Bergen County Camera has two locations in northeast New Jersey: Westwood and Englewood. Because the retail operation has focused so much on its role as a photography resource for its customers, it has created a library of information on more than six 500GB hard drives. The many articles, reports, online resources, equipment suppliers and directories comprise precisely the kind of information that attracts customers to the store. However, over time, searching for the right information became arduous and was not as helpful to customers who needed immediate assistance. Old ways of finding information became inadequate. “With Windows XP, searching on the six hard drives we use could take up to an hour,” said John Tworsky, general manager of BCC. “We were looking for a better solution.” BCC also wanted to take advantage of the latest advancements in network and computer security.
Bergen County Camera is all about the passion for pictures. Camera aficionados find a full inventory of camera and video gear to meet their every need. That same passion extends to its commitment to the latest computer solutions as well. With the IT expertise of eMazzanti Technologies, Bergen County Camera updated its network and computer system with Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Expression Media and Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Several new features in Windows Vista that proved to be particularly helpful are Instant Search, Windows Aero, Windows Mobility Center and several additional security enhancements.
Instant Search can be accessed from almost anywhere within Windows Vista. With fast-as-you-can-type technology, it searches any type of file anywhere on BCC’s internal or external hard drives, finding information in seconds.
The Windows Aero user interface in Windows Vista makes multi-document navigation quick and easy. In the Flip 3D mode, BCC can view all open files by using the mouse scroll wheel to flip through them and find the precise document desired. Using an associated thumbnail view, BCC users simply hover their mouse over all open files in the system tray to see the first page of the open file.
Windows Mobility Center allows BCC classroom trainers to pre-set presentation options on their Windows Vista computer so the PC stays awake and system notifications are turned off to avoid interruptions. Screen savers, speaker volume and desktop background can be controlled as well. Settings are automatically saved for future presentations.
“Instant Search helps us help customers better,” said Tworsky. “We can quickly find detailed customer information from previous sales records and e-mails. It speeds up our service and makes us look smart. “We have thousands of documents, scanned articles and reference materials on over six 500GB hard drives to help us solve problems for our customers. When you’re targeting upscale camera users, you have to have the answers at your fingertips. “Before Instant Search it was like having a library full of information without a card catalog. Finding the right stuff was hit and miss.” “Instant Search helped me find a faxing solution to answer a customer question from home. I found the Windows Fax and Scan feature in 15 seconds, fired it up and sent the fax.”
“The combination of Windows Vista and Expression Media gives us powerful tools for tagging, finding and manipulating huge photo libraries,” said Tworsky. “It’s not unusual to have as many as 15 files open at once. Windows Aero with Flip 3D and Live Taskbar Thumbnail images made navigating between files very easy.”
BCC uses a Windows Vista-based computer to teach classes. Office PowerPoint presentations, photo examples and how-to demonstrations help educate students and deepen loyalty to the company. “Windows Mobility Center Presentation Mode enables my computer to stay awake and keeps system notifications turned off so they don’t interrupt my presentation,” said Tworsky. “With key settings saved, I’m ready to go the minute I arrive.”
“Additional Windows Vista security features such as its firewall setup, Complete Backup and Restore, Shadow Copy version recovery, User Account Control and Windows Defender provide additional layers of protection to BCC,” said Carl Mazzanti, chief executive officer, eMazzanti Technologies. “Accidental changes in a customer record are now easily fixed,” noted Tworsky. “Shadow Copy enables us to revert to a previous version with a simple mouse-click, saving the day when we make a mistake.”
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