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The Hilltop Blog

Desktop Maintenance

Jim Turner - Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The holidays are upon us.  It is a good time to perform network maintenance tasks that are often difficult to schedule when your staff is in town.

The following desktop tasks should be done on your workstations while your users are away and your work volume is lower for the holidays.

Microsoft Office Updates
Windows Critical Updates and Service Packs
Disk Defragmentation
Disk Cleanup and Optimization

These tasks will improve the security of your network and improve the performance of your computers.  Performing these tasks will also increase the productivity of your staff.

When performed manually, these tasks can take an hour or more per computer.  As such, it is often difficult to perform these tasks while your users are in the office.  

An alternative to scheduling these tasks with your users is to automate them to run overnight.  Hilltop clients that are already signed up for Hilltop InSight Managed Services are already having these tasks performed automatically at night.  Automating these tasks reduces the inconvenience to your staff, and allows your workstations to run optimally.

If your office is not signed up for Hilltop InSight Managed Services, now is a great time to start talking to us about it.  Our managed service clients are recognizing significant costs savings as well as improved computer performance.





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Computer Recycling in DC

Jim Turner - Friday, November 20, 2009
Now is the best time of year to purchase new computers for your home and business.  Once you replace those old computers, you need to figure out what to do with them.  For a nominal fee, Hilltop Computer Shop in Dupont  can accept dropoffs of used computers and other office equipment.  In some cases, if there is any value left to the machine, we may be able to pay you for it. 

If you computer has no value, we can wipe the hard drives so that nobody can steal your personal data for $20.  CRT's can be accepted for recycling for a charge of $20.

All computers and equipment are recycled responsibly.

Hilltop Computer Shop in Dupont Circle is open 7 days a week.  Call us at 1-877-365-TECH for more information. Bookmark and Share

Windows 2008 Small Business Server is Greater than the Sum of it's Parts

Jim Turner - Thursday, November 19, 2009
When deciding to implement Windows Small Business Server (SBS) for your business, it is important to know that a SBS is greater than the sum of its parts.  SBS is a great, economical solution for small businesses (less than 50 users) that want to have a full service network.  The cost of implementing  all of these services on their own far exceed the cost of implementing a SBS.  Small Business Server can serve the following roles on your network:

Microsoft Exchange (email)
File Server/ Print Server
Sharepoint Server
SQL Server (database)
Monitoring System
Remote Access Solution
Backup Server
VPN Server

When selecting a vendor to install a Small Business Server, be sure that the vendor has specific experience with Windows Small Business Server. 

Hilltop is often brought in after another vendor has installed a Small Business Server when they thought that their experience with the individual components of a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server such as Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server.  Once again, it is time to remember that the SBS is more than just a server with Microsoft Exchange installed, in other words it is greater than the sum of its parts.  Just because a vendor knows Microsoft Exchange and knows Windows Server, it does not mean that they have the knowledge or experience to properly install or support a Microsoft Small Business Server.

Hilltop specializes in the support of Microsoft Windows Small Business Servers.  We are experts when it comes to identifying the mistakes made by other vendors during the installation and maintenance of SBS.  We can quickly identify and resolve issues such as misconfigured DNS and DHCP servers.  Incorrect placement of folders and Microsoft Exchange Information Stores, and incorrect hardware configuration.

If your busines is interested in purchasing a Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, or if you already have a server that you suspect has been incorrectly installed, contact us for a free initial assessment of your network environment.

For more information, contact Jim Turner at jturner@hilltopconsultants.com Bookmark and Share

Hilltop opens Dupont Circle location

Tom Wanat - Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Hilltop opens it's third location at 2010 P St. N.W., adjacent to Dupont Circle in Washington DC, on Monday, November 23.

Walk-in customers will find a mix of new and refurbished computers, and a convenient place to drop off machines for repair. Hilltop's friendly computer shop staff specializes in the quick turn-around of machines brought in that need replacement parts like laptop power jack repair or software repairs like virus/malware removal and data recovery.

Hours:
8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday & Sunday

Hilltop has also moved our InSight helpdesk and DC-based consulting teams to this central location for quick dispatch to dozens of our clients.

Hilltop Computer Shop, Dupont Circle


Hilltop's other locations include:

Hilltop Computer Shop Bethesda
4709 Chase Ave.
Bethesda MD 20814

Hilltop Computer Shop Manassas
8370 Sudley Rd.
Manassas, VA 20109

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Is It Time to Upgrade to Microsoft Small Business Server 2008?

Jim Turner - Thursday, November 12, 2009
For many of our clients, it is time to start planning the upgrade to the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server.  Windows 2008 Small Business Server 2008 boasts many improvements over its predecessor.  One  of major improvements is the integration of Microsoft Exchange 2007.  There are also improvements in Remote Access, Disaster Recovery, and Monitoring.

While Windows Small Business Server 2003 has served our clients well, its limitations are now becoming more of a liability.  The 4GB limit for server memory and 75GB limit for mail storage are no longer adequate to meet the needs of our clients.

Microsoft is still offerering very competitive pricing for SBS 2008.  However, in almost all cases we find that it makes sense to replace the server hardware at the same time as we upgrade the server operating sytem.  Hilltop has come up with several creative uses for older servers that may not be adequate for Windows 2008 SBS,  but still have a couple years of useful life left.

If you are interested in discussing upgrade options for your office, contact Jim Turner at jturner@hilltopconsultants.com.

For more information on Windows Small Business Server 2008, visit http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/overview.aspx



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Hilltop adds InSight Endpoint Security to managed services offering

Tom Wanat - Thursday, November 05, 2009
Hilltop has added full-featured anti-virus and spyware detection to our managed-services suite.

Now we can centrally protect and manage all aspects of our clients' computer network. These security tools are integrated into our InSight proactive monitoring and remote-repair software to provide a simple, streamlined, and low-cost solution.

In other words, we believe this anti-virus software rivals anything already in use on your network yet this ties directly into our centrally-monitored helpdesk system for less money than what you're paying today. 

Hilltop's InSight Endpoint Security is backed by the award winning AVG technology. AVG possess a strong and respected technology background. With over 40 million users, AVG has worldwide recognition in the Anti-Virus market and plays an active role in the security software industry. In 2005 AVG was accepted to the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC), an organization of software companies, academics and consumer groups working together to combat spyware and other malware threats.

Contact us today for more information.
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