In the past, whenever someone asks me what software should they use as their organization’s intranet system for the purpose of knowledge management repository, I would recommend either Sharepoint or Google Sites (Read a previous post on How to manage and retain knowledge through Google Sites). photo credit: Teemu Mäntynen

Both Sharepoint and Google Sites can be used to manage information and for office collaboration purposes as well. I depends on the decision maker’s preference on which solution best fits their requirements.

Whenever I mention Sharepoint to my friends, this would be their question:

• Is there something cheaper? I do not even want to invest on an operating system just to be able to run Sharepoint.

Whenever I mention Google Sites, this would be their question:

• Is it safe to place confidential documents in Google Sites? We’re worried about security!

It looks like there is a gap between Sharepoint and Google Sites. People seem to want the flexibility to host their information / knowledge on their own at little or no cost.

Is there such a solution? Continue Reading »Open source web based knowledge management repository

There are many reasons why we need to sometimes reinstall our operating system (Windows XP or Vista).

photo credit: B Rosen

Some of the common reasons include:

• It’s slow to start up.
• There are bugs in the OS caused by viruses or malwares.
• Certain common applications like the browsers just won’t work anymore.
• The windows registry is messed up and I don’t know how to fix it.

In fact, all the above are happening to my friend’s Prestigio laptop right now.

I’m pretty sure that by formatting the hard disk and reinstalling the OS would do the trick.

However, reinstalling takes up a lot of time. One of the most time consuming task is finding which files to backup. If you’re like me, a bit unorganized, I put my documents everywhere. A few here and a few there.

One solution for you is to just take an image of your entire partition. I did this yesterday via Easeus Todo Backup 1.1 and it managed to capture my 140GB C partition in within 2 hours. The only thing to do now is to test the restoration on a new and empty hard disk. Will write a post on that once done.

So, if you’re not into reinstalling your OS because you can’t afford the half a day downtime having to:

• Backup files
• Format the hard disk
• Reinstalling the OS
• Patch and update the OS
• Install drivers
• Install common applications like Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader and Skype

Then you might want to consider this alternative to reinstalling your XP or Vista OS. Continue Reading »An alternative to reinstalling your XP or Vista OS

As a technical consultant, do you sometimes struggle when it comes to consulting a client. photo credit: Lars Plougmann

Some clients would complain when they don’t understand your technical jargons. They would say that you’re being too technical and trying to confuse them further with your tech talk.

But being a technical person, we can understand that it’s easier to mention ITIL than Information Technology Infrastructure Library or to mention ERP than to Enterprise Resource Planning.

Whether you’re a technical consultant or a business consultant, I strongly believe that consulting is a skill which can be acquired and mastered by learning the fundamentals, best practices and common mistakes made by consultants.

I remember once our Managing Consultant told us to never say these 3 words to the client: “I don’t know”. Because once mentioned, the credibility is gone. Instead there are many ways to let the client know that you’re not very sure on a particular topic area and would rather not comment.

These are some examples:

• With some additional research, I can get back to you with a better explanation… Or
• Our consultants have experienced this before, perhaps I could arrange for us to meet…

Some would say that most consultants are trying to confuse instead of consult. Whatever it is, consultants can get the right consulting skills to enhance their credibility and gain the right consulting methodologies.

If you’re currently a working consultant, attending classes right after work could be a hassle.

Instead you could op for online business training such as those offered by BusinessTraining.com Continue Reading »Online Business Training Programs

A friend recently asked if I could recommend to her an an online accounting system which is web based and most importantly affordable, preferably allowing payments to be made on a monthly basis. photo credit: alancleaver_2000

She needed to be able to pay for the accounting system on monthly basis because she cant afford to purchase a brand new system which requires a huge up front capital investment. There’s simply not enough funds to go for a high end accounting package for now.

Also, she needed her accounting system to be online / web based so that she could easily share her accounts with co workers who are based at various locations.

Based on her requirements, I searched around and discovered one which fits exactly what she needs. It’s called SalesOrder.com

The reason why I have no doubts recommending SalesOrder.com is because it provides a 30 days full functionality free trial. If it doesn’t fit her requirements, she can just cancel the account without any obligations whatsoever. Continue Reading »An affordable web based online accounting system