Of course, with every new iteration of an Operating System, there comes the headache of application compatibility. Will that legacy application that worked flawlessly in Windows XP be able to deliver in Windows 7? While there seems to be a lot of tolerance for legacy apps built into Windows 7, there could be a few problems along the way.

One of the many features built into Windows 7 is the compatibility feature. One such tool is the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter which can be launched automatically by Windows 7 when you try to run an incompatible application, or manually from the Control Panel.

Another method is through the Compatibility Mode of Windows 7. In this case, the user has the option of manually selecting a compatible mode for the application, say Windows XP Service Pack 2 mode.

Compatibility modes for applications are set in the following registry key (depending on whether the options are set for all users or only the current user, the setting will either be in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER:

SoftwareMicrosoftWindows NTCurrent VersionAppCompatFlagsLayers - there are two parts for each compatibility setting:

• Key Name: Full path to the executable to which we are applying the compatibility flag
• String Value: Name of the Compatibility Mode being applied

For example, if you wanted to run Windows Live Messenger in Windows XP SP2 Compatibility Mode, you would right-click on the exe file, choose properties and select the Compatibility tab. You can then select the compatibility mode you want to run the program under.

Windows 7 Compatibility Mode

Too drastic of a cut may affect the bottom line as it may cripple the ability of the affected organization to compete effectively. Without good employees to make systems work quickly and effectively, it can take longer to make informed business decisions.

This scenario is even more dire in the technology field. With the tough economic times, it is imperative that technology is deployed in ways that will allow users to do more in less time. More and more data is at our disposal these days, but in many small business environments, there is a serious crisis in terms of outdated hardware and software. A recent assessment of a client’s network infrastructure showed that of the thirty plus computers in the shop, only one was ready for Windows 7. In this kind of environment, it will be no surprise if the employees are frequently frustrated because they have to work with slow computers which ultimately impacts their productivity.

It is a fact that outdated equipment can affect productivity especially if the business owner is unable to upgrade hardware and software to accommodate the disk and memory requirements of today’s applications. With aging computers comes the attendant frequent calls to the support team and this disrupts work-flow as the repairs needed may be time consuming.

A reliable technology infrastructure is essential to running a profitable and efficient business. So, in these tough times, small business owners should resist the temptation to make too deep of a cut in their IT budgets. On the other hand, this is also a very good time to consider managed services. A service provider may be able to work out a leasing agreement with a partner and replace aging equipment with brand new ones without too much overhead to the business owner. The service provider can act as the IT Department and provide round the clock monitoring so that the business owner can focus on growing the business and making it profitable. The provider can make sure that systems are running at the most optimal level.

If you are having a hard time working with your current technology infrastructure, we may be able to help you at Tech Prognosis. Contact us here.

This expansion in connectivity creates new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for small business owners. At the same time, the new frontiers bring along a new set of vulnerabilities and threats like phishing, pharming, identity theft, data leakage and unmanaged endpoints. Recent research shows that about 63 percent of businesses are going to experience some form of information loss and regulatory breach which will lead to damage to reputation and loss of revenue, partners and customers.

Small businesses have to find ways to maximize current technologies and must do so in a cost effective manner. As is often the case, many small businesses have little Information Technology experience and cannot afford to maintain a full-time IT department because it is just too expensive, time-consuming and in many instances flat-out inefficient.

There are many ways small business owners can address the issues of cost-saving, increased productivity and efficiencies, but the only viable option is using a professional Managed Services Provider as leverage to do the same things big corporations do without the cost. Managed Services Providers have talented professionals on staff, have deep resources and huge economies of scale.

By using managed services providers, small business owners stand to reap the following benefits:

• Ability to focus on core business functions: We all love to do what we do best and easily get frustrated when we are forced to perform tasks that have nothing to do with our job functions. So an accountant who has to spend time researching why email is stuck in the Inbox, or a doctor trying to fix an IT-related problem are engaging in activities that are  highly inefficient for that accountant or doctor’s practice.
• Increased purchasing power: Technology providers have access to a wide range of resources that small business owners can tap into. They can help the the small business owner purchase hardware and software at reduced cost;
• Reduce cost and control operating expenses: when a service provider is used, there is immediate cost savings since the small business owner does not have to worry about recruiting, training, vacation, benefits etc. Moreover, there is predictable cost since IT expenses will be budgeted, planned and controlled.
• Access to talent: Managed services providers have resources that allow the small business owner to draw upon specialized talents that would normally be too expensive to maintain in-house. The service provider has access to teams of IT specialists through partnerships and affiliations that can be called upon to provide on-going and critical support for the small business owner when needed.
• Resource flexibility: whether the economy is growing or shrinking, the use of a managed services provider means the small business owner does not have to worry about adding or reducing personnel. The availability of Just-In-Time resources for emergencies from the service provider creates the additional benefit of not having to worry about the morale of current employees that is often associated with scaling back personnel.
• Improved productivity
• Reduced downtime
• Access to most current technology and the attendant competitive advantage.
• Access to vendor support: Manufacturers very seldom deal with end-users directly. So a small business owner who relies on calling customer support will  often get frustrated when there is no response or quick resolution to a particular problem. The managed services provider has access to a wide range of vendor support through the partnerships maintained by the service provider. This special relationship means that the small business owner will have priority access to most vendors like HP, Dell, Cisco, Microsoft etc.

One thing that is not common in small business environments is process automation. Most processes are manually carried out. What we have to realize is that as hard as we try, at some point, somebody forgets to run a system scan or the backup program. Occasionally, someone could accidentally turn off or stop a backup application before the process is completed.
In many small business environments, only one employee is in charge of I.T. support, system maintenance and running backups. If that employee goes on vacation or stays home sick one day, the backups will not run.
It is very difficult for a small business owner to rely solely on human effort to keep computer systems of the business safe.
The best practice is to strive for automation in order to have consistent, reliable updates to your security software and backup systems. There is also the need for processes to run independent of any particular individual.
If you re a business owner, or you are in charge of running updates and performing regular maintenance, automation free up untold amounts of time and spare endless headaches. Automatic updates, backups and system scans, deployed system-wide, ensure that your whole business stays safe and up-to-date no matter who is in the office and who remembers to do what