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Our 4th Annual Technology Showcase a Huge Success!
VODA Computers held its 4th Annual Technology Showcase on May 12th, 2009 at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort.
We had record number of attendees, presenters and booths.
The Delta Grand did a fantastic job.
Awesome prizes were won and a wealth of information was shared by all.
Get the Free Office 2007 update
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 Service pack for Microsoft® Office 2007 is now available and includes major performance enhancements for applications such as Microsoft Office Outlook®, Excel®, Word, and PowerPoint®. The easiest way to download the service pack is from Microsoft Update. You can also download and install the update manually.
The update offers improved Outlook 2007 performance and stability, better Excel 2007 charting functionality, and more control over the appearance of SmartArt® graphics. With this service pack, Office 2007 also has built-in support for Open XML, ODF, and PDF documents, which makes it easier to work with different file formats in the same application. Find out more.
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Work from Anywhere - Cisco can help!
As your business grows, success means giving people the flexibility to work from home or on the go.
With Cisco Small Business Solutions, your workforce has easy, secure, wired or wireless access to:
- Your company's resources. Securely access data whether you're in the office or working remotely. Being mobile and staying productive in any environment helps boost revenues.
- Customers, colleagues, partners, and suppliers. Customers can reach available workers as incoming calls are automatically routed to whatever mobile device your employees choose. You can provide secure guest access. Employees can work after hours from home and save money on travel costs.
- Your network. With dual-mode phones that work both on data and cellular networks, you can continue conversations even as you move in and out of the office.
Need to start smaller? Talk to VODA Computers about getting just the security basics for now. Then, over time, you can add capabilities to address your business challenges in a way that works best for you.
VODA Tip
Everyone is aware that adding more memory to a PC or laptop will improve the speed and performance of it. Did you also know this is the same for printers? All printers come with a base memory to store portions of print jobs when printing. A lot of the mid to higher end printers have the capability to add additional memory. For most, it is quite easy to install as well. This will improve the speed at which jobs get spooled and printed. Ask ours sales team if there is additional ram for you new or old printer.
Quote of the Month
Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent, only perfect practice makes perfect.
— Norton Juster
Product of the Month - Phaser 6128MFP
Phaser 6128MFP Competitive Edge
- Excellent colour print quality can produce your colourful business documents better than some competitive products
- Environmentally-friendly because the Phaser 6128MFP generates up to 90% less waste than comparable colour laser multifunction printers
- Easier to install on the network than most competitive products
- Intuitive front panel makes programming jobs easy and delivers copies in one click
- Advanced functionality not included with some competitive products includes LAN fax, network scanning via SMB and FTP, and ID Card Copy
- Control your costs better than with some competitive products with N-up printing and copying, ID Card Copy, run black, and device access controls
- Security features including IP filtering, secure fax receive, secure print, and scan to email with authentication are not all available on some competitive products
- More standard memory than competitive products enabling advanced features and reliable printing of large and complex files
- Xerox Total Satisfaction Guarantee, only offered by Xerox, ensures that you will be satisfied with your choice to buy a Phaser 6128MFP
For more information please contact a VODA sales rep today!
Ask the VODA Expert
Q: What are some common mistakes that can ruin my computer?
A:
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Assuming your security software is protecting you
Security software is fully effective only when activated and frequently updated. (Most products can update automatically.) To update most commercial software products, you must pay an annual fee. Last fall, the National Cyber Security Alliance and the software maker McAfee found that nearly half the users polled who thought their software was protecting them hadn't updated it regularly. Software bundled with a new computer requires special attention because its subscription may expire within weeks.
What you can do: Renew the subscription when the software prompts you. Make sure your security software is active when you’re online and that it has been updated within the past week or so. (Most products will display that information.) If it wasn’t updated recently, verify that its automatic updating feature is enabled. If it isn’t, that‘s the problem; enable it, then update manually. If you can’t, your subscription has probably expired. Renew it or call the software maker. If you can update only manually, automatic updating might not be working. Call the software company’s support line for help.
- Accessing an account through an e-mail link
No matter how official an e-mail message looks, trying to access a financial account by clicking on embedded Web links is risky. If the e-mail message is fraudulent, a cybercriminal could use the account number and password you enter to steal your identity or empty your bank account.
What you can do: If an e-mail message asks you to update your password, account number, or other information, don’t take the bait. Access an online account only by using your existing browser bookmark or typing in the institution’s Web address. If you suspect that an e-mail is a phishing attempt, forward it to spam@uce.gov and reportphishing@antiphishing.org.
- Using a single password for all online accounts
Statistics show that nine percent of home Internet users said they used a single password for all their accounts. That practice lets someone who gets your password and steals your identity easily access all your accounts.
What you can do: Using different passwords need not be burdensome, use variations on one password. A well-crafted password uses a combination of at least eight letters, numbers, or punctuation symbols. For convenience, you can use a fingerprint reader to store passwords for sites you go to often. For more on secure passwords, go to How to tame the password tangle.
- Downloading free software
You couldn’t resist that neat, free utility. Or your teenager couldn’t resist those fish-tank screen savers and smiley faces. Now your computer runs more slowly than ever. That’s because spyware was probably packaged with the freebies.
What you can do: Download freeware only from reputable sites such as SnapFiles.com and Download.com. Tell your kids that free software is often anything but. Eliminate most spyware by downloading the free Microsoft Windows Defender and scanning your PC. If you use Windows Vista, there should already be a copy of Defender on your computer.
- Clicking on a pop-up ad that says your PC is insecure
Even if you know such pop-ups are phonies, they’re still dangerous. It’s easy to click inside the ad by mistake and be transferred to a spyware site or, worse, have malware automatically downloaded onto your computer.
What you can do: When closing a pop-up (shown at left), carefully click on the X on the upper left or right corner, not within the window. To avoid pop-ups altogether, enable your browser’s pop-up blocker or use a free add-on blocker such as Google Toolbar.
- Shopping online the same way you do in stores
Online shopping requires special precautions because the risks are different than in a walk-in store: You can’t always be sure who you’re doing business with. You must disclose more personal information, such as your address, to the online retailer. Thieves can sneak in undetected between you and the retail site.
What you can do: Use a separate credit card just for your Internet shopping. Don’t use a debit card. Sites that display "https" before their address when you’re entering sensitive information and those displaying certification symbols from TRUSTe and other organizations are usually safe, but there are no guarantees. When in doubt, get a virtual account number from your credit-card company. It’s good for only one purchase from a specific vendor.
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