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SOLUTION....A Widely Used Word, But A Reality At ARRC!
Today, local
businesses are faced with so many difficult challenges.
Owners, managers and employees face challenges greater
than ever before to maintain and continue business
growth. One of the greatest challenges for small and
mid-size business is technology. As you know, technology
is responsible for your business data. But, did you know
your data represents 80% of your assets? Yes, that's
right. . . EIGHTY PERCENT OF YOUR ASSETS! That's a huge
consideration for your business's survival. If you don't
pay attention to the technology side of your business
you could get blindsided! What are business people
thinking about?. . .
What's on
the mind of employers. . .
Rising service fees, employee productivity, rising cost
of employee benefits, competition, short term and long
term growth.
What's on
the mind of employees. . .
Rising gas prices, the fear of terrorism, the fear of a
bird flu pandemic, war in Iraq, looming threats from
Iran, rising interest rates, rising health insurance
costs and job security. These are all valid and
justified concerns! Add to those concerns, the list of
questions below. . .
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How do I
protect my network?
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How do I
maintain a secure network environment?
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Do I have
proper backup for my data?
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Will I be able
to access my data in an emergency?
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What is the
amount of down-time my business can tolerate?
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What is the
cost per hour of downtime?
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How quickly
can I recover my data?
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Do I have a
secure document management system?
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Are my Email
systems secure?
Read more
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Viruses are not only on your computer, they live on your keyboard
Influenza, commonly known
as the flu, crops up every year during the winter months. This
illness typically mutates, with a new strain developing every year.
While flu shots are usually a good idea, it is still important to
practice careful hygiene and take the best possible care or yourself
and your loved ones.
Here are some tips to
follow during flu season:
- Don’t touch your
nose or mouth. Germs on your hands could infect you.
- Wash your hands
frequently. Use hot water and rub vigorously for at least 30
seconds.
- Keep hand
sanitizers in your car or purse. Use after shopping, handling
money, pressing the buttons of an elevator or the keys of a cash
machine, touching a gas pump or the door handle of a public
bathroom and before eating any food from a drive-thru
restaurant.
- Eat healthy.
Eating foods rich in vitamins A, C and E, such as milk, eggs,
citrus fruits, vegetables and nuts will strengthen your immune
system. Starting the day with a healthy breakfast is also
crucial.
- Take vitamins and
supplements. A good daily multi-vitamin can help strengthen your
immune system. Green tea can boost your immunity as well.
- Drink at least 8
glasses of water per day. It flushes out your system and keeps
you hydrated during the dry winter months.
Read more tips
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Excellent Customer Service
by Jeff Wuorio
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center
 In the business world, good
customer service often isn't good enough anymore.
Customers and clients are
becoming increasingly disenchanted with the merely adequate. For them,
extraordinary service is the rule, not the exception. Anything less, and
they're happy to vote with their feet and their wallets.
That makes extraordinary
service necessary, not just desirable. And that, in turn, mandates a
strategy to help ensure that your business matches that standout service
standard on a daily basis.
Here are seven ideas and
tips to help your business establish and maintain an ongoing climate of
service excellence.
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Chasing
Too Much Paper?
Making the Transition to Electronic Document Management
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| If your company is exploring
the idea of electronic document management, you may be
thrilled with its promise of higher efficiency, but also
intimidated — even overwhelmed — by the complexity of
transitioning to such a large system. That’s because if your
company is like most, the sheer volume of the documents you
process is staggering.
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According to IDC, 95 percent
of all business information is still paper-based. And the
amount of time spent wading through this flood of data is
equally immense — often up to 40 percent of employees’ time,
according to research by Xerox.
Today’s technology can
eliminate the headaches caused by manually storing, managing
and retrieving data. Electronic document management
solutions can perform these tasks automatically.
And with our help, making a
transition to an electronic solution may not be as stressful
as you think. Through our partnership with VentureTech
Network, we have the expertise to help you choose the right
solution components and expedite your shift to a new
process.
We’ll start by carefully
examining your business needs and evaluating your answers to
the following questions.
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Riding the Economic Rollercoaster
reprinted with permission
from HP
Stephen
Minton, vice president, Worldwide IT Markets and Strategies, IDC, offers
insight on how outsourcing can help you ride out the economic
downturn—and maybe even gain a leg up on the competition along the way.
Rising gasoline prices.
Falling consumer confidence. Subprime mortgages. Inflation. Budget cuts.
Currency fluctuations. Floods, droughts and crop shortages. Each day's
news seems to add to the torrent of challenges heading our way. No
business is immune—but outsourcing can offer a way to leverage
technology to help stem the negative tide.
Here, IDC's Stephen Minton
shares his expert views and experience on the subject—and puts some
useful perspective around when it does and does not make sense to
consider outsourcing in today's volatile economic climate.
Recession. Downturn. Call
it what you will—what's the impact on business decisions to outsource or
buy IT services?
Historically, when faced
with an economic downturn, companies do one of two things:
First, they look to reduce
costs. Here outsourcing—with its potential to reduce overall costs—is
one way you can reach that goal.
Secondly, as talk of a
recession continues and nervousness about the economy increases, many
companies start putting the breaks on discretionary or performance IT
spending—the "new" projects in queue, if you will. Projects such as
software development around new applications often fall victim here, as
projects are put on hold or suspended all together.
Agreeing that outsourcing is a way to cut
costs, how should companies approach the decision to outsource? And are
there some areas better suited to it than others?
Done rapidly and
rationally, outsourcing can certainly generate rapid cost benefits. But
do not rush down the path to outsourcing.
Read more
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Viruses
Not Only on Your