Recently Robert VanderLaan joined our team and has been busy getting up to speed on our support tools and best practices. Rob joins us on a part-time basis while he attends Mohawk College, completing the Computer Systems Technology – Network Engineering and Security Analyst program.

As we approach the end of another year we wanted to take a moment and send season’s greetings from all of us. Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming year.

Ed & Henrietta VanderLaan, Adrian VanderLaan and staff:

Pattie Atherton, Maurice Brink, Mark Kottelenberg, Alvar Vandenbeukel and David VanderMeulen.

Earlier this year PCM was recognized in an industry list that annually ranks the top 501 managed service providers (MSPs) across the globe. As if that wasn’t exciting enough we were further honored by being ranked within the top 100 in the small business category! We’ve been working hard over the last couple of years refining our service offering and striving to give great support and expertise.

Now that Office 2013 is available for purchase, what if you have recently purchased Office 2010? Does this mean that you missed out and have to purchase the new release if you are looking for the latest features? The good news is that for a limited time Microsoft is allowing people to upgrade their Office software for free.

As we approach the end of another year we wanted to take a moment and send season’s greetings from all of us. Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming year.

Ed & Henrietta VanderLaan, Adrian VanderLaan and staff:

Pattie Atherton, Hette Feenstra, Mark Kottelenberg, Alvar Vandenbeukel and David VanderMeulen.

For the last number of years residents and businesses in Ontario have been charged an Environmental Handling Fee on electronic purchases. Starting January 1, 2013 we will be adjusting our billing system to reflect the new fee schedule.

What does this mean for our clients? Some of the most common changes are as follows:

Computer Monitors < 29” increase from $11.00 to $12.35
Desktop Computers decrease from $3.50 to $3.40
Portable Computers increase from $0.70 to $2.30
Desktop Printers increase from $5.40 to $11.45

For complete details of the new fee schedule, or to learn more about environmental handing fees or “eco fees”, please visit the Ontario Electronic Stewardship website.

Working with many different small businesses we often get asked this question. Frequently purchasing a new computer is left to the last minute and at first glance is seems easier to run out to the nearest retail store and pick up a shiny new system. In addition these same retail stores are often advertising systems at great discount prices, but is it really cheaper in the end? What’s really the different between the consumer models found in retail stores and the business models available through resellers or directly from the manufacturer?

When comparing different computer models the conversation quickly focusses on the technical specs.

Part of keeping networks healthy and secure is having a good security software application on all the computers and servers. While there are many different solutions available on the market, we have always preferred the Symantec solution from a feature and manageability standpoint.

The summer was a busy time for PCM and it quickly became apparent that more resources were needed to serve the growing client list. As we switch over to the fall season we are excited to announce that our team has expanded again with another experienced consultant.

At the last Microsoft conference we were intrigued by the Windows Phone platform and decided to purchase some for our business use. It’s one thing to see devices at a show, however the only way you really get to know a device well is by actually using it for a while.