Daylight Savings Time - Client Issue of the Month - Say goodbye to XP
When to skip technology - Humor - Community Events

In response to a growing demand for this method of payment, we are now accepting credit cards (Visa & MasterCard) A generic authorization form can be downloaded at http://swiftecit.com/CC_Auth.pdf

As most of you know, Daylight Savings time has been pushed back one week by the 2005 Energy Conservation Act.  For those who don’t know, you changed your clocks a week early and are showing up everywhere an hour early.  When the rest of us catch up (Daylight savings time is now the first Sunday of November) we’ll all be in sync.

In the real estate business, the three most important factors in the decision making process of buying are: 1) Location, 2) Location, and 3) Location.

And so it goes in our business also, as far as data integrity and security are concerned.  But the concept of “Back-up, Back-up and Back-up” can have its dangers, as two of our NEW clients found out.

In one instance, a service business was using outdated back-up software which ceased to function.  Because it was not monitored closely, weeks passed without any back-ups, and then they had an unrelated computer crash, at which point they learned they had no functioning back-up to rescue their situation.

In the second instance, the client was warned by the computer to “clean me” but as hard as he tried, the cleaning tape did not clear the flashing warning, a clear sign that the software could not do its intended work.  Luckily, in this instance, the client did not experience a disaster.  After talking to us, however, he felt reassured this would not happen to him again!

Our solution to the potential disasters that lurk in all computers which are not maintained by an in-house IT Department (or its equivalent) is simple and low-cost.  We maintain off-site back-ups of your data at pre-arranged times (4 AM, for instance) and inform you by e-mail each morning whether the back-up met with “Success” or “Failed”.  Considering the peace of mind this system produces, and the hours of lost productive time it avoids, its cost is minimal.

For a no-obligation survey of how this can work for you in your business, please call us.

We have been notified by Dell that Windows XP Pro will not be available for purchase in December 2007.  Whether they mean the beginning or end of the month is moot; Dell feels that since Vista was officially released in February 2007, enough time has elapsed for hardware manufacturers to update their software drivers.  Apparently neither Microsoft or Dell read this newsletter’s comments on the topic last month:  We believe Vista is still not ready for prime time. Until the initial “kinks” are addressed, users of machines capable of being upgraded with more memory would be well advised to do so.  An added benefit is that as  a Dell reseller, we can customize your system with EXACTLY what you want in it, rather than subject you to unnecessary (and expensive learning curves.

It is truly amazing what technology has brought us. We support dozens of business without leaving the office.  We endeavor to increase our clients’ productivity at every opportunity.

But new technology is not always for the best.  Case in point is Instant Messaging (IM).
IM is a technology that allows people to communicate instantly with text messages.  While this technology may have a use in some businesses, it has its downsides. We found that too often the IM technology creates constant interruptions in the daily work flow.  When an IM is received, the urge is to respond immediately.  People who wouldn’t stand around the water cooler ten times a day would think nothing of allowing ten interruptions, and chatting with IM.

Our recommendation is that unless you have a valid business need for IM, remove it from your systems.

20 A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
21 If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
22 With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
23 When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
24 The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
25 A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
26 A lot of money is tainted. It t'aint yours and it t'aint mine.
27 A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
28 He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
29 The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium-at-large.
30 Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.

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