Hello IT friends!

With 2012, one question is on everyone’s mind … Which Internet service provider do I choose? Okay, I admit, I’m exaggerating a bit … but barely! In less than a week, two friends and three potential clients have already asked me that exact question.

Let’s clarify before any of you make your choice (you may regret it), clearly identify what you do with your internet: occasional use or business, online games, downloads …

In a nutshell, the criteria is numerous. It turns out that the contenders are too. There are over twenty in Quebec. The biggest: Videotron, Bell, Rogers and the independent providers … B2B2C, Radioactive, Teksavvy …etc.
Basically, there’s something for everyone … and for every budget.

But let us be clear, we are talking domestic accounts here!

Once you enter the business world, the choice is clear and unequivocal: Videotron!

Can you imagine? Do the test for yourself … and don’t say we didn’t warn you! With our years of experience and our rapidly growing client base, our statistics are unanimous! Either you go for Videotron or you lose productivity … you’ll see.

Not very objective, it’s true, but in this respect, we cannot leave room for uncertainty. It may be too expensive in the end!

If however, you are still having doubts, contact us and we’ll help guide you into making a sound decision. Your doubts will soon be a thing of the past …

Choose wisely!

There you have it!  Microsoft jumped in and made its highly anticipated presentation of Windows 8 at its recent Build Conference.

Being the official operating system for many PCs and touch pads, Windows 8 will be the symbiosis of the powerful Windows 7 and the unpopular Windows Phone. In addition, the designers have clearly focused on being “applications oriented” vs. “software-oriented.”

So, which route did they take? Only time will tell. However, early results seem encouraging!

Compatible with any screen (small, large, tactile, traditional performance …) not to worry, Windows 8 will be compatible with all the applications currently running on Windows 7 as well.

Some “brief” tests were conducted to assess the overall performance of Windows 8. Again the recorded results remain inconclusive (note that only 21 processes can run in the background on Windows 8 vs 31 for Windows 7 …).

Windows 8 also differs from its predecessor in its visual Metro interface. This is as promising as it is intuitive and easy, yet will not be used for touch screens and tablets. A version of more traditional appearance, very similar to Windows 7, will be retained for conventional stations.

Once again: findings from these tests cannot be definitive as there will be many changes before the official launch of Windows 8 within the next year.

In the meantime, you can always download a 32 or 64-bit “Developer preview” of your account via Windows Live 8. Do not deprive yourself!

Have a great week all!

Hello again IT and technology friends!

Keeping the tradition of the past 3 years, we are once again putting together our ever popular EGOMEDIA holiday contest!

Following the success of last year’s iPad giveaway, it’s time to give away the iPad2 to one lucky winner at the end of December!

If you want to be this year’s lucky contest winner…we couldn’t have made it any easier: Answer the skill testing question, fill in the online contact form…and you’re in to win!

Want to increase your chances of winning the iPad2?  Here’s how…“Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Google+ or you can always invite your friends to participate…the more the merrier!

Last year was a record year for our contest…over 80 000 entries! WOW!  This year, if we beat that and reach our new goal of 100 000 entries, there will be more prizes to give away!! We’re feeling generous! Also new this year; our early subscribers will be rewarded for their support.

Don’t delay! Consult our website regularly to be among the first winners!

Once again, EGOMEDIA is celebrating x-mas early this year with iPad2…all this to say « thank you »!

If you have any questions regarding contest rules and regulations or if you want to make any suggestions, please feel free to contact us on the next page.

Have a great week everyone!

Greetings technology buffs !

Have you heard of Microsoft Exchange? You will soon know Managed Exchange (or online exchange)

Some say it’s the same thing and it is their right. Everyone does not have the same concepts of business management!

The others, those favoring the profitability and sustainability of their organization will highlight the many benefits of Managed Microsoft Exchange:

• Significant savings generated at both levels of deployment and maintenance. Not to mention the material savings…when you know that a high performance server costs more than $6 000.00…It makes you think!

• Permanent service availability (Service Level Agreement of 99.83%)

• Regular update to exploit Microsoft Exchange’s full potential.

• 24/7 technical support provided by a dedicated team of experts.

• Total data security thanks to a state of the art infrastructure equipped with the latest technological equipment (CISCO firewall, BARRACUDA antispam, SSL 256 bits encryption certificate) deployed by our IT security specialists.

Managed Exchange has all the characteristics of the perfect IT solution; it’s flexible, inexpensive, safe and has added-value. Don’t waste any more time, contact us!

Stay tuned for more interesting facts on Cloud computing…

Dear readers,

Outsourcing, IT Infrastructure Management, IT Facilities Management…the terms describing IT Outsourcing are numerous but all relate to these three dimensions:

• Infrastructure Outsourcing
• Application Outsourcing
• Human Ressources Outsourcing

I admit, when one is unfamiliar with the terminology used in the IT world, it is difficult to grasp the whole point of outsourcing information technology. Being the entrepreneur that I am, allow me to share my point of view on the subject;

• Significant reduction of operating costs. According to the type of outsourcing selected, you save on physical investment, human management, energy and/or rental charges! For a more complete picture of the savings, click here

• Focus on the heart of your business. If you are in construction, then build! To each his job! Do not waste time to engage in things that do not provide real added value to your business!

• Accessibility to a large panel of experts at a reduced cost. Outsourcing allows you to benefit from the knowledge and skills of a team of certified professionals…for less than the cost of a junior technician hired in-house! Let’s not even mention the problems related to holidays, absences and other non-cash negatives! Use your common sense!

• Optimal reallocation of your workforce. You pay a vendor to sell, not to manufacture.  It’s the same concept with IT.  Stop paying your project manager to update your office workstations! He will make you more money if he sticks to what he’s paid to do…manage projects!

• Reduce the risk. IT Outsourcing allows you to be perpetually on top. Specifically, you have a state of the art hardware and software infrastructure that is constantly being updated and conforms with today’s strict IT security standards (that are evolving and developing on a daily basis)

Unfortunately, I do not have time to list in writing the many benefits of IT Outsourcing.  However, I would be happy to introduce you to all the benefits over a good cup of coffee! Call us at (450) 667-4410 to schedule an appointment!

Hello IT friends!

Today…a little rant! complete with some useful tips!

I lost count of all the people that have asked me about the different backup solutions out there…I can still hear them ask “are my word and excel files well protected?”

It’s at that moment that I decided to bring out my inner diplomat! We sit down and I explain that even though they have this attachment to their « precious » files, those actual files represent but a grain of sand in their operating system desert! Whichever one they use (Windows, Linux…).

Let’s start with the registry containing crucial information on the configuration of major applications…or directory of users present in a domain controller.

Yes, of course it’s always possible to rebuild your IT infrastructure following a fire, even if  you forgot to save your most precious file…unfortunately many don’t know this…but the delays for the resumption of activity will be much longer and the costs of reconstruction much more expensive. Want to avoid all this?  It’s simple: Backup your System State!

Good computing practices require that domain controllers or application servers are among the servers to which the states must be saved at least once a week.

Other sensitive subjects…System States, databases, Exchange files and even the elements of a full virtual machine backup are too often forgotten by the backup software…as well as certain online backup solutions.  Remember one thing:  if you backup your system without taking into consideration your System States as well as your Datastores…is a USELESS backup!

It happens quite often that we come to the rescue of certain « businesses » that find themselves in unfortunate situations following a major disaster; their backup was not properly configured and set up by an IT security expert.

EGOMEDIA’S online backup solutions were designed and developed in order to respond to today’s demanding corporate needs. This assures that the complete backup as well as implementation of the contingency plan is on schedule.

For more information, contact our IT security department! The Professionals that make up our department will take the time to guide you and recommend the right security solution that best suits your individual needs!

Have a great week!

With the breakthrough of cloud computing, I realized that many people are confused between the concepts of cloud computing and server virtualization.  I’d like to take this opportunity to enable you to differentiate between both services and the benefits attached to them!

Of course, a cloud needs server virtualization, that is to say: a virtual interface layer separates the physical from the virtual. Once upon a time, a single server could only run one operating system at once as the devices were tied with the drivers in the operating system. Virtualization breaks that strong link by using an additional layer which acts as the unique interface between the physical and the virtual worlds.

But why bother with virtualization?  In two words, reliability and efficiency!

The independence of the physical side from the virtual side allows us to use drivers that are 100% compatible and approved by VMware or Microsoft for use on the virtual machine’s operating system.  Furthermore, we can offer a multitude of services on several independent virtual machines that will execute on the same physical server (a task that previously required several servers). Now that we understand the basics of virtualization, let’s move along to the magical world of cloud computing. Imagine an environment where dozens or even hundreds of servers in virtual mode where thousands of virtual machines reside…

Let’s add the possibility that one virtual machine can migrate from one server to the next in order to balance the load of all servers, or move to a high performance server to conduct exhaustive computations …

Add on the option of replicating a virtual machine and putting it on hold just in case a problem should arise with the first one.

In a nutshell…a world with no physical limits where data can migrate according to the requirements and predetermined rules!  A world that  provides a maximum amount of resources to services by ensuring availability all while being transparent to the user, that’s cloud computing!

Considerable cost reductions will be noticed not only by the efficient use of servers centralized in strategic points, but equally by the implementation of your IT infrastructure allowing a new server to adhere to your cloud in just a few clicks.

You will also notice substantial energy savings with the automated power management of servers according to their work load. Your services will always be available on the cloud with a 100% reliability.

What should we retain from all this?  Cloud computing generates huge savings all while increasing the quality of access to e-mail services, files and more!

The cloud is within reach to all companies

Good day techno fans!

People today seem to think that e-business automatically generates colossal revenues…however, as I have mentioned in my blog, on several occasions, the staggering sums advanced to sites such as Facebook, Google and Twitter…remain pure speculation! http://www.egomedia.ca/blogue/2011/03/bulle-des-medias-sociaux-%E2%80%93-remake-de-la-bulle-internet-du-debut-2000/

Here’s proof: the latest published Fortune 500 rankings mentions the 500 most successful American businesses in terms of sales figures.

Among the 500…At the summit is none other than…Apple. With iTunes and Apple Store among others, the Apple brand sits comfortably in 35^th in this ranking.  With profits on the rise by 145.7%, its official…Apple also has one of the best profit margins in the industry.

Followed closely by Amazon (78th), Google (92nd), eBay (269th) and of course Yahoo (365th).

If we include computer manufacturers in these rankings, HP arrives 11th; Microsoft 38th and Dell arrives in 41st place.

With Facebook’s next IPO entry coming soon, I am quite anxious to see the rankings for 2011…

Have a fabulous week.

Dearest friends, geeks, partners and potential clients,

There comes a time when we must take a rapid glance in the rearview mirror. This allows us to evaluate our chosen path and how we got there.

And yes…it’s my perseverance that was staring right back at me!

My associates and friends that I have been fortunate enough to rub elbows with for over 16 years now have helped me build my success.  One by one, they placed the bricks on the building…I’m the one who dug the foundation, put up the walls and added one floor at a time, each more luxurious than the last.

Life did not offer me any “freebies”, I had to work very hard to achieve success, and as a result, I developed a strong character from a very young age that some may call egocentric or pretentious.

Being pretentious is one thing, but being Jean-François MAURICE is another.

Some may hate me. Why you ask? Because I found success in their failed ventures?  Because I stand out in an overly saturated field, show constant growth and have many satisfied customers?  Because I have some of the most sought after Quebec companies as clients? Because I have the qualifications to offer the most up to date, media acclaimed, technological services such as computer networking, web marketing and cloud computing?

Simply put, I see it as jealousy.  Nevertheless, I take full responsibility for my swelled character and I embrace it! A few years ago, I was featured in a few prominent publications where the slogan “for those who can afford quality” was printed. I still insist on the same values in 2011!

My friends and clients don`t try to impose their rules on me, and in return, I do the same, but I make sure we work together and obtain conclusive results …in the end, everyone is satisfied!  If these qualities are not respected, I simply refuse to take on the project. This pretentious and swelled character that I assume translates into exceptional work for my loyal partners.

This is why I am proud to say that in my 16 years of operating a successful business, I lost one client…to bankruptcy.

As much as my egocentrism is frowned upon by my critics and competitors…my clients love it!  They know that they can sleep at night because their projects are in capable hands!

A word to the wise…

Welcome Web Friends!

I have said it many times over the years, the 2.0 version of the web is only an intangible concept where non viable business models and hazardous investments of all kinds multiply.

Would’t you know it, recently, Le Journal du Net has listed the principal flops of the infamous web 2.0.

In the past few years, over a hundred million dollars, possibly a few billion were squandered.  Let’s review the most memorable failures;

• Bebo: Purchased for 850 million $ by AOL in 2008.  Sold two years later for only…10 million! That’s an 840 million $ loss for AOL.  That’s painful, very painful…
• Digg: After raising a few million dollars, the founders of Digg seemed to be getting a little greedy (150 million claimed) and failed to sell at the right moment.  Today, they are on the verge of bankruptcy.
• Delicious: Purchased for nearly 30 million $ by Yahoo at the end of 2005, the portal has officially been put on the market a few months ago…it was never even profitable!
• Second Life: If the study conducted by Le Journal du Net doesn’t give us a clear picture of the colossal losses brought on by Second Life, no one will doubt that they are indeed substantial in 2008, everyone was buzzing about Linden Labs’ virtual world.  Today, we barely remember it ever existed.
• MySpace: In spite of its 122 million users, MySpace was never able to compete with the success of Facebook. It’s slowly heading for the 2.0 graveyard…Valued at 5 billion $ in 2007, today, the company is worth less than one billion. That’s one sacred loss for the investors.

Now you understand, everything is not rosy in the world of 2.0…and just think, there is talk of a 3.0 version of the web!  Take out your calculators and place your bets!  Who will be the biggest loser??

Have a great week everyone!