Michele Bobola will show you how to:

Use the Quick Steps function to perform multiple actions with one click
Create and Edit Rules to manage emails
Use the Filter Email feature to weed out all the unnecessary stuff when you need to focus on something in particular
Use the many Views available in Outlook to your advantage - Conversations, Groups and Message Previews

Click here to read more.

October Lunchinar: When Do You Know Your IT is Obsolete?

The Windows XP computer you bought in late 2001 still seems to work fine. Sure, it takes 15 minutes to fully boot up in the morning, but that's ok. It gives you time to get a cup of coffee! And your Office 2003 programs are still functional even though they lack the advanced features of more current versions. Why think about upgrading?

If these performance issues aren't enough to give you pause, consider this. It's true that, unlike the vehicle sitting in your driveway right now, your IT assets are not going to eventually rust out and fall apart. However, continuing advancements in computer technology will, at some point in time, transform your hardware and software from an asset to a liability, especially in the area of security. And when it comes to keeping your data and your network safe, you don't really want to be penny wise and pound foolish.

Do you?

Click here to read more...

Windows 9...make that 10...is coming soon!

Microsoft has made it official. They like to play with our brains when they announce products.

Remember the Metro interface of Windows 8, which became "Windows UI" just before release? Or Windows SkyDrive which became OneDrive earlier this year?

Well, they're doing it again. The next version of Windows, which coming after 8 and 8.1 was rumored to be called Windows 9. The code name for it? "Threshold."

Well, today Microsoft announced that it will be known as Windows 10. Why? I got nothing.

But you can take a look starting today (1 October). Because the Technical Preview (sounds better than Beta, right? Yeah, I prefer Beta too) will be available to the public.

When will the full OS be released? Click here to find that out and more (like when we'll be showing it).

Crotchety Olde Geek #6: Personal Mobile Security

There's been a lot of news about companies whose corporate data was laid open for the taking by hackers. But I'll bet most of you have some pretty sensitive information on your mobile phone!

How secure is your information on your phone? If you're like most people, the answer is "not terribly."

CoG #6: Personal Mobile Security

"Servers in the Cloud - Buying Service vs. Buying Boxes" now online

Did you miss the Lunchinar in September? If so, never fear, now it's online! Bob (with help from Steve) can help guide you through what benefits are available for small to medium businesses looking to place some or all of their servers "in the cloud," using Microsoft Azure as an example. Infrastructure As A Service (IAAS), anybody?

Servers in the Cloud - Buying Service vs. Buying Boxes

September webinar "Introduction to Visio 2013" now online

This is the tenth webinar on Office 2013 from Simplex-IT's Michele Bobola. This one's talking about the charting program Visio 2013, and it's online.

Introduction to Visio 2013 webinar

Don't follow us online? Here's what you're missing!

If you don't follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, you missed all of these items we thought were interesting.

Wait up, #Google! Now thanks to #Atlas, #Facebook advertisers can follow you everywhere, too. Oh, goody!: http://bit.ly/Zk4lCo

Adorable robot cheerleaders have a ball. Until their eyes are replaced with lasers and they turn on us: http://bit.ly/Zk4PIU

Free Webinar from Simplex-IT! Managing Your Email in Outlook 2013: http://bit.ly/Zk55aC

Make your cloud safer: How to enable two-factor authentication for the most popular cloud services: http://zd.net/1mxNLct

and a lot more. Click here to see the whole list!

And the Winner Is...

A short time ago we ran a little survey to determine what interest might exist for a sneak preview of the upcoming Windows 9 Operating System Technical Preview. As an inducement to participate, we said we would enter each person in a drawing for a Simplex-IT "Glitter Rocket!"

The response was strong and the competition stiff. But today we're happy to announce the lucky winner is Phillip Dipane of the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA). Congratulations to Phil and thanks to all those who participated.

But, you may be wondering, what about the results of the survey?

Perhaps not surprisingly folks showed significant interest in what new features may appear in the upcoming release. In fact , some of those features have already been confirmed while others remain only as speculation.

Click here to read more.

Microsoft Introduces the New Office 365 Home Page

Microsoft has announced it is launching a new home page experience in Office 365. Initially, it will be rolling out to current Exchange or SharePoint customers. You access the new home page from the web experience of Office 365, which you get to by signing into the Office 365 portal. Once you're there, you just click the Office 365 logo at the top-left of the page. New customers will automatically land on the home page when they first sign into Office 365. It looks like this:

In the future, new services will be introduced via the home page, so you should know how to access it.

To accommodate a variety of start preferences, you can determine your own default landing page when you sign in to Office 365 via portal.office.com. They've made it super easy!

For the full story of the new Home Page, click here.

Office Lens: Free Windows Phone App Lets You Capture Notes, Paper Documents, Save Them in OneNote!

Ok, on first glance this looks like it's no big deal, right? I can hear you saying "I can already take pictures with my Smart Phone." Yes, but...

Office Lens doesn't just take a picture. This new update gives you the ability to convert your pictures directly into Word documents and PowerPoint presentations - that are EDITABLE!

For Word, Office Lens recognizes the text and the document layout. All the text, formatting and layout in the Word document is preserved. Images of typed text become fully editable-just like you authored it at your desk.

For PowerPoint, all the handwritten lines and strokes are transformed into PowerPoint drawing objects that can be recolored, resized, repositioned and edited. That great infographic or sketch from one presentation can now be reused in other presentations.

This is truly impressive. But don't just take my word for it. Watch this short video and watch the magic happen firsthand!

Office Lens: Converts images to Word and PowerPoint files

Very Cool!

Why Trust Your Data To The Cloud?

Despite the explosive growth of cloud services in recent years there remain those individuals and companies with deep skepticism around the safety and security of their data when it doesn't' reside in their own physical data center. With all the headlines about security breaches at Target, Home Depot and, yes, even the NSA, that mistrust is understandable. And when we talk to clients about cloud services like Microsoft's Office 365, this is a prime concern that is frequently raised.

Trust is defined by Merriam-Webster as "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something" and interestingly it ranks as the 77th most searched term on their website (at least it did today when I looked it up!). So it's no surprise that companies like Microsoft have a significant challenge when it comes to earning and keeping their clients' trust. But a recent Office Blog goes a long way in showing the steps they take to accomplish exactly that goal.

Click here to read more.

Simplex-IT's Jeff Buskirk recognized
Usually when we're told that a person from Simplex-IT was recognized, my first thought is usually "even with the Darth Vader mask?" But in this case it was a bit more down to Earth. Simplex-IT technician Jeff Buskirk was recently featured in an article from his alma mater National College. Click here to read the article! Congrats to Jeff!

The Art of SQL Performance Tuning

Doug here. The article below offers some highly relevant advice, with a few caveats.

Performance tuning is a necessity these days but is difficult to achieve for most SQL Server developers. The reasons vary, but typically involve:

Lack of permissions to utilize tuning tools (often reserved for DBAs only)
Lack of knowledge on performance tuning methodologies (as opposed to techniques)
Lack of availability of DBA or someone with permission and knowledge required for success
Inefficient code being generated by their development environment
Lack of understanding of computing environment, application internals, normal v. non-normal workloads
Lack of experience overcoming the above mentioned roadblocks

Performance tuning is often a typical catch-22 situation. The developer(s) understand the application (hopefully) and the DBA understands performance tuning. Therefore, it is by necessity a collaborative effort. But each party has their own priorities and often the DBA's manager is not willing to devote their staff member to solve 'someone else's problem'. Also, relevant parties are often less than motivated to share what they know due to concerns about exposing 'soft spots' within their environment or operations.

That's where an experienced SQL Server professional can assist.

Click here to read more.

I Have Returned...

Brandon here! I just wanted to let everyone know that after a 3-month hiatus in my work at Simplex-IT, I have decided to return! I spent the summer working for Google in California. Working there was an amazing experience and I learned quite a bit. As much as I do miss being out there, I am really excited to be back and working with all of you.

I will be here for the foreseeable future in the same capacity I was before. Can't wait to work with everyone again.

Grasp the Business Value of A Complete SQ: Server health Check

Doug here. Health Checks on your SQL Servers are an easy proactive way to determine if data is safe and secure. Data is the life blood of business and keeping yours protected should be a priority.

Recently we performed a routine SQL Server Health Check for a mid-sized client and uncovered a variety of surprising discoveries. The system was installed by a 3rd party application vendor and it served as the back end to their productivity application. The system was running slower than expected and justified a closer look.

During the Health Check we discovered a number of misconfiguration, security and availability shortcomings. Some of the configuration settings were misaligned. Access to restricted data had been granted to the entire user base rather than the select few with appropriate authorization to access the data. The backup jobs created were still working against the test system rather than the production system. Also, some critical maintenance jobs were failing silently resulting in a misleading level of comfort.

These issues were adversely impacting the overall solution and putting the client's data at risk. Once identified, they were easily corrected. At that point the client's data was actually in the state they desired - secure, available and protected.

Click here to read an article excerpt, by Andy McDermid.

Want to find out about this stuff quicker?

Blog updates from Simplex-IT over the past month

Remember to check out our blog:

http://BizBlog.Simplex-it.com/

Plain Funny #78

It's October. Halloween time. And I'm not a big vampire fan.

So that leaves zombies. I'm a late addition to the fans of "Walking Dead," the zombie show on AMC that isn't really about zombies. I'm still about a season behind, so respect the spoilers, please.

But apparently I've been hearing the wrong script.

Slight warning. This has zom...whoops, walkers, as in undead people. Not a huge amount of gore.

And yes, there's a song at the end.

"MORE WALKING (AND TALKING) DEAD: PART 1" - A Bad Lip Reading of The Walking Dead Season 4

We'd love to hear feedback about this! Send comments to Bob@Simplex-IT.com, or call us at 234.380.1277!

Sincerely,

Bob Coppedge

Simplex-IT LLC