HI-TECH TALK Newsletter: January 2004                      Newsletter Index

Access Control Interface for RentPlus

Now you can order checks, envelopes, and forms for your
RentPlus / MiniStoragePlus software on line.
Click here to order forms on-line now.

RentPlus Education Seminars

RentPlus 2004 User Forum
Las Vegas February 6-7, 2004

Join us for the 2004 HI-TECH User Forum this February 6-7 at the incomparable Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The 2004 User Forum will be held just prior to the Inside Self Storage Expo at the Las Vegas Hilton February 9-11.

The User Forum includes both standard and advanced user tracks on a wide variety of RentPlus topics (see a detailed schedule on-line). Get the most from your HI-TECH RentPlus software by taking advantage of this fantastic opportunity to learn more.

With thousands of features and capabilities, the complexity of running and maintaining Windows-based software, ever changing technology, and the incredible opportunity the Internet represents, you cannot afford to miss this exciting seminar. The User Forum provides a complete track of classes for advanced users and system administrators, as well as a track for beginning and intermediate users. Over six hours of open computer lab time will give you the chance to review specific questions with the HI-TECH technical staff.

The User Forum will provide time to meet and socialize with dozens of other HI-TECH customers, as well as one or more guest lecturers on topics from security to Internet opportunities. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions, please call us at 1-800-551-8324 or send e-mail to admin@hitechsoftware.com.

Use the enclosed registration form to sign up today or call 800-551-8324 or visit our web site (www.hitechsoftware.com). Please register by January  28, 2003. 

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Deans & Homer to Discontinue Pay-With-Rent Insurance Program

 Deans and Homer (D&H), has announced that they will be stopping their pay-with-rent insurance program in the future and that no new pay-with-rent facilities are being added at this time.  Clients currently using RentPlus and D&H will be phased out when this program is discontinued.

HI-TECH has made arrangements with Bob Bader Company to provide immediate replacement service for HI-TECH’s current D&H customers. The same rates and premiums now used in the D&H program will be honored. If you are currently using D&H you must changeover soon, so call us at 800-551-8324 or call Bob Bader Company at 888-223-3726.

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Access Control Interface for RentPlus

RentPlus will automatically keep your gate system up-to-date as to who is and isn't allowed in. Save time, improve customer service and reduce embarrassing errors. Extend your access hours. Interfaces are available for all popular gate systems, including systems from PTI, Digitech, Wham, Sentinel, MSTC, Demco and others. The Access Control Interface Add-In is $499—on special until February 29 ,2004 for just $365.

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HI-TECH Self Storage Exhibit Schedule

Self Storage Trade Shows 2004

HI-TECH Will be exhibiting at the following upcoming self-storage trade shows

Feb 9-11

Las Vegas, Nevada

Inside Self Storage

www.insideselfstorage.com

Mar 3-5

Manchester UK

Self Storage Association Europe

www.ssauk.com

Apr 21-24

Atlanta, Georgia

Self Storage Association

www.selfstorage.org

Sep 8-11

Las Vegas, Nevada

Self Storage Association

www.selfstorage.org

Oct 24-27

Austin, Texas

Texas Mini Storage Association

www.txministorage.org

Nov 17-19

Miami, Florida

Inside Self Storage

www.insideselfstorage.com

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The New RentPlus Control Panel

Recently added to RentPlus is an entirely new alternate way of working with the software—the RentPlus Control Panel. The Control Panel uses a Web-like interface and provides you with a main screen that is very easy to use and learn. Hyperlinks (requiring only one click) take you directly to the most common activities and reports in RentPlus while all activities can be accessed through the menus.

The Control Panel features an area for Reminders, so you can easily see what actions are scheduled for immediate or future action. An on-screen calendar helps keep you organized.

Another area of the Control Panel shows vacant units—it lists the sizes that are available along with the number of units available for each size, the lowest monthly rent, and the type of unit. Again hyperlinks take you directly to the listings of the units available for a particular size, or for all sizes.

From the Control Panel you can also jump directly to the RentPlus Map, the RentPlus Explorer, or to your own company web site. A checkbox at the bottom of the Control Panel allows you to choose if you want the Control Panel to be the main screen displayed when you startup each day (if it isn’t checked, then the RentPlus Explorer is the main screen displayed at startup). 

Other screens are being redesigned to use a web-like interface. Studies and field tests show these screens to be easier to learn, and easier to use. One of the other screens in RentPlus that has been redesigned is the Reports listing.

RentPlus Control Panel—screen image:

 

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Security Tips

Keeping your information secure and maintaining proper checks and balances is critical to the success of your business. RentPlus includes a number of security features with which you should be familiar. 

Data File Security
Your RentPlus data file is password protected and encrypted to prevent outside access to or manipulation of your information. This means that no one can use a third party program to view or modify the data file—this includes database programs such as Microsoft Access, Word processors, or file viewing programs like Notepad. Encryption means that even if they do view the file with one of these programs, it will not be readable. 

Unique Login Name and Password
Each user in RentPlus should have their own login name and password.  That way, since RentPlus tracks who is logged in when a  transaction is created, you will always know who did what and when. You can see this on many reports and when you view transaction details.

Permissions
When you create a user, you also assign a security level: guest, operator, manager, supervisor, or owner. Owners have access to everything, so only provide owner level access to one or two people.  You can determine which functions in RentPlus are accessible to users of each level using the Users and Permissions option (Tools menu). If you have multiple sites, you can setup the permission settings at one site, and then export those settings to your other sites, saving the work of re-entering those settings.

Audit Wizard and Exceptions Reporting
The Audit Wizard (Tools menu) helps you audit the transactions that each user has created. The Wizard allows you to review the transactions for a user, then mark those transactions as audited, so you know that you have already reviewed them.  You can also select the types of transactions that you wish to audit (click the Options button on the Audit Wizard screen). The Exceptions report provides you with a quick view of the transaction types that you have chosen to monitor.

Checkbook Reconciliation
One of the most important security activities is to balance the RentPlus checkbook data each month with your bank statement. Balance Bank Statement (Tools menu) is the utility program to use for this. This will ensure that the amount of funds that RentPlus reports as having been deposited matches what actually goes into the bank. 

Options
Many of the settings in Options affect security as well. These are settings that are applied universally, regardless of the user’s permission level.  These settings include allowing users to change move-in or move-out dates, to edit or delete existing customer notes, and requiring that marketing information be entered during the move-in process.

Backup
Backups are essential from a security stand point as they provide recovery from actions that may harm your data—deliberate or not—such as deleting your data file.  Backing up your data to a secure off-site location in addition to CD or Zip disk backup provides a great deal of additional security. We recommend that you backup your data to BackupForBusiness.com. Go to www.BackupForBusiness.com to sign up for a free 30-day trial. For RentPlus users, the service is only $99 per site for six months.  

Security Warning

One of the nastier viruses going around these days is an e-mail that appears to be from Microsoft warning of the need to install a security patch. The e-mail has either an attached file or a link to a page to download the ’fix’.  DO NOT INSTALL THIS! It is a virus itself, not a patch. Microsoft NEVER e-mails patches. The proper way to keep your system up to date for security patches is to use the Windows Update service from Microsoft  (run from the Windows Start menu). 

Note: the exception to this is if you have specifically signed up to receive e-mail notifications of security updates from Microsoft. Note that even if you have, you should still always use the Windows Update service to update your system. For more information, go to  http://www.microsoft.com/protect.

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On-Line Updates for RentPlus

The number of on-line updates downloaded by RentPlus users continues to grow. More than 800 downloads were recorded since they became available in the last quarter of 2003. Updates to RentPlus are made available for download about once a month where they are easily downloaded. Installation of the download is instant and automatic as RentPlus will automatically update your data files for any new features.

To download the update, you must have already upgraded to version 1.8 and you must have a current support agreement. The  direct link to the download site is:
http://www.hitechsoftware.com/cgi-bin/rpupdate/rpupdate.cgi. On the download page, click the link “Click here for update details” to learn about the new features that are included in the update.

Always download the file to a different location from the RentPlus folder (usually, c:\RentPlus ), then copy the file to the RentPlus folder after the download is completed successfully.

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RentPlus TechTips:

How fast is your processor and how much memory you have?
Select Help | About from the menu—the information is displayed on screen. For more details, click System Information (see August 2003 issue for performance hints)

Need a calculator?
Press Ctrl+Shift+C just about anywhere in RentPlus to display the Windows Calculator (you must have at least version 1.8 2003.11.30 of RentPlus).  If the calculator is not displayed, do a Windows search for Calc.exe and copy that file  into the Windows folder (usually c:\windows or c:\winnt).

Practice with your own data
On the RentPlus startup screen, right-click on the RentPlus Data File and select the option to “Make RentPlus Data my practice data”. Then startup RentPlus Practice Data and you will find all of your own information.

Quick List of Vacant Units
For a quick list of vacant units, select the Units folder in the Explorer, then right-click on any unit and select the option “Show Vacant Units Only”. The list will be filtered to only show the vacant units. You can also filter the list to show only the out-of-service units or only the occupied units.

Jump to Another Customer
When you have one customer account displayed on screen, you can go directly to another customer record without going back to the Explorer. Just press Ctrl+L and enter the first few letters of the customer’s last name and press Enter. You will jump right to the first customer record that matches those letters.  To browse from customer to customer, press Alt+PgDn and Alt+PgUp, or use the arrow keys in the upper right of the screen. 

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Please support our newsletter advertisers:
Bob Bader Company - Stored Property Insurance - 888-223-3726
www.baderco.com
Chateau Products - Padlocks, packing materials, more - 800-833-9296
www.chateauproducts.com
CTS Group - "SAM" Kiosk and Internet Systems - 888-726-1886
www.ctsgroup.com