EMPLOYEE PROFILE
Scott Seifel
A former lacrosse player and graduate of Middlesex Community College and UMass, Scott joined the IBS team in 1998.
IBS Birthdays
Elaine Tremblay Feb 18
Jason Leja Feb 24
Glenn Stedman Feb 26
IBS Anniversaries
Tim Parsons Feb 5 - (4 years)
Allen Belkin
Feb 17 - (9 years)
Upcoming Events
IBS display in window: Chicopee
Chamber of Commerce
264 Exchange Street Chicopee, MA
February 7 - 17
IBS Seminar Series:
Course III - Computing in a Network Environment
February 7 (6-8pm)
The "Executive Topic of the Month":
Storage Solutions - Featuring LaCie
February 15 (10am-12noon)
IBS Training:
New Employee Orientation
February 21
(9am-12noon)
IBS Training:
Security Awareness Training
February 28
(9am-12noon)
IBS Seminar Series:
Course I - Computing in the 21st Century
March 8 (6-8pm)
12th Annual Table Top Expo - Wednesday March 22 @ The Log Cabin - Holyoke - 4:00-7:00pm
Drop Us A Line!
Got ideas regarding technology tips you find interesting or subjects for a future IBS Newsletter?
Drop us a line and let your suggestions be known!
Visit us on the Web at:
www.for-ibs.com
| Inside the Winter 2006 Edition
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From Dave's Desk - What's New at IBS
Tech Review - Microsoft announces end of Windows
98/ME Support
Software Focus - IBS Involved in Sustaining CISA
w/donor database |
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From Dave's Desk - What's New at IBS |
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About the instructor:
An
Operations Manager and lead technician for IBS in
the early 1990's, Ed Mann has also served as the
Director of Information Technology for a regional
hospital from 1994 to 2003, supporting a
state-of-the-art environment for over 250 users. Ed
offers a wealth of experience in the crafting and
implementation of IT policies, procedures, and
training programs, as well as in the hands-on
implementation and support of PC-compatible
technology.| Tech Review - End of support for
Windows 98 and ME in June! |
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Now is the time to
come up with an upgrade strategy!
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"We are already seeing trends with software packages like Symantec AntiVirus Version 10.x, Adobe Acrobat 7.X (with the 3d plug-in) and even Office 2003 where Windows 98 is not supported" reports Sean Benoit, an IBS Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). "As it stands now there is limited support from Microsoft for Windows 98 and ME. There are new vulnerabilities found in these products regularly, so with the discontinuation of critical and security updates for the products, if there are no longer going to be patches to fix these, I would not recommend anyone run these operating systems." |
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| IBS
helps support CISA's efforts with "Locally Grown" software |
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Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) is a non-profit organization working to: · Sustain agriculture in western Massachusetts, throughout the state and across the country · Build a secure local food and farming system · Strengthen relationships between consumers and farmers · Increase farm profitability · Promote environmental sustainability · Preserve rural communities · Ensure that fresh, healthy, locally grown food is available, affordable and accessible for all citizens. "IBS has been extremely quick, responsive and versatile" states Executive Director Annie Cheatham. "They have responded to everything we've asked for."
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Dave DelVecchio of IBS was first introduced to
CISA in 2003 by Faye Omasta, owner of
Hickory Dell
Farm in Northampton, and CISA's Treasurer at the time.
They were facing several problems and looked to IBS for help.
First, CISA was based in a converted house on the campus of
Hampshire College, and security was not as tight as it should have
been. Second, most of the PCs and other equipment were very
out of date and unstable. Also, CISA was actively looking to
relocate to new office space. Finally, CISA needed a
comprehensive database software package to track membership and
donations. IBS first worked with CISA staff to install new PCs and laptops, as well as streamline the network setup and security. Later that year, IBS coordinated the technology portion of their move to a new South Deerfield office, allowing the staff to function without disruption. Once situated in their new location, Allen and Brian of IBS consulted with CISA regarding an update to their Donor/Member database system. They had a "home-grown" program built with Microsoft Access, which was no longer meeting all of their needs.
IBS built an efficient and intuitive user interface for the Access data using the more powerful Microsoft Visual FoxPro. In addition, IBS redesigned some of the data structures of the original program, providing much greater flexibility. The new program is being used to track all of the many possible relationships that an individual or business might have with the organization. It also provides powerful ways to "query" the data - that is, ask for a subset of the data that meets certain conditions. This subset can be printed as a report, sent to a spreadsheet or used as the basis of a mail merge. |
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"IBS
has been incredibly generous with their time and expertise for
developing and refining our donor database. They really
stand behind their commitment to the local community. We
consider them to be Super Local Heroes!" - Annie Cheatham -
Executive Director of CISA
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Innovative Business Systems, Inc. | 161 Northampton Street | Easthampton | MA | 01027
Web: www.for-ibs.com | Phone: 413-584-4274 | Toll Free: 800-584-4279 | sales@for-ibs.com
©2006 Innovative Business Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.