On the web: • email: • Fax: 614-875-7761
2nd Quarter2004
- INFOGROUP 2004 ROUNDUP!
- STAFFING UPDATES
- SPY-WARE, MAL-WARE, AD-WARE, JUNK-WARE
- THANKS AND THANKS
- EMAILING PRINTJOBS TO MAILING SERVICE
- …BUT THE ACCOUNTANT IS HERE NOW!
From The President's Console
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
I know, this edition of the INFONETICS Update newsletter has been a long time coming.
Yep, that's how I started our last newsletter, over nine months ago.
This time, we took an extended sabbatical from publishing so that we could focus our resources on fulfilling an overwhelming demand for our new Linux servers, software upgrades, and new installations. Thanks to much hard work on the part of all INFONETICS staffers, we've whittled our backlog down from what once approached six months, to a much more respectable time frame.
Obviously, the big news of the last nine months was the rollout of our new line of Linux servers. These speed demons propelled performance of our system well beyond the 100 user point, into what truly is the domain of "enterprise" systems. And just as easily, this system scales down to an affordable platform that serves even the single-user market.
Paired hand-in-hand with the new Linux servers was a new software release, version 2.20. It too scales our software into enterprise installations by handling more warehouses, larger customer bases, and greater numbers of users and printers than ever before.
RITA+VPN technology (our Internet based branch office connectivity solution) has taken firm hold throughout our multi-branch customers, and has replaced almost all of the dedicated leased-line connections established over the last decade. This has also taken untold hours of patient work deploying new wide area networks on behalf of many of you.
Finally, we had another successful run of INFOGROUP training seminars over the past spring. There seems to be a never ending stream of new employees within our customers' businesses that need educating, instructing, and advancement of their skills in their quest to get the most out of our software.
As you can see, we've been very busy over the last nine months bringing these new technologies to dozens of existing customers. If you haven't taken the step yet, then now is the time. Call now to find out what upgrade options are best for you.
Work has begun too on one of our next big initiatives. INFONETICS has started marketing to specialty tool and fastener distributors, aka STAFDA. This dramatic expansion has grown from recognition that our software excels, not only at the management and tracking of industrial gas cylinders, but perhaps even better at management of inventory, point-of-sale and
purchasing/replenishment. This new market represents the first significant expansion of our customer base in many years. Much hard work lies ahead as we gain a toehold and begin acquainting a whole new group of businesses with our best-of-breed software applications and unique "no-contract" approach to service and support. Let me be the first to welcome these new prospective customers to the INFONETICS family, and invite you to get to know us through this and following newsletters.
Finally, we have numerous new customers to welcome;
- Jim @ Casper's Welding Equipment & Supply, Canfield, OH
- Joe, John & Lois @ G.T. Industries, Sulphur, LA
- Scott, Tom & Cathy @ Victor Welding Supply, Tulsa, OK
- Scott @ American Gases Corporation, Gurnee, IL
Welcome one and all!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
INFOGROUP 2004 ROUNDUP!
Four INFOGROUP training sessions recently wrapped up the 2004 season.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
The last of the INFOGROUP's for 2004, Accounts Payable & General Ledger, was held in May and thus ended another successful season of training sessions.
The classes offered this year included; Inventory Control, Cylinder Control & Serial Numbers, Personal Computing for INFONETICS, and the aforementioned Accounts Payable & General Ledger class. Plans have yet to be
finalized for 2005 and we need your help.
If you have a suggestion on what topics you'd like to see covered, on different ways to present the class, on different times of the year to present them, and so on please let us know. Without your suggestions, support, and of course, attendance, we here at INFONETICS can only assume that we've trained you all so well initially that there's
no need for such classes!?!
While we're good, even the most veteran of users of the INFONETICS system could use a refresher course every now and again.
So please, e-mail your suggestions to Jeff Roope at . Of course you are always welcome to call us at 614-875-2006 or fax us at 614-875-7761 too.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
STAFFING UPDATES
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
Dustin G. FreaAssembly/Repair Technician
INFONETICS is pleased to announce the promotion of Dustin G. Frea to lead Assembly/Repair Technician.
Dustin successfully graduated from Bishop Ready High School this past June, much to the amazement and surprise of his parents. (Just kidding, they knew it was going to happen.) Dustin now spends mornings here at
INFONETICS, working on getting your repairs and new equipment back to you as soon as possible. Working closely with Greg, David & Wade, he is quickly moving up into the top levels of our service department.
But no, that isn't enough for Dustin. In the evenings, Dustin works as a Certified Aquatic Facility Operator for the City of Grove City, at the local pool. Dustin plans to attend The Ohio State University, where he wants to study political science, and possibly move into business.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
Tamela L. McGrawMarketing Specialist
INFONETICS is pleased to announce Tamela L. McGraw has joined the INFONETICS staff as Marketing Specialist.
Tammy's strong background in accounting and public relations serve INFONETICS well in her role as Jacklyn-of-all-trades. She splits her time between marketing to STAFDA (Specialty Tool And Fastener Distributors Association) members and handling special administrative projects. In her off time, she balances her time between attending
Capital University part-time, attending daughter's extracurricular activities in karate and softball, practicing her pool skills, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Congratulations goes out to Tammy, as she attends Capital University part-time and was recently inducted into the Psi Chi International Honor Society in March of this year. She was also elected Vice President of the local Psi Chi Chapter and begins her duties as Vice President beginning fall semester. Congratulations Tamela, the hard work is paying off!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
Wade V. H. PinkstonPC/Network Technician
INFONETICS is pleased to announce Wade V.H. Pinkston has joined the staff at INFONETICS as PC/Network Technician.
Wade started life as a small child with an insect in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. After getting his
Masters degree at The Ohio State University in Entomology (that's bugs for the rest of us) he traded his love of multi-legged bugs in for his love of computer bugs. Now he helps out in the tech support department, where he's still squashing bugs.
When Wade is not in front of a computer he can usually be found at an Ice Rink cheering for his daughters hockey team or taking pucks to the face in net for his own teams. Wow what a diverse guy!
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
SPY-WARE, MAL-WARE, AD-WARE, JUNK-WARE
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
Are you sick of having all kinds of pop ups and strange programs running on your PC? Many semi malicious programs are installed without your knowledge or intention when you download “free” programs off the Internet. These programs have become known as spy-ware, mal-ware, ad-ware and junk-ware and can become quite a problem for your Windows(TM) PC.
Almost as malevolent as viruses, they will infest your computer, using up precious resources, and over time make it less and less unusable. Worse yet, many of these programs are sending information about you and the things your computer does to its authors out there on the Internet. These industrious individuals are then able to better tune their pop-ups and spam messages to appeal to your demographics. (Big brother really is here, and contrary to the original vision, it's not the government, it's shady businesses and spammers).
Some simple tips will keep your
PC away from spy-ware programs in the first place.
First, do not install any programs downloaded from the Internet unless you are confident the source of the program is safe and trustworthy. If the program is “free” and does something cute it is likely a form of spy-ware. "Weatherbug" was one of the earliest of these variants and has spread wildly throughout the Internet. Kazaa, the peer-to-peer file sharing (music/MP3) program is another source of continual spy-ware infestations.
Second, read the end user agreement that comes with any software you install. Many times, it actually says you are giving the program the right to install 3rd party software packages on your computer.
There are measures that can be taken to help rid your computer of this kind of software if it's already made its way into your PC. Most spy-ware does not come with an effective un-
install tool. Those that do sometimes perform the exact opposite function and install more spyware, from different sources, if you use their un-install program.
There are programs that will scan your system for spy-ware, inform you about what it discovers and then remove the offensive software. INFONETICS recommends the use of a free downloadable program called Ad-Aware. It has a version which can be downloaded and run manually to scan for spy-ware objects. The program has received editor choice awards by more than one major PC magazine and has beaten out many more costly programs for searching and destroying spy-ware. We recommend installing the free version (SE-Personal) on every Windows PC, updating it and running a manual scan at least weekly. An upgraded version (SE-Professional) continuously scans your computer and can be purchased for a small fee.
Visit for more information and free downloads that will help control and eliminate Spy-ware on your computer.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
How To Install Ad-Aware
Ad-aware SE Personal Edition / Click on the “Download.com Top Rated 5” link on the right side of the home page. This will direct you to Download.com's site where you can choose Download Now.
Once the “File Download” window appears, select the option to Open the file and install it.
Update Adware & Scan
LAUNCH ADAWARE / Click on the Start button, then Programs, and LavaSoft Ad-Aware menu. Then launch the Ad-Aware SE Personal program.CHECK FOR UPDATES / Choose the Status page, then click on "Check for updates now" to open up the update window. Click on "Connect". If updates are available you will be asked if you want them downloaded. Click yes, and the file will download and install automatically.
SCAN / Click on the “Scan now” button along the left hand side. Select the “Perform smart system scan” mode and click on “Next” to start the scanning process.
SCANNING RESULTS
Select All Critical Objects, Delete / After the scan has completed a list of the spy-ware objects identifed will be shown. Review the list, though all Critical Objects should be deleted. Right click on one of the objects and choose “Select All” to mark all for removal.
QUARANTINE OBJECTS / Click “Next” to start the quarantine/removal process. After a few moments all the spy-ware should be removed from the system. In some cases Ad-Aware is unable to remove the software until a roeboot is performed. If prompted for this action, Restart the computer and let Ad-Aware do a bootup scan.
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
THANKS AND THANKS
Found recently in the president's email inbox....
Once again - thank you so much for anticipating our needs and coming to the rescue! It does not get any better than this. Thank you. - Dee Wyatt, ETOXAnd, another....
Dear Jim and David,Great Job!!!
I know that you always get to hear the bad news, well a job well done is in order. It Works!!!
I know that there were obstacles to overcome, but your perseverance paid off. A well deserved "Thank you" is in order- Thank you!
The new enhancements are wonderful. A/R report that Karen used to run as she went out to lunch took 40 minutes (was usually still running when she returned), now takes only 40 seconds!
Moral has already had a boost, because the system is running as it was only dreamed as it should.
Thank you again!
Sincerely,
Ted Day, Betterway Industrial Gases, President
Well, you make us blush! But thanks for saying thanks!
EMAILING PRINTJOBS TO MAILING SERVICE
INFONETICS, Inc. ● 1729 Gateway Circle ● Grove City, OH 43123 ● Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: -●E-mail: ● Fax: 614-875-77612nd Quarter 2004
We've had several people decide to work with a mailing service recently to get a better rate on large mailing jobs (such as mailing rental invoices and/or statements) and they are asking how to send the data to them. The following discussion will address how to make the file and then email it to your mailing service.
The technique for exporting print files to be emailed is very similar to printing to a printer, or exporting data from within any INFONETICS report program. First, we'll associate the files compiled in your Print Queue Manager with a mapped drive letter on your Windows PC. Then, simply compile the report using "Q" as the Output designation. This will allow you find those print files compiled on your INFONETICS server, and email them via your PC's email program.
Map the "Q" drive.
The first thing to do is map a network drive using the letter Q. First, open Windows Explorer. Find and open Network Neighborhood (My Networks on XP), followed by Entire Network and Workgroup. Next, find your Linux or Unix Server and double-click on it to open the folders available within it. Locate the "queue" folder, and right click on it. Select Map Network Drive, choose the letter Q: for the drive designation and make sure the
"reconnect at logon" is checked. Now you will be able to see everything that is listed in your "Print Queue Manager" in INFONETICS here in Windows Explorer.
Clean up "Print Queue Manager"
The "Print Queue Manager" can sometimes get built up with abandoned print jobs and things. Also, the nightly NABAR reports are stored there (in case you miss the message on the screen). It is recommended that you clean this up before starting to use it so you can more easily find the files you create to be emailed. You can delete files by simply arrowing down to the filename and hitting the delete key and typing YES that you are sure. Make sure you don't delete any of the NABAR files though. If there are too many to delete one by one (this is common), give us a call and we can clear the file for you and then you can maintain it from then on.
Compile Print Files In The Print Queue
Creating the print files is as easy as if you were printing them to a printer there in the office. In this example, we will use the Receivables Statements. Set the screen up just as you would if you were printing them, the only difference is that you will use "Q" as the output. It won't ask you for a filename, it will just assign one for you. That's why you need to be able to find it as easy as possible.