 Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
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Creative Intelligence @ Your Service |
Site Map +1 214 234 9283 | Send Email |
So this month's theme is fiscally related: how to save a dollar or two, or for some businesses hundreds, in IT related maintenance expenses.
An irritating thing about ink jet printers is the high cost of replacement ink cartridges: black and white printing usually costs a nickel to seven cents per page, and color can be triple that. But there are ways of reducing printing costs.
One way is to refill ink cartridges. Although not difficult, it's a process that takes skill. Also it's easier for some brands of printers, such as Brother and Canon, then others, such as Epson, HP, and Lexmark.
Another is to order new cartridges on-line. Even the big office super stores such as Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples discount 5-10% when the order is placed through their web sites as opposed to picked up in-store. And the web site buy.com has good prices on printing supplies. For example, a brand new Samsung brand toner cartridge is $73 from buy.com where Office Depot wants $80 on-line for the same part number.
A third option is to use OEM replacement cartridges instead of those supplied by the printer manufacturer. Unfortunately the quality of those vary tremendously. Our experience with cartridges made in China were horrible: although one third the cost, they only lasted half as long!
But we had good luck with Staples brand cartridges made in Germany. And the best luck with Micro Center brand cartridges made in Mexico. Micro Center sells via microcenter.com and they have a retail store at the south west corner of 75 and Spring Valley.
Finally note that OEM ink and toner cartridges come in two flavors: new and remanufactured. Usually the remanufactured ones cost less and come with a no questions asked money back policy, so the down side is limited if it doesn't work out.
Protecting computers from the threat of malware, spyware, and viruses cost money. But most people don't realize those costs are paid for by someone else, usually the service provider. Here are some tips for reducing or eliminating fees associated with reducing this type of risk.
First, work smarter, not harder. A stitch in time saves nine. Trite, but it's often easier to tune computers to prevent an attack in the first place rather then deal with the aftermath. Review the best practices article in the support tips section of our web site for details.
Second, ride on someone else's nickel. AOL, Charter, Comcast, and ATT/SBC all include virus scanning software in the base price charged for the service. You may have to download and install a special edition of the software, for example an AOL only version of McAfee, but after that the subscription renewal is included. Take advantage of these offers when it makes sense.
This “someone else's nickel” thought has two other applications: if you're running Windows XP, for example, there is no point in buying pop-up blocker or firewall software because it's included in the operating system. Free blockers, for example the Google and Yahoo! tool bars, are available for others. And no desktop connected to a D-Link, LinkSys, or NetGear router (not switch) needs to be running a firewall anyways: that's a function built into the router.
Oh, and if you have one address for web (www.example.com) and another for email (example@sbcglobal.net), you might not be taking advantage of hosted email with server-based spam filtering and virus scanning provided in the account fees.
Finally, consider using alternatives to heavily advertised brands in the security software sector. Our favorite is AVG Anti-Virus: $105, five computers, two years. Do the math: it's one-third the cost of any McAfee or Norton product. Plus it's fast: startup and update take half as long!
Since tax season is upon us, make a backup of last year's audited books and take that off site, for example a safe deposit box or in-home fire safe. And don't forget to do the same for this year's first quarter, which ended March 31.
Just contact us with any comments, concerns, or questions about items contained in this document. Or IT issues in general. Or call us at the telephone number below.
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