With millions of people online at any time of the day, many of them are looking to source services and products. If you run a conventional brick and mortar business, you can only attract the people who walk or drive past your business, in any one day. Having a website allows you to attract new customers that would otherwise never find you - and they can do so when your business is closed!

A well designed website can increase business credibility, customer confidence, customer referrals, return on investment (ROI) when advertising, increase sales, and increase the promotion of future business.

If you have a website that needs refreshing or you would like to establish a website, I would like to help your company. Please call (203) 304-2074 for a free Internet Presence consultation.

Another area in which customers invested was their infrastructure. Here they replaced older computers and servers having Pentium 4 and single core Xeon processors with systems that have multi-core processors, like the Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, and the newest processor, the Core i7. Along with larger amounts of computer memory, 22” LCD monitor, and a wireless mouse and keyboard set, these systems were ready for the release of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7.

After its release to the general public on October 22, 2009 and a wave of positive reviews, I migrated our office systems to Windows 7, as well as, as those customers desiring to leverage the new 64 bit version. While the 64 bit version is not for everyone, it is the future path of computing and allows for much more than 4GB of memory, which is ideal for CAD, video editors, heavy multi-taskers, and avid gamers. However, any 32 bit software you use will still be restricted to 4GB memory. I expect to see continued migration of customers to both the 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 in 2010.

I also expect to see broader use of Microsoft Office 2007 and in some cases a migration to Microsoft Office 2010 later this summer. With Microsoft 2010 on the horizon, pricing for Microsoft Office 2007 has become extremely affordable, with the professional version costing less than $150 per license and the Home/Student version less than $99 for a 3 user license.

Additionally, full-function laptops, with beautiful screens, webcams, DVD burners, large hard drives, Wi-Fi, and multi-core processors beat out the smaller, less powerful Netbooks. Smartphones, like the Blackberry Storm and Apple iPhone were very popular and have proven to be extremely helpful to customers on the run. At Stratagem Technical Services I use a Blackberry Storm, which works well with Microsoft Outlook and our e-mail servers.

For those expanding their network or installing a new wired network at home or the office, Cat5E wiring and 10/100 MB routers and switches are passé. Cat 6 wiring with its faster bandwidth capabilities, is a much better value, while providing your network with room to grow - choose Gigabit (10/100/1000 MB) switches and routers at the network hardware layer. From a Wi-Fi network prospective, Wireless “N” is the path to take. Being four to five times the speed of Wireless “G” devices, it has significant increases in maximum raw data rate values, greater wireless coverage, and increased range.

If you desire to make improvements in your home or office infrastructure, I would like to help you. Please call (203) 304-2074 for a free infrastructure assessment.

Again, I sincerely thank you for your business during the past year.  I wish you and your company a successful and prosperous new year,