NSR Business Solutions

NSR Inks Citrix Partnership

Craig Anderson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:00:03 +0000

Today, we are glad to announce our new partnership with Citrix.

The workplace of the 21st century is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven in part by innovation in consumer technology. People are increasingly bringing the smartphones, tablets and other devices they use ubiquitously in their personal lives into the workplace and expecting the same kind of rich, self-service experience they have at home. This “consumerization” is driving rapid change in business and IT, dissolving the lines between work and play, the office, home or somewhere in between. Today’s “workplace” is no longer a building you go to; it’s wherever ...

Goodbye Internet Explorer 7

Jesse Schmucker — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:23:17 +0000

Today, the browser wars are just as intense as they have ever been. Market share is traded daily, and the competition is showing no signs of slowing down. With the rise of HTML5, what’s new and cool about the web is totally dependent on the browser and its ability to take advantage of the new tools.

The continued integration of HTML5 standards, coupled with the growth of tablet and mobile browsing, I believe, will set 2012 as the official time-of-death for the legacy browsers IE6,7. And for a web developer like myself, there could not be a sweeter sound ...

Good Old Saint Click

Mark Gremer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:36:21 +0000

I am usually a cash and carry type of guy. If I do not have money on me at the store, I would pass on the purchase. This year, I wanted to attempt something different during the holidays. I wanted to see if I could buy all my Christmas purchases without going to the store and do it all online.

Now don’t get me wrong, in the past I would look through the weekly paper flyers, hit the malls and shopping warehouses, and even tolerate the long lines like everyone else. However, this year, I sat in my comfy recliner ...

Youtube isn’t just for music videos.

Mark Gremer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:00:23 +0000

I would consider myself a pretty handy guy. I know how to use tools, tackle carpentry projects, take apart appliances, and even change the oil in my car. However with the use of YouTube, I have taken my skills to a whole new level. Whenever I have an issue at home that I cannot handle on my own, I take a look on YouTube to see if someone has posted a video of something similar. 9 times out of 10, YouTube has an answer for me and many times, it will be a step by step video.

Just recently, my ...

Holiday scams and computer security.

Kevin Pietschman — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:59:21 +0000

The holidays are here, and so are the “Evil Secret Santa’s” of the world. So, how do you protect your computers and ensure your financial integrity?

With the recession hitting everyone, new scams and counterfeiting websites are exploding on the internet – extending even to your phones. Unfortunately, many people are still falling for these scams and losing more than just computer integrity; they are losing money, and in some cases, identities.

Some of the most popular of these scams are fake sales emails sent to users that claim to have electronic gadgets, or other eye-catching sales, that advertise prices ...

Can virtualization help address the problem of aging hardware?

Kevin Pietschman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:01:08 +0000

Businesses are strapped for cash, and fixing aging hardware is not the solution. It is time to get virtual and mobile. What can a 5 year IT Vision do to revolutionize your business, and it’s IT Budget?

In my career, I have experienced the “Band-Aiding” of failing hardware, or solutions many times over. What does this mean? Generally speaking, hardware has a life cycle and it can range anywhere from 3 to 5 years in the most healthy of situations. Due to the financial climate most businesses do not fully resolve their issues by cycling out failing hardware. Instead, they ...

An NSR Techs-giving!

Eric Horbinski — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:22:22 +0000

The NSR staff has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. We are blessed to work on interesting projects for even more interesting clients that we know and love. We are lucky to have an extended family of unique, fascinating, and dedicated coworkers that we get to collaborate with. We asked our team what specifically they may have been thankful for this holiday season, and here their responses.

Jim McVeigh

…is thankful for the empowering capabilities of today’s consumer tech. He writes “The most amazing technology moment of the year has been watching Grandpa (75 years young) ...

Thanksgiving, technology, Chinese food.

Mark Gremer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:06:38 +0000

I was asked what I am most thankful for this year from a technology standpoint. I pondered on the usual things like smartphones, tablets, and Wi-Fi Hot spots; however, I kept coming back to one thing – Panda. I know this is a weird chose; however, I have to explain myself.

A new establishment called Panda Chinese Restaurant opened up this year close to our office in Sturtevant. I did not think much about it til a couple of our employees went there for lunch to test it out. They came back and said the food was unbelievable. Of course ...

This year I’m especially thankful for my iPad.

Jesse Schmucker — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:04:30 +0000

The list of features of these new tablet devices goes on and on synonymous to the number of blog posts which debate over which one is “the best.” Though it may be advantageous and very tempting to get in on the action, I would rather just reminisce about the wonderful changes to my life this little piece of science fiction has made.

When the iPad was first released it was mocked by many, it was labeled as nothing more than an oversized iPhone that couldn’t make phone calls. I must admit, I was disappointed as well, since like most people, ...

PC? We don’t need no stinking PC!

Craig Anderson — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:12:52 +0000

1 bottle water + 1 cat + 1 MacBook = a tablet experiment!

In August I wrote a Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet Review in which I gave you a run down on my sweet new Android powered device. Since writing that article I have been loving my Thinkpad Tablet, it’s great for all the reasons a tablet can be great, but how much can I really do with it? Well, it turns out I got to answer this question last month.

I awoke one Monday morning in October to find that my cat had knocked over the open bottle of water ...

What to Look for When Buying a PC

Mark Gremer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:00:30 +0000

If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone ask – What type of computer should I buy -- I would be very wealthy, or at least able to buy a tank of gas. The truth of the matter is whether you are looking to purchase a computer for your personal home or business environment; there are some simple guidelines and questions to ask yourself before making a decision.

Step 1 -- Decide on a workstation or Laptop

Deciding on a desktop or laptop may be difficult because each offers their own set of benefits and drawbacks. Here ...

Nook Color vs Kindle Fire, Let the Cheap Tablet Wars begin!

Jim McVeigh — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:04:07 +0000

Barnes & Noble has declared war on Amazon with its Nook Tablet. Amazon responded by shipping the Kindle Fire ahead of schedule, and B&N has retaliated in kind as the Nook Tablet is already appearing in B&N stores.

Early shipments are very rare in the consumer electronic space, as it is more common to see delays in getting products into consumer’s hands. It seems the cheap tablet war has left the podium and is now in the trenches, with Kindle Fires and Nook Tablets shipping ahead of schedule.

The Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are similar in form and ...

Magic Jack… Myth, Dud or What?

Matt Kuzba — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:51:46 +0000

You may have seen the commercials for Magic Jack! At 19.95 for phone service per year is worth investigating. Today we’ll take a look at Magic Jack and who might be able to use it, maybe even you! I know home bundling your services is all the rage these days, but how much is the phone line costing you? Cutting the phone line out of your monthly bill could prove to save you a lot of money. We took a look at Magic Jack and how it played out in two separate cases.

Potential Magic Jack Client A, We’ll ...

10 Things a Technician Should Know About Windows 7

Mark Gremer — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:19:01 +0000

With the Windows 7 Operating System installed on many of your new PC purchases, here is some information for those computer savvy people that you may find helpful.

And for your late night junkie, I will keep it in the theme similar to David Letterman’s top ten items. So here we go.

Here are the top 10 things to know about Windows 7.

1. Application Compatibility

Because Windows Vista OS introduced architectural changes down to the kernel level that made the OS more secure than its predecessor Windows XP, many applications needed modifications to operate properly in a Windows Vista ...

59% of B2B Decision Makers Research with Smartphones

Jim McVeigh — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:00:12 +0000

B2B purchasers are using smartphones in growing numbers as part of their buying process. According to a recent study conducted by TriComB2B and the University of Dayton School of Business Administration and shared by eMarketer, 59% of B2B purchase decision makers have used their smartphone to research products and services when they are considering purchases. This makes it critical for businesses to publish information in a mobile-friendly format, whether that is a on a mobile-optimized website or in a dedicated mobile application.

There is a huge missed opportunity by sellers in not addressing this form of information gathering. According ...

Love Technology Again

Mark Gremer — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:41:30 +0000

So I went on vacation to my place north of the dells for a week. It is a log cabin located on a golf course near Castle Rock Lake in Arkdale, WI. I do not have a phone lan line or TV or Internet Services there. I do have a cell phone that gets sporadic coverage in that area. That is the way I like it when I am away. I want to be unconnected as much as possible to the outside world. However, when something cool in technology comes along that can fit a specific purpose, you start loving ...

Setting your IT Projects up for Success

Eric Horbinski — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:08:46 +0000

In my first semester of graduate school, I came across a rather unsettling statistic : less than half of all IT projects reported are considered “successful”. Billions of dollars are being poured every year into CRM, ERP, BI, upgrades, migrations, deployments, refreshes, business engineering, and more, only to have a less than 50% chance of coming out the way you expect.

My professor cited examples such as Hershey’s ERP migration resulting in late delivery of halloween candy (and a loss of $100m in sales and a 9% drop in stock).

In more recent news, respected ERP vendor recent Standish Group ...

Migrate from Joomla 1.5 to 1.6

Jesse Schmucker — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:43:36 +0000

For those of you who use Joomla you may know that updating the system can be very beneficial in terms of new features, security updates, etc. But you probably also know how much of a hassle it can be if and when things go wrong.

Though many of you are probably still using Joomla version 1.5, the latest version of Joomla is 1.7, updated recently from 1.6. There have been several updates since 1.5 all the way up to Joomla 1.5.23 which is the latest update to the 1.5 architecture, but the move from 1.5 to 1.6 is NOT business ...

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet Review

Craig Anderson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:22:35 +0000

One of the best parts of my job is the fact that Christmas comes more than once a year. Every time a cool new piece of hardware comes in all the techs get up from their desks to check out the latest and greatest toy that has come through the door. This month many of us were more excited than usual as the latest and greatest of the Android tablets shipped on the 23rd, and I received the first one a few days later.

The tablet market is one of the hotest segments and growing trends in IT. The advent ...

Lenovo’s New Leasing Option Could Be A Better Fit.

Mark Gremer — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:30:41 +0000

“We Can’t Afford this Equipment!”

Many companies are faced with annual IT equipment costs. Sometimes it is just replacing a computer that died or it could be replacing their whole network server and infrastructure equipment. The latter usually has a larger cost involved and sometimes the sticker shock can be overwhelming. Lenovo Financial Services now offers leasing as an option. They will take the cost of the equipment and even the labor involved to install and configure and create a lease payment over 3 years. How can this benefit my company? Here are just a few reasons why Leasing is ...

Android Phones, iPad, iPhone??? HOW DO I GET SOME WORK DONE?!?!?

Matt Kuzba — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:00:14 +0000

Today’s mobile devices have larger screens, more processing power and can do more than ever before! Angry Birds is fun, but how do you get some work done on these devices? Use Citrix Xenapp!

Citrix Xenapp is a mobile workforce platform and private cloud virtualization platform that can empower your hand held devices! Need Windows Media player on iPhone or iPad no problem! Need your sales application available for your sales people on your Android Tablet NO PROBLEM!

All of these devices can access applications that are available on your work computer with Citrix Xenapp! Contact us to learn more.

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