Databranch Newsletter

May 2011
In this issue

> NAS Storage
> Disaster-Proof
> IT Phone Home!
> Get Rid of Old PC
> Vacation Checklist
> Business Continuity Tip
> Cartoon/Did You Know

Vacation Checklist: Prepare your PC
used with permission from Microsoft at Work

Whether you're leaving the office for the holidays, going on vacation, or taking a business trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare your computer for your time away. Canceling appointments and letting people know you'll be gone are just a few of the things you can do to make sure your responsibilities are covered and people aren't trying to meet with you. Here are some best practices to make sure your work goes on smoothly, even when you're gone.

Business Continuity Tip

Tornado Preparedness Checklist for Your Business

Over the past week, 15 states were hit by severe tornadoes. All told, hundreds of tornadoes were reported and many people lost their lives.

The economic impact on the business community has yet to be determined, but one thing is certain, those businesses with a continuity and disaster recovery plan in place are the key to recovery for some of the hardest hit areas.

The following checklist will help mitigate the risk to your business, and help protect your most important asset - your people.

Download this Tornado Preparedness Checklist from Agility Recovery.

Please forward this newsletter to anyone else in your organization who might be interested!

NAS Storage - Moving Forward, Backing Up
used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Site

NAS storage appliances can give your business terabytes of additional storage capacity, while providing automated, redundant data backups. Today's NAS storage systems require minimal maintenance, reduce data storage costs, and provide fast file access from a centralized, secure data repository.

What to Look For in an NAS Storage Solution

The top features you should look for in an NAS storage appliance include:

Disaster-Proof Your Business
by Jeff Wuorio
used with permission from the Microsoft Business Site

If you're a business owner, you need to know how to protect your business.

Try as we might, there's often no way to skirt disaster — whether it's national, personal or weather induced. But there are strategies to cope with it as best we can, no matter if its source is a burst river levee, a thoughtlessly discarded match, or the deranged actions of others. Knowing what to do in the event of a disaster is crucial for anyone, of course, but particularly for a small-business owner, whose livelihood may depend on a small storefront or home basement office.

Start with some strategies. Here's a checklist that can help you set up an effective and comprehensive small-business disaster plan:

IT Phone Home!
Diana Johnson, Wood Networks

Few things are as critical to your business as a phone system. Even with the sky-rocketing percentages of people using social media and the steady rise of email correspondence; people still use the phone as a critical business tool. A phone call allows instant communication and response time. With a phone call you can pick up the subtle nuances of speech and timbre that do not translate in electronic communications. All the emoticons in the world can't clarify the simple things you can pick up on a phone call. There is also something comforting about talking to a live person. You know they understand your need and that they are willing to meet that need.

The problem is that so many businesses are using outdated or home-use phones in a commercial environment. There are many options out there for Business Class Phone Systems. Remember all phone systems are not created equal!

When selecting a Business Class Phone System ask the following questions:

3 PC Ways to Get Rid of an Old PC
by Kim Komando
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Are you getting a new PC, or a set of new PCs for your business? If so, the question becomes: What do I do with that old clunker?

Don't just cart it off to the nearest dumpster and help clog up some landfill with electronic waste. There are better, more environmentally-friendly options to consider.

First of all, someone could use your old computer. Or maybe you could trade it in on a new one. At the least, you could pay a small fee to a recycler to take it off your hands.

Let's look at three ways to dispose of an old computer.

Did You Know?

Printing expense is a large part of
most IT budgets.
Databranch can help manage and reduce
this cost through our
Managed Print Services

Databranch, Inc.
132 North Union Street, Suite 108 | Olean, New York 14760
(716) 373-4467 - Olean | (607) 733-8550 - Corning/Elmira
http://www.databranch.com/

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