Cogeco boosts Internet speed in Ontario

Cogeco Cable has launched a new high-speed Internet package (HSI) in Ontario that will allow customers to achieve a download speed of 50 Mpbs, 1.5 Mbps upstream, and a monthly capacity of 150 GB download.

Called the ‘HSI Ultimate’ package, the service comes with Cogeco's "full range of security services” and includes the modem rental. It is initially available to customers in Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton, ON, but will “progressively be available” in all areas served by Cogeco in Quebec and Ontario in the coming years said the press release

"This new Internet package shows our constant concern to improve our network to satisfy our customers”, said vice president of marketing said Ron Perrotta, in the release. “They can benefit from a more efficient service. With technological advancement, we can offer better access to downstream and upstream Internet, which allows customers to take advantage of applications, available on Internet, more easily."

The HSP Ultimate package will cost of $149.95 per month for subscribers to Internet only, and $144.95 per month for subscribers to Cogeco’s television or telephone services.

This significant increase in speed takes Cogeco to the forefront surpasing Bell and Rogers maximum high speed of 16MB by almost 10 times and their typical internet package by almost 25 times!

Now that's progress small business can benefit from!


www.cogeco.ca

Should I allow Outlook Express to compact messages, and how do I get it to stop asking me if I don't?

A client writes... "About 6 months ago I started getting a message (apparently from Outlook Express, but even when OE is not running) saying "To free up disc space OE can compact messages. This may take up to a few minutes. -OK/Cancel". This has become very invasive and, even after OKing (and losing use of the commuter for several minutes), can pop up again within seconds/minutes and re-pop up within seconds of being canceled. Cause and cure? I've deleted a lot of spam and deleted messages in case these were the trigger."

My honest opinion?

Change email programs.

I'll discuss that option, the bug that you're seeing, and what you might do. But first, I'm going to spend a couple of minutes explaining why I hold that opinion.

I don't recommend or disrecommend products lightly. But what I will do is pay attention to the experiences of the users that ask me for help.

Outlook Express is a fine, fine email program. Because it's free and available on every copy of Windows XP, and came free with Internet Explorer prior to that, it's a very popular email program.

Unfortunately, more people report more problems and lost mail to me having used Outlook Express than any other desktop email program, hands down.

It's probably my biggest source of email related data loss stories.

The most common culprit is, in fact, the very database compaction that you're asking about. I'm sure it works well for many, if not most people, but when it fails it can be disastrous. Even backups can be problematic because Outlook Express is so touchy about the files and format of its email database.

And that, perhaps, is the underlying problem: Outlook Express uses a proprietary and apparently very touchy database format to store your emails. While there are third party utilities, often expensive ones at that, to recover, it's simply not a particularly robust set up from the start and the more email you have, the closer to the edge you're pushing this program.

It's hard to move, hard to recover, hard to repair and apparently easy to break.

But it's free.

The good news is that Microsoft Outlook comes as part of the Microsoft Office Small Business Edition program and is installed on almost all of my clients PC's even if they didn't know it. So, if it's at all feasible I recommend jumping ship at the first sign of trouble. If not before and choosing outlook over outlook express today, while you still get to make the choice.

In the mean time, if you plan to stick with outlook express

•Compact regularly, or you may suffer database corruption.

•If you're up to date, OE will auto-compact after every 100 shut downs if you haven't.

•Never interfere with the compact process or you may suffer database corruption.

•Don't get too fancy in your folder organization or you may suffer database corruption.

•Disable your anti-virus programs scanning of email and email files, or you may suffer database corruption.

•Don't let your folders get too big or you may suffer database corruption.

•Backup, backup, backup in case you suffer database corruption.

Outlook Express works great for the average home user. But in my experience for small business owners, it's time to move on to something more stable.

A note about Windows Mail - the Outlook Express replacement on Windows Vista - and Windows Live Mail - the Outlook Express replacement you can download free from Microsoft.

My feelings on these guys are mixed. They have both apparently abandoned the problematic data store format used by Outlook Express, which in my opinion is great news.

It's still proprietary, but hopefully more robust and recoverable. (I haven't had to try yet!)

However given that you probably already have outlook already, outlook is more stable, reliable and has more features, if you're considering a move I'd be much more tempted to move to Microsoft Outlook for your email needs, it's good for business.

Canadian Accounting Software for the Mac

When speaking at an accounting conference in Ottawa this past weekend the question came up of Accounting software for the Apple Mac, Marilyn of TelPay Inc of Winnipeg Manitoba offered the following as a follow up.

As discussed the information about MYOB’s Macintosh Accounting software for Canadian businesses, is below. FYI, there are two other Mac Accounting solutions that I’m aware of – these are:

Connected Accounting – modular Mac/PC (concurrent cross platform) accounting www.accountek.com/ Multiledger – Mac and PC versions available at http://businesscare.ca/

We’re excited to announce that, after seven years eight months, we finally have an updated Canadian Release for the Mac Platform.

AccountEdge (single user) and AccountEdge (multi-user) have all that you have come to love about ‘MYOB’ (Now AccountEdge) and much more, including the following ‘Top 20’:
1. Business Insights

Help to analyze your business’s current financial situation. It calculates important business ratios to provide current information about profuts, turnover, operating balances, etc.
Ratios include Gross Profit Margin, Operating and Net Profit to Sales Profit Ratios, Inventory Turnover, and more.

2. Card File Action Menu
Provides one-click access to many functions, including letters, emails, and integration to Google Maps™ and directions.

3. List Search
Significantly enhanced search capabilities through most records.

4. Forms Customization
Significant enhancements including background images and much more. Quebec clients will be pleased that ‘Canadian French’ formatting for dates and dollar amounts on cheques are now handled within AccountEdge.

5. AppleScript

6. Automatch
Makes it much easier to ‘match’ fields when you are importing data, and import/export capabilities have been greatly expanded, including Tax Codes, Budgets, Jobs, Custom Lists, Activity Slips, Timesheets, Disbursements, Receipts, Inventory Adjustments, and more.

7. iCal integration

8. MobileMe/.Mac Backup

9. Task List
Customizable for each user, providing one-click access to functions and reports.

10. New Command Centre Interface

11. Undo Bank Reconciliation

12. Address Book Sync

13. Combine Accounts/Cards
Now you can ‘cleanup’ duplicate or redundant cars or accounts by combining them.

14. Company Data Auditor
Automatically ‘audits’ your data file… where possible problems arise, provides direct link to suspect transactions.

15. Negative Inventory

16. Transfer Money between cash accounts.

17. Categories

18. Cash Based Financial Statements

19. Items on Time Billing invoices

20. REAL MacOS X Networking!!! with AENE

AccountEdge has been alive and well during the absence from Canada, and it has grown to provide expanded features and functionality that you have been asking for… we surveyed over 3,000 Canadian users last year, including feature requests. Of those requests, 99% have been incorporated into this release!

• All this for only US$399.00 (or US$549.00 for 2-user AccountEdge Network Edition).

• Previously registered Canadian users may qualify for a US$100.00 rebate by mail, just by submitting their claim together with valid Customer Registration information.

• Includes FREE 30 days Introductory Support from Acclivity (from date of registration)

Thanks Marilyn!

Social Media Marketing?

The new 'flavor of the month' has got to be anything related to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin, MySpace, Web 2.0., etc...

Is there really anything to this Social Media stuff beyond a good story?

Is it all a waste of time like some people think?

Or is it the big thing we have to jump on early to take advantage of the opportunities?

Personally, I think it's somewhere in between. That's why I was thrilled to accept an invitation from the Association of Professional Accounting and Taxation Consultants this past weekend to attend their annual conference in Ottawa Ontario and speak for an entire day on eMarketing.

You can see my lastest notes, ideas and suggestions on my website at www.thetechnologycoach.ca/emarketing

Stay tune in August as I take the information I delivered for the APA&TC conference and turn it into a one day workshop for small business owners...

Look out internet marketing, HERE WE COME!!!

Secure file transfer with encryption

A new client wrote and asked...

"I do a lot of tax work for clients across the country and for clients in the GTA and use the PDF feature on our tax software and my clients love it. What I am becoming increasingly concerned with is security relative to Adobe Acrobat file attachments. I understand that there is a service or software that enables you to send encrypted data and the recipient must have a prearranged password. You stated that you would let me know what software or service provider might be available in this situation.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thanks!"

I was able to suggest...

I was able to confirm the large file sending solution I’ve used in the past and have recommended to several clients called YouSendIt does offer a secure channel, their website security says they offer SSL encryption.

You can find you send it at www.yousendit.com and details of their secure service here: http://www.yousendit.com/cms/security

U.S. Government Web Sites Downed By North Korea?

As reported by Author: Michael Horton of TechFragments

If you had tried accessing many of the U.S. government web sites since July 4th, you were probably presented with a page that said cannot find server or unable to load web site. This is the result of a targeted DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack on the Treasury Department, Secret Service, Transportation Department and Federal Trade Commission web sites. The attack apparently is coming from North Korea according to South Korea intel.

The attacks on the web sites began on July 4th and seems to have continued during this week, leaving one web site still down.

Officials in the U.S. have not been discussing the details of the cyber attack but South Korea's National Intelligence service said that the attacks were believed to be from North Korea which actually isn't far-fetched at all since they launched multiple missiles in defiance of the U.S. on July 4th.

The department of Homeland Security has issued notices to federal departments and is advising them on how to take steps to mitigate the attacks. Typically with these type of attacks you must block them from the upstream providers so that they never reach the web sites. The major problem with this is that the pipelines leading to the web site will still be saturated allowing hardly anyone through, if at all.

United States Border Firewall System
I am a believer in creating a national firewall system that's passive, in the means of no traffic is "inspected" or logged but in the event of such attacks like this and others - it can be filtered out before coming into the United States. I am by no means a security guru nor do I pretend to understand how the pipelines come into the U.S. but I could see such a system working if it were at all possible.

It would have to consist of many firewalls across different providers and would only affect traffic coming INTO the U.S. from overseas. Envisioning something and then actually proceeding with carrying out that envision are two totally different things. For those of you that are experts in this field, would anything remotely be possible like this? Could we ultimately have a "border firewall" that protects our infrastructure and networks from outside attacks like this?

How do I change the size of the text on my screen. I'm using a laptop, but at a distance. Would prefer bigger font for all programs.

Change The Windows XP Font Size If your Windows XP computer's default font size seems a little small for comfortable viewing, you can easily make the font larger. Here's how: Right-click an open area of the Windows Desktop and then click "Properties" to open the "Display Properties" window. Click the "Appearance" tab. In the drop down list labelled "Font Size", select the desired size. Click "OK" to save the change and exit the "Display Properties" window. There are three font sizes to choose from, these being, "Normal", "Large Fonts" and "Extra Large Fonts". As the name implies, "Normal" is the Windows XP default size. To return to the default font size, follow the procedure outlined above and choose "Normal" in the "Font Size" list. The change will alter the font display in Windows title bars, dialogs and menus. It will not normally alter the font in documents such as word processor files or web pages. To Change the font size in word or excel simply use the Zoom tool, to change the font size in internet explorer hold down the CTRL Key and Press the + sign, or the - sign to increase and decrease.

Scott Kendall
Small Business Technology Specialist
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Microsoft Security Advisory: Vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX control could allow remote code execution

Microsoft announced today that a security vulnerability has been detected (and since fixed) in several versions of their internet explorer software that would allow a hacker to use ActiveX Video playback features to get remote access to your computer.

The official announcement found on the Microsoft website here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890