iPad for Productivity…IT Perspective. Post #3

Email: the tool we all hate to love these days.

Unified inbox includes mail, social media and linkedin #playbook #rim (Photo credit: Florian SEROUSSI)

Here, in a nutshell, are my pros and cons of my time experimenting with the Mail app for the iPad.

PROS:

Larger Screen:  If I am comparing the iPad to a smartphone, as with web browsing, mobile email solutions benefit from a larger screen size.  Less scrolling and possible resizing, more room for images or attachment viewing, etc.

Interface:  The newer version of Mail for iOS comes with the Unified Inbox, enabling me to see all my new mail from multiple accounts in one Inbox.  I can, of course, still scroll and select individual accounts and folders as required.  The Move command for mail items is nice and intuitive as well, bringing up a nice interface to select the destination.  The ability to sync/push multiple folders and set several other features is not different from on the iPhone per se, but are still good features.

CONS:

No Attachment Support:  This is the big one.  There are workarounds in the form of Apple and third-party apps.  However, one of the largest complaints I see among business users of the iPad is the lack of a dedicated file and navigation system in iOS for documents and such.  This rears its ugly head in a number of places, but the most painful one is around mail.  In order to send attachments via email on the iPad, I can’t do it from Mail.  I have to do it from another application, such as Pages, or DropBox, etc. and this is counterintuitive when I spend a good chunk of time reading and composing emails and passing and receiving attachments.  The solutions I have come up with are OK, but are not great, and this is one of the single biggest limiting factors in using the iPad for productivity (at least, if your productivity includes lots of emails and attachments!).

Interface Oddities:  Some things about the Mail interface bug me.  When you navigate to a message and select it, it makes the active mailbox/folder the one the item is in.  When I want to change from this item to an item in another folder, or the inbox, for instance, I have to go through a series of selections and scroll operations to move back and forth.  This can be a nuisance for those with heavy mail operations where moving around between folders is a common task.   Another area is with the virtual keyboard.  Though it works, it is not as natural for me as I had hoped, and compared to the iPhone, I actually think I make more typos on the iPad keyboard.  Also, the screen real estate loss is frustrating.  Hooking up a bluetooth keyboard for this is fine, but requires the extra work.

SUMMARY: 

This is obviously not a super-comprehensive review of all email-related features and issues on the iPad platform, but it provides an overview of my most favorite pros and cons.  Bottom line: Mail for iOS is a solid email client, but nagging interface issues and lack of organic attachment support prevent me from finding it a completely suitable replacement for a dedicated computer and keyboard in the form of a laptop, ultrabook, or even netbook.

iPad for Productivity…. IT Perspective. Post #2

The mobile web… An undeniably central portion of any good modern on-the-go worker’s toolkit.  It really doesn’t matter what your job or business is, it seems there is always a need for the mobile web in an average modern day.

Once I got used to using the Safari browser on my iPhone, whether on wi-fi or 3G, there was no going back.  Despite the limitations and frustrations of mobile browsing, being able to almost instantly pull up a Google search, map directions, product information, store hours, technical walkthrough, or any number of web uses while on the go for work is no longer a luxury.  It is a necessity on the majority of my days away from the office or home.

However, mainly due to the constant pinching and zooming required on many smartphone browser sites, the idea of an iPad as a step up from the smartphone that is still more convenient than pulling out a full laptop is one of the categories of testing I set out to conduct in this new technology model I’ve forced on myself.

And I have to say, it has been a largely pleasant experience.  

PROS

Screen Size

The version of Safari for the iPad is really no different than the iPhone – they are both the iOS version.  At first thought, I felt there would be little difference in experience.  But the extra few inches of screen real estate make quite a difference in many ways, the web being one of them.  Not having to do as much zooming in and out, and crisper, larger text make for a big difference when doing mobile web activities.  This larger screen size translates into a larger virtual keyboard as well, which pays dividends.  Lastly, tabbed browsing is more efficient as you can see and switch tabs without having to bring up the separate screens and scroll left and right between them as you do in the iPhone browser.

Dedicated Browsing

What I mean by this is that many times the mobile web searches I am conducting on the go happen while I am using my iPhone for a business call as well.  Having to switch back and forth between apps and screens on the phone while in th call can be tedious and cause accidental hang-ups, etc.  Having the iPad to use for full-screen multi-tabbed browsing while simply using the iPhone for the call itself or even other kinds of multi-tasking not involving the browser enhances the experience and efficiency.

Hands-Free

With the Apple screen cover for the iPad that doubles as a stand for the iPad, I can set it up on a counter, table, desk, whatever and have a vertical hands- free browsing experience while holding a phone or using my hands for other necessary work.

Bluetooth Keyboard

Freeing up even more screen real estate with one of the bluetooth keyboards made for the iPad makes the experience even more pleasant, especially for things like filling out forms, blog and forum posts, etc.

Battery Usage

The iPad battery life is much longer than the iPhone for browsing, especially as my phone battery drains due to voice calls and other usage throughout the day.

CONS

Browser/Site Incompatibilities

There are some websites that don’t play well with Safari.  The solution to this is to download one of the other browsers, such as Opera or Atomic, available for the iPad, and test those until I find the one that works best with a particular site.  This is more pronounced than in Windows or OS X as some pages want to load a mobile version and others don’t, and certain site functions don’t work as well with the iOS.

No Flash

For me, this is rarely an issue as I generally don’t rely on much Flash content, especially for work.  Occasionally there will be a walkthrough video I would like to be able to view for a task I am trying to complete, but this is quire rare, and more and more sites are providing HTML5 or other alternatives to Flash for this very reason.

Wifi Only

My particular iPad is wifi only, so I don’t have as much freedom browsing as with the 3G option on my iPhone.  However, this is only because I didn’t want to double-pay for an additional 3G data plan for the iPad.  Instead, I am going to wait until the data plan expires on my current Acer netbook and then look into one of the 4G portable hotspots that power multiple devices, which will include the iPad.  This shouldn’t be taken as a real Con, as it is specific to my situation.

Summary

For mobile web activities related to IT support and productivity (as well as many other business tasks and uses), the advantages of the iPad seem to greatly outweigh the cons.  The tablet gets a Win for this category of mobile productivity.

Next Week: Email Solutions

iPad for Productivity? An IT perspective… Post #1

One of the exciting and sometimes challenging/frustrating aspects to my job with NSI Partners is the review and testing of new technologies.  When this is software- or browser-based, it is relatively easy to do these tests from my existing computers and devices.  From time to time, though, it is the primary computing devices and models themselves that I have to be willing to test and play with.

ipad (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

Such is the case with a recent experiment: restrict my mobile computing solution to an iPad and iPhone, ditching the powerhouse laptops I’ve gotten accustomed to in lieu of a desktop computer solution for the home office.  Why torture myself?  To see how successful I can really be performing a wide range of computing tasks while away from the office using a “truly mobile” device — one with a mobile operating system and size/design as opposed to something like a Netbook – which is just a low-powered Windows laptop with the full OS.

So for several weeks now I have been working (and studying) with this device model:  iPad 2, iPhone 4s, and powerful iMac at the home office.  The experience so far has been both liberating and frustrating, providing a benefit in some scenarios and lots of pain in others.

For the next few weeks I will write about various aspects of this experience, making the rounds on a variety of produuctivity and software categories, detailing the apps I have tested, the ones I have rejected, and what solutions are both liberating and compromising.

 Ultimately, there are 2 answers to the basic question of qhwther the iPad can be a mobile computing solution.  If you perform complex computational tasks while on the road (graphic editing, video conversion, detailed document/spreadsheet/presentation design), the iPad is not for you – at least, not as a full mobile computing solution.  On the other hand, if you tend to spend most of your mobile computing time in email, web browsers, performing limited or simple document creation, or doing a lot of remote machine access, then the iPad may well provide you a lightweight, compact, successful mobile computing solution.

Read as I post the next several weeks if you care to learn more about my experiences in this odd IT challenge…

Website Design and Hosting for Small Organizations

As part of my duties as IT Manager for NSI Partners TechConnect, I also oversee our Hosting services.

Image via Wikipedia

In today’s marketplace, the Internet, and the Web, are everywhere.  From desktop and laptop computers, to tablets and smart phones, to TVs, other home electronics, and even some cars, the ubiquity of the Web is enormous.

Whether you are a for-profit or not-for-profit organization, a web presence is essential to draw attention, provide services, get new customers, and communicate with constituents.

Many places today offer simple, easy-to-configure, bottom-dollar priced do-it-yourself site design and hosting.  Some of these sites, such as our own NSIHost, offer such services and additional features you can easily add in (e-commerce, SSL certificates, various Social Media plugins, etc.).  This is a great option if you are willing to spend a little time getting comfortable with the interface, tools and walk-thrus available to build your own site.

Another option is to contract with a provider (NSI Partners provides these services as well) to design a site for you, often using images and graphics you provide, with a layout design you have input into, and features / add-ons that make sense for your goals and organization.  This, of course, is more expensive, but gives you the luxury of a no-hassle site designed by experts without having to spend much time fiddling with the site design yourself.

There are other choices to make, such as the registration of domain names (e.g. www.mycoolsite.com), whether or not you want email accounts for your registered domains, and whether you want your website in a shared or dedicated hosting environment.  In addition, Search Engine Optimization is very important if you want to be found.  Many online marketing firms offer services in these areas, including NSI Partners, and money spent on various forms of online marketing usually means more visitors, links from others, and ultimately, customers.

The main point here is that if you are part of a new small business, a non-profit or ministry organization, or represent some other organizational interest, you need a website, and it’s not as complicated or intimidating as one might think.

If you are ready to get started, follow one of the links in this post, or fill out our contact form, and one of our Design and Hosting experts will reach out to you and assist you in the next steps for your agency!

Case Study – Remote IT Support Colorado Springs

The Challenge

TechConnect was tasked to manage the technology needs of a client with 4 separate office locations and a corporate section with over 20 separate workstations. Technology needs included security, backups, and custom industry-specific software. Client also needed to keep costs low and as predictable as possible.

The Solution

TechConnect determined that remote-access technology would allow us to do much of the work remotely, saving time and money and cutting down on overhead. To that end, we installed remote-access solutions for full remote access to all machines and VPN connectivity between stores for purposes of sharing files/folders and software client-server relationships.

We upgraded all machines in an affordable manner to high hardware and software environment standards. We also set up public and private Wifi networks at all client locations. Network security software was configured to provide security on all computers and routers, and backups for disaster recovery were set up on essential machines, utilizing offsite cloud backups for key files.

A schedule of weekly remote maintenance checks on all machines keeps all client software updated and ensures only necessary business software remains installed and properly configured. Thanks to remote-access technology, the client’s monthly maintenance cost is a fraction of a traditional IT support contract.

Case Study – Network Support

The Challenge

End server tape backups and move to Network Attached Storage (NAS) backups with a proper, robust Windows domain and Exchange-capable backup solution. Also implement a new domain-wide security solution with alerts and reports.

The Solution

We purchased and installed affordable but capable NAS devices with RAID mirroring for extra backup redundancy. Symantec Backup Exec and Symantec Endpoint Protection was licensed, installed, and configured and on the client’s Small Business Server. We configured weekly reports and as-triggered alerts for a variety of conditions, to be sent via email to proper personnel.

Remote-access technology was leveraged to allow us to perform weekly reviews of key reports and ensure regular updates on server and client machines. Verifying backups and maintaining space on NAS for continuous backup sets is also done remotely, minimizing costs and overhead for the client.

Case Study – Small Business IT Services

The Challenge

Move from an aging and poorly-performing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program (Goldmine) housed on a dedicated server rented from a third-party provider to a state-of-the-art, cloud-based CRM + product. Identify and migrate gigabytes worth of data, and ultimately save money if possible.

The Solution

After conducting detailed research, we identified the Group Edition of Salesforce.com as being ideal for the number of subscribers required. There was a one-time cost to assess and migrate all the data from the old Goldmine server into Salesforce. After this initial transition, users warmed quickly to the new platform and Web 2.0-centric interface and features. Migrating to Salesforce also substantially reduced annual CRM costs.

Migrating to Office365 from onsite servers

Image by Microsoft Sweden via Flickr

This week our team will be doing another “move to the cloud” for one of our clients.

Small and Medium Organizations who have previously installed onsite Windows Servers in order to run Microsoft Exchange for email, contacts, and calendars can benefit from the new cloud services Microsoft is offering.  This is a particularly well-timed decision when you might be considering upgrading an aging Small Business Server 2003, or other aging Server platform running Exchange.

Why?  Because the cost of migrating a smaller organization to Microsoft Office 365, plus the ongoing annual cost of a relevant subscription tier, can be less than

or equal to the cost of a new server and associated costs.  The added advantage of much lower ongoing maintenance and upkeep costs (as Microsoft staff do 90% of that work at no additional cost) can be a very wise choice in today’s business and technological marketplace.

Beyond email, as I have written about previously, Office 365 offers online, browser-based versions of Office applications for document creation and editing on-the-go, and also features the newest Microsoft SharePoint cloud interface for online document storage and sharing (as well as other intranet-related features).  The newest addition to the offerings is Microsoft Lync, which replaces the older Office Communicator and Live Meeting products and empowers instant messaging, real-time voice chat, screen-sharing, and other cool communication tools.

A small business or organization without an on-premise Windows Server or Exchange environment can easily setup new accounts and enable better email, calendaring, contact management, document sharing and storage, and IM and collaboration tools than they have previously had available.

All this can be had at around 6.00 per user per month for the features I have described, a price competitive with Google Apps for Business but which integrates much more organically with Windows operating systems and Office products.

More and more of us are moving to the cloud for essential services for our agencies andy businesses.  Office 365 provides a cost-effective and very useful set of tools for any organization today.

If you are interested in learning more or want to receive a free quote on how NSI Partners TechConnect can assist your organization with cloud-based technologies, contact us today at tech@nsipartners.com !

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Running Windows Applications in OS X Lion with Parallels 7…

Lately I find myself in what I would normally have thought of as an awful IT scenario:  figuring out how to run Windows and OS X side-by-side, or at the same time.  In my mind, it seems somewhat counterproductive to bog down a nice Apple hard drive with a Windows client.  Microsoft Office for Mac already has a poor reputation for performance in MacBooks.  But the idea of running a full-blown edition of Windows, whether via BootCamp or virtually, seems scary in some ways.  Didn’t I switch to OS X to avoid all the problems I’ve had for years with Microsoft OSes?  Why would I invite the trouble back?  Well, generally, I wouldn’t.  There is part of me that cringes at the idea of what could happen, given my history with Microsoft’s unpredictable software environments and designs.  That being said, what if you really want to get your agency or small business over to Apple computers for all their greatness, but there’s a few people who just can’t stand the thought of living without some Windows-only software?

Parallels to the rescue!

With the most recent version offering new OS X Lion – integrated features, this program is really a great option for organizations or users in the scenario I describe above.  Whether you install a copy of Windows to Boot Camp or simply a virtual version within Parallels, there are a host of appealing touches to this popular and well-designed app that make it the one to beat in my opinion.  With the ability to share drives and profiles between your OS X and Windows user accounts, map Windows program shortcuts to the Lion dock, access the Windows Start menu and taskbar from INSIDE OS X, and vice versa from inside your Windows environment, the solution seems the best of all possible worlds.

While there are a lot of menus and features to play with in order to turn on and off the more advanced features, it took me all of four hours to get the app installed, partition a virtual drive, install Windows, download and install needed Windows updates, a full version of Microsoft Office, and learn enough about the way Parallels enables “co-existence” of the two OSes to convince me it would be a decent solution for some of those in my company fitting the scenario I described earlier.  No longer do I have to tell them their best option is to just stay on a Dell or HP laptop.  I can now offer them the security, OS, user interface, stability, and other great features an Apple computer offers, while still enabling them to run those Windows-only apps they feel tethered to.

For any other IT folks, or business/non-profit organizations in a similar place, wanting to move to Apple computers but still connected to a few pieces of Windows-only software, Parallels 7 is my recommendation!

Browsers….IE vs Chrome vs Firefox vs Safari….and we can’t forget Opera!

Image via Wikipedia

Browser battles are ongoing regularly these days.  Mozilla is releasing new versions of Firefox with increasing rapidity, and market share has definitely changed, but a comment from one of my co-workers this past week made me ponder why so many are still using Internet Explorer when it is still having more problems than most other browsers.

To be fair, IE has made major progress from 7 to 8 to 9.  Regularly rotating into the top position in terms of speed and security features, Microsoft is doing their best to keep up with the competition.

New features, such as HTML 5 support, hardware acceleration, best plug-in libraries, and now RAM optimization (Firefox) must be emphasized by browser manufacturers in order to try to differentiate themselves.

One thing I have noticed is that, in most cases, speed is now the least relevant item to use to distinguish one browser from another.  All recent benchmark reviews I have seen, really over at least the last year, show no “human-discernable” difference between browsers.  However, one area where IE seems to consistently lag behind the other browsers is in Java-scripted site content, where it continues to struggle.

All this, and regular usage of all browsers, has led me to realize that the “look and feel” and feature-set are more important to me than raw speed, stats, or behind-the-scenes security settings that aren’t exactly visible.

For instance, the RSS-feed-aggregation in Safari I wrote about in my last update.  As an IT professional I regularly need to be seeing and digesting industry news, updates, tips, etc.  This method of adding feeds in Safari, and the built-in tools and sorting methods it provides, represent a real improvement in efficiency AND my own experience/perception.

All else being equal, it seems the individual user experience, which is NOT measurable in the way most benchmarks work, makes the biggest difference for individual selections.

Some of my co-workers like Firefox because they are used to the larger library of plug-ins.  Chrome, the first to introduce search in the address bar, with a more-streamlined UI and behind-the-scenes updates, impressed others and hasn’t done anything since then to convince them to switch.  Opera, long considered the “geeks” browser, actually won the latest round of speed tests done by Lifehacker, and continues to add new and interesting features, some of which are not immediately apparent.

However, looking at the stats, it seems the overwhelming issue for users is which browser is the default for their OS.  Even though I can and have installed Firefox and Chrome for Lion, I rarely find myself opening them because Safari does everything to my satisfaction and I really enjoy the minimalistic interface.  Since Windows still ships with the largest percentage of computers sold, and IE is the built-in, default browser, the majority of people still use IE. Despite its’ lag, bugginess, and lack of some features and UI design elements compared to other browsers, most users seem content to use it.  Maybe because they don’t need to spend extra time researching, downloading and installing other browsers, configuring and migrating favorites, plugins, etc?  Or maybe because a high percentage of the computer-using world doesn’t even realize other browsers are options, and might provide them value?

Regardless of the causes, I must say that when it comes to browsers, it is one area where ignorance is NOT bliss, and I am glad to have the time to regularly review, test, and experience the various products.

What are your experiences?