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Creating and Customizing Quick Steps in Outlook 2010 (Houston IT Consultant)

by Yehuda Cagen 16. March 2011 08:12

 

Quick Steps are easy-to-use one-click buttons which perform multiple actions at once. If you file your mail, they can be a life saver – one click and that conversation is filed away and marked as read. If you send e-mail to the same people over and over – one click and you have a new email to your team. As your work style in Outlook changes, you can configure Quick Steps to work the way you do.

 

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares her insights on the “Quick Step” one of the improved features of Outlook 2010.

 

What is a quick step? It is a 1-click button which performs multiple actions saving you time and increasing productivity.

 

If you like to file your emails to folders, create a Move to Folder ‘Quick Step’ in two easy steps.

 

1. Name the folder

2. Choose the folder

Finish

 

Do you email the same person or group of people all the time? Set up a Sent-to Email ‘Quick Step’.

 

1. Place recipient name in designated area 2. Choose their email address from your address book or type email address Finish Forward, Flag and Categorize emails quickly by setting up these quick steps as well and more with the custom option.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

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Microsoft Training

Exploring PowerPoint 2010 (Houston Computer Services)

by Yehuda Cagen 8. March 2011 12:40

 

Welcome to Part 4 (see Part 1,  Part 2, & Part 3) of a series of tech tips on Microsoft Office 2010.

In this edition, Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares some of the new and improved features of Microsoft PowerPoint 2010.

Improved features of Microsoft PowerPoint 2010:

·         The ability to co-author, merge & compare presentations

·         Organize slides into sections, allowing for a more organized way to share with others.

·         Video editing can be done inside PowerPoint 2010 instead of outside and then placing into the presentation, saves time and frustration.  

·         There are more artistic textures, effects, animations, and transitions, allowing for more eye catching and interesting presentations.

·         When working with a picture, it is now possible to remove background if desired.

·         Adding a screenshot is a great new feature and is available in Word as well. This feature adds the ability to take a picture of a screen including your desktop and place it right into the slide without much effort.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

        Questions about this article?

        Suggest a topic

        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

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Microsoft Training

Exploring Microsoft Excel 2010

by Yehuda Cagen 22. February 2011 12:01

 

Welcome to Part 3  (see Part 1 and  Part 2) of a series of tech tips on Microsoft Office 2010.

In this edition, Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares some of the new and improved features of Excel 2010.

New features in Excel 2010:

·         Sparklines-tiny, word-sized charts that can appear in a cell. (Insert tab)

·         Slicer-allows you to filter your pivot table similar to the way Filter fields filter in a pivot table. The difference is that Slicers offer a user friendly interface, allowing you to see the current filter state easier. Provides a rich visualization of your pivot table. (Insert tab)

Improved features of Microsoft Excel 2010:

  • Pivot Tables-(insert) now possible to fill-down labels in pivot tables.
  • Charting-(Insert) Improved chart feature:
    1.  Ability to double-click chart with a format dialog box.
    2. Macro recording is available and
    3. The limitation of data point that can be created has been removed.
  • Named Sets-(formula)create your own named sets, field, items & sets on Ribbon allows you to define your own sets.
  • Filter Capabilities-(data) New search filter-use this when searching in Excel tables, pivot tables, and pivot charts which allows you to also deselect what you don’t need.
  • Conditioning Formatting-(home) makes it easier to highlight cells or range of cells & new icon sets, more options with data bars, along with the ability to refer to values in other worksheets in your workbook.
  • Performance Enhancements - It is more responsive when you move or resize charts, work in page layout view and interact with shapes on a worksheet. Also takes less time to perform commonly performed task on large data sets such as; filtering, sorting, and copy/paste. Opening and saving large files is faster than before.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

        Questions about this article?

        Suggest a topic

        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

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Microsoft Training

Exploring Microsoft Excel 2010

by Yehuda Cagen 22. February 2011 11:58

 

Welcome to Part 3 (see Part 1 and Part 2) of a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares of the new features along with listing some of the improved features of Excel 2010.

New features in Excel 2010:

·         Sparklines-tiny, word-sized charts that can appear in a cell. (Insert tab)

·         Slicer-allows you to filter your pivot table similar to the way Filter fields filter in a pivot table. The difference is that Slicers offer a user friendly interface, allowing you to see the current filter state easier. Provides a rich visualization of your pivot table. (Insert tab)

Improved features of Microsoft Excel 2010:

  • Pivot Tables-(insert) now possible to fill-down labels in pivot tables.
  • Charting-(Insert) Improved chart feature:
    1.  Ability to double-click chart with a format dialog box.
    2. Macro recording is available and
    3. The limitation of data point that can be created has been removed.
  • Named Sets-(formula)create your own named sets, field, items & sets on Ribbon allows you to define your own sets.
  • Filter Capabilities-(data) New search filter-use this when searching in Excel tables, pivot tables, and pivot charts which allows you to also deselect what you don’t need.
  • Conditioning Formatting-(home) makes it easier to highlight cells or range of cells & new icon sets, more options with data bars, along with the ability to refer to values in other worksheets in your workbook.
  • Performance Enhancements - It is more responsive when you move or resize charts, work in page layout view and interact with shapes on a worksheet. Also takes less time to perform commonly performed task on large data sets such as; filtering, sorting, and copy/paste. Opening and saving large files is faster than before.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

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Exploring Microsoft Excel 2010

by Yehuda Cagen 22. February 2011 11:43

 

Welcome to Part 3 (see Part 1 and Part 2) of a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares of the new features along with listing some of the improved features of Excel 2010.

New features in Excel 2010:

·         Sparklines-tiny, word-sized charts that can appear in a cell. (Insert tab)

·         Slicer-allows you to filter your pivot table similar to the way Filter fields filter in a pivot table. The difference is that Slicers offer a user friendly interface, allowing you to see the current filter state easier. Provides a rich visualization of your pivot table. (Insert tab)

Improved features of Microsoft Excel 2010:

  • Pivot Tables-(insert) now possible to fill-down labels in pivot tables.
  • Charting-(Insert) Improved chart feature:
    1.  Ability to double-click chart with a format dialog box.
    2. Macro recording is available and
    3. The limitation of data point that can be created has been removed.
  • Named Sets-(formula)create your own named sets, field, items & sets on Ribbon allows you to define your own sets.
  • Filter Capabilities-(data) New search filter-use this when searching in Excel tables, pivot tables, and pivot charts which allows you to also deselect what you don’t need.
  • Conditioning Formatting-(home) makes it easier to highlight cells or range of cells & new icon sets, more options with data bars, along with the ability to refer to values in other worksheets in your workbook.
  • Performance Enhancements - It is more responsive when you move or resize charts, work in page layout view and interact with shapes on a worksheet. Also takes less time to perform commonly performed task on large data sets such as; filtering, sorting, and copy/paste. Opening and saving large files is faster than before.

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

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Exploring Microsoft Outlook 2010

by Yehuda Cagen 7. February 2011 09:07

 

 

Welcome to Part 2 (see Part 1 here) of a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

 

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares some of the new and improved features of Outlook 2010.

 

The new and improved Microsoft Outlook 2010 includes:


       Conversational View-Emails regarding the same topic are now more organized and easier to manage.

       Email attachment preview-no need to open and attachment to see the details, this feature saves you time and enhances safety.

       Delay Messages-compose that important message now and set a date and time for it to send, no more forgetting the emails in draft folder.

       Preset Out of Office Messages-Don’t wait til you are ready to head out the door, preset your Out of Office so you don’t forget. Great new feature!

       Overlay Calendars-Easier appointment scheduling due to overlay of calendars.

       Calendar Snapshots-Send a snapshot of your calendar allowing someone to see when you are available.

       Business Card Themes-add a photo to the card, great for that personal touch.

       To Do Bar takes place of the task pane.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

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Exploring Microsoft Outlook 2010 (Houston Computer Services)

by Yehuda Cagen 7. February 2011 09:05

 

Welcome to Part 2 (see Part 1 here) of a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

 

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares of the new features along with listing some of the improved features of Outlook 2010.

 

The new and improved Microsoft Outlook 2010 includes:

       Conversational View-Emails regarding the same topic are now more organized and easier to manage.

       Email attachment preview-no need to open and attachment to see the details, this feature saves you time and enhances safety.

       Delay Messages-compose that important message now and set a date and time for it to send, no more forgetting the emails in draft folder.

       Preset Out of Office Messages-Don’t wait til you are ready to head out the door, preset your Out of Office so you don’t forget. Great new feature!

       Overlay Calendars-Easier appointment scheduling due to overlay of calendars.

       Calendar Snapshots-Send a snapshot of your calendar allowing someone to see when you are available.

       Business Card Themes-add a photo to the card, great for that personal touch.

       To Do Bar takes place of the task pane.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

Tags:

Exploring Microsoft Outlook 2010 (Houston Computer Services)

by Yehuda Cagen 7. February 2011 08:59

 

Welcome to Part 2 (see Part 1 here) of a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

 

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares of the new features along with listing some of the improved features of Outlook 2010.

 

The new and improved Microsoft Outlook 2010 includes:

       Conversational View-Emails regarding the same topic are now more organized and easier to manage.

       Email attachment preview-no need to open and attachment to see the details, this feature saves you time and enhances safety.

       Delay Messages-compose that important message now and set a date and time for it to send, no more forgetting the emails in draft folder.

       Preset Out of Office Messages-Don’t wait til you are ready to head out the door, preset your Out of Office so you don’t forget. Great new feature!

       Overlay Calendars-Easier appointment scheduling due to overlay of calendars.

       Calendar Snapshots-Send a snapshot of your calendar allowing someone to see when you are available.

       Business Card Themes-add a photo to the card, great for that personal touch.

       To Do Bar takes place of the task pane.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

 

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5 Advantages Of A Cloud Utility Architecture For Younger, Fast-Growing Companies

by Yehuda Cagen 31. January 2011 04:12

As seen in Enterprise Features.

 

Until recently, many of today’s business executives saw IT as a financial sinkhole rather than as a profit center. As a result, many have opted with what, at first glance, seemed like the least expensive option. Today, many business leaders recognize that IT has become more integrated into the business process.

There are those, however, who believe that you can better control your own destiny by using in-house IT equipment. One argument contends that this option does not put the client company at the mercy of third-party vendors or tied into their long-term binding contracts.

Indeed, if you’re looking to outsource your IT function to cloud computing provider, you should always be careful about signing a long-term contract. Computer technology evolves so quickly that it’s hard to know whether your vendor has the resources to keep pace.

Security is also a great concern. It’s important for small businesses to choose their vendors wisely. The “cloud” provider should have proven skill levels, such as certifications or client references. Be certain that their services meet your standards by asking the provider to offer a trial period.

A proven vendor should have no problem offering a trial of their service or software. Be wary of those who do not. Generally, it’s important for the clients to compare the performance with their own pre-established objectives. Failure to meet the established service levels must result in a predefined penalty.

Certainly owning and managing your own equipment seems fairly innocuous for a small business. However, over time, key components - such as CPU, disk, RAM, and, to a certain extent, the network – begin to bottleneck, resulting in latency or crashing of your system. These problems grow exponentially in organization with satellite locations and remote users. All too often the typical in-house answer for these problems is to throw more money at it. Buy another server. Add more redundancy. Hire another IT support person. It can become a vicious, never-ending cycle.

Here are a few additional reasons why a cloud/utility architecture would be better suited to a younger, fast-growing company.

Better IT Budget Forecasting: IT has quietly assumed a larger portion of the corporate budget and has consequently become more integrated with the overall financial plan. Most pundits agree that the purchase cost of equipment represents only a fraction of the total IT budget. The volatile nature of IT, such as unexpected crashes, security threats and upgrades only increases budget uncertainty. Since in most cases, the cloud provider assumes virtually all capital IT and personnel costs, executives need only to forecast for a consistent per user monthly fee.

Rather than overinvest to meet demand, the organization can deploy IT resources on-demand – as the market dictates. This simplifies the task of budgeting for potential growth, particularly with complex expansion or merging projects when headcount is increased or reduced. The organization pays only for the resources it uses, and as head-count fluctuates, costs are adjusted accordingly.

 

Adapt More Quickly to Evolving Market Conditions: The conventional process of purchasing, installing, managing, protecting and supporting an onsite IT system has become a vicious cycle and runs contrary to management’s role to reduce recurrent expenditures. Organizations can leverage the cloud provider’s enterprise-level IT resources and deploy them as-needed. This helps break the cycle of recurrent IT expenditures and positions the organization to adapt to evolving market conditions.

 

Manage Risk Better: Simply put, the more IT investments, the greater the risk.  However, most organizations must over-invest in IT to meet growing demand, thus increasing expenditures and the involved risk of IT maintenance and management. Cloud providers reduce the organization’s dependence on onsite systems by assuming the costs and risks of the entire IT lifecycle: hardware, backups, security and support.  Liability no longer lies in the hands of the management to purchase, manage and upgrade equipment. Executives can allow the organization to pursue growth opportunities without incurring the risk of significant capital outlays.

 

Manage Rising Energy Costs: Powering, cooling, and operating PCs and servers make for huge electric bills. Since humid conditions can be detrimental to a computer system, office temperatures must be set at cool levels to keep a server running. Gartner Research estimates that the electrical bill alone per server can cost $3,700 over four years.  Going to the cloud helps companies reduce their electric bill by centralizing equipment and moving in-house IT to a safely monitored, disaster-proof data center. By centralizing computer equipment into a remote location, companies can also reduce the office utility bill.

 

Improve Employee Morale in Recessionary Times: IT problems such as computer downtime to due server crashes or security issues only add to an already elevated stress level. Downtime lessens employee productivity and company productivity. Cloud solutions allow employees to work from home using the same familiar desktop interface, drastically reducing commute time and costs and improving employee morale.  Remote users have ubiquitous access to the provider’s support team. Most providers have executive-focused management consoles that enable management to monitor employee activity remotely.

 

Even today’s multi-national enterprises have embraced cloud computing as more cost-effective, agile and efficient alternative to onsite systems. The only exception to this rule would be the use of onsite systems as a testing environment for IT projects.

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

 

Exploring Microsoft Word 2010 (Houston Computer Services)

by Yehuda Cagen 28. January 2011 10:27

 

For the next few weeks we will be running a series of tech tips on the new and improved Office 2010 software programs; Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.

 

 

There are many new features, and improvements to old features. The increase in productivity and the customization for individual users are the key benefits of the 2010 versions.

 

Houston IT Consulting expert, Cheryl Smith, shares of the new features along with listing some of the improved features. Next week tech tip will be focused on Outlook 2010, so stayed tuned.

 

The new and improved Word 2010 includes:

·         Ribbon Customization-customize the ribbon for your individual needs, increase productivity.

·         Enhanced Themes-more to choose from in 2010.

·         Quick Access Toolbar-Add any command to the QAT which allows you to use this function no matter what tab you are in.

·         Paste Preview-Amazing time saver-see what a paste will look like before pasting.

·         Document Navigation Pane-See sections of the document while you are in it.

·         More Templates-They have added many more templates for you to use, great addition.

·         Screen Capture Tool-capture part of your screen to share with others.

·         Background Removal Option-great new features for pictures, artistic enhancements are available.

 

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you would like to learn more about this subject, please feel free to contact us:

·        Questions about this article?

·        Suggest a topic

·        Learn more about our Houston computer services 

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