The first is that I think we are all going to start to see much of the funding approved as part of last year's stimulus package actually hit the streets. Almost every one of our clients across the board either drastically reduced or completely stopped spending on new technology last year, and that has resulted in an aging infrastructure which can't last forever. Those servers and desktops will start to give out this year in direct coordination with funds starting to flow (whether from the stimulus or otherwise) should bring the state of technology back into line with what we'd consider normal. We are also becoming involved with areas that will specifically be impacted by the stimulus dollars, such as healthcare, and we are expecting to see increased spending in all of those areas as well.

The second area where we will place a lot of focus this year is in making our customers' spending on technology more predictable. Since we work exclusively with small and medium businesses for the most part, it is much easier for us to be able to predict what needs to be done in order to keep a company's technology running smoothly. By taking the risk of spikes and valleys in monthly technology spending and transferring that risk from our customers to us, everyone wins. The customer has a much more predictable expense line to maintain their technology, and we can assume full control over optimizing the environments for maximum reliability, security, and efficiency without customers having to worry about how many hours we are spending.

That's what we have on the radar for 2010 - hopefully your view is equally as optimistic. Have a great month!

Help! I've Spilled Coffee on my Laptop
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

It's late and you're struggling to stay awake at your desk, so you decide to make yourself a cup of coffee. A few more hours of work ahead and the coffee will perk you up. Then, oops, there it is, all over your laptop, ruining your evening. The coffee has drained into the machine. The damage could be irreparable.

And worse: you may actually be in danger of being electrocuted. Since data travels between the laptop's components via an electrical current, if any liquid comes into contact with the components while the power is on, it will short out the traces between the circuits. Everything can be affected — keyboard, motherboard, memory and processor.

So what should you do if the worst happens?
Don't panic. By acting promptly, you can usually prevent significant damage. If your laptop is running on battery power and isn't connected to an AC outlet, quickly press the power button to shut the machine down. Then remove the battery.

If the machine is connected to a power outlet, unplug it. Important: you must do this immediately once the spill has occurred. If the power is removed quickly enough, the electronics inside will be undamaged. Then remove the battery.

Now you aren't in any immediate danger, so you can start clearing up the mess. Blot up as much liquid as you can with a soft cloth. Next, remove all cables, USB components, cards and any other external devices. Tilt the laptop gently from side to side to drain it (without madly shaking it around) and place it upside down so the liquid can drain out. Removing the outer casing might affect your warranty; if you choose to do so, don't touch the circuitry inside.

Read more

5 Dos and Don'ts of Network Management
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Keeping your business running smoothly means having a network that's stable and secure. But even minor oversights and errors can cause big problems; cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and they're increasingly targeting smaller businesses that aren't as likely to have the security that a large enterprise would have.

Luckily, good security doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.

There are a few relatively simple dos and don'ts you can follow to help ensure your security bases are covered.

Here are our top five:

Heard any of the recent press about the security vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet explorer? Those of you that are regular readers of this section know that there is often a big difference between press hype and reality. In this case, the vulnerability can only be exploited in Internet Explorer 6, which is now several years old, and few of our customers are still running that older technology. In spite of the hype which is overblown, this is yet another reminder of the importance of patch management. Even though this latest issue can only exploit a several year old browser, it still was able to spread widely and quickly, which is an indicator that many are still not keeping their security patches up to date.

In order to keep those patches up to date, you can subscribe to the notification of patch releases from Microsoft, try to keep up with each one, and spend several hours per month making sure all of the computers within your organization are fully patched. Alternately, you can just sign up for itSynergize Management, and have all of your patch management (plus much more) be taken care of for an inexpensive monthly fee, leaving you time to work on IMPORTANT things in your business or life.

January 2010
In this issue

 □  Welcome
 □  Spilled Coffee
 □  Network Management
 □  Engineering Corner
 □  Referral Program
 □  Flying with Cell Phones

itSynergy Referral Program

Can we buy you dinner and send you to the movies? How about make a donation to your favorite charity in your name? Earn rewards for referring new customers to itSynergy. For more details, please visit here.

Flying with Cell Phones:
5 Myths
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

It's difficult to imagine a time when people looked forward to flying on a commercial airline. Yes, even when they were traveling on business. But that was before airline deregulation, when seats still offered ample leg room, plane food was palatable (and free) and fellow passengers actually dressed up for trips. Now all of that is gone, replaced with narrow seats, $7 sandwiches, lots of first-time fliers with loose-fitting clothing worn for the ease of getting past airport security, and soon, cell phones.

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Quote of the month

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:
To rise above the little things

- John Burroughs

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