Welcome to Business Technology Consulting
Posted by Fred Shequine in General on July 17th, 2009
Business Technology Consulting is a multi-disciplinary technology and management consulting company that has been serving the New York area business community since 2002. We specialize in:
- Information Systems Consulting
- System Design & Installation
- Network Design & Installation
- Project Management
- Google Apps Implementations
- Web Site Development
- E-Commerce Development
- Wordpress WebBlog Customizations
- Wordpress Mobile Themes for iPhones and Blackberrys NEW!
- Software Application Development
- Graphic Design, Print Collateral, Artwork, and Photography
- PC & Mac Technical Support
- Training
Feel free to browse around our new site. If you have comments or questions about our services, or simply need more information and want to contact us, click on the Contact Us button on any page within this site.
If You Drop Your iPhone in the Toilet!
Posted by Fred Shequine in Client Tips on February 13th, 2010
iPhone
If you drop your iPhone in the toilet……Call Apple Immediately they will replace your phone immediately for $200-$230 as an out of warranty repair. Better yet take it immediately to an Apple store and you might get it replaced for free! Yes, Free!
Be aware that their are scams on e-Bay that promise to repair iPhones for very little money. DO NOT TRUST THEM! Many of them are scams!
A friend dropped their iPhone in the toilet….some of us had had experiences with ebay iphone repair people….and the ebay option was the one chosen. This friend then mailed her wet iPhone off to some character in Florida…who said he fixed it and would not send her phone back until he was paid $190 for the repair.
She thought it was fixed and so she sent him the money, wisely using Paypal with a credit card to give her double financial protection 1.) from Paypal and 2.) from her credit card company both of which have dispute resolution processes.
She got the phone back and it was dead…..error code 23…according to Apple a fatal error, not repairable. So she then called Apple on the phone greatly frustrated and learned that she should have sent it to them immediately for $200 she would have a new phone.
This does not apply to loosing your iPhone….which is different….in that case you may have to buy a new phone at full, not subsidized pricing.
Then she went to the Apple store to hand over her phone and get her 200 replacement. She showed them the phone, and told her whole sad story…they took pity on her and gave a new phone fresh out of the box for free….yes, she dropped it in the toilet and in the end got a FREE replacement!!!
Apple employees are apparently empowered to satisfy customers….and they will do there best….trust them!
Staying Safer On-Line
Posted by Fred Shequine in Client Tips, Malware on February 11th, 2010
Below is an excerpt from the companion website of the new book by Joseph Menn “Fatal System Error”, the story of a hacker who became a cyber warrior in the fight against on-line criminals.
Staying Safer On-Line
The safest thing to do is avoid online financial transactions and not store passwords, account information or other sensitive material on a computer that is connected to the Internet.
If you are going to conduct business online, you should do it only with a small number of well-known sites. You should avoid using debit cards. You should choose a bank that offers “two-factor” authentication and guarantees any fraud losses. You should review banking and credit card histories closely, even looking for transactions of $1 or less, which may be used to test a card’s validity.Use hard-to-guess passwords that vary from site to site, and give fake but memorable answers to security questions.
In addition, you must have a self-updating operating system and antivirus software. You should not leave unused programs on your computer. On a regular basis, you should check to see whether security patches have been issued for nay of the programs you keep. You should not casually browse to unknown sites. You should check reputable review spots such as CNet.com for information on security software, and you should keep abreast of hacking trends by reading such sites as Wired.com.
Use extreme caution on social networking sites, bearing in mind that if you have more than 20 friends, one of them might well be operating from a compromised machine. Applications where you list relatives could give someone what they need to deduce your mother’s maiden name. There is no good reason any site should have your true birthday.
To Do More With Less, Governments Go Digital
Posted by Fred Shequine in Email Systems, Press on October 15th, 2009
The New York Times recently published an article titled “To Do More With Less, Governments Go Digital.”
Exerpt: “IN government, as in business, crisis can fuel creativity. These days, the pressure to rethink things is particularly intense for state and local governments, which have far less leeway than Washington to borrow in bad times…..Local governments, like many businesses, are struggling with a data glut. Agencies collect huge amounts of information about topics as diverse as building permits, potholes, Medicaid cases and foster-child placements. Technology, according to computer experts and government officials, can be a powerful tool to mine vast troves of government data for insights to streamline services and guide policy.” (full article here)
Further, D’Arcangelo & Co. a local Mid-Hudson area full service accounting firm, published in their latest newsletter: “Communications Technology: What to Spend in Tough Times” (full article here)
Among other things they suggest that local firms look towards Cloud Computing for cost effective ways to streamline communications and increase efficiencies.
BTC knows Cloud Computing, we are an authorized Google Apps reseller and implementer. Google Apps is a complete email, calendar, document, and contact management platform that exists in the Cloud. It’s easy and very cost effective to implement and requires no hardware investment.
Additionally, BTC helped the Town of Lagrange get all their Building and Recreation department forms on-line, allowing residents to download and fill out forms and instructions in advance before coming to the town hall, saving time spent by staff explaining and helping residents.
Give us a call today and we’ll explain how Google Apps and other innovations will help you do more with less! 914-456-5360.
Town of LaGrange Website Rebuild
Posted by Fred Shequine in Project News on July 17th, 2009
BTC Consulting recently completed the rebuild of the Town of LaGrange website.
The new site which came hot on the heels of the Poughkeepsie Journal article on Dutchess County town websites, now meets all the criteria for providing clear easy to access information for residents. It’s also pretty easy on the eyes!
The new site features a number of features:
- A complete webblog based News Management system
- An Events Calender integrated into the Town’s new Google Apps email and groupware system.
- A content management system to allow town staff to update their directory of board, committee and staff members
- Almost every possible form you might need to fill out when you need to conduct business with the town
- And more
You can visit the site HERE
Town of Lagrange
Google Apps for the Town of LaGrange
Posted by Fred Shequine in Email Systems, Project News on July 17th, 2009
The Town of LaGrange NY has chosen BTC to implement a new Google Apps groupware system for the town. Work will be completed in the next month.
The Town will now be able to access their email utilizing the web based GMAIL user interface. The system also includes a Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and much more.
And the best part….for most small business customers, it’s FREE!
Contact us for more details
Google Apps
Posted by Fred Shequine in Email Systems on March 18th, 2009
Business Technology Consulting is pleased to announce that we will be providing Google Apps implementation services for businesses.
Gmail @ your domain name and much more!
Want to learn more about Google Apps Click here
Feel free to call us today and we’ll help you decide which version is right for you and provide an estimate for Implementation Services & Training.
Poughkeepsie Journal
Posted by Fred Shequine in Press on March 15th, 2009
Business Technology Consulting got a mention in the Poughkeepsie Journal this Sunday. An article about local government websites was published after the Journal completed a study of Town and Village websites throughout Dutchess County. You can read the article here.
Pare Lorentz Film Center at the FDR Library
Posted by Fred Shequine in Project News on March 3rd, 2009
The Pare Lorentz Film Center is a non-profit institution that was created to preserve the legacy of films created during the era of Franklin D. Roosevelt. BTC was selected to redesign and rebuild the film center’s website. Pare Lorentz was a prize winning director from that era, and was considered FDR’s film maker. The film center was created as a legacy to his talents. The films in the library cover the Great Depression, World War II, and beyond. The films in the archive will be made available free to educators through the newly developed website’s lending library, which was fully developed by BTC. View it here.
Falling Into the Vista Trap – From BBC News
Posted by Fred Shequine in Client Tips on March 2nd, 2007
Falling into the Vista trap
By Tim Weber
Business editor, BBC News website
Microsoft promises to wow people who are upgrading from Windows XP to its new operating system, but with the joys of Windows Vista comes plenty of pain.
The full article can be read here.
The bottom line from BTC is …. existing PC’s are not ready for Vista nor will they really ever be. The best advice is to wait until you are ready to upgrade your PC and then get a truly Vista compatible machine with Vista pre-installed by the PC maker.
Still undeterred ? Then call BTC and we’ll suggest the right new PC to run Vista on.
BTC on Facebook
