Welcome to JobTrack News from stSoftware

What's New - Direct access to files on JobTrack via Web Folders

Web Folders (or WebDav) is a way of editing files and folders from your computer on to a remote web server such as JobTrack without directly opening the site via your web browser.

The advantage of using Web Folders to manage your files and folders in JobTrack is that you can use the drag and drop method and organise files in your own familiar environment using Windows Explorer (for Windows users) or Finder (for Mac users).

Features

* You can save to your Web Folder from within applications by selecting the Web Folder location when you save the file. These files and folders are then available to all your authorised JobTrack users.

* Changes to files are tracked via the Log tab in JobTrack. As with all files within JobTrack you can view previous versions of the files from the Log tab at any time. Also if you are copying large numbers of files to the server JobTrack will only update those that have changed.

* Files and folders are available to all your authorised JobTrack users when they have been edited from your computer and saved on the JobTrack server.

Our Online Help and User guide has been updated to include step by step set up instructions. Click here to see an update in the Utilities, Search & Reports section.

Cloud Computing and SaaS 

They're the new buzz words. You may have heard about them but do you know what they mean and why your business should be in the know?

The "cloud" simply means the internet and comes from the internet historically being depicted on system diagrams as a cloud as it does not have a defined shape or size. Cloud computing represents IT technologies that exist on internet servers and are temporarily cached onto your computer, laptop, handheld or any other internet enabled device.

The general premise is that businesses use the internet to satisfy IT needs allowing the business to grow while the IT hardware and personnel costs reduce.

Cloud computing offers more services, which are dynamic with increased scalability and rapid procurement at a lower cost as the hardware infrastructure, data storage and application software (software as a service or SaaS) are provided and billed as a utility.

As Martin LaMonica says on his News Blog on cnet, "Cloud computing differs from existing hosting services in that services are based on consumptions and the technology infrastructure is optimized for hosting several customers."


JobTrack has a patented award winning framework which allows stSoftware to optimize the secure server infrastructure that hosts our JobTrack clients. The primary benefit of our cloud framework is very low subscription costs for our hosted (stWeb) clients.

When you choose SaaS your software application is hosted on the internet and you access it via a web browser. SaaS fits the buying model perfectly for small to medium and startup businesses as small subscription fees are good for cash flow, lessen the financial commitment of a large upfront payment and are fully tax deductible rather than depreciable. Server hardware and the continuing maintenance costs are also removed when your software is provided as a service.

"Companies don't generate their own electricity any more and soon enough they won't roll their own computing facilities either - the economics just don't work out." by samj2 on Martin LaMonica's news Blog.

As the media reports daily on the impact of the global financial crisis the rapid adoption of cloud computing and SaaS can only accelerate as more businesses switch from the high cost and slow to change traditions when IT meant ownership.

stWeb is the hosted version of JobTrack, for more information see www.stsoftware.com.au or contact us on 1300 78 73 78 or sales@stsoftware.com.au for pricing and further details.

Techie Tip - How to modify a Standard Report

Standard reports give you quick info with a single click but did you know that you can change the search parameters of any report in JobTrack quickly and easily?

Here's an example: Click on the Financials Module on the left hand menu and under Reports click on Jobs To Complete - Next 7 days, this will bring up a report of all Jobs in JobTrack due to complete in the next 7 days.  To change this report to see Jobs due to complete this month all you need to do is click on the Search menu button at the top or bottom of the report screen.

The Job Search Screen will open and you then scroll down to the section headed Status and find the Due By field.  Click on the arrow and select This Month from the drop down list. Click the Search menu button at the top or bottom of the screen and you will now see all jobs due to complete this month.