The HelpDesk Company Blog

As I write, Richmond is anticipating yet more snow.  Okay, snow/sleet mixed, but still - it’s another 1-2 inches.  I suspect this is a year our children (7 & 9 years old) will remember fondly when they’re grown.  Me?  I have yet renewed appreciation for my folks as I recall the “big snow” when I was in elementary school.   I remembering thinking how much fun it was to help my Dad dig our cars out on Hanover Avenue.  Fortunately, we only lived two doors in from Malvern.  I even thought it was cool (sort of) when the snow plow made it’s second pass down Malvern - just as we’d finished shoveling through the 3 foot pile from its first run! 

Todd and I are getting pretty good at the shovelling, though we’re no where near as good as Dad was at getting our kids to help.   

Even though the weather may make spring and the new beginnings the season brings seem far away, we are feeling pretty joyful with the new beginnings here at the HelpDesk.  We’ve added to our staff (see below to learn about Les Venable), and Elizabeth is just weeks away from the birth of her baby.   

Boy? Girl?  Early?  Late?  These are just a few of the questions we’re all asking.  We encourage you to join in the guessing fun at Elizabeth Sundberg’s Baby Pool.  

We are also talking with some great new prospects and look forward to introducing you to them as new clients soon. 

Wishing you a warm and sunny day!

Microsoft recently engaged market research firm Vanson Bourne to survey over 3,000 small and midsize firms (SMB’s) worldwide about their use of technology and their revenues.  The result: “SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010.”  Jake Widman recently summarized the findings on Small Biz Resource, the essential IT blog for small businesses.  You can see his article here - http://bit.ly/b3pPmH

The Good News

• 52% of all respondents increased revenues in 2009 (compared to only 39% in 2008)
• Nearly twice as many SMBs who view IT as “critical” versus companies who view IT as merely “complimentary” saw increases greater than 30%

The WOW News

• 70% of SMB’s who reported that IT “complements our business but is by no means essential” saw revenues stagnate or decrease.
• Only 40% of SMB’s who view IT as “critical” saw the same trends.

Proof is in the Pudding

I’m not surprised.  We, unfortunately, saw a couple of clients close in 2009.  They were both firms who viewed technology more as a piece of office equipment than as a productivity or business tool. 

We also saw several companies grow, even add employees, in 2009.  They are all in our Business Care programs - most at either the SELECT or COMPLETE level. 

As much as I’d like to say that our expert proactive approach to maintaining their systems caused their growth, I know it’s not the case.  Rather, it was the owners’ approach to business that made their success possible. 

Do you share their vision?

• Focus on the strategic decisions
• Ensure products/services are delivered professionally and reliably
• Minimize time employees spend preforming activities not core to their job description
• Keep cash flow predictable and overall expenses in check

It used to be that only retail stores and restaurants accepted credit cards.  My how times have changed.  Now, you can pay just about everyone - from your plumber to your attorney - with a credit card.   

Do you accept credit cards? 

With the added convenience of rapid payment comes the additional responsibility to maintain the security of your clients’ information.  The rules governing the credit card world are known as the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. 

What are the rules? 

Companies who accept credit cards must adhere to the following rules:  Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect data.

We’ve addressed this before and have decided it’s worth repeating.  You NEED to use strong passwords.   

Don’t Believe Me?  

In December, a security breach at RockYou resulted in a list of 32 million passwords being posted online for the world to see.  Haven’t heard of RockYou?  They develop a lot of the software applications that run on FaceBook and MySpace.  What’s really scary is that analysts scoured the list and determined that the most commonly used passwords are quite simple - and easy to guess.  Check out this New York Times article to learn more - If Your Password is 123456, Just Make It HackMe.  

So What’s a Secure Password?  

A password is considered complex if it meets the following minimum requirements:

• It is at least six characters in length.
• It contains characters from three out of the following four categories:
  • Uppercase English characters (A through Z)
  • Lowercase English characters (a through z)
  • Base 10 digits (0 through 9)
  • Non-alphabetic characters (for example, !, $, #, %)