On the web: • email: • Fax: 614-875-7761
January 2007
- INFOMAIL - What's In An E-mail Address?
- SPY-WARE, VIRUSES, POP-UPS; HIDDEN DANGERS ONLINE
- WHEN BUYING A SERVER, INFONETICS SHOULD BE YOUR ONLY CHOICE
- INFOPAD IN THE PITS
- ERAM - A NEW BACKUP MEDIA
From The President's Console
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
2007 has certainly gotten off to a big start here at INFONETICS. We’re working on exciting new hardware updates, continued advancements in our INFOPAD mobile strategies, and as always a raft of neat new software enhancements to stoke your productivity.
This month’s newsletter brings updates on the following topics:
INFOMAIL - our new integrated emailing software module is ramping up to be one of the most popular software launches in INFONETICS history. So much so, we're still working off a backlog of orders for the new software module. Thanks go to all of you who've shown great support of new products and patience as we meet the demand for them. This month’s newsletter outlines one of the core concepts in INFOMAIL - how best to store email addresses within your INFONETICS customer and vendor files.
ERAM - Electronic Random Access Memory sticks are also proving to be very popular as the new media for data backups. Check out the article in this newsletter to learn more.
Viruses, spyware and pop-ups continue to be the bane of the PC world, topped only by the hated "spam". For a refresher on these ills, check out Roberts' review inside.
Thanks again to all of you who’ve supported and encouraged our software & hardware developments here. It truly is an exciting time to be in the computer business.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
INFOMAIL - What's In An E-mail Address?
Many think of email addresses as a simple, even intuitive, concept. Yet, the proper way to denote an email address may well determine whether the mail reaches its intended party as well as how it presents itself to the recipient. Following are some guidelines on how to best setup email addresses.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
Generally, email addresses within the INFONETICS database will be setup in either the customer or vendor notes. It is also acceptable to enter email addresses in the Customer/Vendor Contact field. However, that field is rather short and may not accommodate the entire address & name. Furthermore, the Contact field sometimes prints on labels and reports, which may be less than desirable. Within the Customer/Vendor Notes, each email address should be listed on a separate line. When multiple email addresses are on the same line, the email will be sent to both recipients at the same time.
EMAIL ADDRESS & DISPLAY NAME
In its simplest form, the email address consists of just the traditional username and domain name separated by the "@" symbol. i.e. . Most email programs will allow a "Display Name" to also be included. This display name is shown instead of the simple email address and is intended to be the full name of the person rather than a cryptic email address. For instance, "John T. Doe" could be the display name for .
Many methods can be used to arrange display name and email address on a customers note line. The best configuration has the Display Name simply preceded or followed by the email address bracketed in less/greater than symbols. For instance:
John T. Doe <> Purchasing Agent
INFONETICS' email parsing algorithms are able to correctly identify the email address and cut it into two pieces;
Display Name: John T. Doe Purchasing Agent
Email Address:
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
This technique also works very well with Microsoft Outlook's email program and would allow easy copy/paste of an email address from any INFONETICS screen into the email address field of Outlook.
Other arrangements will also parse correctly
[ John T. Doe, Purchasing Agent
John T. Doe () Purchasing Agent
John T. Doe Purchasing Agent
However, the above representations are less likely to work correctly when copy/pasted into Outlook email. In particular, the comma "," can be misinterpreted as a separator between multiple email addresses. While commas are permitted in either the INFOMAIL Name or Address fields, they will be converted to blanks before being sent as an email to prevent this misinterpretation.
By the way, early thoughts that each email address line would need a prefix of "EMAIL" have proven to be unnecessary.
DEFAULT EMAIL ADDRESS/FAX NUMBER SELECTION
When "E"(email) is selected as the output device, the Customer/Vendor Contact field (if used with an email address) or the FIRST email address or fax number listed in a customers/vendors notes will be considered the primary address. Therefore, it is extremely important to list the preferred email or fax number first in the notes file. When the output device "F" (fax) is chosen, the Customer/Vendor Facsimile will be selected as the default address. To see other email addresses within the notes simply hit <F10/VIEW>, arrow down to the desired line and hit <ENTER> to select a different address.
INFOFAX/INFOMAIL INTERCHANGIBILITY
Email addresses, fax and phone numbers will all be highlighted within the customer/vendor notes, and can likewise be selected. When a phone number has been specified, an INFOFAX fax transmission will be generated, when a non-numeric address is selected, it will be sent as an INFOMAIL email. Fax and phone numbers within the notes must have the full dialing digits, including "1" and area code, necessary to correctly dial. The system will NOT automatically prefix a "1-" onto a fax number parsed out of the notes field.
So, whether you have purchased the INFOMAIL software or not, make sure you setup customer/vendor email addresses correctly within your system.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
SPY-WARE, VIRUSES, POP-UPS - HIDDEN DANGERS ONLINE
Dangers online are not as noticeable as they are in the real world. There is no caution tape or danger signs to let you know when you are about to get into trouble. These problems and hazards are easy to avoid but first it helps to know what the dangers are. These dangers are commonly found in three forms: Spyware, Viruses, and Ad-ware.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
SPY-WARE
Spy-ware are tiny programs that are installed on your computer without your knowledge. They are designed to watch what a computer user does and send it back to someone else over the internet. Often it's as harmless as just watching what websites you visit, and sending that info to advertising agencies. More malicious programs can record everything you type or try to send personal data (like your passwords or credit card numbers.) Additionally, since they are constantly running, they can bog down your system, making your computer slower.
VIRUSES
Viruses are programs that attack your PC much like a cold attacks your body. They are often very harmful, causing unexpected crashes or data loss. Viruses also try to spread from an infected computer to any other computers with which it communicates.
AD-WARE
Ad-ware works very much like spyware, except that instead of sending your data to someone else, it is sending popup ads to you. They are tiny programs that, again, get installed on your computer without you knowing. If you are getting popup ads even when you don't have a webpage open, it's because your computer is infected with ad-ware.
COMMON SENSE, VIRUS & SPY-WARE PROTECTION
Luckily, there's no need to be afraid. For every bad program found, a way to fix it is quickly developed by companies like Norton and Lavasoft. There are a few simple things you can do to keep your computer safe. The first thing may seem obvious, but it's the most important. Be careful about what you click on! Don't visit unfamiliar or suspicious websites. Don't click on popup ads (even if they say things like 'Click here to keep your computer safe'). Never install software unless you know it's safe. Seemingly harmless software can have dangerous software "attached" to it, which might get installed without you even knowing it. If you get it for free, you've got to ask yourself, "Why would they give this to me for free? " If you can't figure out how they are recuperating their development costs, then the chances are good that the software is doing something you don't know about. Your next best line of defense is to keep your software up to date. Microsoft Windows Update regularly releases security updates that patch holes and fix bugs. If these holes are left open, they leave your computer vulnerable to errors and attacks. Every INFOTERM comes with tools to protect from these types of attacks. INFONETICS uses Norton Antivirus or Norton Internet Security and Ad-Aware on every computer we use or provide for you, but these products need to be kept "up to date" to provide the best protection. We do these updates and run scans on every computer that comes in for repair and often find that they have not been run in a very long time (or not at all!).
Please contact a tech at INFONETICS and we can assist you with checking to make sure your particular versions of software are all running correctly - it can keep your computer running fast, and save you the cost and hassle of sending in an infected computer for repair.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
WHEN BUYING A SERVER, INFONETICS SHOULD BE YOUR ONLY CHOICE
The INFONETICS server is the specially designed center of your business network and care should be taken to make sure that above all else this piece of equipment works properly. Unlike many pieces of equipment such as personal computers, printers, and laptops, the server is not a universal piece of equipment and does require the research and development efforts of INFONETICS personnel. Many companies sell the same components that make up the INFONETICS server, but none of them come out of the box prepared to run the INFONETICS software suite and to handle your business needs. Below are the top five reasons to only consider INFONETICS for your server.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
1. The INFONETICS server has been specifically designed and tested to run the INFONETICS software suite and work with the Red Hat Linux operating system.
Our technicians spend countless hours selecting the proper components to power your server, testing and configuring those parts, and making sure that the server is capable of meeting the demands of INFONETIC'S customers. What is often not seen when comparing the cost of the INFONETICS server to a like server from Dell, Hewlett-Packard, or some other computer giant is the research and development time that goes into ensuring that INFONETICS server is ready to work upon arrival at a customer's location. When presented with a non-INFONETICS server and asked to make it work, an INFONETICS technician is essentially being asked to start the research and development process all over again with the foreign machine. At $150 an hour, it does not take much time for the non-INFONETICS server bought at a cheaper rate to easily exceed the price of a new INFONETICS server simply because our technicians are asked to recreate the wheel. The worst part is that there is no guarantee that the non-INFONETICS server will be suitable to run our software, thus possibly wasting both time and money in the process.
2. INFONETICS is only a phone call away for instant server support.
You know the INFONETICS personnel. You have spoken with us for years on the telephone, have welcomed us into your offices to install equipment or train your employees, and have seen us at trade shows and INFOGROUPS. You know our phone number and it is the only one you have to call for all of your support needs. The person who selected your server components, tested your machine, and boxed it up for shipping is likely to be the same person you speak to when you are in need of server support. How many other companies know your system that closely? What you might find instead with other companies is that you are forced to sit on hold for long periods of time, are being supported from a location overseas causing possible communication difficulties, have to be elevated from one level of support to the next to get anywhere, and are never able to continue a support related issue with the same personnel with which you started.
3. Loaner servers are available immediately from INFONETICS.
If it is determined in the course of speaking with our support staff that you need to have your machine serviced by sending it to our facility, INFONETICS will overnight ship a loaner server to you at no charge other than the shipping cost. This is a service only available to customers who have purchased servers from INFONETICS. Because server downtime impacts an entire company, this service is invaluable and reason enough to buy your server from INFONETICS.
4. INFONETICS will never "oversell" technology to your company.
The demands put on a business server are quite different than those put on a typical personal computer and therefore have hardware needs that are quite different. The
Red Hat Linux operating system and the INFONETICS software suite do not carry the same demands a Windows PC has for hard drive space, memory and other internal components. Because we are only concerned with building a business machine that is fast, efficient, and reliable, you will never see INFONETICS peddling "buzz word" technology when unnecessary.
5. Transitioning from an old server is much easier with INFONETICS
Nobody knows your INFONETICS system like INFONETICS. When upgrading from an older server (INFONETICS or not) the migration and configuration of your existing data is of the utmost importance. In addition, this work needs to be done at a time when the system is quiet (preferably before or after hours) and downtime needs to be minimized. Buying an INFONETICS server allows us to make a smooth, seamless transition between the old and the new and avoid having to involve a third party server vendor should some problem arise.
INFONETICS servers are built for reliability, but every 4-5 years you should consider upgrading your server. If you have any questions about your server, the new line of INFONETICS servers, or any other hardware & software please contact an INFONETICS representative today.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
INFOPAD IN THE PITS
One of the very first deployments of the new INFOPAD mobile computer was not out in a warehouse doing physical inventory. It wasn't on the rear deck of a truck recording cylinder serial number barcodes or UPC barcodes off hardgoods as the driver made a delivery. It wasn't even on the lap of a salesman doing a quote in the office of a welding supply customer. No, the public debut of the newest and most advanced piece of technology offered by INFONETICS was at New Castle Motorsports Park near Indianapolis, October 15th for the historic RoboPong.com 200 mile race for racing go-karts.
INFONETICS, Inc. • 1729 Gateway Circle • Grove City, OH 43123 • Phone: 614-875-2006Page 1
Web: • E-mail: • Fax: 614-875-7761January, 2007
In only three years the RoboPong.com 200 has become arguably the most prestigious race in the country for the sport of karting - racing go-karts. Hosted by former Indy Car driver Mark Dismore, the event attracts teams and drivers from all over the world - including some huge names in pro auto racing: 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, 2003 IRL Champion Scott Dixon, IRL driver Tomas Scheckter and top female drivers Sarah Fisher and Katherine Legge and other pro racers.. This year's event was even covered by national motorsport publications, live Internet radio and SpeedTV.