One innovative way schools are addressing the problem is the School Communicator, an easy-to-use communication tool geared for the education sector. School Communicator was intended as a simple and cost effective means of communicating with parents about school news. It generally includes important notices, events, sporting and cultural results and photo galleries. It’s also as a useful means of updating details and accessing relevant resources.

The tool is being put to good use during the recent strike action as schools using the system have turned its fast and effective functionality into an up-to-the-minute broadcaster and a useful link to the reams of class work that would otherwise have been a logistical nightmare to co-ordinate.

Jayne Bouwer at Umhlali Preparatory School reiterates that communication with parents, regardless of whether there is a crisis or not, is of paramount importance to the governing body. However in situations where parents are literally entrusting the safety of their children to their educators, using communication to create the right level of trust and confidence is critical.

“To date, we have been able to maintain a more than 80% student attendance rate despite the strike action, which has gone a long way towards limiting the negative impact on our learners,”says Bouwer. “We know that this is largely due to the fact that we have been so proactive about communicating the situation to our parents and keeping them informed of all our decisions and actions being taken on an up-to-the-minute, basis. School Communicator has been instrumental in this process.” The school also assisted parents with information regarding how to keep the momentum going from home with age-appropriate activities and subsequently through workbooks and supplementary worksheets.

Another school, Kingsway High, has felt the impact more keenly. With its Grade 12 pupils just 60 days away from their all-important finals, concerns around preparation for preliminary and Matric examinations are almost palpable. Kingsway only implemented the School Communicator tool a few weeks before the strike, but have already found creative ways to make the solution work for them.

“To ensure pupils don’t fall behind, we’ve made school work available as PDFs. School Communicator ensures that parents are aware of where and how these can be accessed,” says Colleen Smit. “We are also using School Communicator to direct our Grade 12 learners to other Social Media, such as Facebook, whereby they can engage with the various teachers on issues where they need extra assistance. In just three weeks, almost half of our parents have adopted the system and are extremely impressed with the results. It creates a valuable link between the school and parents, which is extremely valuable in times where parents may be feeling anxious about the prevailing circumstances.’

Until now, Elna De Waal at Laerskool Hennopspark has been the administrator for the primary school’s School Communicator, using it as primarily as a social calendar tool for sporting and cultural events and school results. Since the beginning of the strike action last week, she has now used it to supplement the school’s traditional means of communication, keeping parents abreast of the school’s reaction to the strike action on a daily basis. All grades and subjects now have links to specific assignments and tasks that can be accessed over the internet, ensuring that those students that are kept out of the classrooms out of concern for their safety can keep up to speed with their through detailed tutorials prepared by their teachers.

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Also on the menu is an offering that delimits the capacity of websites, allowing for hassle-free interfacing with visitors to an Internet site.

The company’s unlimited web hosting package, so-called because it provides unlimited disk space and allows for unlimited website traffic, costs just R89 per month. Domain registration is free with this package and an unlimited number of mailboxes can be linked to it.

This means users with optimized websites for hobby, personal, blogging, business, photo galleries, membership sites etc., the unlimited offer extends to unlimited storage and file transfer for your active website. However, the unlimited offer does not extend to backup or to store a million pictures, but can be used to actively run and operate your website.

Tricker stressed that the unlimited offer cannot be used for the sole purpose of storing files. The website must be active.

Another aspect not covered by the unlimited offer is the unlicensed distribution of copyrighted material. This includes File Sharing, File Upload, File Archive, Backup, Site Mirroring, Content Distribution Sites, Porn, excessive amount of videos and music.

“I believe smaller entities such as SMEs, entrepreneurs and students should not have to shy away from having their own websites just because of financial constraints – it’s essential for them to be included in this pervasive part of society,” said Tricker.

To this end Tricker has created a free web hosting package that includes 55MB of disk space and provides 0.3GB for website traffic per month. The package comes with up to three mailboxes. Hosting Unlimited offers a 30-day money back guarantee on all packages.

The business package comes with 1GB disk space, 4GB for website traffic and up to 100 mailboxes. This is more than sufficient for medium-sized businesses and, at a price that’s roughly half the industry standard, it’s also an inexpensive way to test out Hosting Unlimited’s excellent service delivery.

“The Internet is commonly thought of as a free and unlimited space, yet most domain owners will know all too well that being on the web can be a costly business that’s fraught with limitations and complications,” Tricker says.

The company has also purchased their own control panel with instant account activation as well as servers within a local data centre to reinforce its commitment to customer service and independence. Hosting Unlimited’s locally hosted servers too ensure fast, reliable and a quality service.

Tricker is determined to make having a website trouble-free. Clients can email queries through and he guarantees a response within 30 minutes.

“Shoddy customer service from their web hosts is usually website owners’ biggest complaints, but I am confident that Hosting Unlimited will become known for breaking the mould by offering top-notch service,” Tricker said.

“The web lends itself to this sort of communal give and take, and it’s so important for anyone with a website to be able to have help right at their fingertips,” said Tricker.

“Hosting Unlimited is dedicated to making sure that anyone can stake their claim on the Internet without being hampered by their budget or level of technological expertise.”

To find out more about the features offered within Hosting Unlimited’s three packages, visit www.hostingunlimited.co.za

With Web.com you have everything you need for a website design that promotes your business and increases sales. Our Web design services take your business to the next level, powered by a set of online marketing tools that get you seen when customers are looking for exactly what you have to sell.

]]> http://itgeeks.bundublog.com/2010/08/23/a-free-website-in-minutes/feed/ 0 http://itgeeks.bundublog.com/2010/08/23/making-2010-a-year-to-remember/ http://itgeeks.bundublog.com/2010/08/23/making-2010-a-year-to-remember/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:51:30 +0000 rivalblogger http://itgeeks.bundublog.com/?p=223 With only three months left, companies need to act quickly and use all available resources to ensure 2010 is a year to remember. They will need to consider alternative methods to help increase their revenues and establish a pipeline for the coming year. This is according to data and lead generation specialists CG Consulting.

Database 360, a division of CG Consulting, has announced that it is experiencing an enormous interest in its African database, a comprehensive resource of companies and executives throughout the African continent.

CG Consulting sales and marketing director Louise Robinson says companies are under immense pressure to ensure their future. “Everyone is looking for alternative markets to grow their businesses and it is evident that Africa is one of the biggest emerging markets. We are inundated with requests for accurate data throughout the continent.”

Database 360 is a database developed specifically to provide IT organisations, wanting to do business in Africa, with access to the right people, the right contact details, and the right information about the specific needs of these companies.

“The reality is that data for emerging Africa is almost non-existent. This is the reason why we have invested significantly in time and resources to build and develop a comprehensive database of businesses in Africa,” she explains.

She warns that South Africa data is everywhere and one can purchase a list from anyone and simply hit the send button and start spamming potential clients. “This will result in turn losing credibility and potential business. One needs to be sure the data is accurate, up-to-date and relevant. If not, then you are wasting your time, money, and damaging your reputation.”

Database 360 is a data company with offices in South Africa and the UK. The company does not purely collate data with contact details, its team of specialised consultants contacts clients, discusses the client’s potential business needs and develops data resources – based on this information.

In addition, the company conducts regular research and surveys through its databases, especially to determine their specific needs. As a result, Database 360 has a wealth of relevant information that can be used by companies, specifically in the IT industry.

Database 360 is not only able to offer its clients first level contact data, but also the informational data that is able to provide insight into a client’s needs.

“People want to do business in Africa, but the challenge for many has been where to start. Many African countries still do not have websites so one is unable to Google them and pick up their contact details, the Web data that is available is also often outdated or non-existent so we need to continuously call and verify and update the data, another challenge facing companies wanting to do business in Africa has been knowing who to talk to when in the door,” she says.

The data currently held by Database 360 includes corporate data across all the major business verticals with contacts for the offices of IT, finance, CEO, HR etc. In addition, the company has French, Portuguese and Arabic speaking people working within the company that has assisted the company overcome the language barrier when dealing with many African organisations. As a result, Database 360 has become a gateway to doing business in Africa.

“It has been our goal over the last couple of years to develop a qualified database that will offer our own clients a full view of businesses in Africa, and I believe we have now achieved this,” she concludes.

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According to KSS sales manager Stuart Cohen, this latest OS runs across Expand’s range of physical and virtual Accelerator solutions. “It introduces advanced features to help customers achieve increased performance, ease of use, value for money, greater WAN provisioning capabilities and improved management and monitoring efficiencies.”

The enhanced Layer 7 QoS features of OS 6.3 provide the highest levels of integrated visibility and control in a single OS of any vendor in the market, enabling organisations of all sizes to maximise their WAN infrastructure. OS 6.3 also introduces significant advancements in ease of deployment; for example, high latency environments requiring TCP acceleration benefit from enhanced dynamic SCPS support, and a new RDP proxy feature enables “zero touch” installation into Microsoft RDP environments.

“As IT infrastructures become more virtualised and distributed, so the need for effective deployment management increases. OS 6.3 has a number of new and enhanced features that enable organisations to deploy in a more dynamic & intuitive way, ensuring ease of configuration, use and ongoing management of Expand WAN optimisation solutions,” he explains.

Enhanced central configuration enables single sided configuration, making global deployments across multiple timezones as simple as possible. Furthermore, single sided “dynamic auto configuration” means no need to configure remote accelerators for acceleration functionality.

In addition, extended ability to optimise and control physical and additional virtual bandwidth in dynamic environments where capacity availability is constantly changing. Accelerators are uniquely auto configured for “zero touch” installation into RDP environments, to deliver simple and immediate optimisation and acceleration benefits for Microsoft RDP protocols with no need to change RDP Server or client settings.

He says this latest OS dramatically enhances application visibility and control via enhanced layer 7 QoS, enabling organisations of all sizes to maximise their WAN infrastructure. “The new and enhanced features include enhanced VMware Vsphere4 integration, fault tolerance and High Availability (HA) in virtualised environments enabling IT to take advantage of VMware’s suite of management tools such as VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and High Availability, to dynamically deploy, manage, maintain and assure the performance of Expand’s Virtual Accelerator.”

The ability to now use hard Drive caching techniques in Extreme environments on our non hard drive platforms via the use of a 4GB Solid Stat memory card that simply slots into the available expansion slot. Additionally, congestion avoidance algorithm counteracting the performance deterioration of TCP connections within high-latency terrestrial or satellite radio links.

Combining these new features with its existing RDP and Citrix Layer 7 Visibility and Control capabilities, Expand now boasts the industry’s most comprehensive Layer 7 QoS engine enabling IT to easily identify, manage and control all applications traversing the enterprise & Cloud WAN, while deployment has become even more simplified with the new dynamic installation management features.

“While tactical optimisation technologies can deliver extra network capacity, if it is not being controlled appropriately it can have a detrimental effect on the company’s most important applications and, as a result, its business performance,” says Expand Networks CTO Efi Gatmor.

“IT has realised that maximising the WAN is no longer just about just providing acceleration, but about enabling enhanced levels of traffic visibility and control. These latest OS advancements further enhance Layer 7 visibility and ease of use, to provide greater control and optimisation of the WAN thus enabling organisations to assure the quality of user experience across complex environments.”

“Committed to a following a wholly holistic approach to WAN Optimisation, Expand enables organisations to choose and use the right tool for the right application – and optimise it – regardless of network environment, or protocol. With our integrated technology, we continue to deliver this experience across physical, virtual and mobile appliances, and will continue to innovate in meeting the evolving needs of organisations,” concludes Cohen.

Expand Networks OS 6.3 is now available, for more information contact KSS Technologies

Does anybody have any suggestions around some microphones and recorders?

There is this Podcast Bundle from Behringer which I found on the SoundShop website which doesn’t look too bad for R2999.

You basically get a full recording studio “out of the box” including FireWire interface, mixer, microphone, headphones, professional music software and more:

• High-resolution 24-bit/96 kHz, 2 In / 2 Out FireWire audio interface for Windows XP and Mac OS X operating systems
• Professional 8-input 2-bus mixer with premium mic preamps and 3-band EQs
• Professional large-diaphragm studio condenser microphone
• High-performance studio headphones with ultra-wide frequency response
• Table microphone stand, microphone windscreen and cable, four 1/4″ jack cables and two FireWire cables
• Powerful DAW software (Ableton Live Lite 4 BEHRINGER Edition, Kristal Audio Engine, Audacity)
• Illustrated quick-start guide “How to Podcast”

Thoughts?

NAG, the award winning heavyweight of gaming and entertainment technology publications, in conjunction with Alienware, presents SA’s gaming fanatics with the ultimate gaming experience at rAge from 1-3 October at the Coca Cola Dome. With 12-years of indisputable experience NAG knows what gamers want, and gives it to them! Ten Intel servers, Internet access and the thrilling hum of 2,080 computers in unison sets the stage for unadulterated gaming nirvana that is synonymous with the NAG LAN @ rAge.

So set your calendar reminders and cellphone alarms – hell, just to be safe get your mother, brother, gaming widow, boss and/or local petrol attendant to remind you that tickets to the unprecedented gaming event of the year go on sale at Computicket on 01 August 2010 (R300.00pp for the entire weekend, which includes free access to the expo as well as a R100 gift voucher from BT Games). Avoid having to explain the grown-up tears and get in early as tickets are expected to sell out within a couple of days – as in two. Catch you at the action!

For more information go to www.rageexepo.co.za

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Kariba Software is a proudly South African company, established by a group of business people with extensive experience in Accounting, Business Management, and Software Development – who identified the need for more functional and user-friendly software solutions that would reduce the level of training and support required by end-users. The result is a simple, intuitive product with a high level of flexibility and great functionality.

According to Peet van Rensburg, CEO of Kariba Software, the Payroll Software offers a number of competitive advantages.  “Kariba Payroll was designed to dramatically simplify the Payroll Management process,” says van Rensburg. “Furthermore, the product has a real-time online support function which significantly reduces support time and can be carried out from any location.”

Processing can be done in either batch mode or per employee. The payslip option provides a full view of all input, income and deduction calculations along with all other relevant Information, all on a single screen,
 
Kariba Payroll, which is now available at Incredible Connection stores nationwide, is an advanced payroll system with dynamic processing screens, catering for all frequencies including multiple fortnightly, and incorporates all the latest South African Revenue Service and other statutory requirements.

At Kariba Software, each and every client receives personalised attention not only during the installation and training process but through dedicated after-sales service. “We are quite convinced that our clients will be completely satisfied with their purchase, especially once they have experienced the Kariba Payroll simplicity and ease-of-use,” says van Rensburg. “But we endeavour to make ourselves available to them at all times, to assist with any queries, or work together with them to enhance the way that they use the product in future,” concluded van Rensburg.

Kariba Payroll Features include:
·         Full View Payslip Processing·         Batch Processing
·         “Year to Date” Data Take-on from other Computerised or Manual Systems
·         Unlimited Income Source Types
·         Unlimited Deduction Types
·         Fixed Multiple, Fixed per Employee, Variable & Formula based Sources
·         Formula Source Calculations with maximum and minimum restrictions
·         Branches, Departments, Cost Centres & Pay Points
·         Loans & Savings Control
·         Employee Leave History Control
·         All Period, Monthly & Annual Reporting
·         Monthly Salaries, Weekly & Fortnightly Wages, and multiple Fortnightly Cycles
·         Beneficiary Reports
·         Employee General & Termination Notes
·         Employee Specific & Global Payslip Notes
·         Reminders Function
·         Retirement Benefits
·         Regular & Once-off Additional Tax Function
·         Electronic Transfers & Coinage Reporting