Northstar™ is an Internet-based personal computing service provided via your “Internet Desktop” and delivering “software as a service,” including desktop software and business applications to individuals, enterprises and educational institutions. We use network computing to provide better access to applications and information with supercomputer performance – at a fraction of the cost.

You can access Northstar™ from any Internet-connected computing device that can run a supported Web browser (Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer). Northstar™ never runs out of capacity, never requires upgrades, fixes itself and supplies instant access to software as a service at the click of your mouse.

A variety of user categories can benefit from becoming a subscriber to Northstar™ either as an individual or an organization. Consumers who do not have an IT department to provide office computing services (applications, security, and backup) will enjoy having a reliable computing environment they do not have to maintain. Currently consumers without the support of an IT organization typically spend at least 10% of their time maintaining their computing environment.

Small organizations can have the capabilities of a large corporate computing infrastructure without having to spend the money and hire the people to create and maintain their computing environment.

Large organizations can leverage the capabilities of Northstar™ to lower their IT costs immediately. Over time, the organization can transition more and more of their infrastructure to Northstar™ for office productivity and customer corporate specific applications.

The problems solved by Northstar™ benefit all users who need access to standard business productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, corporate ERP software, and custom or standard industry software such as healthcare applications. The ability to access user specific applications and files from any browser equipped device is unique to Northstar™.

With Northstar™, software applications are always available anywhere you are, from any convenient computer. Northstar™ works with software vendors to expand our list of commercial and open source solutions to provide the best software to you at the best price. You have the ability to subscribe to desktop applications on demand. Northstar™ enables software vendors to distribute software to customers as on-demand services without modification to their products.

• Registration – Complete the registration form at www.northstaraccess.net, choosing your annual or monthly service plan to create a Northstar™ account.
• Secure Access – Setup your Internet browser to allow you to accept security certificates from Northstar™. (Note: Mac users will also need to ensure X11 is installed. Installation is free and takes only minutes.)
• Select Applications – Choose applications from our growing menu of desktop productivity applications, including Microsoft Office and many more.
• Begin – You are ready to begin working on Northstar™. You have immediate and unlimited access to your personalized Internet desktop, any subscribed applications, documents and network resources. You can also:
  Access Northstar™ from any computing device that can run a supported Web browser; Print to network visible printers and device attached printers that are supported by Northstar™ print drivers. Contact Northstar™ support regarding specific printer types.
• Transfer files back and forth from Northstar™ and share files with others in your organization;
• Subscribe to additional software applications at any time

Become a Northstar™ subscriber for $99.95 per year. Next, select the applications you want at either an annual, month-to-month or pay-as-you-go term. Add the applications that you want and immediately start using them. Instantly save and print your files with secure storage and backup. No more lost files. How to buy.

Select "Buy Now" from the main menu bar which will take you to the Northstar™ Registration page. Complete the registration form and sign up today.

Yes, you use applications from either Mac or PC and only sign up for Northstar™ once. Your files and applications appear when you access them from either the Mac or PC

For Windows Operating Systems, Internet Explorer version 5 or higher or Firefox. For Mac OS X, Safari 1.3 or higher or Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Northstar™ provides Internet access to desktop and business applications from any convenient computer. You can access Northstar™ from anywhere there is an Internet connection. With Northstar™, software applications are always available whether it is at the airport, the office, a hotel, or from the comfort of your own home, you can always access Northstar™.

No. You can access any of the applications directly through the Northstar Desktop™.

We provide the MS desktop for those who are familiar with that environment and prefer to use it.

The only requirement to access applications in Northstar™ is to be a Northstar™ subscriber.

At Northstar™ your upgrades will always be taken care of for you. Upgrades are automatic for Northstar™ provided applications. There are also scheduled upgrades for “bring your own applications.” We call this software as a service, which means installation, patches and upgrades are never required and you will always have the latest and greatest version of the application. Since the applications and your desktop operating system are powered by an endless supply of state of the art computers. Northstar™ never runs out of capacity, never requires upgrades, fixes itself and supplies instant access to software applications at the click of a mouse button.

The Northstar Desktop™ is the vehicle for delivering Northstar™ software as a service. Your Northstar Desktop™ is your user interface for managing your profile, subscribing to applications, launching applications and performing file management. It is the first place you will see when you log in to Northstar™. From the Northstar Desktop™ you can perform administrative functions using the Admin Toolbars or launch desktop applications you have subscribed to by clicking on the Application Buttons.

Your files, documents and personal settings are stored in our tier 1 data centers on network storage. Your information is accessible only by you. All data is backed up on a daily basis.

A dial-up modem is sufficient to run Northstar™, but anything less than 56K is probably too slow. For peak performance, we recommend DSL, cable modem or T1 Internet connections. More bandwidth usually results in a better user experience. Note, however, a clear 56K modem connection can perform better than a congested T1 connection.

Northstar™ supports printing to network visible printers and any printers attached to your computer as long as the printer driver is loaded in Northstar™. Contact Northstar™ support regarding specific printer types. Printer drivers are normally loaded within hours of request.

By simply subscribing to Microsoft Outlook from Northstar™, and following the Outlook Startup procedures to configure Outlook 2003, you can receive email from your email provider directly through Northstar™.

Yes! If you own a valid software license for software already loaded into the Northstar™ network, we will provision the software to you for a nominal fee.

Northstar™ easily transfer files, documents and data between your computer and your Internet Desktop.You never again need to email files to yourself or burn CDs. To upload files to Northstar™, click the File Management button on your Internet Desktop, click Choose File and select the appropriate file or document from the pop-up menu. Click Upload Now and your file is uploaded to your network-based user home. This is commonly referred to as your O:\ drive in Northstar™.