A Little More on Power Pivot

Give your data meaning

Get the answers you need, gain deeper insight into any business aspect, and compress your decision cycles

• Take advantage of familiar Excel tools and features
• Process massive amounts of data in seconds
• Load even the largest data sets from virtually any source
• Use powerful new analytical capabilities, such as Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)
• Make the most of multi-core processors and gigabytes of memory

• Using its in-memory engine, PowerPivot lets you manipulate large volumes of data at lighting fast speed.
• Natively connect
• Put powerful relational capabilities into the hands of users who want to create advanced analytics applications using Excel-like Expressions (i.e. SamePeriodLastYear(), ClosingBalances(), Previous Day(), etc)
• Create powerful analysis using PowerPivot in a familiar and intuitive environment – Microsoft Excel
• PowerPivot for Excel is an add-in to Excel 2010
• Within the PowerPivot for Excel environment, you can bring data from virtually anywhere and manipulate large data sets with ease.
• Using its in-memory engine, PowerPivot lets you manipulate large volumes of data at lighting fast speed.
• Natively connect
• Put powerful relational capabilities into the hands of users who want to create advanced analytics applications using Excel-like Expressions (i.e. SamePeriodLastYear(), ClosingBalances(), Previous Day(), etc)
• Create powerful analysis using PowerPivot in a familiar and intuitive environment – Microsoft Excel
• PowerPivot for Excel is an add-in to Excel 2010
• Within the PowerPivot for Excel environment, you can bring data from virtually anywhere and manipulate large data sets with ease.

PowerPivot for Excel is a data analysis tool that delivers unmatched computational power directly within the application users already know and love—Microsoft Excel. It’s the user-friendly way to perform data analysis using familiar Excel features you already know, such as the Office Fluent user interface, PivotTable and, PivotChart views, and slicers. It’s the fast way to generate rich and interactive analysis tools, easily mistaken for IT solutions after weeks of effort. It’s the right way to achieve deeper business insight and shorter decision cycles.

Keep Your Windows up to date and Your Virus Software!

Recent Hydraq cyber attack: What you need to know A zero-day vulnerability recently identified in Microsoft Internet Explorer was used as an entry point for a coordinated set of cyber attacks that has been carried out on dozens of large enterprises. Please be advised that Symantec is working keep our partners and customers informed on these cyber attacks known as Hydraq (also known as Aurora, Google Attacks, and the Microsoft IE Vulnerability (advisory number 979352)). The malware behind most of these attacks, “Trojan.Hydraq” appears to have been part of a sophisticated attack pattern designed to steal large amounts of intellectual property. Your customers may have become aware of this event from the heavy media coverage about the attacks on Google. The underlying vulnerabilities used in this attack are now widely known and likely to be exploited by other cybercriminals even though the Command and Control infrastructure behind this coordinated attack has been taken down. It is important that all computer users take action to prevent themselves from future attacks. Symantec partners and their customers with current antivirus definitions and IPS signatures are already protected. Symantec partners are encouraged to visit our Hydraq Threat Outbreak page and the Symantec Security Response blog. These are the best resources for you and your customers. Security Blog: The Trojan.Hydraq Incident Security Blog: Protect Yourself Against Exploit Targeting New IE Zero-Day Vulnerability Security Response Report: Trojan.Hydraq To stay abreast of the latest security threats and receive timely information on risks, vulnerabilities and virus definitions, we encourage our partners to follow the Symantec Channel account on Twitter, as well as sign up for threat alerts via RSS feeds. We encourage you to reach out to your customers and reassure them that these threats are currently under control and continue to monitor the Hydraq Threat Outbreak page for the latest information.   These attacks were carried out on LARGE Corporations. Most large corps usually have multiple layers of Virus protection including Endpoint Protection, Managed Services, Hosted Services and if all else fails Disaster Recovery. For home users, at a minimum make sure Windows is up to date, Virus Software is up to date and you are backing up your most important info. It is best to scan your system and then back up the whole thing. Tech Plus Solutions is an Authorized Symantec Partner and will soon be offering Back-Up Exec which is a hosted SaaS Solution. We will let you know as soon as we have the various Symantec Products available. In the mean time make sure you keep your products up to date to keep them safe!

Power Pivot: Easy BI for Excel 2010

Give your data meaning

Get the answers you need, gain deeper insight into any business aspect, and compress your decision cycles

• Take advantage of familiar Excel tools and features
• Process massive amounts of data in seconds
• Load even the largest data sets from virtually any source
• Use powerful new analytical capabilities, such as Data Analysis Expressions (DAX)
• Make the most of multi-core processors and gigabytes of memory

• Using its in-memory engine, PowerPivot lets you manipulate large volumes of data at lighting fast speed.
• Natively connect
• Put powerful relational capabilities into the hands of users who want to create advanced analytics applications using Excel-like Expressions (i.e. SamePeriodLastYear(), ClosingBalances(), Previous Day(), etc)
• Create powerful analysis using PowerPivot in a familiar and intuitive environment – Microsoft Excel
• PowerPivot for Excel is an add-in to Excel 2010
• Within the PowerPivot for Excel environment, you can bring data from almost anywhere and manipulate large data sets with ease.
• Using its in-memory engine, PowerPivot lets you manipulate large volumes of data at lighting fast speed.
• Natively connect
• Put powerful relational capabilities into the hands of users who want to create advanced analytics applications using Excel-like Expressions (i.e. SamePeriodLastYear(), ClosingBalances(), Previous Day(), etc)
• Create powerful analysis using PowerPivot in a familiar and intuitive environment – Microsoft Excel
• Within the PowerPivot for Excel environment, you can bring data from virtually anywhere and manipulate large data sets with ease.

PowerPivot for Excel is a data analysis tool that delivers unmatched computational power directly within the application users already know and love—Microsoft Excel. It’s the user-friendly way to perform data analysis using familiar Excel features you already know, such as the Office Fluent user interface, PivotTable and, PivotChart views, and slicers. It’s the fast way to generate rich and interactive analysis tools, easily mistaken for IT solutions after weeks of effort. It’s the right way to achieve deeper business insight and shorter decision cycles.

Learn More

• Download the Power Pivot for Excel data sheet

Power Pivot is just one of the many new tools that will be made available in Office 2010 . Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 will be much more easier to use and get things done. Afterall that is what an Office Suite is for. Microsoft’s whole new line of products are not just minor upgrades, but applications to give the new user “out of the box” productivity. Call Tech Plus Solutions for more info and a free quote on Microsoft Online Solutions products.

Microsoft Business Intelligence: Do BI The Easy Way!

Why Microsoft BI?

Microsoft business intelligence is delivered through a trusted and familiar environment that solves the business needs of organizations of all sizes around the world. Powered by the flexibility and horsepower of Microsoft SQL Server and delivered through the trusted and familiar 2007 Microsoft Office system, Microsoft business intelligence solutions work together to provide value to all users across your organization.

Because Microsoft business intelligence solutions are delivered in environments that you already work in today—Microsoft Office Excel, Office Outlook, and Office SharePoint Server 2007—there’s no need for week-long training courses or complicated books and manuals. And the products are integrated and interoperable from top to bottom, so you don’t need to get used to different user interfaces for all the different product versions in production. You’ll require less support time from IT and less training time for everyone to get started using the tools.

Total cost of ownership issues are at the top of everyone’s list today, and business intelligence investments are no exception. And while every project starts with the ultimate vision of connecting everyone on every desktop and every mobile device, the software, training, maintenance and upgrade costs add up quickly. But a Microsoft business intelligence project delivers unparalleled economic value.

You can leverage your existing investments in the 2007 Microsoft Office system, SQL Server, and Office SharePoint Server 2007 to extend out the capabilities and add new functionality and new users. Business intelligence projects don’t have to break the bank, and with a solution based upon Microsoft technologies, a pervasive “business intelligence for everyone” reality is closer than you might think.

 If you  use Microsoft for your BI needs, a new tool called Power Pivot that will intergrate with SharePoint 2010 and Excel 2010 that will make BI even easier. For more info go to http://www.powerpivot.com/

Call Tech Plus Solutions for your free proposal on Microsoft Small Business Solutions to grow your Small Business. Register for Blog updates and new usefull info for your small business. 

Microsoft Online Case Study:Law Firm Cuts IT Costs by 90 Percent

James C. Nolan Law Office

Law Firm Cuts IT Costs by 90 Percent, Dismisses Server Worries with Online Services

James C. Nolan Law Office specializes in immigration law. Owner James Nolan uses technology to deliver excellent customer service and achieve paperless efficiencies, but his technology costs were too high, and it was too difficult to connect part-time workers to his firm’s systems. Nolan decided to eliminate his physical servers and subscribe to the Microsoft® Business Productivity Online Standard Suite. By moving messaging and collaboration software and data to the Internet “cloud,” Nolan cut IT costs by 90 percent. Removing the physical servers also helped Nolan downsize his space and save on rent and electrical bills. Having Microsoft host documents eliminates worries about server downtime, and employees are more productive by accessing data online, anytime. Setting up part-time workers to access the firm systems now takes 15 minutes instead of two or three days.

Evaluating Alternatives

Nolan looked briefly into Google online applications, but “the amount of storage provided by Google was nowhere near what we needed,” Nolan says. Also, Nolan employees used Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 as their desktop productivity software, and were especially dependent on the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 messaging and collaboration client. “The Google applications just weren’t robust enough to compete with Office Outlook functionality,” Nolan says. “We were pretty committed to sticking with Microsoft Office.”

We pay a total of $125 a month for our Microsoft Online Services subscriptions and storage, versus $1,500 a month for a consultant to manage our on site servers.   Jim Nolan Owner, James C. Nolan Law Office

Nolan began searching for an Exchange Server hosted service, because Exchange Server 2003 was the primary component in Windows Small Business Server 2003 that his firm used. Determined to eliminate the physical server, Nolan asked his local IT consultant for an alternate way to store data and deliver applications. The consultant offered to host Exchange Server 2003 for the firm, but at a cost of nearly $20,000 annually. When Nolan balked at the cost, the consultant referred him to other Microsoft Certified Partners that might provide lower-cost hosted Exchange Server solutions.

One of these was Collabra Networks, a Microsoft Small Business Specialist in Petaluma, California. Collabra told Nolan about Microsoft Online Services and specifically the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, which includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, and Microsoft Office Communications Online. These powerful enterprise communication and collaboration applications are hosted by Microsoft and can be purchased with assistance from partners like Collabra Networks that can help with configuration.

“We found out that we could eliminate our physical servers by going with Microsoft Online Services,” Nolan says. “It would also give us a way to add new [employees] quickly and easily during our busy periods, alleviate concerns about server downtime, and dramatically reduce our IT costs.”

This is just one more success story for Microsoft Online Services. Call Tech Plus Solutions for a free proposal, cost savings analysis, and custom solution for your Small to Medium size business:

Phone:609-346-4506  E-mail: mark@tek-plus-solutions.net or contact me on LinkedIn

Save On Microsoft Office Small Business

Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 thinks like you: big. It can help everyone-from the director of marketing to the VP of finance-find new ways to connect, share information, and help keep it safe. That’s helping you do more than think big; it’s helping your small business win big. * Offer valid December 1, 2009-January 31, 2010. Terms and conditions apply. Please see site for details. http://www.microsoft.com/office/sbs/?CR_CC=100311247&CR_ID=P077491454

Some New Features

Windows Server 2008 R2 Product Overview

Windows Server 2008 R2 builds on the award-winning foundation of Windows Server 2008, expanding existing technology and adding new features to enable IT professionals to increase the reliability and flexibility of their server infrastructures. New virtualization tools, Web resources, management enhancements, and exciting Windows 7 integration help save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and efficiently managed data center. Powerful tools such as Internet Information Services (IIS) version 7.5, updated Server Manager and Hyper-V platforms and Windows PowerShell version 2.0 combine to give customers greater control, increased efficiency and the ability to react to front-line business needs faster than ever before.

Free Training on the The New ERP!

ERP is a Service we offer that is often overlooked by small and medium size business. Because we at Tech Plus Solutions believe it is a much-needed application, we have add this feed on “The New ERP” from GEEWIZ To ROI. We like these guys alot and hope you take advantage of  a very overlooked tool to help you Grow your business and ROI. Project Management is another tool that is part of ERP that is very overlooked also. If we can help you with a custom ERP or Project Management Solution please drop us a note here at Tech Plus Solutions.

New Skills and Services Coming!

Hello Everyone! Have not had time to keep up with my post do to setting up a Web Server with Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL 2008 R2, SharePoint 2010, Office 2010, and of course VS 2010. This will allow Tech Plus Solutions to bring you all the latest Microsoft Products, Especially SharePoint 2010 with all it’s great Business Intelligence capabilities and Line Of Business Solutions(LOB)! SharePoint 2010 is not just some minor changes to SharePoint 2007!! It is a completely new product bringing tremendous new LOB, BI, Social Networking, WebSites, all out of the box with very little programing. SharePoint 2010 will allow Tech Plus to bring you our customers many new and exciting solutions. We will also be offering Web Hosting with all these great new services. We are all very excited here at Tech Plus Solutions and look forward to bringing our customers many new solutions and services to help our clients to more easier build their Business and compete against any competitor with a slew of BI to make the right decisions all with a small investment and quick ROI. This is how we believe it should be for our Small Business Clients. You should not have to go broke to have the tools to run Your Business. Being a Microsoft Partner allows us to bring these tools to you inexpensively with a quick set-up and quick ROI. Microsoft Online Services Client will get all the new Technology without having to spend more money for new applications. This is part of the beauty of Microsoft Online Services. The applications are upgraded on Microsoft’s Data Centers and provided as part of your monthly investment. That is one of the big pluses we have explained to all our customers and you will all be taking advantage of the new Tech as it becomes available without a change in your monthly charge! Tech Plus wishes you all a great holiday and will be thinking of all of you as we prepare for the New Year and the new opportunities for growth to come!

City Government Uses Online Services for Messaging, Saves 40 Percent Annually

In California, the City of Carlsbad employs 1,100 people who rely on up-to-date technology to help them serve more than 100,000 local citizens. The city’s workforce devotes a lot of time to team-based projects that require efficient communication and collaboration tools, yet the city had an aging e-mail service and no collaboration solution. Faced with stringent budget limitations, the city chose a Microsoft® Online Services solution that provides hosted communication and collaboration services. The new solution delivers the security and functionality the city needs for desktop and mobile e-mail, online collaboration tools, and Web conferencing. In these tough economic times, Carlsbad is saving approximately 40 percent annually opting for a hosted solution that provides more productivity-enhancing tools for its workforce compared to an on-premises solution.