InfoPower Newsletter Issue two April 2007

It's our Birthday!

Dear

Welcome to our second newsletter this year. This month Infopower turns 14!

It's amazing how quickly time seems to pass. It only seems like a few years ago when I was handing out business cards, marking the start of Information Power. Now, I see that 14 years have passed and much of my working life has been spent here at Information Power.

It's been a great journey and I've been privileged to work with a diverse range of committed, motivated and extremely clever people.

I still get that buzz when I see the solutions we have implemented and think -' We really did that!' There is an immense feeling of pride being part of a team like ours that really does make a difference for so many of our clients.

The relationships we have developed, based on trust and commitment are so rewarding and really do justify the years of hard work.

There are always new goals to aspire to and challenges to meet. Our current challenge is working through an extensive business planning exercise to set us on the right path for the next 14 years. Some of you have already assisted in this by giving your feedback and advice.

Speaking for all the team at Infopower, we are grateful to you for letting us come into your businesses and we value the partnerships and friendships that have developed with you. Its been a privelege to serve you and we hope to go on doing so.

Shane Wood

Managing Director

As these newsletters are still new for us, we welcome any feedback you might have – let us know how it can be improved. All feedback to sadie@infopower.co.nz

Seminar Series

Book the date for our Next Seminar!

Date: Tuesday April 24^th

Topic: Disaster Recovery

Where: L4, iPayroll House, 93 Boulcott Street, Wgtn

Time: 10am – 11.30 am

Most people only think about disaster recovery after an event has occurred that results in lost data. In this session we help you think about things you can do to protect your physical and electronic information. We will also show some of the ways in which we help our clients backup and restore data, saving time and money when things go wrong. If you wonder about how secure your data is or are not sure when your last successful backup took place then you should attend!

Register online via our website

Fun at Fitness

Feature: Databases

By Robert Incledon

Ever since the PC brought the power of the computer into homes and small businesses, users have been developing small applications to make their lines easier, using the power of databases such as Microsoft Access or (spreadsheets such as ) Microsoft Excel.

Today most companies in New Zealand have at least one application that was developed using Microsoft Access or Excel. The chances are, it was either developed by an employee who had an interest in computers or it was built by a friend of a friend who actually worked in the IT industry and who may or may not have had a lot of experience working with databases.

The database may have managed to meet your business needs at the time, but in our rapidly changing world, chances are that your business needs have since evolved considerably.

The really frightening thing is that many such applications are relied upon every day to capture all sorts of data that is critical to your daily business needs. It doesn’t always deliver or capture everything that it should and its not always very secure. At Information Power we come across instances everyday where companies have 2, 3, 4 and more separate databases to capture all of the required information which could actually be done far more efficiently in a single application.

Building efficient database applications requires a specialised set of skills; encompassing analysis, application and functional design, architectural design, Business Intelligence and business integration. Ask youself a few questions such as:

- does your database meet your day to day business needs
- how much benefit would you gain from integration with
applications such as Outlook, Project, CRM, Accounting or Payroll
- do your reports provide you with real business intelligence
- does any of your information need to be published to the internet

At Information Power, we specialise in business solutions based on databases such as Access, SQL Server, and Oracle. We use a range of tools and techniques to deliver timely and efficient results. We can help you to make your current database applications work better for you

Whether the project is large or small we tackle it with the same proven development methodology. As Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, we are ideally positioned to take your Information systems to the next level.

We look forward to talking to you about:

· Upsizing your current database from Access to SQL Server

· Extracting good business intelligence from your current database/s

· Integrating multiple databases into a single application

· Improving the security of your database/s

· Audit tracking for your database/s

· Developing your new requirements on a proven framework.

From the Helpdesk

Tips and Tricks: We scour the web for tips and tricks to save you time and increase your techie knowledge!

Work Faster with Keyboard shortcuts. Ever wonder what the windows key on your keyboardis for? (Tip: it is on the bottom left of you keyboard with the four wavy squares) http://www.microsoft.com/nz/smallbusiness/themes/upgrade-your-technology/winkeyshortcuts.mspx

5 Ways You Can Tell That It's Time for a New PC.

http://www.microsoft.com/nz/smallbusiness/themes/upgrade-your-technology/5waystotellitstimeforanewpc.mspx

10 Tips for Safe Computing.

http://www.microsoft.com/nz/smallbusiness/themes/use-safe-software/10-tips-safe-computing.mspx

Going Mobile – how to get started

http://www.microsoft.com/nz/smallbusiness/themes/upgrade-your-technology/going-mobile-how-to-get-started.mspx