The Latest Anything With Computers

Archive for April, 2011

Hiring the wrong computer consultant is not only frustrating, but it can also leave you cheated of your money. There is no dearth of ‘IT consulting guys’ who cause inconvenience with their unethical behavior. For this very simple reason business owners are left feeling over-charged. The reason being – they do not choose their consultant with care. Here are a few points that will help you guard yourself from scams and getting ripped off.

1) Run a background check: Today, with a few hundred dollars and a click of a mouse, even you can be a computer consultant. The point I am trying to get across is that the computer industry is not regulated like the medical, law or accounting fields. Due to lack of laws and code of conduct, consumers are not protected from malpractice and substandard work. Therefore, it is absolutely important that you conduct a through background check by checking business references so that you can distinguish the professionals from the wannabes. You should always ask for references and if you don’t get any, then stay away from those consulting companies.

2) Interview the prospective consultant: Remember the last time you shopped for shoes? You tried on a pair, walk around in-front of a mirror, trying to assure yourself of making the right choice. It would be wise if you interviewed your consultant just as meticulously. Try questioning him about his knowledge regarding the software you use, his previous network assignments, specific responsibilities, duration of experience and how many technicians he has on staff. A good IT consultant will always do his homework and answer your questions with relevant proof. By having a short discussion with open ended questions you will realize whether they are interested in solving your business problems or sending you hefty invoices.

3) Sign a contractual agreement: Make sure to enter into a written agreement which specifies nature, duration of work, rate of compensation etc. This will ensure that the consultant is aware of his task and meets all your specifications. An agreement will protect you from having to pay for undelivered service and/or substandard work. It’s always a good idea to run it by an attorney and insist a change if any clause is not in your interest.

4) Check the compensation scale: A major mistake many business owners make in hiring an IT consultant is without checking the going rate in the industry. You need to do some research to find out the pay range for the services you require before overpaying. While large IT consulting firms charge anywhere from $350 to $400 per hour, individual consultants are likely to charge about $100 to $300 per hour. Charges also vary depending on nature of job, your geographical location and the consultant’s reputation and duration of experience.

5) Warranty: As a standard rule you must be offered a one year guarantee on the service of material used. Also enquire what the consultant’s policy is regarding exchange, emergency support system and technical assistance. However, some problems are so common that consultants cannot guarantee that they will not recur i.e. the problem of pop-ups and internet viruses.

6) Do your own research: More than often, IT consultants buy additional software or equipment either to upgrade or repair your system, and most of the time you are charged for it. If you do basic research, you can compare the market price to the price you are being charged. Very few IT consulting companies will actually pass on the savings to you, ask the consultant, if they say they do not make money on the purchase make sure they mention that in the contractual agreement.

7) Demand an explanation: There are many people out there who are looking for any excuse to get their hands into your pockets. By talking in technical lingo your consultant may try convincing you into buying the latest and the greatest whether or not you need it so that he can make money from the purchased software. So go ahead and request explanation in simple English and consent such a purchase only when convinced. Be aware of any technical consultant who tries to sell you a product just because it’s new and run away (real fast) from those who recommend that the solution to all your problems is to upgrade to the latest network equipment.

As technology advances, the average computer user’s level of knowledge decreases. Due to this they trust people with the slightest computer training to be experts and hire them as IT consultants. Many people have been duped in the bargain. If you feel you are not being treated right or are being ripped off, go ahead and get a second opinion. Ultimately, a lot in this world runs on trust. You should be able to have a relationship with your IT consulting company. Why should you settle for anything you’re not comfortable with? You might know a thing about technology, but if your prospective IT consultant makes you feel any smarter by educating you a little more, then you have winner.

The Indonesian minister of informatics and communication Tifatul Sembiring said that the efforts of blocking can decrease the porn sites until 90%. To make success the efforts, Tifatul invited some internet service providers (ISP)

In Indonesia, there are approximately 200 providers. In a week, they have the great efforts to filter porn sites. There are about 4 millions porn sites and the minister hopes can reduce it until 90%.
According to him, the blocked sites are the sites with niche nudity, sex, and prostitution. The priority in blocking is the keyword related with pornography, not only the URL sites. “If the keywords related with pornography, we will block” he explained
He added that to block the porn sites, he admitted that it is very difficult to realize it. This is because the filtering should pass through several steps. He also said that it is too difficult to block all of the porn sites. One of the sites might be free from blocking.
He also added that the blocking is done not because of Ramadan month. But, this blocking is will be done step by step and it is done far away before Ramadan comes.

Just imaging a phone ringtone that makes people turn around and look at a passerby who catches their attention. A good ring tone that reflects your personality will add to your persona. It will be a customized tone reflecting your mood and taste. Therefore, it becomes important to know how to download free ring tones online. In case you great rock music buff and choose opera music, it will be a mismatch to your personality. So, next time you sift the Internet, make sure that you know about correct ring tone profile that is compatible with your phone model. There are ring tones that come in mono and polyphonic format.

A mono ringtone is that which plays single type of music and a polyphonic ring tone is that which use sequence recording of several tones. Once you know about your phone model and ring tone it supports, you can use online ring tone sites where you can choose from various songs. In case you have a high end set that supports memory card and USB port, you can download a song and play it as a ringtone. For phones that support USB port, one can directly load ringtone in the memory card and for those which do not support; one has to load them on the phone. The only difference in the above case is that in the latter option, you cannot access the ringtone. For ringtone collectors, phones that come with the option of memory card and enhancive memory are a great utility.

However, if you are planning to download a ringtone make sure that the online service provider is genuine. It some cases, if ringtone is taken from an unknown source, there are chances of Trojan and other virus attack. In case you are asked to furnish you credit card number and other crucial personal identification information, it can be used for phishing. Therefore, it is necessary in case you are downloading free ringtone online. In order to safeguard your system form unnecessary virus threat, many mobile phone manufactures and creating WAP (wireless application protocol) enabled phones that can access the Internet and buy their choicest ringtone at affordable cost.

Apart form the USB port enabled handsets; Bluetooth is the new technology that helps in sharing ringtones in a safe manner where there is no virus threat. Therefore, if you follow proper way of downloading ringtone from an authentic service provider, you will definitely cut short the risk of any possible overcharge in lieu of free ringtone and safety threat that comes with unknown ringtone service provider. So, next time you try to download ringtone from the Internet, you can choose from rock music, pop, metal, hip hop, jazz and folk music. A good ringtone will make your phone appear different form the usual ring. A specific ringtone will make a distinct persona which will reflect you differently in a crowd. Finally, while downloading a ringtone from the Internet make sure that it is supported by your mobile phone set.