Search is King! Today the name of the game is finding useful data in haystacks of information. Here are a couple Google search tips to help you find what you are looking for. I’ll include a few more next month.

•  Ever visited a website with a poor search function (or none at all!)? Use google instead. Enter your search term and then add site: and the website – for example searching AltiGen site:netinn.com will search our website for AltiGen references
• Operators are huge when searching for words with multiple meanings or uses. For example, adding a plus sign to the front of a term will ensure that term is included in each result, while a minus sign will exclude results with that word (i.e. +outlook –email will help you get results about the Saturn car, not an email client! You can add a tilde (~) to include related terms! Read more about operators in the Google Guide: http://bit.ly/zf3w

I recently read a New York Times article about high-tech unemployment in California. One shocker was that the new technology companies (most are software focused, i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, etc.) commonly consider a long employment history with 1 company a detriment, the thinking being that sought-after employees change jobs frequently. What a dramatic shift in thinking during the course of 1 generation! The changing dynamics of employment and recruiting are affecting all companies. For more information, read the article referenced: http://nyti.ms/A82dKB
Microsoft Envisioning Lab update – You might recall my blog from August when I visited the Microsoft Home of the Future, created by the Microsoft Envisioning Lab. They recently released a video updating some of the concepts I discussed, showing them in action. This is a view of life 5-10 years from now, and is absolutely worth a look! Check it out: http://www.microsoft.com/office/vision/. There is also a great “behind the scenes” companion that goes into more detail about the hows and whys of what you see, and how you can utilize today’s tools to stretch towards that vision: http://bit.ly/svhe8o.

Phone system – do you have your holiday greetings in place?  Do you know how to activate the inclement weather mode?  Do key employees have the ability (and training) to know how to take an office phone home or access the phone system from a cell phone?

Network – are key employees able to connect to the office and work from home?  Do they know how to access your backup email if your server is down or loses connectivity?  Is your disaster recovery plan up to date, and readily available?

Office & Home – Do you have a good supply of ice melt and a good snow shovel on hand?  Has the furnace been serviced, with air filters recently changed?  Are smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors working properly?

Car – Do you keep a good warm coat, hat, gloves and heavy blanket in the car?  How about a good flashlight, sand and a small shovel?  Also check the tread on your tires to ensure good traction.  Drive safely!

Don’t forget to let us review your phone & data bills.  We work with companies every day to evaluate their current bills for voice and data services (phone lines, Internet connectivity, branch office connections), discover their current needs, and align them with the best solutions.  Just this month I have helped two companies save more than $5,000 per year, and we’ve helped several companies save more than $50,000 per year!  However, we can help even if your telecom expenses are just a few thousand dollars per year. Give me a call – your bottom line will thank you.

Be aware that the hard drive shortage due to severe monsoon flooding in Thailand is ongoing.  Things are not too bad right now, but prices are still volatile and shortages are expected at some point in early 2012. If you have any questions, let me know!

I saw an interesting article today out of the Gartner Data Center & IT Operations Summit 2011 in London.  During a best practices session, Gartner Research VP Rakesh Kumar pointed out that building out your own infrastructure is less expensive than using a hosted service.  In fact, Gartner estimates the cost of hosting will double every two years!  The common perception today is that hosted services are less expensive that building your own infrastructure, but that’s not usually the case.  Look for more information to come from Gartner on this as the week goes on.

The iFusion phone is here!  AltiGen is now shipping our iPhone docking station.  This gives you access to a full duplex speakerphone & handset, charges your phone, syncs your phone if desired, and you can also play music from your iTunes through the speakerphone!  There are connections for headsets and external speakers.  This docking station is incredible when paired with AltiGen’s MaxMobile softphone app- you no longer need a desk phone!  However, the docking station works the same even if you don’t have an AltiGen PBX – you can use it at home or anywhere you want.  If you would like to try one out, let me know.

Please note that due to severe monsoon flooding in Thailand, hard drive supply has been affected.  Shortages are expected at some point, probably late this quarter running into the first half of 2012.  While there aren’t any shortages today, pricing has been VERY volatile and speculation has driven up pricing.  If you have any questions, let me know!

Wise infrastructure investments can help you add capacity without adding headcount.  Payroll is the largest expenditure for most of us, and it’s important to maximize the return on that investment.   If you use efficiency to save one employee 5 minutes per day, that’s over 21 hours of capacity per year!  If that employee’s burdened cost is $25/hr, that’s over $540 per year, or if that employee generates $100/hr in income, that’s $2100 per year for 5 minutes in savings.  If you can effect that change on multiple employees, the dollars really start to add up.  There are many ways to increase efficiency, which I’ll address below.

The easiest way to increase productivity is through workflow improvement.  Have your employees take the time to document all of your processes and procedures on paper.  Then, schedule a meeting with all involved parties to discuss the process and streamline it.  Make sure you then update your documentation – which will be invaluable the next time you onboard a new employee.  You’re welcome to involve me in those meetings, so I can provide input on areas that technology could automate these processes, and I’m also happy to provide input on the overall workflow documentation and streamlining process, as it’s something we have undertaken at our office.

Other ways to increase productivity include improving infrastructure (due to the example above – squeezing every last breath of out your PCs or network can cost more than the new equipment) and creating custom reports to replace manual efforts.

Let me know how we can help.

If your bottom line could use a boost, one of the best things you could do is have us evaluate your telecom expenses.  We work with companies every day to evaluate their current bills for voice and data services (phone lines, Internet connectivity, branch office connections), discover their current needs, and align them with the best solutions.  We’ve helped more than one company reduce their telecom expenses by over $50,000 per year!  However, we can help even if your telecom expenses are just a few thousand dollars per year.  Give me a call – your bottom line will thank you.

Last week, Cisco released their 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report, with some fascinating findings.  The report provides insight into the mindset, expectations, and behavior of the world’s next generation of workers and how they will influence the business world.

Think about it – the generation surveyed does not remember a time without the Internet, cell phones, and email.  A connected world it will be – over half of the respondents said they could not live without the Internet and consider it an “integral part of their lives”.  Shockingly, one third considers the Internet to be as important as “fundamental human resources like air, water, food and shelter”.

Other key findings:

If forced to make a choice between one or the other, the majority of college students globally would choose an Internet connection instead of a car.

More than 25% of college students said staying updated on Facebook was more important than partying, dating, listening to music or hanging out with friends.

Two thirds of students cite a mobile device (laptop, smartphone, tablet) as the “most important” device used on a daily basis – their parents would cite the television!

Clearly this generation will have different expectations and ideas as they enter the workforce and move up the ranks.  It’s going to be a challenge for our generation to adapt!

For more information, check out the Cisco report website:  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns1120/index.html

Microsoft first built the Home of the Future in 1994 by Microsoft’s Strategic Prototyping Department, as a way to envision the future of technology 5-10 years from now.  The home receives a significant refresh every two years, and every five years is completely rebuilt from the ground up.  The home is closed to the public, but Microsoft employees and other IT celebrities like me are able to spend time in the home, immersed in this vision of the future.  The only ground rules are that the technology must have a possibility of becoming reality and affordable for an average homeowner within the next 10 years.

Headed towards the home, my expectation was to see integrated LCD displays all over the home – so you can imagine my surprise when I found NONE!  Everything in the home was projection based, using Microsoft’s vision of a light-bulb form factor device that contains a projector, microphone and optical scanners (think Kinect).  All over the house were screens that would turn on and off as needed, controllable by voice, by gestures, and by tags located in everything in your home.

These tags are similar in function to current RFID tags but quite different in technology.  They will be ubiquitous – in appliances, food, clothing, and all other household goods.  Imagine placing a mixing bowl and the bag of flour on your kitchen counter, and up pops a warning that you are out of chocolate chips.  However, make a gesture and you will receive your favorite recipes that you can make with ingredients on-hand.  At the grocery store and you can’t remember if you need cheese?  Pull up a current inventory on your cell phone – although you’ll probably be shopping with a list the computer built for you based on your usage trends and desires.  Not sure if your favorite shirt is clean or dirty or your sister “borrowed” it?  You can find it with a click.

Health care will change significantly well. In the Microsoft home every resident wears a watch that logs your heart rate, temp, activity level and other basic info.   This info is uploaded to your personal health file, along with diet information obtained from the kitchen!  Your doctor can make recommendations based on your actual history, and the computer can help you stay on track (maybe it notes on your shopping list that instead of chocolate chip cookies you should be looking at apples)!

The teenager’s bedroom had different “themes” – you could redecorate your room every 5 minutes.  Picture a morning mode, homework, party, etc.  Facebook status changes appear on the wall, along with pictures, posters and artwork.  Similarly, you can setup your dining room for a birthday party, or the entire house for Labor Day.  One of the benefits of this projection based system is you can simply turn off all of the technology and unwind!

A few questions come straight to mind, the first one being “has anything in the Microsoft home come to fruition?”  While many things certainly come about over the past 17 years, a clear example is digital picture frames.  First conceptualized in a speech by Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s Chief Research & Strategy Officer, the team took apart a laptop and built one from scratch, and of course they are very popular today.  “Has anything in the home turned out to be a dud?”  Again many things have fallen by the wayside, but a clear example is the front door.  The first Microsoft home was built with an eye scanner to identify users and unlock the door – but in this prototype environment, Microsoft found that most people didn’t want to have their eye scanned.  It was simply an intrusive and somewhat scary proposition.  Today the door lock uses a palm scanner.

My trip to the Microsoft Home of the Future was an exciting glimpse into the future!  I can’t wait to see it again.  If you would like more info, check out these links:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/Features/2011/aug11/08-08MicrosoftHome.mspx

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/microsofts-home-of-the-future-lulls-teens-to-sleep-with-tweets/

http://www.cio.com/article/597693/Microsoft_s_Home_of_the_Future_A_Visual_Tour

I strongly encourage you to find time to unwind and recharge this summer.  Burnout affects us all, and a short break will lead you back into the office with renewed energy and a better attitude.  A friend posted a quote on Facebook yesterday “The world is full of people who will go through their whole lives and not actually LIVE one day”.  A vacation is an investment that will generate great returns.

Last month, my family took a roadtrip vacation to Nashville and Memphis, with a day trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, AL.  (Space Geek side notes:  In the past 3 years we have been to Space Camp, the Smithsonian Air & Space, Kansas Cosmosphere, Kennedy and Johnson.  My wife will probably put her foot down next summer!  First trip back to Space Camp since I attended for 2 weeks in 1989.  It’s an amazing place that has only gotten better over the years.)   During normal life at home, our family of five is going all different directions with friends, practices and games, so it’s refreshing to spend extended time with all of us together.  When we get back home, we actually miss each other for a few days!  I actually left my cell phone behind most days (gasp!) and survived!  It’s easy to overlook how pervasive technology has become over the past 10 years – make sure your vacation includes not just a physical break from work, but a mental one as well.  Even just a couple of days will make a difference, and it WILL be ok!

I caught a great article on working remotely by Greg Lindsay in the Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine this month.   I especially like his theory he calls the Law of Connectivity – every technology meant to circumvent distances electronically has only stoked our desire to traverse the distances ourselves.

These technologies, from the telegraph and telephone to the Internet and video conferencing, have allowed us to expand our social and business networks exponentially.   But rather than replace our need to meet face to face, we have even more dreams to meet in person – today along with business meetings, we have “tweetups” and trips to meet our Facebook and LinkedIn friends, many for the first time in person.  As a result, the number of air passengers has doubled in the Internet era.

For many, this ever increasing nomadic lifestyle means they don’t need a “real” office.   Most of the IT vendors I work with on a daily basis are highly virtual.  Over 40% of IBM’s employees work from home or a client office, and 33% of AT&T’s managers also work remotely.

The benefits to the company are huge – lower physical costs such as rent and utilities, and a distributed workforce that can more quickly respond to client needs.  Certainly, the right person also enjoys some benefits of working remotely, and many are more productive than they would be in a large office.   This demographic works from home, airports, coffee shops and executive suites.

This movement is leading to new developments such as Mesa del Sol in Albuquerque, NM (btw – one of my favorite destinations).  Located right near the airport, Mesa del Sol is a new, planned community aimed at the remote worker.  The community will be small, walkable and self-contained.  The homes will all sport a purpose built home office, equipped for the teleworker and separated from the rest of the house.  Scattered throughout will be shared meeting rooms and on-call support staff.   What a fun trend to watch!  Check out the full article here:  http://www.spiritmag.com/click_this/article/the_corporate_latter/.

We have to make money to pay the bills and keep the lights on. It is important to have enough profit to make payroll so our employees keep coming to work.  But the critical component of what we do is in the serving – not the selling. It is in meeting the needs of people – in being a true part of your team.  If we take care of people, I believe good things happen. That is the legacy of Network Innovations.    THANK YOU for being a part of it.

Another thing milestones are good for is reminding use to take time for assessments and planning.  Yes, I just groaned right along with you.  Planning is hard, it’s not fun, it’s not fast.  However, it’s simply mandatory if you intend to be successful.  One of my favorite quotes from President Dwight Eisenhower sums it up well “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable”.

You might recall that I am an active member of an IT Peer Group – I meet quarterly with 11 peers that own IT businesses around the US.  Our goal is not just to be successful in business, but to be successful in life.  With that in mind, we prepare four plans, and we choose one each quarter to review and revise.  Many (certainly not all) business owners have a Business Plan – but have you thought about these other plans?

Leadership Plan  - Answers the questions:

• What will you do specifically to lead your company to achievement and success?
• What will you do specifically to lead your family to achievement and success?
• How will you achieve your commitments?  Key milestones, priorities and dependencies for success

Life Plan  - Answers the questions:

• Why do I get up each morning and do what I do?
• How will you battle the balance between life and work?
• What important life priorities do you intend to accomplish over the next 12 months?
• Should involve the most important people in your life, should include your “bucket list”

Legacy Plan – Answers the questions:

• How will you live?
• What will the impact of my life be after I am gone?
• What is my PERSONAL mission statement?
• Should include:  Will & Estate plans, a spreadsheet of key information necessary to manage your life if you are impacted by illness or death
• Reduce stress, difficult decisions and family conflict

Preparing my four plans helped me to define who I am, and who I want to be when I grow up.  I use the plans for guidance when making difficult decisions, and they allow me to be confident that I am on the road to success in life.  If you are interested in preparing “The Four Plans that change Everything” for yourself, contact me and I’ll be happy to get you started!

What a crazy month!  In mid-March, a spam “botnet” called Rustock was identified and taken offiline.  Immediately, spam levels dropped by 30%, from a starting average of 168 billion messages per day, to 119 billion messages per day.  We thought this was great news, but someone out there was very unhappy about this.  Two weeks after Rustock was taken down, the amount of malware sent as an email attachment increased over 400%!  Please be careful, and make sure you never open an attachment that is unknown or unexpected – these days you should still be wary even if you know the source.    Some recent spam trend notes:

• In the first quarter, The most popular spam topic was pharmacy ads, representing 28% of ALL emails sent.
• Mass mailings of “parcel tracking information” appearing to come from DHL and UPS accounted for 30% of all spam messages
• Hacked Facebook accounts lead to the creation of harmful Facebook applications and ultimately viruses
• PDF Files with embedded scripts (malware) were distributed
• In April, Spam levels averaged 149 billion spam messages per day, compared to 142 billion in Q4 2010 and 198 billion in Q3 2010.

Protecting yourself againts these threats requires a multi-pronged approach:  a hosted spam/virus filter solution, a firewall with “UTM” capabilities (a second spam/virus filter), local spam & spyware software on the desktop, and attentive, vigilant users.   A single virus outbreak can cost more than all of those items combined!  Let me know how we can help.

The last typewriter factory in the world closed its doors on Monday, 4/25.  Convergence today is speeding up obsolecence for sure – cell phones will eventually replace point and shoot cameras, ipods and portable gaming devices.    What’s next in the office world?  A company like ours has very little need for a fax machine these days, but many industries still rely heavily on them.  I’d love to hear your thoughts – send me an email at brian@netinn.com