Recently, Cloud data backup has grown more and more popular. Our phones do it, our tablets do it, and soon when you visit the doctor’s office they’ll be able to send a “back up” of you to the cloud.

It sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what Amazon.com and the National Institute of Health are up to. They have teamed up to create the 1000 Genomes Project, and thus far have already collected 1,700 human genomes. Put more simply, they have compiled the recipe for making 1,700 different people.

Researchers hope that by having this kind of data on hand, they’ll be able to gain a better understanding on the role genes play on disease.

This story speaks volumes about the usefulness and importance of cloud technology, and particularly that it’s a technology that’s here to stay. If you haven’t taken a serious look at utilizing cloud for your own personal data backup, let Better Direct be the one to show you why you should.

For less than a $1 a GB, you can back up all or part of your data and every time your data changes, so does your backed up copy. Better Direct will keep two copies of all your saved data, store it in two separate parts of the country, and you can rest assured that any important files that you can’t afford to lose will be in safekeeping.

Interested in seeing what Better Direct can do for you and/or would you like more details? Give me a call and we can discuss your backup needs and how we can best serve you!

-Joe Marquez

888-921-3858 x203

We live in the information age. Information is accessible at an unprecedented level now. We have Wikipedia and Google. Due to the availability of information, literally any disagreement with your “college educated” ex-girlfriend can be muted by a few double clicks on her mouse. I have a high school buddy would argue just for the sake of arguing. He even would argue when he was accused of being argumentative! Obviously he did it simply to be boisterous in some feeble form of “peacocking”. Now, with every teenager having a smart phone in his pocket these days, he will have to find an additional pick up tactic.

Microsoft’s original Mission Statement was to put a “Personal Computer in the hands of every American.” According to a 2009 Nielsen report, more than 80% of Americans have home computers, and almost 92% have access to the Internet. When Bill Gates handed over the CEO position to Steve Ballmer in 2000, Steve then changed the company’s Mission Statement to the following; “To make any and all information accessible to everyone anywhere at any time.” I was all of 20 years old when this happened; I wasn’t even legal to drink a beer. Yet, I vividly remember reading that article. I happened to be sipping on aforementioned “forbidden” beer and thought to myself, “NO WAY. That is impossible.”

I have to close up this blog, because I have calls to make. I love the internet. I love pausing a movie and looking up that actor I remember from……something. I enjoy reading random Wikipedia information for no reason at all. I was recently condo shopping and found a place I simply, well loved (as in thought girls would also love it). I did a quick Google search and was informed that the landlord was a less than…ok he was a slumlord.

I am fully aware that a few bad reviews are no reason to discount a person or business. I searched on legitimate renting web sites and found review after review of past renters that had horrible experiences. The details were generally the same, unusually high deposits and then being refused their deposits, even when the domicile was cleaned and undamaged.

The WWW is also a place where anonymous individuals with a vendetta can post pretty much whatever they want. It is up to us as intelligent consumers to see beyond that and make an intellectual, informed decision.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of the fine US soldiers and Afghans that I served with. I think of them and I think about my brothers and sisters that are over there now going through the same fight. Each day I’m haunted by the memories of what I could have done better, smarter and faster. If perhaps I did, others might be alive today and we would need fewer soldiers there today. Invariably my turns to going back for another tour. Another try through the dusty compounds and villages of Eastern Afghanistan. To see again my Afghan friends and serve again with my fellow soldiers. To serve again my country. What holds me back? Well my wife (which is enough) and Better Direct. I have a job to do here not dissimilar from Afghanistan. We are in a HUBZone where our employees don’t come from priveliged backgrounds or neighborhoods. They do come with ambition, hope, and enthusiasm. My mission is to get them on the same vantage point as their competitors. So that when they a deal it is executed with the same or greater aplumb then our competitors. So it is that I remain in the rear to focus on our nation building here, and although, we are in much greater safety, it does happen that on occassion gunfire is heard.

Better Direct would greatly appreciate your feedback on how we are doing. Compliments and concerns are appreciated on our work, our team, our service and products. Anything we are doing right or need to improve?

So far we have received some praise and decided to lose our shyness about it! Please read and thank you!

“I have worked with Mark for over 10 years on projects of varying complexity. He consistently delivers outstanding results, quality products, and value to every engagement. He is a true professional in all aspects of business and can always be counted upon to bring creative solutions to the most complex problems.” Top qualities: Great Results, High Integrity, Creative

Paul Bonanno, hired Mark as an IT Consultant since 1999, and hired Mark more than once, February 28, 2012

“Customers, colleagues and employees alike view Mark as a results-oriented advocate who holds their particular interests in high regard. Mark has always been a proven winner in business while retaining the human factor that builds and nurtures relationships that endure. He looks for the proverbial “win-win” and delivers to promises made.”

Bruce Mihok, VP Business Development, Direct Alliance/Insight Enterprises worked with Mark at Better Direct, January 10, 2012

“Mark is kind and generous. He puts his customers first. He would take the time after work to share his expertise with me. I could count on Mark as a colleague to help me use the tools available to give my customers better service. I appreciate Mark and it was a pleasure to work with him.”

Catherine Grady, Colleague from IBM Direct, January 5, 2012

“Alison is a very dedicated employee and employer. Although you may think that she’s reading a Vogue magazine underneath that manual – she’s really diligently working on market research. Alison lives by the KISS philosophy, but don’t be mistaken – she won’t make out with you – so don’t even ask.”

“I starting purchasing computers for my business from Alison and Better Direct about 1 year ago and it has been great ever since. Alison is very responsive and easy to work with and everything I order has come on time and just the way I ordered it. I highly recommend Alison and Better Direct.” Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, On Time.

Frank Downes, (client) Frank hired Better Direct as an IT Consultant in 2010, November 29, 2011

“Alison is my favorite. She can figure anything out and has the energy to follow through. She is a do-er. I highly recommend this bright, talented, hard-working, extremely smart, lovely individual. I’m retired now and she procured me a tablet computer. She included a lesson on how to use it. As a bonus she brought the coffee and donuts! Thanks again! ”

Catherine Grady, Client and former colleague from IBM Direct, January 5, 2012

“I’m an engineer. I have an interest in the details when choosing a new computer. Alison dissected with me my choices down to the Windows operating system. I deduced that a Lenovo ThinkPad is the most secure, reliable, and durable machine. This is a focus line for Better Direct. I am highly satisfied with my purchase. When I buy again I will definitely go to Better Direct. Excellent service and information.”

Bill Downes, client of Better Direct, August 2009

Better Direct eBay Store 100% Positive

	Great seller, fast delivery. Would buy again.	Buyer:   mcsi-one ( 1788)	Apr-05-12 23:02
	Seagate 9FL066 300GB 15K RPM Form Factor 3.5 Inches Hot Swap SAS 6G Hard Drive (#160766612643)	US $250.00	View Item
	Great price and fast shipping	Buyer:   drmark2530 ( 183)	Apr-01-12 06:19
	NVIDIA Quadro NVS 290 PCI-E 256mb Low Profile Dual VGA HP 456137 (#160766641512)	US $29.95	View Item

	Item as described…Great Price…Thank you!!	Buyer:   mtnstatellc ( 610)	Sep-24-10 19:53
	IBM ServeRAID 6i+ Controller 13N2190 – New (#160458650267)	US $30.00
	Easy to work with, fast shipper	Buyer:   tko_electronics_outlet ( 737)	Sep-21-10 11:35
	37L0888 IBM 87-KEY SPACE SAVER KEYBOARD – New Qu 6 (#160478793222)	US $630.00
	Fully satisfied.	Buyer:   esquire910 ( 137)	Aug-11-10 16:33
	37L0888 IBM 87-KEY SPACE SAVER KEYBOARD – New (#160458689580)	US $115.00
	Quick response and fast payment. Perfect! THANKS!!	Seller:   sunslighting ( 28101)	May-21-10 16:02
	–	–	Private

A bomb? A fire? A burglary? Those disasters happen, but the unspoken disasters are people. The everyday folk pretending to work in offices all across the country are the culprits of dinging productivity and profitability.

Better Direct offers software as a service to protect you from disasters, mishaps, and compliance laws. Better Direct can automatically backup your data. You will be compliant and secure and recoverable. You will be quickly able to recover from your own disasters and retrieve your important files to keep going.

I found a bad worker at a business near us. I told him about Better Cloud and he agreed to give a testimonial/confession on video for you. He is a total and complete disaster.

Video of Disaster Guy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB_8cpmTn_k&context=C41501c2ADvjVQa1PpcFNbqgMY3D293kGJWI7x3qm1fHKc9-bYJ3E=

- Alison Evans

Watch our cloud video on YouTube please. Thanks!

Better Cloud. Better Backup. Better Direct.

Cloud computing seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, but not everyone knows exactly what it is. Simply put, it’s an internet-based way of computing without having any on-site machinery. Millions of people have been using public versions of the cloud for years, every time they log on to their email accounts. They have all types of messages and information stored in their inbox, but don’t have a server tucked away under their bed. All the computing and is done in some remote location, giving you access to your email anywhere you can get online. This is the basic idea behind the cloud systems.

Instead of having huge rooms or servers and machinery in the basement of a building or a separate warehouse, the cloud is an online service that does all the work of an on-site network. From very large corporations to the smallest business, cloud computing is the easy, managed way of the future. No expensive servers are required. This is one of many advantages of the cloud: huge cost savings. Instead of paying for the space for the machines, the cost of the machines themselves, the energy to power and cool them, and the personnel to maintain them, the cloud does all this for a small monthly fee. Also, the amount of data storage space available is exponentially larger than what could be stored on-site. No hardware and especially software updates need to be regularly kept up to date. Also, employees can access the information from anywhere, whether it is at their desks or halfway around the world. A two person company can have the accessibility and storage capacity of a company with a million employees, so now the advantage of having large cash flow doesn’t automatically put you at the head of the class.

These are just a very few of the benefits that the cloud can offer. The full list contains many more cost-saving and convenient advantages that are beneficial to businesses of all sizes in every industry. Call us here at Better Direct, and we can answer all of your questions. Get in on at the ground floor, with help from Better Direct.

- Kush Patel

My wife is visiting her twin sister in Austin, TX while my kindergartner is on spring break. I received a frantic call from her. “Someone”, “somehow” spilled liquid on her sister’s brand new MacBook Pro. I told her to not worry, these days high end laptops have spill resistant keyboards. Turn it off. Unplug it. Remove the battery and let it dry for a good 48 hours. 48 hours later my phone rang. On the other end was my wife holding a $4000.00 brick.

Was I wrong? No way, I cannot be mistaken. I searched out the truth from almighty Google. I was shocked to learn Apple does not offer a laptop with a spill resistant keyboard. I have ruined more desktop keyboards then I can count. A slip of the hand and your (state favorite beverage here) just cost you a few grand. Apple Macbooks are the shizzle right? I mean they are freaking expensive and really pretty. What other features does Apple lack? I did some research. It turns out, A LOT!

I did a comparison of Lenovo’s ThinkPad line and Macbook with OSX Lion. I was stupefied by the unfriendly OSX 10 Lion. Icons are locked and cannot be personalized. It has far less user interface benefits than Windows 7. See more comparisons:

1. Lenovo – MIL-SPEC Tested, (Low pressure, Humidity, High / Low Temp, Shock and Dust). Apple – NONE

2. Lenovo – Convertible Tablet with stylus and touch screen. Apple – NONE

3. Lenovo – Security benefits, (FDE HDD, BIOS Level Security, Finger Print Reader) Apple – NONE

Below is a quick video on the Lenovo ThinkPad Family Product Tour:

http://bcove.me/z142cdj8

- Chris Hustrulid



Plenty of people will want to try out Windows 8 themselves to decide whether it’s another hit like Windows 7 or a repeat of the Vista mess.

So, where do you get it, how do you install it

You have questions? We have the answers. Some of them, anyway.

Where do I get it? Start the download and install process at Microsoft’s Consumer Preview website.

The result will be a 5MB setup executable that you’ll run on a Windows 7, Vista or XP system, or on a PC

. The setup file will, in turn, download the rest of the installation files and kick off the install process.

What do I need to install the preview? Microsoft has set the minimum requirements as a 1GHz processor, 1GB of memory (2GB for the 64-bit version), 16GB of free hard drive space and a graphics chip set or card able to support DirectX 9 graphics.

Those specs, by the way, are identical to what Microsoft has used since 2007 for both the glad-it’s-gone Vista and l Windows 7, making good, so to speak, on its promise that Windows 8 will run on PCs able to handle either of the predecessors.

How well Windows 8 actually works on a low-powered system like that is, of course, a different matter.

Have Fun!

-Lou Torres