If a customer comes into your bank and says, “I need to transfer money from my savings to checking account because we’re remodeling the house and I have to pay the contractor,” ask her about the remodeling project, and then transfer the funds.

If you’re going to spend time on the phone or on the floor dealing with customers, you might as well have some fun. Better yet, why not make it fun for your customers to do business with you? Make it your personal goal to “make friends” with your customers by showing interest in their interests, praising them, complimenting them, and making them feel good.

“Your children are so well-behaved” you might say, or “Your remodeling project sounds like it’s going to be beautiful,” or “You have such a pleasant voice on the phone.”

When you make these types of statements, you reinforce your customer’s feelings of self-worth. No matter how good your products or marketing may be, business success or failure is often determined simply by how customers are treated. You don’t need to limit your positive statements to just compliments. You can pepper any conversation with language that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your customers.

Here are more examples of positive statements:

“Mr. Jackson, thank you for being so patient. I’m sorry for the delay because I know that nobody likes to be kept waiting.”

“Mrs. Schmidt, welcome home. How was your trip to Hawaii?”

“Thank you for placing your order with us. We appreciate and value the fact that you choose to do business with us.”

“I’m delighted to hear from you every time you call!”

Avoid communications that serve only to annoy customers. Here are some examples of negative statements:

“We’’re very busy right now. Can you call back later?”

“I’m with another customer, you’ll just have to wait.”

“I don’t know. I don’t work in this department.”

“You’ll just have to be patient. We’re short-staffed today.”

Learn to use positive verbal and non-verbal communication to make your customers feel good about doing business with you and your company. Make customer recognition and praise a consistent element of your service delivery.

Debra J. Schmidt is known as the Loyalty Leader®. She is an author, consultant, trainer and professional speaker who helps companies boost profits by leading the way to greater customer and employee loyalty. Subscribe to her free online newsletter at: www.LoyaltyLeader.com.
  ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/does-everyone-in-your-organization-get-the-security-agenda/ http://www.emazzanti.net/does-everyone-in-your-organization-get-the-security-agenda/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:22:12 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3838 Does Everyone in Your Organization ‘Get’ the Security Agenda?
reprinted with permission from Symantec

Summary
End users often understand the need for security only in a general sense, without grasping the vital role they play in maintaining security. This article looks at the steps IT can take to convey the message that all employees must be proactive about adhering to security procedures.

If there’s one issue that keeps IT managers up at night it’s security. According to Symantec’s 2010 State of Enterprise Security Report, cyber security now outranks traditional crime, natural disasters, and terrorism as the top risk at large organizations.

Moreover, the report found that nearly all the organizations surveyed (94%) expect to implement changes to their cyber security efforts in 2010, with almost half (48%) predicting major changes.

That being the case, it may come as a surprise that a lack of security awareness is still a fact of life at many organizations. Research conducted by the IT Policy Compliance Group shows that the number one cause of audit failure within organizations is lack of employee awareness.

This article surveys the current state of enterprise security and then recommends steps IT can take to convey the message that all employees must be proactive about adhering to security procedures.

Why 2010 is different
The 2010 State of Enterprise Security Report offers ample proof that organizations today are operating in a state of constant alert. Primarily that’s because they’re experiencing more attacks than ever before. The report found that 75% of all enterprises have experienced cyber attacks in the past 12 months, with 41% saying those attacks were somewhat or highly effective. And make no mistake, the consequences of those attacks are getting steeper. The report found that a full 100% of the enterprises surveyed had experienced cyber losses in 2009. The most common losses were:

• Theft of customer information
• Downtime of environment
• Theft of intellectual property
• Theft of customer credit card information
   

The most common costs were:

• Lost productivity
• Lost revenue
• Loss of customer trust

In all, enterprises reported that the costs associated with cyber attacks were $2 million in 2009. For large enterprises, those costs were even greater – almost $2.8 million.

That’s bad enough, but the report goes on to find that enterprise security is also woefully understaffed. And this comes at a time when enterprises are rolling out initiatives that make providing security more difficult, such as cloud computing and server virtualization.

Why you need to get the word out to everybody
Needless to say, given this environment, there can be no such thing as “security as usual” when it comes to mitigating cyber risk. Increasing security awareness within the organization needs to be a top priority.

Employees need to be aware that even simple actions, such as surfing websites and clicking a URL or link within an email, can put their company at risk It continues to be the case that employees who inadvertently violate data security policies represent a major factor in the occurrence of data breaches.

At the same time, organizations also need to understand that some employees actively go around security procedures that they feel interfere with their ability to get their job done. According to recent Symantec focus groups, some end users understand the need for security only in a general sense, without grasping (or caring about) their role in maintaining security. For these users, IT security is often seen as hampering innovative business initiatives and having a negative impact on worker productivity.

Stopping data breaches
To protect information from both internal and external threats, organizations should adopt an operational security model that is risk-based, content-aware, responsive to threats in real time, and workflow-driven to automate data security processes. Symantec believes this model can help IT effectively convey the message that adhering to security procedures is the responsibility of every person in the organization. Here are four steps organizations can take to reduce the risks of a data breach using proven solutions:

Step 1: Protect the infrastructure. Today you need centralized visibility across your systems so that you can manage them efficiently and ultimately protect them against emerging threats. That boils down to securing all endpoints, protecting email, defending critical internal servers, in addition to backing up and recovering data securely. Symantec Protection Suite creates a protected endpoint, messaging, and Web environment that is secure against today’s complex malware, data loss, and spam threats, and is quickly recoverable in the event of failure.

Step 2: Develop and enforce IT policies. By prioritizing risks and defining policies across the enterprise, organizations can more effectively enforce policies through built-in automation and workflow. Workflow and automation allow you not only to identify threats but to remediate incidents as they occur or to anticipate them before they even happen. Symantec Control Compliance Suite is the only holistic, fully automated solution to manage all aspects of IT risk and compliance at lower levels of cost and complexity. Control Compliance Suite offers out-of-the-box content on multiple industry regulations, automated assessment of technical and procedural controls, Web-based dashboard reporting, and integration with other Symantec security solutions.

Step 3: Protect information proactively. Yesterday’s security approaches were aimed at securing the network. Today, organizations are taking an information-centric approach to proactively protect their information. By focusing on the data itself, you are able to understand where information resides, who has access to it, how it’s being used, and, even further, how to proactively prevent its loss. With Symantec Data Loss Prevention, organizations gain visibility into policy violations to proactively secure data with automatic quarantine, relocation, and support for policy-based encryption. Symantec Data Loss Prevention enables active blocking at both the network and endpoint to prevent confidential data from leaving the organization inappropriately. Symantec helps ensure the highest level of risk reduction to automatically enforce compliance with data security policies and enable organizations to change employee behavior.

Step 4: Manage systems. Security needs to make your life easier through standardization, workflow, and automation – simple things that you can put in place to make security software do the heavy-lifting, everything from patch management to regulatory audits. Altiris IT Management Suite from Symantec is the industry’s most comprehensive and integrated suite for reducing the cost and complexity of managing corporate IT assets, including desktops, laptops, and servers. IT Management Suite reduces operational costs, increases operational efficiency, and helps you make strategic decisions to secure and manage your IT environment.

Conclusion
Today the risk of a data breach is higher than ever before. Partly that’s because targeted attacks focused on enterprises and malicious code development are at an all-time high. For example, in 2009, Symantec identified more than 240 million distinct new malicious programs, a 100% increase over 2008.3The good news is that targeted attacks and other data breaches can be defeated. But it requires that all employees in the organization know what their responsibilities are. The operational security model that Symantec proposes offers organizations a blueprint for inculcating such a security culture. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/assessing-legal-threats/ http://www.emazzanti.net/assessing-legal-threats/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:16:21 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3820 Assessing Legal Threats
reprinted with permission from HPIf you’re like most companies, as much as 90 percent of your corporate communications and business activities take place electronically. And, like most companies, you must live with the threat of legal actions that could trigger sweeping requests for this kind of information.

Your current records retention programs may not adequately address the creation, management and disposition of all your electronic records. To be prepared for potential litigation and e-discovery requests, your executives must be able to deliver accurate records at any time. This requires an e-discovery program that includes tight records management policies, clearly defined processes that are known throughout your organization, and solutions that enable you to manage your company records throughout their lifecycle.

Building a Comprehensive Program
To create a cross-enterprise program for litigation preparedness, you must bring together the right people, processes and technology that allow your company to manage risks. From a people and process perspective, there are five key steps that should be followed:

• Create an e-discovery team – Establish a team of legal, records management, IT and business unit personnel from across your company. These people must understand the business context of your company data, as well as how and when they use it. This team will define your information management policies and processes and identify the right technologies and solutions for your business. It should be led by a senior executive who serves as chief liaison to top management and your legal team.
• Develop well-defined records retention policies – Create rules that provide clear guidance on document lifecycle policies by document type and the business context of the documents. These policies should focus on data retention and destruction, clearly outlining what records should be preserved, how long they should be preserved, and when and how information should be purged from your systems.
• Design an action plan – Create a plan that outlines what should happen when your company receives e-discovery requests or notice of pending litigation. The plan should include who coordinates your e-discovery activities, who supports those efforts, and the processes and procedures that should be followed.
• Train personnel on data retention policies – Communicate all the information management policies your e-discovery team puts in place across your enterprise. This helps ensure that all personnel understand and adhere to your company’s data retention and destruction policies.
• Know what other companies are doing – Learn what other companies are doing and share experiences and best practices by joining industry groups that focus on e-discovery issues.

Deploying the Right Technology
Creating the right processes and procedures is only part of the equation. That’s because all of your company information – whether it’s a paper document, an electronic document or an electronic record – is discoverable and must be captured on creation and managed throughout its lifecycle. Choosing the right technology to make that happen is key to successfully addressing litigation and e-discovery requests.

There are several steps your company should take to help ensure the technology you use is right for your business.

• Create a records authority – Build a scalable records authority that serves as your organization’s data retention system. It should automatically manage all your data types according to your retention policies and be able to continuously record information. Data should be protected so it cannot be modified or deleted during the retention period, and they should be purged automatically at the end of the period. And, of course, this system should be capable of rapid search and retrieval across millions of elements to produce only those that your lawyers require.
• Include paper records – Create an electronic index of paper records as part of your records authority and label them accordingly. This will help you find paper records and implement a scan-on-demand policy that requires legacy information be digitized when it needs to be retrieved. When your organization receives new paper documents, digitally capture them and retain a copy within the records authority.
• Exploit your corporate memory – Use your records authority for business purposes beyond e-discovery, such as data mining for common product, customer or staff trends. Since your records authority houses and encapsulates business records from multiple systems, it acts as a library of all your corporate data.
• Use sophisticated tools for processing, review and analysis – Choose intelligent software tools that use proven culling techniques to eliminate redundant and clearly unrelated files; to find links between documents; and to identify the information that could be relevant to a particular legal action. These tools will help you reduce your attorneys’ workload and respond faster to requests related to litigation.
• Leverage technology expertise – Work with technology professionals who focus on issues central to litigation preparedness and e-discovery. These in-house or outside specialists can help you create an e-discovery program that is aligned with your broader strategic technology plans.

By following these steps, your company can establish a cross-organizational program that helps you prepare for e-discovery and litigation. Through this work, you can reduce the risks associated with litigation, enable more efficient and effective information retrieval, and exploit your data for other business purposes. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/file-storage-how-to-use-it-so-you-wont-lose-your-data/ http://www.emazzanti.net/file-storage-how-to-use-it-so-you-wont-lose-your-data/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:30:48 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3827 File Storage: How to Use It So You Won’t Lose Your Data
used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Site

File storage systems that provide automated, secure backup and additional storage capacity can play an essential role in your business’s success. The best file storage systems seamlessly help protect valuable data, make it easy for employees to share files, and require minimal maintenance.

You have three main options for file storage systems: external hard drives, online backup/storage, and network attached storage (NAS). Here is a quick look at all three options.

External Hard Drives
In some businesses, an external hard drive may be attached to each computer. The drives serve as backups to a computer’s internal hard drive file storage.

External drives may also provide additional file storage for video, high-resolution images, and other large data files. These hard drives are generally inexpensive and simple to install. However, files stored on them are not easily accessible to others in an organization. Moreover, most external hard drives don’t offer automated, redundant backup to other drives. If a big file is stored on an external drive, and the drive crashes, the data is lost forever.

Online Backup and File Storage
Some businesses backup their files to an online backup and file storage service. These services are often inexpensive and easy to use. But backups — especially initial backups — can be extremely slow. If a computer’s internal hard drive crashes, a business has to wait for the online backup service to send hundreds of lost files on DVD.

Network Attached Storage (NAS)
Network attached storage (NAS) is the ideal system for backing up, sharing and archiving files and getting additional storage space.

A NAS appliance typically includes multiple hard drives and is connected to your network. NAS appliances deliver many important benefits, as they:

• Offer a significant amount of additional storage capacity that is easily accessible to anyone within your organization, at high speeds.
• Provide a central place for shared files.
• Offer various levels of security, thereby restricting sensitive data (such as employee records) to those with permission to access it.
• Can help ensure that your organization meets government regulations regarding data security, such as HIPAA, PCI, Sarbanes-Oxley, and GBL.
• Can store multiple computer backups in one virtual data vault. Your files are backed up as soon as they are updated or created. This streamlines backup management while helping to ensure that you do not lose valuable information.
• Include multiple, redundant hard drives for backup and storage. If one drive fails, the data is available on another.

NAS File Storage Solutions from Cisco
Cisco offers a variety of affordable, secure, reliable file storage systems. Find out about the Cisco Small Business portfolio of network storage solutions.

Cisco Small Business Continuous Data Protection can be combined with Cisco network storage systems. Continuous Data Protection constantly makes synchronized copies of updated files and works unobtrusively in the background. Learn more about Cisco Continuous Data Protection. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/maximize-your-virtualization-roi/ http://www.emazzanti.net/maximize-your-virtualization-roi/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:28:23 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3823 Maximize Your Virtualization ROI
reprinted with permission from HP

Virtualization technology is a great way to increase business agility while reducing infrastructure costs. But it can also add another layer of management complexity, resulting in higher management costs and lower ROI. You need the right software tools to realize the full benefits of virtualization.

Managing virtualization becomes even more critical as virtualization projects move out of the development/test environments and into production. That’s why it needs to be incorporated into your operation management framework. Rather than manage virtualization as its own silo, a better approach is to integrate virtual and physical management—based on proven best practices. Then you can administer resources uniformly to monitor, manage and automate key management functions seamlessly across physical and virtual environments.

The results: dramatically reduced IT costs, improved business agility and the ability to increase IT efficiency. Here are the five key areas to accelerate and simplify the adoption of virtualization in your data center.

Key One: Automate manual process
Virtualization adds complexity to existing processes such as configuration and change management. This complexity can make it more difficult and costly to manage. That’s why automation is fundamental to virtualized service management.

Indeed, virtualization will not be effective without the right automation tools. With a single, integrated management solution, you can easily automate tasks and processes associated with change detection, configuration updates, provisioning and patching. And you gain visibility to all activities and changes in the virtual/physical environment so that you can enforce policy compliance.

By automating daily tasks at the operations level, you can make sure that you are not trading capital expenditure savings for added operational expense. Through automated auditing and reporting for mission-critical compliance issues (SOX, HIPAA, PCI, etc.), you can improve IT governance and reduce business risk.

Key two: Monitor virtual and physical environments
Enterprise-level service monitoring is the second critical component for virtualized service management. Rather than managing virtualization through specialized point products, an enterprise-wide service monitoring approach allows you to visualize the entire technology stack. This means you can detect, isolate and prevent service problems across heterogeneous environments—for physical and virtual servers, networks, applications and storage devices.

Key three: Comply with software licensing contracts
One typical challenge with virtualization is managing virtual machine sprawl and the software licenses that reside on them. The ideal solution is one that automatically discovers, identifies and reports assets—both physical and virtual—throughout the usage lifecycle. Based on this, IT can monitor contracts, track usage and manage charge-backs to help with software license compliance.

In addition to daily monitoring, comprehensive asset management can also provide vital insight. For example, a comprehensive asset management approach can reveal the financial and compliance impacts of software upgrades. IT can also realize savings by identifying over-provisioning. In fact, one organization saved 10% of software license costs by reducing license over-provisioning.

Key four: Protect your virtualized application
When a new virtual machine is instantiated on a host server, it runs backup and recovery to guard against data losses. Conventionally, backup is accomplished by a script-running agent in the virtual machine—quickly expending shared resources and effecting performance.
A better method is to offload backup processing to the storage array. This process increases the number of virtual machines on a given host server without impacting performance. You get a consistent production replica of your virtualized application data that, in turn, allows point-in-time recovery. The result: error-free recoveries that are measured in seconds and minutes rather than hour and days.

Key five: Validate the performance of virtualized applications
Virtualization requires more robust risk assessment tools to proactively detect and correct security vulnerabilities and defects associated with virtual assets. You need end-to-end capabilities for load testing business services in hybrid physical/virtual environments. Plus, you want the ability to quickly pinpoint the root cause of business service performance problems. Finally, you need to test from the end-user perspective to allow you to understand how virtualized business services will perform in real-world environments under peak load conditions.

HP offers software solutions in these five key areas to help you manage virtualization and maximize your virtualization ROI. Through automation, you empower support staff to work more effectively and efficiently. End-to-end infrastructure monitoring supports faster problem detection and remediation.

With solutions that help improve compliance and protect data, you can simplify the complexities of deploying virtualization technology. Most importantly, an integrated approach to virtualized service management means you can lower operational expense (OPEX) and reap the rewards of business agility. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/three-quick-and-easy-ways-to-make-google-juice-in-your-business/ http://www.emazzanti.net/three-quick-and-easy-ways-to-make-google-juice-in-your-business/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:16:16 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3815 Three Quick And Easy Ways To Make Google Juice In Your Business
by Stuart Crawford, Ulistic, Inc.

In our world of constant advertising and marketing, more and more of our small business clients are researching for new ways of attracting their ideal clients. Electing to attract the right type of business versus spraying the market place with message after message that in some instances maybe falling on deaf ears.

One of the mechanisms gaining in popularity among business owners is search engine optimization. The art of creating relevant or pertinent inbound links to your business marketing website is the goal for most business owners looking at increasing their rankings with the search engines. Link building is one on the key focus points with any Google Search Engine Optimization campaign.

However, before you run out and drop your hard-earned dollars on a professional search engine optimization campaign here are some basic things you can do to help with your inbound links to your main website.

A word of warning first, stay clear of any search engine optimization guru’s who promise overnight success, quick results or guaranteed rankings. The search engine world is a blood-red battlefield in some industries and it takes efforts, persistence and the right professional to help meet results not overnight guarantees or fancy software applications. SEO takes hard work to do correctly.

The first step is gaining insight and understanding how your target market searches and the keywords or terms they are using for to find what they are looking for. It is crucial that you make no assumptions and you do your research. Let me repeat! Do not make any assumptions during this phase. The Google Keyword Research Tool provides an excellent representation of what terms the average online searcher uses to find your products and services.

Once you have determined the search terms you wish to use, pick your top three terms and get to work on these first. There will be plenty of opportunity to revisit any other search terms in future campaigns.

Here are some areas you can immediately make an impact with:

Your LinkedIn Public Profile provides the ability to create custom keyword rich links to your marketing website, blog and other online services. LinkedIn Public Profiles get Google’s attention and like any other websites they receive ranking within the search engines. Do you have “My Company” or “My Blog” listed for your websites, if you do then changing your website references to “other” and then adding your search terms will help with inbound links. Have your entire team do this within their LinkedIn profiles.

Next, your company blog offers a “link rich” strategy. Blogs are an essential part of any corporate marketing strategy. A well optimized, keyword rich blog are natural traffic magnets and with the correct focus can create a wealth of new followers and potential fans for your business. The biggest challenge for those businesses looking at generating natural “Google Juice” to their business blog revolves around attracting human readers and optimizing the blog for the best search results. For your business blog achieve maximum results is straightforward. Where you host your business blog is critical, having your business blog on an independent domain and hosted away from your main corporate website will aid in your overall linking strategy.

In addition to your business blog visiting other relevant industry blogs and leaving comments can also help generate inbound links to your business website. The key to a successful blog commenting strategy is to find relevant and high performing blogs that you can engage with. Blog commenting when done correctly serves two key purposes within marketing strategy. The first is to engage in conversations with the blogger you are commenting on and for you to offer your insights with the community and the second is to give a source for links.

Building an effective inbound linking strategy for your business takes work and it must include all members of your team. Link building starts with your business and marketing plan and works back from there. Determining your target audience and the message you are looking to share with aid in a successful link building strategy.

If you need help, our team at Ulistic can offer real-world advice and recommendations to make sure your activities are successful. Call us today at 403.775.2205.

Stuart Crawford is a strategic online communications and IT marketing professional with Ulistic. Ulistic focuses on empowering small business owners globally through education and training. Stuart has worked in the managed services arena for over 15 years as a service professional. Recently changing gears to focus on coaching and mentoring his peers on the strategies he employed as a technology professional. You can learn more about Ulistic at http://www.ulistic.com or through Stuart’s blog at http://www.stuartcrawford.com.
  ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/6-interview-questions-you-need-to-ask/ http://www.emazzanti.net/6-interview-questions-you-need-to-ask/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:13:58 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3811 Hiring? 6 Interview Questions You Need to Ask
by Jeff Wuorio
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

When it comes to interviewing potential employees , you need to ask the loaded questions.

That’s because hiring the right people is central to the continuing growth and success of your business. So you need to use your interview wisely — to identify job skills, target personal strengths and weaknesses and get a feel for someone’s sense of teamwork and cooperation.

But that doesn’t mean you have to wallow in a snooze-inducing “Do you work well with others?” spiel. You can interview like an expert — and get the information asked for in a query and “undercover” feedback that plays a key role in hiring decisions. Give some thought to the following six interview questions, all of which reveal more about the interviewee than you might think — or, for that matter, more than they might want you to know:

1. “If you stayed with your current company, what would be your next move?” A great opener that elicits information on several levels. Not only can you get a sense of what the applicant expects — and, in turn, how that jibes with the position you’re looking to fill — but you might also tap into an underlying reason why the applicant wants to move on. Notes Paul Falcone, author of “The Hiring and Firing Question and Answer Book”: “If the applicant says he wants to be a manager but the person above him has been there for 25 years, you can move on with the interview. But, if he says that he would hope to be promoted in six months, why would he leave that job? You may then get to the real reason why he wants to leave the company.”

2. “What makes you stand out from others?” Another provocative query, great in part because most people get a little uncomfortable boosting themselves. Taking on that question in a reasoned manner may indicate someone with a good amount of self-esteem and some courage. By contrast, a tepid self-description can suggest a lack of gumption, something that’s a handicap if you’re looking to fill a challenging sales position. By the same token, an applicant who launches into a half-hour filibuster of why the Earth and several major planets revolve at his command may have an ego surplus, one that could devastate a business built around close teamwork.

3. Tell me your greatest accomplishment.” An ideal follow-up to question No. 2. An applicant who can recall a particularly satisfying project — and talk about it in a balanced, comprehensive fashion — indicates an employee who has a knack for hanging onto important details. But the question can also hint at an applicant who’s good at thinking on her feet — again, most of us feel weird talking about ourselves. If someone can piece together a provocative anecdote on the fly, they likely will be mentally nimble on demand. As Falcone notes: “Even the receptionist who says she used sticky notes that saved several pieces of fax paper a day has a good sense of what she did to distinguish herself from others.”

4. “Give me an example of a time when you took the time to share a co-worker’s achievement with others.” On the surface, you may be trying to gauge how selfless an interviewee might be, how readily he’ll put others ahead of himself. True enough, but the answer may also indicate if your potential employee is a strong motivator. Anyone who makes a point to boost an employee might also be trying to pump other employees in the process. That’s a skill that’s particularly useful for sales and marketing positions. According to Del J. Still, president of Management Development Systems, a Dana Point, Calif.-based company that offers training in interviewing and employee hiring: “These sorts of questions offer you multidimensional analysis, so you get different kinds of information from just one question. In this case, you get a sense of what actions a person took in a particular situation.”

5. “How many hours a week do you need to work to get your job done?” This question serves as a barometer of an applicant’s work ethic and the hours he expects to put in with your company. Follow-up questions can identify whether someone who stays late is putting in extra time or just working inefficiently. A discussion about work hours also can be a telling indicator of how he might ultimately fit in with other employees. “You don’t want someone with an 8 to 5 mentality working in a place where everyone usually stays until 7,” Falcone says. “By the same token, you don’t want someone working to 7 when everybody else is gone by 5. They’re only going to resent him.”

6. “Do you take enough time to make a decision?” Believe it or not, this last question is one you should pose to yourself, long before the interview is finished. Although it may hint at a business leader who’s able to make sensible choices quickly, it actually refers to the interviewee sitting across from you. Believe it or not, Still says some 95% of all interviewers make a decision whether to hire or not within the first five to nine minutes of an interview. The time remaining is just self-fulfilling prophecy as the interviewer looks for information to justify the decision.

Don’t make the same knee-jerk mistake: “Take lots of notes during the interview and evaluate him or her later,” advises Still. “Don’t ever hire on the spot. Withhold your decision until you can review enough information to make a rational decision. If you don’t, you might end up putting someone in a job where they’re just going to fail.” ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/15-customer-service-no-nos/ http://www.emazzanti.net/15-customer-service-no-nos/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:06:59 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3806 15 Customer Service No-Nos
by Monte Enbysk
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Sometimes it seems like rude customer service is the rule rather than the exception. But there’s rude — and then there’s rude.

When it comes to getting customer service, what’s your definition of rude? What unprofessional behavior irritates you the most when, as a consumer, you are interacting by phone with another company?

Sometimes, customer service that is perceived as rude is not intentional and often is the result of absent-mindedness or carelessness on behalf of an employee. Either way, bad customer service can translate into lower sales and lost business, says Nancy Friedman, president and founder of the Telephone Doctor, a St. Louis-based customer service training company.

Based on its own surveys, the Telephone Doctor has compiled the 15 biggest sins of customer service employees today. They are listed below, along with Telephone Doctor’s guidelines (in parentheses) on how to do it right.

If your company’s customer service managers and front-line employees are guilty of any of these, it’s time for some action. Otherwise, you may have an image problem that could sabotage your effort to produce and market great products.

1. Your employees are having a bad day, and their foul mood carries over in conversations with customers. (Everyone has bad days, but customer service employees need to keep theirs to themselves.)

2. Your employees hang up on angry customers. (Ironclad rule: Never hang up on a customer.)

3. Your company doesn’t return phone calls or voice-mail messages, despite listing your phone number on your Web site and/or in ads and directories. (Call customers back as soon as you can, or have calls returned on your behalf.)

4. Your employees put callers on hold without asking them first, as a courtesy. (Ask customers politely if you can put them on hold; very few will complain or say “No way!”)

5. Your employees put callers on a speaker phone without asking them first if it is OK. (Again: Ask first, as a courtesy.)

6. Your employees eat, drink or chew gum while talking with customers on the phone. (A telephone mouthpiece is like a microphone; noises can easily be picked up. Employees need to eat their meals away from the phone. And save that stick of gum for break time.)

7. You have call-waiting on your business lines, and your employees frequently interrupt existing calls to take new calls. (One interruption in a call might be excusable; beyond that, you are crossing the “rude” threshold. Do your best to be prepared with enough staff for peak calling times.)

8. Your employees refuse or forget to use the words “please,” “thank you” or “you’re welcome.” (Please use these words generously, thank you.)

9. Your employees hold side conversations with friends or each other while talking to customers on the phone, or they make personal calls on cell phones in your call center. (Don’t do either of these.)

10. Your employees seem incapable of offering more than one-word answers. (One-word answers come across as rude and uncaring.)

11. Your employees do provide more than one-word answers, but a lot of the words are grounded in company or industry jargon that many customers don’t understand. (If you sell tech products, for example, don’t casually drop in abbreviations such as APIs, ISVs, SMTP or TCP/IP.)

12. Your employees request that customers call them back when the employees aren’t so busy. (Customers should never be told to call back. Request the customer’s number instead.)

13. Your employees rush through calls, forcing customers off the phone at the earliest opportunity. (Be a little more discreet. Politely suggest that you’ve got the information you need and you must move on to other calls.)

14. Your employees obnoxiously bellow “What’s this in reference to?” effectively humbling customers and belittling their requests. (Screening techniques can be used with
a little more warmth and finesse. If a caller has mistakenly come your way, do your best to point him or her in the right direction.)

15. Your employees freely admit to customers that they hate their jobs. (This simply makes the entire company look bad. And don’t think such a moment of candor or lapse in judgment won’t get back to the boss.)

In defense of customer service workers, customers can be rude too. And customer service jobs can often be thankless, with little motivation or incentive to do the job right.

But the problem here is that life for customer service employees may not be fair. Customers can be rude and get away with it. Employees cannot — if they want to help their companies to succeed and keep their jobs as well.
  ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/what-is-voice-over-ip-the-basics/ http://www.emazzanti.net/what-is-voice-over-ip-the-basics/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:01:37 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3801 What is Voice over IP? The Basics
used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Center.
What is voice over IP? How is it different from unified communications? And how can it help your small business?

What is Voice over IP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology lets you use the Internet to make and receive telephone calls.

What is Voice over IP?: The Range of Services
VoIP is available in a wide range of services. Some basic, free VoIP services require all parties to be at their computers to make or receive calls. Others let you call from a traditional telephone handset or even a cell phone to any other phone.

What is Voice over IP?: Equipment
For VoIP, you need a broadband Internet connection, plus a traditional phone and an adapter; a VoIP-enabled phone; or VoIP software on your computer.

What is Voice over IP?: Security and Service Quality
Most consumer VoIP services use the Internet for phone calls. But many small businesses are using VoIP and unified communications on their private networks. That’s because private networks provide stronger security and service quality than the public Internet.

What is Voice over IP?: Versus Unified Communications
Unified communications systems offer more features and benefits than VoIP, yet many are still priced for small businesses. Unified communications brings together all forms of communication regardless of location, time or device. Faxes, e-mail, and voicemail are all delivered to a single inbox. You can integrate your phone and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve your customer service, and much more.

What is Voice over IP?: The Benefits
VoIP and unified communications enable you to:

•Reduce travel and training costs, thanks to web and video conferencing
•Easily grow your phone system as needed
•Have one phone number ring simultaneously on multiple devices, helping employees stay connected to each other and to customers
•Reduce your phone charges
•Have a single network for voice and data, simplifying management and reducing costs
•Access your phone system’s features at home or at client offices, in airports and hotels — anywhere you’ve got a broadband connection ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/the-virtual-office-checklist/ http://www.emazzanti.net/the-virtual-office-checklist/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:57:17 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3796 The Virtual Office Checklist
used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Center.

Here are some things to consider when choosing Cisco SMB Solutions that enable you and your colleagues to work from anywhere.

Adding a VPN and firewall enables the security you need. The technology behind remote access is called a “virtual private network,” or “VPN,” and it establishes a private, secure network connection over a public network, such as the Internet.

VPNs use secure firewalls and well-tested security measures at every network point of entry, to help stop worms, spyware, or hackers from attempting to disrupt your business network or steal sensitive information.

Here’s the beauty of a VPN: Once it’s installed, you can add as many employees in as many places as you need. You don’t have to worry about expensive provisioning in each branch offices store or site; a PC and an Internet connection will do the trick. The VPN software handles all security and user authentication.

There are several types of VPNs from which to choose. Cisco Certified Partners can help you evaluate your business requirements and present the most appropriate solution for your business needs today and provide a growth path that will meet your business needs tomorrow.

Even on the road, your data is safe. With a VPN, you’re essentially creating a secure private network, or “tunnel,” over the Internet. This way, only valid users can access the VPN, and then only by using industry-proven methods of user authentication.

Meanwhile, strong encryption technologies, which translate information into a secret code, help ensure the data is unintelligible to anyone attempting to intercept VPN communications — even over Wi-Fi networks.

You’ll lower networking costs. Because a VPN provides a direct link to your business network, you don’t necessarily have to install network equipment at each office or location in your business. A computer and Internet-connection can be all you need to access information, applications, and resources if working remotely.

Your phone and conferencing system is available to those who may need it the most: remote and mobile employees. Cisco SMB Solutions for voice and conferencing on a data network enable you to communicate easily and meaningfully with out-of-the-office workers, partners, suppliers, customers, and others.

You can expand your recruitment reach. With this kind of flexibility, you can attract and retain employees from any geographic region. You can hire executives or professionals with special skills wherever they live and have them join the company network quickly and easily. According to several human resources studies work/life benefits, such as teleworking and flex time, are among the most valued benefits a company can offer. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/two-linkedin-security-settings-you-must-set/ http://www.emazzanti.net/two-linkedin-security-settings-you-must-set/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:52:01 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3792 Two LinkedIn Security Settings You Must Set
by Stuart Crawford, Ulistic, Inc.

LinkedIn is one of the industry leading social networks and online communities in use today across multiple businesses and industries. LinkedIn’s focus on business-to-business networking and facilitating the sharing of ideas and strategies has won the trust of business professionals globally. Not unlike many of their counterparts, LinkedIn does have privacy challenges according to many CEO level executives. Many organizations are now reviewing their policies related to LinkedIn and how information propagates through this business social network.

More and more business professionals are turning to LinkedIn because of its overall effectiveness in the marketplace. However, many are unaware of the apparent risks to corporate contacts when setting up their LinkedIn accounts. There are many settings that are on automatically allowing for browsing of contacts and also leaving a trace of who visited another profile. Many organizations as part of their social media acceptable use policy are now requiring specific changes to LinkedIn privacy settings be made ensuring business contacts and information are kept confidential.

LinkedIn is built on a community and like many other online networks; they embrace the sharing of information and contacts. How do businesses balance the foundations of LinkedIn with the compliance and confidentiality measures of business today?

The following recommended key privacy settings guidelines ideal for organizations leveraging LinkedIn to make sure a certain degree of privacy remains in place. These settings are accessible through the SETTINGS menu in the top right corner of your LinkedIn page.

►The “Connections Browse” option allows your contacts (those connected directly to you) to browse your LinkedIn connections. Disabling to enable this feature will prevent your connections from seeing who you are directly connected too. This will make sure key vendors contacts and clients connected through LinkedIn remains confidential.

► Profile Views – This setting controls the “breadcrumbs” you leave behind when you visit another persons LinkedIn profile. Engaging this setting will leave information about you when visiting a profile on LinkedIn, your information becomes available to that member. Turning this off disables this information from being left. You can choose to leave your full details; your job industry and title only or simply leave no trace that you were there.

Privacy online is important across many organizations large and small. These recommendations can protect your key contacts and keep your LinkedIn network confidential from those looking at harvesting your contacts line. In addition, you also will protect your identity when viewing the profiles of others.

Stuart Crawford is a strategic online communications and IT marketing professional with Ulistic. Ulistic focuses on empowering small business owners globally through education and training. Stuart has worked in the managed services arena for over 15 years as a service professional. Recently changing gears to focus on coaching and mentoring his peers on the strategies he employed as a technology professional. You can learn more about Ulistic at http://www.ulistic.com or through Stuart’s blog at http://www.stuartcrawford.com.
  ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/managing-software-assets-pays-big-dividends/ http://www.emazzanti.net/managing-software-assets-pays-big-dividends/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:43:42 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3782 Managing Software Assets Pays Big Dividends
used with permission from the Microsoft Business Site

Awhile back, we brought you the story of Ted , a CIO at a midsized company who was struggling to get a handle on his software licenses and IT costs. If you haven’t taken a systematic approach to managing your company’s software assets, you might be facing many of the same issues that bedeviled Ted: multiple desktops to support, a variety of licensing agreements to manage, and IT support costs that gobble up too much of your budget.

If those problems sound familiar, you need to meet Ted’s best friend: SAM. That’s capital S – capital A – capital M, as in Software Asset Management. SAM is a vital set of business processes that can help you control costs and risks, optimize resources, and grow your business. With SAM, you save money by using what you have, and you eliminate excess spending by determining your true software needs. What’s more, by adopting processes that help secure your IT infrastructure, SAM helps provides peace of mind about viruses and other threats from unauthorized software. It enables you to optimize your infrastructure, drive automation, and empower employees to increase their productivity. In short, SAM positions IT – and you, as CIO – as a strategic asset and an indispensable partner in your company’s growth.

So, just what is SAM? It’s a set of systematic processes comprised of four basic steps:

1. Take inventory; find out what you already have.
2. Organize all your software licenses and documentation.
3. Create policies and procedures to govern every phase of the software life cycle.
4. Maintain your SAM plan through spot checks, inventories, and employee training.

Let’s take a look at each step in a little more detail.

Take Inventory. This is your first step. You need to know what software your company has installed in your environment, and how and by whom it’s being used. Armed with this information, you can begin to make decisions about which products you really need and where they should be deployed, and you’ll start to see opportunities for saving money. You might even find some unauthorized programs that employees have installed without your knowledge, putting your company at risk of noncompliance and opening the door to a host of nasty malware.

Get Organized. With the inventory completed, you’re ready to find, record, and systematize the licensing and documentation for each software title and version. You’ll need to track down all the documentation and create a detailed license report. For this step, it’s best to get an accurate view of your complete software entitlement by obtaining your current Microsoft License Statement. After you’ve compiled the report, you can compare it to the inventory you created in step 1, and you can readily see where your company is over- or under-licensed with respect to specific software products and versions. This is also known as a gap analysis. This information will help you make cost-effective decisions about your software deployment.

Create Policies and Procedures. Now that you know what software you have and where it’s being used, it’s time to create or revise the policies that will ensure the proper management of your software assets on an ongoing basis. You’ll want to make sure you have procedures in place for every phase of the software life cycle, from acquisition, to storage and disaster protection, to use (including installation and retirement).

Maintain the Plan. Congratulations, you’ve got a SAM plan in place. Now you need to keep it going by committing to the ongoing analysis of your software and planning for anticipated needs. You’ll want to track your software inventory through regularly scheduled updates and spot checks. In addition, you’ll need to institute a regular review of standardized applications and systems, with an eye toward optimizing your assets and educing costs. Finally, you’ll want to implement regular training for employees, so they can get the most out of their IT tools at the least cost to the IT staff.

Sound daunting? It needn’t be. You can contact your Microsoft Certified Partner for Licensing Solutions to obtain a complimentary SAM engagement. During a SAM engagement, your IT partner will use tools to track your current software usage -and compare it to your present licenses. Your partner will then help you analyze and systematize your licenses and make recommendations so you get the most value from your software products, and will assist you in setting up or enhancing your ongoing SAM program.

With SAM in place, you’ll be in a position to rationalize your company’s software assets, ensuring that you have the right programs in the right departments, helping employees achieve maximum productivity. You’ll know which licenses you need to renew and when, and which can be retired or reduced. You’ll have the data necessary to help increase your company’s protection from the unauthorized use of software and the viruses and malware such use can bring. You’ll even be better prepared to meet government compliance regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley. You’ll achieve greater standardization of software across the company, which, in turn, will help reduce those costly helpdesk requests.

Perhaps most importantly, you’ll be in a position to use the potential short- and long-term savings from SAM to make strategic technology investments that will help your company evolve in today’s economy. This is critical as we move into the post-recession era, with companies once again willing to invest in IT – provided you can show positive ROI. Moreover, SAM can be invaluable if your company is considering a merger, or if its software enterprise agreements are coming up for renewal. Still need convincing? Then take a look at what SAM did for Interline Brands, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company that markets and distributes maintenance, repair and operations products. Having expanded rapidly through natural growth and acquisitions, Interline Brands found itself in an awkward position. Its IT group was maintaining 120 computer servers, and 2,000 of its 3,000 employees were regular computer users, but the company lacked an automated asset management or inventory tool to track its software assets. Moreover, Interline Brands had assumed ownership of incompletely tracked software assets and multiple licensing arrangements as part of recent acquisitions.

As Dan Oakes, Director of IS Infrastructure for Interline Brands, notes ““We didn’t always know which licensing agreement was responsible for various assets. In some cases, we weren’t sure if certain licenses were available or if they had been deployed and not documented. We knew that trying to reconcile licensing using our manual process was out of the question—it would have taken ages. We needed to find a better way to get things under control and keep them that way.”

Interline turned to Soft-Aid, a Microsoft Certified Partner, to conduct a SAM engagement. After deploying a tracking tool to gather data on which software products were used over a 60-day period, Soft-Aid created a software asset inventory and recommended best practices for managing Interline’s software assets.

According to Oakes, “The results from the SAM engagement not only were immediate, but also had a ripple effect throughout the year, and we continue to see benefits.” For one thing, it made Interline’s migration to Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 far easier, since the company now knew exactly which departments and employees had which version of the software. The migration eliminated version incompatibility problems, and freed up IT resources from the drudgery of supporting multiple releases. “Now, our help-desk employees can focus on building their expertise on one Microsoft Office release,” notes a pleased Oakes.

Moreover, the SAM engagement helped Interline choose the most appropriate licensing plan “After looking at all of the options and crunching the numbers, we chose the Enterprise Agreement. It was great to be 100 percent confident that we were making the best choice, rather than simply guessing,” says Oakes.

If you think Interline Brand’s experience is unique, think again. Check out this new report “ SAM Helps CIOs Get Ahead,” which provides more evidence of SAM’s value to midsized and larger companies. For additional information about SAM, including more case studies, visit www.microsoft.com/sam or www.microsoft.com/ussam.

Eager to get a handle on your software assets? Want to earn big dividends for your company and demonstrate your business savvy as CIO? Then do what Interline did, and contact your Microsoft Account Manager or your Microsoft Certified Partner for a SAM engagement. To learn more about our complimentary Software Asset Management Programs, contact the TeleSAM Advisor Team at samfaq@microsoft.com or 1-866-606-3749, and put your company on the road to effective software asset management.
  ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/online-safety-for-kids/ http://www.emazzanti.net/online-safety-for-kids/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:12:22 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3777 Online Safety for Kids
Diana Johnson, Marketing, Wood Networks

Our kids are a special gift entrusted to us to raise, nurture, and teach for about 18 years. They don’t come with an instruction manual and we often forget how different the world is from when we were growing up. One area parents often neglect is the cyber world. As a parent constantly working in the technology arena, I thought I would pass on some tips for dealing with the Internet and the safety of our kids.

Kids Under 9

• Investigate websites that are safe for kids. Bookmark sites you approve.
• Ask your child’s School Librarian what he/she considers appropriate sites. You may not agree, but it is a great place to start.
• Limit the time you allow your child to be online. For this age group limit leisure Internet usage to less than one hour per day.
• Password protect your Internet. If they don’t know the password, they can’t get on without your knowledge.
• Don’t allow this age group to post personal profiles, blogs or emails to public access sites.
• Avoid use of interactive gaming systems like Xbox Live or Wii, where they could potentially chat with strangers or go online unsupervised.
• Only allow your child to use child-friendly search engines, like Ask for Kids (www.askkids.com) or Yahoo Kids (Kids Games, Kids Movies, Kids Music, and More – Yahoo! Kids)
• Rather than trying to block potential bad sites, set Internet controls to only allow acceptable sites, trust me there are a lot fewer of those.

Kids 9 to 12

• Strengthen your filtering. At this age they will need to be able to access more information on a regular basis for school. The days of only allowing particular sites may be gone. Make sure you have a strong filter in place. A good one to investigate- bsecure (www.bsecure.com) . I used this one when my kids where younger. You can set it to the level you need.
• Use antispyware, virus protection, and pop-up blockers.
• Teach your child the golden rule- “Don’t just click, because you can.” I learned the hard way; your kids are always only one click away from installing spyware, malware, or a virus.
• Talk to your kids about online interaction. Make sure they know what an acceptable conversation is and how to disengage from a conversation should they not know the person.
• Make sure your kids understand that they are NEVER to give out any personal information online. This includes full name, address, phone number, email address, age, where they attend school, hobbies, parents’ names, etc.
• Talk about online respect. Respect for others’ feelings and respect for themselves.
• Limit leisure Internet usage to about an hour a day.

Kids 13 and up

By the age of 13, you should assume your child (now a teenager!) has internet access, whether at home, school, or a friend’s house. Also in this age group they begin exhibiting risky behaviors. For some teens it is a matter of not understanding the implication of their behavior while others are drawn to the thrill of the risk.

• Talk to your teens about predators and the danger of meeting in person with someone they have met online.
• Continue to use a filter at home, but loosen the controls. If your teen feels like everything is blocked, he/she will be more likely to try sites at a friend’s house.
• Block all dating and relationship sites.
• Teach your child about online rights and responsibilities. The right to keep information private and the responsibility to treat others kindly and respect their privacy.
• Make sure your child’s email account is linked to yours or that you have the password. Even if you never use it, the thought that mom or dad might be reading will keep many kids out of trouble.
• Talk to your child about pirated software, music, or movies.
• Kids at this age tend to handout their passwords to friends. Teach your teen this is not smart and set a complex password for their email and social media sites.
• Assist your teen in setting up social media sites like Facebook. Often teens do not know about their privacy rights.
• Keep the computer that has Internet access in a central location. If they aren’t sure who might be watching, there is less chance they will engage in risky behaviors.
• Have your teen Google him or herself monthly to see what others are saying about them. Wouldn’t hurt for you to Google them too.

The most noteworthy advice I can give you, is not to leave Internet security to firewalls, filters, and other safety measures. The best security you can have on the Internet is talking to your child about the risks and the reasons you are concerned. ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/sweeping-out-my-inbox/ http://www.emazzanti.net/sweeping-out-my-inbox/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:16:23 +0000 marypeterson http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3756  

Sweeping OUT my Inbox by Jane Cage, COO, HTS Do you live in your inbox? I do – and sometimes it gets a little crowded. I find myself using messages as a to-do list and a record of communication. When I can’t figure out where an important piece of information should really live, I email it to myself. There are times when there are more messages FROM me TO me than any other sender in my Inbox. I’m glad to say that Office 2010 is helping me to change all that. What is making the difference? First, Outlook 2010 has some great new features that have made me more productive and more organized. Second, Microsoft OneNote ships with every version of Office 2010. Here’s what makes it all work: First, the Outlook features. Viewing messages by conversation has been the single most helpful feature in wading through my inbox – no longer do I have to follow a thread of emails through many lines. Every related email appears together. Once conversations are grouped together, CLEAN UP comes into play. Clean Up removes “redundant” emails from conversations, folders and subfolders? What is a “redundant” message? If the message is completely contained within one of the replies, the previous message is deleted. Now, I only have to read one email and I know that I am seeing the entire string. Second, OneNote – OneNote is a free-form information tracker that lets you track and store text, images, video and audio. I can clip information from any internet screen and paste it into One Note with a reference link back to the site. OneNote links to Outlook so that I can store meeting preparation notes, create tasks and to-do lists, and lets me organize info in any way that is logical and convenient to me. If you have never used it, you should give it a try. I recently did a 30 minute webinar that highlighted some of these great new features. Take a look and drop me a line at jcage@heartlandtechnologies.com and let me know what you think. I bet you’ll agree that Office 2010 can do the same for you that it did for me!

Hoboken, New Jersey ­- July 8, 2010 – Whether he is designing a custom residence, a home-away-from-home boutique hotel, or a line of furniture or textiles, interior designer Campion Platt has one thing in mind: luxury. His holistic approach creates highly personalized spaces – making him a favorite of celebrities including Al Pacino, Meg Ryan, Roger Waters, Conan O’Brien, Jay McInerney and socialite Anne Hearst. Campion’s unique brand of innovative design also extends to the technology consultant he chooses to support his business, eMazzanti Technologies.

A new case study captures the designer’s technology journey. A full version of the story is available at emazzanti.net.

IT Function Over Form Needed

For Campion, IT function trumps form. Its network and computers needed to add value while improving productivity. However, business productivity ended up victim to massive email spam. Up-time, security and backup protection were concerns for intellectual property and overall business, and the need for full-file access while on the road was paramount for the continent-hopping president. eMazzanti addressed all of Campion’s concerns with its eCare/MXINSPECT solutions.

eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare is a robust family of services that includes eCare Network Management (fixed-fee IT support), eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files as well as collaborate and share information more efficiently.

Spam Eliminated, Productivity Restored

“One of our biggest problems was spam. Every employee was getting over 100 per day and it was killing productivity. eMazzanit’s MXINSPECT Email Defense virtually eliminated all the spam and let us go on with our business.”

Remote Access to Critical Files

“As office manager, my job often extends to solving problems other than 9-to-5. eMazzanti’s remote desktop access allows me to solve problems faster no matter what time it is,” said Christine Carroll, office manager, Campion Platt.

“eMazzanti has our ‘back’. They remotely monitor and fix our network to make sure we’re ready to do business anytime, from anywhere,” noted Campion. “Isn’t this the kind of IT support any business would want?” 

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net.

About Campion Platt

Located in New York City on Madison Avenue, Campion Platt is a full-service architectural design firm that takes an eco approach to its inventive array of projects, with a desire to create exceptionally LUXE environments. Its innovative architecture, interior design and products firm specializes in hi-end residential, hospitality and home product design. The seamless synergy of craftsmanship and design is reflected in our creations that combine hi-end luxury with technology, handmade objects and custom furniture & fixtures. For more information call 212.779.3835, visit campionplatt.com or email info@campionplatt.com.

Hoboken, New Jersey ­- July 6, 2010—A new Microsoft case study captures how New Jersey–based eMazzanti Technologies, which offers IT services to customers worldwide, wanted to give remote workers easier network access and faster file download speeds. It also sought to improve video performance internally and externally. The company chose Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard for its solution. Employees now have better remote access to customer files and can transfer them faster. As a result, productivity has risen by 12 percent, which helps eMazzanti complete more customer projects and deliver them more quickly.

eMazzanti – Early Adopter

In late 2007, eMazzanti had implemented the Windows Server 2008 operating system, along with the Windows 7 client operating system. Always an early adopter of Microsoft technologies, the company decided to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2008 R2 includes new remote access features and improved audio and video functionality, which eMazzanti knew could help solve its business challenges.

One of the keys to eMazzanti’s success is that it uses the products it sells. The new Windows Server 2008R2 software is no exception. “It’s unrealistic to expect customers to buy into a product we don’t believe in ourselves,” said Jennifer Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies. “Customers get a powerful, first-person perspective.”

12 Percent Productivity Increase

Windows Server 2008 R2 gives remote eMazzanti employees improved access, faster file downloads, and much better video performance—all of which make eMazzanti more productive.

With easier network connectivity and faster access to customer files, eMazzanti engineers working at customer sites are more productive than ever. “Each of our employees probably has an extra hour of time a day as the result of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7,” says Mazzanti. “That represents a 12 percent productivity improvement for us over the course of a year, and that means we can deliver projects faster to our customers.”

New Sales Opportunities Created

The Windows Server 2008R2 solution also helped eMazzanti helped create new sales opportunities around customer demands for higher system memory and performance. “Windows Server 2008 R2 gave us a reason to go back to existing customers with a new solution that doesn’t require new hardware,” says Mazzanti. “It gives them more memory and better performance on their existing equipment, and it offers new features like improved video compression to help them solve problems that were impacting their business.”

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. Services such as  eMazzanti’s eCare is a family of robust IT services that includes eCare Network Management (fixed-fee IT support), eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. An associated service, MXINSPECT, delivers powerful email protection for clients as well. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files as well as collaborate and share information more efficiently.

This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net.

Hoboken, New Jersey—July 2, 2010—Microsoft believes that when it comes to addressing computer-related questions for small businesses, “Uncle Bob” has the answers. Or at least that’s the intended purpose of the new pilot social media program under the same name in which eMazzanti Technologies has been invited to participate as an IT expert.

“We are inviting customers to visit our Facebook page and to read stories about how other small and mid-sized customers are working with our partners to get benefits of Microsoft technology,” said Mario Juarez, Core Infrastructure Marketing Team, Microsoft.

eMazzanti’s role in the new Facebook site takes the form of an audio clip where Carl Mazzanti, chief operating officer, shares his perspective on how new technology can help companies make money.

The key question Mazzanti answers is: Can spending money on IT today really save any money? The IT guru answers with a resounding “yes!” and goes on to make four additional points:

• The kinds of computer capabilities machines are capable of today weren’t even thought of 5 or 10 years ago. If a business is just getting by with an old computer that is a few years old, they may be missing out on a significant boost in productivity.
• Spending a few hundred dollars on a new computer with current software is a fraction of the cost of hiring and training a new employee.
• The latest hardware and software may not only help a business avoid adding expensive employees, but may actually reduce head count through productivity gains.
• Many of the complex set up, support and maintenance needs of a computer are now completely automated in new operating systems like Windows 7 and applications like Office 2010.

Why Ask Uncle Bob?

Research Microsoft conducted with small and medium business IT decision makers showed that customers want to learn how technology can help them, but they’re busy and don’t always know where to start. Owners want to hear more from Microsoft, and the concept of a character who knows technology but speaks in plain language tested well. Thus, an “Ask Uncle Bob” character was born.

Though Uncle Bob is not an actual person, the character is the embodiment of the collective wisdom of Microsoft and dedicated partners on the front lines of customer relationships. The concept of a small business “answer-man” of sorts is the brainchild of Microsoft’s Core Infrastructure Marketing team. However, the purpose for the “Ask Uncle Bob” character is very real: it’s meant as a problem-solving resource where real-world small business technology stories are posted several times a week which, in turn, solicit responses and questions from site visitors.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. For example, eMazzanti’s eCare is a family of robust IT services that includes eCare Network Management (fixed-fee IT support), eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. An associated service, MXINSPECT, delivers powerful email protection for clients as well. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files as well as collaborate and share information more efficiently.

This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net.

Situation:

Over recent years, the architectural design business has been dramatically impacted by computer technology. Drawings are CAD-based, communications are mostly electronic, presentations are often created and delivered in Microsoft PowerPoint, research is executed via the Internet, and the need to have access to files and information from anywhere at anytime is the default standard.

Campion Platt, president of the architectural design firm that also bears his name, had four major IT issues that he needed solved: 1) Elimination of email spam, 2) A secure backup solution for data and intellectual property, 3) 24×7 network uptime, 4) Road access to files and network.

Solution:

“We came across eMazzanti Technologies through a business acquaintance of mine who was using them,” said Platt. “That’s how I find vendors. I figure the best validation is personal experience.”

eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare is a robust family of services that includes eCare Network Management, eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files and collaborate and share information more efficiently.

eCare Network Management

With networks, starting small and planning to grow makes perfect sense. Even a modest network can pay large dividends by saving time, improving communication between employees, clients, and suppliers, while in turn increasing productivity and opening new paths to worldwide information resources. eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare Network Management service covers the technical support and maintenance aspects for a customer’s network all for one fixed fee per-asset, per-month. “Customers love this approach. We remotely monitor their networks 24×7, systematically performing preventative maintenance procedures along with emergency repairs,” commented Jennifer Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies. “The result is both satisfied customers and network uptime.”

eCare Business Continuity

The implementation of a Business Continuity solution from eMazzanti Technologies is how a company regains access to its data and communications after a natural or human-induced disaster. The importance of protecting irreplaceable data should take top priority and is a pillar of eCare services.

eCare Exchange

Through eMazzanti Technologies’ managed eCare Exchange service, the smallest companies can benefit from powerful Business Email and collaboration. Its Five 9’s uptime guarantee and 24×7 world-class support from Microsoft Gold Certified staff makes eCare Exchange service from eMazzanti Technologies a great choice for small companies that want IT capabilities.

“The eCare family of services is essentially big IT solutions for small companies, all at a price point that clients find hard to resist,” noted Mazzanti.

In addition to eMazzanti’s eCare solutions, MXInspect is an affiliate company that provides managed email and web security services—essentially enterprise-level service and performance without enterprise-level complexity and cost.

Benefits:

 eMazzanti Technologies solved the architectural design firm’s IT issue with its full spectrum eCare/MXINSPECT family of services. Campion’s spam problems were eliminated, remote executives now have full access to network resources anywhere/any time, a business continuity solution automatically backs up files, and remote network management allows the eMazzanti team to keep Campion’s network running well 24×7.

Spam Eliminated, Productivity Restored

“One of our biggest problems was spam. Every employee was getting over 100 per day and it was killing productivity. eMazzanti’s MXINSPECT Email Defense virtually eliminated all the spam and let us go on with our business.”

“The spam got so bad that I had to create new off-line email accounts just to get my daily work done free from all the disruptions.”

Remote Access to Critical Files

“As office manager, my job often extends to solving problems other than 9-to-5. eMazzanti’s remote desktop access allows me to solve problems faster no matter what time it is,” said Christine Carroll, office manager, Campion Platt.

“eMazzanti has our ‘back’. They remotely monitor and fix our network to make sure we’re ready to do business anytime, from anywhere,” noted Campion. “Isn’t this the kind of IT support any business would want?” 

Automatic IP Backup

“Our work is highly customized and unique. So are our clients. Thus, all aspects of a project roll up into  intellectual property that is critical to our business. Solid, reliable network backup is as vital to our business as what we do.”

“The loss of computer files in our business would be catastrophic. A single project’s documents and drawings can take hundreds of hours to replace. The cost in labor, project delays and client goodwill would be enormous. We simply can’t afford to lose any files.”

Uptime

“Losing files or our ability to conduct business electronically has layers of consequences, all of which come with a price tag we simply must avoid. eMazzanti’s 24×7 monitoring of our network is exactly what we needed.”

Deepwater Wind is developing clean energy generation solutions off-shore Rhode Island and New Jersey. It is also evaluating sites off-shore along the eastern seaboard. Though the company excelled in its wind energy solutions, it quickly discovered it needed help with developing a comprehensive IT solution. Collaboration, security, productivity and IT cost management were the four main issues it wanted to address. It turned to eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare and MXINSPECT to address IT concerns

Situation

Deepwater Wind is pioneering a new era in American energy independence, and the start of a cleantech economic revolution that will bring “green collar” jobs to states across the eastern seaboard. Though the company excelled in its wind energy solutions, it quickly discovered it needed help with developing a comprehensive IT solution. Collaboration, security, productivity and IT cost management were the four main issues it wanted to address.

Remote access to computer files from the road was also recognized as a necessity, especially for key management. The ability to have workflow continuity—emails, shared files, calendars—moving from one office to another was critical to maintaining productivity. There was also the very real concern about security. Files left on laptops or portable flash drives were vulnerable to theft or loss. Without proper network security, the company’s intellectual property and documents were at risk. Another concern extended to the need for a reliable backup solution that could provide business continuity should a disaster occur.

Solutions

Maximize Work Time

 ”We first became aware of eMazzanti Technologies in an Entrepreneur magazine article,” said Ian Kelly, Controller and Director of Administration, Deepwater Wind. “They talked in terms of outsourcing much of the hardware, software and support. Others wanted to sell us tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.”

eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare is a robust family of services that includes eCare Network Management, eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files as well as collaborate and share information more efficiently.

 eCare Network Management

eMazzanti Technologies’ eCare Network Management service covers the technical support and maintenance aspects for a customer’s network for a fixed fee, per–asset, per-month. “Customers love this approach. We remotely monitor their networks 24×7 systematically performing preventative maintenance procedures along with emergency repairs,” commented Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies.

eCare Business Continuity

The implementation of a Business Continuity solution is how a company regains access to its data and communications after a natural disaster, fire, hardware failure or human error. The importance of protecting irreplaceable data should take top priority and is a pillar of the eCare services.

 eCare Exhange

Through eMazzanti Technologies’ managed eCare Exchange service, even the smallest companies can benefit from powerful Business Email and Collaboration. Its Five 9’s uptime guarantee and 24×7 world-class support makes eCare Exchange service from eMazzanti Technologies a great choice for small companies that want IT capabilities.

“The eCare family of services is essentially big IT solutions for small companies, all at a price point that clients find hard to resist,” noted Mazzanti.

Benefits

Full IT Support at a fraction  of the Cost

All of the other IT consultants interviewed by Deepwater Wind recommended very expensive in-house hardware and software

solutions. Not so with eMazzanti’s recommendation. “We have the equivalent of a full IT department’s resources outsourced to eMazzanti,” said Kelly. “It’s significantly cheaper than owning it ourselves and is available at a fixed price allowing for predictable IT expenses.”

Secure Network Protects IP

Because Deepwater Wind is forging new cleantech solutions for a new energy generation, its intellectual property and business relationships are vital to its success. Its files and communications must be protected.  “Our knowledge and experience is a competitive advantage,” said Kelly. Having the right security in place is vital.”

Protecting Deepwater Wind’s data is eMazzanti’s eCare Business Continuity service. “Backup security happens via our NAS device every 15-minutes in an offsite location,” said Kelly. “We sleep a lot better knowing our IP is protected against accident and theft.”

Dynamic Access Across All Locations

Next, Deepwater Wind will expand its IT infrastructure by upgrading its server to Microsoft’s latest operating system. This will link the Hoboken, Providence, and other satellite offices to allow full, secure file access with backup from either office. “Our goal is to have full, seamless access and security for any file for any executive anywhere,” said Kelly.

 The New ‘Green’ Office

Deepwater Wind is focused on leading-edge, green technology solutions. Thinking and acting green is in its business’ DNA and eMazzanti has helped broaden the environmental definition green. “eMazzanti is helping us achieve the new ‘green’ office…saving resources and saving money,” said Kelly. “The idea of being environmentally friendly and managing our bottom-line with lower IT costs naturally appeals to us.”

Case Study is available for download in: PDF Format and Microsoft Word Format

Small Business Working Bigger

The theme of the new Microsoft Windows 7 banner ad program is: Small Business Working Bigger.  “This theme captures the spirit of the new OS, which is all about productivity and security, the two elements small businesses care deeply about,” said eMazzanti. “Our customers are discovering some amazing benefits to migrating to Windows 7.”

The 15-second banner ad opens on a panoramic view of the city of Hoboken, New Jersey with its densely populated business district.  The scene rapidly changes as the camera zooms to and through an eMazzanti Technologies office window, into the firm’s busy office hub, then to a solitary Windows 7 notebook computer on a desk, sporting the OS’s opening screen shot. Two “marketing-speak bubbles” pop up and help drive home two new Windows 7 features: more convenient and secure data backup along with the ability to work from anywhere, any time.

However, inclusion in Microsoft’s latest Windows 7 banner ad program was part of a continuing marketing effort the software leader began with eMazzanti several years ago. “eMazzanti is one of the star performers of our Microsoft partner program,” said Small Business Specialist Community Tele-Partner Account Manager for the East Region. “It’s why we keep coming back to work with them and their outstanding customers.”

eMazzanti-Part of the Original Windows 7 Launch Program

As is often the case, Microsoft works well in advance of public announcements of its newest software by inviting its most prominent IT partners to supply and support one or more customers. eMazzanti was previously asked to be part of the original launch of Windows 7, October 22, 2009. eMazzanti’s customer stories focused on how small and medium sized businesses use its new Windows 7 operating system. Beginning in late March, 2009,  six eMazzanti customers got an opportunity to test-drive Windows 7 and capture their experiences in a four-page case study. Each customer story was posted on Microsoft’s Windows 7 small business website. The eMazzanti customers also got a chance to participate in videos, direct marketing campaigns, launch events and other marketing efforts. “Some of the things that make us unique are encompassed by both the custom services and products we offer as well as the opportunity to participate in international marketing programs with newly minted software from leaders like Microsoft. This level of value-add is rare in our industry,” said Mazzanti.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. Contact eMazzanti Technologies at emazzanti.net or call 201-360-4400.

Business Needs

Located across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner eMazzanti Technologies has been providing cutting-edge, high-tech solutions to more than 400 small and midsize businesses worldwide since 2001. The organization’s solutions and services help customers lower costs, drive revenue, and increase productivity.

Many of the company’s engineers often work at customer sites, but they still need to access critical customer data on the corporate network. However, that was sometimes difficult given the occasionally unreliable virtual private network (VPN) connection that employees used. Off-site staff also struggled to access diagrams and other important files because of bandwidth limitations. “Our employees need to be able to access files quickly wherever they are in the world, even if their connection isn’t great,” says Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies.

The company also needed improved audio and video capabilities. “We create several internal training videos every week for our employees, and we wanted our staff to have the highest quality versions to view,” says Mazzanti. “It’s also essential because we use videos in our headquarters to demonstrate our products and services to customers.”

Increased employee productivity was another goal. “We work in a business where speed is essential,” says Mazzanti. “Our customers depend on us to help them solve business problems faster, and we need to work smarter and more efficiently to help them accomplish that.”

Solution

In late 2007, eMazzanti had implemented the Windows Server 2008 operating system, along with the Windows 7 client operating system. Always an early adopter of Microsoft technologies, the company decided to upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2. Windows Server 2008 R2 includes new remote access features and improved audio and video functionality, which eMazzanti knew could help solve its business challenges.

For example, the solution’s Remote Desktop Services feature makes it possible to install and manage session-based desktops and applications or virtual machine–based desktops on centralized servers in a data center. As a result, staff members can work in an entire desktop environment or on individual applications. They can also take advantage of bidirectional audio and video functionality in Windows Server 2008 R2, which decodes a compressed audio or video stream and renders it on a client computer.

BranchCache, another Windows Server 2008 R2 feature, caches wide area network file and Web server content on computers at a local branch office. This gives remote employees the experience of working on the company’s local area network. Also new is the DirectAccess feature, which employees can use to connect directly to the network without having to use a VPN connection.

The company implemented Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard in July 2009, deploying the software on six HP server computers.

 Benefits

Windows Server 2008 R2 gives remote eMazzanti employees improved access, faster file downloads, and much better video performance—all of which make eMazzanti more productive.

Improves Remote Connectivity

Now off-site staff can easily connect to the company’s network from their laptop computers. “Using the DirectAccess and Remote Desktop Services features in Windows Server 2008 R2, our network engineers and project managers working in other locations can easily access the applications they need,” says Mazzanti. “They can work anywhere in the world, at any time.”

Speeds Access to Files

Remote employees can also download critical customer files faster. Since files are available locally, data lines are not needed to transfer them. “Our engineers working at customer locations can download files locally, at fast speeds, because of the Windows Server 2008 R2 BranchCache feature,” says Mazzanti. “Whether they need a logo or a network diagram, they can get it fast, without worrying about backing up the file.”

Offers New Video, Audio Capabilities

Using bidirectional audio and video in Windows Server 2008 R2, eMazzanti and its customers can watch videos such as testimonials and training sessions more easily. Customers with satellite offices that use Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services also benefit from bidirectional audio and video. “Our customers using Windows Server 2008 R2 can get screen pops and handle voice conversations from a remote desktop session, without running a full desktop or offloading the video,” says Mazzanti.

Boosts Productivity by 12 Percent

With easier network connectivity and faster access to customer files, eMazzanti engineers working at customer sites are more productive than ever. “Each of our employees probably has an extra hour of time a day as the result of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7,” says Mazzanti. “That represents a 12 percent productivity improvement for us over the course of a year, and that means we can deliver projects faster to our customers.”

Helps Satisfy Customer Demand

The solution also helped eMazzanti better meet customer demands for higher system memory and performance. “Windows Server 2008 R2 gave us a reason to go back to existing customers with a new solution that doesn’t require new hardware,” says Mazzanti. “It gives them more memory and better performance on their existing equipment, and it offers new features like improved video compression to help them solve problems that were impacting their business.”

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the latest version of the Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. With Windows Server 2008 R2, you can create solutions that are easier to plan, deploy, and manage than with previous versions of Windows Server. Building on the features, security, reliability, and performance provided by Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2 extends connectivity and control to local and remote resources. This means that your organization can benefit from reduced costs and increased efficiencies gained through enhanced management and control over resources across the enterprise.

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

Even churches need a little earthly help every once in awhile. Such was the case with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Hoboken, New Jersey. Established in 1879, this historic building and organization ministers to the spiritual and temporal needs of 1200 parishioners. A mix of nine different computers hampered internal and external communications. eMazzanti Technologies, a local IT expert, was “heaven-sent” according to said Rev. Alexander M. Santora, pastor, Our Lady of Grace. The firm standardized the configuration of all computers, removed spyware, set up a wireless network for better collaboration and printing, provided affordable IT support and helped connect-up a new outdoor, electronic marquee that make communicating to parishioners more powerful and efficient.

Situation

In 1879, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (OLG) was established in Hoboken, NJ. It is now a neighborhood architectural and spiritual icon that ministers to the needs of 1200 parishioners in an eclectic water front mix of old established families and young urban professionals. However, communicating (marketing) to this large disparate group is a constant challenge. Communicating internally among the pastoral staff and volunteers is also a challenge. The parish has nine computers (five or more years old) running Windows XP and Office 2003 with file sharing being limited to external drives and a variety of public internal tools. Email, calendar and file sharing was limited while Internet access and graphic-intensive documents are slowed because of the age of the computers and lack of significant RAM. The parish needs to find ways of leveraging most or all of its existing computers and infrastructure to maximize performance and minimize costs.

Solutions

eMazzanti provided on-going technical support—eCare Network Management, removed spyware that slowed computer performance, standardized computer configurations for maximum efficiency, created a wireless network so church staff could more easily communicate, installed wide-screen monitors that helped increase productivity and provided a simple, but reliable backup system for parish files.

eCare Network Management is one of the most important IT solutions eMazzanti provides the parish which is basic 24×7 network support for a fixed, monthly fee. With convenient remote problem diagnosis, the parish gets IT issues resolved rapidly, often without the wait associated with an onsite service call.

“We have two buildings that are part of our parish. Having access to round the clock IT solutions is exactly what we needed,” said Rev. Alexander M. Santora, pastor, Our Lady of Grace.

Benefits

eCare Provides Affordable 24×7 Network Solutions

eCare Network Solutions provides around the clock network problem solving for an “all-you-can-eat” price. This kind of approach is particularly helpful for organizations that must tightly manage limited budgets.

“Our Lady of Grace exists to minister to the spiritual needs of our parishioners, but it also must function well temporally, being fiscally responsible,” said Santora. “eMazzanti eCare was the perfect solution for us.”

Wireless Network Improves Internal and External Communications

Parish staff and volunteers now have a simple way to share email, files and printers. This kind of collaboration is particularly helpful in managing the weekly needs of the church and special events. For example, annual activities such as the Fun Fest at the nearby water front park utilizes 150-200 volunteers. Without a wireless network, it was difficult to coordinate electronic communications that were uniform, consistent and easy to use.

“Having basic computer and network capabilities not only helps streamline communications for everyone,” said Santora. “It builds parishioner confidence in the church organization itself.”

Electronic Sign Improves Parishioner Communications

Because of the eclectic, diverse nature of the parish neighborhood, keeping everyone informed of what’s going on is a costly challenge. Mailings and printed materials can grow to be very expensive over a year’s period of time. A partial solution came in the form of a large screen electronic billboard outside the church. As the parish considered the idea, it knew it required a computer to drive the device.

“eMazzanti came to the rescue again. They helped us with the specifications and made sure the laptop computer we used to input messages was up to the task and set up correctly, said Santora.

“This new approach to keeping our members informed helped us greatly and makes us look like we’re taking advantage of the latest tools—sort of technology hip from a spiritual point-of-view,” mused Santora.

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

Heaven-Sent Solutions

A mix of nine different computers hampered internal and external communications. eMazzanti Technologies, a local IT expert, was “heaven-sent” according to said Rev. Alexander M. Santora, pastor, Our Lady of Grace. The IT firm strengthened and standardized the configuration of all computers, removed spyware, set up a wireless network for better collaboration and printing, provided affordable IT support and helped connect-up a new outdoor, electronic marquee that make communicating to parishioners more powerful and efficient.  A copy of the new case study is available at www.emazzanti.net.

eCare Provides Affordable Network Solutions

eCare Network Solutions provides around the clock network problem solving for an “all-you-can-eat” price. This kind of approach is particularly helpful for organizations that must tightly manage limited budgets.

“Our Lady of Grace exists to minister to the spiritual needs of our parishioners, but it also must function well temporally, being fiscally responsible,” said Santora. “eMazzanti eCare was the perfect solution for us.”

Wireless Network Improves Internal and External Communications

Parish staff and volunteers now have a simple way to share email, files and printers. This kind of collaboration is particularly helpful in managing the weekly needs of the church and special events. For example, annual activities such as the Fun Fest held at the nearby water front park, utilizes 150-200 volunteers. Without a wireless network, it was difficult to coordinate electronic communications that were uniform, consistent and easy to use.

“Having basic computer and network capabilities not only helps streamline communications for everyone,” said Santora. “It builds parishioner confidence in the church organization itself.”

Electronic Sign Improves Parishioner Communications

Because of the eclectic, diverse nature of the parish neighborhood, keeping everyone informed of what’s going on is a costly challenge. Mailings and printed materials can grow to be very expensive over a year’s period of time. A partial solution came in the form of a large screen electronic billboard outside the church. As the parish considered the idea, it knew it required a computer to drive the device.

“eMazzanti came to the rescue again. They helped us with the specifications and made sure the laptop computer we used to input messages was up to the task and set up correctly, said Santora.

“This new approach to keeping our members informed helped us greatly and makes us look like we’re taking advantage of the latest tools—sort of technology-hip from a spiritual point-of-view,” mused Santora.

 About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or www.emazzanti.net.

Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies

Take some time off and kick back with Kingston® and eMazzanti Technologies at Boot^Up Camp — and get your notebook upgraded with a Kingston SSDNow solid-state drive.

See for yourself how SSDNow drives can improve the performance and speed of your notebook. Faster and more durable and reliable than standard hard-disk drives, SSDNow drives increase productivity and extend the life of existing computers.

Please bring a notebook that meets the following system requirements:

• Notebooks only; no desktops
• SATA2
• 2.5″ HDD form factor
• Must have CD-ROM
• Windows systems only; no Macs
• No Bit-Locker or other HDD encryption installed
• Backup all files prior to event
• To ensure that the imaging process is successful, if the used capacity on your HDD is greater than 50GB, it is required that you move some of your data such as pictures, movies, music, etc. off the drive to an alternative data source (e.g., external hard drive or USB drive) until the used space is no more than 50GB
• Multi-Partitioned HDDs OK as long as total used space between all partitions is under the 50GB space requirement
• Single-boot OS only; no multi-boot OS
• Must bring system power cord

Kingston is not liable for, and does not cover under warranty, any loss of data or any costs associated with determining the source of system problems or removing, servicing or installing Kingston products. This warranty excludes third party software, connected equipment or stored data. In the event of a claim, Kingston’s sole obligation shall be replacement of the hardware.

Join us at:

Septemebr 16th at 3:00 PM

Sponsor by EMazzanti Technologies.

Location: Kingston and eMazzanti at 701 Grand St. Hoboken NJ 07030
Date: Sep 16th, 2010

Time: 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Location: Hoboken, NJ

Register for this Event
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Mobile:
Website Address:
Industry:
Event Date:	9/16/10 3:00pm
Special Requests:
Please copy the following characters:

To learn more about eMazzanti I invite you to check out our website at www.emazzanti.net or to watch some of our Customer Success videos at:

http://www.emazzanti.net/about-us/videos

No matter what we will be following up with you shortly to confirm receipt and to determine how we can best work together.  In the meantime please do call or write at any time.  Speaking for everyone at eMazzanti Technologies we look forward to serving your technology needs.

Thanks,

Ervis

-               Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies

Renowned for their innovative approach to network services, eMazzanti is focused on serving customers with the utmost efficiency to help them work better and faster. To meet their goal, they needed a more efficient office solution to reduce the time spent working in applications and increase the time spent catering to clients.

After deploying Microsoft Office 2010 Professional, eMazzanti saw an increase in internal efficiency, allowing them to serve customers quicker. They also enjoyed more effective and open communication with customers, vendors, and colleagues.

Situation

For every project eMazzanti undertakes, premium customer service is always the core focus. To meet their high service standards, the company must deliver three critical content pieces to the customer.

The project plan is typically the first deliverable, conveying to the client the scope and detailed specifications of the project. eMazzanti submits between 3-6 project plans per week. In many cases, multiple engineers need to work on the same project plans. Without an efficient collaboration tool, they were required to take turns accessing and modifying the files, a sequential process that impaired the company’s productivity.

Network diagrams are another critical focus of the company, providing engineers with the complex data infrastructure records they need to achieve successful client implementations and ongoing support. To ensure detail and accuracy, technicians were spending at least 25 hours per month creating these diagrams.

After implementation, eMazzanti provides all customers with technical documentation of their network systems and procedures. In addition to assisting customers with ongoing tasks and cutting down on support calls, this documentation helps to illustrate the value of the company’s services. The eMazzanti

team was spending large amounts of time manipulating screen shots and graphics in a third-party application before adding them into Microsoft Word.

Email management posed another challenge. With up to 300 new messages to field each day, Jennifer Mazzanti, the President of eMazzanti Technologies, desired a more efficient, robust mail solution to streamline communications with engineers and clients.

Solution

To achieve more efficient collaboration, cut down on the amount of time spent on diagrams and documentation, and streamline email management, eMazzanti Technologies upgraded to Microsoft® Office 2010 Professional. The latest Office suite from Microsoft offers many of the tools eMazzanti needed to achieve their productivity goals, including more robust image editing and richer features in Microsoft Visio® and SharePoint®.

Office 2010 Professional has enabled eMazzanti to achieve a significant boost in productivity, saving the company up to 300 hours per year in diagram creation and expediting project deliverables by up to 20%. This has allowed eMazzanti to focus more resources on delivering superior customer service and satisfaction.

“Our customers see a higher return on investment if they use a firm that works faster,” notes Mazzanti. “By using Office 2010 Professional internally and implementing it for our customers, we get more done for them in less time.”

Benefits

Smoother, Smarter Diagramming Capabilities

The new version of Visio offers a more intuitive and organized interface, making it easier for users to access common functions and complete diagrams more quickly. There is also more support for process diagrams and full integration with SharePoint 2010 encourages cross-application collaboration.

With the new Visio, eMazzanti has enjoyed a significant efficiency gains in their network diagramming capabilities. They have reduced their time investment by 20%, saving a total of 300 hours per year. By spending less time on formatting, technicians have more availability to focus on optimizing the customer experience.

“Our network diagrams are a critical part of our business. The new Visio lets us present accurate, complex visual presentations much faster, with less margin of error,” says Mazzanti.

Enhanced Collaboration Boosts Productivity by 20%

With the new SharePoint 2010, more emphasis is placed on the support of users and businesses, incorporating features like enhanced workflow, improves search functions, and more intuitive menus via the Ribbon interface.

The expanded SharePoint capabilities allow eMazzanti technicians to collaborate more efficiently when creating project plans, forms, and documentation. The ability to access and modify documents simultaneously has reduced project plan creation time by 20%, saving roughly one day per week in productivity.

A More Robust Graphical Experience

The new version of Microsoft Word offers an array of efficiencies, including built-in co-authoring, sleeker navigation, and richer image editing features. The new graphical capabilities have been especially appreciated by the eMazzanti team.

“It’s the little things that make a document from eMazzanti stand out from the competition, and those things take an inordinate amount of time,” says Mazzanti. “Customizing those steps in Word makes the process far more intuitive, and lets us focus on the actual data instead of the application.”

Word’s enhanced image tools have enabled the eMazzanti team to produce more polished, professional documentation up to 20% faster by keeping all editing functions in one place. “When it comes to formatting images, performing as many tasks as possible within one application results in a huge productivity gain, both for our customers and for the technicians supporting them,” notes Mazzanti.

More Organized Communications

For Mazzanti, maintaining his daily flow of up to 300 emails was a huge challenge. Just days after implementing Microsoft Outlook® 2010, he was amazed by the application’s speed and intuitiveness. In addition to email functions, Mazzanti leverages Outlook for CRM tasks as well. “The new Outlook has greatly improved the entire company’s workflow,” Mazzanti notes.

Specifically, the Conversation View has allowed him to save up to 20% of daily email management time. “Now, I can click two buttons and move an entire thread at once—no more time spent filing multiple messages. Additionally, by synchronizing Office 2010 Professional with my Windows Mobile Smartphone, I can clean up email conversations when I am away from the office. It’s changed the way I work and helped me become more efficient.”

Big Savings Equates to Better Service

For eMazzanti, the benefits of Office 2010 Professional are best reflected by the level of their customers’ satisfaction. “In our business, time is money,” notes Jennifer Mazzanti, president of the company. “Wherever we can be more efficient internally, we can pass on the savings to our customers and our bottom line. Office 2010 Professional helps us accomplish that.”

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional gives your people powerful, timesaving tools to do their best work from more places.  With new capabilities and insightful updates to Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook, Office 2010 Professional offers the complete package — with familiar, intuitive tools.  Now you can express ideas, solve problems, connect with people, and create amazing results — in the office, at home, or on the go.

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

Boosting efficiency and productivity is always top-of-mind for GameWear executives, who focus on leveraging accurate, up-to-date data about company and sales team performance to find ways to improve overall operations.

Microsoft® Office 2010 provided the intuitive, innovative design and enhanced capabilities that the company had been seeking. By deploying this system through the technical implementation and support team of its IT partner—and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner—eMazzanti Technologies, GameWear was able to improve company performance and deliver better products to the market, faster.

 Situation

For GameWear managers, analysing multiple sets of data―in massive amounts―to generate reports on performance of sales personnel, product inventory, and trends was difficult and time-consuming. And employees found that managing and updating the company catalogue, which was built in Microsoft Excel® and contained thousands of products and images, required the tedious process of emailing revisions back-and-forth to each other.

Plus, because GameWear staff received hundreds if not thousands of emails per day, they often spent more time managing, sorting, and organizing their inboxes than they would have liked.

GameWear needed to improve the way it sorted and analyzed data to better understand—and continually improve business performance, as well as improve collaboration and email organization so employees could accomplish more in less time.

 Solution

That’s when GameWear turned to eMazzanti Technologies for help. GameWear rolled out Office 2010, resulting in faster, easier data analysis, enhanced collaboration, and improved email organization.

Frank Cerullo, co-founder of GameWear, remarks that this technology has been instrumental to the company’s rising success: “Thanks to Microsoft for engineering Office 2010, and our partner, eMazzanti Technologies, for bringing this product to life for us, we’ve found new opportunities to strengthen our competitive edge.”

 Benefits

Turning Complex Data into Actionable Information

Sparklines, a new feature available in Microsoft Excel® 2010, enables users to visually display data by creating tiny charts or graphs within a single cell next to related values. For Cerullo, this feature has simplified data analysis tremendously.

“We’re constantly analysing data—from employee to product performance and even the viability of logos in specific regions,” he says. “Sparklines has made it infinitely easier to spot trends.”

Users can also utilize Slicers to visually “cut” and filter specific sets of data within an Excel PivotTable® and see what precisely what they need, allowing them to identify pertinent information faster. “We use PivotTables constantly to sort and track data—and we used to manually extract this data before analysing it,” Cerullo points out. “Slickers eliminate that manual step—so we can see what we need in seconds.”

Overall, Cerullo indicates that Excel 2010 has dramatically improved the way GameWear tracks, manages, and analyses data, resulting in better information that empowers smarter business decisions.

“Excel 2010 provides the fantastic reporting capabilities. And it’s created opportunities that didn’t exist before,” Cerullo says. “It’s a home run for us,” he adds with a smile.

 Creating a Stronger Team for Improved Results

New co-authoring* tools available in the Excel Web App allow GameWear employees to work on the company catalogue at the same time, so they no longer need to integrate changes one at a time, close the document, and pass it back and forth for revisions.

“Excel is the foundation of our catalogue, which can contain 20,000 products and images that are updated regularly. Being able to collaborate on this document allows us to double our updating speed.”

 Gaining a Competitive Edge with Improved Communication

The improved Conversation View in Microsoft Outlook® 2010 enables users to easily manage large amounts of email by condensing multiple messages in a discussion and displaying them as a single-line item—even if some of the messages are stored in separate folders.

“I used to spend an a lot of time sorting and organizing my inbox to retrieve related correspondence,” says Cerullo. “Conversation View does this for me automatically so I can spend more time helping my clients.”

Quick Steps allows users to perform multi-command tasks, such as email forwarding, with a single click—saving time and streamlining workflow. “I field so many messages that I have several groups to which I forward messages,” Cerullo points out. “With Quick Steps, I can quickly send important emails to the right person, right away.”

Overall, Cerullo is impressed by the ease-of-use, intuitive interface, and overall speed and performance of Office 2010. “The smooth integration provided by eMazzanti Technologies and new interface of Office 2010 combine to create a powerful and tremendous advantage,” he says. “We can accomplish everything in two clicks or less!”

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies

This event is sponsored by Microsoft and WatchGuard Technologies who along with your favorite eMazzanti Network engineers will offer advice and guidance on how to protect not only yourself throughout the day but also to take home some ideas on how to protect your organization from digital threats that appear every day.

Date: May 5, 2011

Time: 8:00am

Location: Hoboken, NJ

Register for this Event
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Mobile:
Website Address:
Industry:
Event Date:	5/5/10 8:00am
Special Requests:
Please copy the following characters:

BACKGROUND

Located in Sussex County, New Jersey, Andover Regional School District serves approximately 750 students in grades K through 8. The district takes great pride in putting technology in the classrooms. Every year when the school board declares its goals for the district, technology initiatives are always near the top of the list. Unfortunately, the district’s Internet security and access imposed huge limitations on what the organization could accomplish. That led them to eMazzanti Technologies, a local technology consulting firm, two-time WatchGuard Partner of the Year, and a company with broad experience serving educational institutions.

CHALLENGE

The district was suffering from an Internet bottleneck. With 300 computers across two school campuses and the business offices, there was contention for bandwidth – especially when multiple classrooms were pulling video and audio streams. Recalls Terry Van Auken, School Business Administrator, “We were experiencing tremendous difficulties, on a daily basis. It was not only impacting the classrooms and the teachers’ lesson plans, it was impacting the business office to the point where we were having difficulty performing daily functions.”

Recommendations from other districts in the area led to eMazzanti Technologies. “We brought in some other companies, but consistently eMazzanti came to the top of the list,” she states. “They were responsive to every question that we put in front of them.”

WATCHGUARD^® SOLUTION

Bill McNeir, Director of Technology for the district, took the lead in evaluating the potential solutions. As he explains, “When eMazzanti presented their program, built around the WatchGuard equipment, it was a win/win all around. I contacted several high schools and a college in the area who were using WatchGuard firewalls, and they all were successful with the product. When the presentation was made to our Board of Education, it cruised through.”

The solution chosen was a WatchGuard Firebox® X CoreTM unit, with a full unified threat management (UTM) suite including Gateway AntiVirus protection, Intrusion Prevention Service, spamBlocker, and especially important for the school district, the WebBlocker service. After designing and configuring the gateway security policies in the eMazzanti labs, the company came onsite, installed the WatchGuard unit and within minutes, the cutover was complete.

BENEFITS

It was evident from the get-go that the Andover district had found the perfect fit. WatchGuard addressed not only the bandwidth concerns, but also some other needs surrounding bandwidth aggregation, gateway security and the Web browsing behavior of the students. “It was the solution we were looking for,” declares McNeir. “I’m looking for security, savings and service, and WatchGuard and eMazzanti provided all three.”

Higher Bandwidth at the Lowest Possible Cost The district subscribed to the eMazzanti eCare managed firewall plan. Part of that service was collecting logs and building reports on connection performance, which found that the district’s only link to the Internet was highly unstable. Within a very short time, eMazzanti provided hard evidence to the faculty and school board that justified the need for additional bandwidth.

By enabling the policy-based routing which was a standard feature of the WatchGuard unit that eMazzanti had already installed, they were able to connect the district to a secondary DSL line and aggregate the traffic over the two links. Result? A permanent solution to a long-standing problem, at very little incremental cost to the district.

Straightforward, Easily Enforced Web Safety As with any school district, Andover has students who have the time, the means and the desire to circumvent Internet-safety measures and the institution’s educational mission. There had been a web-safety solution in place, but it had not been up to the task.

The eMazzanti team configured the WatchGuard WebBlocker service to disallow categories of sites that were obvious concerns, plus individual sites that were outside the educational purpose. The service was set up to return a web page informing the user of the block, with instructions to contact McNeir for access. After installing the WatchGuard unit, “Web access was not a problem anymore,” he declares. “I knew it was working, because the teachers were calling me. They were going on certain sites, and they were being blocked. It was tremendous – a great success.”

Stable Costs, Happier Taxpayers Because of their experience with WatchGuard firewalls and the ease-of-management, eMazzanti Technologies is able to deliver several services for a fixed fee. Their eCare network management plan offers installation, maintenance and support over multiple years, for a cost that is guaranteed and predictable. Plus, fixed licensing for the WatchGuard WebBlocker service ensures that if the district brings in additional computers, those costs will remain the same.

That’s important to McNeir. “I have a certain budget which I’m allotted each year in technology, and I cannot be throwing money out the window to every company that thinks they could sell me the world. We want to keep the costs down and the taxpayers happy. We’re doing that, with a product that delivers performance that’s well over 100%.”

Partners for Education “I would have graded our old product at a D, and we’re in the A+ range with WatchGuard and eMazzanti,” concludes Van Auken. “The impact since WatchGuard has been implemented is night and day. Complaints from the business office, from teachers, from administrators, they’re almost gone.”

McNeir credits that success to the WatchGuard-eMazzanti partnership: “It has to be one of the best technology partnerships around. We’re a local school district, we’re K to 8, but they also work together on the high school level here in New Jersey, and colleges and universities, too. It’s a tremendous partnership, and we’re proud to be part of it as well.”

For Full Version in: MS WORD or .PDF FORMAT

eMazzanti Technologies Microsoft Office 2010 Video

When eMazzanti Technologies updated its IT environment with the Microsoft Office 2010 suites, its employees immediately began saving time and communicating more productively using enhanced features in Microsoft Outlook 2010. For example, employees can click on a contact in an e-mail message to bring up the contact’s information and pin it to their desktop for follow up. With the Quick Steps feature, they can automate frequently repeated steps in e-mail responses, saving time for eMazzanti Technologies and providing better value for its customers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

BACKGROUND

Located in Sussex County, New Jersey, Andover Regional School District serves approximately 750 students in grades K through 8. The district takes great pride in putting technology in the classrooms. Every year when the school board declares its goals for the district, technology initiatives are always near the top of the list. Unfortunately, the district’s Internet security and access imposed huge limitations on what the organization could accomplish. That led them to eMazzanti Technologies, a local technology consulting firm, two-time WatchGuard Partner of the Year, and a company with broad experience serving educational institutions.

CHALLENGE

The district was suffering from an Internet bottleneck. With 350 computers across two school campuses and the business offices, there was contention for bandwidth – especially when multiple classrooms were pulling video and audio streams. Recalls Terry Van Auken, School Business Administrator, “We were experiencing tremendous difficulties, on a daily basis. It was not only impacting the classrooms and the teachers’ lesson plans, it was impacting the business office to the point where we were having difficulty performing daily functions.”

Recommendations from other districts in the area led to eMazzanti Technologies. “We brought in some other companies, but consistently eMazzanti Technologies came to the top of the list,” she states. “They were responsive to every question that we put in front of them.”

WATCHGUARD^® SOLUTION

Bill McNeir, Network System Administrator for the district, took the lead in evaluating the potential solutions. As he explains, “When eMazzanti Technologies presented their program, built around the WatchGuard equipment, it was a win/win all around. I contacted several high schools and a college in the area who were using WatchGuard firewalls, and they all were successful with the product. When the presentation was made to our Board of Education, it cruised through.”

The solution chosen was a WatchGuard Firebox® X CoreTM unit, with a full unified threat management (UTM) suite including Gateway AntiVirus protection, Intrusion Prevention Service, spamBlocker, and especially important for the school district, the WebBlocker service. After designing and configuring the gateway security policies in the eMazzanti Technologies’ labs, the company came onsite, installed the WatchGuard unit and within minutes, the cutover was complete.

BENEFITS

It was evident from the get-go that the Andover district had found the perfect fit. WatchGuard addressed not only the bandwidth concerns, but also some other needs surrounding bandwidth aggregation, gateway security and the Web browsing behavior of the students. “It was the solution we were looking for,” declares McNeir. “I’m looking for security, savings and service, and WatchGuard and eMazzanti Technologies provided all three.”

Higher Bandwidth at the Lowest Possible Cost The district subscribed to the eMazzanti Technologies eCare managed firewall plan. Part of that service was collecting logs and building reports on connection performance, which found that the district’s only link to the Internet was highly unstable. Within a very short time, eMazzanti Technologies provided hard evidence to the faculty and school board that justified the need for additional bandwidth.

By enabling the policy-based routing which was a standard feature of the WatchGuard unit that eMazzanti Technologies had already installed, they were able to connect the district to a secondary DSL line and aggregate the traffic over the two links. Result? A permanent solution to a long-standing problem, at very little incremental cost to the district.

Straightforward, Easily Enforced Web Safety As with any school district, Andover has students who have the time, the means and the desire to circumvent Internet-safety measures and the institution’s educational mission. There had been a web-safety solution in place, but it had not been up to the task.

The eMazzanti team configured the WatchGuard WebBlocker service to disallow categories of sites that were obvious concerns, plus individual sites that were outside the educational purpose. The service was set up to return a web page informing the user of the block, with instructions to contact McNeir for access. After installing the WatchGuard unit, “Web access was not a problem anymore,” he declares. “I knew it was working, because the teachers were calling me. They were going on certain sites, and they were being blocked. It was tremendous – a great success.”

Stable Costs, Happier Taxpayers Because of their experience with WatchGuard firewalls and the ease-of-management, eMazzanti Technologies is able to deliver several services for a fixed fee. Their eCare network management plan offers installation, maintenance and support over multiple years, for a cost that is guaranteed and predictable. Plus, fixed licensing for the WatchGuard WebBlocker service ensures that if the district brings in additional computers, those costs will remain the same.

That’s important to McNeir. “I have a certain budget which I’m allotted each year in technology, and I cannot be throwing money out the window to every company that thinks they could sell me the world. We want to keep the costs down and the taxpayers happy. We’re doing that, with a product that delivers performance that’s well over 100%.”

Partners for Education “I would have graded our old product at a D, and we’re in the A+ range with WatchGuard and eMazzanti Technologies,” concludes Van Auken. “The impact since WatchGuard has been implemented is night and day. Complaints from the business office, from teachers, from administrators, they’re almost gone.”

McNeir credits that success to the WatchGuard-eMazzanti partnership: “It has to be one of the best technology partnerships around. We’re a local school district, we’re K to 8, but they also work together on the high school level here in New Jersey, and colleges and universities, too. It’s a tremendous partnership, and we’re proud to be part of it as well.”

866.EMAZZANTI ∙ www.emazzanti.net

eMazzanti Technologies provides computer network solutions for growing businesses, from initial setup to ongoing support and management. The firm’s services include network design, security, disaster recovery, remote connectivity and beyond. In addition to network consulting services, eMazzanti offers a portfolio of managed services and an online store showcasing more than 500,000 hardware and software products from leading technology manufacturers. An innovative and comprehensive approach to network services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications.

For Full Version in: MS WORD or .PDF FORMAT

Be forewarned: While unified communications security incidents aren’t dominating headlines, the potential for vital corporate data to slip out via this technology solution is very real.

“There has been zero recognition of this as being an issue for consumers, but grabbing voice packets out of places like people’s homes can actually be very easy. People would be shocked to know how easy,” said Richard Newman, managing partner and certified information security systems professional for technology solution provider Reliant Security in New York.

The good news is that by focusing on core network security solutions and processes, technology solution providers can diminish the chances that breaches will occur.

“The real threat is sensitive information leaking out of the company, accidentally or otherwise,” said Ali Elahi, practice lead for unified communications (UC) and collaboration at Unis Lumin, a network integration company in Toronto.

UC applications — including instant messaging and conferencing sessions where data is being shared via text, video or graphics — can only be as secure as the underlying network infrastructure, Elahi said. “The rules you would apply to other applications would apply here as well.”

Russell Dietz, vice president and chief technology officer for information security technology company SafeNet, said UC is probably the second-most vulnerable application from a security standpoint, after email — and for many of the same reasons, most of which have to do with broader network security policies.

Dietz categorizes the UC security threats into two buckets. First, he says UC applications offer a good channel for individuals to share information, either covertly or by accident. So, for example, he has heard of companies that have accidentally shared video files or presentations via conferencing sessions that were not ready for primetime. In other cases, individuals have circumvented security applied to email because the same measures had not been applied to their UC applications.

“There is more opportunity for individuals to get around the traditional corporate channels for approval and distribution of information,” Dietz said.

Another, albeit less common internal UC security threat surrounds the possibility that someone could co-opt an employee’s internal caller identity and use it to phish for information they don’t have the right to see or to make outbound calls that they aren’t authorized to make. This is known as a call-hijacking scheme, and it’s something that small businesses using hosted services should be especially diligent about watching, solution providers say.

 Carl Mazzanti, founder and CEO of eMazzanti Technologies, a technology solution provider in Hoboken, N.J., said that aside from costing money, call-hijacking can damage a company’s reputation. He cites the example of a hacker who was using the caller identification associated with a company’s IP phone solution to make unsolicited calls. “We tell our customers that they must treat their IP phones like the intellectual property that they use to run their business,” Mazzanti said.

So what can a technology solution provider do to maintain a customer’s UC security?

Solution providers say protecting corporate UC and collaboration sessions via a virtual private network is one best practice they recommend to any customer considering a UC implementation.

“Generally speaking, if a UC session is running over a VPN, it will be secure,” said Brian Gregory, president of Network Innovations, a networking solution provider in Olathe, Kan., which has been selling unified communications solutions for years. “We always run everything over a secure network.”

Gregory said that some of the key UC vendors are beginning to add encryption to their technologies, although this can introduce undesirable latency into a UC session.

Enforcing a strong strategy for role-based authentication and access control is an approach recommended by Unis Lumin’s Elahi. It’s important to apply the same policies for audit and archiving of corporate information to UC conversations as you would to any other network application. “This will only become more important as UC-enabled collaboration becomes more prevalent,” he said. “Especially when you’re extending outside your own firewall.”

About the author

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for emerging technology and corporate sustainability issues. She can be reached at heather@heatherclancy.com.

IAN KELLY, Controller, Deepwater Wind

To find technologies that support this mission, Deepwater Wind relies on its IT partner, eMazzanti Technologies, for its excellent guidance and support. When eMazzanti Technologies shared with Deepwater Wind the powerful, energy-efficient design of the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows® 7 Professional, the company knew it had found the right balance of performance, speed and green technologies that would help its employees cultivate innovative ideas and develop sustainable solutions in less time.

Situation

While managers wanted to deploy more powerful technologies that would improve employee efficiency, they needed to ensure that any new systems would help the firm reduce energy consumption. One such challenge employees routinely faced was the difficult and tedious process of connecting to the right network printer at the right time.

In addition, locating important files took longer than employees would have liked, as did communicating technical issues with IT experts. Managers also needed to fortify system security to keep business-critical files safe from intrusion. At the same time, the firm was seeking more durable systems that would last as long—or even longer—than projected.

Solution

  To accomplish this, Deepwater Wind turned to eMazzanti Technologies, a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner, for help. Applying its expertise and industry insight, the IT firm suggested that Deepwater Wind try the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional.* Deepwater Wind managers accepted this recommendation and have been pleased with the results.

“eMazzanti Technologies is a leader in IT support,” Ian Kelly, Controller of Deepwater Wind, remarks. “And they have consistently recommended the best—which is why we now have Windows 7 Professional and the HP 5310m ProBook.”

Benefits

  Enhancing Efficiency The HP 5310m ProBook’s long-lasting battery life and energy-efficient design, along with Windows 7 Power Management settings (which uses features like adaptive screen display brightness), work in tandem to extend notebook life while reducing power consumption.

“The energy-efficient design of the HP 5310m ProBook along with Windows 7 Professional Power Management has given us a more powerful system that actually reduces power consumption,” says Kelly. “And every little bit of savings helps.”

With Windows 7 Professional Location Aware Printing, users no longer need to manually select and wait for the right printer to connect. What’s more, because employees no longer need to reprint documents due to inadvertently sending them to the wrong printer, Deepwater Wind is reducing paper and ink costs—and increasing security.

According to Kelly, “Location Aware Printing is saving time and it’s also cutting down on paper and ink costs while boosting security.”

Improving Productivity

Windows Search makes it faster easier than ever to locate files, folders, applications and even emails. Plus, since eMazzanti Technologies deployed the Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2 across Deepwater Wind systems, the energy firm’s employees can also easily locate data stored on the company server.

As Kelly notes, “eMazzanti Technologies helped us upgrade to Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2. And now that we have Windows Search, we can find files not just locally—but across the whole server—in seconds.”

Problems Steps Recorder is a new feature in Windows 7 Professional that enables users to take live recordings of their interactions with programs and applications and share this information with IT professionals. For Deepwater Wind, this has improved the way employees communicate technical issues with eMazzanti Technologies professionals.

“Before Problem Steps Recorder, our employees had a hard time relaying details of IT issues,” says Kelly. “Now that they can use this tool, they can communicate better than ever—saving everyone time and frustration.”

A More Secure and Sustainable Solution

  The Encrypting File System included with Windows 7 Professional enables users to easily encrypt important files and folders—giving them the peace of mind in knowing sensitive information is always protected.

“Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System helps ensure that everything we create internally stays internal,” Kelly says. “I feel more confident that information won’t get into the wrong hands.”

The HP 5310m ProBook Built-to-Last and Built-to-Conserve design integrates durable yet lightweight features with BFR/PVCfree 17 options that use materials with lower environmental impact. For Deepwater Wind, this translates into longer-lasting— and more environmentally friendly— systems that support their commitment to green technologies and practices.

“The HP 5310m ProBook is truly built to last,” Kelly points out. “Even better, it uses environmentally friendly materials. This is the machine of the future—and it’s aligned what we, as a company, stand for.”

To Download Full Version in: MS WORD or .PDF FORMAT

On-time delivery and high-quality service are the hallmarks of Newark-based Bell Container, which manufacturers more than 1.1 billion square feet of corrugated packaging materials annually. The company attributes its success to the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies, which are recommended and deployed by the company’s IT partner, eMazzanti Technologies. To help

 streamline everyday processes and give employees more time to focus on creating innovative designs and delivering impeccable service, eMazzanti Technologies recommended that Bell Container upgrade to the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional. “The HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional is a quantum leap in terms of boosting productivity for us,” says Ben Hernandez, information systems manager of Bell Container. “And eMazzanti Technologies made that a reality by helping us make the switch.”

Situation

Long boot and resume times were a frequent source of frustration for Bell Container employees, as was the multi-step process of making sure their systems were identifying and connecting to the right network printer in each working environment. For managers, connecting new PCs to the corporate domain was a complicated and time-consuming process.

 While they wanted to alleviate these challenges, Bell Container leaders needed to ensure they retained backwards compatibility with legacy programs and applications. On top of that, the company was currently in the process of updating its business documentation—which was projected to take longer than managers would like.

In addition, Bell Container needed more powerful notebooks that were both easy to use and sturdy enough to handle frequent travel and regular wear and tear—while keeping business-critical files protected at all times.

Solution

Bell Container turned to eMazzanti Technologies for its expert guidance and support. And when its IT partner suggested the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows® 7 Professional, Bell Container knew it would be the ideal solution for its business.

Benefits

Faster, Easier Access to What Matters Most

Bell Container employees found that the Windows 7 fast Sleep and Resume helps them get to work sooner and complete projects faster than before.

As Hernandez point out, “Our HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional starts 20 seconds faster than previous systems. We expect that to add up to 17 minutes every day across the organization.”

This time savings is enhanced with Windows 7 Professional Location Aware Printing. Once a user defines the default printer in each network environment, the feature will automatically detect and connect to the right printer each time a user switches networks. “I love Location Aware Printing,” Hernandez remarks. “Before, I had to manually switch printers when I moved between networks. Now I don’t have to change the settings because it connects right away automatically.”

Managers have found that with Windows 7 Professional Domain Join, the process for connecting new PCs to the company network is streamlined and simplified—saving time and frustration.

“Domain Join makes it easier than ever to set up new computers,” notes Hernandez. “Of course, eMazzanti Technologies is instrumental in helping us with this process—I think it’s helping both of our companies save time.”

 Critical Compatibility and Efficiency

With Windows XP Mode, a new feature included with Windows 7 Professional, users can work with legacy applications and programs that have yet to be updated—while leveraging the power and performance of Windows 7 Professional.

According to Hernandez, “We wanted Windows 7 Professional, but weren’t sure if it would work with legacy applications. When eMazzanti Technologies showed us how to use Windows XP Mode, we knew this OS was perfect for us.”

Windows 7 Professional also includes Problem Steps Recorder, giving users new

and easy ways to share complex information, such as how to use a new program or software application. All users have to do is launch the application, hit ‘record’ to capture their on screen interactions, add any notes, and send it off to colleagues.

 “We project that Problems Steps Recorder will reduce the time required to update our documentation by 70 percent,” says Hernandez. “That’s more time we have to create and deliver even better products to our customers.”

A Flexible, Secure Solution

 The HP Built-to-Last construction—a critical component of the HP 5310m ProBook’s design—provides users with durable yet lightweight features such as an anodized aluminium display enclosure and a magnesium alloy case to protect notebooks from the rigors of daily use. Bell Container employees also note that the bright screen and finely-tuned keyboard enhance their ability to get work done—no matter where they are.

 “HP 5310m ProBook is beautiful, slick, easy to use and sturdy,” Hernandez remarks. “eMazzanti Technologies recommended we switch to this notebook—and we’re glad we did.”

 Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System has helped Bell Container fortify system security by enabling users to easily encrypt files and folders—and keep them safe from intrusion. “Encrypting File System ensures that all of our data stays safe,” Hernandez says. “That extra layer of security is critical to our business.”

Situation

Long boot and resume times were a frequent source of frustration for Bell Container employees, as was the multi-step process of making sure their systems were identifying and connecting to the right network printer in each working environment. For managers, connecting new PCs to the corporate domain was a complicated and time-consuming process.

While they wanted to alleviate these challenges, Bell Container leaders needed to ensure they retained backwards compatibility with legacy programs and applications. On top of that, the company was currently in the process of updating its business documentation—which was projected to take longer than managers would like.

In addition, Bell Container needed more powerful notebooks that were both easy to use and sturdy enough to handle frequent travel and regular wear and tear—while keeping business-critical files protected at all times.

Solution

Bell Container turned to eMazzanti Technologies for its expert guidance and support. And when its IT partner suggested the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows® 7 Professional, Bell Container knew it would be the ideal solution for its business.

Benefits

Faster, Easier Access to What Matters Most

Bell Container employees found that the Windows 7 fast Sleep and Resume helps them get to work sooner and complete projects faster than before.

As Hernandez point out, “Our HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional starts 20 seconds faster than previous systems. We expect that to add up to 17 minutes every day across the organization.”

This time savings is enhanced with Windows 7 Professional Location Aware Printing. Once a user defines the default printer in each network environment, the feature will automatically detect and connect to the right printer each time a user switches networks. “I love Location Aware Printing,” Hernandez remarks. “Before, I had to manually switch printers when I moved between networks. Now I don’t have to change the settings because it connects right away automatically.”

Managers have found that with Windows 7 Professional Domain Join, the process for connecting new PCs to the company network is streamlined and simplified—saving time and frustration.

“Domain Join makes it easier than ever to set up new computers,” notes Hernandez. “Of course, eMazzanti Technologies is instrumental in helping us with this process—I think it’s helping both of our companies save time.”

 Critical Compatibility and Efficiency

With Windows XP Mode, a new feature included with Windows 7 Professional, users can work with legacy applications and programs that have yet to be updated—while leveraging the power and performance of Windows 7 Professional.

According to Hernandez, “We wanted Windows 7 Professional, but weren’t sure if it would work with legacy applications. When eMazzanti Technologies showed us how to use Windows XP Mode, we knew this OS was perfect for us.”

 Windows 7 Professional also includes Problem Steps Recorder, giving users new  and easy ways to share complex information, such as how to use a new program or software application. All users have to do is launch the application, hit ‘record’ to capture their on screen interactions, add any notes, and send it off to colleagues.

 “We project that Problems Steps Recorder will reduce the time required to update our documentation by 70 percent,” says Hernandez. “That’s more time we have to create and deliver even better products to our customers.”

 A Flexible, Secure Solution

 The HP Built-to-Last construction—a critical component of the HP 5310m ProBook’s design—provides users with durable yet lightweight features such as an anodized aluminium display enclosure and a magnesium alloy case to protect notebooks from the rigors of daily use. Bell Container employees also note that the bright screen and finely-tuned keyboard enhance their ability to get work done—no matter where they are.

 “HP 5310m ProBook is beautiful, slick, easy to use and sturdy,” Hernandez remarks. “eMazzanti Technologies recommended we switch to this notebook—and we’re glad we did.”

 Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System has helped Bell Container fortify system security by enabling users to easily encrypt files and folders—and keep them safe from intrusion. “Encrypting File System ensures that all of our data stays safe,” Hernandez says. “That extra layer of security is critical to our business.”

and easy ways to share complex information, such as how to use a new program or software application. All users have to do is launch the application, hit ‘record’ to capture their on screen interactions, add any notes, and send it off to colleagues.

“We project that Problems Steps Recorder will reduce the time required to update our documentation by 70 percent,” says Hernandez. “That’s more time we have to create and deliver even better products to our customers.”

A Flexible, Secure Solution

The HP Built-to-Last construction—a critical component of the HP 5310m ProBook’s design—provides users with durable yet lightweight features such as an anodized aluminium display enclosure and a magnesium alloy case to protect notebooks from the rigors of daily use. Bell Container employees also note that the bright screen and finely-tuned keyboard enhance their ability to get work done—no matter where they are.

“HP 5310m ProBook is beautiful, slick, easy to use and sturdy,” Hernandez remarks. “eMazzanti Technologies recommended we switch to this notebook—and we’re glad we did.”

Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System has helped Bell Container fortify system security by enabling users to easily encrypt files and folders—and keep them safe from intrusion. “Encrypting File System ensures that all of our data stays safe,” Hernandez says. “That extra layer of security is critical to our business.”

Windows 7

Works the way you want: Windows 7 Professional will help your organization use information technology to gain a competitive advantage in today’s new world of work. Your people will be able to be more productive anywhere. You will be able to support your mobile workforce with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies for enhanced corporate IT security and data protection, and more efficient deployment and management.

To Download Full Version in: MS WORD or .PDF FORMAT

 While technology supports the monastic organization’s ability to manage services, offerings, and databases, finding solutions that align with its mission of serving as a trusted steward is what drives its decisions to adopt new systems.

 When its IT partner, eMazzanti Technologies, suggested that Holy Cross test the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows^® 7 Professional, the organization found the solutions it had been seeking.

 Situation

The brothers at Holy Cross Monastery found that their current systems’ long start and resume times ate into productivity. These legacy systems also used more power than they would have liked, and managers wanted to find longer-lasting systems that leveraged environmentally-friendly materials and technologies.

 Simply selecting the right printer in each network environment was tedious and frustrating for users, as it required multiple steps. IT issues were particularly challenging, as the brothers rely primarily on each other for technical support, which meant that solving problems and learning how to use new software applications and programs was next to impossible.

 In addition, the brothers at Holy Cross Monastery needed to find ways to strengthen system security so sensitive information would remain safe from intrusion.

Solution

By engaging with eMazzanti Technologies, the organization was able to find technologies that would not only help them overcome these challenges, but also support their core values.

 “Productivity is important, but being exemplary stewards defines us,” says Br. Scott OHC, Bursar of Holy Cross Monastery. “It’s tough to find partners who understand this—but eMazzanti Technologies always delivers solutions that align with our values.”

 “With eMazzanti Technologies, we’re more productive and that improves our overall stewardship. It frees us up for the life of ministry and worship that is at the heart of our monastic calling,” Br. Scott adds.

 The IT partner suggested the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional to Holy Cross leaders, who were immediately impressed.*

 As Br. Scott says, “The HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional offers us speed, flexibility and security that helps us spend less time in the office—and more time serving our community.”

Benefits

 More Productivity, Less Environmental Impact

 With Windows 7’s faster Start, Resume, Shut-down and Standby times, users can rely on systems that are more responsive—saving time and boosting productivity. “With Windows 7 Professional, our systems start noticeably faster than before,” says Br. Scott. “We’re saving at least a minute in each instance.” 

 The HP 5310m ProBook enhances this responsiveness with HP’s Built-to-Last design, which features superior hardware performance. Plus, the lightweight yet sturdy aluminum display enclosure and magnesium alloy bottom case provides Holy Cross with a system that lasts longer than its previous ones.

 “We’re all impressed by how lightweight and sturdy the HP 5310m ProBook is,” Br. Scott says. “Thanks to eMazzanti Technologies, we have a system that will last for years to come.”

 HP’s Built-to-Conserve serves as the foundation of the HP 5310m ProBook’s construction, which features BFR/PVC-free 17 options that use materials with lower environmental impact.

 “Built with both the end-user and the environment in mind, the HP 5310m supports our mission to conserve and serve with integrity,” Br. Scott remarks. “We wouldn’t have found this without eMazzanti Technologies.”

Improved Connectivity and Communication

 Windows 7 Professional includes Location Aware Printing, which automatically detects and connects to the right pre-set printer in any network environment.

 As Br. Scott indicates, “Location Aware Printing automates connections to network printers. We’re not just saving time; we’re also eliminating printing errors and frustration.”

 Problem Steps Recorder, a new feature of Windows 7 Professional, has helped Holy Cross improve the way it communicates IT challenges with its technology partner, eMazzanti Technologies. All users have to do is launch the application, hit record, add any pertinent notes to the saved file, and send the information to a technician.

 “We can recreate problems with ease using Problem Steps Recorder,” Br.  Scott says. “It’s enabled us to communicate IT challenges with our IT partners in new—and improved—ways.”

 According to Br. Scott, this tool is also helping Holy Cross managers improve training procedures. “We’ve found that Problem Steps Recorder also helps us show employees how to use new applications and programs much faster than ever before,” he says. “We just record, add notes, and send.”

Boosting Security, Maintaining Integrity

 The Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System enables users to easily encrypt critical files and folders. And HP Disk Sanitizer ensures that once data is deleted from a system, it can never be accessed—even by the most advanced data recovery tools.

 “Trust is central to our organization,” Br. Scott notes. “So keeping information secure is critical. Windows 7 Professional Encrypting File System and the HP Disk Sanitizer give us the protection we need.”

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

 The company relies on its IT partner eMazzanti Technologies for its ability to help PLA leverage the best technologies to boost efficiency and productivity—and remain competitive. So when eMazzanti Technologies presented the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows^® 7 Professional to PLA’s management, they knew they had found a solution that would enable employees to get more done in less time. As Deborah Laurel, principal of PLA points out, “Our partner, eMazzanti Technologies, is our lifeline to advanced technology—and helping us deploy the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional across our organization proves that.”

Situation

Users found that simply booting up and resuming systems took several minutes at a time, which added up to hours of lost productivity over the course of a year. Plus, employees often work with several large, cumbersome graphics files—and needed more processing power to better handle them. For mobile workers, connecting to the right network printers in each working environment was tedious and time-consuming.

 PLA managers wanted to speed overall processes and boost efficiency by deploying a new OS, but needed to ensure it could still use legacy printers for special projects.

 Managers were also seeking more durable systems that would outlast previous ones, and more ergonomic notebooks with long-lasting batteries that would facilitate increased productivity. In addition, PLA needed to fortify system security to keep project information safe from intrusion. 

Solution

PLA has relied on eMazzanti Technologies for nearly a decade, so it knew that its IT partner would be able to help the company overcome these challenges. After assessing their specific needs and goals in-depth, eMazzanti Technologies recommended the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows® 7 Professional.*

 According to Laurel, this solution provided everything PLA had been looking for. “Speed, easier access to information, intuitive, ergonomic design—the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional gives us all of that,” she says. “And it’s everything we need to succeed.”

Benefits

 Accomplishing More in Less Time

 Windows 7 faster Sleep and Resume times have helped PLA employees get to work sooner—and complete projects faster.  And managers found that the 64-bit Windows 7 Professional system opens—and handles—large graphics files faster and more efficiently than before.

 “I tested the boot up and application start up speeds, and on both counts, it was four times faster on my new HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional than my older system,” says Laurel.

 And with Windows 7 Professional Location Aware Printing, users can connect to new network printers in less time—and with less hassle—than before. One a user defines the default printer in each working location, whether it’s at home or between offices, the feature automatically recognizes, selects and connects to the right network printer in seconds.

 Laurel points out that this feature provides a number of benefits: “Location Aware Printing does more than save time,” she says. “The way it automatically connects to the right printer in any environment eliminates frustration. We don’t even have to think about it now.”

Essential Compatibility

 Windows 7 Professional includes Windows XP Mode, which enables users to rely on the power and performance of Windows 7 Professional while still being able to work wit applications, programs and devices that have not yet been upgraded.

 “We have legacy printers that are crucial for special projects—and we have a lot invested in them. Windows XP Mode allows us to use them seamlessly while leveraging the power of Windows 7 Professional,” Laurel says. “Without eMazzanti Technologies, we wouldn’t have known about Windows XP Mode. We can always rely on our IT partner to show us new ways to work that are crucial to our business,” she adds.

More Security and Flexibility

 With the HP 69030 EliteBook Built-to-Last design, users gain the peace of mind in knowing that their notebooks can withstand regular wear and tear with durable design features, while remaining lightweight and ergonomic.

 “The HP 6930p EliteBook is lightweight and ergonomic, yet remarkably sturdy,” says Laurel. “We all love this machine and how it’s helping us work more efficiently.”

 Also included with the HP 6930p EliteBook is HP Credential Manager, which enables users to protect their notebooks with advanced Biometrics. Users can simply scan their fingerprint on their notebooks to access their desktops rather than entering a password, saving time and providing increased protection against unauthorized access.

 “The first thing I did on my new HP 6930p EliteBook was set up the Biometric scan. It adds more security while enabling me to access my system in seconds—and those crucial seconds add up.”

 Overall, PLA is impressed by the new capabilities and powerful performance of the HP 6930 EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional—and attributes the increased productivity that it’s seeing as a result of eMazzanti Technologies’ unsurpassed service and support.

 “Are we happy we made the switch to Windows 7 Professional and the HP 6903p EliteBook? Absolutely!” Laurel remarks. “And none of this would be possible without the support of eMazzanti Technologies.”

Case Study is Available for Download in: MS WORD and .PDF FORMAT

Stay up-to-date with the latest events by subscribing to our RSS feed.

FIREWALL: FACT AND FICTION

Please join eMazzanti Technologies for a Private Screening of the movie FIREWALL, starring Harrison Ford.  Ever wonder how much of what you see in the movies is real? This event presents a unique opportunity to explore the myth and reality of computer network security and how it effects your business. We’ll also hear from a panel of network security experts as we examine the concepts introduced by the film.  There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible by clicking below.Location: Edgewater, NJ

 

 

In this exclusive event, Overland Storage and eMazzanti Technologies server and storage group, will discuss best practices for data protection, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup, and site replication. Discussion topics will include backup deployment scenarios, economics of data protection, and the future of data protection through replication. In addition, the event will be followed by a night of Newark Bears Baseball at Riverfront Stadium on us. 

There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. 

About Overland Storage:

Overland Storage is a market leader and innovative provider of simply protected storage solutions, smart data protection appliances and software modules designed to work together, affordably, to ensure that information is automatically safe, readily available and always there. Overland’s award-winning data protection solutions include the ULTAMUS SERIES™ of protected primary storage appliances; the REO SERIES™ of disk-based backup and recovery appliances; and the NEO SERIES® of tape libraries.

Location: Newark Bears Stadium, Newark, NJ

For Your Role In Our Success

Please Join Us For

An Anniversary Celebration

For

eMazzanti Technologies

August 30, 2007

Seminars, Networking Lunch and Training at 11:30 A.M.

Dinner, Drinks and Baseball at 12:30 P.M.

Location: Newark Bears Stadium, Newark NJ

US power grids are outdated and our government is requiring major upgrades over the coming months and years. With these changes, we will experience further blackouts, brownouts, sags and surges while power grids are repaired.

Become Informed & Prepared:

In an interactive seminar, eMazzanti Technologies, APC, industry experts and those affected by blackouts will be discussing:

• How businesses users are affected.

• What you need to know about power terminology.

• What you should expect as power grids are updated.

• How APC solutions can help you through the next power disturbance

This course is developed by engineers with decades of combined experience running some of the world’s most advanced operations. The courses address core competencies required for data center design, build, and operations and focus on the education you need to solve current issues.

About American Power Conversion (APC):

Founded in 1981, American Power Conversion (Nasdaq: APCC) (APC) is a leading provider of global, end-to-end solutions for real-time infrastructure. APC’s comprehensive products and services for home and corporate environments improve the availability, manageability and performance of sensitive electronic, network, communication and industrial equipment of all sizes. APC offers a wide variety of products for network-critical physical infrastructure including InfraStruXure, its revolutionary architecture for on-demand data centers, as well as physical threat management products through the company’s NetBotzâ division. These products and services help companies increase the availability and reliability of their IT systems.Location: Newark Bears Stadium, Newark NJ ]]> 0 http://www.emazzanti.net/a-day-of-training-at-the-ballpark/ http://www.emazzanti.net/a-day-of-training-at-the-ballpark/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:56:10 +0000 emazzanti http://www.emazzanti.net/?p=3021 eMazzanti Technologies invites you to join us for a day of training. We’ve designed the day’s activities around the technologies that will empower your business to drive revenues and streamline operations.

NETWORKING LUNCH

Meet with fellow business owners and explore new opportunities to do business in a casual forum. Fellow attendees will include professionals from across the business spectrum who do business in the New York Metro area. Learn how businesses like yours are leveraging technology to succeed.

TECHNOLOGY PRIZES

Our event sponsors will be raffling their products and services throughout the days events. In all we’ll give away thousands of dollars worth of the technologies you need to grow your business. Prize drawings will occur during the course of the training and all present attendees will be eligible to win them.

TRAINING SEMINARS

STORAGE AND DISATER RECOVERY WITH THE EXPERTS

In this exclusive event, Overland Storage and eMazzanti Technologies Server and Storage group, will discuss best practices for data protection, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup, and site replication. Discussion topics will include backup deployment scenarios, economics of data protection, and the future of data protection through replication.

FUNDAMENTALS OF POWER – AN APC BLACKOUT SEMINAR

US power grids are outdated and our government is requiring major upgrades over the coming months and years. With these changes, we will experience further blackouts, brownouts, sags and surges while power grids are repaired.

Become Informed & Prepared:

• How businesses users are affected. • What you need to know about power terminology. • What you should expect as power grids are updated. • How to get your business through the next power disturbance

ARM YOURSELF – NETWORK SECURITY BEST PRACTICES

Keeping corporate networks safe gets more challenging every year, and network security has become one of the most critical issues facing businesses today. New and ever-changing threats appear with alarming regularity, and no organization is immune from risk.

In this seminar you will learn how a Unified Threat Management system can protect your network from malicious attacks using:

• Multi-layered security • Signature-based gateway protection • Web content filtering • Spam screening

PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS

Take back your business communication systems and learn from the masters of digital protection. During this session MXINSPECT will present new concepts in email protection to combat Denial of Service attacks, spam, viruses and downed mail servers, all of which threaten a business’s electronic communications. More than just an annoyance, these threats drain system resources and exhaust employee productivity. We’ll discuss changes you can enact in your business to protect these resources and restore the efficiency of your operations.

REGISTRATION

There is no charge for this event, but registration is required. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. The anniversary gala will immediately follow this event, but requires separate registration as noted above. Training sessions are limited to business owners and managers only and each attendee must complete the online registration process.

Location: Newark Bears Stadium, Hall of Fame Conference Center, Newark NJ

When your systems are made for each other, it’s easier to get the most from your investment. That’s why you should consider adding Windows Vista™ and Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 R2 to your environment.

With an integrated server and desktop operating system software, you’ll spend less time and budget managing systems. And since the users you support will demand Windows Vista™, deploying Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 R2 at the same time enables you to more effectively support that desktop environment, and better mitigate security threats. To learn just how this combination could improve your day-to-day environment, sign up for this event, and see for yourself how Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 R2 will help you to: 

Technology is constantly evolving. As an IT Executive, embracing the latest technological advancements is critical in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Microsoft’s CIO Technology Forum was designed to help you examine the solutions currently on the market and explore how these solutions can benefit your business. At this free half-day event, we’ll discuss how Microsoft solutions can help you secure your IT environment, improve workforce productivity and increase collaboration across your organization.

Our technology specialists will share insight, demonstrations and product roadmaps on our upcoming product releases including Microsoft Forefront comprehensive line of business security products, System Center Essentials, Windows Vista, The 2007 Microsoft Office System, Exchange Server 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Come prepared to learn how to:

• Optimize and secure your core infrastructure and increase customer satisfaction
• Find, use, and share information for maximum productivity and collaboration

Microsoft’s CIO Technology Forum is also a great place to connect with your peers and share best practices. You’ll have the opportunity to network with other IT Executives in your area and discuss the current trends in your industry.

Seating is limited so register now for this exclusive event!Location: eMazzanti Tower, 701 Grand Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030

5 NOVEMBER 2008

4:00PM TO 9:30PM

701 GRAND STREET

HOBOKEN, NJ 07030

TO RSVP PLEASE VISIT:

WWW.EMAZZANTI.NET/EVENTS

Location: 701 Grand Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Please join eMazzanti Technologies and Microsoft for an event at The Melting Pot. Learn how to compete effectively with your network infrastructure in a gathering of business owners sharing insight across verticals in a non-competitive open session. In the toughest of times some excel. While Internet Spam, and Computer Worms are not edible you can dig into something different at The Melting Pot while we learn about the next steps to compete effectively.

Location: The Melting Pot, 100 Sinatra Dr, Hoboken, NJ 07030 – (201) 222-1440

On February 19th some great New York Red Bulls players will attend eMazzanti Technologies “Reach Your Goal” event, sign autographs, mix with participants and face off with attendees in a live FIFA 09 Tournament. Should you not have already registered for the event please do so at www.emazzanti.net/events

Registrants will be sent vouchers to be used for game plays on the big day. For additional game plays please ask your eMazzanti Account representative for ways to earn more chances to earn bragging rights. This event is sponsored by Microsoft. Throughout the event demos of Microsoft technologies and training sessions will take place. Learn how you can reach your goal in 2009 with eMazzanti Technologies and Microsoft direct from the experts at both organizations. Some background on our special guests can be found below.

Chris Leitch, New York Red Bulls MLS Starting Line Player

Michael Mondello, New York Red Bulls MLS Manager

Location: 701 Grand Street, Ground Floor, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Tired of the same old sales meetings? Wouldn’t you rather be somewhere, anywhere, else? What about a MLS (Major League Soccer) game. eMazzanti Technologies is proud to sponsor the New York Red Bulls Soccer Club as part of our 1st Annual Celebration and we’d like to treat you to a soccer game as the New York Bulls return to Giants Stadium for their home opener, when they will face Eastern Conference rival, the New England Revolution, on Saturday, March 28. This event is sponsored by Microsoft. Technology is constantly evolving. As an IT Executive, embracing the latest technological advancements is critical in order to maintain a competitive advantage. This event presents an opportunity to learn how Microsoft solutions can help you secure your IT environment, improve workforce productivity and increase collaboration across your organization. Seating is limited so register now for this event!

Location: Giants Stadium, NJ

Tired of the same old office space business meetings?  Wouldn’t you like to get away from work and experience something different for you family or friends? Then eMazzanti Technologies is proud to sponsor the New York Red Bulls Soccer Club as part of our Annual Networking Education Series and we’d like to treat you to a soccer game at the New Soccer Stadium.

Bring your office mates and family and learn about the latest advancements in networking. Meet and mingle with other eMazzanti customers, staff and friends.  Cheer for our home team and may the best team win.

Sponsor by EMazzanti Technologies.

Location: Red Bull Soccer Stadium Newark, NJ

Date: Aug 28th, 2010

Time:  6 : 30 PM

Location: Hoboken, NJ

Register for this Event
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Mobile:
Website Address:
Industry:
Event Date:	5/5/10 8:00am
Special Requests:
Please copy the following characters:

Services Offered:

Onsite Support – eMazzanti provides onsite support to diagnose and resolve problems with your IT infrastructure. Our Network Engineers are Microsoft Certified professionals with years of industry experience assuring you quick time to resolution.

Remote Support – We also offer anytime anywhere remote support with live answer Help Desk services assuring you have access to support when you need it.

Project Support – Need help with an IT project? eMazzanti’s full suite of project services are available to help complete your project on time and within budget.

Managed Network Services – eMazzanti has engineered our eCare portfolio to solve commons problems efficiently and cost effectively across all of our customers.  Whether your organization desires complete network management to business continuity or just hosted exchange, eMazzanti’s eCare portfolio offers enterprise infrastructure at fixed small business pricing.

Join eMazzanti Technologies along with WatchGuard at the New York Xpo for Business booth# 411 (Hall 1C), where we will offer advice and guidance on how to protect your organization from digital threats that appear every day and learn more about computer network security.

Location: Jacob Javitz Center

Doma Export Company, Inc. exports personal packages, commercial cargo and motor vehicles to Poland and other Eastern European countries. The company also offers door-to-door, international moving and trucking services.Known for unsurpassed customer service and consistently on-time delivery, Doma relies on its IT partner eMazzanti Technologies to find and deploy powerful technologies that help maintain this reputation. So when eMazzanti Technologies recommended the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows^® 7 Professional, Doma leaders knew they had found a powerful, efficient system that would help employees accomplish more in less time.“I can’t believe we didn’t start working with eMazzanti Technologies sooner,” says William Wnekowicz, IT manager of Doma. “It has helped us find powerful systems like the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional—and catapult our productivity.”

Situation

Doma employees noted that their current systems’ inefficient power management settings and short battery lives impeded productivity. Connecting to the right network printer in each working environment required multiple steps that users found tedious and time-consuming, and accessing business-critical documents while on the go was virtually impossible.

In addition, Doma managers wanted to improve the way they communicated with their overseas clients by enhancing conference calls with live video streaming—but the company lacked reliable web cams.

On top of all of that, the company recently launched a new ERP system and need to quickly train employees how to efficiently use it.

Solution

That’s when eMazzanti Technologies suggested that Doma test the HP 5301m ProBook running Windows® 7 Professional.* After assessing the power, performance and overall usability of this combination, the company leaders were eager to deploy this system across the organization.

As Wnekowicz suggests, “Windows 7 Professional and the HP 5310m ProBook give us exactly what we have been looking for. Speed, rugged durability, mobile performance—you name it.”

Benefits

More Productivity—In the Office and On the Go

Windows 7 Power Management uses energy-conserving features such as adaptive display brightness, and the HP 5310m ProBook is powered by a battery that can last up to six hours. Combined, these features enable users to work more efficiently and effectively whether in the office or completing projects remotely.

“We’re constantly on the go, so battery life is of huge importance to us,” says Wnekowicz. “The extended HP 5310m ProBook battery combined with Windows 7 Professional Power Management keeps our notebooks lasting longer than ever.”

With Location Aware Printing in Windows 7 Professional, users can rely on a seamless connection to the right network printer in each working environment. Once a user defines the default printer in each network, the feature detects and connects to the right one automatically each time a user switches working environments.

“Location Aware Printing saves time, but it offers so much more than that,” Wnekowicz remarks. “It’s seamless to set up, works automatically, and prevents us from inadvertently sending a document to the wrong printer.”

For Doma, the Windows 7 Remote Desktop Connection has offered vital connectivity to business related files for the company’s increasingly mobile workforce. Once set up, users can use the feature to access documents and programs on a remote PC. And as Wnekowicz points out, this wouldn’t be possible without eMazzanti Technologies: “eMazzanti Technologies helped us use Remote Desktop Connection—and that has been the critical missing ingredient we needed to help our employees work on the go.”

Boosting Customer Satisfaction

The HP 2MP Integrated webcam with the HP Ambient Light supports live Web conferencing and video calls—and has given Doma a new way to improve the way it communicates with its clients.

“The HP 5310m ProBook webcam enables us to conduct conference calls wherein all parties can actually see each other. It definitely enhances our communication.”

Exceeding Expectations

Windows 7 Professional includes a new feature called Problem Steps Recorder, which enable users to record their interactions with programs or applications in real time, quickly annotate the video, and easily share it with colleagues. Doma leaders point out that this new tools will help accelerate training—and give employees more time to focus on better serving their clients.

“Problem Steps Recorder blows my mind,” says Wnekowicz. “We can record ERP system steps, annotate it, and show it to employees. Everyone will save several hours in the next few weeks alone, thanks to this feature.”

Doma indicates that the HP 5310m ProBook running Windows 7 Professional will make a lasting impact on the company’s bottom line growth—and notes that eMazzanti plays a crucial role in this success. “Without technology, we’d be out of business,” Wnekowicz says. “Thanks to eMazzanti, we now have the right system in place—and ongoing support to show us new ways of leveraging it.”

To Download in Full Version: MS WORD or .PDF FORMAT

Upgrading to the new Windows® 7 operating system can make your PC faster and easier to use. Many users fear that the upgrade process itself will be stressful and difficult — but fear not! Following these five simple steps will help you have a smooth and stress-free transition.

1. Check to ensure you meet system requirements
Before you upgrade to Windows 7, your PC will need to have:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
For an easy way to ensure you’ve got what it takes, move on to Step 2.

2. Download and run the Upgrade Advisor
Generally speaking, if you’re currently running the Windows Vista operating system, you’ll be able to run Windows 7. But if you’re not using Vista or just aren’t sure if your system is ready for Windows 7, there is an easy way to check.

Once downloaded and installed, the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Beta will run a diagnostic test to see if your PC can run Windows 7 and if there are any known compatibility issues. It can also give you insight into other potential issues, like whether you’ll need to upgrade certain drivers or applications.

3. Upgrading from Windows XP? Do it the right way
The upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 is different than upgrading from Vista, because it requires a “clean” or “custom” install, which means you will have to completely clear out the PC’s hard disk. You’ll need to back up your current files and settings, perform a custom (clean) installation, and then reinstall all your files, settings, and programs. If you don’t have a lot of technical expertise, Microsoft® doesn’t recommend doing this yourself — instead, seek help from your local IT service provider. Another option is to purchase updated hardware with Windows 7 preinstalled.

4. Be sure to back up your files
Regardless of which operating system you’re moving from, you’ll want to back up all your data in order to keep it safe during the transition. One thing to keep in mind: if you’re using a third-party backup program, be sure to check the manufacturer’s website to see if the program will work in Windows 7. If you aren’t sure if this is the case, just copy all your data files onto CD/DVD or an external hard drive.

5. Get acquainted with the new interface
The user interface (UI) in Windows 7 is quite different from the UI in Windows XP, and it offers a lot of new features. To help you get familiar with the new interface, check out Microsoft’s Windows 7 page. The Windows 7 Features section has a variety of short videos and descriptions, and the Help & How-to section provides step-by-step articles that show you how to install and navigate around in Windows7.

If I ask you right now whether or not you are in sales, chances are you would say, “No, I’m in accounts payable or customer service or marketing.” You might even say, “I’m the CEO.”

No matter what your job is, you are in sales. Every time you interact with a customer, you are selling your professional credibility, the company’s products or services, and the company’s image. So, even if you don’t work in the sales department, read on.

When a customer has a bad experience in shipping, in accounting, in technical support or any other department in your company, you can bet that negative word-of-mouth will follow. That word of mouth reduces sales in the same way that customer testimonials increase referrals and sales. You are selling all the time, so it’s important for you to recognize what your customers want from you.

Regardless of who your customers are, there are 5 key actions they want from you:

1. To have you spend more time listening than talking
Who do you find more interesting to talk with; the person who rattles on and on sharing their wealth of knowledge, or the person who asks you about yourself and then listens to your response? Your customers do not call in order to be impressed. They call because they have a need or a problem and believe your company can offer the solution. But before they decide to do business with your company, they are going to decide if they like you and can trust you. Asking your customers intelligent questions and, then, actively listening to their responses is the best way to build trust and get at the heart of what your customer really needs.

2. To have things explained in a way they can understand
So often, people sell confusion rather than solutions to customers. In today’s high tech world, many products and services on the market are quite complex. I don’t know about you, but I’m technically challenged. So when I contact technical support to get help with my computers or phone system or software, I want to talk to support reps who can clearly communicate the solutions. Your customers don’t want to be insulted by listening to jargon and acronyms that are meaningless to anyone who doesn’t work in that industry. They also don’t want to deal with a condescending employee who sounds exasperated because they’re not catching on.

3. To deal with nice people It’s like a breath of fresh air when your customer is greeted by a friendly voice answering the telephone or a smile as he or she walks through the door
Remember that your customers are most likely bumping into negativity everywhere they go. They deal with traffic jams, long lines in stores, frustrations at work, stress at home and more. When they pick up the phone to call your company, they want to talk to a “nice” person. They need to believe that you are someone who genuinely cares about their concerns. They want you to sound warm and friendly. They want you to treat them like an old friend.

4. To have their time valued . . . not wasted
Your customers are juggling their schedules to make time to contact your company. If they feel their time has been wasted, they are far less likely to return. Classic time-wasters are placing customers on hold, transferring their calls to other departments, not getting their requests right the first time and not dealing with knowledgeable employees who are empowered to make decisions. Take a look at how you’re handling your customers’ calls and identify the situations that waste a customer’s time and eliminate those.

5. To be offered solutions
Your customers wouldn’t call if they didn’t need what your company has to offer. Once they get through, they want to know that you have the resources and the willingness to do everything you can to deliver what they need. This will often mean that you need to go the extra mile to explore a variety of solutions for them. Or, you will need to help them build a relationship with a co-worker who has more expertise than you in a given situation. In other words, don’t cut your customers short with responses like, “I don’t know,” or “We don’t do that in this department.” Instead, commit yourself to being a possibility thinker for your customers.

You are impacting your company’s sales, every time you talk with a customer. Your goal should be to want your customer to leave with a strong positive feeling about you and the company. You can help your customers feel comfortable with the decision to buy by reinforcing their decision. Show enthusiasm for your products or services and sincerely thank your customers for choosing your company. Above all, communicate to your customers that everyone in the company is part of one big team whose goal it is to make them happy.

Debra J. Schmidt is known as the Loyalty Leader®. She is an author, consultant, trainer and professional speaker who helps companies boost profits by leading the way to greater customer and employee loyalty. Subscribe to her free online newsletter at: www.LoyaltyLeader.com.

Market forces, such as the fluctuations of commodity prices, play a role in how SMBs operate and compete. These days, energy is perhaps the most influential of all commodities, and its impact upon SMBs can be tremendous. According to a recent report issued by IBM entitled IT energy efficiency for small and mid-size business: Good for business and the environment, energy costs now represent the single largest operating cost increase for SMBs, regardless of industry.

But as midsized company Oceanic Worldwide discovered, smaller companies can actively counter the impact of outside forces – including energy expenses – and help the environment along the way.

Rising energy prices drive changes in IT planning Concerns about operational efficiency figured largely into plans for growth at California-based Oceanic Worldwide, a supplier and designer of scuba diving equipment. Company management noted the continual rise of IT-related energy costs, and worried that these expenses might eclipse other budgetary matters – as well as contribute to environmental problems.

Oceanic Worldwide was right about IT-related energy costs and concerns. According to its Worldwide Server Power and Cooling Expense 2006–2010 Forecast, research firm IDC says that for every dollar spent on IT equipment, 50 cents goes to energy. By 2010, says IDC in the same report, 70 cents of every IT dollar will be devoted to powering and cooling these devices. To put these numbers in perspective, the amount of money spent to operate and cool a server averages $550 a year. And as companies grow, they typically add more servers, which create larger utility bills and potentially greater environmental consequences.

One of the reasons that energy costs spiral for SMBs like Oceanic can be found in the widespread “one-to-one-to-one” hardware approach, where each server hosts only one operating system that, in turn, runs a single application. Not only are these environments expensive, but they also promote IT inefficiency because multiple servers operate at a fraction of their computing capacity.

At Oceanic, the one-to-one-to-one approach was not only impeding company growth, but the resulting server sprawl made it difficult to keep information accessible. According to Rick Eggleston, Senior Systems Consultant at IBM Business Partner Meridian IT, “Backups weren’t done every night” putting the company at risk for data loss.

Leaner and greener IT reduces operational pressure Eggleston points out that although Oceanic ran its operations on only a handful of servers, the company had more hardware assets than it really needed. For Oceanic, hardware consolidation provided the cure for its IT growing pains.

Using virtualization technology, the company consolidated its servers onto a single blade system, which hosts two operating systems, and runs multiple applications for printing, order tracking, shipping, financials and inventory. This simplified IT environment also reduced energy consumption at Oceanic, as well as cut down the amount of time the company spent administering its IT.

Beyond saving space and energy, consolidating with blade servers also increases data integrity since less hardware reduces technical complexity making it easier for short-handed SMBs to maintain the system. As Eggleston points out, “You have one backup done each night, and you can ensure that everything is getting backed up.”

Other areas where SMBs can be more efficient through green IT solutions include:

• Diagnosing the cause of excessive energy consumption. The authors of IT energy efficiency for small and mid-size business discovered that 40 percent of SMBs in the United States do not know how much their IT systems contribute to overall energy costs. Close examination of existing systems can help SMBs decide which systems may be ready for retirement.  
• Constantly measuring energy usage. Power-monitoring products now available on the market allow SMBs to measure how much electricity is being used in servers and server racks, and some of these solutions automatically detect servers not in use and put them into standby mode.  
• Building new facilities intelligently. The old real estate adage about the importance of location should also be applied to computer rooms and data centers. “A lot of places have one rack facing north-south and another one facing south-north,” Meridian IT’s Eggleston explains. “So you’ve got hot air going out one rack, and then on the other side it’s coming out the other side of the rack – so the air conditioning cannot efficiently control that climate in the room.”

Green IT: Good for business, good for the environment “The nature of our business gives us a firsthand look at the impact of society on the environment,” says Paul Elsinga, chief financial officer for Oceanic. “So the fact that we could make changes in our IT environment that reduced costs while also doing something good for the environment was very important to us.”

Recent research shows that Elsinga’s firm is in good company. According to the IT energy efficiency for small and mid-size business report, 55 percent of firms worldwide plan to make significant changes to how their hardware systems operate; 33 percent say they will purchase more energy-efficient systems; 22 percent plan to consolidate their servers; and another 22 percent intend to evaluate server usage and performance.

All this goes to show that SMBs can take steps today toward incorporating the green technologies that matter – and beat the rising tide of energy-related problems.

Q: I know from past experience that bosses sometimes favor some employees over others based on personal reasons. Now that I’m a business owner, how can I be sure I’m treating my employees fairly and not showing favoritism?

A: You’re right to be concerned about this; it’s a common employee complaint about bosses. Since it’s human nature to like some people more than others (and bosses are people, too) you have to constantly monitor your actions and deeds to make sure you’re not favoring some employees over others. But being fair doesn’t mean everyone on staff gets treated exactly the same. All too often when business owners try to dole out equal treatment, no one benefits.

This is not as contradictory as it sounds.
Of course you cannot discriminate when it comes to salaries and “hard” benefits (medical, vacation, personal and sick days, etc.). But you do have some flexibility when it comes to the “softer” benefits-and here’s where you can tailor your offerings based on the needs of your individual employees.

Let me tell you about a situation I faced several years back. I heard one of my single staffers thought I favored the mothers on the staff since they were allowed to build their schedules around their kids’ schedules. Instead of letting the situation fester, I asked the employee to come into my office to discuss the situation. She (after a bit of coaxing and several assurances I wouldn’t get mad) said she thought it was unfair that the moms got so much flexibility in their schedules. I pointed out that I gave her a flex schedule when she wanted to take some classes (non work-related). And it was as if the proverbial light bulb went off in her head. She realized that she had been treated exactly the same as the moms, just under different circumstances.

As this shows, sometimes it’s not actual favoritism that’s causing the problem but the perception of it.

As the boss, it is your responsibility to know how your employees feel and nip any problems before blossom. You also need to find out what matters to your employees. While flex time may work for some, others might appreciate a comp day or even tickets to a ball game. It’s not important what you do, but that you do something for everyone.

All that said, many bosses actually do like some of their employees more than others. The key is not to show it or you can easily end up with a morale problem. I talked to my sister, the HR guru, who added that in some cases favoritism could be considered a type of discrimination and can lead to legal troubles. She also recommends you have policy and procedures guidelines concerning raises, promotions and perks and make sure you adhere to them.

The key is awareness. You need to know what your employees need and/or want and if it’s possible for you to offer solutions.

More important you can’t sit in your office and wait for the you-know-what to hit the fan. I’m a big fan of managing by walking around. That way you’re more apt to learn if perceived favoritism is causing a morale problem and your staff will feel more comfortable talking to you about their concerns.
 

Did you know that an estimated 90% of data loss incidents are accidental?

That may be surprising news in light of the fact that cyber-criminals have never been busier. But according to a recent survey by TheInfoPro Inc., data loss is “more the result of non-malicious activity as compared to malicious actions.” (“Why Data Loss Prevention?” TheInfoPro Inc., October 2008)

What does that mean for your business? For one thing, it means that the loss of critical data is more likely to result from the actions taken by one of your users in the course of doing business than from someone hacking into your network.

Now consider the findings of another recent survey, which puts the spotlight on a little-known aspect of the current recession: namely, that as companies downsize, data loss risks increase.

According to a Ponemon Institute survey of 945 employees who lost or left a job in 2008, 59% of them admitted to stealing confidential company information. In addition, researchers found that many of these instances of data theft could have been prevented with better data loss prevention policies and technologies. (“Data Loss Risks During Downsizing,” Ponemon Institute, February 2009)

Taken together, these surveys offer a strong and timely argument for re-examining your company’s approach to protecting sensitive data.

This article looks at how a great deal of data loss is preventable through the use of clear policies, adequate controls on data access, and better communication with employees.

Get answers to these critical questions
What can you do to ensure that your company is protected against a data breach? Start by looking at the data itself. You want answers to some fundamental questions. Here’s a simple checklist:

• Where is my confidential data?
• Who are the owners of this critical data?
• How is it being used?
• On a more technical level, do you know which file servers and databases contain exposed confidential data?
• Do you know which laptop and desktop computers contain confidential data?
• Do you know who has unauthorized access to your confidential data?

Your ability to answer these questions is critical, given that employees today have so many options for extracting sensitive information, such as media devices with large storage capabilities, USB storage devices, PDAs and smartphones, digital cameras, and Web-based email.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technologies are particularly well suited for today’s midsize companies. An effective DLP solution enables you to discover, monitor, and protect your confidential data:

• Discover. Find confidential data – customer contact lists, employee records, email lists, financial information – wherever it is stored, create an inventory of sensitive data, and automatically manage data cleanup.
• Monitor. Understand how confidential data is being used – whether the user is on or off the corporate network – to gain visibility across your organization.
• Protect. Automatically enforce security policies to proactively secure data and prevent confidential data from leaving the organization.

Perhaps most importantly, DLP can go beyond simply preventing information loss. In the event that information is removed from the system, a strong DLP solution can provide logging and reporting features that identify the user and provide details on what information was removed, when it was taken, and how it was extracted from the corporate system. These forensic capabilities provide you with a great advantage in recovering from the loss of critical data as well as any legal actions that may follow.

DLP is a key component of the new Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise Edition. The advanced content filtering and data loss prevention of Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise Edition help you control sensitive data, reduce the risks associated with data loss, and meet regulatory compliance and corporate governance demands.

Of course, technology alone can’t protect your sensitive information. Nor should information security be the job of just a few individuals within your organization. Rather, all of your employees should be educated and empowered to protect company data. This document provides guidelines and recommended best practices for promoting information security. Use these guidelines and best practices to re-engage with employees and improve existing company information security efforts or to develop a baseline information security communications plan.

Conclusion
The explosive rise in the amount of data that companies handle every day has led to a situation where just about anybody can access and distribute sensitive information in unlimited volumes. Increasingly, the loss of sensitive information is having a severe financial and brand-related impact on businesses of all sizes. That impact is multiplied in tough economic times, as employees who leave or lose a job may take data with them via USB and other devices.

As a result, you need to know exactly where your sensitive data resides and how it is being used so that you can prevent it from being copied, downloaded, or sent outside the company. It’s not enough to secure your network. It’s time that you focused on protecting your important data.

Ethics are on people’s minds these days, as newspaper headlines scream about insider trading, companies cooking their books, and other scandals involving business executives at mostly major corporations.

Unfortunately, accounting fraud and other scandals can taint all businesses, large and small. Still, many small-business owners think a written code of ethics is an unnecessary, cosmetic step. Not true, according to various experts in business and academia.

Not only does a code of ethics put your business in a positive, proactive light, they say, but it just makes sense to specifically identify to customers and employees what behavior is appropriate and what’s not.

“People always need to know the rules of the game,” says Ted Sun, business professor at the University of Phoenix. “Imagine a football game without rules. An organization’s the same — people need to know the boundaries of what’s ethical and what’s not.”

A written code of ethics — a tangible overview of those elements that you consider important in operating a business of integrity and principles — can be a definite plus for your business in these times. But drawing up a useful code of ethics means more than scribbling down thoughts at random. Here are eight guidelines to help you.

1. Focus on business practices and specific issues. What actually ends up in a company’s code of ethics will differ from one firm to the next. However, these are things to consider including:  conflicts of interest to avoid, accuracy of financial statements, sexual harassment, workplace safety, environmental standards, and rules and regulations specific to your industry and company. “A good rule of thumb is that ethics codes should call attention to key domestic and international regulations that apply to the organization,” says Diane Swanson, professor of management at Kansas State University.

2. Tailor it to fit your business. Codes of ethics are not cookie cutters  -  one size definitely does not fit all. While you can gain a sense of what your company’s code might include by looking at other companies’, keep your thinking as singular as possible. “It’s really critical that the code of ethics fits the values and mission of the specific company,” says Alice Peterson, president of Listen Up Group, a Chicago provider of services for confidential employee reporting of wrongdoing. “That also means you should never go to somebody else’s Web site and copy theirs.”

3. Include employees in developing a code of ethics. Nothing may be more ineffective than a code of ethics that comes down as an executive mandate. When considering those issues that should be part of your code of ethics, ask others throughout your company what they think is important. Not only will that strengthen the overall scope of the code of ethics, but employees will also be more accepting of ethical guidelines into which they had input.

4. Train your people to be ethical. Even the most thoughtful code of ethics is of little use if a company doesn’t know what it really means. That makes employee training particularly important. Arrange for classes, seminars or meetings to lay out the specifics of your code of ethics and what it means to everyone’s daily activities. “Ethics training should include vignettes and stories that come from the company, so that the subject is real for everybody  -  everyone from the mailroom to the corner office,” Peterson says.

5. Post your code of ethics internally, and set up a reporting system. While you don’t want to encourage a network of snitches
and informants, employees will need a way to let someone know about any ethics breaches they may see. Peterson recommends a two-tier system. First, she suggests a complete open-door policy so that employees know that information is always welcome. Moreover, consider accepting anonymous reports. That, too, may help overcome some employees’ reticence to report ethics code violations.

6. Consider appointing a compliance person. Obviously, a company’s ethics should be of concern to everyone within the organization. But, if it’s feasible, it can be advantageous to appoint a compliance officer whose responsibilities include investigating ethics problems. If nothing else, that can make it much simpler to know to whom employees should pass along suspected ethics missteps.

7. Follow up on any ethics violations you uncover. Just like failing to publicize and promote your code of ethics to your employees and others renders it virtually meaningless, failing to act on ethics violations will disable even the best intentioned of company efforts. When drawing up your code, specify what range of penalties go with certain missteps and violations. Lay out an appeals process. Make sure everyone in your company knows the ramifications of violating the code. “Holding people to ethical conduct is something many people are very poor at,” says Sun. “It requires some confrontation and a lot of leadership skills.”

8. Live it from the top down. It’s critical that no one person in a company ever appears to be above a code of ethics. That means it’s particularly important that executives and top managers also adhere to the guidelines of an ethics code. If managers say one thing but do something else, that’s nothing more than a license for the rest of the company to follow suit. “Good role modeling by top managers is a must,” Swanson says. “Without it, ethics codes can be seen as mere window dressing.”

David never considered himself a gossip. He wasn’t a big computer guy. And as the owner of a profitable business he barely had enough time to spend with his family. But still, he heard all about these social community websites and the need to do online social networking for business and got curious. He decided to check out what all the fuss was about.

The experience wound up almost shutting down his business for two full days. David’s paper supply company employs sixty people. The company was started by his grandfather back in 1922. It’s operated through depressions, recessions and a World War. But never has David’s company faced a bigger challenge than what happened after he started using Facebook.

By now, most of us are familiar with Facebook, MySpace, Linked-In, Twitter and the other popular social networking applications. They attract millions of users every day, posting photos and updates from their daily lives, making contact with friends and business associates, connecting with new people through groups and events.

After years of nudging from his friends and kids, David decided to take the plunge and start his own Facebook page. It was free, he thought, so why not? He created a simple site for himself and began searching and connecting to friends. After a while, other people from his past began finding him too. Before he knew it he had built up a list of more than fifty Facebook “friends”. He found people he once knew but had lost contact with. He checked out girls he used to date to see how mother nature’s treated them. He linked up with family members, including his teenage kids. He was having a good time.

And then something happened that almost shut down his business. While at work, David received a message from a Facebook friend. To reply he was asked to log into his account. This is a pretty typical process, but David thought this was kind of strange because he was already logged into his account. However, he shrugged, like most of us do when some quirky technology thing happens, and logged in again. The page he landed on looked different. And the “message” that he received from his friend wasn’t a message at all, but merely a generic statement. David knew something was strange. And then strange things started to happen. His computer began to act a little funny. Slower. Like something was going on in the background. After a while, it seemed that everything was back to normal. “I hope I didn’t mess anything up,” he thought to himself. But everything seemed OK again, so he shrugged off the experience and moved on to other work.

A few hours later, after business had closed, the chaos began. A virus found its way to his company’s server and started to corrupt files. And not just any old files. It specifically targeted documents, spreadsheets and pdfs. Worse, it also damaged any files it found with an .exe extension. At the same time, the virus spawned other viruses which searched the workstations of David’s employees and corrupted their files too. It searched out email addresses he had stored and started sending out unintended emails to every email address found on his computer.

David’s company routinely stores invoices, quotes, estimates and important analysis files on the infected server. The next morning, after the virus had done its work people started getting error messages when trying to open these files. And then when they tried to get into the company’s order entry and production system they were unable to load the program – the executables (exe’s) had been deleted.

It turns out the Facebook message David received wasn’t a real message. It was a fake one, called “phishing”, hijacked from one of his friends’ accounts. And David was right when he suspected something was fishy. Because when he logged on again, he wasn’t logging on to Facebook, but to another site that immediately downloaded malicious code to his computer. The code stayed dormant until that night. And then it did it’s evil work. It infected local files. And it spread. Even outside of the company because David did not have adequate security solutions in his company’s systems.

This attack doesn’t surprise people in the computer security industry. Recently an industry trade magazine reported on the results of a poll that revealed that “63 percent of system administrators worry that employees share too much personal information via their social-networking profiles, putting their corporate infrastructure — and the sensitive data stored on it — at risk. The findings also indicate that a quarter of businesses have been the victim of spam, phishing or malware attacks via sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace.

The article went on to warn that “Frequent use of social-networking sites makes them a prime target for cybercriminals intent on stealing identities, spreading malware, or bombarding users with spam.”

David shouldn’t be mad at Facebook. The blame is with him. He was the one who cut corners and didn’t have security software in place at his company. And he remembers when this decision was made. It was about a year ago, when he was buying that new server from his computer guy. Anti-Virus software was included in the package and he specifically asked to have it removed to save a few bucks and decided to use the free download software.

Now he’s spending thousands with his computer guy to get the mess cleaned up. He’s praying that his backup systems worked and that his files can be restored. He’s about to suffer significant data loss from the time his last backup was performed to the time of that day’s infection. He’s calling and apologizing for late shipments. He’s forced to hold off on accepting new orders until his systems have been restored.

Oh, and that little virus just kept on giving. Remember those emails it sent out? Many of those went to unwitting customers and vendors. So now poor David is writing letters and making phone calls to hundreds of customers to apologize to them for potentially infecting THEIR systems too. Not exactly the kind of service he was hoping to provide.

It could have been even worse. Some of the same “phishing” incidents that have been known to affect other Facebook and users of social community websites have resulted in the loss of credit card data and other personal information. David could have had his entire personal identity stolen too. Instead, he just lost two days of production in his business. There is similar “phishing” going on with Twitter, and probably with other social media communities.

Now David’s writing some checks. Not just to the computer guy, but also to purchase good security software. Software that will scan every incoming email AND every outgoing email too and block malicious emails. Software that will automatically check with the service provider for new viruses, worms and Trojans and protect against them. He’ll gladly fork over the annual fees for this service too. Good business owners make tons of mistakes. But his company didn’t stay in business for 85+ years by making the same mistakes twice. At least not very often.

David will survive this episode. His business will recover. And with medication, his blood pressure will be brought back under control. He learned his lesson from this experience. He’s not going to stop using social media sites. But he is going to now try to spend more time with his family then on Facebook. He’s now become more wary of the potential risks of these sites. And most importantly he learned that network security for business owner in this era of social networking websites just isn’t an option anymore.

Negativity is the number one productivity problem in the workplace. Signs of negativity include backstabbing, gossiping, power struggles and lack of teamwork. The end result is absenteeism, low morale and turnover. Here are seven tips for improving workplace relationships and reducing negativity.

1. Facilitate Regular Staff Meetings
When done properly, regular meetings provide a forum for listening, problem-solving and honoring peak performance. Meeting mistakes include lecturing instead of engaging the team, inconsistent meeting times, no agenda, and no fun.

2. Institute a DRAMA-Free Workplace
Make relationships a priority and support the relationships with a standard operating procedure and employee manual. Review at least once a year and let the rules be the “bad guy” when it comes to discipline.

3. Eliminate the Open Door Policy
The door should only be open during specific hours and preferably by appointment. This prevents casual visits to vent or tattle.

4. Stop Office Gossip
Sally comes to you and says, “Don’t tell Donna, I said this, but Donna is unhappy with…” Discourage hearsay with a calm question, “Why are you coming to me with Donna’s problem?” Send the message you do not tolerate “rescuing” behavior.

5. Teach Problem-Solving
When an employee comes to you with a complaint, acknowledge the complaint, then schedule the employee to come back with all the facts, and an idea or potential solution.

6. Require Rejuvenation
No rest and recovery equals irritability, impatience, rude behavior and more mistakes. Managing energy is crucial to peak performance and productivity. Make regular breaks mandatory at least every two hours if possible.

7. Be the Change You Wish To See
Master your communication and relationship skills. Set the example: Master your emotions, be fair, listen, have integrity, show respect and have fun. Remember the words of William Penn: “No man is fit to command another who cannot command himself.”

Marlene Chism MA is the founder of the Stop Your Drama Methodology, an 8-part empowerment system to help managers run the office with no complaints, no excuses and no regrets. For more information go to www.stopyourdrama.us 

It has been estimated that more than 76 million “millennials” (Americans born between 1978 and 2000) are ready to enter the workforce throughout the next decade. At the same time significant numbers of the “Baby Boomer” generation will be retiring.

It seems that as these younger workers are graduating and entering the work force, we are undergoing a significant sea change in how workers view and respect sensitive information in the daily course of business. The advent of Social Media tools such as Facebook and Twitter has changed our ability to rapidly access and disseminate information. This makes it more important than ever to be sensitive to our responsibilities to guard our clients’ information. However, the natural approach of management today is to simply put a stop to it.

The good, bad and ugly of Social Networking
 The good of Social Networking is that is a powerful sharing and collaboration tool. Used properly it facilitates and accelerates our ability to communicate, quickly replacing e-Mail as the tool of choice. Whereas e-mail is a one-to-one communication platform and can be managed via encryption and other tools, social media tools are one-to-many, immediate, and there are few if any tools available to restrict or manage their use. Just as we needed to develop Internal Control Procedures to train and convey to employees what were permissible uses of e-Mail, so too must we develop procedures to establish guidelines and limitation on what is allowable uses of Social Networking in our workplace and, what information is restricted and may not be conveyed outside the office as well.

Even though the risks of exposing information via social networking is bad, there are good benefits to creating a Facebook site, or Twitter account for your firm to convey positive information to clients and potential clients. This should be done by employees who are passing positive information on to others.

The bad side of Social Networking is that you cannot stop it. Blocking firewalls and routers from accessing certain sites is, for the most part, a useless endeavor with easy work arounds. Such measures do not affect users who use such tools at home or on the road. It is extremely important therefore to educate everyone in the office to use social networking tools appropriately.

The ugly side is that once you develop good Internal Control Procedures you must enforce them. If an employee, after training, violates the rules appropriate actions must be taken.

Creating Internal Control Procedures
You might consider the following steps to establish policies on social networking published by SHRM Online:

• Get fully informed about the various social networking venues, their thrust and theme, successes and foibles.
• Identify the kinds of social networking conduct by employees that your company wants to regulate.
• Decide the level at which some sites will be filtered or blocked by your company’s computer network.
• Determine the job categories that have inherent, appropriate workplace uses for social networking and grant access to social networks to workers in those groups only.
• Craft a clear, concise policy that can withstand legal scrutiny.
• Ensure that employees read and sign the policy.
  Update the policy annually, based upon policy reviews conducted jointly by HR and other corporate managers, employment lawyers and other experts.
• Make sure managers buy into the policy, and communicate it through multiple channels.

There are a number of web-sites that offer advice on creating your policy. The federal government recently published Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies.

This document can be found at
http://www.cio.gov/Documents/Guidelines_for_Secure_Use_Social_Media_v01-0.pdf 

IBM has published their guidelines for blogging, wikis, social networks, virtual worlds and so forth at http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html 

If you want to educate yourself, or your staff on the subject of Social Network Etiquette, read this article
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32691783/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/ 

There is also a sample short Internal Control Procedure at http://www.tsif.com/socialnetworking.htm

First, Do No Harm
What information is proper to share over the Internet and what isn’t, is really not that difficult to understand. Most of the time good common sense can be your guide. Don’t tweet or post a comment about anyone that you would not say to their face! If the information is client related, or is information that belongs to the firm – DON’T POST IT! If your office has rules about what may be written down in the firm, notes, comments and so forth, to include in client files – all these rules apply to cyberspace as well.

Keep your personal Facebook or Twitter accounts personal and do not include work. It really is as simple as that. But every once in a while someone just does a dumb post by accident, exposing sensitive information, it is more likely to occur because you are mad, or upset, or bored. Stop and take a deep breath before you post. It may be better to go home, take a run, or just yell out loud in the woods than post something you will live to regret.

If you are looking for a long and profitable career, pay attention to what you post on your personal posts as well. Now that web based search engines are included social networking posts, your comments cannot be taken back, and they may exist across the Internet for many years to come! If you have pictures on your sites that you would not want your minister or your mom to see – perhaps there are good reasons to take them down.

Dr. Bob Spencer is an internationally recognized author, lecturer, and consultant who has written more than a dozen books on technology in business and can be reached at www.bobspencer.com. Dr. Bob is associated with K2 Enterprises, www.k2e.com and Network Management Group, www.nmgi.com as a consultant.

Randolph P. Johnston (Randy) is one of the founding shareholders of NMGI, having worked in technology for over 30 years. He has written multiple college texts on technology as well as course materials for K2 Enterprises where is also a shareholder. Randy speaks and consults nationally on accounting software, paperless and CPA firm technologies, and is an internationally known speaker.

What’s good for the environment can also make incredibly good business sense. By taking advantage of green IT strategies such as virtualization and server consolidation, midsized businesses can realize immediate ROI in 2010. What’s more, today’s energy-efficient technologies do more than just alleviate power and cooling costs. Green IT solutions can also have a significant impact on company-wide operational efficiency.

Facing the rising costs of business
Running a midsized company today calls for doing more with less  -  while also keeping up with the technology curve to remain competitive. Yet supporting new IT services often means increased costs in hardware, maintenance and power. As time goes on and energy costs continue to rise, many companies start to run out of physical space, or overload the power and cooling capabilities of hardware facilities from small computer rooms to large data centers.

So while many companies pursue green agendas, capacity issues often become the foundation for adopting energy-efficient IT technologies.

Explains Logan Scott, IBM energy efficiency offering manager, “If we keep growing with the current model  -  a very distributed IT model where a lot of companies are running one application per server  -  that is not really going to be sustainable. That’s where we are seeing server sprawl. And even on the storage side it is just becoming too difficult to keep up with the increasing demand for storage capacity.”

Energy-efficient IT for efficient operations
There are many reasons for midsized businesses to go green, according to Scott. “First of all, there is a major opportunity for cost savings,” he says. Energy-efficient IT strategies that focus on consolidated, virtualized infrastructures can help midsized businesses quickly begin seeing a return on investment from reduced power and cooling costs of up to 40 percent.

In addition to these welcome adjustments to the utility bill, energy-efficient technologies also can provide significant operational benefits. In areas such as data availability, productivity and utilization, green IT usually makes organizations more efficient, Scott explains. “Companies are seeing major efficiency…for every dollar they are saving in energy costs, they might see six to eight dollars in operational cost savings,” he says.

For example, consolidated, virtualized environments can reduce demands on power and cooling systems, and this can help eliminate thermal hot spots that often lead to service outages, says Scott. This improved availability and resiliency helps to ensure that business is uninterrupted. And, because consolidated server environments simplify IT management, midsized organizations can also manage more services with fewer resources. This also improves IT staff productivity by reducing the amount of time required to contain server sprawl and battle power and cooling issues.

Companies can also effectively get more out of their IT investments by harnessing energy-efficient IT to improve utilization as much as four-fold, says Scott.  -  Today, in a lot of distributed environments, utilization rates of the server environment might be down to less than 15 percent, so that is a lot of wasted compute power,” he explains. “By implementing virtualization you can share workloads on the same equipment and drive much higher utilization rates, and likewise get a lot more efficiency  -  including energy savings.”

Going green for lower costs and ROI
The first step in energy-efficient IT for midsized business is to learn more about how they currently use energy, which can be difficult to discover. At some organizations, for example, utility bills are passed through a facilities department, which effectively masks energy costs from IT teams that may be unaware of how much power information technology consumes.

“Working with the facilities department,” Scott explains, helps in “understanding the overall energy consumption for IT and then putting the capability in place to monitor and manage the energy consumption.”

Doing so can often be easily achieved by downloading freely available basic energy-monitoring software applications  -  while more advanced solutions allow businesses to control and cap energy usage by setting server-based policies. These tools also can lay the groundwork for measuring energy ROI as midsized businesses progress further down the path to greener computing.

For Scott and many other IT energy experts, understanding energy usage requirements should be followed up by consolidating physical servers onto less hardware with a virtualized infrastructure  -  regardless of the size of the facility. Scott says of this environment, “I think that is one of the biggest levers for improving the efficiency of the overall IT operation, which is going to likewise reduce the facilities overhead in cooling that environment down.”

As Scott recognizes, some smaller businesses may not yet be ready for virtualization. Still, these businesses can also benefit from consolidation and more efficient server designs. As an example, he suggests that simply transitioning from traditional rack-mounted servers to energy-efficient blade servers can cut energy costs by up to 40 percent. Similar benefits can be found in the storage environment.

“Implementing a tiered storage environment with information life-cycle management policies  -  where you’re optimizing where data is stored in the hierarchy and you are taking advantage of slower-spinning disks and tape  -  that can really have dramatic improvements in energy efficiency,” he notes.

Framing the future of green IT
Virtualization and consolidation are just starting points in making technology greener and more cost-effective. As business and environmental goals converge, advancements in energy-efficient technology will drive more savings  -  and operational efficiency, according to Scott.

“I think we will see more energy management functions built into servers and storage hardware,” he explains, and then lists areas such as cloud computing and software as a service. These advances, he says, are poised to further extend the benefits of green IT for midsized businesses by increasing utilization rates for hardware, and allowing hardware devices to run more workloads with less power.

But in the meantime, Scott and other IT energy experts believe there is no time like the present for midsized organizations to go green. Because what’s good for the environment also makes good business sense in 2010  -  and beyond.

In the current business environment, the old adage “time is money” applies now more than ever. So what happens when everyday operations are disrupted? According to the U.S. Labor Department, more than 40 percent of all companies that experience a disaster never reopen – and more than 25 percent of those that do reopen after a disaster occurs will close down for good within two years. But even if your company doesn’t go through a major disaster, chances are high that it will experience the negative consequences of unplanned outages that make business as usual impossible.

The problem is amplified in challenging economic times, says Warren Sirota, a segment executive with IBM Business Continuity and Resiliency Services. “If the business is already suffering from lower revenue because of the economy and a significant outage occurs, the impact can be much more dramatic than during good times,” he says.

Downtime quickly becomes revenue loss
Even though a crippling outage is almost certain to hit most companies someday, many executives running midsized organizations adopt an “it won’t happen here” attitude. They would be wise to think again. A business may not be located on the coast where hurricanes strike, but power outages can still occur. According to Infonetics Research, most companies suffer between 300 to 1,000 hours of downtime a year.

“Resilience is the ability to take a blow and keep on going.” Wildfires may not be prevalent where a business operates, but no company is exempt from the risk of a building fire. And while Mother Nature is responsible for many outages, downtime can also be caused by air conditioning failures, coffee machine malfunctions, bursting pipes, human error, insects, roof cave-ins and vandalism.

No matter the cause of a disaster, the accompanying costs quickly add up. In some industries, says Infonetics Research, downtime costs can equal up to 16 percent of revenue. And according to the analysis firm Meta Group, every hour of downtime carries an hourly cost of more than $200 for every employee on staff.

Unfortunately, many routine security and business continuity precautions are of little help once disaster strikes. For example, a high-availability server system is a great investment for protection against many types of outages. Yet if all of its components are located in the same area as the cause of an outage, it too will go down.

Understanding business recovery essentials
“Avoiding lost sales is the most significant benefit of having a good recovery plan,” says Sirota, who suggests that understanding the importance of the five essential elements of business recovery can help midsized businesses stay afloat amid outages large and small. These five areas, he says, make up the most important parts of operating a business: people, facilities, information, networks and technologies. Planning for inevitable disruptions requires an understanding of the essentials of each of these five elements:

1. Keep people busy with business as usual
Planning for employees, business partners and customers makes up the most critical aspect of business recovery planning, Sirota says. Depending on the nature of the outage, you may need to figure out how and where people can continue working. For a brief period of time, everyone may need to work remotely, but you’ll need to have these contingency plans ready, along with automatic notification to tell employees to work at home.

2. Make accommodations for facilities
Facilities make up an important part of business recovery planning. According to the U.S. National Fire Protection Agency, 35 percent of businesses that experience a major fire are out of business within three years. So, if having everyone work at home is not the best option for your business, recovery vendors can provide interim workplaces such as prefabricated mobile offices or buildings designed specifically for use in times of crisis.

3. Secure information before the storm hits
Data can make or break a business. According to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 80 percent of companies without well-conceived data protection and recovery strategies go out of business within two years of a major disaster.

Backup tape and storage testing services can help ensure that critical data will be available after a major outage. Ideally, says IBM’s Sirota, backups should be performed offsite, preferably at a facility far away from everyday operations. “The best way to protect the information for a small business is to use a remote data backup facility, which actually transmits the data either overnight or at scheduled times to a remote site where it is stored.”

4. Prepare alternate networking routes
Can you keep networks open – or restore them quickly? What happens if you don’t have local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) connectivity for an extended period of time? Or phone connections and e-mail? In the worst-case scenario, your business may not have access to any of these vital services.

LAN and WAN contingency plans can include services such as remote data access so critical information can be managed and administered from any location. A failover system for e-mail is also highly recommended by Sirota, who notes that keeping in touch with partners and customers can make all the difference in remaining in business. These solutions can be activated in seconds, but keep in mind that these systems need to be in place prior to an outage.

5. Keep technology up-to-date and aligned with recovery plans
Keep tabs on how technology is applied within your organization. This can be as simple as making sure a security patch has been correctly applied. Otherwise, recovery plans can be easily derailed when new software and hardware is added or upgraded without testing the potential consequences of changes to business technology. That’s why experts like Sirota recommend routine system checkups, as well as longer-term business continuity and resilience planning services. “Resilience is the ability to take a blow and keep on going,” he says.

Regular checkups provide the best results
Sirota suggests that business recovery plans be tested annually. “Plans go out of date very quickly,” he says. “Exercise your plan once a year. People find that’s when they realize what they really need to do to improve their plans.”

Many of these activities are best done with the assistance of an outside specialist company, Sirota explains, “A small business doesn’t have the staff and the in-depth expertise available to do a full-blown plan.” He adds. “Obviously they have some people responsible for their IT infrastructure, but typically those people are focused on the day-to-day operations and not all the ins and outs of what could happen in a disaster scenario.”

But when the ins and outs of continuity planning are taken seriously, midsized businesses can bank on being competitive – which beats flirting with disaster when it comes to the inevitable periods of unexpected downtime.

Making changes to your printing and imaging systems is an easy way to reduce your environmental impact and show measurable cost savings. Selecting the right imaging and printing tools and implementing responsible in-office practices are crucial to developing a cost effective environmental strategy. Here are six key steps to getting your organization on the right track.

Six smarter printing strategies:

Calculate your carbon footprint. Use the HP Carbon Footprint Calculator for Printing to benchmark your printer fleet is today. Then, compare your existing fleet to new, optimized fleets. Finally, determine the right number and mix of energy-efficient devices to maintain your ideal work team productivity.

Consolidate and replace outdated equipment. Replace stand-alone print, fax and copy machines with multifunction printers that require less space and fewer instances of power use. Look for energy-efficient equipment labeled with the ENERGY STAR or EPEAT label. When purchasing new equipment, factor in energy costs to calculate the total cost of ownership. For example, HP printers with HP Instant-On technology can reduce power consumption by up to 50 percent.

Power down. Turn off equipment that isn’t in use, especially after hours and on weekends. Equipment that remains turned on (even plugged in) still consumes energy. HP Web Jetadmin power-save mode makes this easy by allowing you to pre-set sleep and wake modes.

Print double-sided. If purchasing new equipment, choose printers with a duplex capability. That way the machine handles the paper reversal, so you don’t have to do it manually. Set duplex printing as the standard for your users

Digitize paper-based and document-intensive workflows. Capture and deliver documents electronically to speed document-based workflows, eliminate faxing and reduce paper usage.

Recycle. Office paper, toner cartridges and even old printing equipment are all recyclable. Make it easy for office workers to recycle paper by setting out plenty of bins to collect it. Designate a specific location for workers to place used printer cartridges that need to be recycled. Use HP’s free print cartridge recycling program for recycling HP original ink and toner cartridges. And finally, set up a process for recycling office equipment that is being replaced. HP, for instance, can help manage and recycle technology products responsibly and efficiently, and will even reclaim the materials in recycled printers or put the product back into use after using standard processes to help destroy confidential data.

This six-step approach can help you transform your organization for greater energy and cost savings. And it’s never too late to start. Taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to your day-to-day office functions can show big results, while also promoting your green agenda

Data deduplication is a storage technology for managing explosive data growth and providing data protection. There’s a lot of talk about the technique, but little clarity on details and practical applications.

What is it?
Data deduplication is a method for eliminating redundant data from storage, especially from backups. It works by saving a single copy of identical data, replacing any further instances with pointers back to that one copy.

Here’s a simple example: Say 500 people receive a company-wide e-mail with a 1 megabyte attachment. If each recipient saves that attachment locally, it is replicated 500 times on desktops around the network. During backup, a system without data deduplication would then store the data in that one attachment 500 times — consuming 499 MB more backup space than necessary.

Data deduplication backs up just one instance of the attachment’s data and replaces the other 499 instances with pointers back to that copy.

The technology also works at a second level: If a change is made to the original file, then data deduplication saves only the block or blocks of data actually altered. (A block is typically tiny, somewhere between 2 kilobytes and 10 KB of data.)

So let’s say the title of our 1 MB presentation is changed. Data deduplication would save only the new title, usually in a 4 KB data block, with pointers back to the first iteration of the file. Thus, only 4 KB of new back up data is retained.

When used in conjunction with other methods of data reduction, such as conventional data compression, data deduplication can cut data volume even further.

Now extrapolate that scenario beyond e-mail to thousands of gigabytes of data every month or year. That’s a lot of storage that data deduplication could help you to free up, allowing you to retain more backups for a longer time on a given amount of space. And the benefits can go even further. Data deduplication can also help:

• Save money with lower disk investments
• Free up bandwidth
• Rely less on tape backup
• Recover faster after an outage

A little myth-busting
It might seem that squeezing more data into less space would mean there’s more room to cram in new data, but that’s not how data deduplication works. Because the technology uses pointers to locate repeated data, the ratio of data you can store increases with each backup you make.

However, adding more unique data doesn’t take advantage of the space savings pointers. Therefore, the technique makes it possible to store more backups for a longer time in the same amount of space.

That means a faster recovery when you need an older version of data (as opposed to retrieving a tape from a remote site). But it doesn’t necessarily translate into freeing up room for more unique data.

Comparing technologies
When it comes to data deduplication, one size does not fit all. That’s why it is important to consider a solution’s approach from the following three levels before making a decision:

• Where does data deduplication occur? Does it occur at the source (a server, for example) or at the target that stores the data (a virtual tape library, for example)? A source-based approach results in less data being sent across the wire for backup, potentially shortening backup windows. A target-based approach is well-suited for a virtual tape device and therefore can replace tape backup and speed up data retrieval processes.
• When does deduplication happen? In target-based implementations, data can either be backed up first, then deduplicated (post-process), or deduplication can be executed during the backup process (inline). Each method has pros and cons: Post-process deduplication may result in a faster backup, but inline can be replicated immediately after a backup concludes.
• How does it happen? Object-level differencing reduces data by storing only the changes that occur, while hash-based chunking products locate global redundancies that occur among all files in a backup. Some technologies even difference at the file level, a technique with so many drawbacks there’s little point in considering it here.

Which approach is best for my organization?
The best approach to data deduplication depends on your size and backup needs.

• Deduplication for enterprises: Object-level differencing, or accelerated deduplication, is a good choice for enterprise customers because it focuses on performance and scalability. It delivers the fastest restores, as well as the fastest possible backup by deduplicating data after it has been written to disk. You can scale up to increase performance simply by adding extra nodes.
• Deduplication for midsize businesses and remote enterprise sites: Hash-based chunking, or dynamic deduplication, is a good choice for small and midsize businesses or large enterprises with remote sites because it focuses on compatibility and cost. It delivers a low-cost, small footprint in a format-independent solution.

The importance of options
Some companies offer only one method or the other — object-level differencing or hash-based chunking. However, the two technologies offer different strengths and weaknesses in differing environments. That’s why HP now offers both options in configurations tailored to the needs of different business environments:

• For enterprises, HP’s Virtual Library Systems family of products offers accelerated deduplication on a proven platform that integrates into existing backup applications and processes to accelerate backups in complex SAN environments, all while improving reliability.
• For small and midsize businesses (and remote enterprise offices), HP delivers dynamic deduplication in simple, self-managing, reliable and low cost solutions: the HP StorageWorks D2D Backup System family.

No matter your needs, HP puts a range of data deduplication options at your disposal, not just one that’s been scaled up or down.

In today’s competitive global market, businesses need technology that enables flexibility and cost-effectively adds value to their organization. Internet-based hosted services provide a way to meet these objectives. They deliver feature-rich productivity tools to users while helping to relieve the burden of managing and maintaining business systems — freeing up IT departments to focus on initiatives that can deliver true competitive advantage.

Microsoft has a long history of developing and delivering innovative software and services for businesses and individuals. Designed to meet your unique business needs, our software-plus-services vision brings together the best of rich on-premise applications and flexible online services to give you ready access to the latest messaging and collaboration tools – without costly deployment and time-consuming maintenance. Microsoft® Online Services reliably delivers 99.9 percent scheduled uptime and carries a financially backed service level agreement.

Let Our IT Resources Work for You
Microsoft Online Services gives your business the powerful productivity capabilities of Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server, Microsoft Office Communications Server, and Microsoft Office Live Meeting — all hosted online and all up and running quickly and easily without the upfront costs of an on-premise deployment. The suite of productivity tools enables your workers to communicate and collaborate effectively, while enabling your IT team to focus on more business-critical tasks. And with services hosted by Microsoft, you can have peace of mind knowing that experts are managing your IT and that your services will be available when you need them.

Features and Benefits
Microsoft Online Services makes it easy for you to leverage and rapidly deploy familiar Microsoft server products as flexible services. These hosted services—our Business Productivity Online Standard Suite — include the following:

Exchange Online
Provide employees access to e-mail, calendar, and contacts from virtually anywhere, at anytime, on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices — while helping to protect against malware and spam. Exchange Online can be rapidly deployed, flexibly expanded, and is designed to be securely administered using a powerful yet easy-to-use Web-based console.

SharePoint Online
Share documents, contacts, calendars, and tasks in a single location. Based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007, SharePoint Online delivers rich collaboration capabilities that enable team members to flexibly and efficiently collaborate, find organizational resources, search your intranet site, and manage content and workflow.

Office Live Meeting
Connect with colleagues and customers through real-time meetings, training sessions, and events using only a PC with an Internet connection. Hosted Web conferencing services from Microsoft Office Live Meeting give your employees the power to collaborate wherever they are, to set up project meetings, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on whiteboards without the cost and hassle of travel!

Office Communications Online
Enable users to find and rapidly connect with the right person from the applications they use most. Office Communications Online provides streamlined access to rich presence and instant messaging capabilities that are centrally managed by IT and work seamlessly with a range of Microsoft Office system programs.

How It Works
Each Microsoft data center, located strategically throughout the world, houses a highly reliable complex of equipment that provides seamless connectivity to the Microsoft Online suite of services. This global network of geo-redundant data centers provides around-the-clock access to your business-critical collaboration services, and helps keep your data safe.

With Microsoft Online Services, your IT staff retains control over the services offered to your end users. Microsoft Online Services work seamlessly with Microsoft Active Directory®, so you can continue to manage user policies centrally and control which services are available to your existing users. A single administrative panel — with consoles for provisioning, usage, monitoring, and support — enables simple and centralized management. And your users can enjoy the convenience of a single sign-on to access all their hosted services.

To save money on equipment and time on system maintenance, more and more businesses are deploying virtual servers. Reduced overhead and simplified management can free up resources that can be applied toward innovation and other valuable projects that sharpen the business’ competitive edge.

But virtualization does have its pitfalls. Creating new virtual servers haphazardly can easily lead to out-of-control server sprawl. Stacking too many applications on one host can leave them competing for resources. And managing your virtual resources among your physical machines can get complicated, especially for IT staff accustomed to managing only one application per physical server.

Realizing the benefits of virtualization hinges on good planning, properly balancing your resources and employing the right skills and experience. Here are a few tips to help you avoid some of the more common challenges of virtualization.

Set expectations In a traditional server environment, business units can come to expect full use of an entire server box, which usually provides more than enough capacity, making it seem like a bottomless resource. But the dynamic nature of virtualization means that resources are shared, as well as the cost of managing or acquiring them. Without clear guidelines and support from the rest of the organization, you may get conflicting requests or even refusals to virtualize certain assets.

Get business stakeholder participation and buy-in early to help you manage the transition to virtualization and ensure that it aligns with overall business goals. Be proactive about educating all affected stakeholders and users about how resources will be allocated and shared. Also explain the business benefits of moving to virtualization.

Balance resource needs A major benefit of virtualization is increased resource utilization. But too many applications vying for the same resources may leave those applications competing for inadequate RAM, processor capacity, disk I/O or network bandwidth.

Before moving anything to a virtual server, take stock of your applications and their computing requirements. In particular, identify those that experience heavy spikes in demand for specific resources. Some of these applications may be better suited for traditional servers. Group the rest of your applications that don’t rely heavily on the same resources. As a best practice, distribute your applications strategically across your virtual servers so that each has what it needs to perform well.

Don’t overload physical servers Getting your virtual assets to run smoothly and play well together is one thing. But keep in mind that they still reside on a physical host server, which also requires periodical maintenance and upgrades. If you’re running multiple physical hosts, be sure to distribute your mission critical applications strategically, so that taking a single host server down for maintenance doesn’t disable multiple mission critical applications at once.

Also keep in mind that virtual servers, like physical servers have cyclical resource needs that can spike dramatically when business processes are most demanding, whether that be weekly or once a quarter. Make sure you plan for these spikes when allocating resources for your servers and applications.

Clustering physical servers and virtual servers is another way to avoid physical host server overload. By freely mixing virtual servers with physical servers, clustering can help you address resource spikes and make sure that mission critical applications are appropriately balanced across multiple servers (be they physical or virtual). Clustering also minimizes risk, because your resources aren’t restricted to one physical machine and one single point of failure.

Prevent virtual server sprawl Virtualization’s scalability is one of its greatest strengths, but if mismanaged, can wreak havoc. Creating new virtual machines can be done so easily and quickly, that it can feel like a free and endless resource. When too many virtual servers are added, they can quickly max out the capacity of your physical hosts and turn server management into a complicated mess.

Establish standard practices and requirements to justify and control the creation of new virtual servers. Standards will help prevent virtual servers from proliferating out of control, while helping you more easily track and manage your virtual assets.

Don’t go in solo Getting started with virtualization isn’t always simple or predictable. Not only do you need new skills and tools, you also need a whole new way of viewing your IT infrastructure. Luckily, virtualization standards and best practices have evolved. And selecting an experienced partner that knows how to put them to work for you is an important first step.

HP has a full suite of services to help you make the most of your virtualization efforts. Having implemented virtualization solutions for thousands of customers of all types, HP has the experience and tools to help you meet your virtualization goals, from planning to implementation to ongoing management.

Learn more about HP’s Virtualization Services or contact HP to get started on your virtualization path right away

Change, whether it is wanted or unwanted brings out our best and worst. The Stop Your Drama Methodology incorporates 8 principles and multiple tools for navigating change or reinventing any part of your life or business.

1. Clear the Fog
Where drama is, clarity is not. If you feel like you are shoveling coal in the boiler room instead of navigating the ship, then you have a clarity issue. When you are clear, your decisions are easy and emotions are steady. Clarity helps you handle the winds of change and life flows. First get clear about your values and vision. Everything flows from there.

2. Identify the Gap
The distance between where you are and where you want to be is the gap. The bigger the gap, the more potential for drama. If you can identify those times when you are moving faster than your resources allow, or when what you want seems too far out of reach, find a way to shorten the gap, by taking only the next right step. When you learn how to identify the gap, you can shorten it instead of suffering.

3. Tell Yourself the Truth
Drama is often the result of undisciplined thinking, manifesting as over-reaction to some imagined problem, regret about the past, worry about the future, or denial about the present challenges. To stop your drama, learn how to separate fact from feeling. Knowing your feelings won’t change the facts, but knowing the facts can change your feelings. Consciously changing your thoughts and feelings is the beginning of stepping into a new truth.

4. Reinvent and Realign
When your actions do not align with your values and beliefs you will experience an integrity gap. The integrity gap is when your desires are in conflict. You have the power to reinvent a new you that aligns with your values so that your life is congruent and you are not pulled in opposing directions.

5. Stop Relationship Drama
Where you struggle, you will find a relationship problem. Besides the relationship you have with yourself, there is the relationship you have with others. Then there is the relationship you have to the situation, to your past, your imagined future, to time, money, food and everything else in your life. If you want immediate change, change your relationship to the area where you struggle.

6. Master Your Energy
Down to the smallest unit, everything in the universe is energy. The five types of energy are physical, environmental, emotional, spiritual, and mental. Since even thoughts are energy, remember that negative thoughts drain your energy and can contribute to illness. Slow down and make decisions from inspiration rather than from desperation. Take charge of your energy by mastering your environment, your physical health, your emotions, spirituality and thinking.

7. Release Resistance
Resistance is an energetic state in the form of non-acceptance to what is. Before you can make any change you must quit fighting the current by blaming, excusing, and judging. Accept where you are, then be willing to do what is required to make the shift.

8. Become a Creator
Instead of waiting for things to happen to you, initiate change. Become fully responsible for the contents of your life. Entertain the possibility of what you want by asking, “What if.” Until you consider another reality you cannot create a new one.

BIO
Marlene Chism is the founder of the Stop Your Drama Methodology, an 8-part empowerment system to help leaders run their office with no complaints, no excuses and no regrets. To get more information visit the web at www.stopyourdrama.com 

For many small businesses, a key hiring challenge is finding the right person to care for your computers and networks.

These folks usually carry the title of network or system administrator. And as your business grows, you may need someone (or two) on staff full time to make sure your network and PCs are always functioning properly.

Frankly, I have not had good luck with this. But here are three lessons that I have learned. If you heed them, you might be able to avoid making the same mistakes.

1. Make the hire, but still maintain a close watch over everything. That brings me to Joe (not his real name). Joe was one of my
early system administrators. He was in his mid-20s, deeply into computers and the holder of paper certifications that proved he knew his stuff. At first, things seemed to be OK. It took some time for Joe to figure out the servers’ configurations and the way our Web site worked. But I expected the learning curve, so I wasn’t concerned. Several months after hiring Joe, I went to the server room to make a configuration change. As I mucked around in a server, I found Web sites there for things I had never heard of. Apparently, Joe had set them up for friends. And there were e-mail addresses on the mail server for people I did not know. Then I remembered my computer. I had found oddities on it, too, and now I suspected someone was using it. I set up a camera in my office. Sure enough, at 5 a.m., the culprit walked in and got on the computer. Need I tell you that it was Joe? When I had amassed all the evidence, I confronted Joe. He readily acknowledged everything. I sent him packing. The breaches were bad enough. But most disturbingly, he saw nothing wrong with what he had done. The server space was available, so he used it. Not anymore.

2. Realize when an administrator is in over his or her head. We have a fairly complex setup, with four T1 lines coming into the building and a mountain of routers as well as Web and file servers to handle it all. I thought that I had found a perfect addition to the staff with Steve (again, not his real name). He had his degree, came with great references and appeared to be a real team player. What I did not know was that he had never really worked on a system alone. He relied on a string of people in his past job at a major corporation to keep the systems running. So he had to learn on the job. In doing so, he made system changes that invariably brought the network and the servers to a screeching halt. But he would not just make one change. He would make three, four and maybe 10 at once — so when the system failed, he was not sure what caused it. One morning after two weeks of this nonsense, I walked into the server room. There, I found him sleeping on the floor with a book resting near his head.

The book was titled something like “Hacking Made Easy.” I woke him up and asked him, “What’s going on?” Steve proceeded to tell me that he was up all night working desperately to get our networks operational for the day. He determined that our inability to connect with the Internet was not with our routers and firewalls. It was with the Internet service provider’s T1 lines. And then he explained that the ISP would not acknowledge the problem, so he was going to hack into their corporate offices and fix it himself. Now, I was scared. Steve was terminated that day.

3. Establish company rules and make sure every employee knows them. Some time ago, I read about a 19-year-old who pleaded guilty to stealing sensitive data from DirecTV. The young man was working for an imaging firm that had a contract with a law firm. The law firm was doing work for DirecTV. The information stolen concerned DirecTV’s customer access card. DirecTV is in a constant battle with hackers to keep its data secret. This information was so sensitive that DirecTV kept it encrypted on its own computers. The young man who stole it didn’t do it for money. He apparently was looking for validation from his peers. He posted the information on the hacker sites.

My guess: He didn’t even consider the fact he was stealing someone else’s property. I don’t know about the corporate fallout of his actions. I’ll bet the imaging company lost that contract. There are many, many people on the Internet these days who think nothing of taking intellectual property. Millions of people swap music files electronically. So how does this apply to you? If your employees have access to the Internet, they could be misusing it. They could be swapping files from their desktop computers. If you have a server with Internet access, be careful. You should learn to explore that server to check for contraband. Some poorly socialized character could be setting you up for problems with customers. Worse, you could have legal problems. It’s not just music files. Someone downloading pornography could create a hostile workplace.

Software counterfeiting also is big. Recently, the government busted a large ring of people swapping illegally copied software. They were using corporate computers, primarily. Since many people have trouble distinguishing right from wrong when it comes to the Internet, you should lay it out. Part of your computer policy should include a ban on misuse of the computers. Be specific. Don’t assume anything. That would be a mistake. This goes double for system administrators. These are people who’ve been entrusted with access to every employee’s computer. And they know the system inside and out. If you don’t watch carefully — and sometimes even if you do — you may not realize there’s a problem until the sheriff appears at your door.

No matter what your job is, you’ll find a launch event that delivers technical content you can use today, and gives you the inside track on what Microsoft Office 2010, Visual Studio 2010 and SharePoint 2010 have to offer. Choose from all day or half day in-person events in your area, or virtual events you can check out anytime. It’s all free and designed to fit your interests.

Deborah Laurel, principal, Prendergast Laurel Architects

 Br. Scott, OHC, Bursar , Holy Cross Monastery

Ben Hernandez, Information Systems Manager, Bell Container

William Wnekowicz, IT manager, Doma Export Co., Inc.

From his keynote perch, Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie urged attendees to keep information in mind when they develop cloud computing apps. Microsoft’s proposed data service, code-named Dallas, aggregates reams of public data and will make it available by subscription so that it can be parsed, reconfigured and displayed as needed and incorporated in other applications.

Microsoft watchers could be forgiven if they view this through Microsoft’s Google eyes. Google, a pioneer in cloud computing, made its name and fortune indexing and surfacing all sorts of data using an ad-based model that makes it available free to consumers. Dallas will be a subscription service, according to Ozzie.

Dallas was built on Azure and SQL Azure to be an “open catalog and marketplace of public and commercial data,” Ozzie said.

“Our world is increasingly wired with sensors that are recording unimaginable volumes of data, not only on us and what we do but on the physical world around us, healthcare, government, the environment,” he said.

“That data does no good unless we turn the potential into the kinetic — into apps and solutions wrapped around that data. Weave together that public domain content with your own content,” Ozzie said.

With a common API granting access to data across a number of providers, Dallas could require less developer effort to generate enterprise mashups, said Rob Sanfilippo, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft. Such ad hoc data integrations often rely on HTTP, but can require considerable data access coding to tie together, he said.

The availability of good data at low cost would be a boon to anyone building e-commerce applications, added Carl Mazzanti, president of eMazzanti Technologies, a Hoboken, N.J.-based Microsoft partner. “Any time you can get good data delivered to you that is inexpensive and that you don’t have to maintain could be very useful,” he added.

What looks like a way to mine and harness data may seem like a boon to vendors, but a big brother nightmare to others.

Ozzie reiterated the Azure timeline already public on Microsoft Blogs and that the free Azure community technology preview (CTP) will continue through year’s end. Microsoft will test out reliability and payment systems in January, and the switch to paid services will happen Feb. 1, 2010.

PDC attendees can register for the Dallas community technical preview this week.

This report was updated Tuesday night with additional analyst and partner comments.

Rob Barry contributed to this story.

Barbara Darrow is the Senior News

As a web security firm, MXINSPECT is ultimately selling trust. “Companies are becoming increasingly sensitive to online threats—viruses, spam and malware,” noted Jennifer Shine, MXINSPECT CTO. “We’re there to address threats before they cause problems. People pay us to work out the details.” The managed service that MX offers has evolved to include a mobile workforce of over 40 reps. For these field employees, the laptop comprises their entire office. They carry and transfer data and require remote access to the company server, making them the possible weak link in a chain of security. If a computer is compromised, the clients are compromised. Because of this, MX must constantly be ahead of the curve in how it handles service and security in its own environment.

Solution

With the expertise of eMazzanti Technologies, MXINSPECT has been able to employ Windows 7 to add additional layers of security while increasing productivity. Features in Windows 7 provide MX with smarter and safer ways to communicate, transfer data and manage day-to-day business.

BitLocker-to-Go BitLocker-to-Go extends data encryption features to removable storage devices like USB thumb drives and flash drives. A password or a smart card with a digital certificate stored on it can be used to unlock the data, providing portable data security for MXINSPECT field personnel.

AppLocker With AppLocker, MXINSPECT administrators can control the software that runs on the corporate network, ensuring that only authorized applications are accessed or installed.

DirectAccess DirectAccess allows users to connect securely to a corporate network through the Internet. This connection is established in the background without requiring user interaction, simplifying and securing communication for MX’s mobile workforce.

Gadgets Gadgets are easy-to-use mini programs that give information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. MXINSPECT has developed its own Gadgets to display real time data crucial to performance management.

Aero Desktop Experience The Snap, Shake, and Peek features in Windows 7 make it easier to navigate among multiple documents, allowing side-by-side comparison and intuitive window sizing. Additional features, such as the ability to pin applications and documents to the Taskbar, and simple access to Jump Lists of recent documents, add to the functionality of the desktop.

Power Management The Power Management feature in Windows 7 carefully controls laptop power usage to maximize battery life, extending the work that can be done on a single charge.

Benefits

Layers of Protection for a Mobile Environment MXINSPECT deals in trust. Jennifer Shine, MXINSPECT, CTO explains, “Everything we use in our office runs Windows 7; if our computers are compromised, our clients are vulnerable.” The layers of protection in Windows 7, including BitLocker-to-Go, AppLocker, and DirectAccess, help to provide a fundamentally secure computing platform.

BitLocker-to-Go Facilitates Secure Sharing of Data MXINSPECT field reps work primarily in a mobile environment, exposing them to unique security risks. According to Carl Mazzanti, CEO of eMazzanti Technologies, MXINSPECT’s IT consultant, “BitLocker-to-Go allows MXINSPECT employees to share and transfer data to its clients with the assurance that only authorized users will have access, even if the media is lost or stolen.”

IT Administrators Use AppLocker To Manage Software Security Threats AppLocker adds another tier of protection by keeping users from downloading additional software that might threaten security. Mazzanti uses AppLocker to manage the corporate PCs through group policies, helping keep the organization’s data safe and the hardware operating. “Customers know that if you’re not protecting your own system, you’re not protecting theirs. AppLocker keeps unauthorized software off hardware and networks.”

Secure Network Connection for Field Reps MXINSPECT is eager to implement the use of Windows 7 DirectAccess to provide its mobile workers with seamless, secure access to the company network. On-the-road employees will no longer have to tackle the job of manually creating their own VPN connection; DirectAccess offers them the same secure connection they would have in the office. Shine noted, “We can even use DirectAccess to remotely patch and update laptops.”

Customized Gadgets Provide Real-Time Data Customized gadgets have become an integral part of MXINSPECT’s ability to monitor, quantify, and respond to security threats and client requests. “We use a custom-built Threat Gadget to track our system’s constant stream of data,” noted Shine. “We need accurate, updated information, because it’s our business to respond quickly.” When running Windows Vista®, MX ran into the issue of shrinking screen real-estate; gadgets simply took up too much room and were fixed in location. “With Windows 7, our gadgets float and are no longer limited to the sidebar. We can now take advantage of multiple screens to keep tabs on our data. Windows 7 has made our gadgets more accessible and less obtrusive, all at the same time.”

Intuitive Aero Interface Increase Productivity MXINSPECT provides managed email and web filtering as a fixed fee service, but Shine continues to see client’s inbound traffic grow as a result of increased bandwidth and internet usage. “The way we manage costs is through speed, so we look for any tool that will increase the productivity of our staff. The Aero features, like Snap, Shake, Peek, Pinning and Jump-Lists do just that.”

Smarter Power Features Generate Added Time Shine has found the faster boot times and improved power management of Windows 7 to be one of its most impressive features. “When I’m on the go with my laptop, the speed and power savings are a big deal. I can get to work faster, and work even longer.” As Windows 7 rolls out to field personnel, MXINSPECT anticipates the measurable impact of these smart power features. On the road, energy savings equates to a longer battery life, giving employees more resources and additional productivity.

Windows 7 Faster and more reliable: Windows 7 will help your organization use information technology to gain a competitive advantage in today’s new world of work. Your people will be able to be more productive anyway. You will be able to support your mobile work force with better access to shared data and collaboration tools. And your IT staff will have better tools and technologies to enhance corporate IT security, data protection, and more efficient deployment and management.

Online retailer Essential Apparel is one of the small businesses that have jumped from XP to Windows 7 and that found the latest Windows client to breathe new life into the older computers in their infrastructure. Essential Apparel embraced Windows 7 when the OS was in Beta stage in February 2009, a month after Build 7000 was released to the public. Crucial in the decision to abandon XP was the fact that the new platform did not require hardware upgrades.

“And because Windows 7 can run on the same PCs we were using for Windows XP, moving to Windows 7 effectively extended the useful life of our older PCs,” noted Bob Mayer, Essential Apparel’s president. The financial estimates indicate that by simply upgrading to Windows 7, the company managed to save approximately $20,000 in capital spending in 2009 alone. The $20.000 in cut expenditures come from the deferral of hardware upgrades.

But there are additional success stories in the small business universe that Microsoft unearthed. Retailer GameWear also migrated its IT infrastructure to Windows 7, citing the necessity to kick up a notch the efficiency of its business. GameWear’s Frank Cerullo explains that Windows 7 makes it easier for customers service representatives to manage and find items related to over 4,000 stock-keeping units (known as SKUs) and spread throughout 50,000 files.

““When a retailer calls asking for a photo they can put in their catalog, we have to quickly locate the right photo and graphics,” Cerullo noted. “It’s easy to misplace a PDF, Word or Outlook file. We used to spend hours tracking down mislaid files.” But at the same time he revealed that it’s not all about search: “I can’t point to just one feature of Windows 7 as the most important for a small business like mine. Rather, it does hundreds of things a little bit better or faster than previous operating systems, and at the end of the day that adds up to a significant productivity improvement. I would estimate it is about 30 percent faster than Windows XP, which we used to run, and that it has provided my employees with at least a 10 or 15 percent improvement in productivity. And it took less than a day to upgrade all 12 of our PCs.”

Cerullo also explained that Windows 7 has been designed from the get go to embrace legacy Windows applications, that are otherwise incompatible and unsupported on the operating system. The secret behind the way Windows 7 deals with legacy programs is Windows XP Mode. GameWear installed Windows 7 in the first half of 2009, when the Release Candidate Build 7100 came out. “As a small-business owner, especially in an economy like the one we’re in now where we’re trying to do everything we can to squeeze as much productivity out of our work force, why not start taking advantage of the latest technology as soon as it becomes available, rather than play a catch-up game with your competitors later?” Cerullo asked.

Both Essential Apparel and GameWear upgraded to Windows 7 guided by IT consultant and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Carl Mazzanti, of New Jersey-based eMazzanti Technologies. Mazzanti also assisted dozens other clients in their migration to Windows 7, including Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky.

“It’s a quality of life thing. How can I squeeze more productivity out of the same or a lesser amount of time? The technology that answers that need has got my attention,” explained Stephen Kramarsky, one of the Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky partners. “If I’m rushing to a meeting or deposition, I can be up and working again in seconds versus waiting a minute or more with other operating systems. Attorneys work in a time-compressed environment where some seconds are longer than others.”

Just two months since general availability on October 22nd, 2009, the usage share of Windows 7 jumped over 5% of the market eroding Vista’s, but also, more importantly, XP’s share. And with Windows XP’s end of life approaching, more and more customers are bound to start upgrading.

“Small and medium-sized businesses today want to get more out of what they already have, whether that means getting by with less staff, being able to leverage their existing infrastructure, top-line growth or bottom-line improvements. Windows 7 is an enabler of all of these. For nearly every business, it saves time and it saves money. The path to savings may be different for different businesses, but the savings are there. You’d be surprised how quickly seconds and pennies add up to hours and dollars,” a Mazzanti representative said

Событие, вне всяких сомнений, знаковое, ведь на кону – престиж редмондской компании, сильно пошатнувшийся после выхода на рынок Windows Vista.. Microsoft извлекли урок из фиаско “.исты” и постарались сделать всё, чтобы новинка смогла компенсировать неудачи, связанные с предыдущей версией продукта. Специалистам корпорации впервые удалось выпустить ОС, системные запросы которой существенно ниже, чем у предыдущей Windows, и которую можно использовать на компьютерах, выпущенных три-пять лет назад, а также на нетбуках, завоевавших в последние два года огромную популярность. “Первый антикризисный” – так с гордостью именуют свой продукт представители Microsoft, и в их словах есть толика правды. Требования к “железу” у Windows 7, действительно, невелики: 32-х или 64-разрядный процессор с частотой 1 ГГц или более мощный, 1 Гб ОЗУ (для 32-разрядных систем) или 2 Гб ОЗУ (для 64-разрядных систем), 16 Гб свободного места на диске (для 32-разрядных систем) или 20 Гб (для 64-разрядных систем), видеоадаптер, поддерживающий DirectX 9, с драйвером WDDM 1.0 или более поздней версии.

Начиная с 22 октября, Windows 7 представлена в более чем в 180 магазинах по всей России (в Москве это магазины таких сетей, как “М.идео”, “Эльдорадо”, “Медиа Маркет”, “Белый.етер”, “1С: интерес”, “Союз”). Ожидается, что к середине ноября Windows 7 будет продаваться уже в более чем 3000 розничных точках по России. Подобный размах действий ничуть не удивителен, ведь Microsoft намерена удвоить продажи в России в ближайшие три года. Естественно, в реализации этих планов большую роль будет играть успех на рынке флагманского продукта Windows 7.

Windows 7 распространяется в версиях: “Начальная”, “Домашняя базовая”, “Домашняя расширенная”, “Профессиональная”, “Корпоративная” и “Максимальная”. Они отличаются набором встроенных функций и предлагаемых пользователю возможностей (см. таблицу). О стоимости продуктов представители корпорации почему-то предпочли умолчать, однако интернет-магазины уже бойко торгуют самой навороченной редакцией системы за 14 тысяч рублей, а “семёрку” в комплектации “Домашняя базовая” можно купить за 4-4,5 тыс. денежных единиц отечественного производства.

Российская презентация Windows 7 прошла более чем скромно..едущим был Александр Пушной, музыкант, �.Нщик, шоумен, комик и известный телеведущий.. качестве участников мероприятия выступили не только официальные представители компании Microsoft, но и партнеры, также подчеркнувшие важность “семерки” для IT-рынка.. Штатах празднование дня рождения новой версии Windows прошло в намного более легкой и увлекательной манере..от, что поведал из Нью-Йорка наш главный редакционный корреспондент.

Записки с другого берега

На презентацию Windows 7 я собирался не без волнения. Да, мы много знали о новой операционной системе Microsoft и до 22 октября, многие читатели уже установили финальную версию на свои компьютеры, плюс сама корпорация постаралась, чтобы ещё до официального выхода по поводу “семёрки” не оставалось никаких недомолвок (см., к примеру, интерактивное интервью президента Microsoft в России и его коллег на нашем портале). И всё же официальное мероприятие в Нью-Йорке с участием Стива Балмера и других верховных жрецов Microsoft – событие, прямо скажем, не рядовое. Для человека, проводящего за “окнами” по много-много часов каждый день, побывать на таком – как советскому милиционеру пострелять из маузера Феликса Эдмундовича..от поэтому и волновался.

Главной интригой перед началом мероприятия было участие в нём Билла Гейтса. Да, всем известно, что он отошел от дел и главный в Microsoft сейчас Стив Балмер, но в голове не укладывалось – как вообще можно объявлять о выходе новой версии Windows без Гейтса..ысказывались разные версии, согласно которым Билл мог скромно постоять в сторонке, сказать пару слов со сцены живьем или, на худой конец, прислать видеообращение. Увы.

Ни того, ни другого, ни третьего. Как мне стало известно из личной беседы с одним из руководителей Microsoft, на самом деле Гейтс, конечно, принимал участие в разработке “семёрки” и перед 22 октября записал несколько видеороликов, в которых обратился с благодарностью к разработчикам и напутствием к тем, кто будет продвигать Windows 7 на рынке. Однако в презентации принимать участие он не собирался с самого начала.

Перед началом нам показали несколько рекламных клипов, героями которых стали дети. Они проделывали всякие высокотехнологичные штуки, вроде создания панорамных фото или отправки бабушке портрета любимого кролика (вид сзади). Также была продемонстрирована реклама с так называемыми “простыми пользователями”, которые чуть ли не с рождения мечтали о том, чтобы Windows стали проще, быстрее, в них можно было выполнять свои задачи меньшим числом кликов и т.д. и т.п. Завершалось все утверждением, что в Windows 7 их молитвы ожидания наконец-то оправдались..прочем, шутки-шутками, а ведь действительно оправдались. Можно по-разному относиться к заявлениям корпорации о кропотливой работе с отзывами пользователей (можно подумать, раньше с фокус-группами никто не работал) и плотном взаимодействии с партнёрами-разработчиками железа и ПО (мы ни за что не поверим, что раньше их мнением не интересовались). Но “семёрка” действительно получилась. Шутка ли, со времен release candidate я не слышал о ней ни одного дурного слова, за исключением “это плохо, потому что это Windows”. Но это на аргументированную критику, на мой взгляд, не тянет.

Стив Балмер появился в зале немного загодя, скромно присев за один из столиков с журналистами. На сцену его выкликала пятилетняя азиатская девочка, которая в четырехлетнем возрасте снялась в рекламе Windows 7, и с тех пор успела немного подрасти. Ребенку вручили нетбук (новую модель ASUS EeePC, которая тоже работает на “семёрке”), и дальше всё пошло по обычному для таких случаев сценарию.

Я не буду пересказывать презентации, потому что из них наш читатель вряд ли почерпнул бы для себя что-то совершенно новое..ажно другое. И Стив Балмер, и сменивший его на сцене вице-президент Брэд Брукс (Bred Books) говорили не о новых “фичах”, системных требованиях и новых технологиях, а исключительно об удобстве системы для пользователя и – мимоходом – о красоте интерфейса. Организовать домашнюю сеть? Нет ничего проще. Организовать трансляцию с одного компьютера на все телевизоры в доме? Без проблем. Отредактировать видео? С нашим удовольствием. Простота, удобство и скорость – вот то, на что Microsoft хочет обратить внимание в первую очередь. Плюс – для корпоративных закупщиков – немалый акцент делается на облегченное обслуживание в сочетании с возросшей безопасностью. Честно говоря, иногда возникало ощущение, что в этот раз маркетологи советовались не только с Биллом Гейтсом, но и со Стивом Джобсом.

Фоторепортаж с презентации с комментариями мы публикуем отдельным материалом, и в нём же вы непременно наткнётесь на секретное видео, которое обнаружилось на бесхозной флэшке в пресс-центре. А здесь – ещё немного букв.

Когда всё закончилось, у меня была возможность пообщаться с людьми, занимающимися разработкой и продаже компьютерных систем. Например, с Карлом Маззанти (Carl Mazzanti) из компании eMazzanti Technologies. Он занимается тем, что разрабатывает оригинальные дизайны компьютеров разного калибра, которые потом под различными брендами продаются по всему миру. По его словам, разницы Windows 7 и Vista просто колоссальна. “.иста” напоминала изделие из разряда “Инженеры для инженеров”, а для нормального человека там была припасена дубина в виде User Account Control, которой можно напугать кого угодно. “Семёрка” же относится к пользователю очень ласково, плюс быстро работает даже на слабых конфигурациях и не так яростно сжирает батарею. Я поинтересовался – а не подкладывает ли Microsoft разработчикам железа большую свинью, вдыхая новую жизнь в старые системы? Карл сказал, что действительно, ждать резкого роста продаж самих компьютеров не стоит, но пользователи могут скоро отправиться в магазин, к примеру, за мониторами с сенсорной поверхностью, поддержка которых в Windows 7 реализована достаточно качественно, а сами мониторы стоят недорого.

Карла поддержал и второй мой собеседник, вице-президент и вице-председатель совета директоров ASUS Computer Тони Чен (Tony Chen). По его словам, за сенсорными экранами вообще огромное будущее. Настолько огромное, что уже в следующем году “просто мониторов” может и не остаться. Ещё недавно добавление “сенсорности” увеличивало стоимость экрана в полтора раза. Сегодня речь идёт всего лишь о семипроцентной (!) наценке, а в 2010-м году цены сравняются. При таком раскладе пользователю Windows 7 не будет никакого резона отказываться от дополнительных возможностей, которые дарит сенсорный экран. Даже если они ему пока не очень нужны. Кстати, в данный момент у нас на тесте находится достаточно бюджетный ноутбук Acer с Windows 7 и сенсорной матрицей, так что скоро Игорь Осколков расскажет о преимуществах и недостатках технологии на живом примере.

Тони Чен хвалил и саму Windows 7, которая, по его мнению, получилась настолько быстрой, что будет постепенно заменять XP на нетбуках ASUS. Что же касается моделей с сенсорным экраном, то они в портфолио компании есть, но в массы пойдут, когда цена с обычными матрицами окончательно сравняется, то есть с 2010-го. Что ж, ждать осталось недолго.

It has been nearly five full years since Windows Server 2003 was released to manufacturing, and the channel natives are getting restless. But the Windows Server 2008 RTM is almost here, and there’s a palpable air of excitement and enthusiasm among VARs over the myriad improvements Microsoft has baked into the OS.

But while solution providers are pumped up about virtualization in Windows Server 2008, they’re just as jacked about features like Network Access Protection, Internet Information Services 7.0, Server Core, and Bitlocker, and Terminal Services. Fueling VARs’ giddiness is their belief that the new features will help them drive services revenue among existing clients, as well as capture new business.

In an interview with ChannelWeb, one Microsoft channel partner, in a frenzy over the impending release, described Windows Server 2008 as “a f—ing MONSTER release, a real game changer.” We spoke with 10 other Microsoft partners who used somewhat less colorful language to identify the important features of Windows Server 2008 and how they’ll impact the channel.

cheers…harrybbbb

Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) October 20, 2009 — Computer security is on the minds of most businesses these days and it’s no different for schools and administrators. Andover Regional Schools needed a better security solution for its network and eMazzanti Technologies, Hoboken, New Jersey, provided the right answer. The solution included several WatchGuard product solutions–a story unique enough to garner both a written and video case study opportunity for the school under the direction of WatchGuard.

“WatchGuard selected eMazzanti and Andover for this special case study treatment because of the great implementation of our technology that solved several critical network problems at the same time,” said Linda Schnell, senior field marketing manager, WatchGuard.

For Andover Regional Schools, there were four network priorities it wanted to address as it looked to improve its computer network according to Bill McNeir, director of technology. “We needed to protect students from bad web content, improve internet performance and setup policy-based routing which virtually doubled the internet capacity.”

The fourth area of concern for Andover was budgetary restrictions. eMazzanti Technologies had a powerful solution for that issue as well. “eMazzanti’s eCare service provided 24×7 managed support for a predictable, fixed-price. This approach worked perfectly with Andover’s three-year budgeting cycle,” said Jennifer Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies.

Andover Regional Schools were able to solve both its network and fiscal issues with a powerful WatchGuard security solution designed and implemented by eMazzanti Technologies.

About WatchGuard:

Since 1996, WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of network security solutions, providing mission-critical security to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances and WatchGuard SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network security, unparalleled network visibility, management and control. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

About eMazzanti Technologies:

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide strategies for growth through the use of intelligent technology tools. From business process analysis to network design, security planning to preventative maintenance, the firm’s services all aim to reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. eMazzanti also offers an extensive portfolio of network products from the leading technology manufacturers such as Microsoft with Windows 7 operating system and Watchguard Technologies. The best advocates for eMazzanti Technologies are its clients. The firm services businesses throughout the New York Metropolitan area and in three countries worldwide ranging from home office environments to multinational corporations with mission-critical needs. These organizations rely on eMazzanti as their technology management partner. As clients grow and needs change, eMazzanti’s flexible, scalable customer engagement model adapts to meet the aspirations of each business. eMazzanti forms long-term relationships with clients that value stability and reliability in their IT partners. An innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information or to download a free copy of the complete case study, please visit emazzanti.net.

Skeptics suggest an economic crisis will stall sustainable business practices. They cling to the myth that going green costs more money. But many businesses are discovering green habits save big money, especially when it comes to information technology.

The savings are many: Reduced power consumption, IT maintenance and hardware procurement costs. This can lead to increased productivity.

You say your technology strategy isn’t sophisticated? No worries. Here are five ways you can make it greener and budget friendly.

Tip 1: Adopt a power management strategy

The simplest way to kick start your green IT strategy is by embracing technology policies for energy consumption, not just software and security updates, says Jennifer Mazzanti, president and cofounder of eMazzanti Technology, an IT services company in Hoboken, N.J.

Windows Vista, for example, has features that shut down system resources when they’re not in use. Windows 7 goes even further. In tests of these features, Mazzanti was able to extend the life of a battery on an older laptop from 4.5 hours to 6 hours.

There are plenty of third-party software applications available to set up and manage power policies, such as shutting down all desktop computers after they’ve been idle for a specific amount of time or turning them off after hours.

What’s more, Microsoft is encouraging hardware and software vendors to accommodate this more easily, Mazzanti says.

Why is saving power such a big deal? By some estimates, there is roughly $2.8 billion a year wasted in the United States on electricity being sent to unused or under-utilized IT equipment. Aside from increased productivity, such as the extended battery life, energy policies can save an average of $36 a year per desktop computer, according to some estimates.

The best way to get a handle on what you can save is understanding what your company uses now. The simplest way to do this is by investing in a power strip that monitors electricity usage and provides a report on trends, says Rick Talbot of Baudry Cybernomics, a green IT consulting company in Toronto.

John Smart, principal at Host2Help.com, an Internet hosting company in Eugene, Ore., has taken things a step further by enabling low-power settings in all the hardware across his organization, even his phones. Also, he has invested in power distribution boards that help his company make sure that peripherals associated with an idled or power-down computer are also shut off. Electronics can use from 25 percent to 40 percent of the power they use at full capacity when they are shut off.

Some power strips sense when the computer is off and power down monitors, printers and drives accordingly, preventing them from drawing electricity in their idle state. These strips usually cost more, but the return on that investment is quick, Smart said.

Tip 2: Consolidate servers

Power considerations also apply to servers your business uses for applications such as e-mail or client databases, Talbot notes.

The good news is one of today’s biggest technology trends, server virtualization, can have a profound impact on improving energy efficiency.

As an example, Canadian retailer, Roots, has reduced its server power consumption by about 400 percent by moving away from buying a new dedicated server for every database application and instead installing virtualization software, which allows the company to run several different applications on one physical piece of server hardware.

Often, when a server is dedicated to just one task, it can sit idle and waste energy. Yet, even while idle, servers use between 70 and 80 percent of the electricity consumed when fully utilized. So, it’s in your company’s best interest to look for ways to use existing servers more productively before going out and buying new ones. Virtualization software can help.

Tip 3: Discourage printing

Many businesses rely on fax machines and printed materials. This negatively impacts the environment and budgets, too.

Ponder what it takes to send a traditional fax. First, you print out a document. Then you beam it to the recipient where it is spit out on paper. Two pieces of paper are used just to send one simple page.

FaxCore, a company that sells faxing software, has calculated that between the cost of postage, paper, envelopes and processing (i.e. the humans stuffing and preparing the envelopes), you can save $830 a mailing per document by opting to go electronic. (This assumes the average communication is roughly two pages in length.)

Energy Star, the government agency that tracks power consumption for electronic devices, rates fax machines among the most energy-intensive machines. Mostly, they sit around turned on doing nothing. The same goes for printers.

Host2Help’s Smart bought a new printer when he upgraded to Windows Vista, Although he wasn’t strictly thinking green, the new Hewlett-Packard printer that he bought has power management options and other features-such as automatic support for double-sided printing-that have helped him save up to $40 per month on his electricity costs.

Smart also encourages his staff to cut back on unnecessary paper waste by posting “Think before you print” signs near printers and he is buying recycled paper for everyday use. Recycled paper costs more, but the difference can be made up in double-sided printing.

Tip 4: Consider lifecycle when purchasing equipment

Philosophically speaking, small-business owners interested in adopting green practices need to begin applying “green math” to their technology budgets. So instead of looking at the price tag for a piece of equipment, you should ask questions about power consumption, materials used to assemble it, and basic recycling or asset disposal policies offered by the vendor. This will be your true cost of ownership for a piece of technology.

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool is a great source for ratings. Energy Star is working on criteria for more sophisticated equipment, including server hardware.

Sometimes, the price tag for a “greener” piece of equipment is higher on the surface, but when these other factors are considered, it is more cost-effective than less-expensive options. “There is a range of price for every product. You just need to know your price range,” says Diane MacEachern, founder and CEO of Big Green Purse and author of “Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World.”

No one is suggesting that you buy new equipment. Sometimes energy savings from a new piece of hardware may not justify the purchase, says Bob Houghton, president and CEO of Redemtech, an IT asset disposition company. Sometimes the best strategy for a small-business owner may be to extend the lifecycle of some equipment while swapping out the least energy-efficient machines.

“You need to evaluate the whole footprint of your business,” says Anand Pallegar, founder and president of atLarge, an Internet advertising agency in Sarasota, Fla., that put in place a “Be Green” environmental pledge in 2008 when it moved into a new facility.

Now atLarge has embraced a large spectrum of green policies. It uses an Internet hosting provider that buys only the greenest servers, prints on both sides of a sheet of paper, uses whiteboards in its conference room to capture ideas and share them digitally and is looking at replacing traditional hard drives with solid state storage options to cut power consumption.

None of these practices, by themselves, cost more than traditional alternatives, especially when you take into account factors such as power consumption and ongoing management. But taken together, they have a huge impact on the environment and bottom line.

Every business deals with risk. But medium-sized businesses, with smaller IT staff and tighter operating budgets are often more exposed to risk than larger companies. This reality is never more evident than in a down economy: When the repercussions of a business disruption are as grave as they are, how do you insulate your business from risk?

“For mid-sized businesses, the financial impact of business disruptions is tremendous,” said Anil Miglani, senior vice president, AMI-Partners. “We estimate that through security breaches and data loss alone, medium-sized businesses worldwide lost approximately US$4.7 billion in 2008.”

According to strategy consulting firm AMI-Partners, in 2008 medium-sized businesses worldwide lost approximately US$4.7 billion due to security breaches and loss of data.

However, taking the right precautions with your IT infrastructure can help you steer clear of danger. Here are four steps you can take to mitigate risks to your revenue, your reputation, and your investment – all the things that keep you awake at night as you wait for this storm to pass.

1. Reduce the probability of downtime
Your order system goes down, leaving your e-commerce customers unable to place orders. In addition to lost revenue, this downtime can derail employees, leading to productivity loss. While you’re focused on fixing the problem, your competition has a chance to poach your customers. Worst of all, failing to detect and fix the problem means it may happen again.

High availability of critical systems is the medium-sized business’s highest IT priority, and it’s attainable with a few key changes:

• Invest in reliable servers. Look for servers that have been extensively tested and certified to run on the latest operating systems. Couple that with a comprehensive set of server management tools.
• Virtualize. Virtualization can improve application availability, reduce costs and simplify IT management.
• Build redundancy into your network. Look for routers and switches with virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) to eliminate single points of failure.

2. Protect your data
Data breaches might not happen as often as network and application downtime. But when they occur, they can be catastrophic. Implementing a few key protections can greatly minimize the chances of data loss.

• Replicate and use deduplication. Look for a storage backup solution that lets you cost-effectively replicate data for quick recovery. Deduplication helps ensure that you don’t waste bandwidth, disk space and effort backing up multiple copies of the same data.
• Encrypt the data you back up to tape. If you don’t encrypt your tape data, anyone can walk off with your tape and access its data. Hardware encryption that comes with the Linear Tape-Open update (LTO-4) for tape drives, will give you the added security you need.

3. Secure the network

• Prevent security breaches. Deploy a solution that has automated threat detection and offers a single-screen view of the network. It should allow you to map, configure and monitor both wired and wireless networks.
• Don’t forget printers and PCs. Improve your data security with print security solutions that can prohibit unauthorised users from accessing information and documents.

4. Reduce disruptive changes
If your own planned maintenance and management tasks are the biggest cause of downtime, opt for automated solutions. Automation simplifies management so you focus on the business.

• Automate routine server and PC management. Management software can minimize complexity and lower risks of downtime. As for PCs, it can accelerate installations and deployments of software and operating systems.
• Delegate. If you don’t have in-house IT staff who can monitor your systems around the clock, consider outsourcing that function.

How HP can help
You may not be in a position to deploy every possible solution to prevent every conceivable business risk. But when a bad economy narrows your margin for error, you can’t afford unnecessary exposure to business risks.

We all make mistakes. It’s the damage that really counts.

Not long ago, Twin Partners, a Rochester, N.Y., advertising agency, signed on a media behemoth as a client. During the agency’s first media buy for the project, it switched to a less-expensive freelancer. And the results showed.

“She didn’t use the proper software. When we showed our work, we were told that it was not representative of what we said we would do,” recalls agency owner John Galbraith.

The giant fled, taking nearly a quarter million dollars in revenue. But Twin Partners has rebounded from the experience, in large part from lessons learned from the gaffe that cost it the job.

I was just sickened, but we learned from then on to take the high road,” Galbraith says. “We’ve done well because we learned not to cut corners.”

Businesses of all sizes and types are subject to devastating missteps. So what do you do about it? If it doesn’t mean the end of your company, you spend some time doing whatever it takes to get the anguish and misery (and incompetent employees, if necessary) out of your system. Then you pick yourself and your business up and move on.

However, you must know what steps are necessary to recover — and what message you can squeeze from the mishap so it doesn’t happen again.

Here are six to consider:

1. Know the what, the how and the why. Start by identifying precisely what went wrong — as Twin Partners did in pinpointing the cut-rate freelancer who lacked the necessary software. That achieved two closely related objectives. It earmarked the problem and also suggested a solution that has since fueled the company’s resulting growth. “We learned that we need to spend more now and expect a return on that investment over the long run,” Galbraith says.

2. Admit your mistakes (and your willingness to learn from them). Making a mistake is one thing. Denying responsibility — particularly when all evidence points to your culpability — can only make things worse. If the mess is of your own doing, be ready to acknowledge the error and stand ready to do whatever’s necessary to repair any damage. That demonstrates integrity and a commitment to right all that went wrong.

3. Go beyond what you have to. If you’re the one at fault, don’t just correct the mistake — mollify it by offering more to make sure a client sticks with you. If that means a print job that’s been fouled up, dangle a 20% discount for the next project. “If the company merely reprints the order, apologizes and delivers the order, the customer has no incentive to come back because they’ve handled the problem the same way any other printer would have,” says Lisa Kanarek, an author and business consultant.

4. Don’t accept the blame if it isn’t warranted. Clients and customers have a penchant for approving things, only to double back later and scream they never said anything of the sort. Here, your tack depends on the situation. If the client has been a pain and you can swallow the loss, cut yourself free. As a compromise, split the difference of whatever cost may be involved. But don’t be afraid to stand your ground if the matter is significant and you can justify your position. This illustrates the importance of having clients sign off at every point possible to acknowledge their approval of what you’re doing, says author and home-office expert Jeff Zbar. “Be tactful. But don’t be afraid to fight for something if there’s enough money involved or if it’s a real matter of principle,” he says.

5. Be creative in resolving and recovering from problems. Not only can that move you past a simplistic duck-and-cover reaction, but you can also transform a train wreck into more of a fender-bender. Business coach Joyce K. Reynolds cites a manufacturer which had to cope with a Hindenburg-sized bombshell — hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of unwanted custom fabric. Rather than simply eating the losses, the business tried to make the most of the marketable value of the material. “We determined that there was a promotional item that could be made out of the fabric,” Reynolds says. “It went a long way toward reducing the cost of the error. It shows the importance of not panicking and getting creative.”

6. Be smart and savvy in dealing with foes and saboteurs. One of the most potentially damaging elements of a big mistake is the talk after the fact, such as a disgruntled ex-customer who’s bad-mouthing you to anyone within earshot. Don’t turn a deaf ear. If you know someone is running down you or your business unfairly, write a letter asking them to stop. If it continues, contact an attorney; slander may be involved. Equally critical is how you approach prospective clients and customers who may have caught wind of such talk. It’s generally a good idea to acknowledge any differences you have, but not that you have made every effort to resolve the problem amicably. Make sure you have references from satisfied customers at the ready. One malcontent versus 10 happy campers suggests a rare problem that is out-of-character for your business. “Be honest, explain what happened and what you did to resolve it,” Kanarek says. “Then, share a list of references for the [prospective customer] to call. Someone may want to seek revenge, so no matter what you say, you can’t win. That’s when you let others do the talking for you.”

The security of your computer and data is crucial for you and the success of your company. Lost or stolen information can reveal company secrets, or expose your confidential or personal information. The more you do to keep your computer secure, the safer your information will be. Use these 10 tips to learn ways you can help protect your computer, your data, and your company’s network.

1. Work with your IT department Make sure that you install all of the patches and updates that your IT department recommends. In addition to installing Windows and Office updates, your IT department might require you to install additional security software, such as a firewall or custom software to help you connect from remote locations. Making these regular installations will keep your computer and your company’s network as secure as possible.

Learn more about ways to manage your computer and devices at work.

2. Use strong passwords Passwords provide the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your computer, and a good password is often underestimated. Weak passwords provide attackers with easy access to your computer and network. Strong passwords are considerably harder to crack, even with the latest password-cracking software.

A strong password:

• Is at least eight characters long.
• Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name.
• Does not contain a complete dictionary word.
• Is significantly different from previous passwords. Passwords that change just slightly—such as Password1, Password2, Password3—are not strong.
• Contains characters from each of the following groups: ◦Uppercase and/or lowercase letters. ◦Numbers ◦Symbols (!,@,#,$,%, etc.)

Learn more about how to create strong passwords.

3. Don’t enable the Save Password option Make it mandatory for you—or someone else trying to access your computer—to enter your password on all operating system or application settings. If a dialog box prompts you about remembering the password, rather then requiring you to enter it, just choose no. Allowing the password to be saved negates having the password at all.

4. Use network file shares instead of local file shares Rather than opening up your computer to co-workers, use network file shares to collaborate on documents. And restrict access to the network file share to only those who need it. If you’re working on a team, you have lots of other options—such as using Microsoft Office Groove 2007 or Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007.

5. Lock your computer when you leave your desk If you’re going to be away from your desk for a while, make sure your computer is locked.

To lock your computer: 1.On your keyboard, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE at the same time. 2.Click Lock this computer (Lock Computer if you’re running Windows XP). 3.To unlock your computer, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and enter your password.

6. Use password protection on your screensaver Sometimes you’re away from your desk for longer than you unexpected. Plan for those situations by setting up your computer so that it locks itself after a specified amount of time.

To establish Windows 7 screensaver password protection Right click an empty space on your desktop. Click Personalize, and then click the Screen Saver section. Change Wait time to 10 minutes or less. Select On resume, display logon screen. Click Apply.

To establish Windows Vista screensaver password protection Right click an empty space on your desktop. Click Personalize, and then click the Screen Saver section. Change Wait time to 10 minutes or less. Select On resume, password protect. Click Apply.

To establish Windows XP screensaver password protection Right click an empty space on your desktop. Click Properties, and then the Screen Saver tab. Change Wait time to 10 minutes or less. Select On resume, password protect. Click Apply.

7. Encrypt files containing confidential or business critical files You keep valuable and sensitive data on your computer. You might have sensitive information about your company or clients, or your personal bank statements on a laptop you use at home and work. Encrypting your data keeps it as secure as possible. To help keep unauthorized people from accessing your data — even if your computer is lost or stolen — you should encrypt all sensitive data. In the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista, you can use BitLocker Drive Encryption to encrypt the entire volume. In Windows XP and all editions of Windows Vista, you can use the Encrypting File System (EFS) to protect important files. We highly recommend that you learn how to encrypt a file or folder to keep it safe.

Learn how to encrypt a file in Windows 7. Learn how to encrypt a file in Windows Vista. Learn how to encrypt a file in Windows XP.

8. Don’t open questionable e-mails If an e-mail message just doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t. Forward the e-mail message to your IT administrator to verify before you open it.

9. Encrypt e-mail messages when appropriate If you’re sending confidential or business-critical information, encrypt the e-mail and any files attached to it. Only recipients who have the private key that matches the public key you used to encrypt the message can read it.

Learn how to encrypt your messages using Microsoft Outlook 2007. Learn how to encrypt your messages using Microsoft Outlook 2003.

10. Use the Junk E-mail Filter in Outlook Receiving spam, or junk e-mail messages, isn’t just annoying. Some spam can include potentially harmful viruses that can cause damage to your computer and your company’s network. The Junk E-mail Filter reduces the amount of junk e-mail messages, or spam, you receive in your Inbox. Good news — if your junk mail filter is already active. But you can always change the settings.

Learn more about handling junk mail in Outlook 2007. Learn more about the Junk E-mail Filter in Outlook 2003.

Symantec executives said Tuesday during its Vision 2010 conference in Las Vegas that the company has designs to enhance its hosted service business to include endpoint and DLP, in addition to its existing array of messaging, URL filtering and e-mail security services.

 However, some partners wondered if the inclusion of endpoint security, DLP and other hosted services puts the security giant in a position to directly compete with its channel partners who currently offer these products to their end-user customers.

 Jennifer Mazzanti, president of eMazzanti Technologies, based in Hoboken, N.J., said that the way in which Symantec took those services to market — either direct or through the channel — would determine the amount of channel conflict. “I think that it really would depend on how they’re approaching that from a sales perspective,” she said. “Obviously if you compete with partners in one area, they’re less likely to do business with you in others.”

 But the impending go-to-market strategy for the new hosted services is not yet clear. Rowan Trollope, senior vice president of Symantec hosted services, said that thus far, partners’ are largely relegated to customer acquisitions, support and upselling around its hosted services, while adding that he didn’t know if that model would change to include comprehensive SaaS delivery and management through the channel in the foreseeable future.

 During the Partner Day portion of the Vision Conference on Monday, Symantec CEO Enrique Salem briefly touched on the fact that the company would beef up its hosted services business by adding on more cloud-based offerings, but failed to provide a concrete outline detailing cloud strategies or specifics on how those additional hosted services would affect partners.

 However, Symantec executives said that there are currently opportunities for partners around hosted security solutions. Qualified partners can join the Symantec Hosted Services channel program, formerly the MessageLabs channel program, Cochran said, and then ultimately determine what role they want to have around the offerings.

 During a Channelweb.com interview, Salem said that he would like a greater number of Symantec partners to become enabled to take more hosted services to market. Salem alluded to the fact that programs were in the works aimed at enabling partners to adopt hosted services into their portfolio, especially in the SMB and small mid-tier markets, which would allow them to become part of the hosted services program.

 ”We need our partners to reach (the SMB market), so we need to enable the partner community,” Salem said. “It’s not about us anymore. They’re ready to participate and we’re ready to start enabling them. If they’ve got the right expertise to deliver hosted services, we want them in the program.”

 Ultimately, though, executives said that hosted services, as well as others such as managed and business critical services, will primarily be delivered through Symantec and to varying degrees, through the channel.

The Consulting Services Push

Meanwhile, Symantec (NSDQ:SYMC) announced last week that it planned to throw the large majority of its consulting service business to its partners, an effort initiated as the next phase of its Sell With program, which was launched last fall.

As Symantec embarks on the process of handing more consulting services over to partners, the company will have to begin the monumental task of strategically transitioning and enabling them.

 Randy Cochran, Symantec vice president of North American channel sales, said that currently Symantec was in the process of handing intellectual property to its channel partners regarding its consulting business.

 ”The enablement process is opening up that Kimono for partners who have demonstrated that capability and a willingness to do so, everything we’ve got, you’re going to have,” Cochran said.

 Executives said that the decision to turn more consulting services over to the channel was a strategic one designed to give the company a competitive edge in the security marketplace. The hope is that the services shift will generate greater partner loyalty and stimulate more product sales, and then in turn, partners will be more likely to sell and promote Symantec products.

 ”We have competitors. What we want is our partners to see that there’s more opportunity to work with Symantec than with anybody else,” said Symantec CEO Enrique Salem during a Channelweb.com interview. “If partners believe they can make more money working with us, that will drive more product sales. That’s the theory. The goal is if a partner feels more successful in us, they’ll invest in more training and enablement with us.”

 Salem said that the service shift could result in some restructuring in the form of layoffs as fewer Symantec sales staff is needed to fulfill and grow the company’s consulting services business. Salem added, however, that there was no impending layoff that he considered “meaningful.”

 ”If you think about a company of 17,500 people, and 100 people changes or 200 people changes, every change is important, but it’s relatively small in the scheme of Symantec,” Salem said.

 Symantec executives added that some Symantec staff would also be shifted into enablement and training roles as the knowledge transfer from Symantec to its partners gets underway.

 At least one West Coast VAR who asked to remain anonymous said that he planned to leverage some of the existing talent made available with Symantec restructuring to beef up his own consulting services staff as he made the transition.

 Symantec Deals With Problems With ‘Sell With’ Program

 Meanwhile, Symantec has to overcome some failings of its Sell With program, launched last fall during Symantec’s PartnerEngage conference.

Initially, Sell With was billed as a program that let partners directly take the lead on its services attached to a registered deal, with the ability to access Symantec tools and support. Under the enhanced program, partners who registered a new deal in the enterprise, mid-market or SMB space, would also have access to a services opportunity attached to that deal. Subsequently, qualified partners who performed services wrapped around sales were to receive a higher daily rate, and have streamlined access to Symantec support channels.

However, partners say that the Sell With program suffered from significant flaws and created inherent channel conflict by juxtaposing a direct in-house services business with a services business delivered by channel partners. Channel tension escalated, spurred by the confusion created in determining which services were in Symantec’s court and which ones were up for grabs in the channel.

“Sell With hasn’t necessarily delivered on all its promises,” said one East Coast partner who asked to speak off the record. “The intention of the programs was to get both teams (Symantec’s and the partners’) to work together, but it had limited success.”

Salem did say, however, that the latest implementation would likely reduce the amount of channel confusion. “There’s very little that’s difficult to understand,” he said. “There’s not a lot more we can do to simplify it.”

“The changes that are coming are likely going to change (the services model) significantly,” said Jonathan Dambrot, managing director of Prevalent Networks, based in Warren, N.J. “Some of these things more partner-centric. It’s going to be a much more open environment for a thriving partnership.”

Protecting 35,000 citizens on a tight budget — that’s the reality that Monroe Township, New Jersey, faces. The Gloucester County government provides the police dispatch system and wireless connections to the township’s patrol cars, but announced it was giving up responsibility for linking the township’s police headquarters with the system. Monroe needed a high-availability connection in a hurry. They solved the problem quickly and affordably while getting a major security upgrade thanks to two-time WatchGuard Partner of the Year, eMazzanti Technologies, a local consulting firm.

CHALLENGE

The county communications department had managed the point-to-point connections with its townships, but decided to shift those to VPN connections and transfer the management responsibility to the local IT departments. For Joe Varalli, IT Manager for Monroe Township, this meant he needed to supply a fully available, 24×7 Internet/VPN connection for the chief of police, his staff and rest of the local police administration. Each police desktop needed access to the VPN to connect with the portions of the police system that were still maintained by the county, specifically the dispatch system and laptops in the patrol cars.

At the same time, Varalli knew it was time for an upgrade on multiple fronts. In addition to the special security and availability needs of the police, he was also responsible for protecting the general township administration and various departments. “All I had was a Symantec server as far as antivirus, and we were getting too much spam and multiple complaints,” he says. “It was time for a new firewall, and I needed to do it within budget constraints.”

WATCHGUARD® SOLUTION

As he started to plan for the upgrade, Varalli brought in eMazzanti Technologies. The firm came up with a plan for handling the police requirement in a cost-effective manner. The plan’s centerpiece was to augment the existing T1 connection with a Comcast business network line for redundancy, routed through a WatchGuard firewall to handle security and failover.

The eMazzanti team installed a WatchGuard Firebox^® X Core™ 750e device configured to handle the full set of requirements. They included the failover connections; back-office VPN for the police department connection to the county; and comprehensive border security through a WatchGuard Unified Threat Management bundle including spamBlocker, WebBlocker, Gateway AntiVirus and Intrusion Prevention Service. The WatchGuard unit protects the entire township government. “I connect to remote buildings within the township through point-to-point connections,” explains Varalli. “That includes two fire departments in three separate buildings, the public works department and the ambulance hall. Everything funnels back to the basement of the town hall, where I have about a dozen servers. It’s all protected by the WatchGuard firewall.”

BENEFITS

“The move to bring in the eMazzanti team and WatchGuard was fantastic,” declares Varalli. “It encompassed not only the security, but a lot of changes I had identified over the last three years that we needed to make. Things have improved 1000 percent. And as for meeting the budget requirements, the CFO will attest to it.”

Easier Management, Plus Fixed-Fee Support

Before implementing the WatchGuard unit all traffic had been managed by the county, including web-blocking behavior. That meant that every time anyone in the government needed to access a blocked site for legitimate purposes, it took days or weeks to process the request. With the WatchGuard unit, control is directly in Varalli’s hands, and the interface allows him to implement most of the required changes on his own. In addition, he says, “If there’s anything I have to get done that I don’t know how to do, I give the eMazzanti support people a call and it’s done. They’ve been so accommodating, and I’ve never had an issue. They’ve been great.”

Varalli accesses that support through eMazzanti’s eCare services, a fixed-fee arrangement that keeps costs predictable and within the township’s budget. The package offers support and remote management, instant escalation of configuration changes, central logging and reporting and proactive 24×7 monitoring of WatchGuard devices. The eMazzanti team credits the straightforward manageability of WatchGuard units for allowing it to provide such a broad scope of services, in a manner that’s predictable for both the firm and its customers.

Thanks to Antivirus, an End to System Rebuilds

Having the WatchGuard protection in place has made life easier. “I was having to rebuild systems on a regular basis,” explains Varalli. “As much as you warn someone, some people just love to click their e-mail, you say ‘don’t hit the red button’ and they still do it. Somebody was always blowing something up with some virus. Now, the Gateway AntiVirus strips the attachment right out. And they were complaining about the spam in the e-mail —having the WatchGuard reduced the spam load, too.

“That’s reduced the time lost for employees, and the money and time spent rebooting and rebuilding systems. The complaints have dropped way down. I don’t even have to worry about it anymore.”

Government That Works – for IT, and for Citizens

Varalli summarizes his challenge: “I want to keep the technology on the cutting edge, but within the budgetary constraints we’re facing.” More units from WatchGuard figure directly into those plans. “We just installed a WatchGuard wireless Edge device at one of the fire departments, which fulfilled a requirement they had for wireless access. It’s connecting to us over the back-office VPN. We’re planning on eliminating all the point-to-point connections entirely, and putting an Edge device in every one of our remote buildings.”

All that technology adds up to government that works. Police officers know where they need to go, payroll goes out, roads are patched, and the trash gets picked up. “There’s a lot of responsibility in making everything work. People think it’s all magic, and it’s not,” declares Varalli. “So I’m so glad I worked with the eMazzanti organization and WatchGuard Technologies. They’ve been nothing but an asset to me.”

Doma Export Company, exports personal packages, commercial cargo and motor vehicles to Poland and other Eastern European countries. However, the company had several computer-related issues that needed to be addressed such as better overseas collaboration, more efficient ways to train its personnel and improved mobile computing. eMazzanti Technologies helped them find a solution.

Better Collaboration

The HP 2MP Integrated webcam with the HP Ambient Light supports live Web conferencing and video calls has given Doma a new way to improve the way it communicates with its clients and partners.  

“The HP 5310m ProBook webcam enables us to conduct conference calls wherein all parties can actually see each other. It definitely enhances our communication.”

The Remote Desktop Connection solution within the Windows 7 operating system also provided a new level of mobile connectivity Doma had not experienced before.

More Efficient Training

Windows 7 Professional includes a new feature called Problem Steps Recorder, which enable users to record their interactions with programs or applications in real time, quickly annotate the video, and easily share it with colleagues.  Doma leaders point out that this new tool will help accelerate training and give employees more time to focus on better serving their clients.

Improved Mobile Computing

For Doma Export, the Windows 7 Remote Desktop Connection has offered vital connectivity to business related files for the company’s increasingly mobile workforce. While on the road, users can get more work done because of longer battery life thanks to the Windows 7 power management capabilities and the HP 5310m ProBook’s more powerful battery set.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net.

About Doma Export

Doma Export Co. Inc. was founded in Newark, NJ by Joseph Domanecki in 1958 as an exporter exclusively to Poland. The company became an NVOCC (Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier) in 1983. In the same year, it obtained IATA (International Airline Travel Association) and ICC certifications.

In 1985, Doma came under the new management of Ludwik Wnekowicz and 1986 became recognized as a corporation. Since then, distribution has expanded to include Belarus, The Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Doma Export has also expanded its services to include Door-to-Door service, International Moving, and Trucking; as well as, providing convenience by offering 100 agencies at which a package can be dropped off.

The main warehouse and office has been relocated several times until the grand opening of a newly built facility in Linden, NJ in 1997. The company looks to continue to expand its service, as well as its serving area while providing the Polish and European American community a low-cost alternative for shipping. For more information call 1-800-229-DOMA, visit: domaexport.com or email: services (at) domaexport.com

Best Regards,

Monika

Problems: Wasted Time, Connectivity, Security

Known for its imaginative use of form and materials, Prendergast Laurel Architects (PLA) has won prestigious awards since its 1979 inception, such as the 2001 New York City Arts Commission Award for Design Excellence for its design of the Staten Island Children’s Museum.

PLA users found that simple procedures like booting a computer up to get ready to work consumed valuable minutes each day which, when multiplied by the number of employees over a year, amounted to large blocks of wasted time.

Mobile users had trouble connecting to networks to communicate and print. Printing was a particular concern as the architectural firm had several specialized, legacy printers that needed to work with new OS software.

Network and file security was also an issue given the competitive nature of PLA’s business and the client confidentiality agreements it must honor with its clients.

 Everything PLA Needed to Succeed

PLA has relied on eMazzanti Technologies for nearly a decade. It knew the IT firm would be able to solve the current challenges as well. After assessing their specific needs and goals in-depth, eMazzanti Technologies recommended the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional.

 According to Deborah Laurel, principal of PLA, this solution provided everything PLA had been looking for. “Speed, easier access to information, intuitive, ergonomic design—the HP 6930p EliteBook running Windows 7 Professional gives us all of that,” she says. “And it’s everything we need to succeed.”

In summary, eMazzanti Technologies helped PLA accomplish more of its work in less time, provide essential compatibility with legacy hardware and software, and gained more security and flexibility throughout its network.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net.

About Prendergast Laurel Architects

Prendergast Laurel Architects are well known for post 9/11 reconstruction projects such as Engine Company 10, just south of where the World Trade Center stood. In over 250 projects, the firm has designed museums, libraries, schools, offices, firehouses, medical centers, restaurants, theaters, private residences, apartment and loft buildings, transportation structures, and recreation centers. For more information call 212-732-1081, visit: prendergast-laurel.com

Anticipation: The New Standard in Customer Service

An example of how quickly eMazzanti can now resolve issues happened with a customer who had one of three fans breakdown in a WatchGuard firewall box. “We detected it and replaced it without the customer knowing there was a problem. This is the new standard of customer service: problem anticipation and resolution.”

Mazzanti continued: “The customer was so thrilled that we had solved a major problem before it happened, they offered our engineers a cash tip. We didn’t take the money, but we eagerly accepted the praise and the customer’s expansion of their business with our organization.”

RMA Automation Builds Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

One of the significant benefits of eMazzanti being part of the WSSP is the streamlined Return Materials Authorization (RMA) process. When a piece of WatchGuard gear goes down, customers no longer have to worry about justifying an RMA authorization, scheduling shipments, shipping the item or receiving it back again. All of this is handled directly by eMazzanti. “We inventory a variety of WatchGuard firewalls which we use to immediately replace warranted equipment,” said Mazzanti. “WatchGuard then has automated the RMA process for us so we get rapid replacements, no questions asked all while the customer’s network is already up that same day.  From there we ship the replacement unit from WatchGuard to our office for use in any future outages.”

Perpetual Satisfaction Audits

Both WatchGuard and eMazzanti share a passion for keeping customers satisfied. Each time work is performed, the IT consultant asks for customer feedback, including an overall rating. This results in a perpetual feedback loop that the firm tracts and publishes. “We make a lot of noise about eMazzanti’s customer satisfaction rating,” commented Mazzanti. “We post it in our customer reception area on a large screen monitor, in the lunch room and just inside the door employees use to go home at end of day.”

 Fixed Fee Consultant Lean on Streamlined Mfgr Support Programs

Another secret to eMazzanti’s success is its customer eCare program. It includes eCare Network Management, eCare Business Continuity, and eCare Exchange. These services make it easier for customers to maintain their network, protect intellectual property and files as well as collaborate and share information more efficiently.

The eCare Network Management portion is particularly popular because it is a fixed-fee program. The IT consultant has discovered customers thrive on predictable IT costs. “Only an IT consult that has OEM relationships like WatchGuard and over 400 clients can make a fixed-fee network management program like this work,” said Mazzanti. “The scale and proprietary automated systems we have put in place deliver a unique level of service that is hard to find elsewhere.”

“WatchGuard has been terrific to work with,” said Mazzanti. “We were a persistent squeaky wheel when it came to problems and solutions. To their credit, they listened and did something about it…thus the MSSP program was created. In the end, all participants benefit, especially our customers.”

 About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or pr@emazzanti.net or www.emazzanti.net.

Competency and Specialization Levels

As one of the requirements for attaining Gold Certified Partner status, eMazzanti Technologies had to declare a Microsoft Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each Competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry. Within select Competencies, there are Specializations that focus on specific solution areas that recognize deeper expertise within that Competency. Serving as a specialized path to earning those Competencies, Specializations give direct access to the tools and resources that support that specific area of focus. “eMazzanti Technologies is an example of the kind of best-practices partner we love to have aboard,” noted Paul Lindberg, Microsoft Partner Manager Northeast. “They understand the importance of the competency program and the value it gives clients.” 

Recognition of Partner Skills
“The Server Platform Competency is designed to recognize the unique skills and requirements of partners specializing in delivering network-based solutions,” said Mazzanti. By attaining the Server Platform competency, eMazzanti Technologies demonstrates its expertise in building, designing, deploying, and supporting Windows Server, Windows Server-based applications, and the Microsoft server infrastructure. “We are better positioned to help support our customers’ business strategy through high levels of availability, agility, automation, infrastructure, and applications to run their businesses.

Seven Earned Competencies

Microsoft recognizes eMazzanti Technologies’ expertise within seven competencies, Small Business Specialist, Server Platform, Security, Mobility, Advanced Infrastructure, Networking Infrastructure, and Information Worker Solutions. “If businesses are utilizing a variety of Microsoft products and aren’t using deeply credentialed experts like us, they are short-changing themselves,” commented Mazzanti.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information, contact eMazzanti Technologies at 201-360-4400.

Overall, the new website provides a faster way for content to be published by the eMazzanti team, enables the use of rich media and social media tools, supports eMazzanti’s unique family of eCare services, and provides easier online sales support through its company store.

Instant Team Member Contributions 

One of the ways eMazzanti is providing a constant stream of updated information to its website is by enabling various departments within the company to manage the process directly. “Team members can post updates themselves without relying on a web master,” noted Mazzanti. “All the information bottlenecks are gone.”

 As eMazzanti grew into an IT powerhouse with over 400 customers, its website lagged behind the success and didn’t reflect eMazzanti’s image and overall dominance in the marketplace. “For example, customer evidence is an area we’ve excelled in the last two years,” said Mazzanti. “We enjoy such powerful relationships with manufacturers like HP, Microsoft and WatchGuard, that we’re able to get our customers into a variety of new product case studies. They benefit from having the latest technology and we benefit from very loyal customers.”

 Rich Media and Information Playing More Important Role 

Videos play a more important role in clearly and graphically conveying information to viewers. YouTube pioneered the concept with consumers and it’s now a mainstay in business marketing as well. While eMazzanti had been producing video content for years, the old website did not give this content the visibility it deserved. “Anything that is new is now placed on the home page,” said Mazzanti. “New case studies videos, for example, automatically rotate onto the home page to keep the content fresh and new. No one has to hunt for the most recent information, just visit our home page to find all of the latest content.”

 eMazzanti also understands the value of the latest technology and communication trends in the industry. Social media capabilities are all part of the expanded website capabilities. “Our website is social media-enabled to make the sharing of information between friends, associates and customers extremely easy,” said Mazzanti. “A single entry interface automatically distributes the post to all the targeted social media sites like Twitter, YouTube, Linkedin and Facebook.”

 Rich website content is not the only focus of eMazzanti Technologies. It also specializes in delivering unique eCare service packages at affordable prices.

 eCare Family of Services

eMazzanti eCare is a robust family of services that includes eCare Network Management, eCare Business Continuity, eCare Exchange. The services make it easier for customers to care, protect and collaborate.

 eCare Network Management

With networks, starting small and planning to grow makes perfect sense. Even a modest network can pay large dividends by saving time, improving communication between employees, clients, and suppliers, increasing productivity, and opening new paths to worldwide information resources. eMazzanti Technologies eCare Network Management service covers the technical support and maintenance aspects for a customer’s network all for one fixed fee per asset per month. “Customers love this approach. We remotely monitor their networks 24×7 systematically performing preventative maintenance procedures along with emergency repairs,” commented Mazzanti. “The result is both satisfied customers and network uptime.”

 eCare Business Continuity

The implementation of a Business Continuity solution from eMazzanti Technologies is how a company regains access to its data and communications after a natural or human-induced disaster. The importance of protecting irreplaceable data should take top priority and is a pillar of eCare services.

 According to the Small Business Administration, of companies that had a major loss of computerized data, 43 percent never reopen, 51 percent close within two years, and only 6 percent will survive long-term.

Everything comes together in the eMazzanti onsite eCare Business Continuity NAS device to produce 15-minute incremental snapshots that safely reside within the device and are ready to be used to restore a file, a file folder, an email, or a database… all within a few minutes.

eCare Exchange

Through eMazzanti Technologies managed eCare Exchange service, the smallest companies can benefit from powerful Business Email and collaboration. Its Five 9’s uptime guarantee and 24×7 world-class support from Microsoft’s top Certified staff makes eCare Exchange service from eMazzanti Technologies a great choice for small companies that want IT capabilities.

 Microsoft Exchange is the world’s most popular business messaging platform, with almost 60 percent of the market. Exchange boosts company productivity through advanced features like always-synced email, files, calendars and contacts; mobile access on devices such as the BlackBerry Smartphone or the Apple iPhone; advanced Web mail; shared calendars that let employees see colleagues’ availability to schedule or rearrange meetings, book conference rooms and plan projects; shared task lists that allow ‘to do’ lists to be created and assigned.

“The eCare family of services is essentially big IT solutions for small companies,” said eMazzanti. “They are the equivalent of having a full IT department on call 24×7 without the associated expense.”

eMazzanti Store 

One of eMazzanti’s most popular website areas is the store front. It accounts for over one-third of the company’s sales and gives customers instant access to a full array of excellent products and competitive prices. “With deep sales and support, our customers have a one-stop-shop capability that other IT consultants or computer stores simply don’t have,” noted Mazzanti. “The days of just taking orders are over. Customers value getting helped with a single website visit or call.”

“Integral to the ease-of-use factor built into the website is the ability to get and give information,” said Mazzanti. “The site is basically an extension of eMazzanti’s world class service.”

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information, contact eMazzanti Technologies at 201-360-4400.

Technology is in the early stages of a big shift, one that will transform how companies and individuals access information, share content and communicate. This next wave will be driven by a new model of computing: people and businesses will use their Web browsers to access a wide range of “cloud services”–computing services available on demand, over the Internet.

Imagine services that are intelligent enough to anticipate your needs, based on a real-time understanding of your location, time of day and preferences. In this next phase of computing, the search for information will be done for you, not by you. You will have a seamless, consistent experience across all the devices you own, and all the on-demand services you care about.

What’s needed: New core building blocks
Think about the cloud as a platform for creating new services and experiences. It requires a new set of core building blocks – smarter devices and more intelligent networks with software as the critical element that powers these new services and shapes the quality of the user experience.

At HP, we call this “everything as a service.” Individuals and businesses will have full control to customize their computing environments and shape their experiences.

The true power of the cloud happens when there is continuous interaction between your device — your smart phone, notebook computer, TV — and the network, and they jointly act on your behalf.

Here’s a simple example: Say it’s 2 p.m., and your calendar shows you’re booked on a flight to Toronto at 6 p.m. Your device should anticipate what information you’ll need for this trip and proactively gather it for you — a weather forecast for the Toronto area, a status update on your flight, a recommended route to the airport based on up-to-the-minute traffic conditions, and so on. In this scenario, the big step forward is the pervasive, proactive and highly personalized nature of cloud services.

Five trends to watch
As we move to a lifestyle where everything will be delivered as a service, there are five trends that are worth paying close attention to:

1) The digital world will converge with the physical world. Cloud services will be increasingly aware of the context you’re in, right down to details such as the time, the weather, where you’re headed, and which friends or business colleagues are nearby.

2) The era of device-centric computing is over. What you really want is the ability to use any number of devices and have them all provide easy access to the services and content you care about. Devices will continue to play an important role, but in the next phase they become interchangeable — and the cloud services become the focal point.

3) Publishing will be democratized. A global Internet population of 1.2 billion people now has the tools to produce everything from books and magazines to music and videos. You will soon have the ability to print on demand any book ever published.

4) Crowd-sourcing is going mainstream and will change the rules of the game forever. Fortune 50 companies will access top talent across the globe via the Internet, saving millions of dollars in professional services, from fields like accounting, advertising, law and engineering. One example of this shift to crowd sourcing is HP’s Logoworks service , which is transforming the graphics design industry.

5) Enterprises will use radically different tools to make key business decisions. A merger is taking place between the structured data that fuels business intelligence and the unstructured data of the Web. At the same time, market-based systems that enable companies to accurately predict the future

As “everything as a service” evolves, the technology industry has an opportunity to reshape the computing industry forever and, more importantly, create more dynamic services that enrich our everyday lives and improve how we do business. To realize this potential, the technology industry must innovate by building a higher level of intelligence into the next generation of devices, networks and software.

Is “walking the talk” a tired old cliché or a bold new concept? Very few managers today are receiving formal management training. As a result, many are poor communicators and weak in their delegation and leadership skills.

According to a Gallup poll, 25% of U.S. employees would fire their bosses if they could. Why? Because many managers set high service standards for their employees, yet fail to abide by those same standards.

If you are a manager, you are in an excellent position to lead by example. Your employees will only respect your authority if they observe your excellent customer service skills on a daily basis. Customer loyalty must be a top-down initiative.

Here are five ways you can earn greater respect and increase employee loyalty:

1. Always give performance reviews and salary increases on the promised dates. Employees have those dates memorized. They won’t feel valued and will resent you if their review dates are postponed or forgotten.

2. Have empathy for your employees. Show compassion by being flexible with hours and time off so they can tend to family emergencies or illnesses.

3. Be a mentor and coach by sharing your knowledge and experience. Explain to them how business decisions were made, especially when it involves them.

4. Trust your employees and be willing to delegate projects based on their strengths. If you tend to be a control freak, learn to let go and get out of the habit of micro-managing people.

5. Let your employees know they’re valued. Smile at them, be approachable, remember the names of their family members and sincerely thank them every chance you get.

The only times that employees can successfully challenge your authority is when they see that you are not practicing what you preach.

Keep in mind that your employees are your primary customers. Treat them with the same respect and caring service that you deliver to your external customers. Remember that you set the tone for your entire department. Your employees are watching you!

Debra J. Schmidt is known as the Loyalty Leader®. She is an author, consultant, trainer and professional speaker who helps companies boost profits by leading the way to greater customer and employee loyalty. Subscribe to her free online newsletter at: www.LoyaltyLeader.com.

Forget the research evidence, the dozens of pages of documentation and the years of prodding by communications consultants. Do your own survey right now. Pick up your telephone and call ten companies or businesses in your area that provide some sort of customer service, such as banks, brokerage firms, business equipment or insurance companies. Ask to speak to “a manager.” If you get through, explain that you called to evaluate their telephone techniques. Then give the manager a brief report, hang up, and record your findings.

Chances are your research will prove that the most common errors you encounter in telephone answering are among the “dirty dozen.” Here they are:

1.  Letting the phone ring too long.
2.  Not identifying the company name or department.
3.  Inability to transfer calls properly.
4.  Disconnecting calls.
5.  Asking the caller to repeat requests more than once.
6.  Leaving the line without an explanation.
7.  Not using the caller’s name.
8.  Leaving someone on hold too long.
9.  Sounding like the caller is being screened.
10. Getting angry at irate callers.
11. Irritated or annoyed tone of voice.
12. Anything that wastes the caller’s time.

One major service organization interviews over 50 applicants before selecting the one they hire to answer their phones. They know that their telephone receptionist is going to talk to more customers than any salesperson or manager ever will!

In this day and age of impersonal voice mail, isn’t it even more important to invest the time, effort and money to ensure that your organization is making the best impression possible? Why not call your own main number and see what happens!

Here’s what you can do:

1. Have your phone answered with an unhurried and clear statement of your company name, the receptionist’s name, and an offer to help… “Hello, thank you for calling ABC Corporation, this is Debbie. How may I help you?” or “Good morning, ABC Corporation. How may I help you?” Much better than just “ABC!” And the “HOW may I help you?” not “CAN I help you?” promises the caller some kind of action or result.

2. Don’t leave a caller on hold for more than 90 seconds. It’s the most people can handle comfortably. They get fidgety after 45 seconds, so be sure someone breaks in every 30 or 40 seconds and explains the delay or what action is going on. If the delay is prolonged, offer to take a message and have them called back.

3. There’s no excuse for getting angry or annoyed at any caller, especially at someone who is rude or irate. Just be glad you don’t have to live with that crabby individual every day!

4. Smiling will improve your tone of voice immensely. A smile can actually be heard over the phone, so remember to smile—no matter who is calling!

© JOEL H. WELDON & ASSOCIATES, INC.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com

Technology can go a long way in helping your business stay competitive, meet customer expectations and improve operational efficiencies. But most small businesses simply don’t have the resources to evaluate technologies and aren’t sure where to find the right technology partner. That’s where a value-added reseller can help.

A VAR enhances an existing product, such as hardware, with additional features, such as software, and then sells it as an integrated package often tailored for specific industries. VARs add further value to the products they sell through consultation and design, training, implementation, and ongoing service and support.

The right VAR can serve as a small business’s IT advisor and help it deploy the same technologies that larger companies use, such as CRM software and IP communications. You can then use those tools to enhance customer experience–a key step in growing customer loyalty and the bottom line.

A VAR can also offer the following benefits:

•One-stop shopping. A single VAR can provide an integrated solution involving technologies from one or more vendors, as well as a single point of contact for both deployment and problem resolution.

•Broad expertise. A VAR can provide you with expertise in a variety of technologies.

•The big picture about small business. Many VARs cater to small businesses and are small businesses themselves. They’re positioned to understand your challenges and to deliver a solution that’ll fit your business now and in the future.

•Customized solutions. Many VARs•specialize in particular industries and have experience with industry-specific solutions. In addition, they often have relationships with niche players and can utilize them as needed.

Finding the Right VAR
So how do you find a VAR that’s the best fit for your business?

•Shop locally. Do an internet search to find out which VARs in your area specialize in the particular technology you’re interested in, such as CRM or IP communications. Another option is to visit a network or other hardware vendor’s website, which often offer tools you can use to find qualified, certified VARs.

•Ask around. Ask colleagues, customers or others whose opinions you trust to recommend a VAR, keeping in mind that your specific requirements are probably different than theirs.

•Look within your industry. Try to find VARs that specialize in your industry by looking through industry publications and exhibitor lists at the top trade shows.

•Ask plenty of questions upfront. Schedule appointments to meet with representatives from the VARs you’re considering. Interview them
•as if you were interviewing job candidates. Ask them about their recent successes, particularly with customers in your industry or field. Find out about their specialization, as well as any professional certifications and industry-specific experience. Ask which niche players they partner with for applications that may be standard for your industry. You’ll also want to know how long the technology deployment may take and what training, if any, will be required. In addition, they should be able to give you sample project plans and at least three customer references.

•Pay attention to the VAR’s motives. The right VAR will give you the sense that it’s•partnering with you to make the best technology decision for your company, rather than just trying to sell you hardware and software. They should take the time to understand your mission and future goals and should be able to tell you how the proposed solution will improve your relationship with your customers.

•Find out who you’ll be dealing with. Most likely, the VAR will dedicate one or more staff members, such as a project manager, to the technology deployment. Ask to speak to them before making a commitment. The goal is to ensure you’ll be working with someone who understands your business’s needs and objectives.

•Decide on the level of support you need. Will your business need the VAR to supply a comprehensive service plan that covers nearly all IT concerns for an annual fee? Or do you want per-incident support that you pay for only when needed? Keep in mind a turnkey support contract might provide a better return on investment over time, as IT emergencies on a per-incident pricing plan can quickly become expensive. Make sure the VAR provides the level of support your business needs, such as 24-hour assistance. You should receive a service-level agreement that details specifically what your VAR will–and won’t–provide.

•Talk money. Have the VAR thoroughly explain the costs your business will incur in as much detail as possible. Also, ask them to help you determine what the return on investment is likely to be.

•Ask about financing. Any new technology deployment can be costly for a small business. Your VAR may offer financing options or resources to make it more affordable.

As with any technology initiative, it’s important to review your business goals and objectives before proceeding. Examine whether the technology you’re considering is the best platform for the current and future size of your business. Be clear on which business problems you hope to solve, what results you want to see and when you want to see them. This information will help you better explain your business needs to a potential VAR. In turn, they will be in a better position to supply the technology and support services needed to help your small business grow.

To the surprise of the nonprofit sector, Internet technology is enhancing good works.

Relief agencies such as the American Red Cross have demonstrated how effectively online systems can speed cash donations to tragedy-stricken parts of the world. Smaller nonprofits have found the Web to be a blessing for locating discounted items and organizing people to support causes. Foundations and charities have found success with e-philanthropy — the securing of pledges and donations over the Web — and made it a vital part of their fundraising strategies.

“Technology is, in many ways, a necessary evil for nonprofits doing business today,” says Joni Podolsky, a technology consultant to nonprofits and the author of “Wired for Good: Strategic Technology Planning for Nonprofits.” “You need it now just to stay competitive.”

The nonprofit industry is indeed competitive, and not just for donations and volunteers. If your business is a nonprofit, you need to compete for grants and other resources, staff talent, community loyalty and simple awareness of your organization and its mission. Bottom line: As with most businesses today, you need a technology plan for your nonprofit agency or organization — a plan that shows how you can put the Internet to work for you.

Yes, technology can be expensive. No, the economy is not a strong as it has been. But your plan is more than a simple wish list of hardware, software and Internet services you’d like to have. It’s a strategy document, helping you think through what your organization needs and how it can be obtained with the resources you have.

And you’ll find your work worth the effort. A well thought-out technology plan can help you:

Increase efficiency in your daily operations.
Manage your budget and spend money more effectively.
Build an online community and boost fundraising efforts.
Give donors more confidence in your organization.
Protect your organization from the impacts of employee turnover.

What’s in a nonprofit tech plan?
Here are the seven components critical to a technology plan for nonprofits, as outlined by TechSoup, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that provides technology advice and assistance to other nonprofits:

1. Establish leadership and support for your technology plan.
By setting up a technology team,and involving management and staff in establishing goals, you can unite the entire organization behind your technology plan.

2. Assess your current resources.
Analyze your existing technology system for how well it is working, what you can save and what you can build on.

3. Define your needs.
What new technology solutions do you need, and what can they help you do that you can’t do already? How can the Internet improve your operation? Clearly defining your needs will help you in developing an effective technology plan. See the article, “The Planning Process: Define Your Needs,” at TechSoup (www.techsoup.org) for more information.

4. Explore solutions.
Now that you’ve defined your needs, what are your technology options? What Internet services are cost-effective and could make your jobs easier? The search for appropriate Web services, such as site management, online fundraising management and the like, may require that you call on an Internet consultant for some assistance.

5. Put your plan in writing.
Your written plan should document your current resources, needs, solutions and planned uses, as well as your budget. It should be a plan of action, concisely written and specifically tailored to your organization. See “The Planning Process: Write the Plan” at TechSoup for more information.

6. Develop a funding strategy.
Your technology plan will guide you in determining how much money you need to raise, and perhaps how to raise it. Many nonprofit leaders today recommend following a 70/30 rule for spending: For every dollar budgeted for technology, 30 cents goes to actual hardware and software purchases and the remaining 70 cents for training and support.

7. Implement the plan and a timeline.
By setting a timeline, assigning responsibilities and evaluating your progress, you will make your technology plan a reality. See “Implementing Your Technology Plan” at TechSoup for details.

The nonprofit e-presence — benefits becoming clear
Gary M. Grobman, a nonprofit expert and author of the book, “The Nonprofit Organization’s Guide to E-Commerce,” estimates that well more than half of the registered U.S. nonprofits today have a Web site. (More than 1 million U.S. nonprofits have registered for tax-exempt status with the IRS; countless others exist but are unregistered, he says.)

In his 2000 book, Grobman outlined why he strongly believes nonprofits should also utilize e-commerce — for printing materials, buying supplies and raising money through online auctions and charity malls as well as generating donations. But he recognizes that because of lack of familiarity, security and privacy concerns, the image of dot-com greed and other emotional factors, many nonprofit leaders are still reluctant to embrace e-commerce.

“That means there are a lot of good opportunities with online auctions and online shopping malls that nonprofits are passing up,” he says. “I believe it is a matter of time before things change. In the next five years, e-commerce will be the primary way nonprofits do business.”

With a tech plan, you’ll discover a little goes a long way
TechSoup, a staunch advocate of technology planning for nonprofits, recognizes that many smaller nonprofits (those with annual budgets well under $1 million) don’t have the marketing funds to justify implementing e-commerce systems for fundraising and other transactions at this time, says director Matt Florence.

TechSoup urges nonprofits to spend money wisely on technology, he says. In many cases, that may mean using less-expensive solutions such as e-mail newsletters and “Donate Now” buttons available through Helping.org. (These buttons are a simple form of e-commerce; Helping.org supplies the technology and collects the donations for you.) If you’ve done your homework and have laid out a simple technology plan, you can sort out what is best for your organization.

And while you’re working on that plan
Here are some additional tips to use as you finesse your tech plan:

Check out the Web sites of TechSoup, Helping.org and other nonprofits offering free services, product discounts and helpful technology advice to fellow nonprofits.

Take advantage of software distribution programs to nonprofits offered by Microsoft and other technology companies. For details, click on the “software” link at CompuMentor (www.compumentor.org),  TechSoup’s parent organization.

Research your database options extensively. Most nonprofits need database software, but can’t afford a pricey solution. For more information, see the “database” link at TechSoup.

Whether you choose a simple “Donate Now” button or some other e-commerce system, allow people to donate online. Assure your visitors that it is safe and easy to do so.

 “Microsoft relies on the relationships we as partners have with our customers for the success of programs like this,” noted Carl Mazzanti, chief operating officer, eMazzanti Technologies. “Microsoft wins because they get great adoption stories. Our customer wins because they get to test-drive the latest technology. And we as partners win because we continue to deliver great value to our customers.”

 The program provides software, special guides and training material, technical support, on-demand customer training and future marketing opportunities associated with Microsoft and HP. “The marketing exposure and bragging rights for us and our customers are very significant,” said Mazzanti.

 eMazzanti Technologies has five of its marquee customers participating in the program: 

• Prendergast Laurel Architects- well known for post 9/11 reconstruction projects such as Engine Company 10, just south of where the World Trade Center stood. In over 250 projects, the firm has designed museums, libraries, schools, offices, firehouses, medical centers, restaurants, theaters, private residences, apartment and loft buildings, transportation structures, and recreation centers.
• Holy Cross Monastery-a part of the Order of the Holy Cross, a Benedictine Anglican monastic community founded in 1884 by James Otis Sargent Huntington. The monastery is located on twenty-six acres on the west bank of the Hudson River.
• Doma Exports-operates out of Chicago, NJ and Poland moving shipment by land, sea and air for over 50 years. 
• Bell Container-the largest and oldest US cardboard box manufacturer in the U.S. Located in Newark, New Jersey, Bell Container owns and occupies a 200,000 square foot facility on nine acres.
• Deepwater Wind-a market leader in off-shore power wind farms in the northeast. Using offshore platform technology proven in the oil and gas industry, it is able to build wind farms in deep ocean waters many miles offshore, where they are virtually invisible from land. Without visual impact issues, the wind farms can be very large in scale, with each one providing as much energy as a traditional coal or nuclear power plant — but with zero pollution or dangerous waste.

 About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications.

The Hoboken City Council will continue their budget hearings with directors on Saturday, Feb. 13 beginning at 9:30 a.m.

They will conduct their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, but residents can watch the meeting live on www.hudsonreporter.com and comment on the action.

Council President Peter Cunningham and Mayor Dawn Zimmer said this week that they were unhappy that Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi overruled the council after the prior meeting, replacing over $1 million in funding to emergency budget appropriations that the council had deemed unnecessary.

The city is still waiting for the state to release the contents of a police audit that could impact the budget and ongoing police contract negotiations.

Hudson and Hoboken chambers of commerce announce new boards

Last week, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce announced the election of several individuals to the organization’s Board of Trustees, namely Eugene R. Boffa Jr., equity member of Schumann Hanlon, LLC; Anthony Cammarata Jr., managing director and global head of Facilities Management for Goldman; Connie Claman of Union County, CFO and VP of resource administration at The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City; Patrick A. Cozza of Somerset County, CEO and regional head of HSBC Insurance for HSBC-North America; Matthew Dorans of Hudson County, VP of In-Line Air Conditioning Co. Inc and president of the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce; Maria L. Nieves of Bergen County, director of public affairs and site regional leader at Fidelity Investments; Michael A. Raimonde of Union County, Senior VP and director of retail banking for The Provident Bank, and James J. Sansevero of New York City, director of brand management for Lord, Abbett & Co.

The Hoboken Chamber of Commerce also recently induced new officials and new board members.

Hoboken business owner Brian Battaglia of Battaglia’s Home was named president of the chamber. Hudson ReporterPublisher David Unger and local insurance businessman Roger Muller Jr. were named vice-presidents; Richard M. Weinstein, Esq., was named secretary, and Joe Manuele, vice president of Bayonne Community Bank, was named treasurer.

Also on the board are: Julie Gallanty, YMCA Hoboken; Robert Mahnken, The Tux Shop; Jennifer Shine, eMazzanti Technologies; Jack Talbot, Court Street Restaurant; and Pam Bond, Greetings From Hoboken.

Relay For Life kick-off party

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m., Relay For Life of Hoboken will be hosting a kick-off party at The Shannon, 106 First St.

Organizers invite residents to attend and learn how to get involved in Relay For Life’s event benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event itself will be held on Saturday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Pier A Park.

Last year, Relay For Life of Hoboken raised over $180,000 to help in the fight against cancer – a record-breaking achievement – and their goal this year is to raise over $200,000.

For more information about Relay For Life of Hoboken, please visit www.relayforlife.org/hobokennj.

To reserve a seat at the kick-off event, e-mail diane.berry@cancer.org or call (908) 354-7373, option 3, extension 213.

Chili cook-off for charity

HobokenVolunteers.com, a group set up by resident Timothy Occipinti to organize local volunteer looking to put their skills to use, is hosting a “Chili Cook-off For a Cause” on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Shannon, 106 First St.

Admission requires a $20 donation at the door, and includes chili and $2 domestic draft beers.

A portion of the benefits will proceed the American Red Cross’ Haitian relief efforts.

For more information, visit www.hobokenvolunteers.com.

‘Green’ drinks

The Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition invites residents to their “Green Drinks Event,” hosted by Jennifer Iserloh, locally renowned as “the Skinny Chef.”

The event is on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1110 Park Ave., apartment 2L. A $5 cover charge is required, but includes food and drinks.

Iserloh, the former private chef of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, will be offering an eco-friendly menu that will include black bean quesadilla bites with chipotle lime mayo, baked jalapeno poppers, garlic fries, and cherry vanilla sherbet. Fresh lime margaritas, beer, and wine will also be served.

For more information, e-mail greendrinks@qlchoboken.org or visit www.qlchoboken.org.

Football team reunion

The 1970s Hoboken Police Athletic League football team is organizing a reunion for players and cheerleaders.

The event is scheduled for April 24, from 7 p.m. to midnight at Landmark, 26 Route 17S, East Rutherford.

The cost is $60 per person and includes an open bar, buffet, and music. For more information, call Joe DiBari at (973) 953-8535.

The Hoboken City Council will continue their budget hearings with directors on Saturday, Feb. 13 beginning at 9:30 a.m.

They will conduct their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, but residents can watch the meeting live on www.hudsonreporter.com and comment on the action.

Council President Peter Cunningham and Mayor Dawn Zimmer said this week that they were unhappy that Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi overruled the council after the prior meeting, replacing over $1 million in funding to emergency budget appropriations that the council had deemed unnecessary.

The city is still waiting for the state to release the contents of a police audit that could impact the budget and ongoing police contract negotiations.

Hudson and Hoboken chambers of commerce announce new boards

Last week, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce announced the election of several individuals to the organization’s Board of Trustees, namely Eugene R. Boffa Jr., equity member of Schumann Hanlon, LLC; Anthony Cammarata Jr., managing director and global head of Facilities Management for Goldman; Connie Claman of Union County, CFO and VP of resource administration at The Liberty Science Center in Jersey City; Patrick A. Cozza of Somerset County, CEO and regional head of HSBC Insurance for HSBC-North America; Matthew Dorans of Hudson County, VP of In-Line Air Conditioning Co. Inc and president of the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce; Maria L. Nieves of Bergen County, director of public affairs and site regional leader at Fidelity Investments; Michael A. Raimonde of Union County, Senior VP and director of retail banking for The Provident Bank, and James J. Sansevero of New York City, director of brand management for Lord, Abbett & Co.

The Hoboken Chamber of Commerce also recently induced new officials and new board members.

Hoboken business owner Brian Battaglia of Battaglia’s Home was named president of the chamber. Hudson ReporterPublisher David Unger and local insurance businessman Roger Muller Jr. were named vice-presidents; Richard M. Weinstein, Esq., was named secretary, and Joe Manuele, vice president of Bayonne Community Bank, was named treasurer.

Also on the board are: Julie Gallanty, YMCA Hoboken; Robert Mahnken, The Tux Shop; Jennifer Shine, eMazzanti Technologies; Jack Talbot, Court Street Restaurant; and Pam Bond, Greetings From Hoboken.

Relay For Life kick-off party

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7:30 p.m., Relay For Life of Hoboken will be hosting a kick-off party at The Shannon, 106 First St.

Organizers invite residents to attend and learn how to get involved in Relay For Life’s event benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event itself will be held on Saturday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Pier A Park.

Last year, Relay For Life of Hoboken raised over $180,000 to help in the fight against cancer – a record-breaking achievement – and their goal this year is to raise over $200,000.

For more information about Relay For Life of Hoboken, please visit www.relayforlife.org/hobokennj.

To reserve a seat at the kick-off event, e-mail diane.berry@cancer.org or call (908) 354-7373, option 3, extension 213.

Chili cook-off for charity

HobokenVolunteers.com, a group set up by resident Timothy Occipinti to organize local volunteer looking to put their skills to use, is hosting a “Chili Cook-off For a Cause” on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Shannon, 106 First St.

Admission requires a $20 donation at the door, and includes chili and $2 domestic draft beers.

A portion of the benefits will proceed the American Red Cross’ Haitian relief efforts.

For more information, visit www.hobokenvolunteers.com.

‘Green’ drinks

The Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition invites residents to their “Green Drinks Event,” hosted by Jennifer Iserloh, locally renowned as “the Skinny Chef.”

The event is on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 1110 Park Ave., apartment 2L. A $5 cover charge is required, but includes food and drinks.

Iserloh, the former private chef of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, will be offering an eco-friendly menu that will include black bean quesadilla bites with chipotle lime mayo, baked jalapeno poppers, garlic fries, and cherry vanilla sherbet. Fresh lime margaritas, beer, and wine will also be served.

For more information, e-mail greendrinks@qlchoboken.org or visit www.qlchoboken.org.

Football team reunion

The 1970s Hoboken Police Athletic League football team is organizing a reunion for players and cheerleaders.

The event is scheduled for April 24, from 7 p.m. to midnight at Landmark, 26 Route 17S, East Rutherford.

The cost is $60 per person and includes an open bar, buffet, and music. For more information, call Joe DiBari at (973) 953-8535.

“Programs like this make sense because Microsoft understands the faster industry-leading partners like us use the new technology, the faster the end-user (our customers) will use it as well,” noted Jennifer Mazzanti, President, eMazzanti Technologies.

To participate in the Windows 7 Deployment Challenge, partners had to demonstrate that they had deployed Windows 7 on one or more computers representing 50-70 percent of the partner’s total network computers.

 “eMazzanti Technologies has always been an early adopter when it comes to the latest Microsoft operating systems and application software,” said Mazzanti. “New technology almost always translates into increased productivity, a competitive advantage and savings for our clients. They depend on us to drive the latest technology solutions into their businesses.”

 Several of eMazzanti Technologies’ customers have found specific features in Windows 7 that have benefited them:

• Bergen County Camera, a New Jersey imaging specialist for digital cameras, film cameras, accessories, printing services, binoculars, telescopes and equipment repairs. “Federated Search is much more intuitive—all without having to configure it.  It is really good for our sales people–right out of the box. I don’t have PC experts; I have digital camera experts,” said John Tworsky, General Manager.
• Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky LLP is a leading litigation firm in New York City, representing clients in complex civil litigation and arbitration, including trials, appeals and governmental investigations. “The speed of the Boot and Resume features of Windows 7 is the next best thing to instant on,” noted Stephen M. Kramarsky, Partner.
• Flowers and O’Brien Law is boutique law firm located in Hoboken, N.J., with a thriving international real estate and general corporate practice. “Windows 7 Aero desktop and Taskbar features like Peek, Shake, Hover, Pinning and Jump Lists are all great navigations tools. They make document handling all the more easy. Nicely done!”
• GameWear, Inc., located in Hoboken, New Jersey, markets unique, team-branded sports apparel to sports stadiums, team club stores and various retailers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. According to Frank Cerullo, Chief Executive Officer, “The number one biggest attribute of Windows 7 is increased speed; I’d estimate it is up to 30 percent faster. We upgraded to 64-bit to take advantage of the additional power.”
• MXINSPECT is a leading provider of managed email and web security services for email hosting companies, and corporate and institutional clients in the US, Canada and worldwide. Jennifer Shine, MXINSPECT, CTO, said “Everything we use in our office runs Windows 7; if our computers are compromised, our clients are vulnerable.” The layers of protection in Windows 7, including BitLocker-to-Go, AppLocker, and DirectAccess, help to provide a fundamentally secure computing platform.”

 About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For more information, contact Carl Mazzanti at 201-360-4400 or pr@emazzanti.net.

The Advisory Board meets monthly—or more often as necessary— via teleconferencing and links the expertise of dozens of leading Microsoft partners worldwide. The first meeting was held early January.

“Though the initial meeting was focused on getting organized and getting to know one another, it was clear the Microsoft advisory board leaders wanted an on-going stream of feedback,” said Jennifer Mazzanti, president, eMazzanti Technologies.

“Partners like eMazzanti are on the front lines with customers every day. We know what our customers are saying, doing and thinking. When Microsoft creates an outreach program like this, they tap into the real world of our customers. It’s the ultimate business reality show and everyone benefits,” continued Mazzanti.

 About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications.

Even so, Windows 7 is on a major hot streak right now. In last week’s Q2 earnings, Microsoft said it has sold 60 million Windows 7 licenses since launching the operating system on Oct. 22, with healthy consumer demand driving a 35 percent year-on-year increase in Windows licensing revenue during the quarter.

 Windows 7 usage reached the 10 percent OS market share milestone on Jan. 31 and averaged 7.57 percent for the month of January, compared to 5.71 percent in December, according to the latest figures from Net Applications. Windows 7 is on track to surpass Windows Vista for the number two spot sometime later this year, and Microsoft is no doubt pleased to see Windows XP usage finally declining.

 Windows 7 also appears to have given a boost to Microsoft’s image: According to London based research firm YouGov PLC, Microsoft’s customer satisfaction rate jumped 14 percent between the Windows 7 launch and the end of the year.

 This is all great news for Microsoft, but the celebration could be short lived unless IT spending starts to loosen up. Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems, a Kent, Wash.-based system builder, isn’t seeing evidence that businesses will upgrade their existing systems to Windows 7 this year, but does expect some to purchase new Windows 7 hardware.

 In Bach’s view, Microsoft’s recent Windows 7 numbers were fueled more by a broader PC market rebound that had already begun prior to the launch. “Windows 7 certainly is a successful OS, but the PC industry saw a big rise in business in Q4, before Windows 7 came out,” he said. “Our sales are off the charts, but that rise in the PC industry is playing a bigger factor than the release of Windows 7.”

 The situation is more promising in the SMB segment, where the end of mainstream support for Windows XP is prompting firms to consider upgrading to Window 7 on new hardware, according to Tim Ulmen, principal at Midwest IT Solutions Group, Wichita, Kan., Ulmen says Windows 7 Professional sales are far outpacing those of Vista Business during a similar timeframe after their release.

 ”I’m seeing positive growth and acceptance of Windows 7 in what has been somewhat of a wait-and-see environment,” said Ulmen. “Microsoft has done a great job with Windows 7, not only on the engineering side of things, but also on the marketing side. They haven’t overhyped Windows 7 as they did with Vista.”

 Although Windows can run on older PCs, it runs better on new ones. For this simple reason, Carl Mazzanti, vice president of eMazzanti Technologies, a Hoboken, N.J.-based solution provider, expects businesses to avoid standalone Windows 7 upgrades in favor of new PC purchases.

 ”We expect the OEM side of the sales process to kick in as customers strive to take advantage of some of the more advanced features in Windows 7,” Mazzanti said.

 Microsoft can safely proclaim Windows 7 a success, but given the flat performance of some of its other businesses, this may not be enough to carry that momentum through the rest of the year. But another quarter of solid Windows 7 numbers would definitely show that the trusty revenue engine is back up and running.

Most business people receive dozens, even hundreds, of e-mails each day. Without question, e-mail is now the primary means of communication in the professional world. That’s why it’s very important to create messages that effectively communicate your point while presenting a professional image. Here are eight helpful tips for writing e-mails that achieve both goals.

1. Set clear, concrete deadlines. If you’re sending a task or a request for more information, don’t just say, "Hope to hear from you soon." Make it clear by what time or date you need a response and write the deadline clearly, for instance: "Please respond by next Thursday, January 15th."

2. Use proper spelling and grammar. Poorly spelled or grammatically incorrect e-mails make you appear unprofessional and reduce the effectiveness of your communication. Always double check your e-mails before sending them, making use of spelling and grammar check tools.

3. Think (and read) before you write. In our haste to respond to all our e-mails in a timely fashion, many of us neglect to fully read the mail we’re answering and thus may overlook crucial bits of information. This can lead to even more e-mails in order to clarify what was overlooked or misunderstood. So before you send a response, make sure you’ve completely read and understood the original e-mail; if not, ask for a clarification to avoid further confusion.

4. Be polite. E-mail is a convenient way to communicate, but convenience shouldn’t be an excuse for overlooking simple etiquette. When you’re communicating with clients or superiors, don’t overlook basic courtesies. Address the recipient with a greeting like "Hello" or "Dear," and be sure to include a closing salutation like "Regards."

5. Use subject lines effectively. Your subject line should be a concise synopsis of the content of your e-mail. The recipient should immediately know at a glance what the e-mail contains or what the request is – for example," "Follow-up from meeting next Friday, January 16th."

6. Limit the use of the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. Most of us already have a problem with inbox overflow. Help cut down on unnecessary e-mails by limiting the number of people on your e-mail distribution. It’s tempting, especially when working on a group project, to include every member of the team on every e-mail. A better approach is to make sure everyone you “cc” is someone who needs to review or respond to the mail.

7. Keep it brief. Long, rambling e-mails are time-consuming to write and to read. Keep it concise, including only the most important details, and be sure to get straight to the point. If an in-depth discussion is needed, schedule a phone call rather than trading lengthy e-mails. It’s usually more efficient.

8. Use the journalistic ‘inverted pyramid’ format. Busy people want to get the point quickly. To make sure your critical information or request isn’t lost or overlooked in a sea of less-important details, use a journalistic technique known as the "inverted pyramid". In this format, the most important information (who, what, where, when, why and how) is contained at the beginning of your e-mail and the least important information at the end.

When you make the effort to write the best e-mails possible, you improve your professional image as well as your efficiency on the job. Better communication always creates better results.

Accustomed to filling many roles in his law firm, Stephen Kramasrsky, partner in Dewey, Pegno & Kramasrsky law suddenly realized he didn’t want to be the company’s IT guy anymore. It was taking too much of his valuable time. However, network reliability was still a priority. A new case study chronicles how Kramarsky solved both problems with the expertise of eMazzanti Technologies, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and the Windows 7 operating system.

“Time when your computer is down is time that you can’t fully service your client. That problem has virtually gone away,” noted Kramarsky.

The Problem

The firm operated on a variety of client operating systems, including several ver­sions of the Windows operating system. On the server side, it ran Red Hat Linux. Maintaining this mixed infrastructure was a challenge. As none of the desktop or lap­top computers was locked down, attorneys could easily go onto the Internet and inad­vertently download malicious software that would slow, corrupt, or crash their PCs.

That’s where Kramarsky’s informal second job at the law firm came into play. He had served as the de facto IT guy—setting up PCs, updating them, and troubleshooting them—since he had founded the firm in 1998 with two other attorneys.

“Back then, helping my two partners with their PCs wasn’t a big deal,” Kramarsky recalls. “But as we grew to a 25-person firm, the responsibility became a distraction from my real work.”

Central to the overhaul of the DPK infra­structure was the replacement of the Red Hat Linux server with Windows Server 2003, which was subsequently upgraded to Windows Server 2008 R2. Kramarsky had been attracted by the Linux no-charge licensing model, but when it came time to reconsider the firm’s server platform, he rejected an expansion of the Linux environ­ment.

“Linux had been a nightmare to keep up-to-date,” he recalls. “And it didn’t offer us the applications we needed as a small business. Linux was not an easy operating system to live with.”

The Solution

The firm took care of its problem by engag­ing eMazzanti Technologies, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. eMazzanti played a strategic role in helping DPK to design a new IT infrastructure—Windows Server2008 R2 and Windows 7—and then a tactical role in managing that infrastructure on a daily basis with a fixed fee maintenance and support plan, called eCare.

“Having your network crash because of unsupported or incompatible server software is often far more costly than the expected savings of buying a cheaper product,” commented Carl Mazzanti, chief operating officer, eMazzanti Technologies. “In the end, it’s reliability that counts.”

The Benefits

Kramarsky says that he, his partners and associates are thrilled with the new IT infrastructure at DPK. The most widely noticed improvements are the increased stability of the system and the wide avail­ability of system resources off-site, both of which have led to increased productivity throughout the firm.

For a complete copy of the case study go to: www.emazzanti.net/casestudies.

About eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies works with businesses to provide growth strategies through the use of intelligent technology. Utilizing a disciplined approach of business process analysis, network design, security planning and preventative maintenance, the IT expert delivers solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risk and drive revenue for its clients. This innovative and comprehensive approach to technology services has earned eMazzanti the trust of a rapidly growing client base and recognition by many of the industry’s foremost publications. For a copy of the full case study go to: www.emazzanti.net/casestudies.

Join eMazzanti technologies for our annual networking event on September 16th, 2010 at 701 Grand Street, Hoboken. Every year we dedicate a day to our customers, friends, and vendors to review trends, solve common problems, and of course network. We will also be hosting tours of our new facility and demoing exciting manufacturer products to be released from our partners at Microsoft, WatchGuard, HP, MXINSPECT and eMazzanti custom integrated solutions such as eCare Business Continuity. Learn how these releases can boost your productivity and bottom line to put you ahead of the competition.

SEE AGENDA AND SPEAKERS AFTER THE JUMP!

Agenda:

5:30 P.M. – 6:30 P.M. – Networking / Sign-In / Tours

6:30 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. – Keynote Speaker

7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. – Panel / Breakout Sessions

8:30 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. – Raffle Drawings / Closing

Speakers:

KeyNote: Carl Mazzanti will be presenting trends in computer networking. Learn about where the industry has taken us, and where it is going. Carl will also showcase the many new features found in Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. The new operating systems have revolutionized business for eMazzanti and its customers; be sure to discover how it can improve your business through eMazzanti’s case studies. Customer’s featured in Case Studies will be on site and presenting what has worked in their business and where they are going today.

Breakout Session: Steve Butera, Field Engineer of WatchGuard Technologies, will be presenting the new and highly anticipated WatchGuard version 11. The leader in firewall appliances will demonstrate how version 11 will improve on the already outstanding foundation. From policy based routing to SSL VPN access Steve will cover how WatchGuard with eMazzanti Technologies can improve your network experience starting at the gateway.

Breakout Session: Doug Singer, Senior Engineer at eMazzanti Technologies will be onsite to give an exclusive Windows 7 demonstration. As part of the “Small Business Ignite” program, eMazzanti was chosen to test drive Windows 7 with six customers in live production environments. Doug Singer is on the forefront of the Windows 7 experience and even an award winner for his video customer success stories. Be sure to catch Marcus’ demo as he describes first hand how Windows 7 is improving life for him and eMazzanti’s customers.

Players from the New York Red Bulls will be on site to talk about their recent Major League Soccer success, and how their partnership with eMazzanti is creating value. In this rare opportunity, both Kevin Goldthwaite and Michael Mondello will be on site so you can grab an autograph and share a story. If you have never been exposed to soccer before, now is a great chance to learn about the sport from some of the best Major League players.

Panel:

Carl Mazzanti, eMazzanti Technologies - Panel MC

Kerry Flowers, Flower and O’Brien

Douglas Singer, eMazzanti Technologies

Jonathan Killion, Carl Marks

William Wnekowicz, Altum Design Studios

Steve Butera, WatchGuard Technologies

Sponsor by eMazzanti Technologies.

Location: eMazzanti Open House at 701 Grand St. Hoboken NJ 07030
Date: Sep 16th, 2010

Time: 5:30 PM

Location: Hoboken, NJ

Register for this Event
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Company Name:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Mobile:
Website Address:
Industry:
Event Date:	9/16/10 5:30pm
Special Requests:
Please copy the following characters: