The Casual Tech

I’m a big fan of anything that helps me do my daily tasks more efficiently. I’m also a lover of all things that I deem geeky-cool. Greasemonkey, a Firefox extension, is definitely high up there on the cool factor. Greasemonkey gives you the ability to run nifty little scripts that run the gamut from neat tricks to complete essentials that you wonder how you lived without. I was first turned onto Greasemonkey while using Flickr. I saw someone responding to other users’ comments, referencing each user’s icon in their replies. I had to know how it was done, and from there, a Greasemonkey disciple was born. More on the Flickr trick later.

To experience the Greasemonkey goodness yourself, start out with this great article on LifeHack which lists the Top 10 Greasemonkey scripts to increase productivity. My favorite from that list is probably the Gmail attachment reminder [link goes directly to JS file, you'll need Greasemonkey installed first to use]. How many times have you crafted a great email, checked and double-checked the spelling and grammar, made sure all the correct recipients were listed, mentioned the attached file and then clicked send without actually attaching said file? We’ve all done it. This extension puts an end to that nonsense.

Okay, back to my favorite Flickr trick.

• First, you have to make sure you’re running Firefox. (If you’re not using Firefox, we need to talk.)
• Next, ensure Greasemonkey is installed.
• Last, get the Flickr Buddy Icon Reply script and install it.
• Start replying with buddy icons on Flickr! Fun! You can see a screen shot of this in action on LifeHacker.

Technorati Tags: Greasemonkey, Flickr, Firefox, Firefox extensions

I am sure I am not the only IT Manager that is struggling to find robust tools that can help with asset management, networking stats and help desk functionality. Budgets get tight and it is nearly impossible to find something that is well suited for your needs without the Accountant Gods coming down and shutting down the cash flow to purchase a decent product.

Last summer, I was reading a trade mag, (Network World) and I was reading this great story about a start up company that believed they could set up a very cool web-based product that could give you help desk functionality, asset management, and basic network statistics. The company is called Spiceworks.

I was cautious when I first saw the site. Who is going to give out a tool that does so much for free??? Well they do have a catch, but it is very minimal. You can install the software and then run the web console in under 3 minutes. When you start the configuration you will notice on the right hand side, there are ads for technology products and services. I was nervous. Will I get pop ups? Will there be any downloading of unknown content? NONE OF THESE! In the privacy terms for Spiceworks, you can see they download stats that are basic and not specific to your network. It is just for statistical purposes.

After installing this on a network monitor server, I ran the console and set up the network configuration. I am now on my way. I run the scan and it starts to discover your network assets.

I have to say I am blown away. The web console has so many different tools on it. You can see a summary panel that tells you how many network devices you have on the network. If you mouse over the items, it pops up some cool stats in flash. We use Landesk at our company and I am not very pleased with it. When you run this Spiceworks tool, it does about 60 percent of what Landesk does, only better and for no cost at all!!

Some of the features are;

* Inventory and report on your company’s hardware and software assets automatically.
* Monitor and troubleshoot the hardware and software on your network.
* Run an IT Help Desk for your company that’s easy to use.

Check out the site and download it for your company network. It is not an enterprise tool, but for those companies that need a product that is robust and does not break the bank. This is a winner!

Technorati Tags: Spiceworks, Networking, network tools, help desk software, asset management