So you’re thinking about setting up a computer network…

In the age of computers and the internet, we have become accustomed to finding out information quickly and easily.  On top of that, computers are becoming faster and have become more affordable for a business or farming operation to purchase.  As your business grows and more people become involved, one of the items you increasingly become aware of is the amount of work that is duplicated.  Duplication of work is a waste of your limited time and it can also be costly. One of the ways to get around this is to setup a computer network at your place of business.  This allows you to link multiple computers so they can easily share information and at the same time do it securely.  A simplified example might be a checklist for each employee that anyone can access from any computer on the network.

One of the features of SMS Advanced is the ability to use computer networks to share information between different computers.  Many service providers (i.e. co-ops, consultants) that use SMS Advanced will set up a server as a data storage location.  They will then install SMS Advanced on each person’s computer who needs access to the data.  SMS Advanced has the ability to create multiple Projects (think of it like a folder for your filing cabinet) to keep each customer’s information separate.  While only one person can be in a particular Project at a time, once they close the Project, anyone else who looks at that information will be able to automatically see all of the updates and changes the previous person made. Another feature of SMS Advanced is Project Check In/Check Out, which can be found by going to File – Projects.  This allows you to copy the information from the server to a laptop or a local computer in your office.  This allows users to download Projects to their remote computer and take information to the field to read in new files and make additional changes.  While a Project is checked out, others on the network will not be able to access it.  Once the Project is checked back in, other users will be able to see new information that was read in or any changes that were made. Curious about networks?  Let us know if you have additional questions.