Year in Review
  Employee Profile
  Ask Sparky
  Wish List
  Budget 2008
  Upcoming Events
  Groove 2007
 

What Windows Vista Does for Me
"wondering what all the fuss is about Vista?" Read more to see what to expect from the newest operating system.

Upcoming Events . . .

December’s HighTech
Happy Hour –
Wednesday, December 19,2007. 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Capital Brewery. Sponsored by Will Hogoboom. 

For more info, visit www.hthh.org

Middleton Chamber of Commerce's Annual Celebration and Silent Auction:  Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 5:30 - 9:30 pm at the Marriott-Madison west Ballroom.  $50 per person.  For more information click here.  (Check out the Zune Digital Media Player that Applied Tech has donated for the auction!)

Business Intelligence seminar hosted by Applied Tech in February 2008 (Date:TBD).
To receive an invitation, please inform Julie Vike or call 608.257.6051 x 23

In the News. . .

So you think it's just college kids who get in trouble for having bootleg movies, music and software on their computers?

Think again. Business owners better be paying attention, too.

A recent national article from the Associated Press said the chief watchdog for major software companies is coming after businesses with as few as 10 people. Business Software Alliance, which handles major copyright enforcement for such companies as Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec, has garnered $13 million in software violation settlements with North American companies last year -- and 90 percent of them were small businesses.

Kurt Sippel, president of Applied Tech, said he is not surprised; "I bet I could walk into almost any small business and they couldn't find their licenses to prove ownership".

For a more complete article on a recent settlement, see: http://www.bsa.org/  

At the risk of bragging, Applied Tech has had a great year! We've watched our employees get married, excel at sporting interests, gain an abundance of professional certifications, experience promotions, and so much more.

Get a "behind the scenes" look at what Applied Tech is doing when we're not solving all the worlds IT puzzles (a bit of an exaggeration, of course), by clicking here!

Introducing Jackie Hahn; Applied Tech's Office Manager and accounting assistant! Jackie began at Applied Tech in September 2007. She brings over 15 years experience in accounts receivables and office management skills. This, along with Jackie's cheerful and professional aptitude, makes her a great addition to the Applied Tech team.

Jackie and her husband, Andy, of 10 years, have two children: 8-year old Ashley and 6-year old Travis. Being the middle child of five, Jackie appreciates time spent with her family and friends. She and Andy bowl together on a weekly team in DeForest and the entire family enjoys watching the Packers and Badgers games together.

Just as Jackie takes care of all of us, she also enjoys entertaining at her home; even to the stray cat, Mac, that has become part of their family. We suspect that this gentle nature came from growing up on a farm as a child.

Jackie can also be found engrossed in TV show's Grey's Anatomy and Survivor and dreaming of a vacation to a warm destination, complete with cocktail in hand.

Do you have an IT question or concern that you’ve been hung up on? Now’s your chance to “Ask Sparky”!  Sparky is what we loving call our company logo. Sparky is our fearless leaders who encompasses all that is IT. Applied Tech works hard at keeping IT as pain-free as possible and Sparky is with us every step of the way! Send your IT questions to Sparky at sparky@appliedtech.us.

Bob asks:
"When doing an on-line search, is there a way I can get more accurate search results?"

Click for answer

Heidi asks:
"I’m a PowerPoint novice! How can I get my slide decks to start automatically when I email them to clients?"

Click for answer

This time of the year many businesses are working hard to develop their budget or technology “wish list” for the coming year. I have spoken with many businesses over the last couple of months and have compiled a common list of technologies solutions that are being budgeted for 2008. Take a look at the list and consider whether you may have overlooked any of these items.

• Microsoft Licensing

• Contact Management Solutions

• Up to Date Security Appliance

• Vista Testing and Acceptance

• Mobility Solutions

• Bandwidth Upgrades

• Secure Remote Access

Read more for the complete article