Windows 7 is slated to arrive this fall to replace Windows Vista, which after 30 months has fallen short in the eyes of many IT professionals.  Business users will be happy to see the following features integrated into Windows 7, which are currently missing or underdeveloped in Windows Vista:

• Increased Speed – Side by side tests have shown that Windows 7 is much faster than Vista.

• Ribbons  – Similar to Office 2007, applications native to Windows 7 utilize the Ribbon interface as opposed to a traditional menu.  WordPad on Windows 7 can be seen below...
  
  
  

• Snipping Tool – XP users typically use the [PrtScrn] key to copy an image to the clipboard. In Windows 7 (and as an add-in to Vista), there is a "Snipping Tool" which allows you to capture any area of the screen to your clipboard and paste it into an application or save it as a image file (BMP, GIF, JPG, etc).

• Desktop Themes – Windows customization is improved and easier. Windows 7 comes with six different desktop themes, which are all clean and user-friendly.

• Improved Task Bar – The taskbar in Windows 7 is better than the one included with Vista, especially when you have a number of applications open. When you open an application with Windows 7, a small square box becomes the placeholder for that application, from which you can access multiple instances in a preview window.
  
  

• Improved Graphics – While Windows Vista will be remembered for its stylized look, Windows 7 has certainly improved upon this.  Better window transparency combined with new color palletes and wallpapers provide a pleasant end-user experience.
  
  

When should you make the switch to Windows 7?
Windows XP mainstream support officially ended in April 2009, one year after XP Service Pack 3 shipped.  As of July 1, 2009, we have no official date for the end of the availability to purchase Windows XP Professional on certain desktops and notebooks.

With the decommitment of Windows XP from Microsoft, the question quickly becomes, "How do you properly gauge the correct time to make sure that Windows XP can be replaced on the desktops with a proven operating system?"

Many experts contend that all businesses need to have Windows 7 on all business desktops by 2012 or 2013. Windows 7 will require new hardware for many users with desktops or notebooks purchased prior to 2008. Any new hardware and software purchases in 2010 should be supported in Windows 7.  This is especially important to keep in mind when it comes to any critical application software you use on a daily basis.

We will continue to keep you informed on Windows 7 and how it should transition into your business environment. For more information please visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7.

• Organizing your email Inbox can be quite a chore sometimes.
  A recent article from Microsoft shared some tips for this, which you can read HERE.

• You may have heard about Constant Contact from us or from their recent radio spots. Constant Contact is an excellent tool to personalize and email important information to your customers. Current customers are more likely to become repeat customers when you follow up with relevant information for them. For more information on Constant Contact, please click HERE.

• Spring Cleaning is not just for your basement or garage – it also pertains to your PC. Here is a recent blurb from Microsoft with some ideas on how to manage common PC cleanup tasks.  Click HERE to read.

• Backing up your systems is critical!
  We have seen some rather lax attitudes towards backup recently, and everyone needs to understand that even with the latest and greatest hardware, our systems are not infallible.  Please review the following "best practices" and do not take this important function lightly:
  
  1) A backup needs to be performed and reviewed every single workday.
  
  2) There needs to be enough media to generate a unique backup set for a minimum of five business days (preferably 10 days).  It is also a good idea to have separate backups with monthly snapshots of your data.
  
  3) At any point in time, the most recent backup set should be off-site in case of fire or natural disaster.
  
  Internet-based backup has become a popular option for many customers to augment their current backup procedures.  For more information on Internet backup, please contact us or refer to a recent Copeland Data News article on Internet-based backups.

• Spam is again increasing at an alarming rate. Everyone receives, from time-to-time, emails that look authentic but are far from it! When you get an email from a big-name company like Microsoft, PayPal, or eBay, please be cautious before clicking on any links. Spammers capitalize on name recognition and "spoof" emails from these domains in attempt to fool you.
  
  As a reminder, you should not click a link in any email before carefully inspecting the URL to make sure it is legitimate, and this is recently becoming more difficult to determine.  If you "mouse-over" a link without clicking it, you should see a tooltip showing exactly where that link will take you.  If the top-level domain name (the last .com, .net, .org, etc. right before the first single forward slash) is not what you expect, it is usually a sign that this email should be completely ignored.
  
  In the example below, the top-level domain looks like "microsoft.com" until you mouse-over it and see that the link really takes you to "ikl1ij.net." Clicking a link like this will almost certainly install a virus or spyware on your PC, or you will be asked for personal information used for identity theft.
  
  
  

For 50 years, Conax Technologies has been a leading supplier of custom designed temperature sensors and sealing glands for a wide variety of applications in many industrial sectors, including Power Generation, Semiconductor, Autoclaves/Furnaces, Oil & Gas, Chemical, Aerospace, Nuclear, Steel, Pharmaceutical, Food Processing and General Industry.  Conax Technologies is a fully integrated manufacturer with extensive in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to provide superior products and services to their customers.

Conax Technologies has chosen Copeland Data Systems to work with them on some very important implementations in product assembly and testing that will provide Conax with competitive advantages at a time when US manufacturing is being challenged more than ever by overseas manufacturing.  This system, developed by Copeland Data Systems,  will help Conax Technologies better manage their workflow at the shop floor level, giving them increased efficiencies and better quality control.

You can learn more about Conax Technologies at www.conaxtechnologies.com.