Windows 10... update now?

We are holding to our recommendations made earlier this year in our blogpost: Should I Upgrade to Windows 10

Business Users

Businesses still should still be waiting. This fall at Weehooey, we started testing Windows 10. Early indications are Windows 10 is a winner. It has performed well and we expect customers who want to take advantage of the free upgrade to Windows 10 will be able to safely move forward by spring.

One thing we have noticed for sure, is that Windows 10 is significantly better than Windows 8. If you have a mixed environment of Windows 7 and Windows 8, moving to Windows 10 is likely to be a solid move for your organization.

New Year's Upgrades

Early in 2016, our customers can expect to hear from us. We will be providing guidance on how to make the upgrade decision and how to make sure it goes smoothly. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and keep using Windows 7.

CanTech Solutions has joined Weehooey

Trusted IT Service Provider CanTech Solutions Ltd. Acquired

Weehooey Inc. is pleased to announce it has acquired CanTech Solutions Ltd. from Kingston Online Services as of November 1, 2015.

Founded in 1995, CanTech Solutions Ltd. is a managed service provider operating in South Eastern Ontario - from Belleville to Smith Falls. CanTech services customers from a range of industries but has a strong presence in healthcare -- from dentists to long-term care providers.

"CanTech's experience with on-premise server-based solutions is a good fit with Weehooey's cloud-based focus." said Weehooey's Managing Director Bill Hughes. "CanTech will continue to operate as CanTech for the foreseeable future. Our focus is on making sure both Weehooey and CanTech's customers are looked after during the transition."

CanTech and Weehooey's customers will benefit from more available technical staff, shared infrastructure and a wider experience base. CanTech's offices have been moved and now share space with Weehooey.

Weehooey Inc. is a IT service provider established in 2010. They service small and medium sized businesses in Canada and the United States with a strong background in cloud-based services.

Google Docs Is All Grown Up

Google Docs has been around for years and to many has been considered a lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office or even OpenOffice. At Weehooey and many of our customers, Google Docs has been our go-to office suite for a number of years. Thanks to Google's continuous investment in Google Docs, it is no longer a lightweight alternative -- it is a full blown competitor.

Check out this video and many more on YouTube:

Career Opportunity: Systems Technician (full-time)

If you are people-person with a taste for technology and an insatiable appetite for information, we would like to meet you.

About Us 

Weehooey is more than a place where people come to work -- it’s a place where people enjoy coming to work. This is a place where you and your ideas are welcome. We are proud of our services, and we trust our employees to help us grow.

We don’t believe in micromanagement. Instead we give you the tools and the flexibility to do your job the way you think it should be done.

Some of our work days are long; some of them are short. Either way, our employees go home feeling challenged and rewarded.

About You 

You like technology and everything associated with technology.  What’s more important is that you like people. You are a genuine people person. People describe you as “service-oriented” and you’re comfortable with that description. You like people and you believe it’s important to make people feel taken-care-of.

You have a post-secondary education. As the experienced tech, you will have at least two years of technical experience. If you are just starting your tech career, you will likely have little work experience but will have the enthusiasm to make up for it. You’re a quick study and an information junkie with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. You have an eye for detail and you don’t let anything get by you.

You are also a person of action. You believe that anything is possible and you never offer “I can’t do it” as an answer to anything. You’re at your happiest when you are figuring things out for yourself, but you work equally well as part of a team.

You excel at communication, especially in writing. And you if you were English/French bilingual, that would be a bonus.

If this sounds like you, please submit a cover letter and resume clearly indicating how you meet the requirements for this position to: careers@weehooey.com

Should I Upgrade to Windows 10?

Like millions of users, you likely have been prompted to "reserve your copy of Windows 10".

Windows 10

Windows 10 is coming July 29, 2015 and it will replace Windows 7 and Windows 8. 

You likely have seen the Windows 10 pop-up on your computer. Microsoft is giving everyone one year to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

Our recommendation on if, and when, you should upgrade, depends on what you use your computer for and how comfortable you are in dealing with problems. Like any initial release of a major software version, there will be problems. Software is just too complicated to not have a bugs. Similarly, the software that runs on Windows 10 will have problems too.

Managing the expected problems is the focus of our recommendation.

Business Users

Wait. Wait as long as you can. Get the free upgrade, but wait. You want everyone else to debug Windows 10 and the software that runs on it before you deploy it to your systems.

Additionally, the longer you wait, the more likely your users will get Windows 10 at home -- which means they will do the learning outside work hours. Most work places have an IT champion, someone who is not a trained IT professional but a person who has a natural affinity for computers. The longer you wait, the more likely your champion will get Windows 10 and learn it.

Most businesses should plan to start their upgrade to Windows 10 in first quarter of 2016 with the intent of being finished in the second quarter. Like any operating system upgrade, make sure all your important applications run on the new platform. Thorough testing is important.

Home Users

Home users fall into two very general groups: power-users/tinkerers and everyone else. If you are a power-user or tinkerer, definitely take advantage of Windows 10 as soon as it comes out. You will have the skills and patience to deal with the unavoidable challenges. So far in testing, Windows 10 runs nicely on older hardware -- it seems lighter than Windows 7 or 8.

Everyone else at home should upgrade at their own pace. If you use a computer at work, consider upgrading to learn Windows 10 before you have to use it in the hectic day-to-day pace of work.

Important Note

There are some features being changed or removed with Windows 10. You should review the specifications here: Windows 10 Specifications. Businesses need to do testing with their business applications before doing a wide-spread roll-out. 

Career Opportunity: Systems Technician (one full-time and one part-time)

If you are people-person with a taste for technology and an insatiable appetite for information, we would like to meet you.

About Us 

Weehooey is more than a place where people come to work -- it’s a place where people enjoy coming to work. This is a place where you and your ideas are welcome. We are proud of our services, and we trust our employees to help us grow.

We don’t believe in micromanagement. Instead we give you the tools and the flexibility to do your job the way you think it should be done.

Some of our work days are long; some of them are short. Either way, our employees go home feeling challenged and rewarded.

We are looking for two people. One experienced and ready to put your extensive technical experience to the test. The other person is just starting on a career in technology.

About You 

You like technology and everything associated with technology.  What’s more important is that you like people. You are a genuine people person. People describe you as “service-oriented” and you’re comfortable with that description. You like people and you believe it’s important to make people feel taken-care-of.

You have a post-secondary education. As the experienced tech, you will have at least two years of technical experience. If you are just starting your tech career, you will likely have little work experience but will have the enthusiasm to make up for it. You’re a quick study and an information junkie with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. You have an eye for detail and you don’t let anything get by you.

You are also a person of action. You believe that anything is possible and you never offer “I can’t do it” as an answer to anything. You’re at your happiest when you are figuring things out for yourself, but you work equally well as part of a team.

You excel at communication, especially in writing. And you if you were English/French bilingual, that would be a bonus.

If this sounds like you, please submit a cover letter and resume clearly indicating how you meet the requirements for this position to: careers@weehooey.com

Collaborative Editing in Google Docs

Most customers move to Google Apps to simplify their systems and reduce costs but once they start using Google Apps they realize there are a lot of powerful features that can accelerate their business.

One of our favorite tools is the new Suggested Edits feature which is like Track Changes on steroids:

Career Opportunity: Web Services Coordinator

If you are people-person with a taste for technology and an insatiable appetite for information, Weehooey IT Services & Coaching would like to meet you.

About Us 

Weehooey is more than a place where people come to work -- it’s a place where people enjoy coming to work. This is a place where you and your ideas are welcome. We are proud of our services, and we trust our employees to help us grow. 

We don’t believe in micromanagement. Instead we give you the tools and the flexibility to do your job the way you think it should be done. 

Some of our work days are long; some of them are short. Either way, our employees go home feeling challenged and rewarded. 

About You 

You like technology and everything associated with technology.  What’s more important is that you like people. You are a genuine people person. People describe you as “service-oriented” and you’re comfortable with that description. You like people and you believe it’s important to make people feel taken-care-of.

While you have a post-secondary education and at least two years of technical assistance or customer service experience, you never stopped learning. You’re a quick study and an information junkie with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. You have an eye for detail and you don’t let anything get by you. 

You are also a person of action. You believe that anything is possible and you never offer “I can’t do it” as an answer to anything. You’re at your happiest when you are figuring things out for yourself, but you work equally well as part of a team.

You excel at communication, especially in writing. And you if you were English/French bilingual, that would be a bonus.

If this sounds like you, please submit a cover letter and resume clearly indicating how you meet the requirements for this position to: careers@weehooey.com

Position Description: Web Services Coordinator