What’s new
Swiftec's Blog
It has been a few months now that we shifted to blogging instead of having a newsletter. We see a blog as being a better vehicle to share information with you because we can post a single story which is relevant - and you will get it in your daily summary or your RSS reader. With the newsletter, it may be 4 weeks, 8 weeks (or sometimes more) before we can alert you to a critical issue - which by then is old news.
For example - someone asked today how to set their web email to an "Out of office" reply. So i posted the instructions for everyone to see and use here. Someone else asked about a program to read Office 2007 documents (saved with the docx or xlsx extensions), so i posted the answer here.
The point is that we the blog is an easy way to post information in a timely manner and it allows you to click on a topic of interest, or search for a key word.
Check it out. Let us know what you think.
Data Encryption
There will be an information session about the new Mass law which is going into effect at the end of the year. Come ask your questions and find out just how far you have to take this. It will affect every business in Massachusetts, but there are ways you can comply with just a written plan. Follow this link sign up -> http://swiftecit.com/html/Swiftec-CMR17-signup.shtml
Humor
In this age of Internet speed, a busy client of ours (Dave) figured out a way to clone himself. After the initial trepidation of having two Dave's, he started to relax. He was able to get twice the work done with half the effort. Life was bliss.
Then he started hearing complaints from his customers about what a foul mouth he had and how dare he speak to them with such profanity. Well, Dave knew that it was not him, but his clone. Dave was unsure of what to do. He couldn't confront his clone in a public place, because then people would know what he had done. So, Dave arranged to meet his clone on the roof of one of the tallest buildings around. Dave arrived at the top floor and no sooner than the elevator doors opened, Dave's clone started swearing at Dave. Out of frustration, a tussle ensued, and the clone went over the side of the building and had a sudden stop at the bottom.
When the police arrived, they were trying to figure out what to charge Dave with. It wasn't murder, since Dave was still alive. And then it came to them. They decided to charge him with "making an obscene clone fall."
News and Views
Read before you click
So, someone in my office signed me up for facebook. The fact that Facebook allowed you to reserve a name is what prompted this. (see http://www.facebook.com/swiftecit). So i went through the sign up process, and was clicking “Next”, “Next”,”Next” – and then i said “Oops”.
That last “Next” was to send an invitation to everyone i knew that was NOT on facebook, to join facebook.
The good news is that in the span of 3 days i now have more than 100 friends on facebook. The bad news is that i owe an apology to many people who i “spammed” unintentionally.
The lesson of the day is – read before you click!
Security
MA bill 201 CMR 17.00 - Data encryption
Data encryption and the protection of personal data is a very visible and misunderstood topic today. The solution need not be a technical one. This bill requires ALL companies to have a written information systems plan on how they handle their data. If you do not store confidential information on your computers, then you do not need software - but you still need documentation as to what you do with the information and the process flows. For information about the bill, click here. To sign up for the next info session, click here
Timely Tips
Thinking about going on vacation? Are you the type of person who likes/needs to check email or access office files out of the office. Now is a good time to test your remote connectivity and make sure everything is functioning the way you want it to - before you leave the state. A number of our clients travel the world and are able to retrieve their email or access ALL of their files from any computer with an Internet access. We have had some questions regarding keyboards in other languages, but unless you travel with a keyboard - take a typing lesson now. <grin>
GMP: Good Maintenance Practices
Along the lines of remote access, think about what computers and monitors you can turn off on a nightly basis to conserve energy. Remote access is usually set up to access the server (either local or web) and the computers in the office do not need to be left on. Not only will this reduce the amount of heat the air conditioning needs to use, but the computers will not draw any power when they are off.
