webtechy.co.uk: Newsletter #2 (November 2003 Issue)

Dear Sir/Madam,

Welcome to the November 2003 newsletter (Newsletter #2) from webtechy.co.uk. In this issue we are covering a range of topics, as below:

A Little About webtechy.co.uk
Customer Relationship Management Doesn't Have To Be Expensive!
Time for a Web Site Upgrade?
Reliable, Affordable Web Site Hosting
Protect Your PC

If you have any comments, or items you would like to be in our next newsletter, then I would be keen to hear from you. I can be contacted at b.weeks@webtechy.co.uk.

Regards,

Ben Weeks
b.weeks@webtechy.co.uk
Business & IT Consultant
+44(0)7968 847 178
www.webtechy.co.uk

A Little About webtechy.co.uk

webtechy.co.uk is an IT consultancy based in Cambridge, UK. It is a small company, consisting of myself, Ben Weeks. From time-to-time I call on the skills of a network of other IT professionals.

We help SME's with the appropriate use of IT, helping them to run their business smoothly and efficiently.

Our core skills are producing web-enabled applications that are data intensive, such as Intranets, Extranets, web sites, and web based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

We help SME's by:

Developing new applications and tools that help organizations do what they do better and more effectively.
Maintaining the existing set of applications so they continue to work as they should, without causing the organization to stumble.
Supporting the customer, so that they have the piece of mind that when something goes wrong, we can fix it swiftly and with minimum disruption to the business.

To help keep your costs down, in quite a few of our services, we are able to offer a remote service with the use of Remote Administration software, allowing us to give a fast response to your IT requirements.

Customer Relationship Management Doesn't Have To Be Expensive!

When most people think of CRM systems, they think of a large expense. This doesn't have to be the case. Simple, cost effective solutions can be built that allow you to keep in touch with your customers, and vice versa. For example, you may wish to construct a mailing list program to keep your customers informed about your latest products or services. Such solutions can be built quickly and at affordable prices. At a later date, you may wish to extend the functionality of your CRM system which can be done as-and-when it is required, allowing you to see the benefits of such a system at each stage.

http://www.webtechy.co.uk/solutions/customer_relationship_management.asp

Time for a Web Site Upgrade?

Is your web site looking out-dated? Not getting the traffic you expect or generating enough enquiries from your visitors? Or perhaps your business goals have changed, and your web site no longer reflects your new goals. If so, then perhaps it's time to look at upgrading your web site. Having a web site upgrade doesn't need to be expensive. We can provide a simple, smart, and cost-effective web site for as little as 250 GBP.

What are the benefits of upgrading your web site?

Increased search engine rankings. The way we construct web sites inherently allows them to be optimized for search engines.
Give your web site, and your business a more professional look.
A chance to display your latest products/serices you have to offer.
Regenerate interest in your business. Show your potential clients that you are a dynamic and forward looking company.

Feel free to contact me if you think YOUR business could benefit from having a new and up-to-date web site.

http://www.webtechy.co.uk/services/web_development.asp

Reliable, Affordable Web Site Hosting

Are you paying too much for your web site to be hosted? We can host web sites for as little as 17 GBP (plus VAT) per month, in a state-of-the-art multi-million pound data centre. Yu get a control panel to enable you to have 24x7 access to the administration of your web site.

Unlimited POP3 Accounts
E-Mail Forwarding
E-Mail Virus Scanning
ASP, Perl, CGI, etc.
Access, MySQL, SQL, etc.
FTP Access
Personal Control Panel
MatrixStats
FrontPage 2000 Extensions
.Net Framwork
24x7 Support

To find out more about the web hosting package we offer, go to:

http://www.webtechy.co.uk/services/web_site_hosting.asp

Protect Your PC

(1) Use an Internet Firewall

A firewall is a piece or software or hardware that is used to protect your PC against hackers and viruses/worms.

Windows XP uses have a built-in Internet Connection Firewall. To turn on your firewall in Windows XP, go to Start, and then click on Control Panel. Click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections (If the Network and Internet connections category is not visible, click Switch to category View on the upper left of the window. Under the Dial-Up or LAN or High Speed Internet heading, right-click the icon to select the connection you want to help protect. Then select Properties. On the Advanced tab, check the box next to Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet.

The firewall may interfere with some network operations such as file and print sharing, networking-related programs, or online games. For more information about fixing these issues, see the Frequently Asked Questions page listed below.

http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/firewall.asp

(2) Get Computer Updates

Microsoft supply updates that can be downloaded for FREE from the following web site:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

You should book mark this page and visit it often to make sure your computer is up-to-date and protected.

These updates are given as-and-when Microsoft finds a problem and supplies a fix for that issue. Such problems may be flaws in the operating system that allow viruses to penetrate your system. Therefore, it's imperative that you keep up-to-date with these fixes.

If you use Microsoft Outlook, then a good idea is to set your self a reoccurring task, say every Monday morning to download the latest set of updates for your PC.

The Microsoft Windows® XP operating system includes the Automatic Updates feature, which can automatically download the latest Microsoft security updates while your computer is on and connected to the Internet.

To use Automatic Updates to download and install any future critical security updates from Microsoft:

Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

Click Performance and Maintenance.

If the Performance and Maintenance category isn't visible, click Switch to Category View on the upper left of the window.
Click System to open the System Properties dialog box. You'll see a screen like the one below.
On the Automatic Updates tab, check the box next to Keep my computer up to date.
Choose a setting. We strongly recommend choosing Automatically download the updates, and install them on the schedule that I specify.
If you choose the option to automatically download and install updates, select a day and time when your computer will be turned on, so the installation process can be finished.

Note: We recommend a daily update.

(3) Use Up-To-Date Antivirus Software

McAfee, Norton, or Symantec, are the manufacturers of popular antivirus software. We recommend Norton Antivirus 2004. Norton Antivirus protects email, instant messages, and other files by automatically removing viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. New built-in features also detect certain non-virus threats such as spyware and keystroke loggers. Norton Antivirus 2004 can be purchased and then downloaded from:

http://www.symantec.com

For a subscription fee (you often get free subscription for 6-months when you buy an antivirus product) you can keep your virus definitions up-to-date to ensure that as and when new viruses are found, your PC will be protected.

For more information on protecting a Windows PC, go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect

Not got time to set-up your systems to be protect? Then let me know and we can arrange for this to be done for you.

From:	Ben Weeks
Subject:	webtechy.co.uk: Newsletter #2 (November 2003 Issue)
Date:	Thu, 13 Nov 2003 00:28:26 +0000