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Computer Troubleshooters6803 Hillcrest AvenueDallas, Texas 75205214 363 6013info@fixyourpc.netFred Givhan, Ownerwww.fixyourpc.net
"As a business owner, you don't have time to waste on technical and operational issues. That's where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!"
- Fred Givhan Computer Troubleshooters 214.363.6013 Get More Free Tips, Tools, and Services At My Web Site: www.fixyourpc.net
Here's a little quandary for you to consider: If you have employees using company-owned laptops, phone or other devices, who's responsible for replacing them if they get lost, stolen or damaged? This is a sticky question and one that needs to be addressed BEFORE Joe walks into your office to sheepishly admit he's left his laptop at Starbucks last night.
Under federal law, an employer has the right to deduct the costs of a lost or damaged device from their employee's paycheck, PROVIDED that deduction doesn't drop the employee's compensation below minimum wage. However, California considers the loss and damage of electronic devices to be a cost of doing business and will only allow you to charge back your employees if they were negligent. Other states may have similar laws - so the first thing you should do is check with an attorney who specializes in employment law for your state to know what you can and can't do.
Next, decide what your policy is going to be on this topic and communicate that in writing to your employees. It should outline what care they should take with company-owned mobile devices as well as the consequences of losing or damaging them. Yes, the term "policy" makes us all cringe, but it's important to make sure you and your employees have a written understanding of what your expectations are, as well as what their responsibility is.
The cost of replacing a lost device is actually insignificant compared to the bigger cost and risk of the data it contains. Of course this opens up another can of worms all employers need to think about – security on mobile devices. And since some employees are using their OWN devices, you'll need to think through what the rules are for company owned AND employee owned devices. (Aside, putting your data in the cloud can help).
But one thing is for sure: if you and your employees are storing sensitive information like passwords, credit card information, client or patient data on mobile devices, extra care MUST be taken to ensure the security of that data if the device is stolen. As always, if you need help in determining what your policy should be and how to secure mobile devices, give us a call. This service is free to all of our top-tier managed service clients.
Are you about to experience dam failure? Let me explain what I mean. As a CEO Coach, I have conversations with leaders of companies from a variety of industries, shapes and sizes. Yet one pattern that nearly all these business leaders share is that they say "yes" too often.
Think about your schedule like a reservoir with the dam. Every time you say yes to something, you're adding more and more water to that reservoir. Say yes too often and pretty soon you're going to have to open the spillway to let something else out. Keep this up for a while, and eventually you'll experience dam failure.
To protect your reservoir of time, I'm going to give two tips that you can use to help you say "no" more often than you say "yes."
The first deals with saying no to others. The more successful you become as a business owner or a CEO, the more people will be drawn to you. They'll want you to be involved in their projects. That's not to say that you should say no to all of them, but you need to be judicious in the "yeses."
A simple way to handle this is to ask for requests through email. Email allows you to review their request in a calm environment, away from social pressure, and view it in relation to your calendar. Then, if you decide to say no, you can take your time to craft a diplomatic response.
The second tip deals with saying no to yourself. Most entrepreneurs, business owners, and CEOs are great idea generators. They have many ideas about business improvements or maybe even new business ventures. However, when they say yes to too many of those ideas, pretty soon they have to open the spillway of their time reservoir, causing them to neglect other things—or, even worse, experience dam failure.
I recommend using a perhaps list. A perhaps list is a running list of all those great ideas that you have. Put ideas on that list, and then set up a schedule—perhaps once per month—to review that list and decide whether it's time to add something new to your already busy schedule. These two simple tips will help protect your precious time and focus. Follow them consistently, and you'll go a long way toward avoiding dam failure.
Guest article provided by: Dave Crenshaw is an author, speaker and CEO coach. He has appeared in TIME magazine, Forbes, SIRIUS XM Radio, and the BBC News. His first book, The Myth of Multitasking: How 'Doing It All' Gets Nothing Done, has been published in six languages and is a time management best seller. His latest book, Invaluable: The Secret to Becoming Irreplaceable, is also an organizational behavior and motivational bestseller. Dave has helped thousands of clients worldwide harness chaos, get focused, and build invaluable businesses.
So you've bought into the whole social media and online marketing idea and you're Tweeting, posting to Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging and using Google+ (not to mention dozens of other online tools and resources) to promote your company. Whew!
However, here's the little "gotcha" to all of this that you might not have thought about: how do you manage all of this? And how can you keep an eye on these various web sites to make sure you're not missing a customer service issue, negative post or even a sales opportunity? The answer is Hootsuite.
Hootsuite is an online aggregation tool that allows you to review and manage all your online postings and presence through a simple, easy to use interface. All in one place, you can manage your company's Twitter accounts, your personal Facebook account, your company Facebook fanpage, your LinkedIn posts, your WordPress blog entries and even more. You can even assign rights to any of your accounts to other team members without ever giving up a single password.
Other helpful features of HootSuite include:
When Bill Langhenry at National Realty Partners had his laptop brought to a halt by a particularly nasty malware infection, he brought it in to us for a virus cleanup to be performed as quickly as possible. Within 2 days, not only was his laptop malware-free, but we were even able to optimize his network. National Realty Partners specializes in the acquisition and sale of investment real estate, and has over 25 years of nationwide experience. Call Bill at 214.692.6920 for details.
**Would you like your company highlighted here in our "Client Spotlight"? Then give us a call today at 214.363.6013.**
Are you thinking about moving all or parts of your computer network "to the cloud" but worried about who can access your data? You're not alone – but many security experts, software companies and cloud service providers alike agree that cloud computing offers a MORE secure way to store data. In fact, the US government's cyber security adviser Howard Schmidt had said that cloud computing will enable businesses to catch up on security issues.
That's because most small businesses do NOT have high-security measures in place for their data onsite and lack tight password protection policies, firewall management and backup procedures. The same business owners who verbalize their concern about putting their data in the cloud are backing up their entire network to a tape drive and leaving it in their car overnight – or are using weak passwords for important access points to their network, which are much bigger security risks than storing it in a highly secure, highly redundant cloud platform. That's like saying you'd rather stuff your money into a mattress at home than keep it in a bank because you're not sure who can see and touch your money.
Of course, with any data storage there is risk and there's no way to completely guarantee absolute security. That said, most cloud providers are far more diligent about security and invest millions of dollars into ensuring all aspects of security are as tight as possible. At Computer Troubleshooters we have spent a considerable amount of time investigating various cloud solutions and vendors for our clients. If you want more information on cloud security and what to look for, you can always call Joel at 214.363.6013.
Take my monthly "Trivia Challenge" and you could win too! The Grand Prize Winner of last month's Trivia Challenge Quiz is Weldon Bradley of Garland! He or she was the first person to correctly answer my quiz question from last month: Which of these famous people has a birthday of January 1st?
The choices were: a) Betsy Ross b) Paul Revere c) J. Edgar Hoover d) All of the above. The correct answer is d) All of the above. Congratulations, Weldon, you've won a $25 Tom Thumb Gift Card!
Now, here's this month's trivia question. The winner will receive a gift card to Tom Thumb.
Computer Scientist, Tim Berners-Lee is noted for creating? a) The First Computer b) The World Wide Web c) Turbo Tax Software d) Web Conferencing
Call me right now with your answer! 214.363.6013
Everyone knows the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but do you know the second fastest way? With tools!
So, here's the perfect Valentine's Day gift. It's not just any tool, this is like a Swiss Army knife on steroids.
The Mo-Tool (short for more tool) is power-packed with:
It's perfect for the garage or even as an emergency tool set to keep in your vehicle. Give one to your dad, your uncle, your best friend or your son. It's a handy tool anyone would appreciate having.
They can be found at Amazon for around $40.
I read somewhere that the average Microsoft Office user uses less than 10% of the features available to them in the software. If that's true, then Office is a treasure trove of shortcuts, tools and features just waiting to be unleashed. Of course, we don't know what we don't know – which is why most people never invest in training to learn these features and tools and make shorter work of various projects. To quote an old axiom, "We're too busy chopping trees to stop and sharpen the axe."
Of course, not all training is created equal and you DO want to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck; so the first thing you need to determine is, which software applications do you use the most? Word? Excel? Publisher? Next, you need to determine your learning style. Are you good at self-study or do you prefer to have someone walking you through the lessons? There are many self-study and online courses to choose from, such as those found at www.selfstudysource.com. Investigate and choose a program that's right for you!
There is a place you can touch a woman that will drive her crazy. Her heart. ~ Melanie Griffith
Love is grand; divorce is a hundred grand. ~Anonymous
I was nauseous and tingly all over. I was either in love or I had smallpox. ~Woody Allen
Forget love, I'd rather fall in chocolate. ~Anonymous
The great question... which I have not been able to answer...is, "What... does a woman want?" ~Freud
Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience. ~Samuel Johnson
An archeologist is the best husband any woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her. ~Agatha Christie
Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. ~ Albert Einstein
You can't put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories. ~Melanie Clark
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