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Dear Reader,
Back after an extended break,
welcome to The Burning Issue, the newsletter
from
The Burningsuit Consultancy.
I'm sorry we've been away so long,
a combination of a Server Crash and a busy work
time conspired to distract me from updating the
Issue, but now, with a new Ubuntu Linux server
up and operational things are back to whatever
passes as normal here at Burningsuit.
With such a gap between issues,
there a whole backlog of stuff I mean to tell
you about. You'll remember that we intend to
both inform and entertain, bringing you reviews,
tips and a view of Business Computing relevant
to the smaller business.
So, in a packed "issue", we'll tell
you about Ubuntu Linux and OpenOffice, two open
source applications with new versions out, and I'll
tell you about the new love of my life, my IPod.
On a more Business note there's
information about Microsoft Project Server 2003,
a great solution for multi-user project
management, and details of Microsoft Small
Business Server.
Training isn't neglected either and
Alison is here with her "Tip of the Month"
for Microsoft Project.
We'll be back next month with more
hints, tips and IT help. If there is a topic
you'd like us to cover in one of these
newsletters just let me know and I'll
incorporate it in the next Burning Issue.
There is an
archive of past
Burning Issues on our web-site with an
index to help you find past articles. If you've only
just subscribed you can catch up on old issues
there. Of course if you like this little
newsletter, tell your friends, send them to the
website or get them to
subscribe here.
If you don't like it, tell me. You can unsubscribe with
[UNSUBSCRIBE], or send me
an
email and I'll make sure you don't receive
another copy.
Stuart Box -
Email me your feedback
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Communicate Communicate!
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Tom Peters put
it well, "Communication
is everyone's panacea for everything".
Working on my own communication, I have been using
Microsoft Windows
Messenger quite a bit
recently, and really see its potential to improve
communications in a group where not everyone works in the same office.
It's more immediate and quicker than email, but not as intrusive or
interrupting as a phone call. People aren't sure of the
"etiquette" of using Instant Messaging (IM) yet though.
So I though I'd take the first step.
All of you are free to IM me at any time you see me
on-line. Just add my email address to your contacts list - That's
tools/add a contact/by email address/.net messenger service/ in
windows messenger then add my email
stuart.box@burningsuit.co.uk
and voila! we can chat. If you have any IT questions, have an opinion
about "The Burning Issue" or simply want to chat about IT in
Small Businesses, if you see
me on-line I'll be happy to respond.
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Microsoft
Small Business Server
I have to acknowledge that Microsoft have
got this one right.
Small Businesses need a reliable,
simple, secure network server system and
Small Business
Server (SBS2003) is all that and more. I've done many
SBS2003 installations, and without exception they've all
gone well and given the client what they wanted. SBS2003
is now a mature, stable applications that I can trust to
deliver for the customer. It provides Email, Remote
Access, fax, Internet connectivity and an in-company
Intranet all in one dependable, secure solution. You get
a reliable technology foundation and a dependable
working environment. Running a small business is
difficult enough, without having to worry about your
computing systems. SBS2003 removes that worry, and lets
you get on with your business, working smarter not
harder.
 As
an example SBS2003 contains powerful measures to combat
SPAM which can dramatically reduce the amount of time a
business spends managing and reacting to SPAM emails,
giving you more time for the important stuff.
If you'd like to see how Small Business Server
can help your company, just contact us, we'll be happy
to chat to you about it, with no obligation, and no hard
sell.
Ubuntu Linux
& OpenOffice.
The
Linux operating system
continues to evolve and improve, to a point where it is now really
useable as an alternative to Microsoft Windows. One of the nicest
distributions of Linux I've used is Ubuntu.
Don't let the strange name put you off, "Ubuntu"
is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others".
Ubuntu also means "I am what I am
because of who we all are". This is a professionally
produced Linux system that is easy to install and comes with much of the
software you are likely to need. Installation is easy as either a Server
system, driven from the command line, or a full Desktop system with a
Windows-like interface.
Ubuntu includes a number
of software packages in the basic installation, and not surprisingly,
OpenOffice 2 is among them. OpenOffice goes from strength to
strength, version 2 has cleared up many of the shortcomings of the first
version, and added a much improved Database and forms application. It's
good to have an alternative to the Microsoft Hegemony, and OpenOffice is
a credible replacement.
If you're interested in Ubuntu and OpenOffice take a look
at the excellent
TUX Magazine, which this month has an article
on OpenOffice 2 by
Solvieg
Haugland. Of course you can always contact
us for more information on Linux, OpenSource and OpenOffice
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Alison's tip of the month.
A Microsoft Project tip this month,
incidentally,
did you know what Microsoft Project's greatest
competitor is ? Just to tease you, I've put the
answer at the end of this section.
Most
people confine their Project reporting to
printing out those pretty Gantt Charts.
However, Project comes
installed with a whole host of pre-done reports
which you can use to analyse
project progress, costs, resources etc. You can
even customise these reports to suit your own
requirements.
Here's an example of how to
customise a Project report to show
under-allocated resources. The report will tell
you how many hours each resource has available
to work on your project on any particular day.
1. From the View menu, select
Reports
2. Double click on the Assignments
category
3. Click on the Who Does What When report
4. Click on the Edit button
5. On the dropdown that has “work” in it,
change this to “Remaining Availability”
6. Click OK and then click on the
Select button
...and there you are, a customised report in
Microsoft Project.
And the
Answer is:- Not surprisingly, MS Projects
greatest competitor is
Excel, the Microsoft
Spreadsheet application. Now, Excel is great for
some things, but if you're currently struggling
with a project in Excel you should really look
at using MS Project, as a specifically designed
Project Management tool.
If you'd like Alison to help unlock
the secrets of any of the Microsoft
applications, for you or your company,
feel free to
contact her, or look at the course
details on our
website.
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Project Server 2003
One of the
nice things about running an IT
Consultancy is sometime I stumble over a piece of
new technology I've never used before. That was
certainly the case with
Microsoft Project Server 2003 when a
client asked me to install it for them. I hadn't
really looked at it before, but now - well
WOW.
If you use Microsoft Project with several staff
either managing or working on projects you need this
software. Put simply Project Server 2003 lets other
network users look at your project plans, and update
them if they are authorised. Remote workers can
update their part of the project, inputting
timesheets, or work completion statements. Project
Server is integrated with Windows Sharepoint
Services, which can effectively make an intranet
site for each project.
We're going to be adding Project
Server Training to our portfolio, to accompany our
Project training.
If you're interested in Project Management training
you can find out more about
Project Server 2003 here, or of course
Contact us for more
information.
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I Think, therefore Ipod.
 I had successfully avoided the
MP3 music craze, but at Christmas my resolve
finally crumbled and I treated myself to a
60gb
Apple Ipod. I must say it's a wonderful little
gadget. I have all my CD's now converted into
the Ipod, so no more lost CD cases or scratched
CD's. The 60gb capacity has taken my entire CD
collection and still has room for a few Video's,
and Audio Books from
Audible.Apple's own
Itunes is a good utility to manage this
media, and it's backed by the excellent Itunes
store, which has simplified and legitimised the
downloading of Music and Media. It's an
incredible fact that the Itunes shop now does
more business than many CD retailers. Who'd have
thought that Apple would emerge as a music
retailer? - is this the beginning of the end of
CD sales as we know them?
The other good thing about my
Ipod is I can justify it as a Business expense,
I carry all my Outlook Contacts and Calendar
synchronised on the Ipod, so contact numbers and
my diary details are always with me, and I also
subscribe to several business oriented
podcasts. If you're new to podcasts take a
look, they are essentially radio shows which you
can download to your Ipod. I listen to "This
week in Tech" and "The
SBS Show" regularly, but there is a wide
range of subjects.
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