Browsing articles in "Hardware"

Are you prepared for a Disaster?

Aug 30, 2011 // by doran.woods // Blog, Church, Hardware, Ministry, Non-profit, School // No Comments

With the busiest months of hurricane season once again upon us, we keep our eyes on the tropics and say a quick prayer that nothing major will come our way. However, when it comes to protecting your church and its data, we’ve been blessed with technology that helps us do that. Though we cannot keep disaster from coming our way, there are steps we can take to help minimize damage when threatened with a hurricane, some of which are more simple than you might think.

Make sure backups are running correctly and that copies are stored offsite.
Keep servers at least 2-3 feet above the floor level.
Make sure all servers are protected by backup batteries.
Shut down all equipment in the proper order when preparing for the storm.
Close all blinds and doors – both interior and exterior.

As part of ongoing support, Solerant engineers have prepared a Disaster Preparation Plan for each of our clients that will guide you through everything you need to know to prepare for a hurricane and how to resume church business once the storm has passed. Should you desire an additional level of preparation, Solerant can help you design a custom Disaster Recovery Plan or School Continuity Plan which will help your organization recover faster or continue operating with little interruption should a hurricane cause long-term damage.

Written by: Alton Fojtasek

The Pros & Cons of Multiple Monitors

Aug 29, 2011 // by doran.woods // Blog, Church, Hardware, Ministry, Non-profit, School // No Comments

There appear to be two recurring themes: first is that ALL studies show that multiple monitors increase productivity. The only thing in dispute is by how much. The second theme is that prices on ALL monitors continue to fall at a rapid pace. A Solerant client recently purchased a Dell 23″ LED Full HD Widescreen monitor for $220. Some of the pros and cons of using multiple monitors.

Pro:

Productivity increases by an average of 42%
Multiple programs can be opened and viewed simultaneously
Facilitates quick movement from program to program
Sharing/moving data between applications is quicker
Allows video teleconferencing (Skype, etc.) while keeping other data opened for referencing
Sequential positioning of repetitive tasks can help streamline them
Adding a second monitor, in most cases, is easy and affordable

Con:

Requires/uses more desktop space
The potential exists for a greater number of distractions
Consumes more power than a single monitor

As with most things in life, moving from a single monitor to multiple monitors involves some trade-offs. From a practicality perspective, the benchmark to use comes down to your daily workflow. If your position involves working on a single task at a time, finishing it up and then moving on to the next task, then a single monitor serves you well. But if your position has you hopping in and out of multiple tasks repeatedly all day long, than you’re probably a candidate for a second monitor.

For those of you who are considering taking this article up to your church’s accounting office and using it as justification for getting a second monitor, remember this trade-off: They’ll be expecting at least a 42% increase in your productivity in return!