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Broadband bonanza? BT Wholesale is slashing its broadband services to ISPs from £30 down to £14.75 and will continue to provide coverage beyond the 1000 or so UK exchanges, centred in mostly urban areas. BT hopes its new price, in force from 1 April, will help ISPs boost UK broadband connections from the current 150,000 to one million by mid-2003. ISPs who rank among those having already announced broadband price cuts are BTOpenWorld, Pipex Xtreme, Freedom2Surf, Griffin, Power Internet and Freeserve.
Webcam + digicam = StyleCam. March sees the official launch of SiPix's 5.5cm square StyleCam BLINK - a quick snap, 30 gram Webcam or Digicam capable of up to 300 pics, all for only £40. With a quick download USB interface, it's aimed at capturing images for Web use, hence the top resolution of only 640x480 pixels.
A new image file format has been endorsed by Adobe, Hewlett-Packard and Kodak and will be built into future products. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is for digital images and the open standard includes extra tags to encode information about exposure time, contrast and colour, so that prints, for example, match the original image as captured. Adobe's Photoshop 7 already supports Exif tags. The common compessible JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard is the one currently used by cameras and imaging software.
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A new report by Local Futures, highlighting UK trends in the 'knowledge economy', indicate that ruralites may lose out urbanites when it comes to the use of mobile and wireless communications. While the former benefit from teleworking schemes and remote access to public services, they are not as well-served by broad-band services as their mobile-enabled urban cousins, who are driving these markets and also have the transport and work opportunities to hand. The "Women and the knowledge economy" report claims women are better placed to fit with the new service-based economy than men, having a more appropriate education portfolio on average and with education demands on the increase.
Is there anything they can't put into a mobile phone? Cameras are the latest contenders with Sony/Ericsson announcing its Linnea smartphone, available 3rd quarter 2002, hot on the heels of Nokia's 7650 offering. The Linnea P800 is built over version 7.0 of the original Psion-based Symbian operating system with a colour 208x320 pixel touch-screen, pen, built in camera and a multimode browser and connects via GPRS and HSCD and Bluetooth.
Failure to comply: An invitation to tender (ITT) that crossed our desk recently demanded that tenders be mailed in on Friday afternoon by 12 noon! Perhaps it's a test of mailserver time zone configuration?
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1. Choosing a new database
All those contacts scattered throughout your organisation in spreadsheets, databases and on paper. How to combine them all? A guide for the faint-hearted ....
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Applications and Data - what's the difference ?
It will help enormously to understand what you're dealing with when contacting suppliers and developers.
The "Data" is all your contact information independent of any means of viewing it - names, addresses, phone numbers, membership status, donations made, etc.
The "Application" is like at empty container wih no information in it. Examples are Microsoft's "Access" or Blackbaud's "Raiser's Edge". Some are referred to as a RDBMS (Relational DataBase Management System).
Put together, the 'dataware' and the software constitute what most people call a "database".
Features to expect
Most of today's databases comprise some form of contact management and tracking, reporting, mailmerges, links to office applications, diary functions, audit trails, and maybe some financial transactions.
Bespoke or 'off-the-shelf' ?
There are many different types of database application, but because of the degree of tailoring needed to fit around your data, they become - like internal networks - bespoke to a certain degree. How much depends a good deal on your budget. These days an 'off-the-shelf' product translates as bundle-in-every-feature-we-can-think-of', which may mean you only ever use a few percent of the features, but you spend less time choosing it in the first place.
Here are some general solution types in order of expense:
- An Access-based solution:
The "don't re-invent the wheel" trick.
This is likely to be a bespoke system written 'on top of' the popular Microsoft Access application. The supplier owns the programmed modules which constitute the bespoking, but the licensing for the basic Access database is still in your hands and you could always switch to another developer, of which there are plenty. Aside from a wide choice of developers, Access training is the most commonly-held database skill among incoming staff and volunteers.
If more than about 5 users will be accessing data concurrently, or the data size is more than 'medium-sized' (see "Database Size" below), suppliers will often recommend an additional 'Sequel server', otherwise adding or editing records and running queries simultaneaously will be slow. This backend database 'engine' (and preferably a separate server for it to run on) takes the hard work away from the PC, but then you have an aditional server to look after! Makers of 'Sequel servers' (also written SQL servers) include Microsoft, Oracle, Sybase and Novell's NetWare-bundled offering, called Pervasive.
One proposed method of calculating "Is my data too big for MS Access?" is the 'less tha a million' rule. Take the number of data records (or rows) and multiply by the number of concurent users who will be working on it. If :
Number Of Records x Concurrent Users < 1 million
Bear in mind however, that this rather crude estimate doesn't take into account how much data is in each record (simple addresses or whole articles) or the complexity of any linking between tables.
A possible workaround to problems of concurrency and size (which obviates the need for a SQL server setup) is to use a feature that defers updates to the end of the day.
See solutions below.
- A proprietary database solution:
Usually more expensive and contains an excess of features to cover everything you might possibly need. Almost no bespoking for your organisation is usually required, but maintenance costs may be high, since it is common practice for suppliers to deliver regular updates of the application to all clients, so they all run the same version. The large feature count may make for stiff PC specifications - check that your hardware is up to it!
Since the suppliers may effectively be the 'manufacturers', they have tight control of programming the database application, which should result in high reliability. For the same reason, their clients are also completely dependent on them and cannot switch to another developer or even modify the application as supplied.
See solutions below.
- A Web-based solution:
The "outsource-the-lot" trick. More of a service than a package, this usually has high running costs because maintenance and overheads include the hosting and running of a secure Web server. Big advantages are any access from anywhere by anyone across any time zone (given suitable permissions), so you can have members updating their own information from home, mobile workers viewing the data on the move, branch offices accessing the same master data, etc. Hardware requirements often trivial, needing just a browser, but the user(s) rely crucially on an Internet connection to the Web server for speed and reliability of operation. As a potential client, you'll want firm assurances about the security and reliability of the Web/database server containing the master copy of all your contacts if you go down this route.
See solutions below.
How to make it happen
Make an outline plan for the process. Likely to include :
- Define requirements
- Interview users
- Collect supplier product information
- Prepare budgets and funding
- Site references
- Invite suppliers to interview
- Shortlist suppliers and/or visit
- Plan import of data
- Testing
- Training
- Go live
Database Size Matters - how big is big?
These are only guidelines. Actual size depends on length of each record, the number of fields (columns) or tables, the complexity of any table-linking and auditing logs.
Small = a few tens (00) to a few tens of thousands of records (50,000)
Medium = tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands: 20,000 up to 500,000
Large = 200,000 and over
The email problem
Increasingly, email addresses are part of the contact data and the obvious next step is email-merged mailouts.
A few database applications have email integration, either linking to existing services via Microsoft's MAPI (Mail Application Programming Interface) or with their own email services built in.
However, a major problem with email addresses in general is that they change faster than just about any other contact parameter; a typical email newsletter distribution will have a 'churn' of about 3% per month - so a 1000-long list of subscribers is likely to generate 30 'bounced' email messages to sort out every month! Ideally you would like owners to administer their own personal contact details, but that means giving them access, either via a sophisticated extranet solution or putting it all on your Web site in which case you need a fair amount of security to protect it (the Web-based solution). An automated response system can help (see this month's article), but requires a bit of development to get going.
Solutions
Here are some typical database application providers:
Access- or SQL-based Solutions
Proprietary Solutions
Web-based Solutions
-IB-
Paul Craig
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2. Going paperless: using email automated responses
The need is there on both sides.
Your audience wants easier ways to buy stuff, make bookings or get info. You want to reduce the drudgery of replying, confirming and form-filling. Enter "Automation", stage left ...
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Humans v. Bots
Until recently, many information systems have been human-driven, even where they are implemented on computer networks. The flow of information (a quote, a sale, a request for information) only circulated as fast as we could push pieces of paper or emails and the decisions about how this flow was processed were made by human brains - well over-engineered for the task you might say!
With electronic systems (email, web, phone menus, but not paper faxes), the flow of information arrives as fast as your network can handle it - that's in milliseconds instead of hours or days! Decisions are effectively made by those who program the machines and software and we're not talking about highly-paid programmers here - that could be you! Just by configuring an auto-reply, you are effectively programming an email client to provide an automated response to requests from your audience.
In principle, the email auto-reply solution sounds easy - these are hardly high-tech measures after all - but it's still easy to confuse or irritate the everyday people you deal with, be they supporters, customers, members or remote staff.
Benefits
Big savings in the 'drudge' and cost departments. Staff get to use their brains for the intelligent work instead of paper-pushing.
Drawbacks
Audience expectations are higher. Your customers or members know it's electronic and expect their requests to be seen to more quickly.
Humans 0, Bots 1
Here are three bad examples that crossed my radar recently:
- Example: A well-known institution decides to set up an online lecture booking facility. Requests to attend lectures (which continue to be published in a monthly booklet) can now be made from the Website or via email. Attendees who are successful in securing a seat are replied to by email by return.
Sounds easy, doesn't it?
What happened: Little infrastucture was established before the scheme went live.
Email was an easy format for attendees to use, but many of them people didn't have the booklet handy, so forgot the name of lecture or venue, asked for a day with the wrong date.
Result: more work than before required by admin staff to establisg correct venues/times/dates. Attendees didn't necessarily expect a confirmation to be sent, so didn't open their email account before arriving at lecture - to find it over-subscribed!
- Example: A major financial software company provides a web form where you can specify a time, day, and number where they can call you back with information you need from them.
Sounds simple enough, doesn't it?
What happened: Email routing from web gets lost or diverted to account of someone who is away or off sick.
Result: customer loses confidence in both Web site and company, gets irritated at having to ring/write again. You can be sure they don't give the Web form a second chance!
- Example: You decide to cease your subscription to a large online shopping site because of the proliferation of ads and offers arriving by email. You follow the instructions shown at the end of each email, replying with the usual "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject header.
Straightfoward, isn't it?
What happened: A confirmation to your "UNSUBSCRIBE" arrives fine and dandy, but in the same message are a whole bunch of standard ads and offers plus the usual instructions for managing your account from the site.
Result: confusion (am I unsubscribed or not?) and frustation (if not, how do I get off the list?).
Humans 1, Bots 1
Here's a good example, involving Web pages, a database and email combined:
You want to book at table at "fish!". The restaurant provides online booking via its Web site out of hours. The service has to link Web pages to its 'master' database as well as its internal phone bookings, and also authenticate your email address.
Sounds easy? Hmmm - looks like a heap of technological trouble. Actually it comes through with flying colours!
What happens: The Web site forms present you with pages asking you when and at which location you want to eat, effectively allowing you to interact directly with the "fish!" bookings diary. It finishes by presenting you with a unique code (to write down if you wish) which is also sent to your email account. You must reply to this message to confirm you own the account (authentication).
Result: The 'dialogue' is interactive and speedy and both parties are agreed by the end of the 'transaction'. Humans and technology perfectly matched!
How to make it happen - smoothly
Plan the flow of information in human terms and plain English!
A flow chart is not an unreasonable starting point, even for a simple auto-reply. The drawing features in MS Word (Drawing | AutoShapes | Flowchart) can give it a reasonably professional look, but you may prefer to scribble boxes on paper with colleagues in the first instance.
Learn the features of the system you're dealing with, whether it's email filtering rules, Web page sequences or a phone menu.
The Basics
Err on the polite side. At least say "Thanks for your request" or acknowledge the message. Explain why this account has received the sender's message ("This is the Publications Ordering service").
Allow for people sending emails to this account in error. Return instructions by default on how to use the service(s) properly. eg
"If you are seeking Information instead, please write to enquiries@yourorg.org.uk" or ring xxxx.
"If you want a price, ring, email ....
"If you need to make a booking, reply with your contact details plus time, day, date, venue, ref number ..."
"For all other queries, email, ring xxxx"
Put yourself in your correspondent's/viewer's/listener's shoes. Think "What do they naturally expect next?"
Test it (often good fun this bit) - or better, volunteer a human guinea pig to do it for you, they won't have any bias or preconceptions.
Simple Example :
You have two Web pages for Information Requests and Publications Ordering.
Emails submitted from those pages contain the keywords "Info Request" and "Pubs Order" respectively.
So your flowchart may look like this:
Does the person have a valid email address? If no, then move to "On hold" folder.
If email contains subject "Info Request" or "Pubs Order" then return message asking sender to reply with "CONFIRM" in subject header.
If email contains subject "Info Request" then move email to "Requests" folder.
If email contains subject "Pubs Order" then forward email to "publications" dept.
The appropriate staff or teams then process those requests/orders knowing that most of the irrelevant emails have been filtered out.
Contacts
Need help with a simple flow chart to get you going?
Or a fully-implemented, automated email response system?
Want to know more? Talk to us or write to us here.
-IB-
Paul Craig
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3. Spare your colleagues - delay email deliveries
Send email 'Second Class' ....
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What is it ?
Is that email really so urgent? Your colleagues get a lot of email, right? Especially at busy times of the day!
It may seem urgent for you but is it really all that urgent to them?
Consider delaying your email with built-in options from your email client - a kind of 'second-class' delivery.
How to make it happen
- In Outlook, you can delay delivery from your message composition window:
File | Properties | Send Options button | MS Exchange tab
Select "Send this item in xx minutes/hours/days/weeks"
Your email remains in "Outbox" until the delay time is up.
- In Netscape, from your message composition window, do:
File | Send later
Your email remains in "Unsent Messages". You are reminded when you start or finish a Netscape session.
- In Pegasus, from your message composition window:
Simply minimise the window.
Your email remains on the bottom line. You are reminded when you start or finish a Pegasus session.
It's wise to have auto-save turned on :
Tools | Options | Message formatting | Save messages every 10 minutes
Related topics
You may find saving a draft message useful in this context. Read our article on Saving & Retrieving Draft Emails.
Benefits
Your messages are less likely to be ignored in the fray at the other end.
Your email-swamped colleagues will be most grateful.
If all your colleagues do this as policy, the email load will seem less.
-IB-
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4. Lost a file? Easy ways to sleuth it back
We've all done it. Completed a crucial document. Sigh of relief. Go home. Next day, can't find it anywhere on your network or PC!
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How can files 'disappear' ?
Typical occurrences are:
- You can only find the old version because you "Saved As" another name
- Using Explorer, the file was dropped in a different or wrong directory/folder to the one you intended
- Using Explorer, you (or a colleague) simply renamed the document to something more appropriate (File | Rename).
Since all of the above operations are valid - in terms of file operations - they don't show up as 'deleted', which is otherwise easy to solve.
Renaming files also renders unusable the various Recently Used Documents lists (pull down the File menu) in word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc - until, that is, those files are re-opened under their new names.
Sleuthing techniques - find that file again!
If you haven't used the Windows Find utility, now's the time to get aquainted.
The simple find is achieved with :
- Start | Find | Files or folders (in Win9x)
or
- Start | Search | Files or folders (in WinNT/2000)
In the "Files and Folders" box, you can use wildcard asterisks and questions marks to specify your search :
So *.doc for documents or *.xls for spreadsheets
Or account*.doc will find account.doc, accounts.doc, accounting.doc and so on
Or report?-final.doc will find report1-final.doc, reportA-final.doc, etc
In the "Containing text" box, type any key words that would identify your file uniquely.
In the "Date" tab (Win9x) or tick option (Win2000), search for files created/modified/accessed in the last xx months/days or between dates you specify.
Example:
I looked for a recent installation of Acehtml on my PC. Searching for aceht*.* didn't find it. Looking for keywords like "ace" or "html" would have returned hundreds of files. My detective work turned to the "When did I install it?" approach. Searching for files on dates in the last 2 months and analysing the folder names turned up the right installation source files.
Benefits
Save time retyping documents, retrieving files from backups and heaps of frustration! Learn new searching skills.
-IB-
Paul Craig
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5. Keeping your Windows secure
Every week seems to see the issuing of another Microsoft security bulletin combatting new vulnerabilities, but fortunately there is an easy way to keep machines up to date.
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What is it ?
Microsoft have provided an automatic system updater for versions Windows 98 and upwards. The Web-based utility analyses the Windows systems components on your machine, selects the appropriate patches based on that analysis and, if you so choose, downloads those "Critical Updates" to plug the security holes.
Benefits
Keeps your Windows system updated and secure from attackers.
You don't have to work out which patches apply to your brand of operating system, it's all done for you.
Drawbacks
Some updates can be tens of MB in size so, depending on your Internet connection speed, may take 30 mins or more to download! 'A little often' is the key: more frequent checks for updates will result in shorter downloads and a more secure PC.
How to make it happen
- There are several ways you can run Windows Update:
- - Start Windows | Windows Update
OR
- In Internet Explorer, pull down Tools | Windows Update
OR
- Type http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com into Internet Explorer
OR
- Run "wupdmgr.exe" from a command line
- When the page has finished loading, click the "Product Updates" menu item on the left (this will load automatically after a short period anyway). A new box indicates your PC is being analysed - this may take a few minutes depending on the speed of the machine, the Internet connection and the avaialibility of the site. Note: since this part runs a Java script, at least a "Medium security" setting must be enabled in Tools | Internet Options | Security tab.
- By default the "Critical Updates" appear showing an estimated download time. Click the "Download" button.
- Click the "Start Download" button to confirm.
- Click "Yes" to the licence agreement.
The patches download is followed by an automatic installlation.
- Close everything and restart your PC.
That's it!
Contacts
Windows Update site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
-IB-
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6. Predict when your disc space will run out
The first time you find out that your disc is 'out of space' is usually when it's too late! This simple tool tells you in advance, so you can take evasive action ....
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Swamped by clutter
It's an inevitable consequence of owning a computer.
Just as growing old will inevitably bequeath you unsightly hair in embarassing places, so will your indispensable disc drive eventually run out of free space.
We all collect more virtual rubbish than we really need. Images, downloads, attachments, temporary files and old zipfiles consume the most disc space, but whereas you can probably de-clutter your own PC successfully every now and then, spring-cleaning a whole network of PCs and servers soon becomes unmanageable!
"0 bytes" = zero productivity
Now you can predict the demise of your disc(s) and avoid "death by a thousand bytes"!
A simple spreadsheet is all you need - and what's more, we've done all the hard work for you! You just look at where the trend line crosses the date line and count up how much time is left!
This utility will help track disc space for PC workstations (C: drives) as well as servers, though the latter is what you need to concentrate on.
Benefits
Make your servers and workstations last longer
Track when large projects start to swallow up disc space and take avoiding action
Involving users helps persuade them to be 'thrifty' with disc space - it's neither infinite nor a free resource
Avoid immediate server meltdowns and gridlock for users when the server ceases to be available
How to make it happen
Find the ready-made spreadsheet at:
http://www.coopsys.co.uk/downloads/volinfo.xls
This sheet is saved as an Excel 5.0/97 format, so most spreadsheet applications with multi-worksheet capability should import it.
The basic idea is to enter the amount disc free space and the date, look at the chart and add a trend line to forewarn you if remedial action is necessary.
An example is included, it's a simple as filling in the date and free space boxes. To find out the free space for various systems, see "How do I check free disc space ?" below.
When you have entered a few values for free space and the dates you took those readings, add a trend line in the chart worksheet by right-clicking one of the graph lines and slect a Straight Trend Line. Where it crosses the bottom date axis shows how long you have left until D-Day (new Disc Day)!
How do I check free disc space ?
- On Windows 2000/NT/W98/W98 servers and workstations:
Start | Programs | Accessories | Windows Explorer
At the bottom in the Status Bar of Windows Explorer, read off the value for "Disc free space" and enter it in the spreadsheet.
(If you don't see the Status Bar, enable it by pulling down "View | Status Bar".
- On Netware 4.x, 5.x, 6.x :
Run NWADMIN. Pull down :
Object | Details | Statisics
and put the values for each volume in the spreadsheet.
- On Netware 3.x :
From a command DOS prompt, type "volinfo" (or find it in the SYS\PUBLIC\ directory). For each volume, read off the values and enter them in the spreadsheet.
- On Linux/Unix :
From a command prompt, type "df-h". Copy figures from the "%" (percent) columns to correspond with dates.
Remember that it's not too important whether these figures are entered as Bytes, MegaBytes (MB) or GigaBytes (GB), since it's a trend in the spreadsheet that you're looking for. And when that trend crosses the bottom lime, zero still spells "catastophy", in any language!
How much free space is too little ?
Network operating systems are more resilient these days and will warn you ('you' meaning the "Administrator" or "Supervisor" account) if server disc space starts to reach critically low levels. The same is true for Windows NT/2000 workstations, though less so for the older home versions like '95 and '98. A healthy 'rule of thumb' for servers and workstations is to avoid dipping below 10% free space and for Exchange email servers this should be as high as 50% to allow for recovery operations.
Remedial action
OK, you're saying, "So now I've discovered that if things go on like this, my hard disc will be full by the end of next month! What can I do?"
Banish all thoughts of panic and headless chickens immediately! Here are just a few of many solutions :
- Empty the Recycle Bin:
A good first measure on both Windows servers and workstations - find the Bin on the desktop.
Note that by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin properties, you can also make a 'bigger bin' or disable it completely. The latter means that user-deleted files will be deleted instantly (after all you have a tape backup for restoring data and you know how to use it, right?)
On workstations, the Disk Cleanup utility cleans out all sorts of temporary files without having to search for them :
- Start | Programs | Accessories | Systems Tools | Disk Cleanup
On NetWare servers, purge volumes of deleted files (similar to emptying a recyle bin):
- right-click the red "N" in the System Tray (bottom RH corner), then
- select Utilities | Purge
OR, from a command line type "purge /all" for each volume.
Only those with administrator rights can purge all volumes on a server.
- Involve other users in the office to delete old files:
These are the kinds of housekeeping that users can do to clean up their own areas while still remaining in control of their content. Unfortunately, this is usually only a temporary measure as even the most diligent forget to do this after an initial reminder. :-(
- Look for and delete duplicate files. Windows Find tool (from the Start menu) helps with this, but specific tools like the free FileSearch tool let you seek out these duplicates by comparing file names, sizes and/or dates. If you work with a lot of images, video, music or sound, then
Unique Filer will do a similar de-duping job for graphics files, like jpeg and gif formats. Particularly heavy consumers of disc space to watch out for are graphical formats like *.EPS, *.PSD, *.PM5 and *.TIF files. The latter can be compressed with Adobe PhotoShop or converted with Corel Draw into the much smaller, flexible *.JPG format.
- Put old projects 'to bed', print them out or archive them.
Delete old emails, print off the essential ones as archives.
Archive large projects on to tape or better still CD-R or CD-RW discs as they have a longer life span. Both can be write-protected.
- Compression
Finally, any files which are accessed less often can benefit the free disc space quota by being squashed or 'zipped' into a smaller size. This technique can be as little as just stripping out spaces from text documents (saving about 50%) but can also compress multiple files into one 'zip file' saving up to 80% of the orginal space (1-to-5 compression). The best-known compressor is of course the WinZip utility.
- Buy more disc space.
The last resort. Simply add more free space to the server. This may have other implications like requiring more memory, so do talk to us or write to us first.
Contacts
Find the Drive Space Predictor spreadsheet at:
http://www.coopsys.co.uk/downloads/volinfo.xls.
-IB-
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7. A simple way to combat spam
Your mailbox starts to fill with spam (junk email), but you are worried about unsubscribing in case the dubious source just sends a whole load more.
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Build a breakable link
Routing is the name of the game these days.
A simple way to combat spam and unsolicited mail in general, is to use another Webmail account to do the subscribing with - and you can do this free.
How to make it happen
For each new subscription you make, set up a free Webmail account; choosing structured names like john-amazon@... and john-indy@... will help you synchronise them with your subscriptions.
Find plenty of free services that allow you to forward your email to your existing email account http://www.emailaddresses.com/email_forward.htm
Now use the rules in the Webmail account to route each subscription to your 'real' existing email.
So, for instance, your "Independent daily news update" is sent to john-indy@runbox.com which is then forwarded to john@yourorg.org.uk.
Protective action
Now when spam starts to arrive from a particular subscription (if they're not fussy about exchanging or distributing lists) or, in some cases from the mailbox provider, you can safely attempt unsubscriptions as it won't affect your real account.
If the situation becomes dire, then it's easy to cut off the forwarding rules from your Webmail account or close the account altogether.
if sub spammed then think about sub/address sub provider
If you're convinced an email subscription isn't generating an unsolicited offers and adverts, you can always re-subscribe with your real account details.
Most sites have unsubscribe instructions and policy statements in each email issue, as well as on the site.
Benefits
Control spam and subscriptions
Drawbacks
Remembering all those email accounts you have!
Contacts
Free Webmail accounts:
http://www.emailaddresses.com/
Related topics:
Mail servers slapped by spam
-IB-
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8. We are the "Technology Champions"!
"Open up your Windows and jump into the blue ....". Advance your organisation through a little innovation.
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Would you like to try new things out and pioneer emerging technologies that may be worthwhile to your organisation at low cost and low risk ? Feel like becoming an IT prime mover instead of a fire-fighter ?
Ask to be a "Technology Champion"!
Co-Operative Systems is looking to set up a scheme so that clients can try out new devices and software on an evaluation or 'at cost' basis, where possible.
This scheme will work on a push-pull basis: we will offer interested clients for whom a technology or service may seem useful the chance to try it, but we are also looking for clients to request a 'trial' on services that they find relevant to their needs.
If this is of interest, do email me chris@coopsys.co.uk, to express your interest and flag up some likely topics.
Appropriate technology areas for "Technology Champion" would be :
- new developments employing laptops to access email via the mobile phone network
- configuring existing computers to switch into 'training mode' for tutorials and seminars at low cost
- wireless networks for small offices or remote buildings
After all, things could be marvellous.
Contacts
Want to know more?
Contact "Tech-Champ" co-ordinator chris@coopsys.co.uk or talk to us or write to us here.
-IB-
[Apologies to The Lightning Seeds]
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