AgniTEK - Newsletter Articles

Feel That Image: New research develops images that can be both seen and felt

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:09:00 GMT

Geode digital wallet is the techy wallet of the future

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:06:00 GMT

Microsoft Builds a Browser for Your Past

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

By Tom Simonite Prototype software called Lifebrowser uses artificial intelligence to help you revisit important events, photos, and e-mails from your own life. Mining personal data to discover what people care about has become big business for companies such as Facebook and Google. Now a project from Microsoft Research is trying to bring that kind of data mining back home to help people explore their own piles of personal digital data. Software called Lifebrowser processes photos, e-mails, Web browsing and search history, calendar events, and other documents stored on a person's computer and identifies landmark events. Its timeline interface can explore, search, and discover those landmarks as a kind of memory aid. "The motivation behind Lifebrowser is that we have too much stuff going on in our personal digital spheres," says Eric Horvitz, the distinguished scientist at Microsoft who created Lifebrowser. "We were interested in making loc ...

9 Easy Ways to Remember Your Presentation Material

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

One of the most common reasons we experience presentation anxiety is the fear that we will forget what we have to say and risk losing credibility. A method many use to address this fear is to create PowerPoint slides as a memory aid. However, this is short-sighted because nothing erodes your credibility as a speaker faster than signaling to the audience that you are dependent on your slides. Seasoned presenters are able to announce a slide before showing it. At a minimum, they know their material so well that all they need to do is briefly glance at the slide to know what's coming next. You can achieve this by doing simple memory boosting practices to remember your presentation material and, in turn, reduce your anxiety. Here are nine tips to help you remember what you have to say. 1. Use the Palace Method Research into brain science has proven that there is a very deep connection between the way we remember an event and the space i ...

7 Tips for Selling in a Weak Economy

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

While the economy has been showing a few signs of recovery, it's pretty clear that we're in for a long period of lackluster growth. With this in mind, here are seven tips from top sales gurus for selling in a weak economy. 1. Don't Focus on Your Fear You may be worried about the economy, your job, and everything else, but you can't let those worries rule your thoughts and actions. Don't waste precious enthusiasm dwelling on bad news. Rather than listening to the radio when you're on the road, listen to motivational CDs and MP3s. 2. Go on the Offensive This isn't the time to hunker down. If you get on the defensive, you're dead. Instead, get more aggressive and set more aggressive goals. Use multiple points of customer contact, like your call center and product support website, to create new opportunities. 3. Create New Pricing Options Work with your finan ...

Free Wireless Broadband for the Masses

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:00 GMT

When you think of basic human rights, access to wireless broadband Internet probably isn't at the top of the list. But a new company backed by a Skype cofounder disagrees, and plans to bring free mobile broadband to the U.S. later this year under the slogan "The Internet is a right, not a privilege." Called FreedomPop, the service will give users roughly a gigabyte of free high-speed mobile Internet access per month on Clearwire's WiMAX network and forthcoming LTE network. It will offer other low-cost prepaid plans that provide access to more data. FreedomPop vice president of marketing Tony Miller gave few specific details about the company's offerings and how it plans to make money—and won't yet name executives or founders—but says he expects the service to roll out in the U.S. sometime between July and September and to eventually branch out to other countries as well. FreedomPop's arrival coincides with the ...

The Next PowerPoint Augmented reality presented by a magician’s hands

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Winners of the 2012 AgniTEK NCAA Tournament Challenge

AgniTEK — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:26:00 GMT

We can’t believe it’s already the middle of April – mostly because that means that March Madness was officially over a couple of weeks ago! If you had a chance to enter a bracket, we hope you enjoyed the tournament as much as we did. Our staff looks forward to March Madness each year, and we are excited to congratulate the winners of the 2012 Tournament Challenge. You can see the final standings below: In case you don’t recognize our winners by their Tournament usernames, they are: 1st Place: Kole Puckett 2nd Place: Mike McBerty 3rd Place: Jennifer Franz 4th Place: Richard Weber 5th Place: Jeremy Ksionda Our honorary staff winner (no prize included) was Kevin Crenshaw, who came in a close 6th after Jeremy, with just one less point. You can also check out our Facebook page for pictures of the winners who dropped by the AgniTEK offices to pick up their prizes! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for next March and join us for the 6th Annual Agn ...

10 Ways to Win Over Writers

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:24:00 GMT

By Alicia Eler As a PR person, product developer, CEO or whatever, you're probably more interested in getting noticed by the media than developing a relationship with a particular writer. That's one way to go about it. Then there's that old-fashioned "building a relationship with a real person not a robot" idea. You know, treating people like people and taking the time to get to know them. Oh right, yeah, forgot about that. Writers, like artists, are sensitive to ideas and people. But not every writer will get you or your product - and in the tech world as in any world, each writer has their own specialization. If the match is right, I guarantee they will want to get to know you and your ideas. Let me relate a true story: One time I was so enchanted by someone who I once wrote about that I traveled 10 hours (on a Megabus, no less) to visit this person's hometown (Kansas City, Missouri, a town I would not normally have any interest in) to learn about her and the ...

5 Tips for Lead Nurturing to Grow Your Sales Funnel

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:20:00 GMT

by Lori Richardson As a seller you are working hard to create a full pipeline (funnel) and now that you have all of these companies and some actual sales opportunities on your radar, how will you bring them to closure? Here are 5 tips to help you gain and nurture more sales opportunities: As a mid-market company, you likely do not have as many formalities such as written sales processes and a clear set of tools to help you build revenues. Work to gain clarity on creating a formal process once marketing has sent potential leads to sales. If you are even less formal and have combined marketing and sales, create a clear roadmap to sales closure for each and every customer scenario. This becomes the foundation for scalability and in training new reps. Work closely with marketing so that you are getting good educational content to where your prospective customers are before they contact you. According to IDG Connect*, less than 40% of buyers say they spend their time in the buying process eithe ...

The Pasta-Shaped Radio Waves That Promise Infinite Bandwidth

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:16:00 GMT

by Jamie Condliffe Try sending a text message at midnight on New Year's Eve, and you'll struggle: there's too much data and not enough bandwidth to cope with it. But now a team of researchers has developed twisted radio waves inspired by pasta, which could allow a "potentially infinite" number of channels to be broadcast simultaneously. It sounds ridiculous, but it's actually a pretty neat trick. The secret lies in forcing radio waves to twist about their axis as they travel, in effect tracing out the shape of fusilli pasta as they move forwards, as the researchers explain in the New Journal of Physics. Dr Fabrizio Tamburini, one of the researchers, explained to PhysOrg: "In a three-dimensional perspective, this phase twist looks like a fusillli-pasta-shaped beam. Each of these twisted beams can be independently generated, propagated and detected even in the very same frequency band, behaving as independent communication channels." The team have demo ...

Low-Cost Ways To Show Employees They're Highly Valued

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:09:00 GMT

by Roberta Chinsky Matuson Small businesses can compete for talent without breaking the bank. Yes, you still need to pay competitive wages to get people in the door, but it’s the perks that will help you retain them. Here are 30 low-cost ideas for small businesses who want to show employees that they are highly valued. 1. Flex time. Some organizations require employees to be at work during core hours, and employee can set their schedule around this. Others allow employees to put in hours at their own discretion. Most require employees to have a set schedule so managers can plan for coverage. The schedule may be adjusted to accommodate personal matters like doctor's appointments. 2. Innovation days. Set aside several days a year to allow employees to step away from their usual responsibilities to tackle projects related to the way they work and the spaces they work in. Results are shared in a company meeting the following morning. 3. Monthly commuter benefits. Off ...

Smithsonian turns to 3D to bring collection to the world

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:03:00 GMT

by Daniel Terdiman With just 2 percent of the Smithsonian's archive of 137 million items available to the public at any one time, an effort is under way at the world's largest museum and research institution to adopt 3D tools to expand its reach around the country. CNET has learned that the Smithsonian has a new initiative to create a series of 3D-printed models, exhibits, and scientific replicas--as well as to generate a new digital archive of 3D models of many of the physical objects in its collection. Representative of that effort, the museum is touting the 3D printed replica of a Thomas Jefferson statue that it recently installed for the "Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty" exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. According to the museum, this is the "largest 3D printed museum quality historical replica" on Earth and is a copy of a statue on display at Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson museum in Virginia. ...

Tip: How to cut and paste without messing up formatting

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Why does formatting sometimes get messed up when you cut and paste text? And what is that thing that appears at the end of the last sentence every time you paste--like a fly returning to honey. That thing--the Paste Options button--is your friend, a worker bee and not a fly whose only job is to follow your formatting instructions. Learning how it works keeps you from wasting time manually formatting pasted text. Using the Paste Options Button Click the down-arrow on the Paste Options button and you'll see a menu with icons that lets you format copied text in different ways. The options you'll see depend on where you're cutting and pasting from and to, e.g., from within or between documents. Roll your mouse over the icons and you can see how your pasted text will look before you click. These are the four most common options: Keep Source Formatting: Keeps the formatting of the text you copied Use Destination Styles: Matches the formatting where you pasted your ...

Spray-On Antenna Material Turns Just About Anything into a Signal Array

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:28:00 GMT

Presenting at Google’s “Solve for X” gathering, a Utah startup has unveiled a spray-on antenna that improves signals by anything, just about anywhere, into a signal array. Using a novel nanoparticle spray, Chamtech Enterprises demonstrated how their product can be used on all kinds of materials--trees, walls, fabrics--and in all kinds of environments, even underwater. The material relies on a proprietary formula that uses thousands upon thousands of nano-capacitors that automatically align themselves properly when sprayed onto a surface. They charge and discharge quickly, and notably don’t generate much heat--a major selling point for a product that might be sprayed onto anything from wood structures to cell phone cases to vehicle exteriors. The explanation of exactly how this works is better demonstrated than written, and Chamtech’s CEO, Anthony Sutera, does so in detail in the video below. The company is currently riding high on the results of successful tests ...

Closing Techniques Using Sales Linguistics

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:18:00 GMT

Remember the last time you were being pressured into doing something you didn't want to do? Whether the pressure came from a boss, colleague, spouse, or child, your natural response was to resist and push back. It's human nature to resist high-pressure tactics. So, how should the closing of the sales call be structured? The answer is to create a primary closing strategy, utilize fallback positions, and select the appropriate technique to deliver the close. Your primary closing strategy should be based upon securing the main objective for the meeting. The objective could be to be granted a follow-on meeting, have the customer start a product evaluation, receive approval to conduct a site survey, or negotiate final purchase terms. You also need fallback positions, alternatives you prepare ahead of time to present should the customer reject your primary closing strategy. Your primary closing strategy and fallback positions are based on choosing to issue a command or presenting foreground and b ...

How Brands Are Using Pinterest - And What They Can Do Better

AgniTEK — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

This year's hottest new online service is undoubtedly Pinterest, the "virtual pinboard" website. Once a social site becomes popular with consumers, brands soon follow. In 2011 brands flocked to Google+ when it became the hot new thing. Now, in 2012, brands are beginning to make their way onto Pinterest. In this post we'll look at some examples of how brands are visualizing themselves on Pinterest, along with emerging best practices. The appeal of Pinterest is that it's primarily a visual site, so it's fun to browse and "pin" (a.k.a. post) images. The most popular brand on Pinterest so far, according to digital marketing expert Gregory Pouy, is the DIY marketplace Etsy. Etsy has 54,000 followers and has created 26 boards, populated with 843 pins. Some of the images Etsy pins are accompanied by a price tag, with the aim of driving sales. But it also posts a lot of images that reinforce its branding as a vibrant, craft-oriented marketplace - for example its colorful &qu ...

MIT’s folding car could revolutionize city driving, but it’ll take some getting used to

AgniTEK — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

A concept car from MIT Media Labs has become a reality. The electric Hiriko city car folds down into tight parking places and is very maneuverable, but will need some practice on the driver's part in order to make the most of its abilities. If you live and drive in any modern city, especially one which isn’t well served by multi-storey car parks or clearly marked road-side parking bays, you’ll no doubt be an expert at the parallel parking maneuver. It’s a tricky skill, and one which many drivers still haven’t mastered, but it’s the most effective way of squeezing a car into a tight space. If you’re one of those who still needs several attempts to reverse into a parking spot, then help could be at hand thanks to a team at MIT Media Lab, who’ve been hard at work coming up with a new city car that could do away with the need to perform the maneuver at all. The car is the MIT CityCar, also known as the Hiriko, and while it has been a concept for se ...

10 Elements of A Social Media Policy for Your Company

AgniTEK — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Your business needs a social media policy. Let me illustrate why: Many of our clients at Cross Border PR embrace social media wholeheartedly. One in particular, is a service provider with $20M in revenue. One day, the CEO attended a conference call with one of their clients, where it was announced that their client company’s president was retiring. Because there were several hundred people on that call, my client’s CEO felt it was ok to tweet about it. And he did. To all 200 of his followers. Lo and behold, the CEO was shocked and embarrassed when he got a call from his client. Apparently, what he tweeted was not public knowledge. His innocent little tweet had set off a chain reaction, which turned into a PR situation for his client. As a result, this CEO got his hand slapped for leaking something confidential. Was the CEO at fault? What should he have done? What could his client have done to avoid the leak in the first place? The answers lie in a socia ...

How to Disagree at Meetings in a Positive and Productive Way

AgniTEK — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

How many times have you sat in a meeting thinking, "This is all wrong"? How many times have you disagreed with something, but not spoken up, for fear of making waves, rocking the boat, holding things up or being viewed as the naysayer? How many times have you wanted to disagree but were afraid to in front of others? And how many times have you left the meeting upset at yourself for not speaking your mind? Are there ways to disagree at meetings in a positive and productive way? Joel Garfinkle, one of the top 50 executive coaches in the U.S., has something to say about it in his book Getting Ahead: Three Steps To Take Your Career To The Next Level. "Sharing your opinions during meetings—even if they are contrary to what others might be saying—is necessary for others to see you as part of the conversation," he advises. "If you don’t plan to speak, then why even attend the meeting? You are there to take part in a collaborative process that involves various ...

Crafting Your Story

AgniTEK — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:56:00 GMT

Communications coach Carmine Gallo shares tips on how to craft your business story -- covering all the essential elements -- so you can tell it it in 60 seconds. He shares the four critical questions you must answer to get your message across to prospects. Carmine Gallo is a communications coach, a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. His latest is The Power of Foursquare (McGraw-Hill, 2011).

No mouse, just air

AgniTEK — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Displair, a Russian company,has come up with a technology to project images into the thin air, and use gestures to move them. The prototype will certainly need improving to get anywhere near the computer-generated scenes of Tom Cruise flipping through photos displayed in the air in the Minority Report, but unlike the movie, Displair is real. The company uses a stream of cold fog to project images onto it and an infrared camera to capture gestures. Unlike oversized body movements which Microsoft Kinect analyze and process using motion camera and infrared depth sensors, Displair solves a bigger challenge of detecting and interpreting finer movements of hands. Yet Displair’s award-winning technology, developed in a student dormitory, has only 0.2 seconds lag time between gesture and computer reaction, compared to 0.1 second lag time of Kinect for Xbox 360, using up to 1500 points in its multi-touch screen system with 1 cm accuracy. Microsoft Research is also making advances in ge ...

7 Things Every Employee Must Know About Marketing

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

by John Jantsch Founder, Duct Tape Marketing Most companies invest in employee handbooks. These valuable resources detail rules, regulations, mission statements, policies and expected conduct. But they often ignore what might be the most important company knowledge—marketing. Any employee that comes into contact with a customer or client is performing a marketing function. Do they know how to represent the organization accurately and positively? Business owners should add marketing training to the ongoing development of every staff member. Teach new hires and conduct routine, perhaps quarterly, all-hands sessions. Here are the seven things to work into training your staff in marketing. 1. This is who we work with Write a paragraph that paints a vivid picture of the kind of client you seek. Include the kinds of problems or challenges that make your company the right one for them to do business with. Until you narrowly define the exact person or business that is you ...

Hack Your Productivity: A Time-Management Geek's 10-Minute Solution

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

By Kaihan Krippendorff, Fast Company writer I just had the most productive week ever. I am a bit of a time-management geek. I’ve met and interviewed some amazing entrepreneurs, CEOs, and politicians. They all have one thing in common: They achieve more in less time than the rest of us. They each follow their own system, and I’ve tried some version of every one. But two weeks ago I tried something new. And with the early results in, it’s the clear winner. If you want to rip out of the gates in 2012 on fire, give this method a shot. It will take just 10 minutes a day. First, let me tell you what it’s not. This is not a visioning method. In other words, this method does not imply that by envisioning an outcome--a new job, a successful fundraising meeting, winning a sale--you will realize the outcome. My first roommate, and first officemate when I joined McKinsey, was the coach of the U.S. National Rugby Team in a prior life. He shared with me that he, and many elite athle ...

10 tips for effective voice-mail messages

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Have you honed your skills at "elevator pitches" — that is, the quick sales pitches to influential executives or potential customers that could be pivotal to your business? Voice mails are similar types of pitches worth becoming skilled at. Maybe a voice mail won't always make or break your business. Maybe it could just mean you have a partner for a weekend game of golf. At any rate, you want to interest someone in calling you back. And that's why, as an entrepreneur maximizing small business resources, it behooves you to make the most of voice mails—both in those you leave with others and in your voice-mail greetings to incoming callers. Here are 10 strategies to make your voice mails more effective and, ultimately, more beneficial to your business. First, tips on what to do when you're the one leaving the message. Get to the purpose of your call. In this lightning-paced day and age, businesspeople can't afford a lot of time for ambling chi ...

Mobile Credit Card Processing: Benefits and Practical Application

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Anyone who has ever tried selling something can tell you the importance of accepting credit cards. Whether you’re selling products at a trade show, delivering a product, or offering an on-site service, you don’t want to miss any sales opportunity just because you don’t accept credit cards. But you don’t have to buy expensive “wireless” terminals or bust your knuckles on manual credit card imprinters. With little more than your current cell phone and an inexpensive mobile credit card processing app, you can accept credit cards anywhere you are. Here are some of the unique benefits of mobile credit card processing: Real-time validation and payment processing Competitive per-transaction fees and low rates (both for keyed-in and swiped transactions) Compatibility with a variety of merchant accounts and payment gateways Easy online management and integration with accounting software Additional features like GPS location reporting, signature ...

5 Tips for Making Your Brand More Social

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

What message does your brand convey to socially engaged customers? As we enter the golden age of social media, companies can no longer afford the luxury of tightly scripted, top-down messaging (e.g., “We’re the best! Take our word for it.”). Nor can a company simply opt out and remain silent (as epitomized in Northwestern Mutual’s “The Quiet Company” ad campaign of years past). As social media channels have increased, so has the need to communicate effortlessly and simultaneously. Just as presidential candidates now face the constant scrutiny of a 24-hour news cycle, companies are being called on to respond in real time across multiple media platforms. This is not a time for hesitation. To market effectively, companies need a consistent, compelling brand voice—one that doesn’t pause, mumble or clam up. Here are five ways to share your message comfortably and confidently. #1: Determine your brand personality The majority of small business ...

Cell Phone Survival

AgniTEK — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Water and personal electronics are probably the two most essential elements in this modern life, yet the two don’t get along very well at all. Drop your Blackberry in the drink--or even simply spill your coffee on it--and often enough that’s the end of your device. A California-based company called Liquipel feels your pain, and has devised a clever nanotech solution to the water-meets-brand-new-iPhone problem via a thin, clear coating that causes water to wick right off the guts of your gadgets. Liquipel--that’s the name of both the company and the product--covers devices inside and out with a transparent coating thinner than a human hair that causes water to bead right off their previously moisture-sensitive elements. Properly sealed up with Liquipel, the company claims a smartphone can survive full submergence in water. And just to prove the point, you can see a new Liquipel-treated iPhone 4S back up that claim in the video above.

Balance Of Work And Life Is A Myth

AgniTEK — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Written by Stephen Shapiro Many years back, I led classes on Stephen Covey’s “Principle Centered Leadership” for Accenture’s managers. Over 75 percent of the attendees said that achieving balance in their life was their number one reason for taking the course. This is not surprising given the fast pace of life today. But what does balance mean? Balance implies two opposing forces that reach equilibrium. This is not easy to do. Remember when you were a kid trying to balance with someone else on a seesaw? Either you were up or you were down. But rarely were you balanced. In life, either we are working hard or playing hard at any given moment. But we rarely are in balance. And when most refer to work/life balance being out of alignment, it is typically not because they are enjoying too much play and not enough work. Maybe balance is not the solution. So what’s the alternative? Integration. Find ways of integrating your work and personal life together. In doing th ...

Seven Tips To Establish Rapport With Potential Prospects

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Written by Michael Halper Being able to build rapport with potential prospects will be a very valuable skill when trying to launch a new business. This is important because not only do people buy from people they like, but also because having rapport will greatly improve an entrepreneur’s ability to control and manage an opportunity through a sales cycle. Below are a few tips that can be used to try to positively trigger rapport with prospects. 1. Display Humility Finding times to display humility can sometimes establishing a friendlier atmosphere when dealing with prospects. This might actually sound counterintuitive as we have always been taught to act very confident and assertive as an entrepreneur and showing humility in many ways is the exact opposite of that as it is showing that you are modest and at times imperfect. You certainly want to be confident in whom you are, in the products you sell, and confident in the company you have built. But to sh ...

Share presentations painlessly with Broadcast Slide Show

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

The PowerPoint Broadcast Slide Show makes it easy for PowerPoint 2010 users to share a presentation on the fly with anyone, anywhere. Just send a link, and in one click everyone you invite will be watching a synchronized view of your slide show in their Web browser, even if they don’t have PowerPoint 2010 installed. To broadcast your slides to an audience, follow the directions below. Starting a broadcast To start a broadcast from PowerPoint 2010, click Broadcast Slide Show on the Slide Show tab. Ensure the PowerPoint Broadcast Service is selected and click Start Broadcast. Sign in with your Windows Live ID. (If you use Hotmail, Live Messenger, or Xbox LIVE, you already have a Windows Live ID. If not, it only takes a minute to sign up.) PowerPoint will provide a public link that you can send to up to 50 remote attendees. Anyone who receives a link to the broadcast may watch it. Keep in mind that if an attendee forwards the link to someone else, that person ...

The Future of Screen Technology

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Paper computer shows flexible future for smartphones and tablets

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Nancy’s Talk from TEDxEast: You Can Change the World

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

10 insider's shortcuts for Outlook

AgniTEK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Shortcuts are generally good: When training to do heart surgery? Not good. When developing software that helps people be more productive? Not good. When using software more efficiently? Good. These last two are obviously related: When the developers of Outlook created the program, they did not take shortcuts so that you, as the user of aforementioned software, could. And Outlook has a bevy of really great, really easy to remember keyboard shortcuts that you should know if you want to speed up your everyday interactions with it. (Keyboard shortcut: individual keystrokes—or combination of keys pressed at the same time—used to execute commands.) 10 favorite Outlook keyboard shortcuts from some people who use the program all day, every day Switch between Mail, Calendar, and Contacts Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3: (Mail is Ctrl+1, Calendar is Ctrl+2, and Contacts is Ctrl+3) Create a meeting request Ctrl+Shift+ Q Move a message from one folder to another Ctrl+Shift ...

BYOD, Are You Prepared? Questions You Should Ask

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:41:00 GMT

No, I’m not talking about having a party but rather one of the hottest topics in technology today. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is becoming an absolute factor in almost every business today. Your employees, vendors, and guests all probably bring some type of personal communication device or their own notebooks to your workplace every day. Many employees are using their own devices to connect to your business networks, if for nothing more than the receipt of your corporate email. So why is BYOD a hot topic? Many companies provide their employees laptops and smartphones to serve as their business computing and mobile communications devices. The business owns those devices, and as a result, the business can control the security of those devices and any business data that the user had downloaded to them. When Blackberry was a standard, Blackberry server handled many of the business security concerns present in mobile devices. Today, we see that burden of security falling back on the business and their IT d ...

When Subscription Lists Go Bad: e-Marketing TLC

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:39:00 GMT

Be honest with me. When was the last time you looked at your e-marketing statistics in Constant Contact, MailChimp, ConnectWise Marketing Manager, or whichever email service provider you use? If you said "yesterday" or "this week" or "every time I send out a campaign," you get a gold star. But here's your next question: When was the last time you analyzed your statistics and acted on them? E-marketing has an illusion of simplicity about it – maybe because it's digital, maybe because there are so many services and tools that claim to make it easy as pie. With a few clicks of a button you can send an email campaign to thousands of people, and then never look at it again. And if you never look at it again, you might miss the fact that most everyone who got it isn't looking at it either. I’ve run into this issue a couple of times in the last few weeks, both from working on cleaning up our own subscription lists and from talking to clients. It takes effort to review your sent emails, campaigns, and e-inv ...

The Future of Windows

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:38:00 GMT

Microsoft held their first ever Build Conference in Anaheim in September. It’s a new annual event for Windows developers to gather and learn about building applications for the Windows platform. This one was special not only because it was the first, but also because leading up to it, all the buzz was about how much of Windows 8 Microsoft would show and what details we would learn about the next version of the most popular operating system in the world. Microsoft did not disappoint. They have showed demos, talked about features and functions, and even made an open beta immediately available to all who are interested to download, play with, and Microsoft hopes develop applications for. The buzz leading up to the conference has grown into a fever pitch with partners, developers, and customers all extremely excited about the next Windows release. What is it about this platform that Microsoft is doing right, and why is everyone so excited? First off, Windows has a new look and feel. The next interface, du ...

How to photograph holidays and special occasions

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:36:00 GMT

The problem with most photos taken during the holidays or other special celebrations is that they don’t capture the special feeling of the season or event. That’s why most holiday, anniversary, birthday, and graduation pictures seem so average. Why settle for ho-hum photos? With preparation and just a few simple tips on photography techniques and photo effects, you can turn your digital photographs into unique works of art that you and your family and friends will enjoy looking at for years. 1. Plan ahead for special occasion mailings The classic problem with holiday photos that you want to use for cards, your annual family letter, or other special mailings is that they have to be taken weeks in advance. Some decorations, like Christmas trees, might not be available, or you might not want to take your menorah or other once-a-year holiday decorations out of storage so far in advance. Or maybe there’s no snow on the ground. It's never too early to think about the perfect image to accompany your specia ...

When Disaster Strikes - The Big Bad Wolf

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:34:00 GMT

It may be superstition, but many of us still believe that catastrophes come in 3s. In the case of a catastrophic loss of business facility (i.e. hurricane, earthquake, waterlogging of fire hoses), many businesses get to experience all three of these catastrophes within the span of a few short days (or even hours). Firstly, one must endure the physical and emotional trauma of experiencing the actual disaster. Secondly, one must pick through the pieces and assess how bad things really are. Thirdly, and the most delicate, will be communicating with employees and customers, having to tell them what’s happened, how bad it is, and what uncertainties the future holds. A Backup System Alone is Not a Disaster Recovery Plan Most small business managers rise to their positions because they have the vision and drive to succeed. For them, planning for a disaster can feel like planning to fail. They don’t like to think about what a disaster would do to their business continuity, so they don’t. Of course, they appr ...

Are your emails falling into a black hole?

AgniTEK — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:31:00 GMT

It’s so frustrating: you regularly send out emails and then sit staring at your computer, waiting for some sort of response. Don’t you sometimes get the feeling that you’re just sending words out into a black hole? Of course, you can never "ensure" that emails are going to be read or acted upon. It’s a sad result of the information overload we suffer from. People who sit working at their computers for hours every day might have the time, energy and interest to open the numerous messages which fill their inbox—or they might not. So what is it exactly that tips them over the delicate, crucial line between “read” and ”leave for later/delete”? The answer is that most recipients of emails often decide whether or not to read them because of two things: the “subject” line and the “from” line. They must recognize who the email is coming from They must see a benefit or reason to open it So consider these useful tips before you send your next mail: 1. Keep it short Would you immediately open and read an em ...

3 Steps to Streamline Your Next Project

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center Have you ever had a project "go sideways" on you? When it happens to you, it feels like you are treading water. You're working hard, but going nowhere. After building a beautiful coordinated project plan in Microsoft Project or Microsoft Excel, your dates start slipping. You can see that too much time is being wasted on unnecessary communications, but how do you take back control? Typically, the problem isn't in the upfront planning, it's in the ongoing communication and collaboration. Follow these three steps to ensure all team members are on the same page, making progress to your mutual goal. 1. Create a collaboration site. Endless hours are wasted and bandwidth consumed from circulating documents via email. The larger the project, the worse this problem becomes. Because the document isn't centrally stored, multiple versions are created, and that's where questions and confusion pop-up. "Is this the latest version? Has John reviewed this? ...

3 ways to convert documents to PDFs

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

PDF is a file format that allows text (including fonts) and images to be embedded into a non-editable document. This file format is great for documents that you do not want changed or that you want to make sure anyone can open. There are multiple ways that you can convert your non-PDF documents (such as Word files and Excel spreadsheets) into PDFs. Using Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010 If you have Microsoft Office 2010, you can easily save documents as PDFs in Word, Excel, and other programs by going to File > Save As > Adobe PDF. (In Office 2007, you an also look for the Acrobat tab on the ribbon and click Create PDF.) Simply save the PDF with the name and location you want it to have and the PDF will generate. Using CutePDF CutePDF is one of many free programs that allow you to convert documents by "printing" them. You can download CutePDF online at http://www.cutepdf.com. Install the program that you downloaded. Now, when you go to print a document, in the list of printers you can print to, you’ll ...

5 ways to win the PC security battle

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center by Heather Clancy Yes, as you've doubtless heard umpteen times, even the smallest business is vulnerable to a PC or network security breach. But you can find some peace of mind simply by taking some preventive measures. Better yet, by taking action before an incident occurs. IT consultants believe that the most effective data security policies are those that treat security not just as an IT problem but as an underlying business process. What good are firewalls, for example, if you don't have a way for trusted business partners to access your network from a remote location? How effective is a software patch management service if telecommuting employees who are rarely in the office aren't encouraged (or forced) to update? Step one for any security strategy means getting your entire organization involved in the discussion. If you're an IT type, find yourself a champion who has line-of-business responsibilities; someone who understands your c ...

Remote working is no longer an employee perk, it's a business necessity

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center The kind of office most of us are familiar with is a building with four walls and a roof that we probably drive to 40 or so hours each week, Monday through Friday. Today, many companies still maintain traditional offices, but the decision makers are also discovering that to compete in the current economy, employees must be able to do their jobs anywhere, anytime. Microsoft recently commissioned a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs among more than 4,500 information workers in 15 U.S. markets to better understand opinions and attitudes related to mobile and internal business technologies and capabilities. The survey results further underscore the growing requirement for mobile work solutions - more than half of respondents (57%) report that their company has a formal telework policy and more than three quarters of information workers (77%) say their company provides access to technology support for working remotely. Working without wal ...

Protecting your wireless network

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center Why wireless security? When you have a wireless network, you need to make sure it's kept secure. An unencrypted network presents the potential for security breaches. Wireless technologies that provide long-range connectivity can't be contained within an office. When you use a network that's not secure, hackers could potentially "capture" the information you're sending back and forth. This means passwords, records, and more. Isn't my network already secure? With some older wireless technologies, like Bluetooth, access is limited by physical proximity to the corporate network. However, wireless technologies that provide long-range connectivity, such as 802.11n, can't be contained within an office space. That means anyone within range of a non-secure network can gain access. What happens if I don't secure my network? It may seem harmless to offer your network's access to outside users, but it's more than just letting people surf the Internet for ...

How Smart Is Your Phone?

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Millions of BlackBerry users around the world had their work, business, and social lives severely affected recently after a server crash that disconnected smartphone users across the globe. The three-day outage interrupted email messages and Internet services for customers spanning five continents. In today's world of continuous communication, a network disruption can be detrimental to your business. Below are some simple tips to keep you and your employees connected during an outage. SMS Text Updates: Regardless of the severity of the interruption, it is important you have a way to notify employees, clients, and stakeholders. SMS text messaging has proven to work when other mobile functions are down. Backup Contacts: Keep your contacts updated across all channels, including phone, email, and social media. This will make it easy to reach out to the right people quickly. Update Your Website: Know how to quickly update your website to address the situation. Consider having a pre-populated webp ...

Employee Spotlight - Linda Grasley

AgniTEK — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:00:00 GMT

As AgniTEK continues to grow and develop into an influential regional technology firm, we take pride in showcasing some of our stellar employees. Linda Grasley, our Administrative Assistant, has been working for AgniTEK since March of this year. Originally hailing from Canada, Linda handles the dispatch of service tickets to our technicians. She is also the point person for the invoicing and processing of payments made by clients. Most importantly, Linda is usually the smiling face greeting you when you come by our office! Linda enjoys how the work pace at AgniTEK is "thankfully busy”. She states, “I love the interaction with our clients and trying to help them. In this job you hit the ground running, shortly after 8 A.M. the phone starts ringing as people get to work and start up their computers." As a member of the AgniTEK team, Linda enjoys most "The people I work with and the variety of things I do each day. There is never a dull moment!" When Linda isn’t working, she enjoys antiquing, reading m ...

Are You Ignoring Customers?

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

used with permission from the HP solutions Site Customer Feedback Want to respond to your customers' needs instantly? Learn more about becoming an Instant-On Enterprise Out of frustration, a team of gardeners wanted to fence a flowerbed after visitors repeatedly cut through it. But one visionary saw things differently and had a path installed instead. After all, it wasn't just any destination—it was Disneyland. Founder Walter "Walt" Disney understood that guests knew where they wanted to go, and it was the staff's job to give them what they wanted. Just like those guests, customers—both in business and the public sector—seek the easiest path. If you don't help your customers get there, your competitor will. Unfortunately, many organizations are losing supporters by ignoring customer feedback on a daily basis without realizing why. High Tech vs. High Touch Technology can be one of your greatest assets—as long as it's used appropriately. Technology usage is the most critical differentiator. Leaders mu ...

Four Habits for Effective Workplace Communication

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

by Marlene Chism Often it is our little habits that prohibit effective communication in the workplace. Whether it’s giving too much advice, offering too much leniency, or sharing too much excitement or passion, here are four habits to increase effective communication in the workplace. Hold your Tongue When your employees are excited, it means they are engaged, so let them talk. This will take self-control, especially if you love to teach or love to share examples and stories. Take a step back and a deep breath instead of rushing to add your two cents. When you interrupt someone, you are simply taking up air space. Even if you are anxious to interject your own point of view, wait. The other person is unable to hear you when he is focused on finishing what he has to say. Encourage your employees to speak about their successes and ideas and you will keep them engaged. Hold your Advice It’s easy to get into the habit of advising and rescuing rather than making them think, but giving advice too quickly ...

5 Tips for Building Connected Work Teams with Online Collaboration Tools

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

used with permission from Microsoft small Business Site Anyone who has tried to manage a geographically dispersed work team knows how challenging it can be to keep the lines of communications open and efforts well-coordinated. Time zone differences delay communications, different communications styles cause misunderstandings, and activities are difficult to schedule. To complicate matters, it's not easy to make sure that everyone has the latest progress updates, project information and changes to customer requirements. Too many companies are still relying on phone calls, emails and expensive on-site meetings to manage their team collaboration and keep projects on schedule. That's unfortunate when current technology can help build a connected work team and make long-distance collaboration so much simpler. Here are five tips for using online collaboration tools to build connected work teams: #1 Maintain one version of the truth Many of the challenges in project management stem from individual team mem ...

Five Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

used with permission from Cisco Small Business Site For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the impacts of a disaster can result in loss of or lack of access to data, applications, and work facilities. Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005 impacted countless businesses, from retail stores and hotels to major corporations. Those with disaster recovery plans in place fared much better than those without such contingency plans. More SMBs Beginning to Plan for Disasters While the business impacts of disasters—such as the loss of data and communications infrastructure, leaving a business unable to function—are widely understood, SMB have been slower to develop disaster recovery plans as compared to larger organizations. But that appears to be changing. According to the Yankee Group's 2006 U.S. Small and Medium Business IT Survey, after security the other major concerns of SMBs are now backup and restore and then application and data availability. Globally, spending on data pro ...

File organization tips: 9 ideas for managing files and folders

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

used with permission from Microsoft at Work The tips in this article can help you master file management by supplying some tips to help you better manage and organize computer files. After you’ve decided on a strategy for organizing and managing files and folders, we bet you’ll see improved time management skills and increased productivity. Tips to manage your files better Use these tips to help with organizing your computer files. 1. Use Documents. For many reasons, it's smart to take advantage of the Documents feature, which is called Documents in Windows 7 and in Windows Vista and is called My Documents in Windows XP. To open Documents in Windows 7 and Vista, click Start, and then click Documents to discover an easy way to store your personal documents. In Windows 7, the Documents feature is actually a virtual library. By default, the Documents library includes your My Documents or Documents folder and the Public Documents folder. You can customize the Documents library (in addition to the Music, Pic ...

Employee Spotlight - Antonio Ortiz

AgniTEK — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Antonio Ortiz is the Co-Owner and Director of Operations at AgniTEK. He has worked at the company since it began serving corporate clients in the summer of 1999. He started as a technician and worked onsite with clients’ networks, servers, and workstations every day for AgniTEK’s first 6 years. As the customer base grew, Antonio refocused his efforts on enhancing project management and customer services. Today, Antonio spends the majority of his time communicating with his clients and finding ways to make their lives easier. Antonio most enjoys the problem-solving aspect of his professional life. Receiving a Telecommunication Engineering Technology degree from Texas A&M University in 2005, he graduated with the skills and desire to help his clients decrease their costs, increase their revenue, and handle their technology stress more effectively. To accomplish these goals, Antonio enjoys using new technologies, highly skilled teams, and –sometimes- just simple common-sense. When he’s not working, Antonio p ...

Unleash The Power of Email

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:07:00 GMT

used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Site Can you imagine running your business without email? Probably not, and even if you can, you surely can't picture going back to those bygone days of telephone tag, snail mail, and scribbled notes left on colleagues' desks. Not to mention the frustration of trying to schedule meetings without access to your coworkers' calendars, or fumbling through a stack of business cards to find a client's phone number. Whether you're contacting customers or suppliers, scheduling a staff meeting or tracking down a critical message, email has become the backbone of business communication. But a growing mountain of email has made it increasingly difficult for users to organize and manage their mailboxes and has turned up the heat on IT to protect and maintain critical business communications. Now is a good time to ask yourself: Has your email solution kept up with demands for larger mailboxes and easy access for mobile workers? Does it provide the security, reliabil ...

Are You Deploying the Right Protection Technologies to Avert a Data Breach?

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:34:00 GMT

used with permission from Symantec Summary: New information about the cost of data breaches, enterprise encryption trends, and the WikiLeaks case should prompt a re-examination of some of your data protection priorities. New information about the escalating costs of data breaches, enterprise encryption trends, and the rise of the “malicious insider” should cause organizations to re-examine some of their data protection priorities. Consider the findings of the 2010 Annual Study: U.S. Cost of a Data Breach, released in March. They show that data breaches have grown more costly for the fifth year in a row, with the average cost of a data breach now standing at $7.2 million. What’s more, the study found that organizations are responding so rapidly to data breaches that associated costs are rising as well. At the same time, the latest annual study of enterprise encryption trends reveals a significant shift in organizations’ reasons for deploying encryption technologies. For the first time, regulatory complianc ...

Why Lying in your Marketing isn't Worth It

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:28:00 GMT

by Joanna Krotz used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Site In the constant roar of advertising noise today, small businesses have a tough time getting attention. How can customers distinguish your message from other claims? How do you compete against big guys with deep pockets? How can you identify an effective medium when niche markets demand multichannel messaging? It's not easy. "Advertising has gotten a lot more aggressive in the past 20 years," says Robert Darwell, head of the entertainment and media practice in Los Angeles at Sheppard Mullin, a national law firm. Small businesses have less to lose than large enterprises by dancing on the edge of credibility. So, to stand out, some entrepreneurs ratchet up their claims, promising the one-and-only, the biggest, the absolute best, the cheapest, and more. When it comes to advertising, Darwell says, "my experience is that smaller companies seem more willing to assume a greater degree of risks." Since hype is now the norm, you probably ...

Is a Remote Workforce the Right Solution for Your Business?

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:23:00 GMT

used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Site Ask yourself the following questions to evaluate whether a remote workforce suits your business. Are you in a client-service business? Do your employees spend more than 50 percent of their time at client locations? Do most of your employees have laptop computers? Do you have employees who travel frequently as part of their jobs? Do the majority of your employees daily spend more than one hour commuting to and from work? Is the majority of your business conducted in a non-regulated industry? Do your employees have the technology tools needed to work remotely? Does your company have the ability to share documents securely? Do your IT professionals support users in multiple locations? Are your employees open to the idea of working remotely? RESULTS To see if your business should consider a remote workforce, add up the number of "yes" answers that you made to the questions above. 7-10: If you ans ...

Top 10 Things Your IT Professional Would Like You to Know

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Diana Johnson, Wood Networks Sometimes it seems like your IT guy speaks another language. Some of the words sound like English, but surely the definition differs. Perhaps there is an alien life form that currently inhabits his body. Which would make sense, wouldn’t it? I mean how else does he work his IT magic, if not by using some extra-terrestrial super power? Well, in an effort to bring peace to our species and understanding to the human race, I have compiled a top 10 list to cover some of the more basic phrases. Computer When a tech is talking about your computer, he is referring to the CPU tower that generally sits in a cabinet in your desk or on the floor. The monitor, keyboard, and mouse are not a part of the computer, think of them as accessories. Overheating the CPU Your CPU (refer to number 1 if you are unsure what your CPU is) needs to have some room to breathe. Overheating is the easiest way to ensure your computer will not work properly, but it is also the easiest to fix. ...

Getting to Know...Scott Dawson

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Scott Dawson is a veteran IT Tech at AgniTEK. He began working with AgniTEK over two years ago and has experienced the tremendous growth that the company has undergone in that time. Scott graduated from Prairie View A&M in 1996 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science. Scott’s expertise and forward-thinking problem solving abilities enable him to create or find solutions to the Brazos Valley’s businesses’ needs. Exploring IT solutions for businesses both regionally and nationally, Scott also fixes every matter of computers, software, networks, and printers for businesses in the Bryan/College Station area. Scott finds great joy in sharing tips that make things easier and faster for AgniTEK’s clients. When Scott isn’t competitively dancing West Coast Swing with his wife, Suma, he enjoys spending time with his son, Eric, who starts college in the fall. A Few of Scott’s Favorite Things: Color: Blue Band: Luther & the Healers (from Houston) Movie: So many good movies, why ...

Business Resiliency Prevents Downtime, Data Loss & Disaster

AgniTEK — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:45:00 GMT

used with permission from IBM ForwardView For years, midsize companies have protected themselves against downtime and data loss caused by disasters such as hurricanes and fires. But in today's intelligent and interconnected world, where information is one of the most valuable assets a business can have, many midsize companies are not doing enough to protect themselves from the full range of risk. Despite reminders from experts that most businesses at some time will experience an event that results in serious data loss, significant numbers of midsize companies' IT managers acknowledge that they do not have an adequate backup strategy for their critical data. Why is this? To a large extent the answer lies in the economic climate. Over the last few years, companies accepted greater levels of risk to reduce expenses. But as the economy picks up, companies are focusing on initiatives for growth. Meanwhile, data protection and business continuity remain on the back burner. Growth, of course, is good for busines ...

Aerofit Health & Fitness Centers: Workin' it Out in the Brazos Valley

AgniTEK — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Aerofit is the Bryan/College Station’s premier fitness facility with two full service locations and two Express locations. With a third location opening in the Summer of 2012 next to the College Station Medical Center, Aerofit is proud to not only be expanding in locations, but also in services. Aerofit Health & Fitness Centers offer extensive personal training programs that can be customized for an individual’s lifestyle and fitness goals. Aerofit’s full-service locations include cardio and weight training equipment, group fitness classes, court sports, swimming pools, locker rooms with showers, summer camps, and facility rentals and lock-ins. Aerofit Express facilities are open 24/7 and are perfect for the healthy lifestyle that is on-the-go. Included in these brand new Aerofit Expess locations are cardio machines, weight training equipment, and showering facilities. Aerofit Health & Fitness Centers offer an array of membership levels that will fit any individual’s schedule and health and fitness ...

Unified Communications: A Collaborative Approach for an Always-On World

AgniTEK — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:50:00 GMT

used with permission from IBM ForwardView As the economy rebounds, many companies are faced with pressure to capture new opportunities quickly, while simultaneously managing an increasingly mobile workforce and continually controlling costs. It's these forces that are driving interest and investment in unified communications. With communications systems that work together, midsize companies can listen and respond to their customers, partners and employees more effectively. And they can do so with greater speed and accuracy. That's important today, when near ubiquitous access to applications, information and resources is changing the way people shop, work and live. It's important, too, because access is raising expectations of the services people receive, placing greater pressures on companies to deliver optimum performance. Integrated, interconnected enterprises keep pace with change A recent IBM study, "Inside the Midmarket: A 2011 Perspective," found that unified communications and mobility are among t ...

Building a Small Business Network: The Basics

AgniTEK — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:45:00 GMT

used with permission from Cisco A small business network isn't just about making contacts and exchanging business cards at trade shows. In today's global economy, a small business network is about reducing your operating costs. It's about reacting quickly to changing markets and customer needs. It's about being prepared for the future. A small business network begins with a secure and reliable data network foundation that's fast and accessible. Here are seven ways that a small business network can transform your company: Work Anywhere A small business network uses a host of technologies such as virtual private networks (VPNs) that enable mobile employees and teleworkers to work securely at home, on the road, or at customers' offices. They have full, secure, remote access to your phone system, data network, customer database, and any other tools they need to be productive. It's almost like they're in the office. Access Customer Data Wherever, Whenever With a secure small business networ ...

5 Tips for Top-notch Password Security

AgniTEK — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:30:00 GMT

by Kim Komando used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website Whether it's a few PCs or hundreds on your network, there's one thing that can separate your system from being compromised: a great password. Why? Hackers want access to anything and everything. If they can guess your user name and password, you might as well have given them your wallet and the keys to your building. Before we talk about what makes a good password, let's begin with the first of five things to know and practice in using passwords. 1. Don't be complacent: Attacks can and do happen. Hackers are a devious bunch and will stop at nothing to get into your network and files. They use three different methods to get to you: brute force, dictionary attacks, and social engineering. Brute force is the most time-consuming method. Basically, it involves a program that tries every combination of letters, numbers, and keyboard characters to guess your password. It starts with trying every character, then tries two-character co ...

Lemonade Day BCS

AgniTEK — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:41:00 GMT

The Brazos Valley celebrated their first annual Lemonade Day on Sunday, May 1st 2011. With well over 1,200 registrations to participate in this entrepreneurship opportunity, Lemonade Day brought the Bryan/College Station community together to foster goal setting, business plan development, budget planning, and community involvement in our youth. This successful event was an opportunity for the Bryan/College Station area to engage our future business men and women in fun, free, and exciting entrepreneurship. Several local entrepreneurs, as well as The Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M’s Mays Business School helped gain widespread involvement throughout the community. AgniTEK is looking forward seeing our community’s young entrepreneurs return for Lemonade Day BCS 2012!

Employee Spotlight- Becky Jacobson

AgniTEK — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:43:00 GMT

As AgniTEK continues to grow and develop into an influential regional technology firm, we take pride in our employee’s overwhelming amount of dedication and attentiveness to our customer’s needs. Becky Jacobson, a Texas A&M University graduate of 2007, joined AgniTEK’s web team in 2006 and currently serves as the IS Project and Account Manager in the Web Development Team. Becky is creative and forward-thinking, and she has the ability to adapt each individual client’s needs to conform to the industry’s newest technological innovations. When she isn’t developing websites or integrating new SEO strategies into clients’ websites, Becky enjoys being outside, playing with her Boston Terrier, fishing, and finding new recipes to cook up in the kitchen. Favorite Color: Red Favorite Movie: Legally Blonde Favorite Type of Food: Mexican Favorite Aspect of Working at AgniTEK: “My favorite thing about my job is working with people in different industries. During the development of a website I get to learn about a ...

Client Profile

AgniTEK — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:33:00 GMT

Voices for Children recruits, trains, and supports volunteers from the community to be advocates for children in foster care. VCF’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (or CASAs) assist a child or sibling set who have been placed in the state’s custody because of abuse or neglect by interviewing the child and service providers; reviewing all relevant records; participating in mediations and staffing, as well as specific tasks as directed by the court. They represent the child’s best interest. Voices for Children was established in the Brazos Valley in 2000, and since has expanded to serve nearly 70% of the children in Brazos County, 50% in Grimes and 40% in Burleson who are in the state's custody. With a goal to have 100% of the children in Brazos, Grimes, and Burleson Counties having a CASA volunteer speaking for them, Voices for Children recently teamed with AgniTEK to launch their new website. Visit voicesforchildreninc.com to learn more about this organization, donate to their cause, or volunteer as a CASA ...

Unsung Heroes - How Routing & Switching Keep the Business Going

AgniTEK — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:16:00 GMT

used with permission from the Cisco Website Routers and switches are the building blocks for all business communications from data to voice and video to wireless access. They can improve a company’s bottom line by enabling your company to increase productivity, cut business costs, and improve security and customer service. Specifically, routers and switches support: Sharing applications Provide staff access to business applications Improve employee productivity Using routing and switching technologies allows your staff, even those located in different locations, to have equal access to all your business applications, information and tools. Keeping everyone connected to the same tools can increase employee productivity. Routing and switching also can provide access to advanced applications and enable services, such as IP voice, videoconferencing and wireless networks. Speeding access to information Manage information efficiently Review what is happening across your business ...

Should You Own Your Servers?

AgniTEK — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:09:00 GMT

used with permission from the Microsoft Business Site Technology buyers today have more choices than ever before. Hardware and software can be purchased, leased or rented. Software can deployed "on-premise" or accessed "on demand" using cloud computing offerings, where you pay a monthly fee for software access. Each of these options have their place. In spite of the trend toward cloud computing, many companies are still buying servers and software to run their business. In fact, most businesses will deploy one or more servers in-house for needs which are not effectively met by in-cloud services. Before you go out and buy your own servers, consider your options. A server purchase requires an upfront investment, but over the course of several years, you may meet your business objectives much more effectively by buying servers and software vs. using cloud computing or co-location (data center rented server space) options. When you use cloud computing, you're also usually limited to standard optio ...

Disaster-Proof Your Business

AgniTEK — Sun, 01 May 2011 19:05:00 GMT

If you're a business owner, you need to know how to protect your business. Try as we might, there's often no way to skirt disaster — whether it's national, personal or weather induced. But there are strategies to cope with it as best we can, no matter if its source is a burst river levee, a thoughtlessly discarded match, or the deranged actions of others. Knowing what to do in the event of a disaster is crucial for anyone, of course, but particularly for a small-business owner, whose livelihood may depend on a small storefront or home basement office. Start with some strategies.

Help! I've Spilled Coffee On My Laptop

AgniTEK — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:47:00 GMT

It’s late and you’re struggling to stay awake at your desk, so you decide to make yourself a cup of coffee. A few more hours of work ahead and the coffee will perk you up. Then, oops, there it is, all over your laptop, ruining your evening. The coffee has drained into the machine. The damage could be irreparable.

Unified Communications: Right For Your Business?

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 21:25:00 GMT

by Heather Clancy reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center While most of us welcome the opportunity to stay in touch virtually anytime from anywhere, keeping up with phone calls, voicemail, e-mail and instant messaging can distract even the most disciplined person from more important concerns. Enter the white knight of "unified communications," technology that integrates phone calls, voice mail and video conferencing - all your telephone communications - with your e-mail, documents and other applications on a personal computer. Unified communications becomes even more valuable when extended to fax and especially useful when linked with information in customer or sales-prospect databases, according to Dave Casey, president of Westron Communications, a network technology integration company in Carrolton, Texas. Think about the customer service experience unified communications can offer: A customer calls; whoever answers the phone addresses the customer by name and pulls up the cu ...

Connected Businesses Win

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:00:00 GMT

used with permission from the Cisco Small Business Website People in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) regularly connect with others who are vital to their success. Customers bring income, the lifeblood of any business. Partners, such as contractors and suppliers, provide services and products for daily operations. Prospects are vital for growth and new opportunities. And employees are the brains, hands, eyes, and ears that make a business successful. A network can connect them all, according to Deb Mielke, operator of HomeOfficeReports.com, a Web site providing technology advice and information to small and home-based businesses. "Electronic communication is a great way to reach a lot of people," she says. "The beauty of networking and the Internet is that it can make a little guy look like a big guy." But what is a network? And how can it connect your world securely, reliably, and efficiently? Cisco commonly refers to the concept of a Secure Network Foundation which encompasses a flexible communi ...

Thinking About Hiring Your Own Internal IT Staff – Think Again!

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Outsourcing your IT brings additional business value by Stuart R. Crawford, V.P., IT Matters, Inc. Businesses today wrestle and grapple with the thought of hiring their own technology support staff to support their daily need for IT support without fully understanding the risks and the costs associated with having their own team of technology professionals. Business owners, C level execs and Managers are attracted to the idea of having a team or a consultant readily available within shouting distance down the hall, basically having an IT resource committed to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, many of today's business owners across the country are not aware of the total risks their business is exposed to by electing to bring their technology support in-house. More often than not it is purely a cost based decision, on the surface it may appear to be more cost effective to hire a consultant or employee who is committed as a full time employee. CFOs and Accounting Managers often look only at the c ...

AgniTEK is Hiring!

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:00:00 GMT

AgniTEK’s Technology department is hiring a network engineer intern. AgniTEK offers students the opportunity to participate in the evolution of a growing technology firm. Participation in the Network Engineering program provides the hands-on experience students need to develop technical expertise and a better understanding of emerging technology. Upon completion of the program, select students will be asked to participate in subsequent summer sessions to build upon their achievements. To apply for the Part-Time Technician position, please submit your resume online by clicking HERE.

Bryan/College Station Hazardous Waste Collection

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Do you have an old computer that needs to be properly disposed? Join AgniTEK on April 23rd for the biannual BCS Hazardous Waste Collection event, and dispose your computer properly. The cities of Bryan and College Station are teaming up with the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Agency to sponsor the biennial Household Hazardous Waste Collection. The collection takes place once in the fall and once in the spring, and is a great opportunity for our local citizens to safely dispose of household hazardous wastes. Common Household Hazardous Wastes include, but are not limited to: Cleaners Aerosols Batteries Herbicides Pesticides Corrosive Wastes Ignitable Wastes This FREE collection is taking place on Saturday, April 23rd from 7am-2pm. For more information, visit www.cstx.gov/hhw or call the Brazos Valley Solid Waste Agency’s 24-hour hotline at 979-764-3809 for more information. AgniTEK is proud to go green with the BCS Hazardous Waste Collection.

Employee Spotlight

AgniTEK — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:00:00 GMT

As AgniTEK continues to grow and develop into an influential regional technology firm, we take pride in our employee’s overwhelming amount of dedication and attentiveness to our customer’s needs. Kevin Crenshaw, a Texas A&M University graduate of 2001, is one of AgniTEK’s veteran employees and has excelled both professionally and personally while with AgniTEK. Kevin’s strategic thinking, attention to detail and critical information, and his ability to examine all factors in his daily troubleshooting tasks enables Kevin to consistently surpass his position’s obligations. As the Internet Services Manager, Kevin has established enduring relationships with clients and customers. “Technology is an ever-changing field that demands abstract problem-solving and direct communication”, says Kevin. And as the technology field continues to evolve, we are certain that Kevin will adapt and stay ahead.. Development of community, both in the workplace and in his personal time, is highly valued by Kevin. In th ...

Lemonade Day!

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:15:00 GMT

AgniTEK is joining with the Bryan/College Station community on Sunday, May 1st 2011 to participate in the area’s first Lemonade Day! Founded in 2007 by Prepared 4 Life in Houston, TX, Lemonade Day has grown to be a national organization that encourages the youth of our nation to participate in entrepreneurship. This unique experience combines academics and life skills that will help foster a passion for community leadership and entrepreneurship in our nation’s future leaders. The young entrepreneurs that participate in Lemonade Day are able to keep all of the money they earn from this experience, and are encouraged to open a savings account with the money earned, pay back investors, and make further investments in the community by donating a portion of their profits to a charity of their choice. Registration opens soon! If you are interested in joining the Lemonade Day, or if you would like to learn more, please visit our area’s website at http://bcs.lemonadeday.org/

4 Ways Social Media Can Improve Sales Performance

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:13:00 GMT

used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website Every salesperson knows that information is power. The more you know about your prospect, the more insight you have into what makes them buy. The Internet has made researching your customers easier than ever. You can visit company websites to research products, read press releases, and get a feel for a prospect's organization. Taking your research one step further, subscription-based research tools allow you to easily gather information on key executives, company size, number of employees and other quantifiable information. But if you're limiting your pre-call sales prep to company websites and subscription-based research tools, you're just scratching the surface. Here are four ways to expand your research with Web 2.0 tools. 1. Social Networks One of the best-known professional social networks is LinkedIn. In addition, there are numerous social networks that cater to specific industries. You should consider joining these specialized networ ...

Virtual Office Management

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:11:00 GMT

by Jeff Wuorio used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website Carole Martin has a marketing expert upon whom she relies for sharp ideas and provocative sales angles. What's interesting about this is that the two have never met face to face. Their business relationship is truly "virtual." "It takes many skills and personality types to run a business, even a small business. You really can't do it alone," says Martin, a Burlingame, Calif., writer and coach. "It's a strange world we live in." Strange, but increasingly common. Yes, welcome to the burgeoning world of the virtual office, where businesses have a mission and focus — but have personnel as far flung as the planet allows. On top of the usual challenges that businesses face, a successful virtual-office business requires a whole new set of strategies. But here are seven ways to help make one work. 1. Make your team feel that they belong. Perhaps the biggest land mine that can sabotage any office where workers are connected by teleph ...

The Top 5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your IT Partnership

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:09:00 GMT

Diana Johnson, Wood Networks An IT Partnership with the right company can decrease your downtime and increase your productivity. Most small to medium sized businesses use the services of an IT Support Firm, but many feel frustrated by the experience. There is no doubt that nothing is as frustrating as having everything you need on your PC or laptop and not being able to access it. For businesses with critical data on their computer network and those that require functioning servers and computers in order to do business, the IT Partner is an important consultant in the day to day operations of the company. An IT Partner is a technology management company that you have contracted to monitor and manage your IT Network. The question is, do you have an IT guy who comes out and fixes things when they break, or do you have a fully vested IT Partner? If you have an IT Partner you need to know how to maximize that relationship. 1. Determine the level of partnership Almost every IT company out there will tell you t ...

What IT Decision Makers are Saying About Cloud Computing and Why It Should Matter to You

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:07:00 GMT

As a business decision maker (BDM), you have a lot of tough choices to make, whether they are based on intuition or extensive research. Knowing what your peers think about business trends and what your IT staff says about new technology solutions can help you make sound decisions. Along these lines, Microsoft recently commissioned a survey on cloud computing that lends some insight into how IT decision makers (ITDMs) can examine the benefits of cloud computing and how it might help their businesses. Conducted by 7th Sense Research, the survey found that ITDMs across the U.S. strongly agree that cloud solutions present a strategic opportunity for businesses and concur that the cloud is "an engine of growth." Additionally, more than 35 percent of the 2,211 ITDMs surveyed are currently or are planning to implement cloud-based solutions within their organizations sometime in the next year. The larger the company, the more cloud computing projects they have planned or in process. Underscoring the sentiment that ...

Ten Tips for Making Your Business More Efficient

Becky — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:04:00 GMT

used with permission from Cisco To keep pace in an increasingly competitive world, your business needs to run as efficiently as possible. "Sooner or later, any company not operating efficiently will be out of business," says Laurie McCabe, vice president of small and medium business insights and solutions for research firm AMI-Partners. Efficiency is even more important for small and medium-sized businesses, McCabe adds, because their resources are limited compared to large global companies. Here are 10 tips for using network technology to help your business work more efficiently, cut costs, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition. Give employees secure, consistent access to information. You have an advantage over larger competitors because you can react quickly to business changes. But you can quickly lose this edge if your company network is frequently down, sluggish, or unsecured. A secure, reliable network based on intelligent routers and switches lets your employees acce ...

Software and the Taxman

AgniTEK — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:01:00 GMT

By Jeffrey A. Levenstam, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP—International Tax Services used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website What do you consider when you're buying new business software? How well the product addresses the needs of your organization? Naturally. The cost per seat? Sure. The ease of administration and maintenance? Of course. The tax implications of the purchase? If you're not thinking about taxes, you should be. The green-eyeshade gang in your finance department will thank you for it, and heaven knows we could all use a friend or two in finance. So, sharpen your pencil and grab your abacus, and let's take a look at some of the tax implications of software licensing. Two Strategies, Different Tax Treatments. The first thing to consider, tax-wise, is the different way in which subscriptions and purchases are treated. If you acquire your software through a subscription, such as Microsoft Enterprise Agreement subscription for Office or Windows, the subscription costs are co ...

My IT Department – Why So Much Harder to Manage Than the Rest?

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:55:00 GMT

by Chris Geiser - PC Solutions - cgeiser@pcstechnology.com In the last 5 years PCS has evolved from an IT consultancy to an IT support organization, relying on our people, processes, and controls to achieve our performance objectives. Our focus on service level improvements has, at times, been revealing about how IT personnel prefer to function. Today, I wanted to share a little bit of what we have been learning in the hopes that it can help you continue to improve the usefulness and efficiency of your IT systems. So, what’s different about your IT department than, say, your Human Resources, Sales, or Finance departments? If You’re Not Measuring It, You’re Not Managing It If you are a business executive, you may not be an expert in any of those other departments. However, when circumstances require you to do so, you spend a week or two in and around those departments and get up to speed. You observe the inputs, the outputs, and the performance metrics. Then, you identify performance gaps and inspire new ( ...

Start small, get big results with business analytics

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:51:00 GMT

used with permission from the IBM website How does your organization make business decisions? Do you go with a "gut feeling" because you lack accurate and complete data? Or do you have visibility into your processes, performance, offerings and customers to support smart, fact-based decisions? With business data today growing at exponential rates, the need also is increasing to gather, analyze and use data wisely. In a highly instrumented, interconnected and intelligent world, business analytics can help your midsize organization achieve valuable insights and build competitive strengths. Using business analytics, a smart organization can enhance opportunities for profitable growth, optimize the allocation and deployment of resources and capital, and proactively manage risk. A company using business analytics is not overwhelmed by today’s vast amounts of data and instead can turn that data into a business advantage. But where does a company begin? Know when you're ready In business planning and operations ...

Why Your Small Business Needs an Intranet

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:15:00 GMT

by Kim Komando Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center One thing I like about running a small company is the ability to act quickly. Decisions are not bogged down by layers of management. In fact, most moves are made with the interested parties meeting around a conference table. But there can come a point when your business outgrows this arrangement. You need constant, reliable and secure communications with others in the company to ensure successful growth. You need an intranet. An intranet is similar to a Web site, and it uses Internet protocols, but it's an internal network exclusive to one company. (An "extranet" also is an internal or private Web site, but access privileges are extended to designated customers, partners and/or others.) Most large corporations use intranets. Information distribution is a huge task when you have 10,000 or more employees.Intranets can help cure that headache. I hear you, "I don't have anywhere near 10,000 employees!" But I can give you ...

Five Essential Elements of Business Recovery

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:13:00 GMT

The article re-printed courtesy of IBM ForwardView eMagazine In the current business environment, the old adage "time is money" applies now more than ever. So what happens when everyday operations are disrupted? According to the U.S. Labor Department, more than 40 percent of all companies that experience a disaster never reopen - and more than 25 percent of those that do reopen after a disaster occurs will close down for good within two years. But even if your company doesn't go through a major disaster, chances are high that it will experience the negative consequences of unplanned outages that make business as usual impossible. The problem is amplified in challenging economic times, says Warren Sirota, a segment executive with IBM Business Continuity and Resiliency Services. "If the business is already suffering from lower revenue because of the economy and a significant outage occurs, the impact can be much more dramatic than during good times," he says. Downtime quickly becomes revenue loss Ev ...

Bringing Cloud Computing Down To Earth

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:10:00 GMT

by Susan Twombly used with permission from the HP Enterprise Business Website What is the cloud all about? Does it offer different kinds of technology-based services? Is it different than enterprise computing? Is it the next big thing? The answer to all those questions is a resounding "yes!" The cloud brings together all these things and more to create new services to solve business problems unsolved by traditional approaches. The cloud provides a rich, new source for bringing technology-enabled services to the business. Massively scalable services no longer need to be delivered by internal or outsourced data centers. Instead, they can be delivered by cloud service providers via their vast computing resources. Bringing value to the business Cloud computing shifts the focus from how an IT service is implemented or hosted, to what business value it delivers. And that's the very essence of what a service-centric IT strategy is all about - linking services to specific business outcomes. Moving forward, we ...

Ideas to Help You to Use SharePoint Effectively in Your Business

Becky — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:06:00 GMT

Top 20 ways that SharePoint can solve your common business needs. And I want to emphasize that these 20 are only a few of the many ways to utilize SharePoint. 1 Store all your emails on a secure and centralized Website for easy archive. 2 Keep a central task location for assigning tasks to team members. These tasks will automatically show up in your team's Outlook 2007 To-Do List. Those tasks will also link to your projects so you can easily find out what tasks are still open for each project. 3 Organize large events and store the related documents, assigned tasks, and generally post anything and everything related to the events. It will also integrate with Outlook for added efficiency. 4 Collaborate with team members on all documents and stay on top of who did what. Earlier versions can easily be restored in case ...

5 Essential Keys to Successful IT Projects

Becky — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:33:00 GMT

Despite being a hot topic in business for many years, the truth is that project management still isn't well understood among many businesses. And the success rate of projects appears to be lower than ever. According to The Standish Group's April report, "CHAOS Summary 2009," 44 percent of all projects are late, over budget, and/or have less than the required features and functions. Even worse, 24 percent fail altogether – either cancelled prior to completion, or delivered and never used

Never Lose Another File: Four Reasons Why the Time Is Right to Adopt Document Management

AgniTEK — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:29:00 GMT

If you're like most small to midsize businesses today, you can recall a time when you had to rummage through thousands of files -- just to get your hands on the one you needed. And if you're a company in the highly regulated accounting, finance or healthcare world, you may encounter this frustrating scenario almost every day. Worse yet, the amount of data produced and retained by companies continues to soar -- with no real end in sight. So how can your company become more effective at organizing and locating important documents and files -- while reducing the headaches and risk associated with lost documents? One great place to start is with an automated document management solution -- a solution that dramatically increases accessibility, security and cost savings.

7 Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet

AgniTEK — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:25:00 GMT

In business, the key to survival is not a secret. Your customers have to be able to find you. Most of us spend a great deal of time and money looking for the perfect way to attract prospects. I have spent the bulk of my career looking for the perfect marketing mix. We try direct mail, networking, pretty flyers, telemarketing, web site search engine optimization (SEO), and a million other things.

Business Continuity Tip

AgniTEK — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:39:00 GMT

We talk about the importance of creating a comprehensive and actionable recovery plan. It will come as no surprise, that most plans are built with the worst-case-scenario in mind. But the reality is that most business interruptions are not major "smoking hole" events. Employee illness, transit strikes, religious holidays or even scheduled events like the recent G20 in Toronto are just a few examples of the many things that can keep people out of work throughout the year.

The Elephant Named Sharepoint

Becky — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:36:00 GMT

Many of us have heard the fable about the blind men and the elephant. When the men were asked to describe what an elephant looked like the descriptions ranged from a snake to a tree to a fan depending on whether the blind man had touched the trunk, the leg or the ear. What does an ancient fable like this have to do with technology? It's the same problem we have when we try to explain to you how useful a tool Microsoft SharePoint can be to your business. SharePoint is so flexible and has so many uses; we often have trouble describing it in a way you can get the whole picture.

AgniTEK Receives Award

Becky — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 20:40:00 GMT

On Thursday December 16, 2010 AgniTEK Technology Solutions was honored alongside two other prominent Bryan businesses for their work and dedication in downtown Bryan. This award was received with great esteem by AgniTEK owners David Ohendalski and Antonio Ortiz, who made the move to historic downtown Bryan in 2009.

The 11th Annual Mayor’s Downtown Impact Award honors businesses that put forth an “extraordinary effort” toward revitalizing historic downtown Bryan. Antonio and David look forward to both a forthcoming prosperous and revitalized downtown Bryan and a successful 2011 with continued growth.

Vacation Checklist: Prepare your PC

David — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:56:00 GMT

Whether you're leaving the office for the holidays, going on vacation, or taking a business trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare your computer for your time away. Canceling appointments and letting people know you'll be gone are just a few of the things you can do to make sure...

Missed Manners

David — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:12:00 GMT

Some tech junkies tend to neglect etiquette in the office. E-mail is still one of the leading culprits, but newer arrivals like BlackBerrys and wireless earpieces are causing their share of social snafus. "Technology should not be an opportunity to...

5 Beliefs that Limit Productivity

David — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:11:00 GMT

When I work with people in my business productivity practice, the first question I ask them is, "What's stopping you from being more productive?" The answers that keep coming up are pretty much the same from everyone...