tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75159724198895515012011-07-08T06:57:31.054-07:00MCD Computer Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03239052709426996574noreply@blogger.comBlogger21100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7515972419889551501.post-54330131599685336142010-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:002010-08-13T09:08:20.534-07:00<span style="font-family:arial;">MICROSOFT launched its latest offering - Office 2010 – in a blaze of publicity earlier this summer but what impact has it had on SMEs? And if you are considering an upgrade, is it really worth it? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Office 2010 is basically available in two different formats: a retail version and a volume-licensing version. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Small businesses, with 10 PCs or less, are advised to go for the retail format. Larger businesses, with multiple PCs, need to go down the volume-licensing route.<br /><br />On the retail side, there are two main packages that are recommended for business use: Office Home and Business 2010, and Office Professional 2010.<br /><br />Office Home and Business (RRP £239.99) includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote.<br /><br />Office Professional (RRP £429.99) includes all of the above, plus Publisher and Access.<br /><br />The other main difference is you get 90 days of technical support with Office Home and Business, compared to a full year with Office Professional.<br /><br />The volume-licensing format also has two different packages for business users: Office Professional Plus 2010, and Office Standard 2010.<br /><br />Professional Plus has all of the applications in Office Professional, plus the added benefit of InfoPath, SharePoint and Workspace Communicator.<br /><br />Office Standard is a more basic package, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Publisher.<br /><br />So what version should you be going for? Well, that basically depends on your business needs.<br /><br />If you’re a small business (with 10 PCs or less) and need Access to create your own databases, then you’d go for Office Professional, rather than Office Home and Business.<br /><br />However, if you have no need for Access, then the more basic package would probably be more than adequate – and also cheaper.<br />Microsoft claim there’s more than a hundred different features on Office 2010, compared to Office 2007, but most of those are subtle changes to the interface.<br /><br />Perhaps the biggest change is to Outlook, which now lets you track emails in one continuous conversation.<br /><br />They’ve also made it easier to drop film clips into Power Point.<br /><br />If you are currently running with Office 2003 then it’s probably worth considering an upgrade to 2010.<br /><br />But if you’ve already got Office 2007, are you really gaining a lot by upgrading?<br /><br />In my opinion, probably not.<br /><br />* MCD Computers Services offers a free, independent assessment of your IT needs. We even exclude ourselves from being your IT provider for six months, which guarantees you get the best possible impartial advice.<br /><br />Call us now on 0870 758 1070 to book an appointment.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7515972419889551501-5433013159968533614?l=mcdcomputerservices.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>MCD Computer Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03239052709426996574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7515972419889551501.post-78668597164117807142010-07-08T08:38:00.000-07:002010-07-08T08:53:21.673-07:00ANY business users that run Windows XP software should circle July 13th in their diaries.<br /><br />Why? Because it might just save you valuable time and money.<br /><br />After July 13th, all systems running Windows XP software will require a Service Pack 3 update.<br /><br />Microsoft has released three such updates since it launched Windows XP in 2001.<br /><br />From July 13th, any PC that hasn’t had Service Pack 3 installed will no longer receive automatic updates.<br /><br />Why is this so important? Well, if you fail to take action, you may be exposing your system to serious security risks.<br /><br />It’s also worth bearing in mind a new version of Internet Explorer is due out later this year.<br /><br />However, this latest version – version 9 – will not run on Windows XP, meaning it might be a good time to assess the different products on the market, and what might work best for your business.<br /><br />The secret to keep your car on the road is regular servicing, and the same also applies to IT.<br /><br />Neglect it and you are only storing up problems further down the line.<br /><br />* MCD Computers Services offers a free, independent assessment of your IT needs. We even exclude ourselves from being your IT provider for six months, which guarantees you get the best possible impartial advice.<br /><br />Call us now on 0870 758 1070 to book an appointment.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7515972419889551501-7866859716411780714?l=mcdcomputerservices.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>MCD Computer Serviceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03239052709426996574noreply@blogger.com