The Hilltop Blog

* All incoming and outgoing traffic is filtered through the OpenDNS secure servers 

* This protects you against phishing sites and malware sites.

* It can filter out objectionable or time-wasting sites

* It can speed up your surfing and help ensure that you can always get through to the sites you want

* Detailed traffic analysis can help pinpoint troublesome trends

We've found the OpenDNS service useful on home networks to help parents filter out undesirable sites, and on office networks where it can help block productivity blockers such as Facebook and Twitter.

To get started just visit the OpenDNS site to create an account. The OpenDNS site has instructions on how to change your network settings.

If Hilltop manages your network, ask us for more information.

First, remind them it's 2009. Second, tell them to contact Hilltop. This summer we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to have a custom designed site.

Drop Hilltop's resident artist, Sarah, a note to get started. She'll work with your colors, photos, logos, and text, arranged like you want them -- not the way some template wants.

All summer long, rates start at just $100 for each custom-designed page. 

The resurgent popularity of Macs means we see more and more in our client's offices, and nine times of 10 they'll have Microsoft Office for Mac on them -- which is about $400 for the version of Office that includes Entourage with Exchange support. (As a quick aside, we've lost track of how many times we've seen people buy the $100 version of Office with the crippled Entourage that cannot talk to Exchange. Note to Microsoft: People in that situation feel tricked.)

So, what does having Exchange support built-in to Mac OS X mean? For one, it means that Apple's already nice programs Mail, iCal, and Address Book become a lot more useful for most: Email, tasks, and to-dos will show up in Mail; Appointments and room reservations show up in iCal; and contacts show up in Address Book. This event video shows a demonstration at about the 40-minute mark. 

Second, It seems the Apple marketing machine has decided Exchange integration is one of the top bullet points of Snow Leopard. People will hear about this feature. And Apple is making sure the price is palatable too: Starting in September all new Macs will come with Snow Leopard, and the upgrade for existing Mac owners is $29.

Third, we figure people will, by and large, stop paying for the $400 version of Office. Some didn't buy it anyway (see above), but now it's hard to see who would spend a $300 premium for the Exchange-enabled Entourage. That audience would appear to shrink to encompass only those people who find the Outlook-like look of Entourage familiar enough they prefer it.

With the release of iWork '09, Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are finally strong contenders against Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. iWork coupled with Snow Leopard appears to throw down a gauntlet and reduce the price premium of buying a Mac -- say what you will about hardware costs, but most PC users get their versions of Office/Outlook bundled without paying $400. 

Is this the beginning of a new front in the Microsoft vs. Apple war of words, or is Apple fighting to keep TCO down for their users?

If you are still running Windows XP (Vista and Mac OS X Leopard are safe from this type of threat) the single best thing you can do is to stop using Internet Explorer 6. IE7 offers only a little more protection, so the best advice is to surf using Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or IE8. The newest of these browsers check sites against a Google-maintained registry of infected sites before loading pages to help keep you safe. Additionally, a hardware firewall and up-to-date internet security software are important ways to keep your system trouble free.

Worried about your system? Give it a scan with free software like the Shavlik Patch Google Gadget, or contact us to schedule a checkup.

Curious? You can start by running Web-based test, such as the one at speedtest.net. Typically, download numbers will be much higher than upload, but your target number will vary depending on whether you have internet via DSL, Cable, FiOS, or T1. Regardless, unless you've signed up very recently you might be able to get more.

Sometimes a call to your internet service provider and a contract renewal is all it takes to get significantly more speed. In other cases it might make sense to switch ISPs. Our technicians are always here to help interpret bandwidth results, advise you on solutions, switch ISPs, or add a second ISP as backup. We can even pinpoint the source of slowdowns on your network and install solutions, such as firewalls, that can block Web sites known for reducing both bandwidth and productivity.