Newsletter - 2010, January

What are best ways to get help from Crown Computers??? (click here)

Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 – Better Together
by David Tan, Chief Technology Officer, CHIPS Technology Group LLC

Lost in all the hype about the recent Windows 7 is the excitement around the simultaneous launch of Windows Server 2008 R2. There are probably a few reasons this launch has been so overlooked. First, as I mentioned, it came hand-in-hand with the desktop launch. Clearly, Microsoft’s marketing team doesn’t plan any “I’m a Windows Server” commercials to go along with their current “I’m a PC” campaign, so the masses will often not know about the server. Second is the naming convention. This is the second time Microsoft has chosen to stick the R2 moniker at the end of a server product name (Windows Server 2003 R2 started the trend) for some unknown reason. I realize they probably don’t want to go through a rebranding campaign every 18 months, but R2 does add much excitement to a product launch. Make no mistake however; Server 2008 R2 is a substantial new product release with a wealth of outstanding new features, and something to certainly get excited about.

There is good reason why the new network operating systems was shipped the same time as the desktop. There are a ton of features that are designed to work specifically with clients running Windows 7. It’s clearly Microsoft’s hope that if the lure of Windows 7 on its own is not enough to force a desktop upgrade, the combined power of the two will push it over the edge. They may be on to something with this strategy. While some of the stand-alone or upgraded features are awesome (new versions of Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services, better performance and scalability), it’s when you combine Server 2008 R2 with Windows 7 that you get all the real benefits.

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5 Dos and Don’ts of Network Management
reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center

Keeping your business running smoothly means having a network that’s stable and secure. But even minor oversights and errors can cause big problems; cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and they’re increasingly targeting smaller businesses that aren’t as likely to have the security that a large enterprise would have.

Luckily, good security doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are a few relatively simple dos and don’ts you can follow to help ensure your security bases are covered.

Here are our top five:

5 Ways to Attract Former Clients
by Steve Strauss
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Q: After three years in business, I have a list of inactive clients for my salon. Should I contact them to see if they're willing to give us another try? Thanks for any suggestions. Jackie

A: You are right to want to bring former customers back. Most of us have heard the statistic that it costs seven times as much to create a new customer as it does to keep a current one, so it behooves you to romance your current and former clientele.

What is the best way to do it, you ask?

There are five ways:

Meet Stuart Jenkins
He’s standing on top of a box!
Used with permission of Joel H. Weldon & Associates, Inc.
http://www.SuccessComesInCans.com

Have you ever wondered about the word “discipline”? What images does it conjure up in your mind? Doing what you have to do? Toeing the mark? Keeping your nose to the grindstone? Putting restrictions on your behavior and actions? Setting limits? If these are some of the negative connotations you would assign to the word “discipline,” then you’ll really enjoy hearing the story of Stuart Jenkins, and you may find it quite an eye-opener.

“Mrs. Jenkins,” the grade school teacher announced to Stuart’s mother, “your son will never graduate from high school, let alone attend college. It’s because of his dyslexia, you see, he’s learning disabled.”

Stuart sat in the slow class in the one-room schoolhouse in a little town in Nebraska where everyone knew everyone. The worst part was not that the town labeled him “dumb” and “stupid.” The worst part was that Stuart believed the labels. Until, that is, the day that everything changed.

When Stuart reached junior high age, he was given the opportunity to attend private school away from home, and it was there that the earlier labels that had been placed on him were gradually displaced. Not only did he become the school’s track star and champion runner, but the confidence he gained helped him distinguish himself academically as well. Contrary to the earlier predictions, he not only graduated high school, but he became student body president and went on to graduate college with a 3.2 grade point average. And all because of his very unique concept of the word “discipline.”

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