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| This Just In: Microsoft's Outlook on Your Mobile Devices (1/29/2015)
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Microsoft released the first real version of Outlook for mobile devices this week, including iPads, iPhones and their Android variants. Microsoft has had iOS and Android version of Outlook available for some time, yet many would say it only looked like an app and lacked the performance and functionality of a true app.
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| Google's Translate App Updated (1/15/2015)
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If you are planning on traveling in the new year, you might want to download Google's Translate app first. Even though the idea of a universal translator seems abstract, Google seems to be coming the closest with the release of their Google Translate application upgrade this month.
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| Microsoft and Mobile (12/2/2014)
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Microsoft recently acquired Acompli, a young email start-up company, for around $200 million. Acompli, an 18-month old company, makes an email application for iOS and Android mobile devices. The company was founded with the "vision of making the best mobile email application on any platform and across all services". Though Microsoft hasn't released many details concerning the new acquisition, they hope to combine their efforts with the Outlook team to deliver the full power of Office to mobile devices.
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| Wi-Fi Is Just Around The Corner, Literally (11/20/2014)
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Free and fast Wi-Fi is coming to the street corners or NYC, thanks to a deal reached by City officials. A 12 year project, known as LinkNYC, will install 10,000 Wi-Fi kiosks in all five boroughs constituting the "largest and fastest" free Internet program in the world. Free services, 20 times quicker then the average home Internet, will be supported by ad revenues and will include national phone calls, mobile charging stations, and "Wayfinding" maps, all while offering an encrypted connection. Starting a global trend, the first kiosks are expected to be live by the end of 2015. To learn more about NYC's lead in wireless access, visit here: http://nypost.com/2014/11/18/plan-calls-for-free-wi-fi-kiosks-on-city-street-corners
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| Viruses and Malware: Common Sense Advice (11/17/2014)
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More and more we are seeing inadvertent issues crop up as a result of everyday computer use. This applies to home as well as business machines. Although Apple machines are not as likely to be affected, it is just as important to be careful regardless of your operating system. Continue reading for some helpful tips on protecting yourself.
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| MatchPad.com: Making living easier (10/16/2014)
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For renters, roommates and realtors alike, MatchPad.com is here to provide a better way for you to find roommates and apartments in NYC. You have three options when signing up, to seek roommates, to offer or find a room for rent, or to join as a realtor. If looking for a roommate, you will be matched based on budget, location preferences, and lifestyle choices. If renting out a room, you can be matched with other members as potential roommates to split rent with. As a realtor, you can search and find qualified leads for your listings.
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| We own .NYC - Do you? (10/9/2014)
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A new class of generic top-level domains have finally been approved for use. A select number of city, country, and regional domains are part of the expansion, including .nyc, one of the first citywide domains. The web address is reserved exclusively for true New Yorkers, and we are now the proud owners of one. We've registered our .nyc domain to continue engaging with our community and to show that we're a part of what makes NYC great.
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| Apple's Product Unveiling Event (9/10/2014)
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This week Apple announced several new products we can all look forward to. The event, help Sept 9, 2014 at 10 AM PT, first kicked off with the Apple website down, including a "We'll be back." and countdown message until the true start. Then began the live stream of the actual event, a moment many were waiting for (and speculating on what to expect). After a video on innovation and a few words from Tim Cook, the announcements began, starting with the iPhone.
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| Time Warner Cable's Ongoing Investigation (9/5/2014)
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If you are one of the 11.4 million subscribers to Time Warner Cable's high-speed data plans, you're probably feeling as frustrated with their service lately as we are. TWC is currently in the process of being bought by rival Comcast Corp. for approximately $45 billion. After a recent nationwide outage in Augus, the deal is now being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission. The cause of the problem, leaving subscribers without Internet for hours, is still being investigated. While the FCC reviews the deal between Comcast and Time Warner Cable, Time Warner is also facing a $1.1 million debt to the FCC. TWC will pay this to resolve their outage reporting violations and will also submit a three year plan to comply with reporting rules in the future.
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| Kill Switch: Reducing Phone Theft (08/27/2014)
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In 2013, about 3.1M devices in the United States were stolen, nearly doubling the previous year according to Consumer Reports. In an attempt to eliminate this crime of convenience, lawmakers are working towards the requirement of a kill switch on all smartphones sold. Kill switch software allows consumers to disable a phone once reported stolen and only reactivate the device with a correct password or PIN.
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| MCG Announcement
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I am very pleased to announce Rebecca Pritts has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of MCG, Inc. effective July 1, 2014. Rebecca will be assuming direct responsibility for the day to day operation of the company including Project Management, Finance and Accounting, Budgetary Planning, Statistical Analysis, Purchasing, Service Delivery and Human Resources.
This is an exciting time for MCG, Inc. and I look forward to continued success of the company with Rebecca in her new role.
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| Microsoft's Exchange Online Outage (6/24/2014)
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Just a day after the Lync instant messaging service suffered a global outage, Microsoft is now also experiencing problems with Exchange Online. The cloud email service outage started a little after 8 a.m. this morning. Customers are unable to send and receive emails, and many report long hold times when trying to contact customer service regarding the issue. Microsoft Office 365 Service Health Dashboard does not indicate any issues taking place, but a bulletin posted to the Office 365 forum states a “degraded network infrastructure” is causing the issues – an explanation that may sound familiar since it’s the same one Microsoft gave yesterday when Lync was down. Without any concrete information, customers are now frustrated at both the outage and the lack of customer service.
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| Apple iOS 8: Family Sharing (06/05/2014)
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Among the many exciting new features and updates announced during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference this week was a spotlight on family, specifically family sharing through the new iOS 8 software. Without having to share accounts or passwords, up to six people within your family can share purchases from iTunes, iBooks and the App Store. In addition, families can all contribute to the same photo album, share a family calendar, and even find each other's lost devices. Family purchases can be bought using the same credit card, allowing parents' to approve their kids' spending right from their own device. Apple says its the "new way to bring harmony to your family's digital life".
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| Security Made Simple with Sophos Cloud (05/27/2014)
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We're excited and you should be too - we've made the move to Sophos Cloud security. We will be introducing this to clients as their anti virus and content management needs come up for renewal. With a management console hosted in the cloud by Sophos and no server to install, Sophos provides easy and effective protection while reducing the on site support needs for anti virus and content management.
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| MCG Starts 30th Anniversary Celebration (01/01/2014)
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It is hard to believe but 30 years ago, when Cisco was getting started, so was a company called Microcomputer Consulting Group. Along with Dell, Bain Capital and a host of others. Join us as we begin our celebration of the last 30 years. Look for promotions, customer recognitions, and other special notes throughout the year. For January, we begin the celebration with a special $30 savings on a personal copy of redBoomerang. To take advantage, just call the office to sign up.
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| MCG Hires Director of Business Development (12/05/2011)
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Jim Minichiello has joined our firm as Director of Business Development. Jim comes to MCG from recent opportunities at Lightpath and Cogent where he served as a business development associate. Jim brings his knowledge of the industry and his ability to generate new client opportunities. We are excited to welcome Jim to our family. To reach Jim please email him at jminichiello@mcgnet.com or call the office.
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| Newcomers To The MCG Client Roles (09/01/2011)
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After careful consideration, world fashion jewelry designer Aaron Basha has selected MCG to handle their technology needs with our preventive Managed Resources plan.
Riverside Risk Advisors LLC is an independent advisory firm offering unparalleled expertise in interest rate, currency and structured credit derivatives. When Riverside went looking for an IT partner they selected MCG to review their infrastructure, provide recommendations for their IT needs, and provide ongoing support.
Contact our office to find out more about our technology expertise and a plan which will meet your needs.
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| Verizon Wireless To Discontinue Unlimited Data Plan (07/11/2011)
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Verizon Wireless has announced they will be discontinuing their unlimited data plan for new accounts signed up effective July 2011. This means if your business obtains a new wireless number it will be subject to a limit on the data plan. There will be 1GB, 2GB and unlimited plan costs.
The good news is most (more than 90%) users do not use more than 1GB of data per month and this plan will be priced in the same range as the previous unlimited plan.
If you are unsure of the plans you have or the impact on your business please feel free to call for further information.
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| MCG Introduces Hosted Exchange Through Rackspace (06/17/2011)
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MCG has partnered with Rackspace to provide Microsoft Exchange Hosted email. This will allow your organization to obtain the advantages of enterprise email without the cost of hardware and the worry of administering it.
Our agreement also allows MCG to offer cloud based hosting for your applications and hardware. Pricing for hosting is competitive and the service is fully secure.
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| MCG Announces Business Partner Status With Apple (06/15/2011)
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MCG now has a Business Account with Apple Computers. This relationship will allow for concierge delivery of equipment in New York City, potential discounts for Apple products as revenue increases, and better options for service and support.
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| Looking For A Technology Company For All of Your Needs
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Find out what many businesses with little or no Information Technology presense have. By incorporating MCG's Managed Resources plan into your budget, you can take advantage of fixed price coverage for your network, software, and communications. Use our Help Desk for questions and problems for an unlimited time. And count on monthly visits to your office to perform proactive maintenance on your servers and workstations. Give a call today to find out more details or get a quote.
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