Welcome not only to the first newsletter of the year but also to a new decade - 2010!. This is going to be a momentous year, not least of all because SA is hosting the soccer world cup. Our best wishes that this will be a prosperous and exciting year for all of you.

Now for the news from Zulucom

• Latest websites
• Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility
• Change passwords when staff leave your business
• Remote support using Teamviewer
• Printer cartridges - originals at best prices!
• In conclusion

Latest websites
Here follow our recent website launchings -  we welcome all of you to Zulucom!:

• Bubble Ball KZN
• Esikhotheni
• Zululand on Canvas
• Boskasie Wildlife Holiday Accommodation

Microsoft Office 2007 compatibility
This article was published in our November 2008 newsletter but not everyone is aware of this option so I am repeating it here;

The latest version of Microsoft Office is MS Office 2007. This incorporates a feature called  Open XML Format which produces files that can't be read by earlier versions of MS Office. For example it will produce a Word document titled myfile.docx. Your PC knows how to open files that end .doc, but it has never seen .docx before, so doesn't know what to do with it.

Luckily Microsoft have published a compatibility pack that will allow any earlier version of MS Office from Office 2000 to read this new format, and it's a free download!. You had better have ADSL or know someone who does though, as it's a 28 meg file. Once downloaded just run the file to install it and after that you will be able to read and write Office 2007 format files without having to spend a fortune buying new software!. (The versions of MS Office supported by this compatibility pack are; Office 2000, Office XP, Office 2003)

Change passwords when staff leave your business
Staff movements are a feature of modern life - staff resign or leave an employer for many reasons, unfortunately not always pleasant ones. Whatever the circumstances it is sensible for any business owner or manager to change logon passwords and/or usernames when someone leaves the company. This is especially true in the case of e-mail passwords, which many users can access remotely. Left unchanged, an ex-employee could access e-mail, including orders or enquiries, and could cause you embarassment or loss. So better safe than sorry, change relevant access  passwords when people leave - it is the responsible thing to do.

Remote support using Teamviewer
Being an ISP and hosting service provider a lot of our work consists of help-desk work - helping users setup new e-mail accounts, verify settings, change internet accounts, even setup backup systems etc. Often this is done over the phone, but only so much can be done telephonically - some issues are too complex for telephone support. A few months ago we registered a commercial licence for a service called Teamviewer. This service allows anyone to invite us to remotely control a PC or server so that we can setup mail, map a printer or network drive or try to diagnose a problem. As long as you are connected to the internet we are able to do this, and distance isn’t an issue - I fixed a problem on my daugther’s laptop from our office in Empangeni - while she was sitting in London!.

To access Teamviewer just go to www.zulucom.co.za and download the application - it is quite small - about 1,2 megs. All you need do is to click on the Teamviewer icon bottom left on our home page - it will ask you if you want to save the file, so save it somewhere you can find it later - the Desktop is a good choice. Once downloaded double-click the file to run it - after installation it will come up with an ID and password. If you give us these details we can temporarily take control of your PC using Teamviewer to resolve the problem.

We generally charge R125,00 excl of VAT for the service - here are the advantages to this form of support;

1. It is faster than calling out a technician - we can often handle the remote call right away because we don’t have to travel.
2. It is cheaper than calling out a technician - our standard rate is just ½ hr labour.
3. While we are busy fixing the problem you can see what is going on - this might help you to resolve problems of this sort yourself in future.
4. It is safer than most other forms of remote control because we cannot take control of your PC unless you invite us - without giving out the ID and password you are quite safe.
   

So if you want a technician on site without paying a call-out fee, phone Zulucom - we can be there virtually immediately!. (Even people who are not yet Zulucom clients are welcome to call us for this service.)

Printer cartridges - originals at best prices!
Anyone who operates a printer knows that the toners and cartridges that you need to keep them running can be expensive. Some users turn to refills which may appear cheap but our experience is that they can leak or block and can even destroy the printer itself. We as Zulucom have never used refills - we have only ever used genuine cartridges and we have never had a problem with our printers.

It is not widely known that we sell a good range of cartridges, all original and fully guaranteed. We mainly stock HP, Lexmark and Canon, and if we don’t have in stock we can usually order in. Next time you need to order please approach us to quote you on the cartridge or toner for your printer - you will be pleasantly surprised by our pricing, and you will be sure that you are getting the manufacturer’s original, not a refill or a generic.

In conclusion
Reader’s Digest often run really good articles, and we have a bookshelf full of old copies in the house. I picked one up just a few days back and I found an article titled “The best thing you can do for your child” and it made a lot of sense to me. (this article is aimed at parents and grandparents of young children). The article talks of Jim Trelease who wrote a book titled “The Read-aloud Handbook” -  he says that the one thing that inspires a love of reading in children is to be read to aloud. I can’t cover the whole article here but he reckons just 10 or 20 minutes a day spent reading aloud to your children will bring out a love of books in them, which will make them better students and improve their abilities throughout life. Here is a link to an article by a teacher who met Trelease;  http://newteacherresourcecenter.com/?p=1614 or you can just Google Jim Trelease or ‘reading aloud’.

TV and computer games pull children away from reading - this is a way to reverse that trend.

From the team at Zulucom till next time,
Chris King