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Michael Cocanower
President, itSynergy
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Welcome
This month, I once again made the trek to Seattle to
visit the 'mother ship' - the
Microsoft campus.
I spent a few days with what Microsoft
calls WSSG which stands for the Windows
Server Solutions Group. This is the group
that is responsible for a number of
different solutions built on the Windows
Server platform, including Home Server,
Small Business Server, and Essential
Business Server. Spending time with this
group is ALWAYS a great learning experience
and this year was no exception. I recently
read an article the premise of which was
essentially that Microsoft doesn't really
innovate any more. |
While I can understand the argument that there
haven't been any radical game changing revolutionary
products from Microsoft in any recent years, I still
see a LOT of innovation coming out of Redmond, WA in
areas where it counts the most in the market we
serve - bottom line impact for small and medium
businesses.
In addition to constantly updating and improving
the products that are already in market, the WSSG
team is also working on a lot of new products - some
of which I can talk about without violating my NDA
and some of which I can't. One of the new products
that they showed us from this team was Windows
MultiPoint Server 2010 (you can read more here
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/default.aspx).
This cool new product allows for multiple
simultaneous and completely independent user
sessions to be run from a single PC. Imagine taking
your desktop PC, and attaching 5-10 sets of monitor,
keyboard and mouse to that one PC and having it act
like 5-10 completely independent PCs. Very cool
technology and a HUGE boon for the educational
environment. Cash strapped schools can now outfit a
computer lab for 30 students by purchasing just 5
PCs, along with 30 monitors, keyboards, and mice.
Since the PC is by far the most expensive part of
that, this technology represents a large cash
savings while still delivering a high quality
educational experience on the Windows platform.
There is a lot more coming out of this team over
the next 12 months. Stay tuned as I think much of it
is very exciting and has a place in our customer's
environments immediately upon release.
On a separate note, this is a VERY last minute
request, but if you happen to be in the Phoenix area
this weekend and are looking for something to do
along with a way to support a GREAT cause, please
consider attending the Children's First Academy (http://www.cfaphoenix.org)
Community Cookout this Saturday Evening from 5 to
9pm. They still have a few tickets available (you
can purchase them right on their website), and I
can't think of a more worthy cause to support. If
that isn't tempting enough, both my wife and I
(along with some friends and other itSynergy team
members) will be there as volunteers, so you can
come make fun of me as I serve up your cowboy beans!
Have a great month!
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Acceptable Computer Usage Policy
-Eric Reynolds
Wood Networks, Senior Technician
Whether presented
as part of the company handbook, or as a standalone
document, an Acceptable Computer Usage Policy is a must in
today's workplace. Having a good policy in place will
clearly communicate to the staff what is acceptable and what
is not. The main reason behind Acceptable Computer Usage
Policy is to protect computer investments and company data.
Here is a look at what should be contained in an Acceptable
Computer Usage Policy.
The Policy Statement - This statement includes the items covered
and has a brief overview of what is to come. It also
outlines "excessive" use.
The Ownership Statement - This statement outlines what data is owned
by the company. Many companies claim ownership of any data
residing on their network or created while employed at the
company.
Read more
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The Future of Computing is in the Clouds
By Shane Robison, Chief Technology Officer, HP
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center
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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:
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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.
Read more
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System Engineering Corner
Notes from the Network Engineering Department:
Note to readers: As our network engineers work with all of you across our entire customer base, they observe trends and issues that many people have in common, or that many customers will find helpful to know about.
This section is designed to give them a mechanism to communicate those issues to you, with the hope that YOU might benefit from. |
It's Tuesday afternoon. You're sitting at your desk working along and trying to
stay awake after eating too big of a lunch when suddenly... STOP - you get a
screen telling you your computer is infected with a virus. What to do? This
screen gives lots of official looking information talking about Trojans, Worms,
and all kinds of other nasty stuff. Fortunately, there is a button right on the
screen to Clean. Easy right? Just click the clean button and go on with your
day.
NO! STOP!
In fact, a trained professional eye like ours knows that this pop up message
is ITSELF actually a virus, and is trying to trick you into clicking on it to
activate the virus and further damage your computer. The malware software
writers have gotten more and more sophisticated, and a lot more of our customers
have been seeing these messages over the past several months. Unfortunately, the
messages look extremely authentic and valid, and so users often click on them
and end up getting themselves into far worse shape.
Be on the lookout for these messages and if you see one, STOP immediately and
contact us. For our itSynergize Managed customers, it only takes a few seconds
for us to connect to your computer, and we can dispose of this nuisance safely
and without harm to your computer. Believe us - you'll thank us in the long
term!
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February 2010
In this issue
□ Welcome
□ Computer Usage Policy
□ The Future of Computing
□ Engineering Corner
□ Referral Program
□ Managers Beware
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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.
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Managers Beware -
Your Employees Are Watching You
by Debra J. Schmidt
used with permission
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:
Read more
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Quote of the month
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
- Thomas Edison
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7310 North 16th Street,
Suite 130
Phoenix, AZ 85020-8203
Telephone: 602.297.2400
Fax: 602.297.8703
Email: info@itsynergy.com
www.itsynergy.com
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