Biz Tech Talk

Computer Q & A for 2009

For my Holiday post I decided to compile a list of the most frequent questions I get. This is in no way exhaustive or comprehensive, but I get these a lot so maybe they'll help you.

1. What type of wireless security should I use? I always turn on WPA2 security. It is the highest level and has yet to be cracked by any organization.

2. What wireless speed should I get? Wireless routers and access points come in a number of speeds. A/B/G/N. While B/G/N are completely compatible with each other, A is a different beast all together and cannot be used in conjunction with B/G/N. The current fastest standard is 802.11N. N is the fastest wireless connection possible and the signal carries the farthest. To get the maximum speed, both the router AND the computer must be the same. If the router is N and the computer is G, you will only get G speeds.

How Much Computing Power Do You Need?

Some of you may be old enough to remember the birth of the personal computer. Back then it was all about hardware speed. The software at the time was advancing (getting bloated) so fast that hardware manufacturers scrambled to keep up.

My first computer had an Intel 8088 processor. At work I had an Intel 386 with 8mb ram and a math coprocessor. That machine had to be upgraded because the scanning software was too much for it, so I got a 120MHz Pentium with 24mb ram. Meanwhile at home I had upgraded to a Cyrix-based, (IBM produced home processors for a while) 150MHz machine that could only run Windows 95. On and on it went, upgrading hardware so I could run the latest software.

The Internet Is At Full Capacity?

That’s right, according to AT&T the Internet is to hit full capacity by next year.  As an IT guy, I’m always wondering why a company that makes its living selling bandwidth is now telling us there will be no more capacity by next year.  I understand what AT&T is trying to say.  The Web 2.0 change has now moved the Internet from a medium where we mostly viewed static web pages, to a media extravaganza where we can watch HD movies, listen to music, upload videos and enjoy entertainment content at the click of a button.  This change in content means there’s a much greater need for bandwidth.  But why yell it to the masses?  Why not just upgrade your infrastructure and satisfy your customers?  The cynical side of me can’t help but wonder if AT&T is throwing this out there so that next year they can up their monthly rates to “Pay” for the upgrades that need to happen. 

 

Windows 7, To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade

Windows 7 is here, and while anyone can go to a number of places to learn about the technical bells and whistles of the newest operating system from Microsoft, most business owners don't use bells and whistles as a business reason for upgrading. From a business perspective, why would anyone want to plan the move to Windows 7?

How Should We Be Communicating

In the "Olden Days", the list of communication vehicles was quite small. Face to face, Parcel Post or Telephone were pretty much the only normal modes of exchanging information. Then in the late 1980's the fax machine started its rise to power as the new "instant" form of 1-way communication, and the information race started.

20 years later we have so many ways to communicate, it's daunting. Land lines, VoIP, Cellular, Twitter, Texting, Facebook, LinkedIn, IM, "snail" mail, E-Mail, Fax, etc. Many of these technologies have huge overlaps so you can email, text, websurf, IM and twitter directly from your cell phones. The computing power in a plain old "Dumb" cellular phone far surpasses the computing power the Apollo 11 Astronauts had at their disposal while the "smart" phones, PDA's, iPhones and Blackberries are just phenomenally-complex and intricate devices that we take for granted.

PCA Group Launches PCA Programmers Web site

The PCA Group launches the PCA Programmers Web site, www.pcaprogrammers.com.

Welcome

Technology continues to change at warp speed.  New technology offerings and terms flood and overwhelm businesses.  It is the goal of this site to close the gap between technology trends and businesses -- using plain English.  Please be sure to leave us feedback so we know how we're doing. Thanks.