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More at the Intuit website

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI – The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology today announced that gloStream’s product gloEMR version 5.0 is a CCHIT Certified 08 Ambulatory EHR additionally certified for Cardiovascular Medicine and Child Health and meets the Certification Commission’s electronic health record (EHR) criteria for office-based use. Ambulatory EHRs are designed for physician offices and clinics where most Americans get their healthcare. The Commission – a private, nonprofit organization – is the recognized certification body in the United States for certifying health information technology products.

Read more at Healthcare IT News

“gloStream builds comprehensive and user-friendly EMR and PM applications for physicians, and we’re glad to collaborate with them to maximize the application’s capabilities for the physicians who rely on it,” said Dan Walsh, senior vice president of information technology for Apollo Health Street. “Our team of healthcare and IT experts will offer gloStream’s clients around-the-clock, cost-efficient support so that business processes and patient care continue uninterrupted.”

Apollo Health Street’s IT services offer a single point of contact for all technical support of gloStream’s products and solutions, which are the only ones on the market embedded with Microsoft Office®. Apollo Health Street has already begun support for two gloStream clients, including one in Rochester, NY.

“We’re constantly looking for unique strategic partners who can augment our resellers’ offerings,” said Mike Sappington, gloStream’s chief executive officer. “Apollo offers a robust set of support options that can help our channel provide even more value to the physicians they serve.”

“Smart EMR and PM technology is increasingly critical to the healthcare industry, and we are eager to work with gloStream to make an already-excellent product work even better for healthcare industry leaders and clinicians across the country,” added Andrew DeVoe, chief executive officer for Apollo Health Street.

About gloStream

gloStream provides physicians and healthcare facilities with certified electronic medical record and practice management solutions delivered and supported through a nationwide network of local technology partners. gloStream products are secure, easy-to-use applications and the only solutions on the market embedded with Microsoft Office. Through a simple user interface, robust voice recognition technology, and single-click access to all patient information, gloStream products help doctors improve patient care by streamlining workflow and creating efficiencies in office administration. For more information, visit www.glostream.com or call 1-877-456-3671.

About Apollo Health Street

Apollo Health Street partners with hospitals and healthcare organizations across the country to achieve healthcare’s True Return. Enhancing our clients’ team and resources, Apollo Health Street develops tailor-made, world-class solutions to tackle the financial and IT challenges faced by the nation’s hospitals, physician groups and healthcare payers. Our solutions combine award-winning customer service with healthcare domain expertise, sophisticated technology and global resources. The result is a strengthened bottom line to offer excellent patient care today and tomorrow. Apollo Health Street provides customized payer, hospital, physician, IT and strategic support services to more than 170 healthcare partners throughout the nation. Headquartered outside Philadelphia, Apollo Health Street has seven operational centers of excellence strategically located throughout the United States. For more information about Apollo Health Street call 1-800-350-5781 or visit www.apollohealthstreet.com.

One reason may be the enormity of choosing from the hundreds of EMR solutions on the market. You want a solution that will meet industry standards—and is built on technology guaranteed to be around many years from now.

Now there is such a solution from gloStream called gloEMR™. It’s unique in that it’s built on Microsoft Office (in particular, Microsoft Word). Features include:

• Single-click access to all patient information
• Voice recognition
• Electronic prescribing
• Nationwide local support

To learn more, listen to a 20-minute audio-cast featuring two physicians using gloEMR™ as well as gloStream CEO Mike Sappington and Microsoft’s Stuart Post.

A new video describing the product is also available.

Related articles:

A Contemporary and Intuitive EMR Solution Built on Microsoft Office

To be reimbursed for the installation of EMRs under Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), medical professionals must use a “certified” EMR in a “meaningful” way.

To this point, however, exactly what “meaningful” meant has been up for debate—and without a definition, medical professionals had two unappealing choices: wait to buy an EMR, or buy an EMR not knowing if it would meet future standards.

Now, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology has made recommendations regarding meaningful use criteria. E-prescribing, checking for drug-to-drug interactions, and maintaining an updated problem list are among them.

Physicians must also use these features in their practice on a daily basis to show meaningful use of their EMR system.

There’s still a long road ahead: The recommendations must be approved by David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, after which they will be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Then, CMS will use these recommendations to make the final meaningful use rules, which are due in December.

This news makes it safer for medical professionals to implement EHRs now, provided that you use a reputable vendor. Larger vendors have the resources to upgrade their products as necessary to meet meaningful use criteria. In fact, many are assuring customers they’ll make any necessary changes, and some are offering money-back guarantees if they don’t.

While the benefits to personal communications are obvious, the larger value implications of this type of technology is evident in business, where travel costs are greatly reduced through the use of video conferencing technology. Imagine a group of people in the United States being able to see and communicate in real time with another group in Australia. This is possible with video conferencing, which allows the two parties simply agree on a time (with the time zone difference considered, of course) and then hold a meeting in the comfort of their own offices.

Video conferencing not only saves the fares and accommodation expenses, but also saves time spent travelling. It’s also valuable to employees in the field who need to report to a main office. A webcam, a mike, and a decent internet connection allows those in the field to report in real time to the main office at any time, eliminating the need to leave their post or assignment.

Programs you can use:

1. Citrix GoToMeeting – one of the most popular software for web conferencing, costing $49.00 per month or $468 for an annual plan that gives you unlimited conferences (including both video and voice) with up to 10 attendees. The interface is easy to use and meetings can be set up in a flash. The only downside is that Mac users can only participate in, and not set up, meetings.
2. Microsoft Live Meeting – another popular bundle of decently priced and stable conferencing software. However, the interface is much more complicated than Citrix GoToMeeting, and may confuse first-time users. Another possible concern is its “per use” charging system.
3. WebEx MeetMeNow – at $39 – $49 a month, this option offers the best value for the money, with its unlimited monthly use with up 10 participants and a very user-friendly installation and interface.
4. Acrobat Connect Professional – this option offers the most flexible payment plans, making it best suited for occasional users. It also boasts customization features allowing users to tailor the program based on their needs.

Video conferencing is a simple and practical way to communicate in real time with personal and business contacts, wherever they are in the world, at a fraction of the cost of more traditional methods. Need help choosing equipment and getting set up? We’ll be happy to lend a hand.

Malware, short for “malicious software,” is designed to infiltrate a computer system without the owner’s consent. It includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, and even adware.

The total amount of malware removed from computers worldwide grew more than 43 percent during the first half of 2008, according to a security intelligence report by Microsoft.

According to the report, based on the type of malware most frequently found, financial gain appears to be attackers’ top motivation.

And it may only get worse, because now organized crime networks are distributing malware. Don’t think American mafia; this type of organized crime is more typically loosely organized criminals from underdeveloped parts of the world. Australia’s Verizon investigative response team, which handles data breaches on behalf of that country’s major corporations, has reported that 91 percent of the breaches it found in 2008 could be traced to organized crime activity rather than insider or other threats.

These organized crime networks plot to infiltrate computers—primarily American ones, which have information from which they can profit—and steal data. They may also seek out intellectual property for its potential value. “If a single piece of intellectual property is compromised, and it happens to be the secret formula to your company’s product, then that’s a business-changing event,” said the Verizon report.

Although most of the malware Verizon found could not be detected by current antivirus products, around 87 per cent of breaches could have been avoided by using simple controls, according to Verizon, whose report stated that “on the whole, criminals are still not required to work very hard to breach corporate information systems.”

Here’s what you can do to help protect your systems:

• Enable a firewall.
• Install and maintain up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that provide increased protection from malicious and potentially unwanted software. Almost 40 per cent of victims Verizon investigated in 2008 did not regularly update their security software.
• Check for and apply software updates on an ongoing basis, including updates provided for third-party applications.
• Open links and attachments in e-mail and instant messages with caution.

Need help implementing these safeguards? We’re here to assist!

ZDNet’s Ryan Naraine has posted a helpful summary of the released fixes:

• MS09-029: This update covers two privately reported vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows component Embedded OpenType (EOT) Font Engine, which could allow remote code execution. Rated “critical” for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008.
• MS09-028: This update fixes three separate vulnerabilities (one publicly disclosed and under attack!) in Microsoft DirectShow, which could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially-crafted QuickTime media file.
• MS09-032: This update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user uses Internet Explorer to view a specially-crafted Web page that uses the ActiveX control. This vulnerability is currently being exploited in the wild! Rated “critical” for all supported editions of Windows XP and “moderate” for all supported editions of Windows Server 2003.

Some of the vulnerabilities, notably one in Microsoft Office Web Components, do not yet have a patch. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially gain the same user rights as a local user, allowing the attacker to modify or remove files on the PC remotely. This could potentially happen simply by using Internet Explorer to visit a website. A workaround exists by downloading a free utility from Microsoft called FixIt, which prevents the Microsoft Office Web Components from running in Internet Explorer.

Users, as always, are advised to immediately download the updates and utilities, or use Microsoft’s Windows Update service. If you need help installing the patches or workarounds, or if you feel your PCs are at risk, contact us immediately.

Related articles:

• Microsoft Security Advisory 972890 Released
• Microsoft warns of Internet Explorer security hole
• Microsoft issues patches, including one for IE exploit
• Internet Explorer’s ActiveX Security Mitigations in Use
• Microsoft Warns of Security Hole

Their research suggests that the average cost for SMBs to repair PCs over three years old can be 1.65 times as expensive as repairing PCs under three years old. Repairs include replacements, usually from hardware failure, and the cost to fix software crashes. Small business respondents with PCs older than three years experienced network card failures nearly eight times more than respondents with PCs less than three years old. This was followed by power supply failures, motherboard failures, software crashes, and virus attacks. Midmarket respondents experienced a similar trend, with network card failures at six times higher, followed by power supply failures and motherboard failures.

In addition, respondents said desktops that have been in use for more than three years are more susceptible to attacks from malware and viruses (28 percent), while older notebooks are 58 percent more likely to endure a virus attack. The cost of related lost worker productivity should also be factored in by companies wishing to hold on to outdated hardware.

Are you hanging on to old PCs in an attempt to money? Contact us today. We can help you assess the health and condition of your PCs, as well as determine the cost of maintaining existing PCs versus upgrading or replacing them.

According to the Windows team blog, estimated retail prices for the upgrade packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US are:

• Windows 7 Home Premium (Upgrade): $119.99
• Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade): $199.99
• Windows 7 Ultimate (Upgrade): $219.99

Estimated retail prices for full packaged retail product of Windows 7 in the US are:

• Windows 7 Home Premium (Full): $199.99
• Windows 7 Professional (Full): $299.99
• Windows 7 Ultimate (Full): $319.99

The Windows 7 Home Premium full retail product is $40.00 less than today’s Windows Vista Home Premium price.

Pre-orders will be limited, and Microsoft has not commented yet on what the supply limitations will be. Pre-orders will launch Friday, June 26 – July 11 in the US, Canada, and Japan, ending sooner if supplies are depleted. The UK, France, and Germany preorders launch July 15 – August 14, also ending sooner if supplies are depleted. Microsoft has launched a new website where users can find more information about upgrade offers.

Related articles:

• Buy a PC tomorrow and get Windows 7 or pre order
• Week in Microsoft: Windows 7 gets priced
• Microsoft taking half-price pre-orders for Windows 7

Outlook is surely one of Microsoft’s most popular products, widely recognized as a standard application alongside Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Bundled inside Microsoft Office, Outlook is the personal information manager component of the ubiquitous office suite, blending email, contact management, a calendar, and task management into one package.

Here are some tips to ensure you are making the most out of this popular application:

1. Use Outlook with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Sharepoint.
   Microsoft Outlook is a rich and powerful tool on its own, but when used with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Sharepoint, it provides enhanced functions for collaboration within organization, such as the ability to share mailboxes and calendars. With Exchange, you can create shared folders for important email communication and company-wide memos, as well as invite others to meetings and share your availability information. You can even create a company-wide address book of key contacts for shared use. With Microsoft Sharepoint, you can post all of this information in the company Intranet, and even expose some of this information to customers and partners in the company extranet or public website – allowing you to share information and collaborate more easily with people outside of the organization as well.
2. Use Outlook Web Access.
   If you don’t have access to your PC, such as when traveling, you can still use Outlook if you use it with Exchange. Just access Outlook Web Access (OWA) using your browser and any internet connection. OWA is the webmail service of Microsoft Exchange Server 5.0 and later, packaged as a part of Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and previous versions of Exchange. Its interface resembles the interface in Microsoft Outlook.
3. Sync your data.
   Because of the popularity of Outlook, there is a host of third-party applications and plug-ins you can use to sync your data. Always on the go? Sync Outlook with your mobile phone, PDA, and even your iPOD or Blackberry. Want to have your data accessible on any PC or device? Sync your email and calendar data to hosted services such as Google Calendar or Google Apps. Need to call a contact from your desktop? No problem – Outlook can integrate with Skype to allow you to do one-click calling from Outlook. Want integration with your company applications and systems? A host of enterprise applications from billing and accounting, CRM, and even ERP systems can sync key data such customer contact information to Outlook.
4. Use add-ons.
   Many other third-party add-ons and plug-ins are available for Outlook to further expand its already considerable features. One favorite is a tool called Xobni (Inbox in reverse), which allows you to more easily search and organize your inbox. Google Desktop plugs in to Outlook so that you can search the web, your desktop files, and your email and file attachments from within Outlook in one place. There are many more available to check out.
5. Learn Outlook inside and out.
   Dozens of websites provide useful tips on how to complete tasks faster, make your experience with the application smoother, and simplify your workflow. A good place to start is Microsoft’s website, which regularly offers handy, free tips for using Outlook to its fullest.

Microsoft Outlook is widely used because it is a robust and versatile tool for information management, not only for individual users but for groups within an entire business as well. Time spent learning how to maximize its use is well worth it in terms of saved time and increased productivity. Call us now for ideas on how to get started!

Your business depends on your network

Your revenue is directly tied to the availability and performance of your network, because it’s the backbone of your business. Your network houses critical applications, allows your employees to communicate, and gives customers access your goods and services.

When your network fails, your business suffers. Employees cannot access the applications and information they need to keep your business up and running, and basic means of communication, such as printing, filing, and emailing, are unavailable. At the same time, customers cannot access the information they need to buy your products. You’re forced to spend time and money to get the system up and running, increasing your TCO. The end result: productivity declines and revenue decreases.

Managing your network can prevent revenue loss

It pays to minimize network performance degradation and downtime, and a network management system will help you do this. Large companies have long deployed such systems, but as networks become more critical to smaller businesses, they have become important for small- and mid-size enterprises as well.

A network management system will provide tools that improve network performance, help network administrators manage the network more efficiently, and include an early warning system for network outages. These benefits allow your business to operate more efficiently, thereby cutting costs and preventing revenue loss—and reducing the TCO of your network infrastructure.

Need Help?

Finding a good network management system and deploying it correctly is by no means a simple task, but there are plenty of solutions that provide the necessary functionality at a relatively low cost. We can help you deploy an easy-to-use network management system that helps you manage your network more efficiently and save money at the same time. Contact us today for more information.

Related articles:

Assessing the business impact of network management on small and mid-size enterprises

Data losses, which can result from theft or carelessness, are a downside of the information age. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), more than 35 million data records were breached in 2008 in the United States—47 percent more than in 2007.

How much do data losses cost? The Ponemon Institute, which studies business privacy practices, surveyed 43 U.S. companies across 17 industry sectors that lost data in 2008. According to the study, data losses ranged from 4,200 records to 113,000 records, and each data record lost cost $202—making the total cost between $848,400 and $22,826,000.

That number was up from $197 per data record lost in 2007, $182 in 2006, and $138 in 2005, the first year the study was conducted.

Why are data losses so costly? When you lose data, a number of costs are incurred, including detecting data losses, notifying victims, paying for victim reparations (such as free credit checks), and hiring experts to remedy the problem. You also must account for business lost as a result of customer mistrust. In fact, in the Ponemon study, $139 of the lost $202 per data record represented the cost of lost business.

Small companies may suffer the most from data losses. Another study conducted earlier this year by StollzNow Research asked IT managers from 945 companies about their experiences related to data management. They found that an alarming 49 percent of small companies fail to back up their data on a daily basis.

This is despite the fact that nearly half of all participants experienced data loss in their workplace in the past two years, and 36 percent felt that data loss could have a significant impact on their business.

Don’t put yourself at risk. We can help you prevent costly data loss by implementing a policy for the preservation of data, and by installing and testing backup systems on a regular basis.

Related articles:

Tech Managers Often Underestimate Impact of Data Loss

Study: Data Losses Proving More Costly for Businesses

According to Ms. Abrams’s article, if your business is growing and you have more than two people in your business, then you should definitely consider buying a server. Having a server, or a dedicated computer that acts as a central resource for data and applications within your office network, can dramatically improve the way your business runs.

A server allows you to consolidate your data in one place, making it easy to share among your colleagues. Network file shares allow you to upload and archive files and data in one centralized location for everyone. Centralizing data also makes it easier to secure and back up.

Servers often are powerful computers that can host applications your business runs within the office network. With servers, you can run applications such as email and security services, host your business website or company intranet, deploy multi-user databases, and much more.

Let us know if you are considering deploying a server for your business – we can help you do it efficiently and cost effectively.

Related article:

• Strategies: It might be time to get serious about a server.

Among those affected were the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Secret Service, the Federal Trade Commission, and several others. The attacks, which hit South Korean sites a few days later on July the 7th, are widely believed to have been carried out by an updated version of the MyDoom worm which gained infamy when it first hit Windows machines last 2004. The motive for the attack is not yet known. In the meantime, users are advised to scan their machines and update their operating systems to protect against known vulnerabilities. Contact us to learn more about protecting your business from a similar attack.

Related articles:

• Mysterious cyber-attacker hits at federal websites, crisis averted?
• Cyber Attack Targets Government Websites
• Who’s behind cyber assaults?

Be sure to check out the system requirements for Windows 7 ensure your system is up to the challenge. Generally speaking, if your system can handle Vista then it will likely have no problem with Windows 7; however, you’ll need ample space on your hard drive to have both running. Check out the article at Microsoft’s Technet website. Not sure how (or why) to do it? Contact us – we can help!

Related articles

• Windows 7 testers have long path to upgrade
• Can a Windows Vista PC Run Windows XP Instead?
• Windows 7 release date announced

Market research organization Techaisle recently released a study forecasting that SMBs worldwide will purchase 1.1 million Netbooks in 2009, jumping to 3.5 million units in 2010. Between 22 and 30 percent of SMBs said that they are considering Netbook purchases as they upgrading core desktops and notebooks. Designed primarily for wireless communication and access to the Internet, Netbooks are small portable laptop computers equipped with wireless connectivity, no optical disk drive, a small keyboard, and screens usually no larger than 10 inches. According to the survey, this interest in Netbooks is fueled by the global economic crisis forcing companies to rein in IT spending, as well as by increased interest in easy and low-cost access to mobile computing. The study suggests that while some are considering Netbooks as a possible replacement for desktops and notebooks, it is more likely that they will be used to augment those items. Contact us for ideas on how Netbooks might benefit your own business operations.

Related links:

• Global SMBs TO Buy 1.1 Million Netbooks in 2009
• ABI Thinks Netbooks Will Win
• How the Netbook is changing the industry
• Netbooks, Small, Efficient Web Tool

When most people want to purchase a new computer or upgrade their current one, they focus on finding a CPU with the quickest speed, the most computing cores, or the most RAM they can afford. However, they may be overlooking the most likely reason for computing slowdowns: fragmentation in the disks.

Disk drives claim the dubious distinction of being the slowest component on today’s computers, and the more fragmented they are, the more they drag down the performance of the entire system. Fragmentation is the scattering or fragmenting of files on a hard drive from continually writing, deleting, and resizing them. The more you use your computer, the more these bits of data get scattered about. As this happens, it takes longer for the computer to retrieve this data as it reads back from the disk. Defragmentation is the process in which a special software utility is run to arrange all of this data into contiguous spaces on the disk.

Today, frequent defragmentation is becoming more and more important as drive capacities become larger and we start to use our disks more heavily. We now regularly store and retrieve various forms of media such as photos, images, music and videos from our computer disks. Thousands of media files dramatically increase disk fragmentation. We also use our systems to run “virtualized” guest operating systems, which also dramatically increases file fragmentation as these operating systems perform simultaneous read/write operations on the disk. Resident antivirus programs will also slow down disk operation if it is made to continuously read fragmented files. In a business maintaining several computers, these operations will significantly shorten the life span of the drives, and will also contribute to work slowdowns and productivity loss.

So before spending money on a new CPU or RAM upgrade, try defragmenting first. Let us help you implement a schedule and procedures to better manage this important process.

• small businesses are more likely to purchase software than build their own
• they are wary of open source software because of security and support issues
• interest in SaaS is growing but total cost of ownership is a concern
• they are more optimistic than big businesses and will allocate a greater portion of their IT spend on software

These conclusions come from the recent Forrester Research report The State Of SMB Software: 2009 and data from Forrester’s Enterprise and SMB Software Survey “Enterprise Versus SMB: Who Influences Your Software Purchasing Decisions?” and “Software Budget Outlook And Preferred Purchasing Channels By Company Size: 2008 To 2009”. You can purchase the research at Forrester’s website or go to bMighty to read a summary. Do you agree with the findings? Let us know – we’re interested in what you think.

Related articles:

• Keep your software up to date with Secunia Personal Software Inspector
• Patch management no longer just an IT problem
• Another year of handwringing on cybersecurity

The format was developed by Adobe and was originally available only to owners of the company’s Acrobat software. During the mid-90s, Adobe began distributing Acrobat Reader software, a free tool for viewing PDF files – making it a popular choice for authors, publishers, and designers who wanted to get around the formatting limitations of HTML. PDF is now accepted as an open standard, and is widely supported by other software vendors.

Several characteristics of PDF make it a great choice for sharing or publishing documents over the Internet.

1. Ability to retain formatting. PDF allows the original presentation and formatting of any document to remain exactly as its original author intended it to look, including images, fonts, and layout. This is a distinct advantage over other formats such as Microsoft Office documents or HTML, which can change the document’s appearance according to the software and fonts installed on the computer used to view the document.
2. Security. With PDF documents, you have full control over users’ ability to open, print, copy,modify, or share documents. You can selectively enable or disable these actions for each document according to your preferences.
3. Easy to create. Because PDF has become an open standard, many software vendors support the format.You don’t necessarily need Adobe’s Acrobat software to create PDF documents. Many plug-ins for Microsoft Office, print drivers, or online conversion services are available free or for a fee and make it easy and convenient to publish or export to the format.
4. Compressible. PDF file sizes can be shrunk to suit the needs of target users. PDF documents can be packaged and compressed while retaining the original quality, or can be down-sampled and compressed to dramatically reduce file size, making it quick to download over the web.
5. Powerful and flexible. You can add interactive elements including form fields, hyperlinks,electronic signatures, and multimedia such as sounds and videos to your PDF documents. Although these features are also available with other formats,they are not as easy to package and share as PDF.

So consider switching to PDF when you want to share or publish documents over the Internet. If you need assistance, let us know – we can help.

Related articles:

• Customize PDFs online with these tools
• PDF Converter Downloads
• 4 Very Light Alternatives to Adobe Reader

Disk drives claim the dubious distinction of being the slowest component on today’s computers, and the more fragmented they are, the more they drag down the performance of the entire system. Fragmentation is the scattering or fragmenting of files on a hard drive from continually writing, deleting, and resizing them. The more you use your computer, the more these bits of data get scattered about. As this happens, it takes longer for the computer to retrieve this data as it reads back from the disk. Defragmentation is the process in which a special software utility is run to arrange all of this data into contiguous spaces on the disk.

Today, frequent defragmentation is becoming more and more important as drive capacities become larger and we start to use our disks more heavily. We now regularly store and retrieve various forms of media such as photos, images, music and videos from our computer disks. Thousands of media files dramatically increase disk fragmentation. We also use our systems to run “virtualized” guest operating systems, which also dramatically increases file fragmentation as these operating systems perform simultaneous read/write operations on the disk. Resident antivirus programs will also slow down disk operation if it is made to continuously read fragmented files. In a business maintaining several computers, these operations will significantly shorten the life span of the drives, and will also contribute to work slowdowns and productivity loss.

So before spending money on a new CPU or RAM upgrade, try defragmenting first. Let us help you implement a schedule and procedures to better manage this important process.

EMRs allow health care providers to exchange information electronically. They can look up patient records, prescribe drugs, maintain statistical data, and more—all with the click of a mouse.

gloStream’s EMR has a simple user interface that utilizes voice recognition technology and offers single-click access to all patient data—which in turn helps health care professionals work more efficiently and safely.

Plus, it has the support of Microsoft: Its utilization of Microsoft technology (including Microsoft Office) offers health care professionals an EMR that is secure, reliable, customizable, and affordable.

Health care professionals won’t want to waste time implementing an EMR such as gloStream’s. Those who do so soon are eligible to receive as much as $64,000 in incentives per professional, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. Late adaptors, on the other hand, may have their fee schedules reduced.

gloStream’s EMR is delivered and supported through a nationwide network of local technology partners. Give us a call and we’ll help you explore ways this technology can help your company grow.

Related articles:

http://microsoftstartupzone.com/blogs/rodney_bowen-wright/default.aspx

http://techstartups.blogspot.com/2009/05/glostream-raises-75-million-series-b.html

http://www.newsrx.com/print.php?prID=3138

http://twitter.com/glostream

SPECIAL REPORT

ABSTRACT

Background: Electronic health records have the potential to improve the delivery of health care services. However, in the United States, physicians have been slow to adopt such systems. This study assessed physicians’ adoption of outpatient electronic health records, their satisfaction with such systems, the perceived effect of the systems on the quality of care, and the perceived barriers to adoption.

Methods: In late 2007 and early 2008, we conducted a national survey of 2758 physicians, which represented a response rate of 62%. Using a definition for electronic health records that was based on expert consensus, we determined the proportion of physicians who were using such records in an office setting and the relationship between adoption and the characteristics of individual physicians and their practices.

Results: Four percent of physicians reported having an extensive, fully functional electronic-records system, and 13% reported having a basic system. In multivariate analyses, primary care physicians and those practicing in large groups, in hospitals or medical centers, and in the western region of the United States were more likely to use electronic health records. Physicians reported positive effects of these systems on several dimensions of quality of care and high levels of satisfaction. Financial barriers were viewed as having the greatest effect on decisions about the adoption of electronic health records.

Conclusions: Physicians who use electronic health records believe such systems improve the quality of care and are generally satisfied with the systems. However, as of early 2008, electronic systems had been adopted by only a small minority of U.S. physicians, who may differ from later adopters of these systems.

• Read the full report and supplements at The New England Journal of Medicine…

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Be proactive. Be prepared. Take security concerns seriously. Always watch for ways to cut costs.

That just might sum up the advice that enterprise-grade IT shops would give smaller businesses about how to avoid costly IT mistakes.

But what are some specific technology lessons that smaller fry can learn from the big fish? We asked the experts, and here’s a partial list:

• Read more at Inc Technology…

• Small businesses will be able to more quickly deduct the cost of investments in plants and equipment from their taxable income.
• Small businesses will be allowed to recover alternative minimum tax (AMT) and research and development (R&D) credits faster.
• Small businesses will be allowed to write off up to $250,000 of capital expenditures in the year of acquisition.

As a result, 2009 might be a good time to consider upgrading your technology. Your financial advisor can help you determine if any of these tax cuts apply to you.

More information;

A Breakdown of the stimulus package:
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/STIMULUS_FINAL_0217.html

Small Business Association information on stimulus bill:
http://www.sba.gov/recovery/index.html

Regularly updated stimulus page at Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/stimulus-package.html

What is CRM?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a broad term that covers the management of all aspects of a company’s interaction and relationship with customers. It involves strategies, programs, and tactics to put the customer at the center of your business, with the goals of differentiating the company’s competitive positioning, attracting leads, encouraging customer adoption, improving customer satisfaction, encouraging customer loyalty-and ultimately driving revenue growth and profitability.

Why is Automation in Implementing CRM Important?

Among many other outcomes, an effective CRM involves properly identifying exactly who your customers are by not only segmenting them into groups but actually identifying them one by one so you can tailor your interaction with them in a way that meets their individual needs, wants, and expectations. And not only that, you also need to capture, store, and analyze each interaction with them in order to maximize your efforts.

As a business owner, you have a lot to focus on, and to implement CRM effectively, automation is definitely key. Attempting to achieve the goals mentioned above manually with a paper system takes a huge amount of time and effort, with incomplete results that often don’t justify that cost. You need to implement efficient technologies that support coordinated interactions through all customer channels across all customer touch-points, whether they happen through e-mail, phone, fax, instant messaging, via the web, or in face-to-face meetings with your sales people. You can only do all these things efficiently and effectively with an automated CRM system.

What Do You Need to Consider when Evaluating CRM Systems?

These days there are so many CRM options available that choosing the one best for your needs can be confusing. In evaluating your options, it’s important that you weigh a system’s features against your particular circumstances and business goals. As you begin researching different services, keep in mind what your goals are, any constraints you have to work within (such as budget), and who are the expected users of the system.

One of the first things to consider is whether you need an “on-demand” or an “on-premise” solution. On-premise solutions involve purchasing CRM software that runs on your own hardware and server. On-demand solutions are externally hosted systems accessible via the Internet. These convenient internet-based systems have no hardware or software set up requirements – saving you time and money. With employment trends heading more and more toward virtual or mobile employees, on-demand solutions are the best way to go for a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses.

In some cases, however, there is good reason to run CRM software on your own server, inside your own office. For instance, if security is of paramount concern, especially if you’re handling sensitive customer data, then you might be uneasy letting someone else manage your system for you. Also, if an always-on Internet connection is not possible, or if you need to integrate your CRM system with other systems (such as your telephony or accounting package), then an on-premise solution is the way to go.

Another important consideration is deciding what type of CRM system you want. Some CRM systems are geared towards marketing, and provide excellent automated lead generation, lead tracking, and marketing communication packages. Others focus on managing the activities of sales people, providing prospect and account management as well as opportunity management. Still others automate all aspects of the customer service function, such as automated helpdesk systems and knowledgebase. Finally, some focus on customer analytics, converting raw customer data from various systems into information you can act on.

Whichever type of CRM you choose, make sure that you research all the options available to you carefully. Be sure to check with your IT services professional for help in not only finding the right fit for your business, but also in adopting a system that will integrate well with your current or planned IT structure.

• Windows 7: The Complete Guide (Now With RC1!) [Windows 7]
• Microsoft: Lots to turn off in Windows 7

Windows 7 – It’s like Vista, only less annoying

Local Business Center is a Google service that allows business owners to enhance their business listings in Google Maps and other search results. With Search Dashboard, users are able to view statistics on how local listings are found across different websites within Google. For example, it shows when website visitors clicked on driving directions included with listings as well as those visitors’ Zip Codes.

Let us show you how this service can help you target ads to regions where your customers and prospects live.

Related articles:

• The Local Business Center dashboard opens its doors (googleblog.blogspot.com)
• Google LBC Is A Treasure For Small Business (regulargeek.com)
• Google giving small businesses local search data (news.cnet.com)

Adware (advertising software) and malware (malicious software) are types of harmful software called “spyware” that are not usually covered by anti-virus scans. While viruses affect your system directly, spyware runs in the background and transmits information about you through the ’net, which can be used a number of ways ranging from annoying to downright illegal.

These dangers are often unnoticed by users since they don’t directly affect the computer’s operation the way viruses do. What’s more, many people confuse them with viruses, but they’re very different and should be handled differently. Lots of spyware can also slow down your computer, so it’s important to have anti-spyware programs installed on your computer to keep it free from these harmful invaders.

There are many free spyware scanners and removers on the internet – simply download and install one, and then run it on a regular basis. Scanning for adware, spyware, and malware takes approximately the same time as doing a virus scan. Also, remember to update your scanners so that you have current definitions and less chance of overlooking new threats. Finally, we recommend that you refrain from visiting and downloading from unfamiliar websites since they could serve as hosts for both spyware and viruses.

CutePDF – makes PDF a piece of cake

PDF files ave become a standard in document exchange between professionals around the world. The only problem with this is that you usually need expensive programs like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop to generate them, but thankfully CutePDF is here to save the day. CutePDF is an online tool that converts all compatible documents, such as MS Word or MS Excel files, into PDF format, which you can then send out. Simply download the easy-to-understand free version, and convert your documents to PDF in a jiffy. You can also purchase a pro version with more features if you need them.

Send large files through YouSendIt

If you exchange files on the web – especially audio or video files, or programs and installers – then you’ve probably been frustrated by most email servers’ inability to handle large files. Now you can use YouSendIt, a free online service that lets you send files up to 100MB easily and quickly. Just upload the files you want to send and enter the email address, and the recipient will get an email with instructions for downloading the files from the YouSendIt servers. If you register for a free account, you can opt to have your own email address appear as the sender. Again, there is also an optional paid version that increases the maximum size limit.

Convert your files using YouConvertIt

File conversion is yet another tricky and frustrating issue. Opening .docx (MS Office 2007) documents, for instance, in older versions, or using some video and audio files in foreign formats, requires the user of a special converter. The problem with converters is that you have to scour the internet looking for the specific converter you need for each situation, and often each operates differently. With YouConvertIt, you simply enter your email address, upload the file you want to convert, choose output file type, click convert, then follow the instructions given. It’s a simple as that.

The more professional and long-winded approaches to accomplishing these tasks do have their merits, but most of us don’t need or want the hassle. With these free, online solutions you can quickly accomplish what you need in just a few simple and easy steps.

Last April 14, Microsoft officially announced the end of mainstream support for Windows XP, seven years after XP originally shipped. Non-security patches, fixes, and updates are no longer available free from Microsoft, and phone support for security and non-security related issues and change requests are no longer provided. Any future bugs found in the platform will not be fixed without a fee.

This new development affects all versions of XP (except for Embedded): Home Edition, Media Center Edition 2002, Media Center Edition 2004, Media Center Edition 2005, Professional, Professional x64 Edition, Tablet PC Edition, and Tablet PC Edition 2005.

About 63 per cent of all internet connected computers still use Windows XP, according to March 2009 statistics from Hitslink, while Windows Vista makes up about 24 per cent. Businesses are in no hurry to move to the forthcoming Windows 7, either. A survey released by appliance vendor Kace revealed that 83% of businesses have no plans to upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 within the first 12 months of its availability. Microsoft is expected to release Windows 7 later this year or early next.

However, companies enrolled under Microsoft’s Premiere customer program have no worries, since Extended Support is available for them until April 8, 2014. Unfortunately this program is typically only available to large enterprise customers who enjoy volume licensing. Small businesses may be out of luck, unless they can work out a deal with a Microsoft channel partner for non-security related support.

Microsoft emphasized that security-related patches will still be issued for all legitimate XP users at no charge. This includes fixes for vulnerabilities inside Windows that worms such as Conficker exploit.

Those planning to upgrade, take note: while Windows 7 users will be able to downgrade to Windows XP, the reverse will not be true. Microsoft said in its Engineering Windows 7 blog that XP users will have to perform a full install to have a smooth experience with Windows 7.

Concerned?  We can help you sort out how these new policies affect you. Call us today.

According to the report, many popular search terms are targeted, such as: lyrics downloads, free downloads, swine flu, and rihanna. Users are urged to always protect themselves by using patched systems and updated protection tools such as antivirus software. We can help you make sure you’re protected when surfing the Internet – give us a call today.

Related articles:

• McAfee Finds Lyrics and Free Download Searches Most Dangerous Search Keywords
• The Riskiest Search Terms On The Internet | WebProNews
• Danger lurks in screensaver searches: internet security report

An interesting insight from the study reveals the expected role of technology in the recovery. Approximately 57 percent of the executives surveyed “agree” or “strongly agree” that technology will be a huge deciding factor in their ability to emerge successfully from this recession. About 20 percent said they would invest more heavily in innovative technology to help them surpass their competitors.

Are you one of them? Give us a call and we’ll help you explore ways technology can help your company grow.

Related articles:

• Small Businesses: Hopeful of the future?
• Survey: SMBs poised to rebound when economy turns

A recent study conducted by the University’s Department of Management and Marketing has shown that moderate internet browsing for personal uses during working hours (and MODERATE is the operative term here) actually increases productivity among workers. This a big “Ha! I knew it.” moment for many, with most employers preferring that their employees not be posting new status messages on Facebook or checking out the latest sensation from Britain’s Got Talent from YouTube. Their reasoning being that it wastes company resources and makes employees lazy.

300 employees from different companies were made part of the study, where it was found out that workers who use the internet for personal reasons, called “Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing” or (WILB) in the study, for less than 20 percent of their working hours were 9 percent more effective, focused, and therefore productive in their respective jobs. WILB activities usually encompassed searching for and researching about products to buy online, reading blogs and news websites, social networking (like Facebook, MySpace or Friendster) activities, playing online games, and watching streaming videos from sites like YouTube and Veoh.

Professor Brent Coker, the man behind the research, explains that people need short breaks to reset their concentration. According to him, focusing on a certain task for too long degrades the level concentration, making “zoning out” from time to time essential in maintaining an optimal frame of mind to be able to accomplish a work task efficiently.

But before you lug your gaming CDs to the office or prepare for marathon runs of your favourite Facebook application, Dr. Coker is quick to remind everyone of the term MODERATE usage. Anything beyond that, he says, will then result in loss of productivity. So don’t feel too guilty when you watch Susan Boyle belt her heart out on YouTube for a couple of minutes or post a comment or two on Facebook. As long as you get right back to work afterward, no harm, no foul.

Related articles:

• Can You Trust Your Caller ID?
• 123Spoof Makes Caller ID Spoofing Easy
• 9 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself against Internet fraud

• Social Media a Stumbling Block for IT Pros
• Survey: IT Managers Unprepared for Social Security Risks

Benefits

1. Features. VoIP has the same features as conventional phone service: multiple lines, conference calling, and voice mail, to name just a few.
2. Cost. VoIP costs much less than conventional phone service, and most VoIP services charge a flat monthly fee, so bills are predictable.
3. Simplicity. Calls are routed through the same network you use for e-mail and Internet access, so one system serves all functions.
4. Mobility. You won’t need separate office and cell phone numbers: You can receive calls on your laptop or so-called “IP” phone while traveling, essentially taking your entire business phone system with you wherever you go.

Some things to consider

• Audio quality still isn’t perfect, but you can make VoIP calls with regular phones or IP phones with little difference in quality.
• Depending on the number of employees you have and how many are on the phone at once, you might need higher bandwidth (such as a T1 line) to handle VoIP.
• You may want to keep a conventional phone line—primarily as a backup, but also to ensure that you’re listed in the local phone book.

More information

VoIP is integrated with your existing IT system, so contact us today for details about how you can get started enjoying its benefits.

Increasing your employees’ online workspace by expanding it across two or more monitors can significantly improve productivity with minimal cost investment.

In the past, multiple monitors have been the domain of programmers. Visit Google headquarters, for example, and you’ll see awe-inspiring configurations of screens: two, four, even six monitors, stacked side-by-side or one on top of the other. However, multiple monitors can also benefit just about any type of office worker.

Increased Multitasking

According to a number of studies by specialists in human-computer interaction, the bigger your employees’ screen space, the more work they can see and therefore the more work they can do. For example, employees can keep their email and chat screens open on one monitor while working on a Word or Excel document on the other. They no longer have to spend time switching between one or the other, and can respond to each more quickly.

Higher Productivity

In a study commissioned by the electronics company NEC and conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, office workers were asked to perform several basic tasks using various monitor configurations. The workers using two 20-inch monitors were 44% more productive than the workers using a single 18-inch monitor.

Minimal Cost

Multiple monitors may not have been feasible in the past due to cost, but the price of LCD panels fell by almost a third in 2008, and the trend is likely to continue through much of 2009, according to market research firm iSuppli.

Ready to enable your employees to get more done in less time? To upgrade to two monitors, in addition to the extra monitor you’ll need two video cards or an upgraded card with two outputs. Read more here, then contact us to help make it happen.

Have you ever wondered how to fix a leaking pipe or a broken light? Or how to check your car’s coolant or radiator fluid? How about maintaining a lawn, or tying a Windsor, or cooking a tasty meal for you or your kids in less than 30 minutes?

The answers to these questions and more can be found in self-help sites such as eHow and WikiHow. These sites are databases of how-to articles presented in a clear, concise, and simple manner that anyone can easily understand.

Unlike other guides that drown you (albeit unintentionally) in so much technical jargon that you end up completely lost, these sites make it a point to keep things uncomplicated – it’s all about helping you get something done right, and done fast. You can always learn the mechanics of why or how it works after you’ve gotten it done. Here, results are the primary consideration.

Both websites offer a variety of subjects to browse through. If you’re looking for a specific topic, simply enter the inquiry in the search box. Certain topics even have video tutorials and/or illustrated guides that make the learning process even easier. However, if you don’t have anything particular in mind, then you can browse through topics that are classified by category. Navigation is intuitive and user-friendly.

Another good thing about these websites is that the information is absolutely free – you don’t even have to register an account to gain access to them. And with WikiHow, if you feel like sharing a bit of your own knowledge, you can contribute your own how-to articles and become part of the WikiHow community. eHow also accepts entries that, depending on how you play your cards, can even help you earn a bit of extra money (there’s an eHow article to help you get started).

So the next time you find yourself in a spot with anything from a stubborn stain to treating a bee sting, try visiting these sites since they just might have the simple and straightforward solution you’re looking for.

What is IM?

IM is software that allows you to communicate in real time with other people who have the same software. It’s like email, but instantaneous.

IM was originally considered a way to stay in touch with friends and family, but lately it’s taken off in the workplace. That’s because IM offers a fast, convenient way for employees to interact with colleagues or clients in real time. In fact, many cutting-edge employers now encourage their employees to use IM instead of phone calls or e-mails.

Benefits include:

• Increased productivity: Workers can remain at their workstations instead of walking across the office or picking up the phone to obtain information, and the need for time-consuming meetings is reduced.
• Real-time communication with vendors and customers.
• Connection of traveling employees through mobile devices.

Where can you get it?

While there are many free IM services available such as AOL, Yahoo!, Skype, and MSN, many companies now offer solutions specifically designed for business. We can work with you to determine the best solution for your specific needs

How to get started:

1. Select a single provider.
2. Expand services as needed. While basic IM may be adequate for some small businesses, others may benefit from expanded offerings, such as text conferencing, pop-up messaging, and email integration.
3. Make sure your information is protected from external threats such as hackers and viruses.
4. Create a usage policy to avoid internal misuse.
5. Ensure that all employees know the rules and have installed the software on their systems.

To be effective, your IM application should be carefully integrated with your existing IT system and workflow. Give us a call today and we’ll help you through these steps to implement a secure and productive IM solution.

To qualify for the tax break, small businesses need only to invest a minimum of $1,000 per asset, or combine their purchases to meet the minimum threshold. For example, a server purchased for $5,000 is eligible for a $2,500 deduction, in addition to depreciation-related expenses. A business purchasing two Netbooks for $500 each, with the deduction in effect only pays for one.

A few conditions apply to the tax break. First, the business’s annual income must be under $2 million. Businesses earning over this amount can continue to take advantage of the existing tax break of 30 per cent for eligible assets acquired prior to June 30, 2009 and 10 per cent for eligible assets acquired between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.

Second, the purchased equipment must be new. However, in certain cases the tax break can apply to substantial improvements to existing assets, such as upgrades to the office network or new storage devices. Software is not included in the tax break unless it’s bundled with a hardware purchase.

Third, purchases must take place between December 13, 2008 and the end of 2009, and the equipment must be installed by end of 2010.

While the tax break will reduce the Australian government’s overall revenue, it is expected to preserve jobs and encourage growth in a sector of the economy that needs it most during these tough times, making it a great boon for small businesses. It’s also great news for IT hardware vendors and their VARs, who may see a boost in sales after fearing the worst from the global recession.

Related articles:

• Tax breaks for Australian small businesses
• Billions in Stimulus Are Proposed for Australia
• Budget 09: Tax Breaks for IT Equipment

1. Save on energy, save on costs:A lot of today’s computing devices feature power management features and energy saving modes, thanks largely to US government efforts to develop energy-efficiency standards called Energy Star. This is a voluntary labeling program adopted by many vendors to clearly identify and promote their efforts in bringing down energy costs for customers as well as to showcase their own use of eco-friendly production processes and materials. When you purchase Energy Star products and make full use of their features, you not only help the environment but also save significantly on your energy bills.
2. Reuse and Recycle:Consider retiring old equipment and replacing it with more energy-efficient models. Reuse what you can (such as RAM modules, cables, controller cards, and drives), and find a reputable recycler to help you dispose of remaining parts safely.
3. Consolidate what you have:Be eco-smart about your purchases. Advances in technology such as machine virtualization now allow you to consolidate computing resources on fewer machines, such as all-in-one printers, saving not only upfront capital costs but also recurring operating expenses such as maintenance, space, power, and cooling. Over time this means less equipment goes into landfills, better utilization of resources, and more money freed up to apply where it counts – to growing your business.
4. Do more with less:Instead of travelling, consider teleconferencing. Instead of hiring full time, onsite employees consider telecommuting arrangements. Not only do you reduce your carbon footprint by reducing transportation impact but also save a considerable amount of time and money as well.
5. Outsource IT:For non-core elements of your operations, consider outsourcing, which leverages economies of scale by sharing resources among several customers without losing efficiency or effectiveness. For example, instead of hosting your own website, outsource it to a hosting service provider instead.

We have lots of ideas for going green at your office and saving energy costs along the way. Give us a call and we’ll be glad to share them with you.

• Facebook users targeted by hackers in successful phishing attack
• Gadgetwise: More Facebook Phishing Trouble Today
• Hackers launch phishing attack on Facebook users

Not all of these risks are necessarily borne of malicious intent on the part of employees. Some risks may come from unwitting participation, temptation, or simply ignorance. Here are just some examples of security risks you should watch out for:

1. Data theft. With the ease with which employees can connect small devices and transport data outside the company’s four walls, the risk of your sensitive data falling into the wrong hands becomes very real. Set up clear guidelines and policies regarding the use of removable storage media. You can, on your own or with the help of your IT consultant or service provider, lock down your PCs to disallow connection to removable drives or portable media devices if appropriate.
2. Data loss. Accidents happen. Set up backup systems so that you can recover data quickly in case employees accidentally delete a file, are unable to secure a PC from viruses and worms, or are careless with the physical state and functioning of their assigned PCs.
3. Data leaks. With the proliferation of multiple channels of online communication such as e-mail and IM, the threat of employees leaking sensitive company data to outside parties is very real. Provide clear guidelines and policies for the proper use of these communication channels in the workplace, and if needed, set up methods to block access to these services. Ask your IT consultant for help.
4. Intellectual property violations. Illegal downloads or the illicit sharing of copyrighted material can also pose a significant threat to your organization. Legal action or the loss of your company’s hard-earned reputation can be debilitating and difficult to get over.
5. Online Phishing and E-mail Scams. In phishing or e-mail scams, deception is used to gain unauthorized access to confidential data. Make sure you or your IT consultant set up filters to block such e-mails, or use security software to block access to this type of website.
6. Lax/missing access controls. Be prudent and place access control policies on key information resources within your organization, such as e-mail or your accounting system. Provide each employee with access only to relevant information needed to complete his or her particular job.

It’s not easy to protect yourself from security breaches, especially when they come from within your organization. Get advice from an expert. Contact your IT Service provider today to find out more.

Related articles:

• Workers ‘stealing company data’ (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Gasp! Fired workers are taking confidential data (news.cnet.com)
• A multilayered strategy helps neutralize internal security threats (techrepublic.com)

While IM has traditionally been used for quick and instant personal interaction such as chatting between friends and family, people are now finding that it can be effective in business as well. But before diving in and using IM in your organization, be aware that there can be significant risks. For instance, it can expose the company to outside threats such as hackers and viruses, or from problems from within such as employees sharing secret or sensitive information to outside or unauthorized parties. Finally, if not monitored properly, it can be a huge timewaster if employees spend their time chatting with colleagues, family, and friends instead of working.

Here are some tips to get the most out of IM safely and effectively within your organization:

1. Create guidelines for use. Let employees know of the dangers and risks in using IM. Create policies to allow the use of IM only for certain people within the organization (such as sales) and only during certain times of the day. Ask your IT consultant to configure your network to enact the restrictions you want.
2. Standardize. Choose one piece of IM software (such as Google Talk, AIM or MSN) and try using it internally first. You won’t be able to prevent some employees from adding buddies outside of work, so make sure to ask them to separate buddies inside the company from those outside. IM software allows you to easily create “buddy lists” to do this.
3. Know when to use it. IM is a tool that can complement e-mail on one end and voice calls on the other. Consider using e-mail for detailed information sharing or communications such as memos, requests, letters, and proposals that readers need to refer to repeatedly. Consider using voice calls for more intimate interaction, clarifying communication, or in cases when you need to build rapport with the recipient. IM can be something in between the two, such as when you need to ask a quick question, send a short update, or get presence information.
4. Keep it short. Keep IMs short and direct. In IM, unlike in voice conversations, you don’t need to do go through pleasantries. Unlike email, because of their real-time nature, IMs can be intrusive so be conscious of what the other party is dong and to make it brief and to the point when necessary.
5. Use your status to your advantage. IM software allow you to set your status (i.e., Busy or Away) to let others know if you are free to take their messages. You can also set your status to Invisible so that you can be aware of others’ presence but be invisible to others.
6. Set your preferences. Most IM software allow you to control certain behaviors, such as window pop-ups, whether to archive messages or not, whether to startup automatically when you log in, and much more. Explore the features of your software and use them to your advantage.

• inefficient coordination
• waiting for information
• unwanted communications;
• customer complaints
• barriers to communication

In addition, researchers determined that the time spent per week dealing with communications issues was more than 50 percent higher in companies with more than 20 workers. In hard costs, your company could be losing up to half a million dollars each year by not addressing employees’ most painful communications issues!
The good news:  we can help you implement applications and services to greatly improve your inter-company communications, including collaboration tools such as email and shared calendards and address books, social media technologies such as blogs and wikis, and IP-based communication tools such as instant messaging (IM) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP). Call us today and let us help you stop this expensive leak.Related articles:

• Report: SMBs Expected to Spend More Online (searchenginewatch.com)
• How Collaboration Tools Bring Cost Savings, Business Alignment (searchcio-midmarket.com)
• Inefficient Communications Costs SMBs $5000 per Employee (SMBnow.com)

This worm is particularly dangerous as it can infect your PC in many ways. You can be infected by simply visiting your favorite Web site, downloading a file or email from the Internet, loading a USB drive, or just by leaving your networked computer on, overnight while you’re asleep.

The worm takes advantage of known vulnerabilities in Windows to spread. Its removal can be difficult, as it blocks many known antivirus software and associated websites. In some cases it even disables antivirus software already installed or the Windows Update service.
After infection, it may choose to run rogue software on the machine, or use it as a host to infect other machines. Particularly troubling, security experts believe, is that on April 1st, a new variant of the worm will begin to randomly check various websites on the Internet to download new instructions. What those instructions are unknown at this point and could be anything as harmless as telling a joke, displaying an ad or as harmful as destroying files or even stealing usernames and passwords.

The worm itself is not new, it made its first appearance late November 2008, known under the names Conficker or Kido. It shouldn’t have spread if people had made sure to the latest Windows and other updates were applied to their PCs and have kept up to date with their security vendors’ latest antivirus releases. Also since it spreads via network shares, making sure to use strong passwords on shared network drives would have helped to contain it early as well.
If you aren’t sure if your PC and network are protected, make sure to contact your IT service provider for advice.

Here are some other articles you might want to check out for more information:

Related articles:

• The Conficker worm’s evil genius. (slate.com)
• Conficker Worm Draws a Counter-Attack – PC World (domainmacher.com)
• FAQ: Conficker worm (cbc.ca)
• Your Quick Guide to the Conficker Worm (shankrila.com)
• Windows PC Worm Set to Activate on April 1st (littlegreenfootballs.com)

1. Protect your personal information. It’s valuable.
2. Know who you’re dealing with.
3. Use security software that updates automatically.
4. Keep your operating system and Web browser up-to-date and learn about their security features.
5. Keep your passwords safe, secure, and strong.
6. Back up important files.
7. Learn what to do in an “e–mergency.”

If you suspect Internet fraud, you can register a complaint using this form. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database used by law enforcement officials in the U.S. and overseas. Check out the site or contact your IT Consultant to help you implement the recommendations from the site.

Related articles:

• 7 Smart Security Practices For Small Businesses
• 9 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself against Internet fraud
• ID theft up, and 20somethings suffer most
• Online fraud up after years of decline: report

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• More notes from “Social Media Marketing”
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• The Five Myths of Social Media
• Using social media to network

• Read more at PC World…

1. Know the results you want to achieve.
2. Understand how long it should take to complete the work. (Ask others in your industry if you’re not sure.)
3. Set a realistic time table for achieving results.
4. Insist on all service providers and vendors document their work
5. Offer feedback and praise

When it comes to your outsourced computer support and network management these are great tips to keep in mind.

• Read more at Small Biz Resources…

• Read more at TG Daily

• Read More at eWeek

IT experts predict a substantial uptick this year in the number of small businesses using smart phones — as well as flash drives, social networks, and faster Internet connections. While that might make employees more productive, it also increases the security risks a small business faces.

• Read more at Inc Technology…

There are an astronomical number of variables that are involved in any business success, certainly, but there are also some truisms that seem to apply always and everywhere. The primary ingredient in success, of course, is not genius, creativity, a college education or a lot of working capital. The key is persistence, pure and simple.

• Read more at SB Informer…

• Read more at SB Informer…

In the past, the Canadian government has required that assets be depreciated over their useful life. For computers, that could be many years.

Under Budget 2009, any computer equipment purchased between January 27, 2009, and February 1, 2011, can be fully depreciated in the first year of use.

This reduces the cost of computer ownership, making it easier for small businesses to acquire the e technology they need to stay competitive in today’s challenging economic environment.

As a result, now might be a good time to consider upgrading your computer technology. Your financial advisor can help you determine if the tax cut applies to you.

• For more information about Budget 2009, please visit www.budget.gc.ca/2009/home-accueil-eng.asp.
• For more information about depreciating computer technology, please see the “Capital Cost Allowance” section at www.knv.com/resources/pdf/publications/jan09_KNV_federal_budget_memo.pdf.
• or details about Canada’s budget cycle, please see www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/pdf-e/financialprocedure-e/c_d_financialcycle-e.pdf.

No wonder, Internet fax providers like MyFax have reported they’re getting over 15,000 new costumers signing up each month. Many companies, large and small, are switching over to this new way of faxing; while others are adding an online fax service to compliment their traditional office fax machine.

• Read more at SB Informer…

Building a brand has everything to do with capturing the hearts and minds of consumers. Building a brand is much more than just promoting an image. A brand incorporates and conveys the values and traits that a company wants associated with their product or service. It sounds like building a brand is a simple task, but the marketers must do more than just create a brand image. The magnitude of branding encompasses all aspects of a product. With this in mind, we’ve put together a guide for marketers on the journey of brand building…

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I love technology, and in fact, the particular blue tooth headset I’m using is made by one of the premier brands.

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Of course these child hood secret messages only work in the mind of a child, but not the corporate shield of real business. For your communications between your employees, your partners or your clients you need to ensure that each email message that needs to be secure, is secure.

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Part 3: Analyzing ROI

As we explained in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, today, more than ever, small businesses considering a technology investment should analyze not only the costs of that investment, but
the expected ROI as well. Unfortunately, few models exist to guide you through that analysis,
and with good reason: Determining ROI involves looking at many components, then applying those components to your particular situation.

Doing this requires making many choices, so first, let’s look at the things one must consider—from both a cost and benefit perspective—when considering the ROI of a technology investment.

• Your existing technology infrastructure. There are few companies without existing technologies in place—and any new solution will need to work with these systems to be effective. There will likely be costs associated with the new technology’s impact on existing systems—but there will also be benefits. For example, a new technology might offer more efficient automation of workflow or improved information collection, storage, and access.
• Your business processes. A new technology can clearly improve your businesses processes as described in Part 2 of this series—by reducing downtime, improving productivity, and lowering costs. But implementing the new technology will likely involve training staff in using the technology—and that can have associated costs.
• Your external relationships. Finally, no business is an island: Your systems may link to customer and vendor systems. As a result, any new technology may impose constraints or require changes of external organizations or individuals—in the way information is delivered or received, for example.

To solve this puzzle, it can be helpful to ask three different but related questions about the technology solution’s cost,effectiveness,andefficiency.

• Cost: Can you afford the technology—and will it pay for itself? To answer these questions, you’ll need to know the cost of the solution itself and the monetary value of the resources used to implement it, measured in standard financial terms. You’ll then compare the dollar cost of all expenditures to the expected return (in terms of the projected savings and revenue increases). You may need to project the cost and return over a multi-month or multi-year time span in order to show a payback period.
• Effectiveness: How much bang for your buck will you realize? Now the analysis becomes more complex. Analyzing the effectiveness of a technology solution requires you to look at its costs in relation to how effective it is at producing the desired results—in essence, to expand your measurement of ROI beyond cost savings and revenue increases to include performance relative to your company’s goals. To do this, you’ll probably want to look at unit cost or activity cost.
• Efficiency: Is this the most you can get for this much investment? Finally, you’ll want to ask whether the technology will produce the greatest possible value relative to its costs. That can present difficulties, as it will require you to conduct a similar analysis on many alternatives, perhaps simulating the performance of the alternatives in some way.

These three types of measurements differ in several ways. While the first is based simply on
Financial metrics—i.e., cost in pure dollar terms—the other two include production output metrics, including the quality of goods or services and customer satisfaction. These production output metrics may even extend to employee morale, or in the case of some companies (such as manufacturers of “green” products or non-profits), social or political benefits.

All of these measurements, however, help you answer the same basic question: whether an economic downturn is a time to reduce technology spending, or a time to examine priorities
and decide which technology investments will pay off in the long-term.

Every business wants a hot niche, and Starr Tincup had one. In 2003, the Fort Worth marketing and advertising startup decided to cater to software makers in the human resources industry—and quickly signed 20 customers. Then the growing pains set in. By 2005, staff had ballooned to 80 from 4, plus more than 200 contractors. But revenues were just $2.5 million, and soon Starr Tincup was $500,000 in debt. SaaS made the difference in the turnaround.

• Read more at Business Week…

However, over time, some of you have found that you could do so much more with the device as you found good software to make it a powerful productivity tool. Some software you might want to consider, to enhance the mobile warrior within you.

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Part 1: Understanding ROI

There are two ways to look at the value of technology: total cost of ownership (TCO), which quantifies only the cost of a project, and ROI, which quantifies both the cost and expected benefit of the project over a specific timeframe.

Traditionally, businesses have used TCO when analyzing the cost of internal infrastructure projects such as upgrading an e-mail system. But even with internal systems, ROI can be a better method: If your old e-mail system goes down, for example, your sales team can’t contact customers electronically and must spend more time making phone calls. If your employees spend two more hours on calls than they would on e-mails, you’ve actually lost money by not upgrading your e-mail system.

When it comes to any non-internal technology, however, ROI has long been the gold standard. That’s because technology can drive profit growth by increasing revenue.

Looking at ROI is particularly important when an economic downturn limits your budget. Indeed, an economic downturn may be the best time to assess your technology spending—because by investing wisely during a downturn, you can strengthen your future.

As an example of how ROI works, consider the case of a small, high-end electronics boutique. The current point-of-sale (POS) software program is beginning to show strains from the company’s expansion and increasing inventory, and customer service issues are arising—a problem since the company’s mission is to provide exceptional customer service. The company’s owner believes implementing a new POS software program will help address these issues, but deploying it will be costly.

The key question is which will cost more in the long-term: spending the money to provide a solution—or the losses the boutique will incur by not doing so?

That question may be easier to ask than to answer. As important as determining ROI is, there is still little consensus about how to measure it accurately. ROI, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. That’s because ROI has many intangibles—things that don’t show up in traditional cost-accounting methods but still maximize the economic potential of the organization, such as brand value, customer satisfaction, and patents.

For example, a knowledge management system may not reduce your costs in obvious ways, so how can you justify it in a tight economy? You probably can’t if you measure ROI by asking what a project will do for your bottom line in a year. But if the new system leads different parts of your company to collaborate, which in turn produces better goods and services that lead to top-line growth, then your ROI is strong.

In Part 2 of this three-part series, we’ll go into more detail about how a technology investment can provide a high ROI.Later, in Part 3, we’ll offer some guidance for conducting your own ROI analysis.

Part 2: How ROI can Justify a Technology Purchase

In Part 1 of this series, we examined the basics of ROI—and also noted that ROI is in the eye of the beholder because it has many intangibles. This month, we’ll go into more detail about the different ways a small business can realize a ROI on technology investments—even in an economic downturn, when the conventional wisdom is to cut expenditures.

There are three ways that a technology investment can pay off:

• Reduced downtime. Some downtime is clearly associated with lost revenues: When your website is down, for example, revenue will be lost as a result of customers not being able to place orders. But when internal computers and networks fail, employees are idle—and this, too, could ultimately cost you money. Businesses that have upgraded and efficient IT systems, and those that have managed services vs. a break/fix model (also known as service on demand), simply have busier employees—and busier employees bring in more revenue.
• Increased productivity. Technology allows employees to do more work in less time. For example, a new database management application might improve timely access to accurate information (which would result in less time spent searching for data) or reduce errors (which would result in less time spent revising work or handling customer complaints). Or, a network with remote connectivity might result in less lost time when employees are traveling,
• Lower costs. Technology allows small businesses to spend less. For example, a new inventory management application might reduce inventory costs. A new teleconferencing system might reduce travel costs. And a new process management system might reduce headcount, which can lead to lower labor costs.

Just how much could you benefit financially from a technology solution? As just one example, Microsoft surveyed 25 small businesses that used Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003, a network operating system that provides small businesses with secure Internet connectivity, an intranet, file and printer sharing, backup and restoration capabilities, a collaboration platform, and more.The average cost of the package was $11,650—which included $3,341 in hardware, $2,003 in software, $4,561 in installation, and $1,477 in downtime, plus incremental support. The 25 users surveyed saw a payback of total costs in just 4.9 months. The total average annual benefits were $40,409 and total three-year benefits were $121,227. The software resulted in an average ROI of 947 percent, with some companies realizing a ROI of as much as 2,000 percent.

Getting at those numbers, however, may be the greatest challenge of ROI analysis. Because ROI is not one simple thing, there isn’t one simple way to measure the costs, returns, and benefits of a technology solution. In Part 3 of this series, we’ll look at the many different questions one must ask during a ROI analysis.

• Read the story on Small Biz Technology…

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As a busy small business owner, you may not have had time to learn much about social networks. Or, you may think that social networking is just a way that teenagers “meet” other teenagers through the internet using applications like FaceBook or MySpace. However, many small businesses have found that social networks are a great way to get new customers and retain existing ones. According to Forrester Research (November 2008), membership levels in the leading social network sites are as follows:

• Bebo: 40 million
• Facebook: 120 million
• LinkedIn: 30 million experienced professionals representing 150 industries
• MySpace: 110 million
• Reunion: 32 million
• Second Life: 16 million
• Twitter: 5.57 million

What is social networking?

Social networking web sites allow you to connect with friends, family, and colleagues online, and to meet people with similar interests. The largest social networking sites have millions of members. Common to most social networking sites is the viral nature of building contact or friend lists and sharing with them. It is an exponential process. Mary knows ten people who each know ten more people – and soon there is a network of hundreds of people communicating with one another about what is happening in their lives.

When new members join a social networking site, they provide profile information about themselves and their interests. They also have the option to join groups that have similar interests within the social networking space. For example, on MySpace there are 34 group categories, each with tens of thousands of separate groups. Many individual groups have over 10,000 members. People in the groups and forums provide information to one another about their experiences and thoughts. For a small business, the utility of social networks comes from these groups with similar interests. Here is a sample comment about a local dentist I found on a recent forum post:
“Awesome Orthodontist (name withheld)! He’s got a great staff and they all have a great sense of humor … I live downtown Dallas and it’s worth the drive”.
This type of unsolicited endorsement, read by potentially thousands of people, is worth much more than a paid ad. Social network members will trust words from people just like them more than they will believe slick advertising or yellow page listings.

Social networking success story

This recent news story illustrates the power of social networking: “Electoral triumph built on a Web revolution”. As Barak Obama considered running for President of the United States, he had a meeting with Marc Andreessen, the founder of Netscape and a board member of Facebook. Obama wondered if social networking could help him. “It was like a guy in a garage who was thinking of taking on the biggest names in the business,” Andreessen recalled. “What he was doing shouldn’t have been possible, but we see a lot of that out here and then something clicks. He was clearly supersmart and very entrepreneurial, a person who saw the world and the status quo as malleable.” The rest, as they say, is history.

How your small business can take advantage of the power of social networking

• Tune in to what is being said about you on social networking sites.
• If someone asks a question that is within your expertise – help them.
• Track online comments about your organization or your products. If there is misinformation, provide corrections.
• Register with LinkedIn – this is a site specifically committed to linking businesses and professionals.
• Join in. Add your own comments to the blogs or upload short videos. Who is more qualified than you are to talk about your company?

Small business owners are very busy people, and monitoring and interacting with social networks may seem like another task on your already full plate. This is where your IT consultant can help. By setting up monitoring and tracking alerts on your system, you can optimize the time you spend on these important activities. Your IT consultant may also suggest software services that help you assess the return on your investment.

The R&D tax credit, first enacted under the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, provides certain companies with a tax credit for R&D expenditures used to introduce new products and services, improve current products and services, or simply enhance processes.

The tax credit reduces the cost of capital, thereby mitigating the risks of R&D investment and allowing companies to “push the envelope” in the development of new products and services. In other words, your company might get a tax break simply by making its products or processes better.

The R&D tax credit likely applies to more companies than you think it does. Contrary to popular opinion, the tax credit is not just for scientific research done in a large laboratory setting. Thanks to recently relaxed regulations, it applies to companies of all sizes in many industries, such as manufacturing, technology, software, and engineering.

Examples of small companies that could potentially use the R&D tax credit are a 10-person company that designs and manufactures disk drives for personal computers, or a five-person company that develops software for streamlining real estate companies’ billing operations. And the list goes on. Companies involved in any of the following activities may also be eligible for the R&D tax credit:

• Manufacturing new products, processes, or formulas
• Developing new, improved, or more reliable products, processes, or formulas
• Developing prototypes or models (including computer-generated models
• Designing tools, jigs, molds, or dies
• Applying for patents
• Conducting certification testing
• Testing new concepts and technology
• Trying to use new materials
• Acquiring new equipment
• Conducting environmental testingDeveloping or improving manufacturing processes
• Developing, implementing, or upgrading systems or software
• Building or improving manufacturing facilities
• Using outside consultants or contractors to do any of the above activities

If your company is eligible, you can generally claim a 20 percent credit against your taxes for qualified expenses above a base amount. Qualified expenses include in-house costs for wages, supplies, and a percentage of any contract costs. However, you must provide certain documentation showing that your projects are not just part of the ongoing cost of doing business.

That’s where the tax credit gets tricky. For example, unqualified expenses include (but are not limited to) internal-use items, such as the installation and customization of software used by your company internally. In one case, a company increased efficiency and reduced costs with an administrative software package. It claimed the R&D tax credit for the wages of its computer programmers and analysts working on the system during its installation and customization. The IRS denied the claim.

If you think you may be eligible for the R&D tax credit, you may want to contact your accountant now. The credit has expired and been extended many times—most recently in October 2008, when President Bush signed into law a retroactive two-year extension of the tax credit, from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. In some ways this is good news. Because it is retroactive to January 1, 2008, eligible companies can take advantage of a full year’s credit in a single quarter. However, if it’s not renewed again, you only have a year left to take advantage of the credit.

Finally, note that you may also be eligible for an R&D tax credit offered by your state. Your accountant can provide you with more information.

What is Web 2.0?

In the good old days (about four years ago), the web was comprised of sites published by companies that described their services and products – it was often nothing more than advertising. The web was flat and the information flow was one way.

Web 2.0, on the other hand, favors quality information content and supports interaction. To appreciate Web 2.0’s advances, it is helpful to understand why people use the internet. As well stated by Janice Redish in her book on writing web content that works, “People come to the internet to answer a question or get help completing a task. They want information that is easy to find and understand, is accurate, up to date, and credible.” Web 2.0 is all about content that provides real information.

Because many people now have access to broadband which supports fast downloads of data, Web 2.0 encourages expanding content types to include audio and video presentations. Finally, Web 2.0 takes advantage of links and tags. Links are websites referenced in your writing that add related content to the topic. Clicking on the link takes your visitor to the referenced site. Tags are metadata, which is data about, well, data. According to Master Media News, “A tag is a relevant keyword or term associated with or assigned to a piece of information (a picture, a geographic map, a blog entry, a video clip, etc.), thus describing the item and enabling keyword-based classification and search of information.”

How Web 2.0 can help your small business

Web 2.0 can level the playing field between you and your larger competitors – those with bigger budgets. Remember: web searchers do not care if you are a large, well-established company or a small business just getting started. They simply want information and help. If you do that well, you will be perceived as credible, and you may win over a new customer.

Your website embraces Web 2.0 by offering meaningful articles about your products, the technology behind them, and by helping buyers make an informed purchase decision. This is not selling; rather, you are educating and helping. When implementing the Web 2.0 philosophy, your site provides links to other sites that may help a customer or potential customer, even if that means mentioning a competitor. You are solving the searchers’ challenges by doing some of the search work for them. You can also encourage your visitors to add comments or suggest additional links.

A powerful way to use Web 2.0 strategies is to post short, how-to videos about your products. For many people, pictures are more believable and provide better training than words. Think of the questions customers ask you, and offer video answers with the credibility of an expert.

If this all seems to be beyond your capability, ask your IT consultants to help. Your IT consultant can add interactive services to your site and help create video and audio files, as well as suggest low-cost methods to increase the quality and quantity of information on your site.

And Why Should I Care?

• People are your most valuable and expensive resource – are they working smart and in a well organized way?
• Intranets are not new, and they are very popular among companies of all sizes. Intranets are a technology companies tend to love because of their easy implementation and the many benefits they offer at a low cost

An Intranet is an internal network built using the protocols and standards of the Internet. It’s an intra-company network that offers access to the same type of resources as the Internet but is limited to company’s employees (or selected outside users) only. Intranets are not expensive to implement and they offer many benefits, which probably explains why they are so popular. Some of the benefits of having an Intranet include:

• Better communication. Having an Intranet server where all the relevant information your employees need stored in one place reduces the time spent in locating information through normal, people-dependent channels. With Intranets, you just go to the server and get what you want.
• Increased productivity. When all the information your employees need is easily accessible, they spend less time communicating unnecessarily and more time doing their immediate jobs.
• Improved teamwork. Intranets are great for facilitating teamwork because when everybody has access to the same information, it is easier to be a more effective team player.
• Improved learning and knowledge management. Constant learning is a prerequisite for success in almost any business, and if you want to keep your employees in top shape, you need to make their learning experiences as easy as possible. When all the information they need is updated regularly, and above all is kept in one place, all it takes to learn is a desire and access to the location (i.e. your Intranet server’s knowledge base).
• Cost-effective. Unlike many custom applications, Intranet solutions are not expensive, yet they come packed with useful features and functionalities.
• Easy to use. The fact that Intranets use the technologies of the Internet means that your employees will not have to learn new programs. Actually, very often the only thing one needs in order to use and Intranet is a Web browser!
• Easy to adapt to your needs. While it is true that there are many Intranet servers and not all of them are equal, most of the best on the market provide extensive customization possibilities. If you implement a Intranet server that is packed with features, in the beginning you might have some difficulty figuring out what exactly you need. However, your IT Consultant will know your company’s needs and will select the features you need to use right away, and then gradually enable new features as you need them.

If you’re wondering what it takes to implement an Intranet, the answer is easy – just some time and a small investment. There are many Intranet-ready solutions and one of the best for a company of up to 50 computers or so is the Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS). Microsoft SBS includes many nice features and one of them is an Intranet. So if you are already using SBS for your company network, just ask your IT Consultant to enable the Intranet features.

What Now?

• Evaluate your business and talk to your team about your common workflows and document organization to find areas where you could be working better.
• Work with you IT Consultant to implement the best Intranet solution for your company’s needs.

In today’s world you’d be hard pressed to find a company that does not use computers, the Internet, and other information technology on a daily basis. In fact, there is hardly a company that does not rely on computers and networks for its mere existence. Whether we like it or not, IT plays a significant role in every business, and if you don’t ensure that your information system is working properly, your business is at risk.

Do You Really Need an IT Consultant?

Since your information system is so crucial to your business, you can’t afford to compromise with its quality. Technology is a pretty complex field, and unless you are a tech guru you might not be able to handle it on your own. But even if you can, you most likely have better things to do. As a small business owner your time is spent more productively focusing on your core business activities than on desperately trying to keep your network up and running. Additionally, downtime is not cheap, and it costs far less to hire a good IT consultant to maintain your network for you than to experience the losses of downtime.

You are lucky if you have not already learned the hard way that relying on amateurs in IT, medicine, law, and many other fields is very dangerous, so you will hardly want to experiment in your own company with trying to become a first-class IT expert.

While there are small business owners who do have the skills (and time) to manage their network, the majority prefer to have somebody else do it for them. Keeping in mind the speed at which information technology develops, it is quite understandable that many small business owners, even if they are IT-proficient, aren’t able to keep up with this constantly changing field. Therefore, many small business owners agree that the best solution is to hire a specialist.Employ an IT Specialist Full Time — or Hire an External Consultant?
After you have decided that you need to hire somebody to maintain your information system for you, the next step is to decide whether you need an in-house expert or an external consultant. Depending on your specific situation, both alternatives have their pros and cons.

Hiring an in-house IT specialist — This is a good choice if you have 30-40 or more computers or use complex applications that require ongoing maintenance. However, generally speaking, hiring an in-house IT specialist is rarely the best option for small companies who don’t need the level of IT attention to justify a full-time IT expert on payroll. Having a part-time IT expert is also an option, but very often it’s difficult to find a good IT expert who is willing to work part time. Also, for many people, a part-time job is only a temporary solution until something more permanent comes along. Because of this, part-time employees often leave when you need them most. And even worse, they leave taking important information about your systems with them, so when you finally replace them, it takes the new person valuable time to become familiar with the configuration of your network and applications.

Hiring an external IT consultant — This could be the better choice, and not only in terms of money. The advantage of hiring an external IT consultant is that you call them only when you need them, avoiding costly full-time salaries. Hiring an experienced and knowledgeable IT Consultant gives you the best of both worlds: part-time, highly specialized help, and the consistency and reliability of a full-time employee.

However, In most cases, it’s best to have an IT Consultant on a monthly fee – and that’s certainly what our clients prefer. Companies that get out of the ”fix-it-when-it-breaks” mode of thinking benefit from relying on an experienced IT Consultant as a trusted advisor, performing preventative work and helping them plan for the future. This is known as Managed Services.

What to Look for When Hiring an IT Consultant

Hiring an IT consultant is not that different from hiring in-house employees, but it certainly has its advantages. To get an idea of what to look for when hiring an IT consultant, you may want to read this article. You don’t handle complex legal issues without your attorney – do you want to entrust the smooth functioning of your business to chance or unqualified hobbyists?

What Next?

• Review your business plans, and determine if you are happy with your current IT capabilities and performance.
• Talk to other businesses and associates and learn how they are using IT to better manage their business.
• Get their recommendations for IT Consultants and interview a few until you find one that meets your needs and standards.

If you’ve never experienced the feeling of drowning in emails, then you are an exception. If this has never happened to you, publish your email address in a couple of sites where spambots get emails for spamming from and you will see how it feels to get dozens of junk emails a day. However, even if you are not drowning in spam, you still can receive many other unwanted messages a day, and soon you will discover that if you don’t know how to manage your inbox, the information overflow can be enormous. Here are some tips on how to manage your inbox effectively:

• Create separate folders for separate projects/people. One of the ways to deal effectively with information overflow is to separate the different streams of information. If you keep all your messages in your Inbox folder, soon it will contain thousands of messages, and it will be more difficult to find the message you need. You can create separate folders for different projects/people and file the emails into these folders.
• Create rules. Rules are one more way to optimize the flow of emails. Different email programs have different rules available, so you may want to check with your particular program to see which it offers. Almost always you can at least set rules for automatically moving/copying messages to/from a certain person to a separate folder.
• Use new message alerts. Very often you can configure alerts for new messages. If your email program does not have this feature enabled by default, you should consider enabling it.
• Manage spam filters. Spam filters are also part of inbox management, and depending on the amount of spam you receive, managing spam filters could take a lot of time. However, one of the important issues you must have in mind is that if your spam filters are not properly set, they could cut legitimate messages as well. So, set your spam filters with care.
• Use flags. Flags are a really useful way to separate a message from the rest. As with many of the other advanced inbox tricks, different email clients offer different flag systems, but almost any program offers flags for marking incoming messages as important, urgent, etc. If you have never used flagging, you will be surprised how easy and effective it is.

There are many more tips, all of which are good to know. Actually, we are just scratching the surface and we could add more ways to optimize your inbox use! But if you apply even the tips above, you will experience significant improvement in terms of effective email use. Isn’t it time you took charge of you email?

Email is perhaps the most important productivity tool available – yet its potential as a time waster is well known. It’s essential that you master this critical business tool and make it work of you.

Email is one of the most indispensable collaboration tools for any business. Email has become such an integral part of our lives that we can hardly imagine life without it. Using email is not difficult. Using it effectively, though, is not easy.
Everybody has experienced spam and how unwanted emails clutter up our inbox. Likewise, many of us have overlooked an important message that has gotten lost in an overflowing inbox. However, these are not the only cases when people are using email ineffectively. Here are some tips that will help you use email more effectively:

• Keep several email accounts. Having only one account means that generally you will be receiving dozens of messages a day, much of which is spam or is otherwise unwanted or unimportant. But even if your spam filters are working properly, you still should have several accounts. For instance, you should have a business company domain and be careful of using this to register or subscribe to services, and you should have another account for personal use with Gmail, Yahoo, MSN or another similar email service.
• Answer emails quickly. Good communication etiquette requires that you don’t keep people waiting for your reply. While you can’t be expected to answer emails immediately (unless it is an urgent matter, but then you’re better off using the phone), answering within a reasonable timeframe –one business day or less – is acceptable and increasingly expected.
• Manage your inbox. Even if you have several accounts and each of them is for different kinds of emails, your inboxes still will get cluttered. Managing your inbox effectively is one of the greatest improvements you can make in email use, so you may want to check this article on using email rules for advanced tips on effective inbox use.
• Use Folders. There are many emails that you want to keep after you have read them. Create a system of folders that makes sense to you so that after you’ve read and responded to an email you can move it out of your Inbox where it will distract you, to a folder where you can find it later if necessary.
• Distribution lists rules. Spam wouldn’t exist if there were no people who sent it. So, give your contribution to having a world with less spam and do not send unsolicited mails in bulk. Make sure that you are sending your emails only to people who want to receive them. Even better, check that you comply with the provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
• Do virus checks. Actually, the place for this tip is not near the bottom of the list — but let’s hope that your corporate security policy takes care of this and that you are not solely responsible for protecting your email against viruses and other malware. It might sound obvious that you should do virus checks, but even though email is a primary channel for virus distribution, many people still forget about virus checks. Don’t be one of them.
• Use advanced email tools. Going beyond the basics is always a challenge and as your experience with email grows, you will discover that it can offer much more than just sending and receiving emails. For instance, many email programs have a calendar function, which you could also use to improve your scheduling and collaboration within your team. Or saving emails that you need to act on later as a Task with a reminder so you can move it out of your Inbox.

Using email is simple, yet in some ways difficult. The more you learn, the more questions you have. However, it’s a business fact of life today that you can’t live without email and you need to master it.