Is your firm interested in the green initiative or reducing the amount of paper that is used by the firm?  If so, you should know that there are many ways to support a paperless office, but the most productive one is to change the filing habits and other practices that firm’s have used for decades.

Did you know that by changing the margins on a document from Microsoft’s default of 1.25” to 1” (2.54cm), you can save 8% of the paper used in the office?  Even choosing the font can have an effect.  For example two lines of text using two different fonts show the space savings of Times New Roman:

Worldox has been designed to use the popular Fijitsu ScanSnap scanner to perform one step scanning that does the following:

• Scans single or double sided automatically – even with mixed bundles of documents
• Rotates all documents so they face the same direction
• Converts the document to a PDF
• OCR’s the document so that it can be full text searched
• Creates a profile card and stores the document in Worldox

Thus, some firms that receive a lot of mail from Canada Post will scan it all into Worldox and distribute it to their lawyers and assistants by virtue of placing the documents in Worldox.   Lawyers have a bookmark in Worldox that allows them access to all of their incoming mail.  They can review and file the mail into the client file, ask their assistant to do it or delete the mail if it is not something of enduring value.  The assistants can do the same with a bookmark for each of their lawyers.

Once the document is paperless, lawyers can perform full text searches on the documents and can access the documents remotely from anywhere – something not possible with paper documents.  Storage costs are reduced since the firm does not need to send as much paper off site.

Of course, all of the side benefits of using a document management system come to the forefront when going paperless.

• Version control over documents
• Full text searching of the entire document collection
• Find documents easily through a common firm profile reducing time normally spent searching
• Secure documents in Worldox and in the file system through Active Directory integration
• Use PDFdocs, the integrated PDF manipulation software in the Productivity Suite to manipulate PDF documents
• Remove the possibility that a user will accidentally drag a folder into another making it hard to find
• Review an audit trail of everything that has happened to a document over the past 90 days
• Allow people to work together in a matter centric manner
• Create and configure client extranets providing clients will access to the documents you want them to have access to
• Store email, presentations, Word documents and over 100 other types of document all in a matter centric manner

If your firm is interested in the environment, reducing the amount of paper used and becoming more efficient with file storage, please give us a call at 647.426.1004.  We can help guide you through the path of choosing a suitable solution, be it Worldox or otherwise.

Charles Bennett is the Principal Consultant at Triella, a technology consulting company specializing in providing technology audits, planning advice, project management and other CIO-related services to small and medium sized firms. Indika can be reached at iekanayake@triella.com or 647.426.1004. For additional articles, go to www.triella.com/publications. Triella is a VMware Professional Partner, Microsoft Certified Partner, BlackBerry Alliance Partner, Authorized Worldox Reseller and a Kaspersky Reseller.

Exhibit 1 – American Airlines Spam

This is disguised as an eticket.   The key here to detecting it is the “.zip” extension on the attachment.  Zip files can contain a host of other files which can be used to infect your system.  The other signal is the time that appears after the date – it is not properly formed.  Also, the price has a leading zero instead of a dollar sign.   There are a few other cues, but it requires that the reader pay attention to the message to know that it is spam and potentially viral.  These messages get caught by spam engines, but it takes time for them to be detected and quarantined.  In the interim, like this one, some sometimes get through so it is important that messages be reviewed very carefully before opening the attachment.

Exhibit 2 – Adobe Update

You can identify this as phishing spam by the same “.zip” type of attachment.  Critical updates are never sent by any vendor via email.  “Hello Dear,” is not complete, another sign.  When the attachment indicates a critical update the underlying message in the text sounds like a routine update.   That is a tip off in and of itself.  When you read the updates, they are really all not of any significance.

Of course, the best approach is to delete the message.  But if you are uncertain, go to the source web site by typing the URL in directly or looking it up on Google and then look for information to collaborate what is in the email.  Don’t think that just because you have a spam scanner that some negatively impacting mail will not get through.

Exhibit 3 – Puget Sound Energy

This one is nearly flawless.  Even investigation may lead you to believe the email is legitimate.  But it is spam and contains the same “.zip” package.   Be really careful when opening email attachments – don’t become a part of the next “bot-net”.

• Mobile Hotspot – Turn your BlackBerry into a wireless hotspot and allow up to 5 devices to access the internet.
• Universal Search – Updated to provide more intelligent searching, plus a new auto-suggest feature that filters Bing search results to offer relevant web sites based on your search criteria.
• BlackBerry Tag – Using ‘Near Field Communications’ (NFC) you can now share your contacts and media or invite friends to BBM just by tapping the devices against each other.
• Wi-Fi Calling (where available) – Save your talk time minutes by making phone calls over any Wi-Fi network.
• FM radio – Built into OS 7.1, you can now tune your BlackBerry to local FM radio stations. Your headphones act as an antenna. No data plan is required and no data usage is used.
• BlackBerry Maps – Based upon your current location, BlackBerry maps can offer you special deals, coupons and discounts from nearby vendors, showing you how to get there on the map.
• BBM 6.1 – Invite your friends using ‘Near Field Communication’ (NFC). Just tap the two blackberries together and voila. Also new to BBM are animated avatars, 12 new emoticons, increased character count to 160 characters, colored chat bubbles, and camera/display picture integration.
• BlackBerry Travel – Plan, book, manage or share your itinerary. Get quick, updated notifications if your flight is delayed or cancelled. Use the automatic trip scanner to pull all your trip details into one application.
• BlackBerry Traffic – Now travelling by road has just got a bit easier. BlackBerry traffic offers turn by turn voice guidance and gives an estimated time of arrival based on the current traffic conditions.
• Profile Changer – 3 types of profiles – Daily/weekly timer, calendar keyword integration and Location based profiles.

Availability of OS 7.1 is by carrier.  If your BlackBerry is on a BES server, contact your IT for information on the upgrade.  If your BlackBerry is not on a BES Server, go to Options, Software Updates and the BlackBerry will automatically check for updates for you.

You have used your PlayBook for a few weeks and feel comfortable with exploring and using the applications. It’s time to customize your tablet! One way of personalizing your PlayBook is selecting your own wallpaper. This process is very easy but the process of deciding what picture to display on your tablet is an entirely different story!  Here’s how!

1. Open the Pictures App on your PlayBook.  You will be presented with different categories for the pictures.

2. Choose the category that has the picture you want to set as your wallpaper, or select All Pictures to view them all.

3. After you have decided the picture you want to use, select the picture by tapping on it. The picture should now be enlarged and take up the entire screen on your PlayBook. at the top bezel.

4. Next, bring down the menu by swiping down at the top bezel. In the top right corner you can see the button Set As Wallpaper.

5. Press that button and you will briefly see a pop up alerting you that the picture is being set as your wallpaper.

6. Exit the Pictures app and you will see the picture you just set as wallpaper.

Stardock Fences is an excellent piece of software that allows you to organize your desktop icons into neat little groups without having to do it manually. This feature can also be applied to your documents, pictures, music files and even your favorites for your browser.

When running the program, you can choose the default layout that is available or you can customize the layout, as well as the transparency, brightness and titles of your groups. The program is also able to save your configuration by taking a snapshot. If something goes awry with your desktop, you can easily restore it.

The program uses very few resources on your computer, while starting promptly with smooth graphics. This program is best suited for those who like to save items onto their desktop (not something we typically recommend on corporate networks as the documents stored their do not get backed up).

Installation and setup is quite easy. This program can be used on Windows XP, Vista and 7- on both 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. The program is free but there is also Stardock Fences Pro that offers more features than the basic – such as automatic organization, visual tweaks and automatic snapshot. The basic version can be downloaded here at www.stardock.com/products/fences.

PatternLock is a third-party app designed to give you the ease of “slide lock” but with the added security of a password-entry. PatternLock utilizes touch-screen technology to secure your device, while giving you quick access. The beauty of this app is that it is total customizable.

PatternLock Lite (free version) features include:

• You can setup patterns by connecting the dots that you trace with your finger. The pattern becomes your password to unlock the device. You can also restrict the number of pattern attempts to unlock the device.
• Device can be auto-locked on start-up, device inactivity or from the PatternLock icon on Home Screen
• Customizable backgrounds
• Security question feature, should you forget your pattern.
• Prevents unwanted key presses, garbled emails and accidental phone calls

PatternLock (paid version) offers all the option above, plus:

• Lock individual applications, call screen or entire device
• Can assign hardware button on BlackBerry to lock device
• Can show weather info with installation of additional app BerryWeather ver. 2.2 and up

When setting the pattern, it is important to memorize pattern, which can be done by tracing and re-tracing until you are comfortable with the pattern. Also, this app requires that your BlackBerry automatic password lock be disabled. This means that if your BlackBerry is supplied by your employer and uses BlackBerry Enterprise Server that has a policy which prevents you from disabling the automatic password lock, this app will not work for your device.

To download and install the free version of PatternLock (PatternLock Lite), you can use your device to scan this QR Code:

For the paid version of PatternLock ($2.99 US), you can scan this QR code below with your device:

We are offering training set up to access the remote services at a client site, such as via Citrix, RDS, Terminal Services or VPN.  We also offer complete software loads to allow you to configure a training environment that mirrors or matches your firm’s environment.

The Classroom facility provides: 

• 9 State-of-the-art laptop computers with 17” monitors
• Classroom Style, Conference Room Style and Presentation Style set up choices available
• Comfortable chairs
• 60” TV for computer image projection (from laptop) for classroom use
• High-speed internet connection available throughout the classroom
• A shared colour laser printer
• Boardroom area seating up to 8 students and 1 instructor
• A technical team to help with equipment setup
• Catering services

The room is available Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 6:00pm.

Triella will provide complimentary coffee and tea for the duration of the rental and can arrange catering (at an additional charge).

We are now within one minute’s walking distance from the King and Yonge subway and there is on-street parking in the area during the day.

If you are interested in using the classroom to facilitate training for your company or firm, please give us a call at 647.426.1004.

Earlier this year Symantec announced the release of Backup Exec 2012.  This latest release is focused around 3 key areas: Eliminating complexity, virtualization-centric protection and a one product for any recovery model.

Backup Exec 2012 introduces a fully redesigned user friendly interface.  Tabbed styles like those in Microsoft Office 2010 products are now evident in Backup Exec.

Backup Exec 2012 Interface –

As the industry shifts from physical to virtual deployments and cloud computing becomes more prevalent, Symantec targets the virtual industry by providing a backup solution that can handle all of the backup needs.  From physical servers to cloud services Backup Exec is a one stop shop for all your backup needs.

Some of the new features include:

• Backup Exec V-Ray – a new technology built in to Backup Exec 2012 that will allow users to be able to back up virtual environments such as VMware and Hyper-V.
• Administration Console changes – backup complexity is eliminated with the new interface to give users fast, efficient and concise management of backups.

If you would like more information on Disaster Recovery or Backup Exec 2012 please contact Triella at 647.426.1004.

Chris Childerhose is a Senior Consultant with Triella, a technology consulting company specializing in providing technology audits, planning advice, project management and other CIO-related services to small and medium sized firms. Chris can be reached at cchilderhose@triella.com or 647.426.1004. For additional articles, go to www.triella.com/publications. Triella is a VMware Professional Partner, Microsoft Certified Partner, BlackBerry Alliance Partner, Authorized Worldox Reseller, Citrix Solutions Provider and a Kaspersky Reseller.

$5.00 a month gets you access to over a million music tracks, at 50 songs a month.  However, you’re not just limited to 50 songs.  Your library includes not just your 50 songs… but the 50 songs that your friends are listening to as well.  For example… if you have your 50 songs, and 9 of your friends have 50 songs each… your library of music is now 500 songs!  Also, you are not limited to those 50 songs in a month either… you can swap out 25 songs for 25 new songs each month.  This is handy if you realize many of the songs your friends have are already part of your 50, and you want to change it up a little.

But what about when you’re offline?  Luckily BBM Music has a caching option as well, so when you’re on the subway, or where a data connection isn’t available, doesn’t mean your Blackberry goes quiet!

There are many options south of the boarder that offer similar services for listening to music, such as Pandora, however, many of these services aren’t available to us in Canada… until now.  BBM Music is a great way to listen to your music library, listen and discover new music, and share your music with family and friends.  If your car supports Bluetooth, you can also play your music through your car’s audio system by pairing your BlackBerry with your car!

Until January 1, 2012 BBM Music is free, so give it a try!

A Prezi presentation is designed on a single canvas. All of your content [i.e. video, audio, pictures and text] are placed in whatever order you desire, then a path is traced from item to another. Each item can be moved, resized and rotated, which makes the presentation more exciting and appealing.

Users creating presentations with Prezi can experience a bit of a learning curve, considering the radically different concept and controls; but once mastered, building presentations with Prezi.com becomes relatively simple. If you are working with others remotely, you can also invite or be invited to work on the same presentation. The work collaboration feature resembles using Windows messenger- where you can chat with others, and have live calls and face to face discussions.

Here are some of the more notable differences between Prezi and PowerPoint:

Other products/features of Prezi:

• Prezi Desktop allows Prezi Pro and Educational licenses to work off-line
• Prezi Meeting allows up to ten people to work collaboratively or present Prezi presentations in real-time, whether you’re in the same office or not.
• Prezi Viewer is an application for the iPad which allows Prezi presentations to be viewed. Prezi takes advantage of the multi-touch user interface, allowing users to pan and pinch to zoom in and out.

Prezi presentations can be viewed on your browser, or can be downloaded and copied to another desktop to be presented as a stand-alone application. Prezi presentation can also be viewed on tablets (Android and iOS), full-screen, which can be manipulated by rotating the tablet, and your finger. With the increasing popularity of tablet-like devices, this form of creating presentations may become a more viable option to PowerPoint. All that is required is a Flash-ready browser.

You can also do presentations online if presenting to others far away or overseas. You can generate a link that will be sent to everyone; when they open it, they can watch as you present.

There are three pricing models for Prezi.com- Public, Enjoy and Pro. A public license will allow 100 MB storage for presentations and the creation of presentations online. A Pro license costs $159/year, grants 2GB of storage, premium support, and you can put the company’s logo on the presentation rather than Prezi’s- just to name a few of the perks. You can visit the site Prezi for more details.