Hate getting out your phone to send a quick text message?  Wish you could send SMS text messages from your Outlook inbox?

Thanks to Navarr’s Google Voice OMS Code and a little Barebones IT know-how, not only is it easier than ever before to collaborate with your Outlook Contacts, it’s FREE!

Barebones Networking is proud to introduce the world’s first application that allows Free SMS text messages to be sent through Microsoft Outlook.  To get started, you’ll need a Google Voice Login (Gmail) and Outlook 2007 or newer.  After you input your ID follow the instructions in Outlook to set up the SMS Service.

Today, communication is king, sending e-mail messages has revolutionized how people communicate in business.  With the ever growing popularity of SMS text messaging now its even easier to connect through your mobile phone.  Both mediums have their advantages and disadvantages, but trying to manage your contacts, correspondence, and appointments while using two different mediums used to be a pain.

Similar services charge you per text message sent or received, but by utilizing Google Voice’s free SMS service you are able to send free text messages to your contact’s cell phone numbers directly from Outlook.

Sound interesting? Follow the steps below to get started today!

Step 1) Enter your Google Voice Login below and click “Get Started!”

Step 2) Allow the service to access your Outlook account.

Step 3) Give Outlook your Google Voice Login Credentials.

Step 4) Send Text Messages to your Contacts from Outlook!

When you’re ready to send your first free SMS Text Messages with Microsoft Outlook just click new scroll down and select Text Message, choose your contact, write your message, and hit Send!

Free Text Messages in Outlook using Google Voice OMS is hosted free by Barebones Networking. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. If you would like to setup your own Google Voice OMS Server, head over to Navarr’s Blog for the open source code.

Barebones Networking is a certified IT consulting solutions provider for businesses in Southern California. Our exclusive Service Guarantee will assure you that the certified professionals at Barebones Networking will get the job done right the first time. Our services include computer and technology consulting, managed services, network security, phone systems, and web design.

There are numerous benefits of using Google Apps. One of the benefits is that you can share your videos internally and you also stand to benefit from additional email security features – at a small fee ofcourse. That said; there are two versions of this service – the free version and the premium version. In consideration for educational institutions, Google has also introduced a third version which has some of the features of the premium package but is essentially free only to educational institutions. On the bright side, the service is open to third party feature development which means that developers can manipulate the service to best cater for their needs.
As companies move their operations into the cloud, they need to be aware of the risks that they are subjecting their data to. This is because data that is stored in the cloud is in a different environment than data that is stored on the premises. That said; how does it all work? As mentioned earlier, all the applications in Google Apps work through a web browser. One needs to have a Google Account to be able to login and access the offered services. Once logged in, a person is able to access features such as word processing, calendaring, chat and several other tools. Take Google Docs for example. Google Docs is one of the features of Google Apps which offers basic formatting of text documents without higher level functions such as templates and style sheets that are common in traditional software.

In Google Apps, the information is created by the users and it then resides in the account of the individual users. It is not stored in a central location. What this essentially means is that if an account is deleted, so is all of that user’s data. As mentioned earlier, there is no notion of a centralized file server that is managed and controlled by an IT institution to be able to recover the files. This is one thing users need to understand before they make any accounts deletions.
Another concern about Google Apps is the loss of control .Because access rights are shared across the service; users rely- to some extent – on how others protect their passwords, usernames and login credentials. All in all, Google is aggressively marketing Google Apps to businesses as a way to effectively manage their email and documents.

VoIP Phones

A VoIP phone is a phone that uses voice over technologies that allows telephone calls to be made over an IP network. The calls can either traverse the internet or a private IP network similar to those used by companies.

Why VoIP Systems

There are numerous advantages associated with VoIP over circuit switched technology. For starters, the same lines can be used to transport voice and data transmissions. Two, with the aid of compression technology more calls can be made using these lines than using circuit switched systems. Three, the flexibility of VoIP allows different devices to talk to each other and so on.

VoIP phone systems

Gone are the days when sophisticated telecommunication systems were only for the fortune 500 companies. Today, if you have a broadband connection, you can take advantage of several hosted IP VoIP phone systems and save more than 50% on your calling expenses in comparison to the traditional calling system.

The systems that utilize Voice over Internet protocol tend to use a combination of computers and specialized phones to complete the calls.  They are:

PC- to- PC

This VoIP phone system basically makes a call from one computer to another. One of the requirements of this system is that both computers have the same software installed. In most cases, such software is usually free and so are the calls. It goes without saying that a microphone is required to speak into and a speaker to be able to hear the conversation.

PC-to-Phone

In this phone system, the call is placed from one computer to a traditional phone. One thing about these systems is that they require a download of software and a calling plan. The plan may include users being provided with different phone numbers for long distance and short distance call services.

IP-phone-to-phone

In this phone system, a broadband phone (commonly called an IP phone) is able to complete all the functions of a traditional phone e.g. hold, transfer calls, e.t.c through a broadband connection. This system is commonly used by businesses to connect workers across a given state into a virtual office.

Cloud services, also known as cloud computing, refers to the sharing of software and other resources that are provided to computers over a network in the form of a utility. It is more concerned with the delivery of computing not as a product but rather as a service. Another explanation that suits cloud computing is that it is a practice of using a network of remote servers that are hosted on the internet to manage and process data instead of opting to use a local server or a personal computer. The general idea here is that you can store your media on the internet with the benefit of being able to access it from any device thus giving you the option of juggling your data around multiple gadgets.

In order to obtain a better understanding of this subject, let us examine some of the general characteristics of cloud computing.

The first characteristic of cloud computing is that it offers dynamic computing infrastructure. The foundation of this infrastructure, namely the internet, is standardized, scalable and secure. Another thing is that this infrastructure is easy to expand since it can do so without requiring any architectural rework.

IT Service Centric approach- To say that cloud computing is IT service centric simply means that users can easily access powerful and pre-defined computing environments that are designed specifically around their service. This IT service centric approach therefore enables user adoption and facilitates business agility since it speeds up the ease with which a user can carry out a specific task thus reducing the cost of driving revenue.

Cloud computing is a self-service based model. Self service cloud offering provides users with the ability to upload and even manage their data as and when they see fit. Not only is this service based model easy to use but there are also intuitive user interfaces that assist users in managing their service deliverycycles.

Multi-tenancy is another defining characteristic of cloud services. Simply put, multi-tenancy refers to the sharing of costs and resources across a large pool of users. This presents a lot of benefits to the average user.

Examples here include:
-Peak load capacity- this means that as the load capacity increases, the users do not need to engineer for the highest possible load levels.
-Efficiency- Multi- tenancy ensures that systems that often utilize very little functionality maximize their potential to the highest possible levels.

Number five on our list is the pay per use feature or consumption based billing as it is commonly referred to. In a statement, cloud computing is consumption driven.This feature enables users to pay only for what they use and therefore helps them to keep their spending costs down since they are able to track their usage.  Following these factors, cloud computing has enabled corporations to not only improve their profit margins but also gain a competitive edge in the markets that they serve.

Email is one of the most critical tools for every business. For most businesses, when email is down a communication channels with clients are broken and revenue can be lost. AccessMyLan has created a great tool to troubleshoot email connectivity issues. The tool can identify:

• Host connectivity and name resolution (DNS) problems
• SSL / Certificate issues
• Exchange Server / ActiveSync configuration issues
• User configuration issues

How It Works

1. The VPN Agent is downloaded and installed onto any Windows system in the office network.
2. The VPN Agent establishes an outbound SSL connection to the AccessMyLan service cloud.
3. Remote users connect to the AccessMyLan service cloud and traffic is routed to the office network via the VPN Agent.

Features

A remote user may connect to the VPN over any Access Method defined by the VPN Administrator. The Access Methods available are:

• VPN Client – Use any remote PC or Laptop as if it were in the office with full access to file shares, applications and even printers.
• Web Portal – Access files and supported Web-based applications on office servers from any Internet browser.
• ActiveSync – Connect Windows Mobile, iPhone and Nokia devices to your Exchange server for mobile mail, contacts and calendar.
• Mobile APN - Connect any mobile device on supported partner networks as a VPN Client.

You can download AccessMyLan Here.  For more information regarding this product visit AccessMyLan’s Website.

Microsoft Outlook 2003

1. Choose Actions/Junk E-mail/Junk E-mail Options from the Outlook menu.



2. Change the options to No Automatic Filtering.
3. Click OK.

Microsoft Outlook 2007

1. Open Outlook 2007.
2. Select: Tools from the file menu at the top of the window.



3. Select: Options from the tools menu.



4. Under the options window, Press the: Junk E-mail button at the top of the window.



5. Under the Junk E-mail Options window: Select the: No Automatic Filtering. option at the top of the list.



6. Press the: Apply button in the bottom right corner.



7. From this point, press the: OK button till you are back at your Outlook window.

Microsoft Outlook 2010

1. In the Home Tab, select Junk.



2. Select Junk Email Options….



3. Select No Automatic Filtering



4. Click OK to save your settings.

Google took a shot at the bow of Microsoft which has raised questions that Microsoft would have to answer when it launches office suite 365. One customer who has chosen Google Apps in relation to Microsoft products also said he chose to offer Google in the cloud for reasons of how much it cost, the simplicity, and collaboration. The product manager of enterprise claimed it is only a true application of the cloud with Google Apps. In an interview Sinha quoted “From a supply perspective and a client, very large it feels like the same type of products packaged together in a new way,” referring to Office 365.

With office 365 it is a cloud, which concludes into a solution of a monthly subscription that comes in two versions. The two versions include one for small businesses and enterprises.  With the Small Business Edition it is for organizations with fewer than 25 employees in there organization.  It is a $6 per month and per user. This version will offer Office Web Apps, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Online Lync, and a website external to subscribers. Microsoft has also enhanced its service with a Lync Lync energy package it includes six applications to extend the social experience Lync. Google Apps on the other hand, usually charges $ 50 per user per year on an annual contract, although there is a “flex plan” which also offers companies the option of paying $ 5 a month per user.  The entire following are included, Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Sites, Google Groups, and video, with 25 GB per account allowed for the electronic storage and one gigabyte per user for file storage.

With Google Apps they are hosted on their own servers. They include a simple word processor, spreadsheet simple, and much more. These programs also allow companies to complete their tasks easier to do things such as writing letters, creating documents, etc.  Furthermore, with Google Apps solution it makes more sense because their employees themselves do not use the advanced features of word processing programs and other programs. Google Apps is the company to take advantage of cloud storage. With this it means that only stores things online rather than storing them locally, it also provides an added level of security. In other words it takes into account all these different functions that have been made popular with Google Apps for business.

Google Apps, of course, includes more than desktop software. There are also instant messaging that allows businesses and individuals to communicate cheaply by systems such as Google Book Search ™, and also service books that allow people to search through many books to find specific information. There are also other programs like Google Earth ™  which is a mapping service that are used by all vacationers for archaeologists to find interesting places to explore, and Google Sky ™ program, and this program allows amateur astronomers to get a look at the sky night.

With a company like this company it has been able to offer new applications for customers at no extra charge for them. Google is the entry of the company in social networks, after the much-maligned Buzz Service.  Although it has not yet been published, but there are many discussions about the system already. This will defiantly add another competitor in the world of social networks and means that Google will extend its reach even further into the digital marketplace. With Google Apps evolving and others similar to them, they will continue to move the offers from other companies; this has already dominated the market for software for decades, such as Microsoft and Apple.

Barebones Event Log Checker (BELC)

This handy application searches the Windows Event Log for the existence of a specific value or entry, then the application will write a value back to the Event Log with a success or failure message. The reason we created this application was that we needed an automated method to check for hung backups for Acronis and and Symantec backup software products. We use Level Platforms as our RMM Tools to monitor for the success or failure of backups, but the application has no way to tell if a backup is hung or is stuck for any reason. So to solve this problem we assume that a backup is failed if we do not find a message indicating success. With the Barebones Event Log Checker, you can search the event log for a backup success message, if it doesn’t find a success message during the time interval you specify, it will return a failure message. You can then program your RMM (Remote Management and Monitoring) Solution, Level Platforms in our case, to look for a failure message from this application. Simple.

Barebones Networking Event Log Checker runs as a windows service so it will continue to run after a reboot, or without a user logged into the system. Also, you can use your RMM tool to check the service to make sure it is running. This application is provided free of charge an with no warranties. This project is under constant development and we are open to feedback. Thanks.

Prerequisites:

.NET 3.5 – download here

Instructions:

1. Download the file from this page – Barebones Event Log Checker

2. After the application installation, go to the start menu and run “Barebones Networking Event Log Checker Service Config”

3. Application Options:

• Period – The amount of time (in minutes) you want the BELC to search in the past
• Search Interval – How often BELC will run the requested search
• Source – The text value to search for in the search field
• Event ID – The numerical value to search for int he EventID field
• Log – The Log to search in
• Success Description – The message you want to be BELC to write back to the Event Log if it finds your query
• Error Description – The message you want BELC to write back to the Event Log if it can’t find your query
• Start – Start the Service
• Stop – Stop the Service
• Save – Save the configuration
• Force Search – Run the defined configuration immediately
• Exit – Close the application

Screenshots of Event Log Entry:

IT Support Tools