Existing customers that have projects which have been sitting on the back burner for a while are also starting to reengage us in discussions around those projects and in some cases even pulling the trigger to get the project kicked off.

I don't know about you, but I am sure glad we are starting to see some positive signs out there - it has been a long time coming. Now that we are seeing what appears to be the beginning of movement back to something normal, I think this is the time that smart business leaders are going to pounce and establish their advantages for years to come. Investments made today are going to determine who comes out of this recession in the lead, and once in the lead, I think it is an advantage they will continue to enjoy for years while others struggle to try and catch up.

In our case, we are investing in new partnerships, new technologies and new products. This is leading us deeper into particular industries, and also allowing us to work more closely with our customers by offering a more comprehensive solution across many areas. What is your plan? Where will you invest to emerge ahead of the pack?

Have a great month!

How Strong Are Your Passwords?
by Mike Gonsalves, StrategicFusion

Most people don't realize that computer security starts with them. An easy way to hold off trouble is to use strong passwords that you change every so often.

For example, if I grew up at 245 Lucky Street, I might make my password Lucky245& Notice I've used Uppercase and Lowercase Letters, I have 3 numbers and a special character.

Here are some variations on the above password luCky24%, LuckY245$, luckY245* You can come up with a bunch if you just think about it a little bit.

Another example might be something you like, like Ice Cream, you could change it to 1cecr3@M Notice that I changed the first I in ice Cream to the numeral 1. The second e is represented by the number 3, sort of an E in reverse. The "a" became an @ sign.

Why go to all this bother?

Desktop or Workstation - Which do you need?
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Workstations are more accessible and more flexible than ever, but do you need that kind of power? How exactly do workstations differ from traditional desktops? Who uses workstations, and what benefits do they offer?

Who uses workstations?

Workstations are designed to meet the requirements of users who place heavy demands on their computers, including:

• Power office users who perform complicated and data-intensive office functions-graphic, video and web design, complex linked calculations, database and spreadsheet manipulations and advanced collaboration functions.
• Technical personnel who work in design and simulation functions that can include MCAD (Mechanical Computer Aided Design), CAE (Computer Aided Engineering), and ECAD (Electronics Computer Aided Design) in industries as diverse as aeronautics, automotive design, product prototyping and more.
• Animators, graphic artists, video editors and renderers who engage in DCC (Digital Content Creation).
• Traders or other employees in financial sectors that require quad-monitor support and the computing power to manage complex real time transactions seamlessly.

What makes a workstation a workstation?

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.

Do you run one or more applications in your environment that require frequent updates? Accounting firms are some of the most notorious for this type of requirement. Most accounting firms runs a series of different applications that allow them to prepare tax returns, store and calculate depreciation schedules, track their billable time, and much more.

The challenge faced in this type of environment is that many of these programs are updated frequently, and the update process can sometimes be cumbersome. We often work with in house IT staff members that spend hours per week just installing updates on every workstation for all of these programs.

Depending on the specifics in your particular environment, we may be able to help! Utilizing a combination of a variety of different tools, in almost 100% of the cases, we can build an update package every time your vendor sends out an update, and then deploy that package in an automated fashion across all of your desktops, whether they are connected to the network or not. Sure, it takes longer to create the package then it does to install the update on an individual workstation, but if you can spend the time creating the package up front, and then use it over and over on multiple workstations, it can quite often end up saving a HUGE amount of time.

Get in touch with us today to discuss the time and effort you are putting into installing vendor updates. Let us take that hassle off your plate so you can focus on more strategic projects.

June 2009
In this issue

 □  Welcome
 □  Strong Passwords
 □  Desktop or Workstations?
 □  Engineering Corner
 □  Referral Program
 □  Cash Back from HP

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

Get up to $1,000 cash back on an HP printer
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Are your current printing solutions just not cutting it anymore?

As your business grows, so does the list of requirements for your printing solutions. The new HP Trade-in & Save Program makes it easy and affordable to get your hands on the latest in printing technology and reliability from HP. Better yet, the HP Trade-in & Save program lets you receive up to $1,000 cash back when purchase a new HP printer and you trade in your old printer. It's as easy as following a few steps:

• ► Purchase a new eligible HP printer from the list below between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009
• ► Submit your claim for trade-in
• ► Pack up your old desktop laser or inkjet printer and ship to HP for recycling for free (a $30 to $50 value). Any brand of laser or ink printer is acceptable for trade-in.
• ► Receive up to $1,000 cash back. And while supplies last we'll include a FREE HP Total Care Access Card (a $49.99 value). Terms and conditions apply*.

Here are just a few of the eligible printers.

Quote of the month

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable
from magic."

-- Arthur C. Clarke

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Telephone: 602.297.2400
Fax: 602.297.8703
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