Computer Works of Toledo is now known as BizTech!

In an effort to simplify their business and increase their level of service, Computer Works of Toledo, a provider of information technology solutions to Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, is excited to announce that they are taking on their parent company name…BizTech. 

In 2004, Business Technical Consulting, LLC (BizTech) acquired Computer Works.  Ever since, they’ve been delivering high-quality, professional information technology (IT) services and solutions to their clients in the Toledo area and throughout the United States. BizTech and Computer Works believe it is time for their company to unite under one name. 

“Our management and technical support team remains intact, and our clients will continue to receive the same quality services and products they’ve come to expect,” said Joe Zalewski, Managing Partner and COO at BizTech. “The name change represents a cohesive team that is strategically focused on serving our clients.”

BizTech has many services to offer, including:

ü  Ink & Toner Supplies – Order ink and toner from BizTech & get free delivery in the Toledo area.

ü  UnlimITed Support Services – ‘All You Can Eat’ Technical Support at a fixed monthly rate.

ü  On-Demand IT Services – BizTech will fix your technology problems at an hourly rate.

ü  Network Infrastructure – From deployment to administration, BizTech keeps your computer networks efficient.

ü  Virtualization Services – Lower energy costs and make work something you do, not somewhere you go.

ü  Mobile BI – Access business data while on the go with smartphone and tablet device integration

ü  Business Continuity – Network backups and database recovery will keep your company from losing profits.

ü  Printer Services – BizTech will keep your printers, copiers & fax machines running with maintenance & repairs.

ü  Business Software – BizTech specialize in Manufacturing ERP Systems and Business Software Solutions.

About BizTech

Founded in 1999, Business Technical Consulting, LLC (BizTech) is dedicated to providing complete Information Technology (IT) and business solutions that deliver long-term value to our clients. Strategic Partnerships with our clients are forged by investing the time to understand business objectives, so that we can deliver valuable results that will help their organizations to be more productive and profitable.  BizTech delivers results with solutions from industry leading manufacturers such as Infor, Microsoft™, DELL™, HP, Citrix® and Cisco. BizTech is an Infor VISUAL™ ERP Channel Partner, a Microsoft™ Registered Partner, a Citrix® Authorized Solution Advisor, and Comptia A+ Certified.   At BizTech, we help you…Plan IT, Run IT, Protect IT, & Fix IT.

or more information about BizTech…

Please visit our website at www.gobiztech.com or call 800.804.4715.  

7 Ways to Make Your PC Last Longer

A primary concern for most business owners is how to get the most bang for your buck. When you’re purchasing expensive technology, this becomes an even more valid point of consideration. Buying computers is one of the larger investments you have to make in order to effectively run a business. To avoid surprise crashes and loss of data, it’s not recommended to hold onto a frequently used computer for more than four to five years. However, there are things you can do to help prolong its life span and enable it to perform better over time, saving you money in the long run.

1. Keep it clean
Dust, dirt, food and other particles tend to accumulate in the crevices of keyboards, mice and monitors. If not removed, these particles can scratch hardware components and eventually build up enough to cause overheating, shortening the life of your computer. To avoid this, make sure to dust and clean your computer and its accessories on a regular basis. Compressed air is a great way to get small particles out of keyboards and tight cracks.

2. Keep it dry
PCs and liquids do not go together well. Never drink or rest water, coffee, soda or anything liquid near a desktop or notebook. A spill could mean you’ll be buying a new one much sooner than you had planned.

3. Give it space
This tip applies mostly to laptops/notebooks. The nice thing about them is that they’re portable. On business trips, it can be tempting to set them down on a hotel pillow or bed while you’re casually answering emails or doing research. But soft, padded surfaces do not allow airflow into the ventilation holes underneath the notebook, which leads to overheating. To limit this risk, make sure you always rest your notebook on a cool, solid surface, allowing air to travel underneath it.

4. Protect it
Viruses could be the biggest threat to the health of a notebook or desktop. One of the very first things you should do when you buy a new computer is install anti-virus software. Some popular, effective applications include Microsoft Security Essentials and McAfee.

5. Give it more memory
Painfully slow processing is a sign that your computer may be starting to fade on you. Add extra RAM (random access memory) to relieve the strain of an overloaded machine. Once it stops relying on hard disk memory, your computer’s performance will become exponentially faster.

6. Keep it uncluttered
All of the programs that you don’t currently use on your computer are taking up valuable space. Getting rid of them will improve performance and save memory. Most PCs have a “disk cleanup” function that will delete “unseen” files and empty caches. You can also go through your files manually and remove anything you haven’t been accessing.

7. Choose it wisely
There are many things to consider when purchasing a computer. If you’re looking for a desktop or notebook that can stand the test of time and endure harsh environmental conditions, a computer such as the HP Elite PC may be your answer. All Elite products must endure 115,000 hours of durability testing to prove they’ll be able to give you many years of reliable service.

Unfortunately, no matter how well you take care of it, the reality is that no computer can live forever. To decrease your risk of a catastrophic crash, make sure you don’t wait too long to buy a replacement. After several years, most computers start to display glitches and show signs that they could be struggling. To be on the safe side, you should plan on replacing your desktops and notebooks about every four years.


These 7 Tips were gathered from HP's Technology at Work Newsletter

Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for Less!

If you purchase(d) an eligible Windows 7 PC anytime between June 2, 2012 and January 31, 2013, you are eligible to get an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $14.99- which will be redeemable when Windows 8 is generally available on October 26, 2012. You will have until February 28, 2013 to register for the offer to get Windows 8 Pro for $14.99.

Did you already buy a Windows 7 PC prior to June 2, 2012 (or have a Windows 7 PC not eligible for the offer)?  Not to worry! Starting on October 26, 2012, you will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99!

Windows 8 Upgrade offer program details

Have questions about this great offer? Contact a Solution Advisor at
info[at]computerworkstoledo[dot]com or call 419.534.3010.

Tech Tips to Increase Your Work Productivity

• Use Windows keyboard shortcuts
• Start with using just a few; Ctrl+C (copy); Ctrl+V (paste); Ctrl+S (save).
• Get rid of Spyware
• Spyware slows down your computer- getting rid of it can make your life much easier.
• Use more than one monitor
• Using dual-monitors greatly increases your productivity- no more clicking to different tabs on your spreadsheets, and copying/pasting into different documents becomes a cinch.
• You could even have one screen for your emails, and another for other tasks.
• Sort your email inbox
• Creating folders and filters can help you manage your chaotic inbox.
• Use calendars
• Using your calendar in Outlook or Google Calendars keep track of your meetings, appointments and other important tasks that you don’t want to forget about.

Get Data into Excel without Retyping or Copying

If you've worked with Excel long enough, you've probably needed to get data into Excel so that you can analyze it, or maybe create a chart. Where does this data come from? It might come from a database or some other program, or even the web. And it can come in a variety of forms.

The last thing you want to do is retype it, and copying from another program or from the web and pasting directly into a cell in a workbook might leave you with nightmarish looking results. Luckily for you, there's a much better way to get that data into Excel. Importing!.

When you use the Text Import Wizard, you don't open your data source in its native program. You point Excel's Text Import Wizard to a file, and the wizard leads you through a few steps where it looks at the rows of data in the source file and makes suggestions based on the layout of the file. 

Start the Text Import Wizard

1.  To import the contents of the file, select an empty cell in Excel — this can be in a new workbook, a new worksheet in an existing workbook, or in an existing worksheet.
2. Now, click the Data tab, and in the Get External Data group, click From Text.
3. This starts the Text Import Wizard. Go find your file, and click Open. Notice how the Delimited button is already selected?
4. If your data is delimited by commas, click Next. The default delimiting character in Excel is the tab character, so it's pre-selected here in step 2.
5. Click Next to go to the third and last step of the wizard. Select each column and change its data type so that it has a format you prefer or a right or left margin.
6. Click Finish
7. Now, Excel asks you if you want to import the data right here in the current cell or create a new worksheet.  Accept the Existing Worksheet and cell =$A$1, and click OK.

Read the comprehensive instructions with illustrations on the Microsoft Office Blog

10 Ways Hackers Breach Security

1. Stealing Passwords
Dictionary attacks, brute force attacks and hybrid attacks are methods that are used to guess or crack passwords. These attacks can be minimized by having longer, more complex passwords or using multiple factors for log-in authentication.

2. Trojan Horses
A Trojan horse is a malicious payload hidden in a benign host. A Trojan can be anything- a program that destroys hard drives, corrupts files, records keystrokes, duplicates emails, etc. A Trojan horse could be delivered via email attachment, website download, screen savers or even greeting cards. Anti-virus protection along with malware scanners can prevent a Trojan from causing damage to your computer.

3. Exploiting Defaults
Attacking a network can be very easy if users always use defaults set by vendors or manufacturers. Account and password defaults, along with installation defaults such as path names, folder names, and settings can all be used to hack into your network. Prevent this by always changing passwords and using custom installation settings.

4. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
A MITM attack occurs when an attacker is able to fool a user into establishing a communication link server or service through a rogue entity. This is often done by sending a legitimate-looking email (maybe from your bank) with a link to a fake website with that looks similar to your bank’s website. Users often enter their log-in credentials, and BAM- the hacker has your information. To prevent MITM attacks, always verify that links from websites stay with trusted domains.

5. Wireless Attacks
While deploying wireless networks is inexpensive and easy to do, it is more expensive to secure a wireless network. In fact, most hacker attacks are more easily accomplished when a wireless network is present. If you have a wireless network, make sure that the appropriate security measures are in place.

6. Doing their Homework
Hackers learn how to overcome your security barriers by researching your organization. A hacker can learn a lot about your company in just a few minutes, and often spend 90% of their time doing background research. Examples of what they can learn: +The operating system you use, major programs, programming languages, platforms and more- from job postings; +Employee home addresses, phone numbers, employment history, driving history and more- from free and paid background research sites; +Usernames, email addresses, directory structure, file names and more- from website scanners.

7. Monitoring Vulnerability Research
Hackers are doing their research, and you also need to! Keep track of discussion groups, website postings, and third-party security oversight discussion groups of every vendor whose products your organization uses.

8. Being Patient & Persistent
Hackers often spend weeks or months researching their targets. Then, they have to select a specific attack point, design their attack, test and drill the attack, improve the attack, schedule the attack, and finally, launch the attack. Attacks are more successful when the hacker does it one small step at a time. Likewise, preventing hacker attacks requires patience and persistence. You must watch the most minor activities on your network with auditing processes keep current on patches, updates, and system improvements.

9. Confidence Games
Many security mechanisms used today are very effective against most hacking attempts. That is why hackers are going for your people. People are the biggest problem with security because they are the only element within a secure environment that has the ability to violate the rules. People can be tricked or coerced into violating the security system to grant the hacker access. Educate your people by training them about what to look for and to report all abnormal interactions. Even those who believe their position is so minor in the company can be targeted- and often are.

10. Already Being on the Inside
The majority of security violations are actually caused by internal employees. Disgruntled employees and those who join the company only to exploit it are reasons that persons on the inside attack. Internal security defenses should be employed to prevent these occurrences. Defenses include keystroke monitoring, preventing users from installing software, not allowing external media sources, disabling USB ports, extensive auditing and internet filtering and monitoring. (Information collected from Global Knowledge)


Are you having security issues? Contact us at 419.534.3010 or via email for help!

Microsoft Outlook Email Tips

• Make sending a file through e-mail even easier. You can send a file on your computer through e-mail by right-clicking the file, pointing to Send To, and then clicking Mail Recipient. Text is automatically added to the body of the message; however, you can delete the text and add your own text by clicking in the message body and pressing CTRL+A.

• Open several messages at the same. time Hold CTRL while you click each message. After you select the messages, on the File menu, point to Open, and then click Selected Items.

• Use a file shortcut instead of an attachment to reduce the size of a message. Right-click the file and drag it to the Inbox. On the shortcut menu, click Send with Shortcut.

• Sort messages alphabetically by sender name. To sort, click Arranged By and then click From. To reverse the alphabetical order, click From again. To sort by Subject line, click Subject. You can sort this way in any table in Outlook

• Find related messages. To find related messages, right-click the message, and then on the shortcut menu, point to Find All and then click Related Messages. The Advanced Find dialog box appears with a list of related messages.

• Jog your memory with a follow-up flag. Create a follow-up flag as a reminder to follow up on a message. On the Actions menu, click Follow Up and click the flag color of your choice.

• Save searches that you use often. On the Tools menu, point to Find and then click Advanced Find. In the Advanced Find dialog box, specify your search criteria and click Save Search on the File menu. You can share the search results with others by sending the search results file as an attachment in an e-mail message.

From the Microsoft Office Website