Did you know that there are many free tools available on the web that can increase your productivity? Especially beneficial to small companies who can always use the savings, these free applications and software, if used correctly, can both increase productivity and help maximize the resources they have at hand.

It is a constant challenge for small businesses to meet ever-changing and ever-evolving IT requirements while balancing a budget and keeping costs reasonable. And with software applications being one of the major factors that contribute to IT maintenance costs, it is always welcome news to come across free tools that work well and efficiently despite the lack of a price tag.

ThinkFree Online Office One of these applications is ThinkFree Online Office, which is a cloud application that enables you to create and edit documents in common formats. It also comes with free 1GB of storage and allows you to work from anywhere, since the documents are stored online. And with its own app for Android users, ThinkFree is particularly advantageous to people who need to work on the go.

ReqMan Another free cloud-based application that can prove useful is ReqMan, an online project management tool. You can use this to manage and track your different projects using various templates the service provides. And since it's in the cloud, mobile personnel and staff who are given access to your ReqMan account can work even when they're out of the office.

Gliffy Gliffy is a free tool that you can use to create all sorts of technical illustrations – diagrams, floor plans, flowcharts, and more. The basic plan is free, but you also have the option to subscribe to their more fully featured plans for a minimal fee.

ScheduleOnce For managing schedules, calendars, and the like, ScheduleOnce allows you to keep better track of all your appointments, meetings, and deadlines through a single tool. It integrates with your calendar on Google, and then allows other people to see your open times when they can schedule a meeting with you. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for your scheduling needs.

If you want to know more about these tools and how you can best utilize them, please feel free to contact us. We’ll be happy to guide you and help you make the most out of these types of applications to improve your efficiency and bottom line.

If you are using Windows Gadgets (or those small mini-applications that are embedded on your desktop that show interesting things like the latest news, weather updates, or sports scores), you may sometimes wish you can just quickly hide them to declutter your workspace.

In Windows 7, you can do just that. Simply right-click on the desktop, go to View, and then clear the check mark on Show desktop gadgets. This will hide the gadgets. If you want to bring them back, just restore the check mark again.

Security experts are predicting a rise in the use of personal gadgets to access company data – which means that you will have less control over what kind of data goes in and out of your IT system. The best way to rectify this is by having a concrete and comprehensive IT policy that secures your data – without compromising the freedom of your employees to use their mobile devices.

As technology continues to become more affordable and accessible to consumers, it's an inevitable fact that employers will see more and more of their employees using their own personal devices such as laptops and mobile phones to access the company's IT system.

This can be a dangerous thing. Since these devices aren't company owned and regulated, you have limited access and control over how they are used. Employees could download all sorts of malware and viruses on their devices and pass the infection along to your IT system when they access it.

The solution: a comprehensive IT security policy. It's important that you find a compromise between the freedom of the employee to use the device as desired and your need to keep your IT system safe from viruses and other threats to your data's security. Steps such as having employees run mobile device management (MDM) software on their devices is one of many actions you can take to lessen the risk of security breaches. You may also want to implement applications and software that check and screen for malware, both for laptops and mobile devices. And don't forget that while Android seems to have a bigger problem with malicious software, Apple isn't exactly virus-free, either.

Employees have a right to use their personal devices as they see fit, but not at the expense of important company information stored in your IT system. Running a tight ship in terms of security is an effective way to protect your business interests and your sensitive company data. If you are interested in knowing more about developing a concrete and effective IT security policy for personal device use as well as general system access, please don't hesitate to give us a call so we can sit down with you and discuss a custom security blueprint that's just right for you.

With social networks like Facebook and Twitter on the rise, businesses must be able to utilize them to their advantage. One social network, LinkedIn, offers unique benefits since it is specifically targeted toward professionals and businesses.

Among the many social networks on the World Wide Web today, one stands out from the pack: LinkedIn. It stands out because it is one of the few (if there are any like it to begin with) that uses the principle behind social networking but adapts it to suit business and professional purposes.

If regular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can help a business, LinkedIn can do so even more since it is specifically targeted for businesses and professionals. With LinkedIn, you make contacts that are more relevant to your line of work – minus the clutter, noise, and nonsense compared to the more social feedback, comments, and discussions you are inevitably going to have from content you put out on Facebook and Twitter.

Another advantage to LinkedIn is that you are more likely to connect with people and businesses that help you move forward – be it additional staff, suppliers, or clients. The site's recommendation feature and referrals from other contacts will help you find what you are looking for faster. Also, you are able to better connect to people who are in your own industry or are doing similar things, allowing you to better assess what else you can do to give your business an added edge.

Using LinkedIn is a definite advantage, regardless of what business you are in. If you are interested in knowing more, please don't hesitate to contact us so we can sit down with you and talk about various custom LinkedIn strategies that meet your specific needs.

First of all, why should you even worry about clearing your cache? There are two main reasons:

Reason 1: It frees up space on your computer. After a while, the cache fills up and needs to be cleared so your Web browser will function most efficiently.

Reason 2: It will protect your privacy. This is especially true when several people use the same computer in a workplace or home. If you have privacy concerns, you should regularly clear your cache.

Now, here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox 6.
2. Click the Firefox button and then choose Options.
3. With the Options window now open, click the Privacy tab.
Please Note: If using the menu bar, choose Tools and then Clear Recent History. Skip to Step 5 below.
4. In the History area, click the clear your recent history link.
5. In the Clear Recent History window, set the Time range to Everything.
6. In the list at the bottom of the window, unchecked everything except for Cache.

Here are a few simple things you can do to prevent your server and network equipment from overheating and crashing:

1. Tidy up the server room; a neater room will increase air flow.
2. If you have more than one server, arrange them in a row so that the cold air comes from the front and is expelled out the back.
3. Keep the doors to the server room closed and seal off the space.
4. Make sure cold air reaches all the equipment.
5. Have a redundant A/C that is specifically designed for computers.
6. Buy a rack enclosure where the cooling is built in to the bottom of the rack.
7. Keep the temperature at no more than 77 degrees.
8. Use blanking panels over any empty spaces on your server rack.
9. Consider virtualization or hosting in a cloud environment so you are generating a lower amount of heat in the first place.

Power positioning is presenting yourself to the right person, at the right time and place, in the right way, with the right message. If you can do that all day long, every day, you will be an incredibly successful professional. This applies to most every profession. We're always trying to sell something whether it's a product, a service, an image—you name it.

What separates the real pros from the amateurs is their ability to make whatever they are providing of vital importance to every prospect.

Such positioning is not something you can achieve quickly, or once for all time. It's a continuous process of discovering new ways to take charge of the way your clients and prospects see you.

The better you plan your strategy for positioning yourself, the more successful your efforts are going to be. There are, in fact, ten crucial factors to consider as you think through your own positioning strategies and tactics.

1. You position yourself first in your own mind. The way you see yourself will shape the way others see you. The way you think about yourself determines how you do everything. It affects the way you prospect, the way you interview, the way you present, the way you close, the way you manage your time—it shapes everything you do. As a result, people will see you the way you perceive yourself.
2. You position yourself with your attitude. Some people walk into a room and say, "Here I am!" Other people walk into a room and say, "Ah, there you are!" The difference is whether we are self-centered or client-centered...Whether we are ego-driven or value-driven. Our attitudes toward our clients and prospects will always show up in the way we treat people. And, more than any other single factor, the way we treat others will determine the way they respond to us.
3. You position yourself with your appearance. First impressions get set in stone very quickly. And, like it or not, the way you look is the most important factor in shaping those first and lasting impressions. To do to see how vital good appearance is, all you have to do is reflect on your own reactions to the people you meet. Don't you pay more attention to people who look important than you do to people who look sloppy? Most crucial, your prospects judge your importance by the way you look.
4. You position yourself with your actions. Your prospects determine your importance, your intentions, your reliability—and many other critical factors—by watching everything you do.
5. You position yourself with your words. Every word you say positions you either as a person to be considered important or as someone to be dismissed as quickly as possible.
6. You position yourself with your focus. The most pressing question on your prospect's mind is always, "What's in it for me?" The real pros position themselves as consultants and business partners to their clients. They always keep the focus precisely where it belongs—on the client, not on themselves or their products.
7. You position yourself with your presentation. The way you go about setting up and making your presentation says a lot to prospects about how important it is to listen to you.
8. You position yourself by the way you handle objections. Amateurs see objections as excuses for not buying or as invitations to do battle. But real pros recognize that objections show a prospect's legitimate concerns—issues which must be cleared up before the prospect will make a decision to buy.
9. You position yourself by the way you close. The way you ask for an assignment can position you as a true professional with an offer which provides value for the prospect. Or the way you close can make it look like you're an amateur who's trying to get a prospect to do you a favor. The difference is tremendous.
10. You position yourself with the way you follow-up. One of the most vital factors in positioning yourself as a professional is what you do once a sale has been made. Professionalism involves developing a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with every client. It's turning one-time customers into clients who view you as a valuable resource in your area of expertise.

In today's increasingly hyper-connected world where anyone can easily post photos, videos, and other personal information about themselves online for everyone to see, it's becoming more and more important to be smart about exactly what and how much to post online. After all, what you put up in cyberspace today (such as those raucous pictures of last year's Christmas party) may come back to haunt you later on.

There is no denying that the Internet (and especially online social media such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter) has brought about great change in people's behavior—many of them for the better. These tools have allowed easier information sharing, greater collaboration, and the fostering of communities like never before. However, these tools also have a darker side, and if not used properly they can be a source of problems for you or your organization later on.

One problem is how these media can potentially misrepresent you or your organization. Online, the line between the personal and the professional can get blurry, and the moment you do something inappropriate, even during your personal or private time, whether right or wrong, it can affect how you are perceived. It's becoming more common to screen the personal profiles of job applicants or potential business partners, and an inappropriate picture or even a little tweet can leave a damaging mark on your reputation.

Engaging in inappropriate behavior even behind the cover of anonymity can also be problematic. Examples include commenting in blogs or forums where you obviously have a vested interest. There are countless stories of unscrupulous people or businesses that clearly mislead others by posting good reviews or endorsements about their business, product, or service, only to have their real identity discovered later on. If you must do this, it's better to be up front and honest—and disclose any vested interest so you won't be judged poorly later on.

If you must express an opinion, weigh carefully how it relates to your work and your career. If you are identified with an organization, be clear about whether you have the authority to speak on its behalf. If you don't, state clearly that you are speaking on your own behalf by providing a disclaimer. This can come in handy later if your employer happens to see your posts online. An example disclaimer might be a statement similar to this: The opinions expressed here are my own and don't necessarily represent my employer's position or opinion.

Be sure to also respect the ideas, privacy, and property of others. You would not want to be called a plagiarist or a thief. Online etiquette requires that you provide references, links, or attributions to the ideas or material you use that are not yours. When in doubt, get permission first. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

These are simple guidelines for conducting yourself and your affairs online. To share your own experiences, ideas and thoughts, or just to provide feedback or suggestions, drop us a line – we would love to hear from you!

Your chances of talking your way out of a traffic ticket are slim – but it’s not uncommon for a driver to talk themselves INTO one by insulting the officer or annoying them enough to write a ticket when they might have otherwise let them off with a warning. Here are the things NOT to say:

1. "Whatever…" This disrespectful remark will almost always insult the officer and land you with a ticket. Same goes for rolling your eyes, arguing or making profane remarks.
2. "I didn’t run that light!" or other denials of wrong doing. If you did something wrong, admit it; you’re more likely to be given a warning. Of course, if you truly didn’t feel like you did what the officer claimed, don’t say you did something wrong just to agree with the officer.
3. "I know the mayor." Never pull a power play like this on an officer. They aren’t afraid of who you’re friends with if you broke the law. Remember, they’re doing their job by stopping you.
4. "I'm calling my lawyer." Again, this won’t threaten the police officer because they deal with lawyers all the time. Threatening an officer with your attorney is a no-win situation for you.
5. "I'm on my way to the DMV/hospital." If you were pulled over because of an expired ticket, don’t use this line. Cops hear it all the time. "But officer, I was just on my way to the inspection station…" And unless you are truly sick or injured and there’s a real emergency, don’t lie and make it sound as though you were responding to an emergency. Again, officers hear this all the time.
6. "But everyone else was driving 90!" That doesn’t mean it’s okay or lawful. A police officer won’t let you off simply because everyone else is doing the same thing.

Take my monthly "Trivia Challenge" and you could win too!
The Grand Prize Winner of last month’s Trivia Challenge Quiz is << name of winner and town >>! He or she was the first person to correctly answer my quiz question from last month:

What was put on sale for the first time in May of 1886? a) United States Savings Bonds b) Coca-Cola c) Mother’s Day Cards

The correct answer is b) Coca-Cola. Congratulations, << winner name >>, you’ve won a << $25 Gift Card >>!

Now, here’s this month’s trivia question. The winner will receive a gift card to .

What inventor averaged one patent for every three weeks of his life? a) Thomas Edison b) Benjamin Franklin c) Alexander Graham Bell

Call me right now with your answer! XXX-XXX-XXXX