Wichita Computer Support – Learning Opportunity

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Wichita Computer Support – Learning Opportunity

On April 21st, 2011 from Noon-2pm we’re offering our first free lunch-and-learn seminar, Office 2010 – Business 101.  Join us for this informal training session designed to just give you that additional boost in your use of Office applications.  If you are still using Office 2003 or 2007, stop by as well, as most of the items we cover will be available in all three suites.

If Information Technology isn’t your field, don’t worry.  This class is intended for users that have a lower experience level.  We will be covering each subject briefly and plan to offer more in-depth courses on each product over the coming months.  This is the perfect class to attend to identify your needs and where your challenges lie.

The class will be held at our offices at Office Park Plaza in Wichita at 4601 E. Douglas (just West of the corner of Douglas and Oliver.)

The seminar will be two hours, but you are welcome to just stop in, bring your lunch and laptop and listen to the first half of the presentation.

For IT support in Wichita and surrounding areas, call Proper Technology Solutions today.  We offer affordable service rates starting at just $70/hour and have eliminated minimum service charges.  We hope that small business will feel comfortable calling for support as needed instead of waiting until they can justify paying a minimum charge.

Call us today to discuss how we can help you lower your costs and make your business run more efficiently.  (316) 337-5628 or our after hours support line at (316) 210-7112.

Applications, Business, IT Support , , ,

Tip: Do You Snap in Windows 7?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Tip: Do You Snap in Windows 7?

For those of us that don’t have the luxury of having the space for dual monitors or work on a laptop most of the time, comparing two files side-by-side means jogging windows around and resizing them manually.

Windows 7 has a nice little feature called Snap, allowing us some automated ways to manipulate the windows on the screen.  As an IT support professional in Wichita, I try to offer my customers added details, beyond just their standard computer repair or application troubleshooting.

The final result of using Snap can look like the image below:

Using Snap in Windows 7

Dual Screen Effect Using Snap in Windows 7

Here we’re using Snap to show a Windows Explorer screen and and Internet web page.  Comparing two spreadsheets or two Word documents, anything that might make your life easier.  This look was created automatically, without manually resizing the windows.  Let’s take a look at the steps, and other ways you can manipulate the screen in Windows 7.

Step 1: Open a Window.  Any application is fine.

Step 2: Grab the top blue bar of the application (I will use Internet Explorer) by clicking and holding.  Drag the arrow over until the mouse pointer touches the right side of the screen and it will snap into place.

Drag and Snap to the Right

Drag and Snap to the Right

Once your window is in place, try this:  With the above Window Active (Meaning it’s on top), Hold down the Windows key while hitting the left arrow button.  Now do the same thing and hit the right arrow key.  Up and down will have effect as well.  Snap it back to the right for the next step.

Step 3: Open another window and snap it to the left, just like you did the first application to the right.  Either drag, or use the Windows key and arrow key combination above.

Step 4: The most important step!  Play around with it and familiarize.  The best way to learn and retain something, especially in the Information Technology field, is to use it.

IT support is something we feel passionate about at Proper Technology Solutions.  Our mission is to provide small businesses with affordable IT services, network design and computer maintenance while adding additional value.  We don’t want to just help you keep your technology running, we want to help you make it more efficient and effective along the way.

If you’re looking for an IT company in Wichita to provide onsite or remote service, call us today.  We offer low rates starting at just $70/hour and don’t charge a minimum service fee for any assistance.  (316) 337-5628 or (316) 210-7112 to schedule a free onsite evaluation.

Reminder:  Our Free Office 2010 Class – Business 101 is April 21st from Noon to 2pm.  Stop in for an hour or the whole class.  Bring your lunch and a laptop, or just a notepad.  We’ll be discussing Outlook, Word, Powerpoint, Excel and Publisher and ways you can use them to make your business more efficient.

Call or email today to reserve a spot as space is limited.
Download the Brochure: Office 2010 – Business 101

Applications, IT Support, Tips , ,

Moving to Douglas Design District

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Moving to Douglas Design District

As we announced previously, Proper Technology Solutions, LLC is moving this week.  We will be taking up residence in Office Park Plaza in the Douglas Design District of College Hill at Douglas and Oliver in Wichita.

Office Park Plaza is a new executive office center in Wichita created by Christian Shomberg and Mark Eggel.

Office Park Plaza

Office Park Plaza, 4601 E. Douglas in Wichita

Proper Technology Solutions will be providing the IT support services for Office Park Plaza and consulting services for the tenants of the office spaces.  We are excited for the move.  Office Park Plaza provides excellent amenities for its tenants and is located in this historic area of Wichita.

Our first event at the new office will be hosted on April 21st, 2011 from Noon-2pm.  We’re hosting a free Lunch-And-Learn course covering Microsoft Office 2010 entitled Business 101.

Bring your lunch and a laptop, or just bring a notepad.  You are welcome to stay just through lunch or through the entire session.

We will be discussing simple solutions to help you leverage your office productivity software and will be available to answer technical questions.  If you’re currently using Office 2003 or Office 2007, most features discussed will be available to you as well.

If you don’t consider yourself a technical person, don’t worry.  This class is simply designed to help you make the most of your IT investment to improve the productivity and efficiency of your  business.  We have taught students of all levels and can make IT work for you.  If you have any specific topics you want covered, let us know in advance and we will try to address them.

Please call or email to reserve as space will be limited.

Proper Technology Solutions, LLC
4601 E. Douglas
Wichita KS  67218

Office: (316) 337-5628
Fax: (316) 337-5531
After Hours: (316) 210-7112

Call us and let us discuss your IT service needs.  We provide low network consulting rates starting at $70/hour with no minimum service charges.

Applications, Business, IT Support , , ,

Tip: Freeze a Column in Excel 2010

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Tip: Freeze a Column in Excel 2010

Have you ever had a large spreadsheet and had trouble remembering what the row or column names were when you had to scroll them off the screen?

A quick fix in Excel 2010 can help lock that first row or column in place, allowing you to scroll to the entry point of your data without scrolling that important information off the screen.

As an IT support and networking consultant, I’ve been asked to provide a solution to this problem several times.  Here’s the quick fix:

Step 1: Highlight the column of data you wish to lock in place.

Highlighting the Column

Highlighting the Column

Step 2: Click the View tab on the top menu bar

Choosing the View Menu

Choosing the View Menu

Step 3: Select Freeze Panes from the ribbon bar

Freeze Columns Option on the Ribbon Bar

Freeze Columns Option on the Ribbon Bar

Step 4: Click Freeze First Column

That’s it!  Now, when you scroll through the data to the right, the data will slide, leaving that first column in view:

The Locked Column

The Locked Column

If you have questions about this or any of our other tips, give Proper Technology Solutions a call at (316) 337-5628 or reach us at our after hours IT support line (316) 210-7112.  We can help with all your IT networking needs in Wichita and surrounding areas.  With our low rates starting at $70/hour with no minimum service charges we can help lower your IT support costs.

Our highly certified computer techs and network engineers can solve all your information technology issues on-site or through remote access, while providing service small businesses can afford.

Applications, IT Support, Tips , , ,

IT Support in Wichita – Free Computer Classes

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on IT Support in Wichita – Free Computer Classes

We’re getting ready to announce our first IT Support 101 class in Wichita tomorrow at the Chamber of Commerce business mixer.  The title of the class is Microsoft Word – Beyond Typing will cover some elements of Microsoft Word that will allow users to make their documents more professional and polished.  From using the Table of Contents feature to working with custom dictionaries, we hope to provide users with a one hour free class that can enhnance their use of this powerful program.

As an IT support service in Wichita, we hope to continue to provide these training opportunities, along with other lunch and learn-type classes to help small businesses identify their needs.  Topics in the series will include antivirus and antispyware, basic networking to identify needs and opportunities and simple desktop troubleshooting.  As a consultant.  I want to help users educate themselves on IT support functions they can safely perform in house and which may require an IT support professional.

If you want information on this or upcoming information technology classes, please don’t hesitate to call us at (316) 337-5628 or our after-hours computer support line at (316) 210-7112.

Proper Technology Solutions offers low hourly service

Applications, Business, IT Support , ,

Tip: Windows 7 – Show the Desktop

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Tip: Windows 7 – Show the Desktop

We’ve talked about Windows-Key tips before.  Windows +D shows your desktop.  The same key combination again returns your windows to their previous positions.  In the Information Technology field, a good computer tech will realized that some users, however, don’t like keyboard combinations.  For those users, Windows 7 conveniently provides another solution.

If you’re running Windows 7, the solution is easy.  Look to the bottom-right corner of your screen, by the task tray icons.  Just to the right of the clock and date, you’ll see a small rectangle separated from the rest:

The Windows 7 Tasktray and Show Desktop Button

The Windows 7 Task Tray and Show Desktop Button

Click the button once and you’ll return to your desktop, no matter how many application windows are currently open.  Click again, and you’re back where you started.

For IT support in Wichita KS and surrounding areas, call Proper Technology Solutions at (316) 337-5628 or our after-hours support line at (316) 210-7112.  With our low hourly rates starting at $70/hour with no minimum service charges, we can help your business lower IT support costs and take care of all your Information Technology needs.

Applications, IT Support, Tips , , ,

Tip: Does Your Business Have a Google Places Page?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Tip: Does Your Business Have a Google Places Page?

You’ve seen them in search results.  You search for a business and Google presents the normal search results, plus a map with a bunch of pin icons.  These are links to pages on Google Places, a Geo-location feature on Google.

Check our Google Places page (Link will open a new window)

If your business has been established a long time, you may already have a Places page, but you’ll need to claim it, so you can add custom information to suit your own needs.  You can upload a logo, photos, videos and a description of your business.  This is Information Technology that you can use.

I will talk about QR codes in another update.  You may not have heard of them, but they look like this:

QR Code for Proper Tech Google Places Page

QR Code for Proper Tech Google Places Page

If you have a smart phone, check to see if you have a barcode scanner installed.  If not, install one.  You can scan the barcode above with your phone and it will take you directly to our Google Places page.  The reason I bring this up is that most people will be using QR codes like the one above from a smart phone.  If you don’t have a web page that looks good on a mobile device, linking to your Google Places page is the next best thing.  It looks great on a phone, displays your address and phone number and links to your site.  You can even include coupons.

Try to find your Google Places page and claim it.  If it’s not out there, create a new one at Google Places.

If you need assistance with your Internet marketing or have any Information Technology needs, call a computer repair expert in Wichita.  Proper Technology Solutions offers trained and certified networking consultants at affordable rates starting as low as $70/hour.  Call today at (316) 337-5628 and let us help you lower your IT support costs.  After hours? Call us at (316) 210-7112.

Cloud Computing, IT Support, Tips , ,

Wichita IT Support – Some Early Success Stories

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Wichita IT Support – Some Early Success Stories

We’ve been in business for just around two months now and have chalked up some success stories for our IT support customers.  As a network consultant, I like to have the opportunity to help customers see the value in their IT investment, while still being able to see it as just that; an investment.

Over the past two months, our Wichita customers have received the following benefits:

  • Significantly reduced support costs: Not only have our customers saved upwards of 50% on their hourly IT support rates, they have received the benefit of our no minimums policy.  An example service call that would have cost the customer a two hour minimum fee of over $200 was billed at just $35.  We hope this encourages our customers to call whenever there is an issue.  Saving up work for a technician to save on minimum services charges not only keeps the system down longer, it can usually aggravate the problem.
  • Elimination of annual support costs: One of our customers was faced with the annual renewal cost on a software package they used in their business.  We went onsite and replaced the package with an equivalent free product without sacrificing any quality or efficiency.  For a minimum time investment, they will save hundreds of dollars over the next year.
  • Rapid response times: I’ve had potential customers say they are looking for that ‘go-to’ guy for IT support and consulting.  We strive to be that company every day.  By being able to respond the same day to IT support cases, we’re able to get systems up and running faster.  An example customer needed a replacement computer and wanted to stick with Dell.  By working closely with Dell on the customer’s needs, we were able to order a computer on Friday, and have it setup by Monday.
  • Professional Technicians: Our technical support staff is highly certified and educated and are a presence you won’t worry about in your place of business, especially if they need to be in the customer eye.  Most have worked for other IT networking firms, being billed out at higher rates.  We take care of our staff, in order to retain outstanding talent.

If you need IT support for your business and are tired of paying high support costs with minimum service times, give us a call at our Wichita IT support office (316) 337-5628 or our after-hours support line at (316) 210-7112.  Wichita Technology Support with a personal touch.

Business, IT Support , ,

Tip: Avoiding Conflicts with the .docx standard in Word 2010

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Tip: Avoiding Conflicts with the .docx standard in Word 2010

If you’ve been the first in your office to move to Office 2010 and your office skipped 2007, you may have experienced some issues with the .docx format.  .docx is the default save format in the new Microsoft Word.

One solution is to have all the machines in your office install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack (Download link).  A great solution, but it only offers compatibility for the machines in your office.  If you want to make sure that your documents are read by all your business partners, you can set the default save format in Word to the old .doc setting:

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word

Step 2: File then Options

Setting .doc as default save format
Options

Step 3: Click Save then Save files in this format.  Choose Word 97-2003 DocumentSetting the .doc format

Step 4: Click OK

Your files will now save in the old format and can be read by just about anyone.

For network and IT consulting in Wichita KS, call Proper Technology Solutions at (316) 337-5628 or our after hours support line at (316) 210-7112.  Find out how we are helping our customers save money on their IT services with low hourly rates starting at $70/hour with no minimum service fees.

Applications, IT Support, Tips , , ,

Security Policies and Implementation Issues

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Kevin Peterson Comments Off on Security Policies and Implementation Issues

So tomorrow night starts my first class for my new ‘Security Policies and Implementation Issues’ course.  It should be a fun class to teach.  I have had the pleasure of having all the students in previous classes, so I think I can tailor the material to fit their skill levels and interests.

We will be discussing based on a simplified version of the ISS Management Life Cycle:

  • Plan and Organize
  • Acquire and Implement
  • Deliver and support
  • Monitor and Evaluate

From my experience, most small businesses miss this altogether.  If there are employees, a business should have some form of security policies.  As an IT support consultant, I see many businesses that could benefit from some simple policies related to their Information Technology infrastructure.

The Acceptable Use Policy is the minimum.  You should have a guideline for your employees on how company assets are to be used.  The policy should be concrete and have restrictions that reserve assets for business driven activities and protect your company reputation from possible legal issues.

If you have an employee or two, consider putting something in place.  Call Proper today and we can discuss how your business works and how to implement the policies you need. (316) 337-5628.

Affordable IT services in Wichita KS with low hourly rates starting at $70/hour with no minimum service fees.

 

Business, IT Support , ,