Students Of Success

Now days you might have take notice of a threatening word “Spyware”. Spyware software is becoming annoyance for the companies. Spyware is likely to be verified as a great damager to the companies. It is not so noticeable like spam and virus assaults to the systems. Spyware could be destructive and cause financial losses.

Spyware, it is almost an invisible software programs that collects and transmits personal or company’s important data through the Internet without being noticed. The transferred data could be used for smashing up your company’s credit or might hard hit its profits. Spyware is also commonly acknowledged as Adware, Malware, Sneakware and Snoopware

Entrance ways: Spyware could enter your network by auto-download software that automatically downloaded to your network, even without user’s acknowledgement. It could also enter with software, which is downloaded by user that includes Spyware program. Most common entry of this software is pop-ups, which appears while opening any site. The pop-ups are very attractively designed to allure user to click it.

The Spyware software is not even blocked by firewall programs, as user itself allows it, of-course, due to unawareness. Similarly, the usual antivirus programs are also unable not block it, due to they don’t seem as wicked as viruses.

Safeguard against Spyware: User should completely read and understand the license agreement before downloading any software. Avoid downloading unknown and fallacious software from the internet. Keep away from clicking pop-up that put forward mouthwatering offers.

The constant use of anti-Spyware software: It could prevent entering such harmful programs to your network. The best precautious step is that, a user could apply to block Spyware access via gateway security solutions like the NetApp Internet access and security (IAS) solution, which stops admittance to Web sites offering Spyware.

There are several anti-spyware programs available out there. These programs search and eliminate Spyware and adware. They can detect and sweep off huge number of adware files and modules. Some of these programs also clean program and web-usage path from your network that is very helpful if the system is shared. There also some free downloadable software on authentic sites like www.download.com, www.mcafee.com, www.spywareinfo.com, www.all-internet-security.com, www.tucows.com etc or you can use keyword “free antiSpyware download” in search.
But make sure you do not download or buy any anti-Spyware program without checking its authenticity, at least now onwards.

Allen Brown is a freelance writer for http://www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com , the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for http://www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com.

Getting Organized in the Computer Age

A database is a collection of information, a sort of electronic filing system. Database software provides a way to enter the information, or data, organize it and view it when needed. Databases are effective programs for organizing and manipulating large amounts of data.

Databases are normally organized into fields, records and files. A field is a single piece of data, a record is a set of fields, and a file is a set of records. For example, if you were to create a database of the names and addresses of everyone who lives on your street, your last name would be a field. Taken together, your name and address fields would be a record. The collection of the records of all the people on the street would be a file.

Large databases contain quite a bit of data and it would be too difficult to search through each record for the one you seek. Database software allows users to run a search or query to select records. Users simply type in the data they wish to see, and the database returns the records containing that data.

Database software also allows users to manipulate the information by sorting it. Say in the above example you wish to see a list of everyone in the neighborhood in alphabetical order. You could accomplish this through a sort. Another day you might want to see the same data listed in order of house numbers. You could sort the database information in this way as well.

Reports can be created in database software to view data in easy to read formats. You can choose to have all the fields included in the report, or just a few.

There are many wonderful database software programs available. Here are a few of the top products.

Alpha Five Version 6 Database Software

The Alpha Five Version 6 is an award winning database software created by Alpha Software, a company that has been developing database solutions for over 20 years. The Alpha Five Version 6 allows users to make web databases without having to write code. IT professionals are able to produce databases quicker, resulting in lower costs. People who couldn’t make databases before because they did not know how to write code can now produce professional looking databases.

Filemaker Pro 8 Database Software

Filemaker’s newest offering, Filemaker Pro 8, comes in two versions – a standard version for new users, and Filemaker Pro 8 Advanced for professional developers. The standard version now allows users to find records with identical data in a certain field by using the Find Matching Records command. The newest version contains commands that allow users export information to Excel and to save files as pdf. The spell check function is also improved, with mispelled words being underlined.

Microsoft Access Database Software

Microsoft Access is simple, easy to use database software. Both professionals and new database designers can use it. One benefit of Access is that it is integrated well with other Microsoft products, such as Windows. Access is easy to use with small databases but can be more difficult when used for larger databases.

Want more ideas for your databases? Learn more tips and techniques at our Databases resource site – your-one-stop-shop for Databases!!! If learning the latest Database techniques is important for you then visit out site now!!! www.databaseshq.com

CAD services have been a major sector where Indian outsourcing firms have drawn prominent track of success. Documentation, design and AEC firms in the United States, United Kingdom and European countries are utilizing the Indian talent. These firms are enjoying the benefits of not only the cost effective production but the expertise that India has developed in over 2 decades of experience.

Geographic information system or GIS evolved in late eighties when the whole world started computerized their mapping data. From land usage to tele-communication and road networks to risk management studies , every unit and department had started the computerization of the vital data for better analysis and reporting. Since the job was a real challenge for its magnitude, better production capabilities and cost effectiveness were the main issues to deal with. India CAD firms are considered and soon the GIS was a major CAD INDUSTRY in India and the global outsourcing destination. Some firms even setup their own production houses in New Delhi, NCR and Indian regions. GIS boom in India provided tremendous employment opportunities.

While this GIS conversion or digitization was on peak, Other sectors as building industry, building services, architectural records and mechanical engineering documents were next to look to India. The raster to vector technology was used vastly for quicker production. Not later than this, the 3D parametric services were outsourced too in early nineties. The whole CAD industry was growing with better profits to their western counterparts. The industry went on peak by year 2000 an never looked back again.

The present scenario is that engineering document are being drafted in India. The architecture design and detailing sector is evolving dramatically. The major architecture firms have started accepting design assignments from American and European architecture firms. The conceptual designs are provided to Indian architecture firms to elaborate and produce the complete set of design documents. Even services and presentations are being prepared in India. Architectural rendering firms in India have their parallel existence. It is most likely that soon the complete architecture services would be available under single roof in the near future.

The future looks promising for CAD firms in USA and European countries and the Indian CAD sector. Everyone seems to be enjoying better business and fruitful profits. Author is
available to discuss you CAD outsourcing requirements.

Author is the CEO of Architectural Rendering firm known as http://www.virses.com which provides outsource architectural renderings to real estate, visualization, media and architectural firms. He can be contacted at harjeet@virses.com. This article can be distributed freely as long as it is not modified and includes author information.

Navision Software was purchased by Microsoft and now it is supported by Microsoft Business Solutions together with Microsoft Great Plains, Axapta, Solomon, Microsoft Retail Management System and Microsoft CRM. Navision has extremely strong position on mid-size European and US markets, plus it has excellent manufacturing solution. Our goal is to help IT departments to support and tune Navision with in-house expertise and skills.
The topic of this article is Navision database access from ASP.NET application via C/ODBC interface. Our goal will be ASPX page accessing Navision Customers.

Let’s begin

1. In our case we will use Navision Attain 3.6 with Navision Database Server, Navision Application Server and Navision Client. These components are installed on Windows XP. You also need to install C/ODBC component form Navision Attain CD.

2. Let’s create ODBC DSN for Navision data access. Select Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Data Sources (ODBC). Then select System DSN tab and press Add button. We’ll use C/ODBC 32-bit data access driver. We’ll name Data Source Name Navision, Connection leave Local. As the database (Database button) select \Program Files\Navision Attain\Client\database.fdb (demo database). Then click Company button – we’ll use CRONUS demo company. It is important for C/SIDE correct database access to setup proper options for C/ODBC connection. Press Options button and look at the options available – we’ll need Identifiers parameter – it defines identifiers types, which will be transferred to the client application. In order to work correct with MS SQL Server 2000 with C/ODBC source we need to use these type: “a-z,A-Z,0-9,_”. Now DNS is done. Let’s create Linked Server.

3. Open MS SQL Server Enterprise Manager. Open server tree for the server, which you plan to use, for this server open Security folder and Lined Servers. With right click select New Linked Server in context menu. In the dialog box opened in the Provider Name select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers. Let’s name our Linked Server NAVISION. In Data Source string enter ODBC DSN name - NAVISION in our case. Linked Server is ready! Let’s select tables list and look at the data from Navision Attain database.

4. Next we need to create small stored procedure for sales data selection. Here is the text of the procedure:
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
SET ANSI_WARNINGS ON
GO

CREATE PROCEDURE NavisionCustomers AS

DBCC TRACEON(8765)
SELECT No_, Name, Address, City, Contact FROM OPENQUERY(NAVISION, ‘SELECT * FROM Customer’)

RETURN

Let’s clarify some points here. TRACEON(8765) directive allows us to work with the data of variable length, returned by C/ODBC driver. Without it we can not select Navision tables fields – we will have these errors:

OLE DB error trace [Non-interface error: Unexpected data length returned for the column: ProviderName=’MSDASQL’, TableName=’[MSDASQL]’, ColumnName=’Ship_to_Filter’, ExpectedLength=’250′, ReturnedLength=’1′].
Server: Msg 7347, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
OLE DB provider ‘MSDASQL’ returned an unexpected data length for the fixed-length column ‘[MSDASQL].Ship_to_Filter’. The expected data length is 250, while the returned data length is 1.

OPENQUERY command opens linked server and gives it execution request, and returns record set selected. Directives ANSI_NULLS and ANSI_WARNINGS are required – they provide the possibility of the execution for heterogeneous requests. To test the procedure you can give its name in MS SQL Query Analyzer – EXEC NavisionCustomers

5. Now we need to create ASP.NET application. Let’s use free RAD environment ASP.NET WebMatrix. You can get infor and download it at http://asp.net/webmatrix . You need .NET SDK 1.1 installed, before WebMatrix installation.

6. Launch WebMatrix, select creation of the Data Pages -> Editable Data Grid in the wizard screen. Let’s keep all the defaults suggested. On the access page created we’ll change the header to Navision Attain Customers, select Verdana font and the font size desired. Next place on the page the component SqlDataSourceControl and tune it’s – Connection String : server=’(local)’; database=’Alba’;trusted_connection=true (change server and database name to your actual names), and SelectCommand – as EXEC NavisionCustomers

7. For our Data Grid, which will show customers, define DataSource as SqlDataSourceControl1, and DatKeyField – as No_

8. Next switch to code edition mode and make these changes:

• In the DataGrid_Delete method let’s correct the request for the customer deletion to the one we need

• Change DataGrid_Delete code, base on the fields we plan to use

9. Launch our application and test it. This is it!

Happy customizing, implementing and modifying! If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-866-528-0577 or 1-630-961-5918! help@albaspectrum.com

Boris Makushkin is Lead Software Developer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Microsoft CRM, Microsoft Great Plains customization company, serving Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Moscow, Europe and internationally ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Microsoft CRM SDK, Navision, C#, VB.Net, SQL, Oracle, Unix developer.

If someone entered your home, uninvited and installed numerous cameras and listening devices in order to monitor your activities, you would quite rightly be outraged. While such a situation, unless you are living in the Big Brother House, would be considered ridiculous, the same cannot be said for the humble home computer.

Recently released research alarmingly shows that home PC’s are increasingly likely to host software which can watch each and every keystroke the user inputs. According to the research compiled from an audit conducted jointly by the software firm, WebRoot and services provider, EarthLink, the average home PC hosts 28 so-called spyware programs.

Whilst the worst examples of spyware are written by virus writers to steal passwords and hijack computers to launch “denial of service” attacks against web-servers, the vast majority are used to collate marketing information and then target advertising according to the end-users web surfing habits.

The WebRoot/EarthLink audit surveyed more than 1.5 million PC’s during the last 12 months and discovered an amazing 41 million incidents of spyware; adware, Trojans, tracking cookies and other undesirable programs.

Most of these programs are loaded into the computer memory when the PC is started up. From here, the program will work silently, often giving no clues as to its existence. However, unexplained browser window pop-up’s, often advertising adult services and mysterious alterations to the browsers homepage setting are more often than not an indication that spyware is present and active on a computer. One particular piece of spyware, which is proving to be very expensive for many home users, is that of Trojan Diallers. Diallers, often without any warning to the end-user, hangs up the current net connection and then automatically reconnects using a Premium Rate telephone number, thus running up huge telephone bills. The activities of companies using this technology as a revenue stream are currently under investigation in the UK by government watchdogs.

A hard-disk and memory overflowing with spyware used to be one of the unfortunate consequences of visiting sex and adult orientated sites; a kind of eSTD. Like most Internet marketing technologies, from the pop-up to the pop-under and the first snowball of Spam, spyware began life serving the adult industry. Then, just like pop-up, spyware filtered through all aspects of ecommerce. In an interview to the BBC, David Moll, CEO of WebRoot, said that spyware has now become so common across the whole of the Internet, that it can be contracted from nearly anywhere.

So-called “drive-by downloads” are now responsible for most infections of spyware. The term “drive-by” refers to the casualness of the infection. By simply visiting an ordinary webpage a user can unwittingly initiate an automatic download of spyware onto their computer. There are no clues and no warnings.

In a recent, carefully controlled and closed demonstration, it took me less than 20 minutes to create a spyware program and embed it into a webpage. Using colleagues who had previously been made aware of the nature of the experiment, I invited them to take a look at this “special” but very ordinary looking webpage. Within seconds of visiting this webpage, the spyware went to work taking a snapshot of their hard disk, a snapshot of their Favourites folder and a copy of their browsing history. Before they had even finished reading the webpage, the spyware was already transferring their information to my server. It’s as easy as that! Equally that same code could be manipulated to perform a total trash of the hard disk or some other equally miserable and criminal act.

Speaking to the BBC, David Moll explained.

“Some (spyware programs) lurk on misspelled URLs and strike those that type faster than their fingers can carry them. As a result you do not end up where you expect to be.”

Alarmingly, users do not even need to visit a website to contract spyware. The preview window in Microsoft’s Outlook Express allows emails containing HTML and any other code which can be placed on a normal webpage, to be loaded, without warning. Companies looking to implant spyware using the “drive-by” principal are regularly exploiting this glaringly obvious flaw in the design of Outlook Express.

“If you get one piece of spyware, you will get five because the business model says they pay each other to pass on information about victims,” said Mr Moll.

Thankfully anti-spyware/adware programs such as Ad-Aware (free) and WebRoot’s own offering, Spy Sweeper can clean up a PC and even help prevent further infections, but just like anti-virus software, anti-spyware software needs to be kept up-to-date to remain effective.

In addition to providing software solutions to this problem, legislators too are seeking to end this electronic intrusion. In the USA an anti-spyware bill is moving towards approval in Congress. If successfully implemented, this bill will force firms who wish to use spyware to first receive permission from the end-user before it is installed. But even before any new laws come into place, spyware makers are already working on next generation coding which keep their programs intact and operational….perhaps even on your PC.

Related Links:

WebRoot Spyware Audit http://www.webroot.com/services/spyaudit_03.htm

Ad-Aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

WebRoot http://www.webroot.com/

About The Author

Robert Palmer is CEO of deskNET Communications www.desknet.co.uk the first affordable alternative to opt-in email marketing and newsletters. With over 20 years professional experience in software development, Robert is a leading architect in the development of the emerging Net technology, One-2-Many Broadcasting software.

You may have purchased a state-of-the-art computer, yet it is running so slowly that you have to pick up something to read while you wait for it to connect to the internet. You might need spyware removal for your PC, which is probably being tampered with by an outside source. Other problems, such as frequent error messages and security threats are caused by spyware, and spyware removal is essential to prevent the following:

• data mining
• aggressive advertising
• Trojan horses
• Browser hijackers
• Tracking components
• mouse monitors

and similar intrusions. As more unscrupulous web savvy hackers are creating new ways to get access to your valuable personal information, Spyware removal is fast becoming an essential program for every PC.

When you search the web, you not only find information, but you also leave a lot of data behind. Your computer can leave “footprints” of information as you surf, and can bring spyware back with it, like tracking sand into a home. Spyware removal can detect these parasitic devices placed on your PC that monitors your browsing habits so you can later get spammed by aggressive advertisers. Spyware also retrives sensitive information, such as your credit card number. Increasing security problems, theft and fraud are causing companies to do more research and to update their spyware removal capabilities.

When choosing a spyware removal program, it is highly suggested to opt for a brand that is well known and has been on the market for some time. Some supposed spyware removal programs have proven to be false, and like the spyware they are supposed to be removing, they scan your disks in order to find sensitive information that can be used or sold. It is for this reason that some suggest using spyware removal that does not scan your disks. Other experts might object that a spyware removal program that does not scan your disk can not be guaranteed to remove all of your spyware, whereas others tout certain programs that are able to give maximum protection without scanning your computer disks.

In addition to scanning your disks, many spyware removal programs also search your removable drives and your memory for traces of malware and spyware. Spyware removal works using Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology and has an extensive spyware removal support system. Once your PC has been scanned, your spyware removal program logs the results of the scan showing which places contain spyware or other problems. It also removes any behavior tracking devices and prevents others from stealing your bandwith. Most spyware removal programs can also prevent keyloggers which take password and credit card information.

In addition to installing spyware removal on your regular PC, you can also find spyware removal programs suited for the corporate environment. These programs work with multiple computers in a network, and work much like spyware removal for a PC, but on a larger scale. For most businesses, it is worthwhile to invest in the best spyware removal you can obtain, since, for commercial reasons, you are likely to be dealing with sensitive information for all of your customers. Don’t let spyware point the finger at your company when your customer’s credit card number is stolen.

Many spyware removal programs can be obtained as free downloads for a limited period of time. These programs will do an initial scan at no cost and will continue to protect your PC if you purchase the spyware removal program. You can purchase sypware removal that can build an instant defense if there is some material that it cannot yet recognize. It is also a good idea to get spyware removal that does not eliminate anything without asking your permission first. For extra security, some spyware removal programs do not access any of your private information on your hard drive and do not connect to the net. If you trust your spyware company, you need not be afraid of a scan, but ensure that the company is a legitimate one before purchasing their spyware.

Matt Garrett www.Ghost-Surf.com
www.Internet-Privacy-Systems.com

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Hawaii (HMSA) found itself with a rapidly expanding network and data center. Our network devices, servers, and software were all growing in complexity and we knew that we would have to leverage technology to gain better control of our IT systems and network.
In the past, we confronted the same dilemma that systems administrators in all IT organizations face: weighing the value of simple monitoring solutions versus expensive, feature-rich enterprise solutions that require labor intensive maintenance. We attempted to implement a large-scale system and network monitoring package from a major vendor but found the product was never fully implemented or adopted by the users because of its overbearing complexity. We then quickly implemented an inexpensive, low-end package that provided basic monitoring – but lacked much of the deeper functionality our organization required, such as performance and application monitoring.

We knew we had to take a completely new approach. We decided to develop a set of best practices to ensure that new investments in system and network monitoring would be successful.

At the core of these best practices are two themes – simplicity and cost-effectiveness HMSA’s core best practices rest on five elements:

- Data center monitoring technology should be Web-based. Web-based technology simplifies rolling out the system, because no client-side application must be installed and upgraded. In addition, administrators can work from any location. Web-based user interfaces are also typically easy to learn, easing adoption and lowering training costs.

- Monitoring technology should be standards-based. HMSA chose to adhere to industry standards such as Simple Network Monitoring Protocol (SNMP) in order to simplify setup and installation and to avoid getting locked into one vendor’s solution. Because SNMP is supported by almost all hardware and software vendors, monitoring a heterogeneous environment composed of many products is greatly simplified.

- Monitoring technology should be automation driven rather than consulting or manpower intensive. Expending costly and valuable IT resources on long-term enterprise software projects has proven risky and expensive.

- Data center operations should be viewed as a business process. IT departments tend to look at monitoring technology as something that displays trending graphs and sends alarms when there are network problems.

- Monitoring technology with simple license terms is preferable to products with many add-on or hidden modules. To control the costs of a monitoring implementation, a company needs visibility of up to five or 10 years of ongoing maintenance costs. Many enterprise software vendors’ products are composed of many modules and components that have separate pricing models and require different training and support. HMSA believes that products with a number of components tend to be more expensive and complex to maintain over time.

We evaluated more than 15 vendors against these best practices and found that CITTIO’s WatchTower monitoring platform was the closest fit. Equipped with WatchTower and our strong best practice approach, we successfully deployed enterprise-class system and network monitoring on 500 servers and network devices in a timely and cost-effective manner. Moreover, we are gaining the complete system control and network visibility our large, complex organization requires.

www.cittio.com

57% of the total revenue spent on corporate email software is being spent on Microsoft Exchange Server (Ferris Research, 2005). Microsoft Exchange Server is an email software package that resides on a server that enables office workers to collaborate more effectively. Whether you know it or not, most small businesses use it. Microsoft Exchange Server gives you more control over your company email and scheduling.

What are the benefits of Exchange Server? Exchange enables you to see and edit another user’s email, tasks, and calendar instantly (if they’ve granted you permission to do so). Having the ability to view others’ calendars means you are able to plan around meetings people in your office have already scheduled. You are able to create master contact lists and global calendars for your company so teams are always on the same page. You can also set the famous “Out Of Office Auto-Response” feature before you leave town with Exchange Server so those who email you know you are not in the office without calling. Best of all, you’ll have the option to view all of your email, tasks, and calendars by logging into your account over the Internet with a standard web browser (aka: Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) (click here for picture) while you are out of the office in the event that you need to access your email quickly and don’t have your laptop with you. This feature is great if you need to get to your email in a pinch. best of all, it comes free with Exchange Server!

Are you ready for Exchange? Microsoft Exchange Server is a technology that is not unique to the world of business. That means that if your company is not using Exchange to collaborate, your competitors probably are. Microsoft Exchange is generally used for companies with 5 or more employees. Exchange Server is the most widely used type of email setup on the market today! In order for companies to get the full benefits of Microsoft Exchange, they must be running the program, Microsoft Outlook on their computers. This means if you’re running Outlook to view your email now, your company may be half way to Microsoft Exchange Server.

Can you use Microsoft Outlook WITHOUT Exchange Server? It is possible to use a program called Microsoft Outlook to receive email on the user’s computer without using Exchange on a server. This type of setup dramatically limits the functionality to the Outlook program however. This setup is called POP email. (For a comparison, click here) POP email presents challenges with backing up email messages. It also becomes a problem if users move from computer to computer because the messages do not move with them. You are also unable to share user’s email, tasks, and calendar instantly with others at your company. Public folders are not available as well for group calendars without Exchange.

It’s only a matter of time… When companies are ready to go to the Exchange setup, the employees are already familiar with how to get around Microsoft Outlook if you’re running in POP mode now. This makes the training process a whole lot easier when companies make the switch. Remember, if you’re a growing company and are already using Microsoft Outlook for your email, it’s not a question of if you’ll use Exchange Server…it’s a question of when.

Anthony Licate is the President of Spidernet Technical Consulting, LLC (http://www.spidernetconsulting.com). Spidernet Technical Consulting helps companies operate more effectively by means of reducing their computer support issues and streamlining how they work. He has worked with multiple types of businesses to strategize, re-align and implement technology. Anthony can be reached at aj@spidernetconsulting.com

Photoshop CS is no doubt the most momentous Photoshop progress which complements digital photographers. Real world Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS discusses exciting new features for general users, web designers, video editors and digital photographers. This book is authored by Bruce Fraser.

Bruce Fraser is a noted author having co-authored the penultimate Photoshop resource book Real World Photoshop from Peachpit Press. He is also a contributing editor for Mac World plus a regular contributor for CreativePro where he wrote his “Out of Gamut” articles. Fraser is also a co-author of Real World Color Management from Peachpit Press. He has also made a study of human vision and how it relates to reproducible color in photography and photomechanical reproduction. Bruce is a regular speaker and presenter at notable trade shows and conferences as well as Seybold and Thunder Lizard’s Photoshop Conferences. He has also consulted for an extensive series of major photographic and digital imaging companies.

Adobe Photoshop CS is the new version (Version of Adobe Photoshop. It is a part of the newly announced Adobe Creative Suite which combines new versions of Adobe Photoshop CS with ImageReady CS, Adobe illustrator CS, Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe GoLive CS, Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and the new “Version Cue” file version manager, which lets you track integrations quickly and locate files easily.

Camera RAW part of Photoshop 7 Adobe Photoshop Camera RAW & JPEG 2000 Plug-in Bundle is now an integrated part of Photoshop CS. This has added substantial power to Photoshop CS. JPEG 2000 delivers superior quality for the same compression ratios. Conversely, since no camera support JPEG 2000, support is available through a separate plug-in that ships with the software.

Depending on the camera brand, Raw may come in different flavors. Adobe Photoshop CS covers most RAW formats available today. However, RAW data may not be always read accurately. For example, the white balance of Nikon Coolpix 5000 images may have unnatural result which is not a case with Nikon Capture 3.5. To fix the white balance, click in a non-specular white area followed by a minor tint adjustment. Supplementary adjustments can be made through the advanced “Calibration” tab. The “Adjust” tab controls exposure, shadow, brightness and contrast sliders. Albeit Photoshop CS features now a new Histogram Palette, the RAW dialog box also features live histograms.

Noise reduction is not a problem with Photoshop CS. It has the color noise reduction and luminance smoothing sliders which allow you to reduce colors and luminance noise. Luminance noise should be use with caution because it can lead to an artificial “water paint” effect. The noise reduction performs very well and preserves the image detail and sharpness.

To remove chromatic aberrations, apply a local desaturation in the corresponding color channels. The Lens tab of the Raw dialog box provides effective ways of eliminating these aberrations.

To have additional knowledge of Camera raw with Adobe Photoshop CS, purchase a copy of this book. It will sure enlighten the dark areas of the subject matter.

Why do so many software systems fail? Corporate leaders often wonder what went wrong. Did they choose the wrong software? Should they have checked more references? Scheduled more demos?

Part of the process of introducing new software or new software use is “getting people on board” for the technology change. No one enjoys change and it is often feared. People are afraid that they will make mistakes, have a lack of understanding, have to do more work and quickly learn something new. People that are comfortable with their work habits know that change means putting forth more effort and energy, at least at the inception.

Leaders of the organization must take charge of the change. It’s easy to blame a failed system on “those people who refused to conform” or “bad software”. Ultimately though it is the responsibility of the manager to build a good user team and encourage proper use of the software. Without a team that is willing and taught to work together, any system is bound to fail.

System success is heavily reliant upon:

• Communication of benefits and how the system will be used
• Support from senior executives and managers illustrated by their own behavior
• A fostered learning environment to introduce the software into the corporate culture
• Provision of adequate training to all users
• Engagement of users with information sharing and exchange of success stories about the software

Communication is vital. It is extremely important to communicate to users what the benefits and expectations of the new system are, and how people will be able to use it. This must be championed from the top of the organization. It is also crucial to involve prospective users in some of the software decisions and choices. Everyone can be involved at some level for how the system will be used within the organization.

Motivating the team starts with a demonstration of what the software is capable of. Sometimes this alone is enough to get everyone excited about using it and can produce all sorts of ideas for software success. The use of the software must be designed around the workflow of the users. This is the part where technology meets needs. It’s always a good idea to review the specific challenges facing the organization. It could be economy, competitors, new products and services, market expansion, etc. This must be intertwined with opinions from the users on how the new system can help accommodate the challenges. Everyone must profit in some respect from the change.

All organizations operate differently. Users cannot be expected to adapt to system changes that directly conflict with the corporate culture as a whole. Senior executives and management need to provide as much support as possible, illustrated by how they use the system. Managers must also support the learning curve and adjust performance expectations for a given period. Everything may not go well day 1 even with exceptional planning and the best of software. Managers and users must be attune to this and be flexible. Corporate cultures with many bad habits may have a more difficult time adjusting to a new system. As a team, everyone must be committed to working better.

Change is not convenient. People are bound to make errors, but this is part of learning and managers need to recognize and support this. There must be some allowance for abandoning old ways and adapting to new ways but there has to be a cut-off. It is natural for things to fall apart in some way during this period. This is the only way that things will be able unite in a new way. It is important to be clear that the organization is moving forward with the plan and everyone should be encouraged to participate. If certain individuals refuse to participate, some action must be taken.

Adequate training must be provided so that users are comfortable with how to use the tools available. Training should include how the various people within the organization will be working together. There should be a change management team that keeps a pulse on the situation with plans for appropriate intervention where appropriate. Original goals should constantly be referred to, and modifications should be made when necessary.

Ways to involve the users can be periodic management chat sessions that encourage the exchange of ideas (small groups are best); a centralized master bulletin where ideas are posted; senior managers wandering through the organization asking questions and soliciting opinions; a reward system for positive behaviors regarding the system; a reinforcement that staying as is would be more of a threat than moving forward with the changes.

Make sure to publicize success stories within the organization related to the system. Have users profess how they were able to simplify processes and procedures with the help of the software. Illustrate how new concepts are bringing the organization together for one common goal.

Terri Roeslmeier is president of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff, a full-featuered staffing software solution with components for front office, back office and the web. www.abd.net