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Top Tech Gifts Under $100

Art — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:44:19 +0000

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a love and passion for technology. If you or someone you know is obsessed with every aspect of technology, there are so many different tech items that would make great presents. While there are plenty of tech gifts that are expensive and can put a decent sized hole in your pocket, the tech gifts featured here are cool and affordable. Below are just some of the many awesome tech gifts with a price tag of $100 or less.

Logitech M525 Computer Mouse

This computer mouse is unlike the traditional computer mouse in several ways. It is a wireless mouse which has actually become preferred over the traditional mouse with a wire. To get the mouse running properly, all you need is a set of batteries. The battery life on this mouse is about three years which means you will not have to change the batteries very often. This is perfect for a computer lover who can’t get enough of the convenience of a cool wireless mouse. Most importantly, you can buy on for yourself and one for a friend or family member who will absolutely love it.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Headset

Not everyone is a gamer, but this tech gift is perfect for someone who is. If you know someone who cannot get enough of their Xbox 360 and all of the games that you can play on the gaming system, then this wireless headset would be ideal. This is especially perfect for those who enjoy playing a good game of Call of Duty. The headset is compact and small, looks sharp and cool, and will allow the gamer to listen in on their game while they play. Headsets are needed for certain games which makes this gift an additional bonus.

Unique Computer Hardware Clocks

What? You have probably never even heard about computer hardware clocks. However, one creative individual decided to use their old computer hardware and turn it into something that they could actually use, a clock! Since the creation of the first computer hardware clock, tons of different computer hardware clocks have been created with different colors and styles to boot. Anyone who loves their computer and knows what type of hardware comes along with a computer would appreciate this gift. It is definitely the most unique gift for a computer lover. Best of all, these clocks are not very expensive at all. In fact, you can find a decently sized computer hardware clock for less than $30 on Etsy.com.

Bluetooth Watch With Caller Identification

The Bluetooth watch is a great tech gift. Not only does it tell time, it will also tell you the name of the person who is calling you. All you have to do is look at your wrist to find out who is calling you and at what time. This is so convenient especially if you are actually trying to avoid a phone call because then you never have to take your phone out of your pocket or bag to see who is calling you.

Retro Phone Handset

This is definitely a unique gift and not something you see every day, especially not in most stores. This retro phone comes equipped with a plug. You can plug it into your cell phone and actually use the retro phone to talk. This is great if you have a cell phone as your primary number instead of a house phone. If you ever feel like chatting in an old-fashioned manner, the retro phone handset will surely bring back memories.

USB Flash Drive/Lighter

You read that correctly, the two items are actually combined into one which is perfect for the computer lover who is also a smoker. The USB Flash Drive is also a lighter. You will be able to save up to 8GB of memory on the flash drive along with lighting up your cigarettes or anything else you might use a lighter for. Most people have probably never even heard of such a thing but this is definitely cool and creative especially for tech lovers.

Touchless Thermometer Keychain

The idea of this gadget is to not only help people find out their current temperature but to also look like a neat gadget, which it is. The touchless thermometer allows you to find out your temperature with the simple push of a button. It really does not get much easier than that. This gadget actually looks a lot like a laser and can be hooked to keys or a key ring for easy access.

LED Scrolling Name Badge

Know a tech lover who has to wear a name badge? Probably! This LED scrolling name badge is so awesome, just about anyone would want one. You can simply add your name to the badge and watch as it scrolls back and forth all day long. This is the perfect gift for a tech lover who enjoys LED belts and other types of similar gadgets.

Do It Yourself Electronic Kit

These kits are a great idea for tech lovers who enjoy figuring things out for themselves. The do it yourself kit is like a science project because it requires thought, effort, and precision. If you are a true tech geek, you have an interest in everything that has to do with technology. This kit gives you the opportunity to learn how to calculate resistance and use buttons and wires to dim lights and do other interesting little electronic tricks. This kit will lead to several hours of fun for the average tech lover.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are tons of tech gifts to choose from. Most importantly, some of the coolest tech gifts cost less than $100 which is amazing. When most people hear the word technology, they automatically think of expensive items. Being a tech lover can really pay off with such an abundance of affordable tech items to choose from. If you know a tech lover, there is absolutely no reason you should be unsure of what to get them because all of these items are great gift ideas.

The Resurgence of Apache

Art — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:20:45 +0000

Evolution occurs at such a lightning-fast pace on the World Wide Web that almost nothing maintains dominance for very long. Things like Google as a search engine and Flash as a primary video streaming service are the exception rather than the rule. Even then, Flash just took a severe body blow, as support for it is suddenly being abandoned in the wake of HTML 5′s emergence.

To have any sort of dominance on the World Wide Web for just a year or two is amazing. That is what makes the run that the Apache Web Server has had all the more breathtaking. They first hit the top spot in web server technology in early 1996. They haven’t given it up since.

They did come close recently, though. Microsoft finally took their gloves off and put real effort into their web server technology. This resulted in a surge in Microsoft web hosting that, at its peak, gave it a third of all web hosting serve technologies in 2008, just a step behind Apache.

So close, yet…

That surge ran out of fuel, though. By the time of its November 2011 web server survey, Netcraft showed that Apache’s share of web server software was back up to a dominant 65% of all web sites. Microsoft had fallen back down to just over 15%, and even Google so far is stuck in low also-ran single digits. Relative newcomer nginx was third with about 8%.

So why is this dominance so pervasive? What is it about the Apache web server that gives it such an unshakable place in the web hosting world? Is there any indication that this will change any time soon?

The flexibility of modules – especially open source modules

Through the use of modules, which are essentially plugins to the Apache web server, the web host is able to configure Apache to their specifications. These modules allow smooth cooperation with other applications, including other web hosting software packages. Several dozen modules have been released by the Apache Software Foundation, and several dozen more have been developed independently.

This hints at the thing that gives these modules that bit of extra power: Apache is open-source. This leads to the usual benefits that attend all open-source packages: individual flexibility, expansiveness of user support, rapid development and bug tracking and fixing, high efficiency, and so forth.

High portability

Another benefit to Apache’s open source nature is that it has been developed for a wide variety of operating systems. Naturally it works on just about every major UNIX and Linux variant. But it has also been ported over to Windows, Mac OS, AmigaOS, OS/2, and a few others that you’ve probably never even heard of. This alone should make it clear why, until they change their philosophy, Windows Server 2008 and whatever variants follow won’t even have a prayer at competing. It is even available in 10 spoken languages.

Other advantages

Cost: We could have probably put this into the list of open-source advantages above, but it deserves reiteration in its own right. In addition to all of the obvious advantages that this entails, consider this also: this makes the barrier to entry so low that anyone so dedicated can run a web hosting service from their basement (Indeed, a lot of people do. Well, some of them probably use other rooms as well).
Specific features: There are a few nicely built-in advantages to the Apache web server that only adds to the above list. Load balancing is one, which is why most Apache web hosts guarantee such high uptime percentages. Virtual hosts, meaning the ability to create subdomain.domain.com, is another, and a very popular one.
Security: Again, this almost goes without saying. It bears asking though: 20 years into the World Wide Web, how many major Apache security incidents can you name? Can anyone name any at all? With some software packages and operating systems all but assuming that break-ins will happen, this is no mean feat.

What are the competitors up to?

All of this said, all empires eventually end. One can certainly not expect either Microsoft or Google to just roll over and play dead. So what are they doing instead?

Microsoft released this year Windows Home Server 2011, the latest in its own attempts to bring web hosting server technologies to home PCs (reference the basement web host above). Unfortunately, they shot themselves in the foot right from the start. Microsoft’s Home Server technology, starting from 2007, had included a feature called “Drive Extender”. This enabled a few key server abilities, namely multi-disk redundancy, a single folder name space, and the ability to extend storage to any type of hard disk in any combination.

Thus, it was with astonished incredulity from its user base that Microsoft suddenly removed this service, as it was considered one of the server’s main selling points. The outcry resulted in Microsoft promising to utilize RAID technology instead. This, however, has not much placated the masses, and third parties have worked to fill the vacuum. In short: don’t look to Microsoft’s fortunes in this area turning around any time soon.

And the others?

Google, to put it shortly, doesn’t look yet to be really putting that much effort into this yet. Their focus seems to be using web server technology to serve its own needs. Granted, these needs are growing with leaps and bounds, but it doesn’t look to be that of all-purpose web hosting anytime soon.

Nginx is the more interesting case. Most of its market share has been achieved in the last 3 years. There are specific reasons for this. nginx can support up to 10,000 simultaneous connections and MP4 streaming.

A hardening monopoly

Nginx has still not yet achieved the broad respect that Apache has. Then again, it itself is an Apache fork, meaning that most of the former’s advantages are already built into it. Though that being the case, some would say there’s no point really considering it a “competitor” so much. Combined, these two own ¾ of the market share, and growing.

In short, as amazing as it may seem, it appears that one of the main parameters of what makes the World Wide Web function, the underlying web hosting technology, is something that is not only not going to change anytime soon but, unless some really meteor of a competitor comes in out of nowhere, is going to solidify even harder. In a world where technologies change on an almost hourly basis, this is an astounding statement.

Email Encryption: Protecting Yourself and Your Information

Art — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:04:35 +0000

You decided to write a steamy email to your lover late at night from your home computer. Pet names were used as well as some other language that, if anyone else but your lover saw, you would just die of embarrassment. The problem is you did not use any form of encryption on your email at all because you thought that encryption was only for governments and big corporations. Now, your favorite pet names and steamy details have been read by:

Anyone at your email or Internet provider who wants to
Anyone at your lover’s email or Internet provider who wants to
Anyone who works at any of the places in between that house the routers that handled the data from your email who wants to.

Your secrets are not safe when you do not use encryption on your email. While this situation is personally embarrassing, imagine how devastating this would have been if it were a corporate email sent speaking about the release details of their newest offering in the technology world. The competition now has them and you might as well begin again at the drawing board, assuming that you still have a job. With this article we hope to help you set up email encryption for your computers so that these situations never have to become a personal reality.

Software Solutions

Perhaps the simplest and least aggravating approach to applying encryption to your email messages is to make use of one of the many software solutions out there. The very oldest and most well-known software for this would be PGP (Pretty Good Protection).

Using 128-bit encryption, this software (which is now owned by Symantec, creators of Norton) takes a lot of the guesswork out of the encryption experience by automatically discovering certificates and keys as needed and automatically encrypting all sent and received email without the user needing to do much of anything. This particular software supports both common forms of encryption, S/MIME and OpenPGP, and uses a proxy as a method of keeping your information secure.

If you are brand new to encryption, then you would do well to look past the price tag, and realize that you are buying a lot of peace of mind. This software is highly recommended as it does not disrupt the recipient or the senders email experience at all.

Client-based solutions

Many email clients now offer the ability to send and receive encrypted email through the use of settings within the program itself or add-on programs for the client. At this time, the two most well-known clients for offering these options are:

Microsoft Outlook uses what they call a digital ID, which is essentially a personal security certificate for your email that gets sent to the email recipient for encryption along with your message. If the recipient does not have your digital ID, they cannot read your encrypted emails (although you will be given an option to send it in unencrypted formatting in this case).

Mozilla Thunderbird makes use of an add-on called Enigmail in order to facilitate encrypted email sending and receiving. Once Enigmail is installed on your Thunderbird client, then it can and will automatically encrypt, decrypt and manage all encryptions keys for you, making it a very simple option for those who just want the basics. It can be expanded upon by also downloading GNUpg which allows for further cryptographic functions.

There are other email clients also offering similar features. However these two are the easiest and most straightforward to configure on your own without having to call your local techy friend for help. If you wish to go ahead and plunge in deeper, by all means do so, but make certain that you read the manual: incomplete or incorrect security is about the same as no security.

Don’t want to bother with encryption? There are other ways.

Without encryption you will always lose some information to easily readable sources. However, if for some reason you do not want to engage in encryption use, here are some suggestions on how to keep yourself as safe as possible.

Make absolutely certain that you have two different email addresses. Use one for a small list of well-known friends and associates and the second email address for mailing lists and other more open forum email and subscription mail.
When creating your personal email, keep it simple and professional such as using your first initial and your last name.
When creating your public email do not use any kind of personally identifiable information.
When emailing back and forth, do not send any information that you do not wish to be read by everyone on the World Wide Web at any time. This includes; names, addresses, phone numbers or passwords.
Do not open email from sources that you have any reason to be wary of.
Again, use an antivirus program that offers email scanning.
For goodness sake, do not send personal email from a work email address. More often than not, these email addresses are monitored by your company and their contents can get you in trouble! This is more a precaution on their part than a danger on yours, as they usually have plenty of security procedures in place on their end as well. Still, this danger potentially takes the form of unemployment. If anything, learn from your employer’s security procedures, and consider implementing the same thing on a personal level.

If you follow these steps, you should be able to keep yourself relatively safe while emailing.

It’s privacy, and it’s personal

In the end, only you can decide how much encryption is comfortable for you to use. Privacy is a personal matter and must be seen to in accordance with personal comfort levels. More privacy is more secure, but it is also more work. How much work you want to do is up to you.

There are people out there whose entire computer systems and networks are encrypted. They often do not do so for any reason other than they can, and that they enjoy that level of privacy not because they have something to hide. There are those who will only encrypt their emails and be happy with that. Then there are those who trust their firewalls and antivirus programs to do their jobs and keep them safe. Whatever you choose, just be aware of the basics of how email security works, and you should be able to find the comfort level that’s right for you.

SharePoint’s Affect on Information Management

Art — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:23:31 +0000

For many years content management systems have faced the challenge of a lack of discipline with regards to users effectively controlling the scope of the effort. It is easy to take advantage of any product immediately released. However, the launch of Microsoft SharePoint may be able to properly scope company initiatives.

Although SharePoint will not solve all of a firm’s problems because it is only a resource, the content management system has enough features that can provide increased business value over the previous method. On the other hand, many established vendors have additional features that Microsoft must compete with.

On that note, is primarily used for file sharing and the distribution of information across many departments. Due to its popularity, the system has grown and become extremely critical for many groups within an organization. In its simplest form, SharePoint is a transparent records management system that archives data from today, last week or a year ago. Many other content management systems offer the same task with plenty of other features.

However, where SharePoint shines is that the system is an excellent starting point for any initiative. Although it can be replaced by a more feature rich system, the platform answers the true needs of its users. For instance, there are several advantages to the system including:

Records management
Process automation
Invoice processing

In many organizations records management is a priority. Therefore, Microsoft SharePoint was designed to enhance the existing architecture of any system without the user being aware of the change. Users can create, delete, edit and perform many tasks common to records management.

Also, when developing the system, Microsoft determined that many processes needed to be automated. Therefore, a simple analysis determined that 87 percent of processes can be implemented into SharePoint with minimal effort. The remaining processes only impact a small amount of the work force.

At any organization, there are thousands of invoices processed every year. Therefore, procurement departments can easily manage all of them within the SharePoint environment. Therefore, the system can managed these documents regardless of size, file type and fax type. As a result, organizations do not need to purchase a separate software license for a program to manage the files and integrate them into SharePoint.

Microsoft SharePoint has been an extremely successful content management system that has been implemented into many major organizations across the globe. Although it may not have many of the other features found in its competitors, the system relies on simplicity for the average user.

Top 5 Cloud Storage Service Providers

Dmitry — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:07:21 +0000

There continues to be a growing demand for cloud computing services, especially among small business owners seeking reliable web hosting services. With the plethora of cloud providers currently available, for many entrepreneurs looking for a reputable service it’s difficult to choose the best cloud host to accommodate hosting needs. There are five cloud hosting providers, however, leading the industry when it comes to delivering quality hard drives in the cloud on a tight budget.

Amazon Web Services

Despite Amazon’s recent outage, the company continues to offer attractive cloud storage features tailored for small businesses. Amazon is a top choice for small business ventures because customers are not required to purchase hardware. Instead, users pay a small fee each month to access Amazon’s infrastructure in a cloud computing environment. Customers have the ability to order computing services and storage on an as-needed basis to meet individual hosting needs. Amazon places computing power in the control of the customers as they can add or remove processing power and storage space in real time as well as delivering several layers of security to protect valuable data. Amazon is a great pay-as-you-grow cloud hosting option.

Office 365

Microsoft just recently threw its proverbial hat into the cloud ring introducing Office 365. Small business owners opting for Office 365 have access to all of MS Office’s applications without the need to install the actual software on computers or servers. Users are granted access to documents, contacts, e-mail, and calendars to devices connected to the Internet. Office 365 is available for a very affordable $6 per month. It’s best suited for small businesses employing less than 25 employees and don’t have an IT employee on staff. In addition to the 25 GB mailbox, users benefit from the ability to edit documents and spreadsheets simultaneously. Additionally, users have access to PC-to-PC audio, instant messaging, and video calls.

Google Apps

Google also offers cloud storage services designed for small business owners. Google is a bit more established than Microsoft, offering cloud apps now for over a year. Google’s cloud services are very similar to Microsoft’s cloud plan. Users are granted customized e-mail addresses, calendar, mobile e-mail, IM access, Google Sites, Google Docs, spam filtering, 24/7 customer support and 99.9% guaranteed uptime. Google’s cloud services are available for an affordable $5 per month.

Apple’s iCloud

Although not currently available as Apple is scheduled to unveil iCloud in Fall 2011. Apple’s iCloud is best described as “an online hard drive on steroids”. iCloud will offer users a vast array of features such as storing music, photos, apps, documents and other data online. Additionally, it will deliver services wireless to laptops, iPad, or smartphones. Similar to Microsoft and Google, iCloud will grant access to e-mails, calendars, and contacts as well as allowing multiple users to edit documents simultaneously.

Dropbox

Finally, a newcomer to the cloud industry, Dropbox is a cloud storage service provider to watch. Dropbox allows users to store important files on the provider’s secure website, easily accessible via Windows, Linux, Mac, iPad, Android/BlackBerry phones, and iPhone. Other attractive features include the fact the service is free for 2 GB of storage space, $9.99/month for 50 GB of storage, and $19.99/month for 100 GB of storage. Dropbox also works without the need to be connected to the Internet. Furthermore, users can opt to transfer part of a huge file or manually set bandwidth limits to prevent crashing servers. Like the previous providers, users can also work simultaneously on documents.

Government Decides to Move Email to Microsoft Exchange

Art — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:27:12 +0000

The San Francisco county government recently announced that it has decided to move all email to the Microsoft Exchange Online which is a cloud-based system. This will be a major upgrade to the current systems. Unfortunately during the week of May 9^th, 2011, Microsoft Exchange Online fell victim to three outages that significantly affected business email customers across the network.

Government Employees Affected by the Migration

As per the press release from the San Francisco government, over 23,000 employees from 60 departments will benefit from the email migration. Since the governmental community is large and diverse, this investment in information technology has many advantages including decreasing costs and improving productivity. Although Microsoft has already begun the transition, the total migration will occur over 12 months.

Collaborative Tools

Microsoft Exchange Online delivers an improvement in collaborative and communicative tools such as calendar and email functions in addition to hosted archiving of emails. The city and county government of San Francisco continues to think toward the future and has always leveraged technology to improve all services. This is another example of a highly beneficial upgrade.

Microsoft’s Statement

The Vice President of US State and Local Government at Microsoft followed-up with a statement highlighting the company’s excitement support San Francisco government employees with the tools necessary to be efficient. Further, this transition will help government employees better serve the San Francisco community.

Benefits of Microsoft Exchange Online

Microsoft was selected due to many factors with the most critical being price. Also, security, functionality and flexibility were concerns, especially with the number of attacks recently hitting major networks. Furthermore, Microsoft boasts a proven track-record of success, features SLA-backed service and can easily integrate with existing infrastructure to minimize downtime.

Migrations from Other Departments

The San Francisco government is not the first area of the government to make the change to cloud-based email system. Several months ago the United States Department of Agriculture began the migration process to Microsoft Exchange. They have seen a major improvement in the email systems.

If this benefits the taxpayers of San Francisco and California in general, it is an excellent move by the local government. As necessity continues to grow across the country; local, state and federal government divisions will require a secure, more robust systematic infrastructure to operate efficiently. San Francisco is one of few to take the first step and move in that direction.

Video Content Management System

Art — Tue, 03 May 2011 20:09:18 +0000

Video conferencing has become an important aspect of all types of business. The technology is commonly used to present important information to parties that cannot physically be at a meeting. Therefore, this begs the question, what can companies do to capture video clips featuring important information.

A Stellar Partnership

Polycom and Microsoft have teamed up to answer that question. Polycom recently announced a new video content management system that is to be powered by Microsoft Azure cloud service. Through this new technology, organizations will be able to develop a centralized, secure, searchable video content management system for corporate video assets.

The Video Content Management System

This system will have the ability to manage long, important meeting videos or short, simple calls between users sitting at desk phones. The new system will store all this information in the cloud to ensure no data will be lost in the transfer. Also, cloud storage indicates a minimal amount of capital will be needed for those companies without storage or networking.

Capabilities of the System

Accordent Technologies was recently acquired by Polycom allowing them to add video content management coupled with delivery technologies to their portfolio. This platform has the capability to capture information and meetings in all major video types in addition to live, streaming webcasts from a studio.

This feature delivers automated rich media webcasting directly from a classroom or meeting while permitting participants to add a streaming extension to any video conference. Therefore, the technology goes far beyond business use to middle school, junior high school, high school and college-level applications. Teachers and professors will be able to present important information in an entirely new environment.

Additionally, users will be able to generate video content directly from their desktop. Therefore, by simply searching the video content management system for a specific video or clip, users will be able to have access to this specific information from anywhere with an Internet connection. With new mobile technology, it is inevitable that acquiring videos via mobile device is next on the horizon.

This resource is expected to revolutionize the way business is conducted as no information during a meeting will be lost. With so many meetings conducted across the globe on a daily basis, it is surprising this technology is emerging in 2011. The combination of Polycom conference technology with software powerhouse Microsoft is expected to create an easy-to-use and critical product for businesses across the world.

The Popularity of Windows Web Hosting Explained

Art — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:32:53 +0000

Although the Linux operating system is still a favorite amongst webmasters and web hosting providers, Windows is trailing closely behind and has been gaining popularity during the past couple of years. In the home PC market, Windows is well known as the most popular operating system in the world, with the Mac OS X being a close second. Meanwhile, many regular computer users have never even heard of Linux, despite its popularity in the hosting industry. Windows web hosting is more expensive than Linux hosting, and has a significant number of limitations in relation to software compatibility and licenses. Nonetheless, there is a high demand for Windows web hosting plans, and the majority of major hosting providers offer a selection of Windows hosting packages. The following paragraphs explain the recent rise in popularity of Windows web hosting.

Novice Webmasters and Initial Online Endeavors

As mentioned, Windows has established a reputable brand in the home computer market, and is perhaps the most familiar name when it comes to operating systems. Thus, many novice Webmasters choose Windows web hosting over Linux because of its familiarity and renowned reputation, rather than its features or cost. There are two types of aspiring online business owners – those on a budget that attempt to save as much as possible while building their first websites to mitigate risk, and those that would like to maximize their chances of success and will spare no cost to do so. Individuals within the latter group are usually the ones that will opt for Windows web hosting for their initial online endeavors.

The Need for Windows-Based Applications

Other than novice webmasters, some business owners have a legitimate reason to use Windows web hosting – Windows-based applications. Online businesses that utilize Windows applications like SharePoint and Microsoft Server need a web server with the Windows operating system installed in order to function. Alternatively, it is possible to purchase a Linux web hosting plan and install virtualization software in order to host a third-party operating system like Windows within the Linux operating system. However, most people are not aware of this solution and instead opt to purchase a Windows web hosting plan for their Windows-based business applications.

Windows Performance and Familiarity

The Windows operating system user interface also contributes greatly towards the rising popularity of Windows web hosting during the past few of years. Windows is known for reliable performance, and Microsoft provides continual automatic updates to web hosting providers and computer users. Thus, while it may take longer to repair certain bugs within the operating system, fixes are guaranteed to arrive, and Windows is considered to be much safer than other open-source operating systems like Linux. Even so, Linux is also reliable and safe operating system, and is a cheap alternative to Windows that is suitable for individuals on a budget, or that do not have a need for Windows-based web applications. Although Windows hosting is more expensive than Linux, the margin is not that large, with Windows hosting plans usually only costing $20-$50 more than their Linux counterpart.

The Age Old Question: Linux vs Windows Hosting: Which is the Best?

Art — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:56:07 +0000

One of the most difficult problems with choosing a hosting company is making the decision to either use a Windows based server or a Linux based server. While there are a number of choices out there, Windows and Linux make up the majority of all the servers on the internet. Most of the sources you’ll find on the topic are very opinion based, thus making them not very helpful. This article will seek to keep a direct, factual based approach to both platforms.

Open vs Closed

Microsoft owns and develops all of the windows operating systems. This means that this source is only updated by Microsoft. That is one of the primary differences between Windows and Linux. Linux, however, is completely open sourced and generally speaking free. This means for a hosting company it’s generally more expensive for the licenses to run Windows machines. This is why you typically see a bit of disparity between the prices of Windows and Linux machines.

All PCs Need Windows

A bad assumption by some new web developers is that if the target audience runs Windows then the server mush run windows as well. This is far from the truth. In fact, the client will never know which server you’re running. As a web developer however, there will be stark differences in the way each system runs and operates. Some may find that Linux is a little too complicated and stick with Windows instead. This is a valid argument.

Reliability is a Myth

One argument against Windows is its reliability over Linux. The main reason Windows gets a bad reputation is the sheer number of users on Windows makes the operating system a natural target for hackers. However, Linux is the most common server platform and has just as many attacks made on it. The bottom line is the security of the server is solely based on the performance of its administrator.

Server Side Code

The primary thing to consider here is what do you want to do with your hosting? It really depends on what kind of site or platform you want to use. Microsoft has a ton of plug in style systems like ASP.Net, Access, Windows Streaming Media and MSSQL that can help with the development of a site. Linux has all of these functions as well, but they are usually expensive and a little less on the features that their Microsoft brothers.

Choosing your server platform really is just a matter of preference. Choose what you’re comfortable with operating as well as what you’re comfortable with building sites in. Everything else is just a mild foot note.

An Overview of Windows Exchange Hosting

Art — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:25:05 +0000

Microsoft Exchange Server is a powerful enterprise level software that is used to secure business communications, facilitate business management, and mediate online collaborations. This software is utilized by thousands of successful businesses every day, primarily because of its ability to simplify corporate communication and enhance overall productivity. Windows exchange hosting is a type of hosting service that includes Microsoft Exchange Server preinstalled on the web server, ready to be used for no additional cost. Microsoft Exchange hosting is ideal for online business owners that would like to take advantage of Microsoft Exchange Server, without having to invest $1000 on the software. The following information reviews the basics and benefits of Windows Exchange hosting.

Main Features of the Windows Exchange Hosting

The primary focus of the Windows Exchange hosting plan is to provide access to a fully functional copy of Windows Exchange Server, as well as the server resources the software needs to function optimally. Windows Exchange hosting providers offer comprehensive support related to the use of software, administrative server management assistance, and enough bandwidth and disk space to facilitate the creation, storage, and transmission of large amounts of data. With a Windows Exchange hosting solution you’ll be able to start utilizing Windows Exchange Server from day one, without having to pay an Internet technology specialist or tutor to teach you how to use it. In fact, many Windows Exchange hosting services include detailed tutorials and instructions for using the software.

The Cost-Saving Benefits of Windows Exchange Hosting

If you were to set up a Windows Exchange hosting solution yourself you would need to make several significant investments, both monetarily and temporally. First, you have to purchase a license of Microsoft Exchange Server, and install it on your Web server. In order to install such software, you would need to have access to a dedicated or virtual private server hosting solution, both of which are just as expensive, if not more expensive than a Microsoft exchange hosting service. On average, Microsoft exchange hosting providers offer services for about $10 per month per mailbox. Thus, you would have to have more than 200 employees to warrant investing the money for a private Web server and a license of Microsoft Windows exchange.

The Reliability of Windows Exchange Hosting

By choosing to utilize the services of a Windows Exchange hosting provider you are also ensuring the most reliable and stable platform for your business communications. These services usually utilize networks of VPS or dedicated servers, both of which provide extensive server resources and supreme stability. By choosing to purchase a Windows exchange hosting plan rather than host the application on a private Web server, you’ll also gain access to redundant Web server’s and multiple ultrahigh speed Internet connections through the state-of-the-art data center owned by the web hosting company. Thus, if an error occurs with the software or a Web server goes down unexpectedly, your data will immediately be transferred to a working server within the hosting environment.

Web Hosting Geeks' Blog » Microsoft

Top Tech Gifts Under $100

Related posts:

The Resurgence of Apache

Related posts:

Email Encryption: Protecting Yourself and Your Information

Related posts:

SharePoint’s Affect on Information Management

Related posts:

Top 5 Cloud Storage Service Providers

Amazon Web Services

Office 365

Google Apps

Apple’s iCloud

Dropbox

Related posts:

Government Decides to Move Email to Microsoft Exchange

Related posts:

Video Content Management System

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