netmanos News

The Healing Design helps save trees

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Paper is becoming obsolete. Faxes have become emails. Statements that were previously mailed can now be found online. The Paperwork Reduction Act was established for the primary purpose of diminishing the number of documents handled by the United States government and the general public. [Full text] Conserving paper reduces the need to harvest trees. And in preserving forests, the lungs of the planet, we aid in maintaining the Earth.

Despite the current trend, the practice of expressing ourselves through the application of ink has endured. With electronic means not always within reach, and paper easily accessible, people often fall back on the age-old tradition of the scribe. Still, progress is being made.

Healing Design is an architectural firm with headquarters in Virginia. When their two main printers showed signs of impending failure, the Healing Design team took action. They contacted netmanos, inquiring about environmental friendly alternatives to their existing printing process.

Today’s equipment features intelligent ink dispensing technology that dries print quickly. This translates to more consistent results, less blotches and better quality. These new units can also print on both sides of the paper, utilizing its entire surface, even the margins. Printer upgrades can save a business both money and grief. Outmoded equipment is more likely to malfunction. Should this occur during a major job, the time and resources wasted impact deadlines and budgets. Such errors take conservation beyond a philosophical issue, and illustrate environmental concerns are often rooted in practical matters of efficiency.

Although we do not yet live in a paper-free world, small steps can make significant improvements. Combining a new printer with recycled or tree-free paper can have a noticeable effect on your business, whether your goal is to go green or just work smarter.

Contact netmanos today to find out how you can help save the world, one page at time.

netmanos partners with IBM and Lenovo

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

IBM and Lenovo are veteran Information Technology leaders. In fact, they are among the very few organizations devoted to providing technology products and services for a multitude of business needs.

netmanos recently partnered with IBM and Lenovo through a uniquely tailored program. Utilizing these giants’ training, support, web shops, online downloads and other services enables netmanos to offer more incisive expert advice and support. With these tools at our disposal, we can continually adapt to our clients' ever-changing needs.

Additionally, being a Lenovo partner garners significant values and incentives. These we happily pass on to our customers, creating a better return on their investment.

Need to infuse some cutting-edge technology into your infrastructure? Here are samples of the premium equipment available as a result of this new partnership:

ThinkPad and IdeaPad Notebooks: There is no better way to stay mobile and connected. Both notebook lines offer a wide range of features encompassing any combination of form factor and performance.
ThinkCentre and IdeaCentre Desktops: Reliable, secure, energy efficient desktops customized to the needs of any work environment. The combination of solid hardware components together with user-friendly software makes these systems truly superior.
ThinkStation Workstations: Built for power hungry applications such as Computer Aided Design and other graphically oriented programs. A premier resource suited to meet the specialized demands of your profession.
ThinkVision Flat Panel Monitors: In addition to their excellent image display, these top-of-the-line ergonomic monitors adhere to the latest environmental guidelines.
ThinkServer Servers: Highly adaptive solutions such as rack mounted systems providing best the level of performance suited to any number of users.

Contact netmanos today to discover how we can make technology work for you.

The Meyer Group plays it smart

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How often have you looked for an email only to realize that it was deleted long ago? In truth, the amount of email most mailboxes currently receive is many times larger than that of previous years. Voicemail has been replaced as the primary communication medium. Many contemporary business transactions take place without a single verbal exchange. Unfortunately, the positive impact of the history trail emails provide is countered by the burden of their impermanent archival nature.

What happens when that important, irreplaceable email is no longer in your inbox? This is the question The Meyer Group recently asked when a critical email needed to be recovered. The answer: access the backup. The Meyer Group instituted an automated archival process to store copies of their emails to a server on a weekly basis. Having a backup of all your electronic communications guarantees lost emails can be retrieved in a matter of minutes. It also provides a safeguard should something disastrous befall your computer. Replacing equipment is a relatively minor challenge, but would you be able to continue working efficiently if your emails permanently disappeared?

netmanos has been helping companies such as The Meyer Group to safely keep and recover their email as well as other sensitive data. Contact us today to learn how we can help your business guard against a preventable catastrophe.

netmanos becomes a Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As part of our continuous endeavor to provide the most valuable service to our clients, netmanos has successfully passed thought the rigorous Microsoft training channels to receive the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Certification, signified by the blue Microsoft Small Business Specialist Logo.

What does that mean?

This means that netmanos has demonstrated proficiency in identifying the needs of Small Businesses, and designing technology solutions to address them. Our proven skill-set extends from single computer configuration to enterprise network deployment and support.

It also means that netmanos has expertise in all Microsoft Software used by Small Businesses. Whether it is Windows Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Microsoft Office, we know how to install it, configure it, and troubleshoot it when it doesn’t work as expected.

All in all it is a third party assurance to the Small Business owner that netmanos is capable and committed to helping Small Businesses make smart technology decisions.

Contact us today to take advantage of our Microsoft expertise.

netmanos.com adds Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

An often overlooked aspect of web site development lies within the realm of news distribution.

Countless web sites have a section in which pertinent news items are displayed. Unlike news-centric websites, whose main function is to continuously supply information, these sections are seldom updated. The problem with this scenario is that a site visitor will not return to the website once in a while hoping that there will be new information; thereby losing touch with the website. The solution is to send the news to the visitor when they become available. Enter RSS, the “newsletter” of the future.

According to Wikipedia, RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be channeled into special programs or filtered displays.

RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

We have implemented RSS for the netmanos.com website. Subscribe now by clicking on the RSS icon on your web browser.

Contact us today to find out how you can utilize the RSS technology for your website and keep in touch with your visitors.

B&M Transport Inc. saves valuable time

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

netmanos was recently engaged by B&M Transport Inc. to take a look at their processes and assist in an effort to streamline operations.

B&M Transport Inc. is a Wheelchair Inter Facility Transportation company with offices in Virginia and Mississippi. A major part of their operations relies on the execution of on-demand transportation services requested by various local governments through the form of lists. These lists are posted daily to a secure website.

Initially, the owner of B&M Transport Inc. was concerned about the time it was taking for the lists to be reviewed, corrected, and imported to their system. It used to take a few hours every day just to cut and paste all the customer information in each driver’s daily log; a manual process prone to errors.

netmanos provided a solution. A custom built application which extrapolates the necessary information from the government lists and seamlessly integrates it to the B&M Transport Inc. system with a single click of a button. This approach saved the administrative staff countless hours of data input and allowed them to concentrate on other essential duties.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your business by streamlining operations.

netmanos solves the "Timeout Expired" application error

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

"Timeout Expired" is a popular Microsoft .NET application error. An online search returns thousands of results, most without a clear solution to the problem. This is because this error does not happen all the time. Its erratic nature makes is extremely hard, sometimes even impossible, to identify its origin leading the application developers and the database administrators to a constant debate.

Through the course of the years netmanos has developed dozens of applications and we have, too, experienced the dreaded "Timeout Expired" error a few times. This is why we recently set on a mission to eliminate it.

And we succeeded.

Our solution comes in the form of a Microsoft .NET assembly. It incorporates both application and database specific instructions which when used together eliminate the "Timeout Expired" error.

It currently supports both Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Databases, and all possible database connection scenarios such as stored procedures, SQL statements, transactions, and more.

Most importantly, our solution requires the very minimum for deployment. Existing applications do not have to be recompiled. Dropping the assembly in the executable folder is all it takes! For new projects, a single reference to the assembly will suffice.

We would like to offer our clients this unique solution.
So, call us today to find out how you can take advantage of this product.

OPM's Assessment Decision Tool web application goes Live!

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released today the second and final phase of the Assessment Decicion Tool (ADT) to the public. It can be found at http://apps.opm.gov/adt

The purpose of this project was to convert OPM’s Competency Assessment Handbook to a web-based, interactive, user-friendly format.

The conversion of the Handbook occurred in two phases. In Phase I, netmanos developed an online version of the Handbook with limited interactivity. Specifically, a website was designed and developed that provided access to the handbook material through easily updatable static HTML pages using the look and feel of OPM’s existing website. In addition, a user feedback module was included to gather information from visitors about the application and the information provided. Password protected pages were built to enable authorized users to review the survey results.

An administrator’s manual was developed to be used as a reference for content updates.

The Phase II effort was devoted to developing an interactive Assessment Decision Tool (ADT) web application. This interactive application became an extension of the online Handbook developed in Phase I.

The interactive application is driven by user-specific queries that describe individual users’ hiring situations. In simple terms, these queries can be thought of as profiles of user responses obtained by asking users questions regarding their hiring situation (e.g., target series, required competencies, budget). The queries are used to dynamically generate customized reports focused on the assessment methods and tools most appropriate for users’ hiring situations. Apart from the application, netmanos designed and developed a help menu and a frequently asked questions area that allows end users to reference functions of the tool, as well as an administrator’s module for updating the tool.

The online Handbook and Assessment Decision Tool was designed to be Section 508 compliant and its content easily updatable and modifiable by OPM.

netmanos website gets a new look

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The netmanos team recently completed an in-house redesign of our website. Although aesthetics is always a great reason to perform a site re-design, as an attractive web site can maintain a visitor’s interest at a high level, the main reason for our re-design was functionality.

To begin with, the layout was changed to accommodate more information. The three column structure allows for the main information to be displayed in the middle while allowing room for a secondary navigation and other pertinent information to be displayed in the same page.

New sections were added such as "news", "clients", and "CMS", in an effort to keep our visitors up to date with our expanding services. Furthermore, site-wide search functionality was deployed to make it easier to locate information.

The top flash animation replaced the previous navigation flash intro with an informational movie rotator which showcases netmanos’ current news, events, and offerings.

Click here to find out how you can utilize our expertise for the re-design of your web site.

OPM's Competency Assessment Handbook online version goes Live!

info@netmanos.com (netmanos) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has two efforts underway that are particularly relevant to the work performed. First, in June 2006, OPM introduced the Career Patterns initiative – a new approach for bringing the next generation of employees into Federal Government positions. Federal agencies will use this new approach beginning next year to build new environments to recruit potential employees. To help agencies plan and build new environments, OPM has developed the Career Patterns Guide to introduce the Career Patterns way of viewing recruiting. It presents techniques for identifying opportunities and crafting action plans to ensure employment efforts are successful. Second, OPM has a number of efforts underway to help "fix the hiring process" for the Federal Government. This effort involves providing agencies with a variety of tools and techniques to help them streamline and reform their hiring processes.

To support and further OPM’s efforts under the Career Patterns and Fix the Hiring initiatives, OPM/SHRP is developing a Competency Assessment Handbook. The Handbook will serve as a resource to agencies implementing competency-based assessment strategies to fill critical vacancies at all levels within the organization. The Handbook will provide information on various assessment tools and methods appropriate for a variety of hiring scenarios. The Handbook capitalizes on OPM’s long-standing occupational studies program that has resulted in the identification of competencies for hundreds of Federal occupations.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released today the Competency Assessment Handbook to the public. It can be found at http://apps.opm.gov/adt

The second phase of this project is expected to be released sometime next month.