January 2010
In this issue

> Network Management
> Better Together
> Meet Stuart Jenkins
> Spilled Coffee
> Just for Laughs
 

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:

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 - Better Together
by David Tan, Chief Technology Officer, CHIPS Technology Group LLC

Lost in all the hype about the recent Windows 7 is the excitement around the simultaneous launch of Windows Server 2008 R2. There are probably a few reasons this launch has been so overlooked. First, as I mentioned, it came hand-in-hand with the desktop launch. Clearly, Microsoft's marketing team doesn't plan any "I'm a Windows Server" commercials to go along with their current "I'm a PC" campaign, so the masses will often not know about the server. Second is the naming convention. This is the second time Microsoft has chosen to stick the R2 moniker at the end of a server product name (Windows Server 2003 R2 started the trend) for some unknown reason. I realize they probably don't want to go through a rebranding campaign every 18 months, but R2 does add much excitement to a product launch. Make no mistake however; Server 2008 R2 is a substantial new product release with a wealth of outstanding new features, and something to certainly get excited about.

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Meet Stuart Jenkins
He's standing on top of a box!
Used with permission of Joel H. Weldon & Associates, Inc.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com

Have you ever wondered about the word "discipline"? What images does it conjure up in your mind? Doing what you have to do? Toeing the mark? Keeping your nose to the grindstone? Putting restrictions on your behavior and actions? Setting limits? If these are some of the negative connotations you would assign to the word "discipline," then you'll really enjoy hearing the story of Stuart Jenkins, and you may find it quite an eye-opener.

"Mrs. Jenkins," the grade school teacher announced to Stuart's mother, "your son will never graduate from high school, let alone attend college. It's because of his dyslexia, you see, he's learning disabled."

Stuart sat in the slow class in the one-room schoolhouse in a little town in Nebraska where everyone knew everyone. The worst part was not that the town labeled him "dumb" and "stupid." The worst part was that Stuart believed the labels. Until, that is, the day that everything changed.

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