ARRC Technology -- The Circuit

March 2009
In this issue

	ARRC Technology Conference and Training Center
	Leasing Offers Benefits
	Pare Travel Costs
	Add-On Tools

3 Easy Strategies to Pare Travel Costs
By Christopher Elliott
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Pinching pennies is a time-honored tradition among many travelers. But it's a practice that's now gaining increasing popularity among an unlikely group: business travelers.

Road warriors long have had rich tastes in travel. Back in the late 1990s, when the economy was white-hot, they routinely bought expensive airline tickets and stayed in pricey hotels while away on business.

But those lavish expenses paid by travelers have since dwindled back toward the mainstream of travel. The average airfare paid by a business traveler was $559 in early 2000 and dropped further to $500 for the same period in 2003, according to Topaz International, an airfare auditing firm in Portland, Ore.

Hotel rates paid likewise are on the decline. The average per-night rate for a full-service hotel in an urban market was $121.02 per night during the first quarter of 2000. Three years later, the average price was $117.55 per night, according to the Hospitality Research Group of PKF Consulting in Atlanta.

ARRC Technology Conference and Training Center
High quality, low cost, flexible meeting or conference venue in a superb Bakersfield location


	The newly remodeled ARRC Technology Conference and Training Center is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built, flexible venue. The facility is specifically designed to meet all training, corporate meeting and conference needs.

Outfitted with high-end computer equipment, secure networking capabilities, and professional audio/visual systems, the center possesses everything necessary for a high-impact training session or meeting.

Our customizable systems are designed to meet specific technology requirements and accommodate up to 30 attendees and your facilitator. ARRC can handle specific technical requirements by utilizing the latest technology, dedicated T1 access, and advanced firewall and anti-virus systems to protect the integrity and security of your information.

Our center is designed for the productivity and comfort of participants. Features include: desks with generous workspace, comfortable chairs, climate controlled heating and air conditioning, and fresh coffee. Our friendly and experienced staff is able to assist with technical on-site support as well as handle catering needs, from basic snacks to full lunches.

Leasing Offers Added Benefits
in Tough Times
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Today's economic climate of rising energy costs, uncertainty in global financial markets and relentless pressure to drive down business costs poses multiple challenges for most companies. With the economy sluggish and financial "fuel" scarce, making the financial commitments needed to enhance or even maintain an IT infrastructure can be difficult. Yet those firms that make sound decisions in tough times by strengthening their infrastructure will be best positioned when the economy recovers and demand picks up.

Spending slows but still grows
According to IDC, a leading provider of global IT research and advice, IT spending is slowing—but still growing. Year-over-year spending growth for total IT is expected to slow in 2008 and 2009 before picking up in 2010.[1] In a June 2008 customer survey by HP Financial Services, some 75 percent of respondents said that current economic conditions have detrimentally affected their budgets. Nearly three in four said their companies have delayed or canceled new projects, 59 percent said they have scaled back or delayed new hardware deployments, and 52 percent said their companies have reduced head count.

What conclusions can we draw?

Enhance Microsoft Office with Business Add-on Tools
By Philipp Harper
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

A new breed of solutions called Office Business Applications helps extend the usability of your desktop and line-of-business applications.

For many companies, the ROI in enterprise software isn't what it could be.
Office Business Applications create synergy by connecting Microsoft Office to business applications.
The impact of OBAs on the bottom line is significant and immediate.

Return on investment is everything. But for too many small and midsize businesses, the ROI for line-of-business software is far less than what it ought to be.

Here's the problem. Line-of-business systems support the fundamental operations of the business, from customer relationship and supply chain management to financials and human resources. Yet these business applications are often disconnected from the processes and communications that support operations.

A Gartner research, "The Knowledge Worker Investment Paradox," found in 2002 that in most companies anywhere from 50 percent to 75 percent of the information that employees need to do their jobs comes from other workers.