-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
A few years ago ‘blogging’ became the greatest thing since sliced bread. For those afraid to ask, what happened was that countless thousands of otherwise unconnected amateur journalists discovered that they could post their comments and opinion about anything and everything on the internet with ease. The interesting thing here is that these web logs (i.e. ‘blogs) could – and now frequently do – carry equal validity, respect and even be as popular as mainstream media. It is not uncommon now for professional journalists to monitor the ‘blogosphere’ as a primary source of newsworthy material.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Cloud Computing is a concept you will undoubtedly be hearing more of, so we’ve written a brief introduction covering some of the advantages & disadvantages of Cloud Computing, a rapidly growing method of working.
Essentially Cloud Computing is about saving money and time. As you will no doubt be aware, computer networks are usually owned by the people using them and all of the equipment is typically installed in the owners’ offices. Every organisation has thus invested in its own infrastructure (servers, PCs, network switches etc) and must shell out for all the costs and hassle of supporting it.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
A ‘shared Outlook system’ is one of the top requests put to our IT consultants when they visit new or existing customers. Few need persuading that Outlook is a pretty handy way of storing and organising email, contacts and calendars. Indeed it can also synchronise with a wide range of mobile phones. The drawback is that – until recently – sharing this information with other people, or setting up ‘group’ calendars and contact lists has necessitated the purchase of a Microsoft Exchange Server, with all its attendant costs.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
“Is it compatible with our system?” will doubtless be the question on many people’s lips when considering Windows 7. That’s not an easy one to answer directly. ‘Compatibility’ comes in many shapes & sizes, from minor glitches to out-and-out refusing to work. Moreover, any ‘system’ is little more than the sum of its parts – we’d need to know what every part ‘does’ before we can even try to advise. So, to help you (and us!), we’ve put together a handy guide to try and flesh out the foreseeable compatibility issues.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Licensing has never been a particularly easy or indeed interesting topic and one of the few disappointments with Windows 7 is that Microsoft has done nothing to simplify their arcane licensing arrangements. We’ll try our best to explain, but this is a fundamentally complex area. Remember, this is about Windows, not Office (Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook etc.. is a separate product and always has been)!
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Keen to know what features are new in Windows 7? Or why many people say they like it so much? There’s plenty of information available on the web, but here are our own ‘Top Ten’ best Windows 7 features, starting from 10th place…
10. Better backup & restore.
To be fair, older versions of Windows did come with a really quite powerful backup program, but it was so nasty to use that few actually mastered it, plus it was never geared up for todays backup media. Windows 7 Backup & Restore is so simple there is almost no excuse not to use it for personal backups to a network share or external Hard Drive for example. This feature – long overdue – doesn’t get any higher up this list though for one simple reason. It’s a HUGE missed opportunity – if only it could backup mapped drives it would be the best new feature…why bother buying a tape drive and expensive server software when you can run a server backup to an encrypted partition of one of your regular laptops? Sadly, this is not possible using Windows 7 Backup and we suspect this is because it might tread on too many toes (although if you are interested, another app, Karens Replicator, from www.karenware.com will do the job instead).
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Just as you have finally started getting to grips with the ill-fated Windows Vista, which is now – believe it or not – over 2 years old, Microsoft has been busy developing the next generation operating system, Windows 7. The system has been released for testing for some time now and may well be officially launched later this year. Here at ESP, we have had an early copy of it running on a test rig and thought you might be interested to know what (allegedly) is in store, so here are some of the more contentious highlights & our thoughts on them:
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Google
What is it? A huge selection of handy tools and services which you can sign into from any internet-enabled computer.
What does it do? What doesn’t it do? Make and share calendars with colleagues; check email from anywhere; create, save, store & share documents to anyone from anywhere to name but a few of the services. -
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Finding out what your customers, clients, staff or partners think of you, your products or services is an essential facet of effective management. But how many of us haven’t the time to undertake a large feedback exercise or the money to commission a research company? With these three web survey tools, creating and circulating a survey is both easy and cheap, and analysis can be undertaken simply by logging in to a website. Check them out (with thanks to TechSoup):
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Many ESP Projects clients will be interested to know that the London Advice Services Alliance has provided a FREE contact/case management database (known as AIMS).
AIMS is intended for organisations needing a system to collect information on their clients – everything from managing their case load, keeping notes, mailing and emailing and produce reporting. It can also be extended with calendars, financial reporting and monitoring of outcomes. To quote from the website:
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
The next version of Internet Explorer has features to make browsing and searching easier and more secure.The next version of Internet Explorer has features to make browsing and searching easier and more secure.
Read more at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/technology/7585741.stm. -
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Over the years, the popularity of the Portable Document Format (PDF) has increased hugely. This once obscure little extension is now so ubiquitous that customers have come to expect that a PC ‘comes with’ Acrobat reader – Adobe’s free PDF reader. For those who have not fully come to terms with PDF, the principle is easy to grasp: most common software – such as Microsoft Word – will save a file using a proprietary format, in this case the .doc format. This in effect means that only people with Microsoft Word can open that document – which clearly excludes some people from reading it at all.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Improving Productivity Through Technology – Opportunities for the Voluntary and Community Sector, 10th June, London
NCVO and Microsoft UK are hosting an interactive conference combining case studies, workshops and keynote speakers to explore the potential of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for small and medium sized charities.
Understanding that complexity, resources and finances can hold technology development back, Microsoft and NCVO aim to introduce you to ways of accessing the latest technology through the help of a special donations scheme, enabling your organisation to achieve more. The conference will include case studies from charitable organisations that demonstrate how they are already reaping the benefits from using the latest technology. The event will close with an informative session on ICT funding and how you can access technology donations through Microsoft UK.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
0 – the number of clients who have cancelled their contract with us because of service issues
Number 1 – ESP aims to be the best ICT Support provider in South Yorkshire!
2 – it takes about two years of training, hard work and experience for a trainee at ESP to become a Network Engineer
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Over the years, ESP Projects has grown into one of – if not the – largest ICT Social Enterprises in the UK. Indeed, thanks to networking events arranged through the ICT Hub, Circuit Riders and the various Regional ICT Champions, we have forged links with similar organisations and projects throughout the country. From Cumbria to Brighton, Cambridgeshire to Manchester, ESP Projects is attracting interest as a model for delivering ethically responsible but financially sustainable ICT services to charities and not-for-profit organisations. So much so that we are currently engaged in a system of exchange visits where we can share our Best Practise tips and tricks and learn from the experience of other providers too.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
We all know the script: you need to arrange a meeting with several people, all of whom have busy schedules. But how do you do it without sending out an ever-increasing quantity of ever-more complicated emails? It seems to be such a time consuming process for such a simple thing!
Well now there is a perfect technical solution.
It’s called Doodle, and it is a free service provided by the website http://www.doodle.ch. Doodle allows you to create a simple poll (whether it be for scheduling an event, or just a multiple-choice question) in 3 easy steps. Once the poll is created, you are emailed a link to administer the poll (e.g. change the question) and another link to send out to poll participants.
You send the second link in an email to you friends or colleagues, and they click on it to ‘vote’ on which date/time/option is good for them. Voting doesn’t require registration or signing up to anything, they simply put their name in and vote. Doodle tallys up the votes for you and you can easily see which option is best. All you need to do then is email everyone with the result! Easy! -
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
If you have looked at our you will have seen that we put a lot of emphasis on Content Management Systems (CMS) with names such as “Joomla” and “Plone“. If you are wondering what it is all about then this article will explain. It’s really a very simple idea.
A CMS is a tool that allows people with little or no technical expertise to manage and update their own website. It puts control of the website into the hands of people with management and marketing skills, without needing to pay a web designer every time they want to change some text on their website.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Join us on our adventure through failed technology, stopping at alternatives to the World Wide Web, digital information that’s stored on ordinary paper, early DRM and some gaming non-classics
Read more at: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/0,39029477,49295698,00.htm.
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
So you’ve got yourself a shiny new , you’ve told all your friends and colleagues about it and made sure your web address is on all your publicity material. Now, of course, you want your site to be listed at the top of Google for various search terms.
Unfortunately, there is no magic solution. If there was, everyone would use it, and everyone can’t be top at the same time. But there are lots of things you can do to improve your ranking. These can be divided up into 3 main areas:
-
-
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
ESP Projects
Regular visitors may recall a recent news article raising the issue of Microsoft Licensing and how much we all know about the various schemes on the market. Since then, ESP Projects Managing Director Morgan Killick has developed an ‘in a nutshell guide’ to help you find your way around the bewildering array of products available.
First of though, all a little caveat. How many of us know that we will never ‘own’ a piece of Microsoft software? It is, of course, Microsoft that own the software, all you – the licensee – may do, is buy a licence to operate it. What’s more, under any of these schemes (except SPLA),
-
-
