InSwift is moving!

“Beginning March 3rd 2008, InSwift will relocate to new Office Space located in Dobson Village directly north of the Chandler Regional Hospital.
 

The new office will act as a “Technology Showcase” for the Products and Services InSwift provides. The new space will enable us to hold Live Demos, Training and Proof of Concept meetings on most of our IT solutions. InSwift will also realize these additional benefits:

• State-of-the-Art, Temperature Controlled Server Room
• Larger PC Service Bench Area
• Increased Work Space for Help Desk Staff
• Training and Demo Conference Room
• Cisco-Based VOIP Phone System
• IP Camera Technology
• Medical PC Mounting Demos

We look forward to using these new resources to continue to provide a World-class level of IT Support to all our Clients. Feel free to stop in anytime!”

Ten Security Recommendations for SMBs

Small and mid-sized businesses can be the hardest hit by new malicious code, spam, and phishing. Disruptions and down time can be avoided, however, by following the measures outlined in this article. Introduction The security landscape is constantly changing, so the threats your business faces today are different from the threats of a year ago – or even six months ago. The latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report gives an overview of threat activity for the first six months of 2007. Here are a few important trends noted in the Report:

• In the first half of 2007, 212,101 new malicious code threats were reported to Symantec. This is a 185 percent increase over the second half of 2006.

• Between January 1 and June 30, 2007, spam made up 61 percent of all email traffic monitored at the gateway.

• The Symantec Probe Network detected a total of 196,860 unique phishing messages, an 18 percent increase over the last six months of 2006. This equates to an average of 1,088 unique phishing messages per day for the first half of 2007.

• Threats to confidential information made up 65 percent of the top 50 potential malicious code infections reported to Symantec.

What Can You Do?

To tell you the truth, when I personally think of creating a budget, a trail of cold fear trickles down my spine. However the reality is simple- Budgeting is a part of your business that is vital for its survival and growth. The whole truth is this – If you have a good budget built on sound thoughts and principals then your next year of business will run much more smoothly than if you just throw some numbers on a piece of paper and call it a budget. Now on that note, creating a budget does not have to be reminiscent of going in for a root canal either. Here are a few tips from InSwift  that might be able to help you as you create a budget that will help, rather than harm your company.
 

February 2008

Leveraging Technology Mitigates Risks, Controls Costs and Helps Meet Demands of
Growing Businesses
By Richard J. Reiffer, Trivalent Group

As a small business expands, the need to manage this growth with updated technology should rate high on a company’s list of priorities. Should an organization experience rapid growth in a short period of time and fail to advance its technology to meet these new demands, the business owner may face significant challenges in the future, including loss of revenues, waning market share and adverse customer perceptions.

Incorporating the following tips into the company business plan will help ensure a smooth transition.

Don’t do everything yourself
Most small businesses believe they can administer technology issues themselves without the support of an independent technology firm. The cost of maintaining an in-house IT operation is often beyond the means of most small to mid-sized companies. However, the risk of lost data, system crashes, spyware and slow-running systems may be far greater for these organizations in terms of financial loss, diminished customer goodwill and declining productivity. For many small businesses, outsourcing the IT function has proven to cut costs considerably.

Look for a professional and trusted advisor
Small business owners tend to utilize trusted advisors for many of their decisions. Relying on experts in a particular field will produce a higher overall advantage. Such is the case for companies seeking tax advice or legal counsel. However, with IT, many of these owners are baffled by technology and have difficulty finding the right resource. 

Read more
 

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