2022

We are fast approaching 2023, and in this amazing and ever-changing world of technology, more and more businesses are searching for “paperless” programs.

What are the benefits of operating a “paperless” business?

Please, let us break it down for you…

It is environmentally friendly: Think about how much paper your business uses on a day-to-day basis…Now think about how much paper is thrown in the bin, or even shredded. By even reducing the amount of printing you do, this can have a positive impact on the environment.

It is more efficient: We have all seen those patient forms that you have to fill out before you attend a medical appointment. Even if you are not feeling well, or if you are in pain, you still have to complete this document. Once finalised, you then hand it over to the receptionist who will enter all of the information onto their database. Often they will have to navigate through potential spelling errors or even illegible handwriting. The form will generally be scanned, a manila folder will be created, and then this will be filed away at a later date.

A whole process that can prove to be time-consuming and very monotonous.

As a consequence, this outdated system can result in data entry errors or even the potential loss of information. Depending on the business, many tend to double, or even triple handle one document.

It is more cost effective: Like anything, when you reduce consumption, you reduce expenses. By operating “paperless”, businesses of all sizes will benefit financially.

These are just three examples that are sure to resonate on some level with every business.

What is the program?

Well here at The Computer Workshop Group, we are incredibly proud to be a partner of Formitize.

This is a wonderful Australian-based business who have created a ground-breaking platform with so many features.

By just scratching the surface, you will have the ability to create documents / forms / inductions / timesheets / checklists etc all fully customized to suit your business needs.

Through extensive training we have the ability to implement these forms for you, so you can operate at a “paperless” capacity.

Please note, these documents are not just simple text boxes, they are capable of so many things.

If you need to obtain a signature, or even attach a document to one of these forms, Formitize can do that!
If you need to set a calculation or even input a checklist, Formitize can do that!

If you need to timestamp a document or even complete a form without internet, Formitize can do that!

Once forms are completed and submitted, this can be sent to you via PDF and even stored on the database directly. No more double handling, no more data entry errors, and no more hassle.

This is a truly remarkable program that has endless features.

If you would like to learn more about how Formitize can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today on 1300 775 442!

https://www.formitize.com/

Since Starlink has come into our range of internet technologies to deliver to our clients it has proven to be a reliable and excellent performer.

As with any product there are pro’s and con’s and it is important to understand these to help you make the right choice.

It’s better to start with the con’s (if you can call them that) and the pro’s far outweigh these.

• Drop-outs;  We are all used to geo-stationary/fixed position satellites like this in use by Foxtel and NBN Skymuster.  Essentially these point in the one direction the entire time to a Satellite a long out (40,000km) designed to cover the entire country in one hit.  Starlink is different.  It is likely the first time that most of us have come across an active tracking satellite service where the satellites move across the sky and the dish has to follow them.  This is why Starlink needs to clear view of the entire southern sky and obstructions likes treetops make such a big difference to the connection.

You can view the Starlink Satellites on the following webpage; https://satellitemap.space

It is completely normal for the dish to lose connection for a few seconds as one satellite travels over the horizon and it must move to track the next satellite.  This drop-out or ‘hunting’ as it is known can take up to 15 seconds, but we commonly see between 3 and 9 seconds.  Unless you are on an IP phone or video call (including mobile wi-fi calling) this hunting generally goes unnoticed.  Things like Netflix, etc stream with a buffer so often the hunting is unnoticed also.

If you are experiencing regular dropouts or drop-outs of a long period of time then you likely have obstructions to the dish and need to have this looked into.

This is also a reason professional installation is of benefit.

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• Temperature; A little known fact about the Starlink dish itself is it’s operational temperature range is between -35 and 50 degrees Celsius.  This is great for America where it was designed but will present a challenge for regional Australia, especially central and northern QLD where on a 40_ degree day your roof will be well over 50 degrees.  We mitigate this limitation by installing as close to the southern side of the roof as possible AND by using height to our advantage to clear the heat of a metal roof.  The radiant heat is greatly reduced the higher we go.  Commonly we will try and use a 3m mast with solid stay bars (N2 wind rated) to clear the heat and in conjunction with staying as close to the southern edge as possible this has become best practise for working with this limitation. 

Yet another reason professional installation is of benefit.

• Cost; This is a common stumbling block for Starlink.  Truth be known the NBN Skymuster service is actually much more expensive BUT it is government funded so you don’t bear this expense.  Without challenge from a private enterprise NBN would have never opted to improve the Skymuster service.  Skymuster will get better in the long term as it changes to the Oneweb platform in coming years.  The reason Starlink is more expensive is you as the user bear 100% of the expense.  To me, and our clients that have made the investment, it is worth every cent.  No longer is being ‘in the bush’ a barrier for communications.   The ongoing monthly cost for unlimited data is $139 per month which for a lot of people is less than they are paying now.

Residential Kits have had a price reduction UNTIL DEC 31^st 2022.  They are now $450 delivered in Australia.

• Support; The technical support for Starlink is only available via the Starlink App on your mobile device, there is no phone number to call.  This lends itself to being difficult to communicate an issue and replies are slow given the difference in time zone with America and Australia.  It is also an issue when you have total connection loss and can’t raise a ticket via the app given there is no connection.  The only times we have had to go to Starlink for support have been to do with Account and payment issues.  All of the technical issues we have been able to sort out ourselves over the phone with our clients.

Yet another reason professional installation is of benefit.

• Emails may stop working. As people move over to Starlink you need to remember you are changing internet providers.  If your email service is with your old provider, it will likely stop working once you cancel your service with them.  Look at your email, if it is email@providername.com.au then your email is hosted with that provider (Example; Skymesh service, email would be abc@skymesh.com.au; Telstra  service, email would be abc@bigpond.com).  You may be able to talk to your provider and arrange to pay a fee to retain this email service.

It may be beneficial to change your email to an exchange-based email service which isn’t provider dependent.  A generic email such as @gmail.com or @outlook.com can provide this.

It may be worthwhile setting up an Office 365 subscription and adding a custom domain such as you would see for a business.  Example would be email@propertyname.com.au. This is a service we regularly provide for our clients and yields an email service that is yours and you can move internet providers without issue.

Now onto the pro’s of the Starlink Service.

• Unlimited Data; For the first time for a lot of our clients in regional Australia unlimited data traffic will be available.  This isn’t unlimited between certain hours or unlimited with certain programs, it is unlimited data.  You no longer having to wait until the end of the month to watch that episode on Netflix assuming all the data isn’t gone already.  You no longer have to sit up till the early hours to use the Off-Peak data.

A note for the future; there is some discussion regarding Starlink plans becoming a limited data package.  From what we have seen this is not a restriction to the unlimited data plans but more alternate plan options.  For some people unlimited data seems is excessive, some people only want 300Gb per month, but they want Starlink to have the better connection Speed.  A limited data plan option with a lesser monthly charge would be ideal.  It isn’t that you will be limited with data, it is that you can be if you prefer for a lesser cost plan.

• Latency or Ping Times; Given the NBN Skymuster Satellite has to be so far away it is common to see latency in the 600+ms timeframe due to the 40,000km one-way trip.  Starlink low-orbit satellites are on average less than 600km away, so the time taken or the signal to travel to them and back to earth is greatly reduced.  We commonly see ping times in the sub 50ms range.  This means a much more responsive internet service and the ability to use voice calls over internet without the delays and if you are a gamer, you can finally be competitive!

• Connection Speeds; Starlink do not promise a connection speed as part of their service, it is simply best effort.  At the moment we are seeing 300Mbps+ down and 40Mbps+ up as common results.  We expect that this will reduce as more and more people connect.  This is inevitable as the service congests.  The difference with Starlink vs NBN Skymuster is the technology behind it.  Linking the Satellites using laser signalling helps prevent congestion and traffic can be off-loaded to adjacent satellites and allow the use of multiple ground-stations.  Also, the low-orbit nature of the service ensures lesser congestion as each data transfer is completed much quicker allowing the next transfer to commence.  In the US they have seen speeds slow to roughly 100Mbps down and 15Mbps up.  Looking at this logically, our population of 26 million vs the US population of over 330 million will never see the data traffic that the US can.  Even if 25% (unlikely) of our population connected via Starlink we could never congest to the level of the US.

• Wi-Fi Calling; Because of the low latency Starlink is ideal to use to support your mobile phone via Wi-Fi Calling.  If your mobile provider supports WiFi Calling (check with them) even when you are totally out of range, you will still be able to make/receive calls and text message via your Starlink connection.  Sadly, the WiFi range of the included Starlink router is pretty average (15/20m range) but with using Mesh WiFi and extended WiFi devices you can improve the WiFi signal throughout your entire home and even further if you wanted to cover a broad area.

We can provide solutions for broad area WiFi, linking buildings as one network and even covering entire properties with WiFi coverage.

Starlink is a great technology and truly levels the internet playing field between the city and ‘the bush’.

It is not perfect and has its quirks as everything does.  We know from experience that with professional installation we can mitigate the quirks and greatly improve your Starlink experience.

If you haven’t made the decision to move yet and require assistance with your decision, please give us a call and we can run through a solution to suit you.

https://www.starlink.com/

When you think about IT, generally people associate it with words such as “fast”, “reliable”, and “smart”. These are all very accurate, however on some occasions technology can fail us. Let’s face it, without these issues The Computer Workshop Group would lose a large portion of our business.

However, in some instances, people are forgetting the most basic troubleshooting methods to fix a simple issue.

• A good old restart: Next time your computer, or even smart phone is “glitching”, try turning it off, waiting at least 30 seconds and then turning it on again. These days people are rarely turning off their devices, so performing this simple step may just be the solution required for your PC or mobile to “catch up”.
• Close those Windows / Apps: We are all guilty of leaving unused screens open and running in the background. By closing these, your device will be able to run more efficiently and will even save your battery power.
• Clean it! Have you ever tried to charge your mobile phone only to find that the connection keeps faulting? Our mobiles/tables are often exposed to a variety of lint and debris that can build up overtime causing connection issues. To perform a deep clean, it is recommended to take your device into a repair or service shop to avoid damaging your device.
• Cable Check: If your PC setup is not well situated you may accidentally knock or dislodge a power cable. Safely inspect these cables to ensure they are seated properly.
• Run a system scan: By completing a system scan and defrag regularly your computer can run at full optimisation and safely remove any unwanted programs and potential threats to your device.

Hopefully, over time these steps will be useful to you, however, if you are experiencing issues we are always happy to help you. If you need to bring a device in for repair or service, it is recommended that you take note of any / all “error messages” or “pop-ups” that display on your screen. This will assist our technician in accurately faulting the device. In turn, this will reduce the duration of service and potentially the overall cost of resolving any issues.

If for any reason you believe you have been subject to a scam, virus attack, or even phishing attack we strongly urge you to take note, or even take a photo of exactly what was received, this will help to address the issue. With the only goal being to find a solution to your IT problems, our technicians are incredibly passionate about what they do. Their experience and knowledge are forever growing and adapting to the ever-changing world of technology.

For computer repairs/advice/custom builds/sales, visit us today at 361 Bayswater Road Garbutt.

We just seem to be constantly bombarded with malicious attempts to gain access to our data whether it is by email of through other electronic devices there seems to be a tidal wave of threats at present, so here is a brief description of some of the threats.

Email Phishing – The most common threat we see, is generally a mass email attack attempting to gain access to your user details and data, the emails will often look like they come from legitimate sources and will often be made to reflect well-known business emails in an attempt to fool you.

Spear Phishing – This is similar to an Email Phishing attack but is targeted at a much smaller target base, often only a single person that has been identified as a person of influence in a business.

There are a number of variations on this theme, but all are basically trying to gain access to either your username and password or data that you may hold.

We often see where a business email has been spoofed (email address looks correct but has come from a different source) these often are requesting some form of urgent action, usually to do with finances and often with very little detail. We have even seen the asking for iTunes cards to be purchased and the details be sent to the originator of the email.

If your email has been compromised the attacker (or as they are often now referred to the Threat Actor) will most likely monitor your emails and try and identify potential high-value targets and then either use a Man in The Middle or a Spear Phishing attack.

Man in The Middle – is literally as it sounds, messages are read by the attacker without the knowledge of the sender or recipient, sometimes used to introduce malware onto a user’s PC but often used to divert emails in an attempt to extract funds by changing payment details on Invoices or misdirect funds in some other way.

But of course, it doesn’t end there, the above are all email-related, and you are still under attack on your mobile phone and other phone systems.

Vishing – This is scam phone calls, they can be pretending to be from a State or Federal government department (Tax Office, Police State or Federal, etc) or a business that you may legitimately use, like Microsoft or Amazon. Threats for arrest or fines to pay may be the approach or a message saying your payment has been taken and if you have an issue hold and speak to someone, even requests to access your computer to fix an issue (that not only you didn’t know about but doesn’t exist).

A note on the above, Microsoft, The Tax Office, Federal or State Police, and your Bank will not ring you, if you get a call like this hang-up and if you think it may have been a genuine call back on a phone number you can find on the caller’s website, not the number they have called from.

Smishing – this is where you receive an SMS with a link to click on that takes you to either a malicious site or downloads malware onto your device.

I think that is enough for now, have a good day and be aware of those threats.

If you need help with your computers or IT,  give us a call on 1300 775 442

We are always happy to help