Blog Post

Software

  • By Chris Pacheco
  • 21 Jan, 2019

The price for proprietary software

    Today we are charged for keys, updates, extensions and plug-ins. Like many small business owners, my biggest expense is I.T. related, with the largest amounts allocated for software licensing. Associates are constantly calling technical support for many proprietary software applications tying up hours of valuable workhours troubleshooting simple settings lost in the bloatware. I've decided to take initiative and assemble a database of the cheapest software license options for the most requested programs to share with our members. Many come with security patches and bug fixes included. The best thing about Associates Guild is the annual I.T. support package option. There's a solution to walk through in less than 48 business hours, just call anytime* While combing the internet for software vendors and refurb licensing, I've found quite a treasure trove of domain names able to help save you money on any software your company may need. Loads of large corporations are able to utilize virtual instances while running powerful design software, while smaller business owners are forced to spend more per terminal in each building each year, causing a recurring headache. Ask if we have what our looking for because I bet It's already in the database. Sometimes having a comparable version of specific software to test drive is also something many organizations desire. It's always beneficial to have a back-up option on another partition. Even a dev. server for child themes or training employees should be done at a cheap rate.
 
 The largest archive of software keys is Kinguin, however, some other sites have cheaper options for larger volumes. There are also many browser-based options I've included for Associates Guild to incorporate with existing services in case you'd like to try those out, too. 
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     The Internet is so big and powerful today, there's plenty reason to host your own namespace, market all over social media, and exploit the throughput for other unconventional marketing techniques that are worth their weight in gold. Many companies are utilizing advertising on popular platforms to spread their brand image to other small organizations willing to spread the best news. Many avenues offer huge savings on marketing earmarks, yet few business owners take notice. There are also many free listing services offered locally to each state by way of community event schedules, however, it remains unobserved. Too many opportunities for small business owners to take advantage of are apparently dismissed as unimportant. I want to solve this issue, and have already put together a spreadsheet of free marketing measures targeted for local markets. I think others could build a network of usable data, much more easily found online than any database I could personally build with Excel or CouchDB. I've recently found this regional business interactive directly that resembles LinkedIn called Alignable. I'm also quite impressed with its framework. Alignable posts regarding Events and Groups directly to other platforms like Facebook Groups, soon retiring G+ Communities, and your hosted domain name. Another similar site to take note of is Trustwork.  Applications like these are popping up all over the interweb, and you would be crazy not to exploit them  for advertising sake! Many classified listings go unknown to most everyday professionals, but assist your business with building a brand image and market your site's links around the clock.

     The crawlers instantly recognize the listing's area based on metadata. Many top business directories like Thumbtack and AngiesList also use similar java framework directly responsive to keywords. While most companies don't realize the losses the employees they hire are costing them, small business owners are one of the greatest checks and balances against a loss like ineffective marketing campaigns. Small business owners are not only able to spot wasteful spending, but also able to spot trending methods used by competitors. Associates Guild uses software to comb through documents every month to find related deals per area code. SMS marketing has recently become the industry trend because of its efficacy.  Email marketing has become a dinosaur with today's network capabilities, we could send our organization's brand image to anyone important enough to read at anytime. Shoot TO the hip with some of the most sophisticated protocol ever invented. I want your organization to deserve the right person's attention, and instant response too! Media Clicks are the toppest of any notch today and there's no way the same group of capitalists hold the bar anymore. Trend setting has never been easier. Be creative*
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The term “virtual” is heavily overused, evoking everything from virtual machines running in the cloud to simulated virtual reality. The concept of logical devices that are deliberately separate from their physical placement is the scope of this discussion to describe different virtualized instances employed by organizations. A logical unit number designates a logical disk that may be backed by anything from a partition on a local physical drive to a multidisc RAID volume exported by networked storage in multiple locations. A virtual private network designates an isolated private network, where the isolation is provided using a cryptographic method right on the session layer to secure data packets that may still need to traverse the public internet. The highest form of virtualization security standards today works with computer architecture language for I/O memory-management unit that translates I/O virtual memory addresses to their corresponding MAC addresses, via proxy tunnels. Intelligence agencies and other sensitive data bases that depend on public intranets use this sort of setup. Other examples of virtualization include virtual LAN, for places that host gaming, schools like ours, large organizations and other organizations that use many end clients. Other variations are also known as: N-Port ID virtualization, Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O, and now there is Multi-Root I/O Virtualization Modern virtualization platforms that exploit indirection numerous ways. A virtual machine is just an application that simulates a complete personal computer. A hypervisor is the software application that, can offer indirection to decouple an operating system and its application from the physical hardware. The “guest” is the layer of software running inside the virtual machine. The guest operating system manages applications and virtual hardware and the hypervisor manages virtual machines and the physical host/s’ end addresses.

Many companies choose to choose cloud migration to take advantage of cost savings. For companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, purchasing multiple servers is too expensive. Virtualizing requires fewer servers and extends the lifespan of existing hardware. This also means reduced energy costs. Many love the cloud because of it’s ease of use. For example, it’s much easier to backup and protect against disasters that are always unexpected. Recovery is  much easier and accurate, with less manpower and a fraction of the equipment when using the cloud. This also provides better business redundancy. With an increasingly mobile workforce, having good business redundancy is essential. Virtualization gives employees access to software, files and communications anywhere they are and can enable multiple people to access the same information for more efficiency with IT operations. Going to a virtual environment will always make everyone’s job easier and more efficient, especially the I.T. staff providing less downtime, fewer outages, quicker recovery and instant backup automatically, as opposed to non-virtual environments.

By Chris Pacheco January 4, 2019
Contracts come in all shapes and sizes today as tangled web of surprises and tactics used by shareholders to keep the debt ripe among men. The bait and switch clauses are all but gone with almost every contract you're forced to Hancock these days. Luckily cellular phones and my personal favorite, mobile hotspots, have outbid themselves while clamoring to come up with the next trending service plug-in to the point where signed contracts seem last century.

Network speeds, volumized storage arrays, antenna frequencies, and bandwidth have pushed the internet of things to the top of a shining hill. I've listed some legal methods of contractual exodus from a handy blog collectionbelow; mostly for my own reference.

Prepaid:
  AT&T GoPhone  and Straight Talk. Other options include H20 Wireless , Ultra Mobile , Net10 , LycaMobile , Spot Mobile , Telcel America , GIV Mobile , MetroPCSSimple Mobile , Red Pocket , and Pure Talk.


Unlocking your phone before you leave your current carrier seems to be the hottest trend today because you get more value from a better capable device. 

Before you make the call to your carrier, gather some info:

  • The account holder’s name and account number
  • The account holder’s social security number (they’ll ask you for the last four digits) or password
  • The IMEI of your device 
  • The phone number
  •   Make sure your contract is finished. Carriers aren’t required to unlock your device if your plan is active

AT&T

How can I tell if my phone is eligible?  It needs to be a device from a current AT&T customer or a former customer, and you’ll need to verify that with either a phone number or account number. The device will need to have been paid for in full and not reported lost or stolen. AT&T customers can unlock up to five devices per account per year.

Caveats:  Your unlock code comes in through your email, and can take a few days to arrive. Check your spam folder. Officially, AT&T doesn’t do SIM unlocks over the phone; instead, it funnels all requests to an online form, which is a good system until it isn’t.

Can I unlock it online?  Yup, just plug in your IMEI number right here.

What’s the best phone number?  Customer support can be reached at 1- 800-331-0500  but the web form is your best bet.

Where’s the official documentation?   Here.

Verizon

How can I tell if my phone is eligible?   Here’s a list of Verizon devices sold with an unlocked SIM slot. Verizon uses the CDMA network in the United States, but many of its devices also include an unlocked SIM slot. This means most Verizon phones — including all LTE devices — aren’t locked. Unlike Sprint, the SIM slot on Verizon iPhones comes unlocked.

Caveats:  While you can use SIM-equipped Verizon phones on AT&T, T-Mobile and other GSM carriers, unless the device has roaming GSM radios it won’t be able to make phone calls or send texts in the United States. Most recent Verizon phones will work on American GSM bands, but LTE support can be a mixed bag depending on your device.

In the past, Verizon has sold a small number of phones described as “Global Ready 3G.” Often older phones — think Blackberrys — with a SIM slot come locked.

Can I unlock it online?  Verizon currently doesn’t have an online unlock request form.

What’s the best phone number?  Call 1-800-711-8300  and ask for a SIM unlock.

Where’s the official documentation?   Here.

Sprint

How can I tell if my phone is eligible?  You’ll need to have an account with Sprint, verified either through an account number or a phone number. The account needs to be in good standing, and the phone can’t be reported or lost and stolen. Sprint does unlock devices for short overseas trips. If you’re an active member of the U.S. Military deployed overseas, you can request an unlock from Sprint, although the same caveats (good standing, account with Sprint) still apply.

Caveats:  If you’ve got a Sprint iPhone, you’re probably out of luck. From Sprint’s legal unlocking policy:

Sprint-branded iPhones have been manufactured in a way that prevents them from being unlocked to allow the device to activate on a different carrier’s network in the United States.

While Sprint uses radios that make it difficult to use its devices on other CDMA and LTE networks, almost all Sprint spectrum resellers are free to activate unlocked Sprint phones..

Can I unlock it online?  Yes, through an online chat  with a customer service representative.

What’s the best phone number?  Call 1-888-211-4727, or *2 from a Sprint device.

Where’s the official documentation?   Here.

Alternative prepaid carriers:   Ting , iWireless , Voyager , FreedomPop , ROK Mobile , Sprint Prepaid


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