Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Do You Catch My Drift?
October 19th, 2010It happened last week. I sent an email that was misinterpreted. Instead of being funny, it was received with alarm. Of course I didn’t intend it…I just thought the reader would ‘hear’ me in their head when they read it. And the smiley face next to it didn’t help it along either. Ah me.
Normally I am very diplomatic in my emails, sending information only and saving conversation for the phone calls. Don’t get me wrong…I know how to send a ‘neutral’ email message. I made a choice. And it backfired. It would be great if there was a way to ‘check’ drafted message before they went out…just in case. You never know. Really.
Then I found it. Microsoft is in beta testing of a software Add-In program called ToneCheck. I downloaded it and gave it try. I sent a scathing email to myself to see what it would do. It caught it alright; said my message was outside my tolerated tone tolerance. And while it flagged something that could have been offensive, ToneCheck is definitely still in beta…phrases I tested to myself were downright ugly. ToneCheck merely flagged them as “Sad”.
Having a college background in English grammar, I am aware of the power in words and their usage. There is a blind freedom that many people enjoy when hidden behind the monitor and not face to face with someone. Words and comments get typed, sent and posted without so much as re-read or thought into how it will be perceived. Society has become numb to words and their implications. Right now are you thinking that your writing skills are too good for automated help? Social psychologists tend to disagree. Nicholas Epley and Justin Kruger conducted a study entitled “Egocentrism Over E-Mail: Can We Communicate as Well as We Think?” confirming that the senders of email are consistently overconfident in their expectation that the sarcastic tone inflection will be perceived…overconfident to the tune of 15% more than what was actually perceived correctly! Can your business afford to unnecessarily lose 15% of the in process sales prospects? Not in today’s economy. There’s just no replacing the non-verbal cues we send when physically present. Without that added benefit, the reader is left to rely on his/her own set of experiences and insecurities. Scary to say the least.
For now, I believe nothing replaces the old method of saving a draft and reading it later in the day before sending it. Getting a fresh read of the content (aka removed from the emotion of the moment) is the next best thing to having it read by another set of eyes for feedback.
After all, do we really want to trust the voice(s) in the other person’s head?
^ Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
8 Tips to Stay Cyber Safe
October 15th, 2010The month of October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). NCSAM is a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and our nation’s critical cyber infrastructure. Cyber security requires vigilance 365 days per year. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), the primary drivers of NCSAM, coordinate to shed a brighter light in October on what home users, schools, businesses and governments need to do in order to protect their computers, children, and data.
Online:
- Keep your personal information private on social networks.
- Install a URL scanning tool to alert you of potentially harmful web links.
- Review your bank account and credit card statements regularly for questionable charges.
- Review your credit report and credit score regularly.
- Choose difficult encrypted passwords, consider using KeePass to safely store all your passwords.
On Your Computer:
- Keep your operating system and software programs up to date.
- Install these type software programs: anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall .
- Back up your computer data regularly.
Below are our recommend downloads to keep your computer safe:
- Anti-Virus: AVG Antivirus, Symantec Anti-Virus, Trend Micro AntiVirus
- Firewall: MS Windows firewall
- Anti-Spyware: Webroot’s Spy Sweeper
- URL Link Scanner: AVG LinkScanner
- Credit Report: Federal Trade Commission
- Credit Score: Credit Karma
- Password: KeePass
Below are additional sites listed by the NCSAM:
- Anti-Virus: ESET NOD32 Antivirus, F-Secure Internet Security, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Norton AntiVirus, Webroot Internet Security
- Firewall: ZoneAlarm, Norton Internet Security
- Anti-Spyware: PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2011, STOPzilla (removal)
- Credit Report: Equifax, TrustedID
- Credit Score: myFICO
A&J Computers offers solutions for all your IT security needs. Visit us at ajcomputers.com for more details or contact with questions.
^ Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
Still Need to Buy Windows XP? Better Act Now.
September 17th, 2010Microsoft has announced that the last day to purchase Windows XP is October 22nd. This means it will no longer be stocked and available from Dell, HP or on the shelves at Best Buy. And if you still need to order computers with XP preinstalled, that date is October 1st (less than 2 weeks away).
Here are the 2 main questions we are hearing regarding XP’s discontinuation:
- My whole business relies on Windows XP. What if I need technical support?
A&J Computers Inc. is here to support your technical needs, and Microsoft will continue to directly offer Extended Support until April 2014. - Can my Windows XP programs run on Windows 7?
In most cases the answer is Yes. Microsoft has a Windows 7 Compatibility page to help you find out if your programs or hardware will work with Windows 7.
View the Microsoft announcement for full details about Windows XP End of Life at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-xp/end-of-sale.aspx.
Please contact us as soon as possible to place any computer orders that require Windows XP preinstalled to ensure they ship by the 10/22 deadline.
Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc.
The iPad and The Enterprise, a not quite fairytale
September 16th, 2010Once upon a time, in the far away land of Apple, lived a beautiful iPad. It longed to enter mainstream America, so it ventured out to play. Along the way, the evil corporation fooled the lovely iPad into entering its workforce, hoping to diminish the initial joy of this toy. Alas, the iPad was so happy in its new home, embracing the work happily, and evil was once again foiled.
Initially released as a mainstream consumer product, the iPad is here to stay…love it or leave it. In its first 3 months on the market, over 3 million iPads were purchased, and projections for media tablets as a whole are liable to reach almost 8 million consumers this year alone.
Like the iPhone, the iPad shares the same operating system, making it a legitimate tool for employees on the go. However, without videoconferencing capabilities, a staple tool for employees in the field, the iPad has room to grow. Also, like the iPhone, it does not support Flash and is still a bit too small to handle a serious at your desk workload. On the plus side, those handy apps are the main draw to the mobile workforce and they do a great job.
How well it works in the Enterprise is still up for debate. Third party application developers are helping to bridge the gap by developing apps to read and write common office file formats (such as Microsoft© Word and Excel), plus a plethora of utilities for day-to-day office tasks including many for IT administrators. Updates to the Operating System will ensue, enabling more multi-tasking abilities as time goes on.
While the iPad is still primarily a consumer-related product, the workforce is rapidly clamoring to justify its support within the corporate enterprise network. But don’t toss the laptops out just yet. The iPad was never intended to replace the standard computer; it is — and will remain to be — an additional tool in the workforce arsenal.
At the end of the day, we own iPads, iPods and iPhones and we use them every day. Just like every tool in a carpenter’s toolbox has its place, we believe in using the right tool for the right job at the right time. And that’s truly how to live happily ever after.
Julie Settle
A&J Computers Inc
Why Your IT Consultant Needs to Be a Part of Your Business Decision Making Process
August 25th, 2010I have been fortunate enough through my career to work both in the corporate environment and in small business. In both, no matter how strong or organized the company was, I always noticed a disconnect, fear or mistrust from the business side toward the technology side. And that is essentially what it was like, a warring faction that left everyone tired, angry and over-budget. The time has come to…yes, here it comes…bury the hatchet. And here’s how…
For over 30 years (aka the dawn of computers), businesses have struggled with IT for power and control; one thought the other was controlling, one thought the other clueless. The truth is, neither party truly wanted control, they wanted to do their job and be done with it. Newsflash–both entities desire a seat at the planning table, to have an equal say in how business (and its implementation) will move forward. My question to you today, oh fearless business owner, is how can you help overcome this endless cycle?
For starters, both the business owner and the IT consultant should come together willing to adopt a balanced approach that considers long-term enterprise and short-term business interests; in other words, willing to work as a team. As Susan Cramm states in her book “8 Things We Hate About IT”, research indicates that companies that have single-mindedly pursued alignment have lower sales growth and higher IT expenses than do companies having a more balanced approach to IT.
In reality, the alignment adopted by companies over the years has only been superficial. They think they are working together, but they just aren’t. IT must be woven into the fabric of the organization, requiring a shared commitment and a shared responsibility. To realized this, businesses need to treat their IT consultant as a business partner and not as a service provider. Cramm likens compares this superficial alignment to a husband and wife with separate bedrooms. If the true partnership isn’t there, the IT consultant is essentially tiptoeing down the hallway in the middle of the night only to find the bedroom (or boardroom) door closed.
Below are four suggestions to help bridge the gap between business owners and IT consultants and begin truly collaborating at the same table:
- In order to get the results you want, get to know your IT consultant. I don’t mean over beer and a burger, but if that’s what it takes, then do it. Find out what makes him tick and he will do the same with you. All great relationships involve personal understanding and motivation. A great example is the business manager who needs something done NOW for immediate results (i.e. increased profits or employee bonuses) and the IT consultant who needs to do it RIGHT to support the enterprise long-term (i.e. avoiding expensive and difficult to change/fix systems). Having an understanding of where each other is coming from, how they operate and talking their language all helps create a working solution that is a win-win for the business as a whole.
- Getting to know technology isn’t the end result, it’s a part of your strategic plan. Your IT consultant supports the execution of your business strategy. More importantly, what he does helps expands strategic options. Use technology as a competitive tool or weapon in your business arsenal to reach broader ground – internally or externally. Within the walls of a company, to create an enterprise architecture that fits a business both today and in the future, plan to tweak it as you move along that timeline. You get more bang for your buck…what business manager doesn’t like the sound of that?!
- Let the right person make the right approvals. In a nutshell, business owners decide the what and IT consultants decide the how.
- In order to keep a plan on track, both groups must assess Value Measurements. In other words, in layman-ese, what do you want to get out of the project? Use that as the way to measure your success. Mary Yanocha, in “Consultants Can Make a Difference”, Baseline, lists common ‘value’ measures as:
• Cost and/or Time Savings
• Meeting milestones
• Customer satisfaction
• Revenue growth
• Performance improvement
• Employee satisfaction
• Return on Investment
All this leads to the conclusion that there are no more independent IT projects, they are IT-involved business initiatives. In “The Next Generation CIOs”, McKinsey on IT, research shows that “around 90% of CEOs expect business managers to (be actively involved in) IT budget decisions as well as the process and organizational challenges that technology implementations require”. Business owners can help their IT consultant by being responsible for actively being involved using the examples above. IT consultants can help by providing the best people for the job and sticking to the agreed upon assessments. With both people assuming the appropriate accountability, constant communication and collaboration, opportunities arise to learn more about how the other half operates and can then better prepare and navigate a project. Getting back to the marriage example, if you know your wife loves fine dining, and you learn to hold the door for her and place the cloth napkin in your lap, chances are you are on a good start to navigating your way through a meal you may not yet understand anything else about, and perhaps even enjoy the evening to boot.
Stop for a moment and think about how well you actively engage and involve your IT consultant in the decision-making processes. Do you micro-manage and effectively hog-tie the process? Do you drop the project in their lap and expect a quick, efficient solution to magically appear? Or do you volley back and forth, allowing the process to evolve naturally?
~ Julie Settle, A&J Computers Inc.
