Recently I came across several project proposals where I was asked to evaluate technical components (hardware, software and staffing needs) and found a few items worth sharing. Several items in these proposals weren’t adequately priced (difference from list and actual price on select items was as high as 60%). Furthermore, some hardware models have been discontinued years ago.

While certain people are not technical by trade it is still very important to make sure those components are accurately priced and still available. If you are specifically requesting a particular computer, printer, server model please make sure that we can still purchase it at the time of your submission. While this might add a bit more work, done mainly by “Googling” or “Binging” (?) these models, it will go a long way in supporting your need and presenting you as someone who does their research and is well prepared.

The success of most today’s projects depends on the right blend of people, processes and technology, but it all starts with a clear definition of needs and goals, including all technology components.

Post from: Milos Topic

Know what your project needs

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I have recently moved my primary work laptop to 64-bit Windows 7 Enterprise and while I am overall pleased with the operating system (OS) I found that some apps which didn’t run on Vista don’t work on 7 either.

Some of those which I use frequently are Timbuktu Pro and a custom built application to manage user access permissions on our NetDrive storage solution (dependent on Novell Client). Since having access to both of these is important to me, on Vista I ran them inside a Virtual PC instance running Windows XP SP3. Now that I’m using Windows 7 the idea is basically the same but it has been implemented a bit differently.

Windows XP Mode is the tool of choice in 7, it runs an instance of XP (as the name indicates), but it is much better integrated with the OS itself. Boot up, usage, resource allocation, exchange of files between your primary OS and the virtual one is much smoother and more efficient this time around. Furthermore, unlike Virtual PC on Vista it doesn’t require a separate Windows XP license or media to install it. Simply, go and download Windows XP Mode, install it, then download Windows Virtual PC (both available from the same page), install it and you are in business.

Nicely done Microsoft.

Post from: Milos Topic

Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

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Our institution has been using Blackboard (Bb) for a while now as their Course Management System (CMS) of choice with mixed results. Depending who you ask, based on their technical knowledge and their experience using Blackboard (and other CMS solutions) you will get different responses. They range from it is good, does what I need it to do to can we please use anything but Blackboard. Both performance and availability have been known to be a bit spotty and we all know that those two parameters are very important to students and faculty.

My usage has been fairly limited since I don’t teach any courses and my needs are different from those of a faculty (or even some other staff members). This is why I’m probably not the best person to provide an in-depth assessment of Bb v.7.3 (currently in production) and why I turn to those who have more exposure to Blackboard and other CMS tools such as Moodle, Sakai and the likes to hear what your thoughts are.

Is Bb the best or simply the largest solution out there? What are you running/using at your school/work and how satisfied are you with that product?

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Is Blackboard the best CMS out there?

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For a while now my team and I have been using Xobni, an Outlook plugin that improves e-mail client’s search for both messages and contact information. It also goes a step further by aggregating and correlating data between different social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

Xobni also provides data from Hoovers on companies your contacts work for and a number of very useful statistics when it comes to your contacts’ usage of e-mail and sending/responding patterns. It also keeps track of e-mails (and attachments) exchanged between you and all of your contacts in easy to follow threaded conversations.

Due to features mentioned above I find it to be a valuable, fast and easy tool to use. Also, did I mention that it is FREE. Yes, there is a paid version (Xobni Plus) which also includes calendar data search among other features, but the free version is already a massive step in the right direction when it comes to organizing your e-mails, contacts and more.

If you are an avid Outlook user you will definitely appreciate this plugin. Go and get it now then let me know which feature has the greatest impact on your daily computing productivity.

Post from: Milos Topic

Make your Outlook better with Xobni

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Windows 7 will be released into the wild on October 22, 2009 and will bring many improvements over Vista while simultaneously introducing new features. Being in the IT field I was fortunate enough to play with Windows 7 since its early RC days and must say that it is (or soon will be) the best operating system released by Microsoft to date.

From graphical interface, to stability, reliability, responsiveness and features to the overall user experience, I believe that it will be a welcomed change for all users (especially those still running Windows XP).

When it comes to enterprise users they will have even greater benefits (some mostly appreciated by IT staff) such as

AppLocker (“Specify what software is allowed to run on a user’s PCs through centrally managed but flexible Group Policies.*“)
BitLocker / BitLocker To Go (“Help protect data on PCs and removable drives, with manageability to enforce encryption and backup of recovery keys.“)
DirectAccess (“Give mobile users seamless access to corporate networks without a need to VPN.*“)
BranchCache (“Decrease the time branch office users spend waiting to download files across the network.*“)
Federated Search (“Find information in remote repositories, including SharePoint sites, with a simple user interface.*“)
* all descriptions taken from Microsoft.com

These are just a few new (or improved) features introduced in Windows 7 and they alone warrant an investment in this new operating system. In addition to new features, stability and responsiveness is significantly improved over Vista which should make many people smile.

So my answer is yes. The wait will be well worth it for all Windows users especially considering the PR nightmare caused with their previous half-baked OS.

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Windows 7 is almost here, but will it be worth the wait?

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It’s been a while since I went to a real professional conference (been to a number of one day seminars, presentations and demos), but not a real targeted conference. I think it’s time to change this and become more involved in the technology world outside my immediate area.
Also, considering that I’m planning to introduce additional improvements within our team getting involved in industry specific conferences in order to educated myself further and see what’s out there could prove beneficial to us.

I’ve looked into several conferences ranging from information technology in higher education to the technology industry in general. Some focus on applications, others on servers, some on web content while a few are technology support (help desk) driven. While they are all interesting to me I would like to narrow it down to a conference or two that I should try to attend next year. Here’s where I need your suggestions. Please share your experiences and knowledge when it comes to conferences that someone with the following focus can benefit from:

- Information technology in higher education
- Management of people, processes and technology
- Focus on technology support and process improvements
- Introducing new technologies and tools to improve user experience and internal operational environment

Even if you have only heard from your colleagues of a particular conference, but haven’t attended it yourself mention it here so that I could keep it as an option. Since in higher ed (and most other industries today) there is no money to waste and I would like to provide a tangible ROI to our college and as such this conference needs to be valuable.

As you can see, I haven’t listed any conferences I’m currently considering as I didn’t want to influence your opinions and suggestions.

Post from: Milos Topic

Selecting the most valuable conference to attend

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Writing an effective, job specific, custom tailored cover letter is extremely important when applying for a job. Well written cover letter makes a difference and can help you get that interview and ultimately the job you are after. Please take them seriously and don’t overlook what they say about YOU.

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The importance of a cover letter

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When you are asked to write a recommendation letter, do you always say yes? If so, do you always write in positive light about that particular individual? If you said yes to both questions, why? What makes most people uncomfortable to saying no to most requests?

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Recommendation letters

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While having things in writing is always useful it is important to remember to talk to people you work with as that further strengthens your working relationship and takes certain ambiguity and confusion out of the process.

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Pick up the phone and talk

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Knowledge is a powerful thing, but its real power and comes out when shared with others. Find a suitable way to share what you know and gather knowledge from other people as if will be mutually beneficial down the road.

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Your knowledge is only useful if you share it

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