Google Sites, Much More Than Just a Free Website

Google Sites is not just an application for creating web pages to give your company a presence on the internet. There are plenty of simplified template based packages available; these are ideal for home, club or one man businesses. But if you need an application that can provide for the needs of a small or medium business requiring more than just a web presence then consider Google Sites.

What does Google Sites offer?
It offers more than you initially think;
• Company website
• Intranet - the internal company website for staff
• Project specific workspaces
• Team specific pages
• Storage for all types of folders and files
• Classroom

The setting up and use of Google Sites requires no specialist programming skills and because it is web based, the mechanics can be managed from anywhere with an internet connection whether you are in the office or mobile.

Another positive aspect to this web based application is it does not matter what operating system is being used on the computer, Windows, Linux or Mac, you will still be able to access the inner sanctum of the application.

How do you create with Google Sites?

Well one thing most people will be glad of is you will not have to learn specialist computer language; the only typing needed is your informational text, the rest of it is just clicking buttons or ticking boxes. The application will also upload all the information to the web for you. Setting up is a simple select and click procedure so should not pose a problem to anyone even those who have limited computer knowledge.

The initial part of the set-up is to choose a template from the great selection of templates Google are increasing constantly. Find one that represents the style you wish to associate in the colours or themes that may already exist within your company; or you may want to take the opportunity to go for a whole new re-branding exercise. Once you have decided on colours, styles and themes you need to look at what you want to include in the site, how many pages and what the content is going to be.

It is worth remembering that you can upload images and videos to make the site interesting and also keep your text upmarket and fun to read otherwise your viewers just get bored and go elsewhere. This is particularly relevant if you are promoting your business through the site.

If you are going to store folders, files, presentations or videos for the use of others on your website then you get 10 gigabytes of storage space with 500 megabytes for each user account. The maximum size of one file is a massive 10 megabytes.

There is a simple interface that allows you to set permissions for all content and pages within your site so only the staff and out of company visitors see what you wish them to see.

Google Sites is a very cost effective way of getting your company's presence onto the internet; in fact it is free, it also comes free as part of Google Apps.

For more information about Google Sites visit Ancoris who are are an authorised Google Apps Reseller offering Google Apps Training and much more.

Google Postini Scans Spam

The Postini company actually scanned Spam for spam; that is it provided anti-spam filters for Hormel Foods the manufacturers of the meat product Spam along with 4200 other companies and 6 million individuals. The company first came to life in California in 1999 and within 6 years was responsible for scanning in excess of over 2.5 billion emails weekly; it was no wonder Google decided to acquire it in mid 2007 at a cost of $625 million.

Spam as most of us know is the irritant that ends up in your email inbox as an uninvited guest; spam is just one of those irritants delivered in this way along with malware, phishing and viruses. Probably the most common forms of spam are those emails purporting to be a Nigerian person who has acquired millions of dollars and needs a reliable source to help them remove it from the country and of course the good old Viagra and penis enlargement tablets. Yes and incredible as it may seem people have actually fallen for them.

Obviously the frequency and quantities of these un-requested offers caused a big enough problem to make it financially viable for companies like Postini to address the issue and sell their solutions.

Google is one of the companies responsible for running Cloud Computing Services, known as 'Google Apps', and is probably one of the few companies that offer a true Cloud Computing service that is 100% 'cloud'.

Cloud Computing is a service whereby you keep all your software, applications, folders and files on a remote server saving you the need to run your own servers and IT services.

In order to protect a Cloud Computer Service and its clients from spam and other attacks you need a first rate web security system; Google recognising this acquired one of the best in the business in order to protect themselves and their clients. The Google Postini web security and archiving service sits neatly within their cloud and adds value to their overall services; allowing them to be internet compliant from their own use and removing spam and malware before it arrives at customer's mail boxes.

The use of Postini saves your business having to run expensive IT departments where a considerable amount of staff time can be spent stopping and dealing with both real and perceived threats from spam, malware and viruses; in addition to this downtime is practically eliminated and if it does happen it is not your responsibility to worry about getting back online again.

The Google Postini service provides message security including the basic network protection against uninvited guests, usage policies to help you comply with legislation and best practice and encryption benefiting from both SSL and TSL.

It also provides message discovery with accelerated search ability to recover lost emails, storing them for as long as needed.

Message continuity is also provided with access to your account even if your server is down. The Gmail account is synchronised automatically and comes with a massive 25 gigs of storage.

With Google Postini there is no software to be installed, upgraded or repaired as all of these sit within the cloud; you do not need the installation of extra hardware other than an internet connection.

If you are considering sticking your toe, or head, into cloud computing then look no further than a Google Apps package, it will ensure you lower IT costs, in addition to a great web security system with a first class track record to protect your work at a small percentage of the running costs you will pay for your own IT solutions.

For more information about Postini, visit Ancoris who are are an authorised Google Apps Reseller offering Google Apps Training and much more.

Protect Yourself From Data Loss With Backups

Even with proper care and maintenance, computer crashes happen. When they do occur, a proper backup and recovery plan provides protection against data loss. Whether you choose to use built-in Windows applications or other software, the process is quick and easy.

Creating a Backup with Windows Backup and Restore
Most versions of Windows come with Windows Backup and Restore installed. This program allows you to back up your data to an internal or external hard drive, CDRs, DVDRs, flash drives or a network location. Due to their affordability and reliability, external hard drives are recommended for making backups.

Using Windows Backup and Restore is straightforward and simple. After loading the program from your start menu, it will ask you where you want to store the backup. After choosing a destination, you are given the option to let Windows decide what to back up or to set options manually. The automatic option will save anything in your user folders, as well as important Windows files and your system configuration. All that is left is to set a time for the backup to run. One major benefit to this method is that it will run as scheduled. You do not have to remember to manually start your backup.

Restoring a Backup with Windows Backup and Restore
If a computer crash or data loss occurs, you can restore your data easily using the same program. If the computer will not boot, using a Windows System Recovery Disc will allow you to load the program as well.

Restoring the data is a matter of a few mouse clicks. Just select the backup you want to restore, choose the drive to which you want the information transferred and choose the files to restore. The time it will take to restore your data depends on how large the backup is. However, in most cases this will take a few hours at the most.

Other Backup and Restore Options
If you are using another Operating System or prefer to use a third-party backup and recovery solution, there are plenty of options from which to choose. For example, by choosing a data backup and restore solution from the same company as your anti-virus software, the process is easier because you are already familiar with the program's interface. Popular options include Norton's Data Backup, which is already included in Norton 360, and Kaspersky's PURE. Both of these options provide all the power of data backup and restoration with the familiar configuration of their company's interface.