Three Bears IT Consultancy

Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

The high level of integration between Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft SharePoint means that it’s often possible to access features from within the SharePoint environment without needing to directly access the system.  This makes it possible to publish Microsoft Access files directly into SharePoint lists as well as saving Word and Excel documents directly into a document library.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 also delivers a number of features to assist users in managing offline files as well as organising their diaries across multiple team sites or collaboration environments.

In this post, we look at how to integrate your shared calendars in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 so that you can view some or all of them in real time.

First thing is to navigate to the Shared Calendar that you’re wanting to manage within Microsoft Outlook 2007.  Site configurations differ, but if the person creating the site used default options then you’ll likely see a link saying Calendar on the quick launch bar, on the left underneath the header Lists.

Click on the calendar link and the screen should update to show your calendar in the default view.

Just above the calendar, and below any crumb trail, you should see a menu bar and a drop down menu that says Actions.

Click on Actions and choose Connect To Outlook.

Microsoft Outlook should then appear with a dialogue box asking whether you trust this information source and want to link it to your Outlook account.  Click on Yes.

You’ll now notice that in addition to your personal calendar in My Calendar, a new header will have appeared in the calendar folder list that says Other Calendars.  This is where Outlook stores all other linked calendars.

To view a calendar, tick the box next to the name; to hide a calendar, untick the box.  Simple as that.

Screen shots and video on their way soon.

Three Bears IT Consultancy have recently begun trading services and physical goods via the BT Tradespace site – allowing yet another portal for consumers and businesses to access the range of products we can currently offer as well as those in development.

Three Bears have experience in using multiple routes for showcasing your business and your products via the Internet and would be happy to hear from any small and medium businesses who may be looking to expand into this area.

Please contact enquiries@threebears.biz and we’ll get back you a.s.a.p.

We have been working closely with the Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit (LMBRU) to create a number of internal and external facing web sites to support the implementation of their IS/IT strategy and to subsequently support their bid to become a biomedical research centre.

Based around Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, the newly created Extranet site provides the facility to securely upload and share documents and information between collaborative partners; facilitating closer working relations and building a foundation upon which to build more complex data capture programmes.

The Extranet system provides dedicated sub sites for individual projects with the ability to upload documents via email, Windows Explorer as well as the typical Upload features of SharePoint 2007.  The system also makes use of SharePoint’s security trimming functionality to ensure that only authorised users are able to view a particular sub site by hiding any information, functions and documents to which the user does not have access.

In this way, users must know the exact URL of the collaboration site and have an authorised username and password before gaining entry.  Once successfully logged in, system auditing ensures that any unusual access is identified at an early stage and ensures the administrators can fine tune the security permissions where appropriate.

The system also allows anonymous access to the home page providing visitors with background information on the mission of the LMBRU along with links to a support wiki and various online training courses.

More information is available from the LMBRU Business Systems Analyst.

Insight UK are offering a raft of last minute bargains on laptops with £10 off a range of laptops between £200 and £1000.

More information available from the Insight XMAS10 Promotion Page.

If you’ve ever arrived at an important meeting or presentation to realise that you left your USB memory stick on the kitchen table, then LogMeIn can come to your rescue. Likewise, if you’re planning to set up a remote IT support team, LogMeIn can help. If you’re tired of popping three doors along to give Mr Jenkins IT support every time he installs something free from the Internet, then again LogMeIn is your saviour.

LogMeIn is a web based service which allows you to take remote access of any machines on the LogMeIn network via your standard web browser – Firefox users need to install a plug-in.  Essentially, you sign up to a free account on the LogMeIn web site, open your emails to confirm your identity and install the application from the web site.  Subsequently, install the application onto all the machines you need to connect to – premium versions of the software also allow remote connection to iPhones and other similar devices.

Once installed, LogMeIn runs as a background process in your taskbar.  Open to console and get access to any machine running the application which you’ve registered against your account.  Premium versions give you the option of transferring files from your remote computer to your local computer, but users of the free version can just load up a web browser/Microsoft Outlook and email them across.

Three Bears IT support a range of systems and users utilising this technology and in the current economic climate, it pays to reduce both your carbon footprint and expensive travel costs.