E-Newsletter January 2007

I can honestly say that I have NEVER been as excited at the start of the year as I am this year. We spent the last half of 2006 developing LOTS of new programs and initiatives for customers, partners, colleagues, and employees. Now that all the hard work is done, the FUN part is finally here - we get to start rolling all of these programs out to you!

Details of each program will follow through email communications and meetings as the year proceeds. Since I can hardly contain my excitement, here is a preview of some of our upcoming initiatives:

1. We have finalized our referral program, and will be rolling that out in the first quarter
2. After numerous repeated requests from customers, we will finally begin a SPAM management service in the second quarter
3. Starting immediately, we will be scheduling quarterly business reviews for all customers
4. We have several new highly targeted marketing campaigns that will kick off in the first quarter and continue throughout the year
5. We will be formally introducing our "First Time Every Time" service guarantee to customers

This is just a small sampling. We are also working very hard internally to streamline our operations, and make our service to customers the best it can possibly be.

As we move forward with these initiatives and others, please be sure to continue to give us your feedback. Although we are very excited about these significant new services, we will never rest on our laurels and assume we are 'good enough.' It is your feedback that continues to motivate and drive us to new heights we never thought imaginable.

Enjoy the newsletter!

After many years in development, Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, became available to businesses with volume license agreements on November 30. The home version of Vista will be available on January 30, 2007. The Vista launch has been highly anticipated, as it took more than five years for Microsoft to release this updated version of Windows. Vista offers a variety of new features ranging from a streamlined and enhanced user interface to faster data transfer for remote data sources. Windows Vista is also being touted as a more secure operating system. However, industry experts question the level of security it is able to offer since Vista's primary function is as an operating system and cannot address all security issues including viruses and Trojan horses.     Read on....

Get the Big Picture
Assessing your information technology

You are certainly familiar with the Rube Goldberg machine - the delightfully convoluted set of processes required to accomplish a simple task. In the day to day interactions of information technologies, Goldberg is often hard at work. It only takes a tiny disagreement between software codes or a mismatch of operating systems for the marble wobbling down the chute to end up on the floor.

Ideally, you should be evaluating your IT investment initiatives in the context of a comprehensive business strategy that ensures maximum returns and facilitates that all-important "alignment" of IT and business requirements. But the real world too often delivers unrestrained marbles.

It's indicative of the problem that many businesses face as they try to maintain an accurate picture of their assets. When turnover and change of these assets is inevitable and often unmonitored, you lose track of what you own and reduce the efficiencies of the processes they impact.    Read on....

Notes from the Network Engineering Department:

Note to readers: As our network engineers work with all of you across our entire customer base, they observe trends and issues that many people have in common, or that many customers will find helpful to know about. This section is designed to give them a mechanism to communicate those issues to you, with the hope that YOU might benefit from.

You may or may not have heard, but there is impending doom coming with Daylight Savings Time. Those of us in Arizona don't have quite as much impact as others, but if any of you are outside Arizona, do business with anyone outside Arizona, or have company computers outside Arizona, you need to be ready!

The issue is some key provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which extends Daylight Saving Time (DST) by approximately four weeks. In compliance with this provision, beginning in 2007 DST dates in the United States and Canada will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November).

Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, your computer doesn't think so.

Although we are aware of this change (and now you are too!) your computer's operating system was likely developed prior to 2005. That means your computer doesn't know about the change. If you don't take action, your computer could be 'left in the dark'.

Microsoft has set up an official information site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/timezone/dst2007.mspx. Although you're welcome to wade through all that info on your own, it's a LOT of information, and requires some very specific actions. We on the other hand, have waded through it all, and have the advantage of having to deploy these changes across numerous customers.

Contact us today to schedule the update of your systems. The clock is ticking.

January 2007
In this issue....

 □  Welcome to 2007
 □  Preparing for Vista
 □  Get the Big Picture
 □  System Engineering Corner
 □  Reduce Vulnerabilities

Reduce Your Company's Vulnerabilities

Microsoft's newest operating system in more than five years, Windows Vista, became available to businesses with volume license agreements on November 30. The home version will be available on January 30, 2007. If you plan to, or have recently installed a new operating system on your computers, then it's a good time to review some security measures to reduce your vulnerabilities (no matter which operating system you use):

• Create a security plan: Though upgrading to a new operating system (OS) appears to be a simple process, it is important to note that you are making a change in your business' IT systems, so it's necessary to protect your current data and other assets in the process. Your systems are particularly vulnerable at a time when you are running a new operating system that may have "bugs" or other issues that are likely to be discovered only after people start using the OS in a variety of settings. At the same time, you shouldn't have to wait to take advantage of the latest improvements and developments in technology. You can make a smoother transition by creating a security plan that includes installing security software, updating patches, and re-educating your employees about pertinent security issues that arise.
• Install patches: Patches and updates can be found on vendors' websites and are particularly useful when a new product is released. Many people will use a product such as Windows Vista when it is first released, and any problems that arise will usually be dealt with immediately in the form of patches. You should also check for any news updates to stay informed and install patches as they are released.

Read on....

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Suite 130
Phoenix, AZ 85020-8203
Telephone: 602.297.2400
Fax: 602.297.8703

Email: info@itsynergy.com
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