Office Document Strategies Blog

IT Network and Computer Software Tools

Posted by Lee Kirkby on Mon, May 3, 2010 @ 14:05 PM

There are many productivity tools available for download off of the web.  From time to time as we work to support IT networks and computer software we come across tools which we find useful and which can solve simple problems we encounter.  

Here are a few we like and the reasons why.

 

  1. Xobni -http://www.xobni.com/ - This handy add on for Outlook provides a superb additional search capability.  If you are like me and use Outlook as a large e-mail storage bin, then Xobni is for you.  The enhanced search, ability to track e-mails and attachments and also the links to social media accounts which help you to identify users found in the search are really handy.  One of my colleagues has given up doing any categorization of his stored e-mails, simply using Xobni to do the searching for him.  Basic package is free, Pro is $29.95
  2. Dropbox -http://www.dropbox.com/ - This is one of my favourite programs.  If you work on several computers on the same documents then Dropbox is for you.  You add a simple utility to your computers and Dropbox is added into your file directory as a folder choice.  You can add sub folders into Dropbox logoDropbox to categorize your work.  When you save a document to one of the computer's Dropbox folders then the program synchronizes the file to the other computers where you have added your link.  You can also access your Dropbox account through a browser if you need to work on a computer where you don't wish to load the utility.  I have found this an invaluable tool when I have been working on projects at home and at work.  Basic program is Free and provides up to 2GB of storage.  A 50 GB version is available for $9.95 per month.
  3. Website Grader -http://websitegrader.com/ - If you are concerned about how your web site stacks up against others on the web, then this free tool is a great one for you.  Web site grader permits you to enter the URL for your website (or anyone else's you would like to check) and have it run through a proprietary web grading tool.  Once the features are checked a detailedwebsite grader logo report is e-mailed back to you with a grade mark for the site.  If you make changes to your site you can re-run the tool and a new grade will be assigned.  Information on what the grading levels mean is included in the report you receive.  Back copies of your reports are stored on the site and can be referenced in the future for comparison purposes.  A great tool for tracking your performance enhancements as you build your site.

 

These are just three of the useful tools which we have found on the web and which help increase productivity and performance, inexpensively.

What have you found?  

Tell us about any really neat add ons or tools that you know of that make IT network and computer software operations better.  Leave your suggestions below I look forward to seeing what works best for you.

Lee K 

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Topics: Computer, Software, software tools, Document