Greetings, and welcome to the first edition of the newly revamped Trigon Times. We hope the 2010 calendar year will bring you and your business good fortunes, and that it will be a year to remember. Here at Trigon, we are striving to improve the way you interact with technology and make your company more efficient. We think that as a user, your IT infrastructure should be like a car. You turn the key and go. When Trigon is on your side, you can Expect IT to Happen!

Last year, to help us get information out to our users, we implemented a monthly newsletter for the first time in our company history. Due to the massive amount of success and feedback we received from the pioneer edition, this year we have decided to take it a step further. Our newsletter will be undergoing some minor aesthetic changes – the format and design will be newer, fresher, and easier to navigate. We have also decided to publish our newsletter on a quarterly basis instead of a monthly basis. This way, we will be able to have ample time to collect comments and feedback regarding what you would like to read about in our next edition and generate better quality material.

Thank you for being a faithful reader of the Trigon Times. If you would like more information on any of the topics covered in our newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Also, if you want a specific topic to be covered in our next edition, please send us an email. solutions@TrigonIT.com

4 Reasons 'Virtualization' Saves Money
by Heather Clancy
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Most articles about virtualization discuss the technology in the context of "big" business. They are glowing about the potential for "data center consolidation" or "reduced system maintenance expenses." Or they rave about the prospects for a better disaster recovery plan, better security and extra flexibility for employees. What about small business? The good news is if you are a small business owner, there are plenty of short- and long-term benefits from virtualization-and you don't need a big budget. (That makes virtualization attractive in a brutal economic climate.)

So what is virtualization? Quite simply, it is technology that explodes the traditional one-to-one relationship between computer hardware and the software that runs it. Virtualization software allows you to create two or more complete computing environments on a single piece of hardware. The proliferation of systems with multi-core microprocessors has made virtualization possible across a wide range of business applications. 

Read on for the reasons

Replace your Old Technology Now and Save
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

It can be tempting to avoid new purchases when dealing with a tight budget or a need to cut costs. When it comes to your office’s computer equipment, however, delaying a PC refresh can actually increase your operating expenses. Maintenance and support costs go up significantly over time, and productivity goes down.

Learn about the major costs associated with maintaining and supporting PCs and the six ways in which a PC refresh can benefit your business.

1. Save on repair costs
For most businesses, it’s best to replace aging equipment rather than repair it.  Maintenance costs on PCs more than three years old can run nearly two and half times higher than on a new PC [1]. From software crashes to hard drive failure, a lot can go wrong as a computer ages.

Read on for more ways

Work, family, friends and a few hours for yourself? Sometimes it seems impossible to fit everything in one day. If you are looking to spend less time at your computer and more time somewhere else, check out these clever keyboard shortcuts.

Windows of opportunity
If you often work with several windows open simultaneously, you’ll save valuable minutes using these quick key options.

1. To minimize a window to your toolbar, press ALT, SPACEBAR and N.
2. To maximize a window to your full screen, hit ALT, SPACEBAR and X.
3. To reduce the size of a window without hiding it, press ALT, SPACEBAR and R.
4. To close a window, hit ALT and F4.
5. To go to the last window you had open, simultaneously click ALT and TAB.
6. To select one window when you have several open, hold down ALT, and maneuver by clicking TAB to the window you want.

Read on for more ways.

Just for Laughs

Today's Quote

We would accomplish many
more things if we did not
think of them as impossible.

- Vince Lombardi