Databranch Newsletter

September 2010
In this issue

> Mobile Device Etiquette
> Is a Server Right for
Your Business?
> Go Wireless
> Ensure Email is Read
> Make the Best Better
> Cartoon & Quote

Make the Best Even Better
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Windows 7 can help make your business more productive than ever, but why stop there? Add Windows Small Business Server 2008 - and take productivity to the next level.

By now you may have already upgraded your business PCs to Windows€ 7, or you might be considering it. Unless you've been held captive by aliens for the past six months, you've surely seen the advertisements touting the many new features of Microsoft's latest operating system. More compellingly, you've probably heard from other business owners and managers of the productivity and security enhancements provided by Windows 7.

Productivity gains in particular resonate strongly. Ask any business owner or manager about the importance of productivity and you'll likely get an earful. It's not just productivity's obvious link to the bottom line. It's the insidious effect that low productivity has on morale and work quality. Employees feel frustrated when deadlines are consistently missed or when they sit idle because of bottlenecks in the workflow. And the quality of work suffers when employees have to rush to make up for lost time and to meet delivery dates.

Business productivity suffers for a variety of reasons, from poor leadership to improperly trained employees. All too often, however, the culprit is simply out-of-date tools for getting the job done. It's hard to compete if you're using yesterday's equipment and your rivals have state-of-the-art gear. Imagine riding a bicycle race on a heavy, 10-speed behemoth, while your competitors are sporting modern road machines with carbon frames and 27 gears.

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

The 4 Pillars of Mobile Device Etiquette
used with permission from the HP Small & Medium Business Center

We've all experienced it: You're on the train, in a restaurant, or in a meeting, when someone's mobile phone starts ringing. They pick it up and start loudly chatting away, oblivious to the disruption they're causing.

Annoying, isn't it?

The problem with modern technology is that it's becoming increasingly disruptive to our regular lives. Public transport in many large cities is now divided into "cell phone" / "no cell phone" areas, and many companies have begun banning notebooks and PDAs in meetings. The problem is — how do we keep from crossing that fine line where the convenience of electronic communications becomes a barrier to our non-electronic interactions?

While good manners are always somewhat subjective — and, like technology itself, ever evolving — here are a few basic rules you can follow.

Is A Server Right For Your Business?
used with permission from HP Small & Medium Business Site

Servers can do a lot of heavy lifting for a growing business, from securing data to enabling better sharing of company resources. But it's sometimes difficult to know when, and if they're a smart investment. There are a few common scenarios in which a server can bring real benefits to a growing business -- read on and see if any of these apply to you.

You need networking capabilities to share files, printers or other resources
It is technically possible to set up a simple network without a dedicated server, with just a few PCs connected together. However, if you want to share databases, files, printers, or other resources, a server makes it much easier. In fact, servers are specifically designed for sharing, so you'll get better control, faster access, easier management and improved security. And who wouldn't want all that?

Five Reasons To Go Wireless
used with permission from Cisco

Every minute counts in a small company and wireless networks are a powerful tool for boosting productivity and encouraging information sharing. With untethered access to documents, emails, applications and other network resources, employees can roam where they need to and have constant access to the tools required to do their jobs.

Here are some of the ways businesses are taking advantage of wireless LANs:

6 Ways To Ensure Your Email Gets Read
by Sally McGhee
used with permission from the Microsoft At Work Site

If you're like a lot of us, you get so much email every day that you might spend as little as 15 seconds scanning a message to determine how it applies to you. Now, imagine that other people are reading your email the same way. If they can't quickly identify the purpose of your message, they'll probably delete it or leave it in the Inbox for "later" - if later ever comes.

In this article, I give 6 tips to ensure that your email messages are read and get the attention they deserve.

Just for Laughs

Quote of the Month

You learn something new every day
if you pay attention.

- Ray LeBlond

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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