A2Z Computer Services Inc

Corporate I.T. Solutions, Computer Repair and Web Design in Henderson, KY

Update – New Licensing Agreement for Office 2013

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As reported previously, Microsoft has updated it’s licensing agreement for Office 2013 such that users are required to purchase a new copy of Office 2013 should they decide to re-install the suite on another computer, such as a new computer replacing a failed one.

However, after much complaint from users, Microsoft has decided to repent and update the EULA once again. Now, users may perform one transfer every 90 days (uninstall from one computer to install onto another), except for hardware failures when a computer is being replaced. Those situations allow for immediate re-installation.

It will take some time for the changes to be implemented in the activation process and users may be required to call in to active re-installed copies of Office 2013 for a short time period.

For more information, check out Office’s very own blog post: http://blogs.office.com/b/office-news/archive/2013/03/06/office-2013-retail-license-agreement-now-transferable.aspx

Questions or concerns? Just give us a shout.

New Licensing Agreement for Office 2013

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Changes are a given. In software, they happen quite often. And for Microsoft, they happen without so much as a whisper.

Office 2013 Logo Microsoft released Office 2013 this past January, and with it, major changes in the licensing agreement. However, they didn’t mention anything at the time about the changes. Not until Valentine’s day.

Microsoft confirmed to ComputerWorld in an email exchange that Office 2013’s end user license agreement, or EULA, specifies that by installing Office 2013 on a specific PC, the software license is tied to that particular PC. Effectively, if you replace your PC, you must also purchase a new copy of Office 2013.

For reference, the previous Office version, 2010, allowed a user who purchased a single license retail copy to install Office on a PC, and then re-install it on a new PC that replaces the old PC.

Obviously, for an individual who may be replacing their computer in the near future, this can prove to be a costly change. However, this is an option from Microsoft to help avoid such a wallet rummaging headache.

Office 365 LogoMicrosoft has been selling Office 365 since mid-2011. 365 is a subscription based service that allows a user to have access to the Office programs from multiple systems (up to 5 with Home Premium). Instead of paying upfront for a single license, 365 charges either a per year fee or a per month fee and can be used on any combination of PC’s and Mac systems. Also, should you replace a system, simply deactivate the license on that computer and you can put Office on a new one.

The changes in the EULA, plus the fact that you have to dig through multiple pages on Office.com to find details on Office 2013, show that Microsoft is pushing consumers more towards subscription based cloud services over conventional retail products.

So, you may be wondering what option is best for you. And just like the answer to most questions of this nature, simply put, it depends on you. Individuals with a single PC in their home or business will likely never see the need to have 5 or more computers licensed for Office 365 and would be fine with a retail copy of 2013, even if they replace the PC within a year or so.

Multiple PC households and small to medium sized businesses will likely find the subscriptions both cost effective and more efficient, with the ability to share and collaborate on documents, plus the inclusion of Office products such as Access and Publisher.

If you’re thinking of making the switch to the latest version of Office, give us a quick call or Contact Us and we’ll help you figure out what option is best for you.

ComputerWorld’s Article

 

Why Your Website Is A Constant Work In Progress

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One of the most important pieces of advice that I can give to you in regards to Why Your Website Is A Constant Work In Progressyour current or future website is that you should view your website as a constant work in progress. If you want to grow your business or cause, then your website is going to need constant testing, tweaking and updating.

Now before I go any further, let me explain explain what I don’t mean.

You do not need a brand new website design or theme developed every 6 months. There may be times when you need to tweak your landing page items in order to reach more conversions, but the overall design of your website shouldn’t change too often. You paid good money for a professional website to be developed and odds are that you won’t need a redesign for at least two years, unless you have some major product and service offering changes.

So which part of my website needs constant work?

While much more can be said, I’m going briefly explain just 3 aspects of your website that need a fair amount of regular monitoring and maintenance.

Website Software Maintenance

If your website runs on a content management system, such as WordPress, your software will periodically have updates available just as your computer’s operating system often has updates that need to be ran. These updates almost always have security enhancements and will occasionally include brand new features to make managing your site even better. You do not want to go without updating your website’s software. Failure to take advantage of these important updates can result in decreased security of your website or even compatibility issues that can cause your site to not function correctly.

SEO and Landing Page Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of internet marketing. Your potential customer’s ability to find you in search engines depends solely on how good your SEO is. What good is that awesome website you just had built if no one can find it? That’s why it’s important, at the very least, to track how much traffic your website is receiving and how that traffic is arriving. Tracking these stats will help to determine which keywords and keyword phrases need to be used more, or less, on your site.

While SEO helps to bring more people to your website, your landing page is what keeps them there. Even though you have a beautiful landing page, it still may not be effective at catching peoples’ attention and taking them deeper into the site. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your website designer did a bad job. All landing pages need to be tested, and at times even changed, in order to create more conversions.

Content, Content, Content

Your website’s content plays a huge role in your overall SEO as well as ensuring repeat visits to your site. I can’t overstate this enough. A beautiful looking website really isn’t worth much without quality content. You need to ensure that your website’s content is both search optimized and easy for your target audience to read and understand. You also need to make sure that your website always reflects your current services and products that are being offered. You know very well that when you launch a new service you must get the word out about it or else you shouldn’t expect to make many sales. Your website should be one of the first places that displays your new service or product information. You also need to make sure there isn’t old, irrelevant information on your site.

Adding new content to your site always helps your SEO because it gives the search engines more to look at and index. A great way to do this is by starting a blog. I know that four letter word may be scary to many small business owners, but it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think. As long as you start small and create a blog schedule that you’re comfortable you’ll do just fine.

Okay, I get it. But I don’t have time to constantly monitor and update my website.

I understand. Time is a limited commodity when you’re a small business owner that already wears ten different hats every single day. Because of that, we have created various website maintenance packages that are both affordable and highly effective at ensuring the success of your online presence, and in turn, your business. If you are interested in learning more about our website maintenance packages, please contact us here or give me a call at (270) 830-9590.

A Decree to Small Business Owners

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Here at A2Z Computer Services Inc., our new service called Mad Skillz Marketing has really taken off, and we are not surprised. It’s been amazing helping all of these strong business create a presence in the Social Media world. Many of you reading are fairly new to this “revolution” altogether, some of you have had personal social networking accounts for years, still others are just now discovering the benefits that this whole thing can bring to your company.

Living and working in the Southern Indiana / Western Kentucky area, we’re use to small businesses all around us. It’s nothing new for us to know the business owners at our local coffee shop or restaurant. To put it simply, small businesses are all around, and if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you own one or are part of one.

I believe there’s a dilemma that many small business owners face in regards to social media. A lot of people will look to the big companies like Starbucks, Target, all the big guys, and they see that they have thousands and even millions of followers and they then get discouraged because they only have 35 or 100 fans and followers. A quick word of advice…

Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed!

Don’t freak out and give up, what you are doing is important not only for you, but for your customers as well.

Numbers are great, and I hope that one day you too get thousands of followers, but please understand that you have an advantage that the big guys don’t have. Your small size allows you to really connect and really show how much you care about your customers. You have the ability to say something personal to them everyday, to hear about their bad experience at your restaurant and make things right, to tell them about a special offer just because they’re a faithful customer or to even tell them how much you enjoyed the movie that they saw last night. Be content with the followers you have and allow your network to grow naturally, trust me, it will.

Should you create strategies to grow your network? YES
Should you creat a better customer experience? YES
Should you be proactive in finding new customers? YES
Should large numbers be your main concern? NO

The weekend is almost here, have a great one everybody!

Try to discuss ways that you can take advantage of your small size with your employees and coworkers in regards to your business’s social networking, the possibilities are endless, they just need to be thought up by someone!