Getting Microsoft Office Specialist Training

Whether looking to advance in your current company, apply for a better position, or get started in the business world, its very valuable to be a MOS. MOS (sometimes MOUS) stands for Microsoft Office Specialist, which is an in-depth certification provided by Microsoft. . . and being one can set you apart in a very competitive job market. Having Microsoft Office Specialist certification doesnt just look good on your resume– the skills you will learn will help you to be more efficient and knowledgeable in your day to day work. Whether youre an Administrative Assistant or a Database Manager or a Teacher, MOS training and certification can streamline your working methods.

In order to receive your Microsoft Office Specialist certification, you must pass one of the Office Specialist exams. You can choose to take the exams for the entire Office suite, or for only the program you need at the time. The exams themselves can be taken at computer learning centers, community colleges and universities, and even office supply stores such as Comp USA.

Since this is a highly specialized exam that requires quite a depth of knowledge, there are a variety of training options for those looking to take their MOS exams. This includes in-home self training using free online tools and classes, to paid online training programs, to college-level courses on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.

Using Free Tools and Resources

For those that are quick learners, there are a variety of free options available to teach you what you need to know to pass your MOS exam. There are also many books on the market meant to teach the ins and outs of the different Microsoft Office programs. The downside to this, though, is the difficultly learning some specifics without a teacher.

Online Courses

The online courses available to prepare you for your MOS exam range from full-term courses to seven-day accelerated boot-camps. Doing a simple Google search will give you countless MOS training options, whether they be specifically for taking the MOS exam, or for learning the Microsoft Office suite. The advantage of this sort of course is that it combines the convenience of learning at home with led teaching. For most, this is an ideal option for preparing for the MOS, as there is a huge array of options available for all price ranges and time constraints.

Community College Courses

Chances are, your community college has several courses on Microsoft Office that will easily prepare you for the MOS exam. The advantage of this type of course is having hands-on teaching in a classroom environment. This is especially good for those slightly less computer-savvy, or those who dont learn easily from reading. Or even just those who prefer a classroom environment. Most community colleges have ultra-cheap rates for residents, and usually have few or no required courses for most Microsoft Office courses. This would only work well, however, for those with little time constraints, as most programs take a full semester to complete.

admin

August 27th

Virtual Office Guide

Get Multiple Virtual Desktops On Your Pc

Too many opened windows crowded on your desktop? Cannot find the window you want? Get rid of the problems on your desktop with Virtual Desk.

Your desktop computer becomes more and more powerful and faster, the monitor – bigger, and you have more and more job to do. you work on a specific task that involves several application windows: two draft documents, the one that you work on, a mail message, couple of network browser windows… You need a Virtual Desktop Software help you.

Lets you have multiple virtual desktops (just like many screens) and you can have different windows and applications running in each desktop. You can switch among them quickly and easily with just a single mouse click or press hotkey.

DesktopX 3.2 completely change the Windows desktop into anything you want it to be. Enhance your desktop by giving Windows the capability to have real objects on the desktop. Objects include clocks, stock tickers, calendars, weather monitors, living creatures, and thousands of other objects or widgets. Developers can use Javascript or VBScript to make their objects fully scriptable. DesktopX can even make your existing desktop look better by allowing you to have icons sized independently from the rest of the system as well as add mouse event effects.

ManageDesk 2.45.19 is a Virtual Desktop product from managedesk.com, get 4 Stars SoftSea Rating, ManageDesk enables you to organize a busy desktop by creating up virtual desktops that you can quickly switch to from the system tray. Each desktop can have its individual wallpaper and resolution and the taskbar only shows the applications open on the current desktop. You can switch between desktops from the system tray, via keyboard shortcut or middle mouse button. You can also hide windows and the taskbar and access reboot options from the tray icon menu. The software works well and maintains the correct icon layout between desktops, even if the resolution is different. ManageDesk also includes a process viewer, a DLL viewer, memory manager.

Chimera Virtual Desktop create up to nine separate virtual desktops and move applications between desktops. Use tabs, hotkeys, mouse gestures, drag-and-drop interface and other methods to manage your desktops and windows. Distinct wallpapers, desktop and quicklaunch icon sets can be setup per desktop.

XDESK 4.30.973 is powerful & stable Virtual Desktop Manager Desktop Assistant – features QuickView, AppBar, strong rules, Reminders & Alarms, CPU meter, Applications AutoRestart, Memory Cleaner, TaskList, HotKeys, HotMouse, Mouse-Scrolling, Mouse-Knocking, HotCorners, windows roll-up and more!

Dexpot 1.4 is allows you to create multiple, virtual desktops to increase the work area of your screen by up to 20 times. Each virtual desktop is independent from the others and can have its individual wallpaper, resolution, and icons (or no icons at all). You can easily switch between desktops from the tray icon, or via hotkey, or even use an automatic desktop slideshow that rotates all virtual desktops. In addition, you can move and copy windows from one desktop to another among the desktops, set up rules to automatically move, copy or close windows and more. Dexpot is one of the most advanced desktop managers out there, that is easy enough for beginners, but offers some great flexibility for more demanding users as well.

admin

August 20th

Virtual Office Guide

Get a Virtual Office in the City

In these modern days, you can own any type of businesses anytime and anywhere you prefer. Unlike those olden days where one has to rent a shop to start a business, this can be managed virtually via online today. However, some people do feel that having a shop could make a business more visible compared to online businesses. But, looking at today’s consumers’ need, using Internet services can be much easier and more convenient and this is one of the reasons why online purchasing is preferred.

Nowadays, you can start your online businesses by having a office in the city. Virtual office offers a lot of advantages to small businesses or people without business management’s background. First of all, having a virtual office in the city can save you a huge amount of money for office space rental, employees’ salaries, utilities bills and others. Getting a virtual office enables you to use their office address as your business delivery address. The company will help you to collect any parcels or packages on your behalf.

Besides that, the services also provide office email address and contact number for your business. Whenever there’s a call for you, there will be receptionists who will help you to attend the call 24 hours and send the messages to you via email. You can also subscribe to SMS alert if there’s any email sent to you as a notification. There are also other facilities offered such as video conference rooms and meeting rooms for rent whenever necessary. So, you don’t have to pay the monthly rental just to use the room for a day throughout the entire month. After you have known all these advantages, start to do researches to get a reliable virtual office in the city which is able to provide all your basic needs and try to bargain for the best deal.

Dennis enjoys writing and sharing information on topics like Virtual Office and Virtual Office California. Visit for more details.

admin

August 13th

Virtual Office Guide

Foundations For the Virtual Office

One of the main concerns that arise when it comes to setting up a new business is the question of location. Start-ups tend to be big on ideas but the availability of funds is a different issue altogether. The concept of the virtual office has proven to be a boon for both fledgling entrepreneurs and seasoned business owners.

An office address that’s virtual is a good strategy to adopt if you intend to present a relatively modest or new business as a more prestigious or larger one. Your virtual office cost may run on a minuscule budget but it doesn’t have to appear that way. Appearances matter and presentation is one of the most important aspects a business can bank on if it intends to appear trustworthy and credible in order to attract more customers. No one is going to want to do business with a person who is obviously running the whole setup out of his basement.

One of the first things that have to be established when setting up such an office is a permanent location. For most entrepreneurs, this means creating a space in the home, such as clearing out a spare room or an unused corner of the living room. One of the reasons the virtual office is so attractive is that it keeps overheads such as rental and monthly utilities (electricity, water, internet service) low.

In the beginning, most virtual offices consist of a desktop, or more commonly, a laptop computer, an internet connection and a decent phone system. Even if you decide to utilize a virtual private branch exchange system (PBX), you virtual office cost still remains relatively low compared to that of bricks and mortar business premises. A cost-effective system such as this provides a toll-free number for inquiries which can be directed to an outsourced receptionist, or the owner himself, if the business really is that small. Calls can be directed to landlines, mobile phones or just voice mail. The advantage of the PBX system is that it provides a business with a more professional appearance.

Dennis enjoys writing and sharing information on topics like Virtual Office and Virtual Office Florida. Visit for more details.

admin

August 6th

Virtual Office Guide

Finding Virtual Office Services

Virtual office is an office which is virtually exists. What I meant here is that has telephone numbers, meeting rooms and also address but you yourself is not inside the office. The existence of this office brings flexibility where you can work anywhere you like. You can choose to work from home or enter a new market. Whatever it is, the choice is yours. Hence, with a service provider, it is a very unique way of service provision.

Virtual office facilitates people at everywhere and anytime with important functions, with the same cost as previous offices. The office services available nowadays are online fax, unified messaging, remote receptionist where it has live phone answering, web applications and also IP unified communications. By just using a single web’s interface, these services can be utilized and configured easily. The advantage of such services is due to the fact that you can operate and setup a remote office in businesses and at the same time you are not in the office. Hence, it is a very flexible and convenient way in managing your office.

Another essential service provided by a virtual office is the business address. It gives you the convenience by not requiring you to be at your office. Besides that, you do not need to amend your business address just in case you decided to move out from your current office. Other important service is the call forwarding system. By having this service, you will not be able to miss even a single call. No matter you are at your home office or even around the street, incoming calls will then be forwarded to your personal phone.

With more sophisticated technology and expertise in business field, a virtual office can not only play a very important role in giving flexibility and custom services, but to improve the profit of the business.

Dennis enjoys writing and sharing information on topics like Virtual Office Liverpool and Virtual Office. Visit for more details.

admin

July 30th

Virtual Office Guide

Do you Need Back Office Outsourcing?

Have you ever imagined how important the back office process is for the success of any organization? All of us realize the importance of this, but the fact also remains that most of us are actually reluctant to do this work. Outsourcing is one source through which you can stop doing the work, yet your task will be completed in time. Outsourcing is here to stay and more and more business processes are being outsourced. Back office outsourcing is the perfect solution to all your back office related work queries and worries.

Most business owners feel that, outsourcing the core process of their business is more beneficial then outsourcing the back office processes. Well this is entirely up to you. Think carefully and decide what will be profitable for your business. For many businesses back office outsourcing has provided to be a great way to maximize productivity. Outsourcing makes lots of sense; simply because it is beneficial is many ways for your business.

Most business undertakings be it large or small scale, everyone is undertaking the process. Cost reduction is one of the major driving forces behind this. Imagine a project for which you had to spend lots of money for getting the work done inhouse. After undertaking back office outsourcing the same work and in most cases a better quality work will be done for you in less then half the amount. Imagine the amounts of benefits that you will earn for your business.

One reason why back office outsourcing is gaining prominence is due to the fact many business owners do not like the idea of doing burdensome paper work of their business. Simple tasks such as entering data for payroll, making travel plans and entering data on information about employee insurance and many such things can be easily taken care of through outsourcing. You can provide the third party with web based software to speeding up the entire processes.

Yes back office outsourcing does have its own share of advantages. However if you are actually thinking of undertaking the processes for your business, there are certain things which you must now very well beforehand. The back office work is a vital element for your business. Check out with the company that is providing the service to you. See what security measures they have in place to safeguard your data.

Always keep yourself constantly updated about the progress of the work done by the third party. This will actually let you know about the efficiency of your work done. If at anytime you feel that the work is not up to the mark, you can always take your work back from the third party. But it is always better to check out the work of the third party before you actually hire them to do your work. Through this you can lessen your worries to a large extent.

Back office work though seems to be time consuming needs to be done. This is in fact the back bone of your entire business process. So if anything goes wrong your business can end up suffering loses. Nonetheless back office outsourcing when undertaken earnestly in its proper way can bring you huge benefits.

admin

July 23rd

Virtual Office Guide

Do I Need a Virtual Assistant?

International virtual staffing agency, Team Double-ClickSM frequently replies to beleaguered prospective clients who ask, Do I Need a Virtual Assistant? Gayle and Jim Buske, founders, CEO and CFO, respectively, offer a remarkably straightforward means to answer this critical question.

Team Double-Clicks recent unveiling of the companys easy-to-navigate website offers a self-administered quiz entitled, Fast Quiz: Do I need a virtual assistant? Within five minutes, future clients can determine whether internet-based professionals, who provide virtual administrative, marketing and sales support, can indeed contribute to an entrepreneurs emerging or existing business plan.

Answering a series of nine thought-provoking questions; one for example, How often do you work additional hours in the evenings or on weekends just to stay on top of administrative tasks? business owners select one multiple choice answer; each assigned an individual point value. Upon completion of all nine questions the allotted points are tallied to determine if a virtual assistant can or cannot be a useful team member to assist in the growth of a future clients particular business. If determined that a virtual assistant is needed, the quiz further clarifies a recommended number of hours an assistant can be contracted to relieve a business owner of any routine responsibilities, project work andor on-going; albeit important, time-consuming tasks.

Another challenging quiz question presented on the website is, Do your phones go unanswered because you are often out of the office or busy on another line? This particular question frequently leaves the small business owner wondering how much revenue is truly lost when potentially important telephone calls remain unanswered.

Additionally, Team Double-Clicks all-inclusive website offers a myriad of other customized virtual office assistant solutions for the entrepreneur. Targeting small business owners, real estate brokers, investors, and agents, visitors to the site can view a task list that a contracted virtual assistant can accomplish in their specified industry.

In a 2006 interview with Kendra Todd, winner of NBCs The Apprentice Season 3, hosted by Gayle Buske, Todd was asked to explain how she eventually determined that Team Double-ClickSM virtual assistants would add value to her rising real estate empire. Todd explained that as her business grew, a business partner eventually approached her and said, Kendra, you cant do it all, and you need a virtual assistant. Todd added, I have a very large database with lots of people a couple thousand people in my database. It is important for any successful business owner to keep in touch with their clients, and email and ezines are a wonderful way to do that. Todd continued, Its hard to pick up a phone and call several thousand people and say, Hello, how are you doing? but there are some wonderful virtual ways in which to have an intimate relationship with your customers, and so that was one of the reasons why I really needed to get a virtual assistant.

Todd has built her real estate team based on the premise that she, just want[s] the best people at what they do, regardless of where they are [virtually]. Business owners and entrepreneurs can now determine within a few minutes if a virtual assistant can be a viable addition to a clients organization and, if so, through the use of Team Double-Clicks virtual staffing solutions website customized tools are available to effortlessly assemble a dynamic virtual team.

admin

July 16th

Virtual Office Guide

Create a Virtual Office

The Virtual Office

As someone who has been involved in setting up three businesses in the last 20 years, I really was amazed when starting our current venture in July 09, at just how easy it now is to create a professional business infrastructure for minimal outlay and without the need for business premises, a Virtual Office if you like.

The convergence of two industry sectors, namely IT & Telecoms has given birth to a new breed of hosted communications solutions that will help to make your new or existing business a more flexible and responsive outfit. The great news is that for most of these services there is little or no capital outlay and no lengthy contracts, meaning you can get up and running quickly without hitting your cash flow too hard.

At the hub of every virtual office is a broadband connection, this can be a fixed or wireless broadband in your home office or a dongle to use with your laptop, if you have this in place and a mobile you can easily create a virtual office.

Put simply a ‘hosted’ service is one where the equipment delivering the technology is located offsite at the supplier’s premises. We use a number of hosted solutions to help shape our business, here are the main ones:

A Hosted Telephone System:

In my home office I have a Cisco IP Telephone Handset which plugs into my BT broadband router, enabling me to make calls over the internet at a reduced rate. Two of my colleagues are on the same system and despite the fact that we are in three separate locations we can transfer calls between each other, place calls on hold with music and see when one of us is already on a call. The service also comes with voicemail and whilst we each have a direct line, any of us can pick up the designated main line. Calls between our group are free of charge which is great. The phone has all the features of a phone system yet costs approx 80 for the handset and 10 per user per month.

Hosted Desktop:

We have in effect outsourced our server and software requirements. This service gives us the latest version of Microsoft Professional plus our email (Outlook). The only difference is that we access our hosted desktop via our broadband connection rather than using the hard drive on our PC’s. We have also been able to add our own licensed version of Sage Accounting software. The benefits to our business are immense, importantly it means I can access my desktop and email from anywhere, the remote servers that are hosting our service are very quick and more secure than my pc or laptop, and our data is automatically backed up every four hours. The hosted desktop service also includes synchronising our email, calendar and task lists with our Blackberry’s, so we really are able to work from anywhere in the world. The hosted desktop service is widely available and costs between 40 & 50 per user per month…… A Virtual Office & Your IT Support Covered.

Virtual Telephone Numbers:

The wrap around our business is our virtual telephone numbers that come with loads of inbound call management features as standard and can be controlled online 24/7.

For our main line we decided to use an 0800 number so that customers can call us free of charge from a landline, we use this in conjunction with one of the call management features known as a Virtual Reception. This is a simple menu driven service with three options, in our case Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Technical Support and Press 3 for Accounts. We have set this up so that calls to the sales department are first directed to an external live call answering service at a cost to us of 1 per call, before calls are patched through to one of our mobiles based on the nature of the enquiry.

Calls for the technical support department are directed to our team in Manchester and calls to the accounts department are directed to a voicemail service where the caller is asked to leave a message on our ring back service, these messages are automatically emailed to me and I am usually able to call the customer back within the hour.

In addition to the main line we each have an 0844 number as a direct line. This has a Call to Group feature set up. I love this feature it is so simple, but incredibly effective, whenever someone calls, both my office landline and my mobile ring at the same time, if I am working from home I answer the call using my landline handset and if I am on the road I use my mobile. There is a cost to me of 10p per min when I use my mobile, but I keep the calls short and call people back.

The majority of telecoms service providers offer a similar service and you should be able to achieve the same for approximately 200 set up and 20 per month.

Well that is how we did it… not only are hosted services cost effective, they are quick to implement and scalable. If we take in to account our Blackberry’s, mobile broadband plus all of the above services our cost per person per month is less than 125 including the various call charges.

Michael Jones

admin

July 9th

Virtual Office Guide

Conference Call – Virtual Office Collaboration Using Conference Calling Services

Conference Call – Virtual Office Collaboration Using Conference Calling Services

Thinking about allowing some of your employees work from home or from a virtual office? Telecommuting can be win-win for both the employer and the employee when used correctly. However, it does present its challenges. For example, when an employee spends the bulk of her time away from the office, communication can suffer and the employee can become isolated. In addition, offsite team members may be unaware of the minor changes that take place in the office. These problems can be avoided with forethought and the right communications tools.

One of the best tools is also the simplest: conference calling services. Whether you have a single employee working from home or an entire virtual team, regular conference calls are a must. For the individual telecommuter, being included in weekly staff meetings ensures that she is aware of the day-to-day changes, updates, and issues affecting your business. It also allows the telecommuter to contribute ideas, raise concerns, and remain involved.

If you have an entire team of virtual workers, conference call becomes even more critical. After all, the entire team is working in isolation. Holding regular conference calls allows everyone to come together and provides each person with a better understanding of their role within the team.

Conference calls also help with personification. For example, receiving instructions via email from a distant stranger can be off-putting for some workers. On the other hand, if the team members regularly speak with each other via conference calls, they’ll relate better to one another. Knowing that “Mr. X” is easygoing with a funny sense of humor or that “Alice from accounting” has a friendly tone of voice helps team members see each other as real people and partners.

Plan on holding formal and informal conference calls with your virtual team? Formal calls are regularly scheduled calls conducted much like a traditional meeting. For example, you may want to hold a conference call with all team members once a week. In this case, you’d follow an agenda and adhere to a strict timeline just as you would a traditional, in-person staff meeting.

Informal calls are less rigid, occurring periodically as needed. These conference calls may involve just a few team members, not the entire team. For instance, if you have three team members working on a print advertising campaign and another three working on a video advertisement, you don’t need the entire team to participate in a conference call discussing the video’s shooting schedule.

Because most telecommuters work from home from various geographic locations, a toll free conference plan is the most convenient for all parties involved. Since individual callers don’t incur any fees for the call, there’s no need for expense reports and reimbursements. If you plan on frequent calls, an unlimited plan may be the best choice. On the other hand, if your conference calls will be less predictable, a pay-as-you-go plan gives you greater flexibility. For example, if your teleworkers only work out of the office in the summer months, a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly minimums is ideal.

Whether your company has one telecommuter or an entire virtual team, conference calling services keep workers connected, no matter where in the world they happen to be.

AIT offers comprehensive conference calling services with packages available on a pay-as-you-go or unlimited calling basis. Whether you need to stay in touch with your virtual team or hold international conference calls, AIT has a plan for you.

admin

July 2nd

Virtual Office Guide

Building The Online Portal To Finding Your Virtual True Love

Building The Online Portal To Finding Your Virtual True Love

Would it surprise you to learn that there are about 100 million singles in the U.S.? Considering this, why can it be so hard to land a date, let alone a life partner? Sadly, finding your soul mate is hardly an easy task. So today, countless men and women are turning to the internet to find their one and only. In fact, it is estimated that close to 34 million people will log on to an online dating site this year.

The most attractive element about online dating is, without doubt, the anonymity. Clearly, it is easier to promote yourself online than in person because there is no need to feel embarrassed or shy if one is shrouded by a computer screen. In addition, if someone does not enjoy reading a profile, they simply move on with a click of the mouse and no one is the wiser. It is that simple.

Of course, anonymity comes with a price, albeit a manageable one. The best internet dating sites are hyper secure and are serious about their members safety. For example, your site should explain your screening process which may involve checking for felony convictions and whether someone is already married. The penalties for violating these rules should be posted and your company should never hesitate to follow through with the punishments. You can even offer a list of warning signs so your members can spot a potential threat.

But the main attractions to a dating website are the detailed profiles and the interactive tools. The best sites include multiple color photos, dating tips and success stories, emails and instant messaging, links to current articles about relationships and more.

Will your members be matched according to a certain attributes (like www.eharmony.com or www.match.com) or will they simply scroll through the listings until someone catches their eye? The possibilities are really quite endless.

How can you be sure that singles will be attracted to your website? Well, if you have all the hot elements and an easy-to-use, appealing layout, they will come. Finding friendship and love is an inherent part of our lives; we simply cannot live without it. Therefore, we will do all we can to make connections and see that they stick. Whats more, with so many folks living harried, over-scheduled lives, there is not much time for old fashioned dating that can take hours away from your evenings. Logging on to a fun, safe, and convenient site makes so much more sense.

A site that has the following elements is bound to succeed:

- detailed profiles that can be updated at any time
- color photos
- a search feature that highlights specific criteria
- ways to keep track of all contacts
- online journal to record thoughts and experiences
- success stories and tips from Dating Experts

There is no question that internet dating is the way of the future; the trend shows no sign of slowing down (www.eharmony.com boasts over 10,000 new users each day!). So whether you are looking to help individuals find friendship or something deeper, becoming part of the virtual love community is the way to go.

admin

June 25th

Virtual Office Guide