5 Dos and Don'ts of Network Management
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Keeping your business running smoothly means having a network that's stable and secure. But even minor oversights and errors can cause big problems; cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and they're increasingly targeting smaller businesses that aren't as likely to have the security that a large enterprise would have.

Luckily, good security doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. There are a few relatively simple dos and don'ts you can follow to help ensure your security bases are covered. Here are our top five:

1. Don't forget backups and recovery
You know you need to back up your business data, but in the long list of IT priorities, it sometimes ends up lower down the list than it should be. And beyond the physical act of performing backups, your business should have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. It should include strategies for detecting and diagnosing problems, and the actions needed to repair the problem and get your system up and running as soon as possible, with little or no data loss.

2. Do install security updates and patches
According to a June 2008 survey by IT security firm Sophos, 81% of the corporate network endpoints they tested failed one or more basic security checks.

Read more

Follow ARRC on

NEW YORK, February 10, 2010 – MSPmentor today ranked ARRC Technology/CharTec No.76 on its annual ranking of the world's most progressive managed service providers. www.mspmentor.net. The MSPmentor 100 is an annual survey conducted by MSPmentor and its owner, Nine Lives Media Inc.

"Instead of ranking MSPs merely by total revenue, we calculate an index measurement using such metrics as overall managed services revenue, overall managed services revenue growth, percentage managed services revenue growth, managed services revenue per employee, number of devices managed, and other data points comparing fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2009. This index approach ensures small, midsize and large MSPs from around the world are recognized on the MSPmentor 100," said Joe Panettieri, Editorial Director of MSPmentor. In order to be considered for the MSPmentor 100 (2009-2010 edition), managed service providers had to complete a comprehensive online survey, which MSPmentor and Nine Lives Media Inc. conducted from October 2009 until December 2009.

Read more

3 Ways to Recover a Corrupted
Excel Workbook
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

It's your worst Excel nightmare: a damaged or corrupted workbook. This can happen for a variety of reasons -- and the good news is that there is a variety of ways to retrieve your damaged file.

If a file is corrupted, Excel should normally perform an automated recovery. However, if that doesn't work, there are a few other options you can try.

Read more

Smile - You're on the Phone
Used with permission of Joel H. Weldon & Associates, Inc.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com

Forget the research evidence, the dozens of pages of documentation and the years of prodding by communications consultants. Do your own survey right now. Pick up your telephone and call ten companies or businesses in your area that provide some sort of customer service, such as banks, brokerage firms, business equipment or insurance companies. Ask to speak to "a manager." If you get through, explain that you called to evaluate their telephone techniques. Then give the manager a brief report, hang up, and record your findings.

Chances are your research will prove that the most common errors you encounter in telephone answering are among the "dirty dozen." Here they are:

Read more

Ultimate Tips for a More
Comfortable Workspace
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Work is stressful enough without the added annoyance of an aching back, cramped fingers and a sore neck. But the fact is that people who are generally sedentary -- which can include anyone who spends most of their day behind a desk -- is at risk of developing these sorts of problems, as well as more serious conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive stress injuries.

Ready to feel more comfortable at work? Then read on to discover how a few simple changes to your workspace can make a big difference.

Read more

Missed Manners
by Amanda C. Kooser
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Some tech junkies tend to neglect etiquette in the office. E-mail is still one of the leading culprits, but newer arrivals like BlackBerrys and wireless earpieces are causing their share of social snafus. "Technology should not be an opportunity to multitask conversations," says technology etiquette expert Laurie Puhn, president of Laurie Puhn Communications . "Anytime you're [doing that], it is rude and unacceptable."

The ability to instantly send and receive e-mails and messages on your BlackBerry, PDA or smartphone requires etiquette attention. Put that BlackBerry away during meetings to let others know you're giving your full attention to the proceedings. Cell phone related violations are a major source of complaints, whether it's ringers going off at inappropriate times, loud speaking voices or the inadvertent sharing of personal information with anyone in the vicinity. Just because your Bluetooth headset is unobtrusive doesn't mean you can interrupt someone you're speaking with to take a call. It's also polite to pull out your iPod headphones (both of them) when you're talking to a colleague.

Make a good impression by being more aware of your tech habits. The old standards of turning off your cell ringer and using proper sentences and salutations in e-mails still apply. Finally, don't hesitate to respectfully bring attention to others' tech etiquette violations. "Rudeness is on the rise because we're not realizing these behaviors are rude," says Puhn, bestselling author of Entrepreneurs can set an example with their own behavior and by discussing etiquette policies with their employees.

Quote of the Month

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

~ Thomas Edison