Upcoming Expiration
  Tips for Business Continuity
  New Hire
  Ask Sparky
  Upcoming Events
  Green Corner
  Survey Winner is. . .
  Facebook & Twitter

  Backup for Business Survival
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
11:30am to 1:00pm
More info

  MPower Business Workshop
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
7:30am to 9:30am
More info

  Year-end GP Seminar
Friday, December 11, 2009
8:30am to 3:00pm
More info

  Windows 7 – Lunch & Learn
Thursday, December 17, 2009
11:30am to 1:00pm
More info

  November High Tech
Happy Hour
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Frida’s and Zander’s
5:00pm to 8:00pm
More info

Green IT Corner

An ENERGY STAR labeled computer uses 70% less electricity than computers without this designation. If left inactive, ENERGY STAR labeled desktop computers enter a sleep mode and use 4 watts or less.   Survey Winner Is. . . Congratulations to Tim Sweeney from Sweeney Construction for being the October 2009 winner of a $50 gift card good at any of the Food Fight restaurants! Tim is the President of Sweeney Construction, a residential and commercial remodeling firm serving Madison. Tim, a fairly new customer of Applied Tech’s, completed the survey after his help desk issue was closed. As a result, Tim was automatically entered to win a gift card from Applied Tech and randomly chosen as the winner. “Applied Tech has been a savior in solving our IT needs. They identify and solve our issues fast and with little disruption to our business”, said Tim. Who is going to be this month's winner? It could be you. . . (just be sure to complete the emailed survey once your help desk case is closed. It's that easy!)   Follow Applied Tech on Facebook here Do you Tweet? Follow Applied Tech here

Upcoming Expiration of the 2009 ARRA and Section 179

Economic Stimulus Act of 2008      +      Section 179 Deduction       = Big Savings for Small Business!

The Economic Stimulus Act and Section 179 “ The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” has been officially extended. The Section 179 Deduction increases made available in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 through December 31, 2009, if you have purchased and installed the equipment.

With the current news that is all around us it is sometimes hard to justify opening our pocketbooks and investing in our companies. We all know that the best way to improve ourselves and our businesses is to invest time, energy and money in accomplishing our goals. As the year draws to a close you need to take a look and see what can be done to improve your business. The decision to improve may save you money.

With the changes to the Section 179 Deduction made by the Economic Stimulus Act signed in February 2008 there are some exciting benefits for business.

Read more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommends that all businesses have business continuity and contingency plans in place to help prepare for a potential H1N1 outbreak in their office. More specifically, some of these recommendations involve the use of technology which allows employees to work from home to help maintain business operations.

We have compiled a handful of IT tips to help your business stay afloat in the face of this pandemic:

H1N1 Tip #1: Backup essential business information and plan for secure off-site storage

H1N1 Tip #2: Test your VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection, and make sure employees know how to use it. This includes making sure you have enough bandwidth to cover multiple employees working remotely.

H1N1 Tip #3: Consider IT solutions to replace business travel, such as video conferencing or web applications such as SharePoint.

H1N1 Tip #4: Use alcohol wipes or antibacterial wipes to clean your phone and keyboard. Two places that are notorious for collecting germs, especially if you share either of these devices.

H1N1 Tip #5: Take everyday action to stay healthy.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

New Hire: Airri Spearman

Applied Tech is pleased to welcome Airri Spearman to our Network Operations Center as a Systems Specialist. Airri has 14+ year experience with Windows Client-server administration, Cisco networking, and senior desktop support in environments including financial services (Investment, Trading, Market Data), Engineering, Advertising, Education, multi-media web casting, and manufacturing. Airri received a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from the DeVry Institute of Technology. Please help us welcome Airri to our team!

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