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Providence Consulting took another step forward this month by becoming part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). The ACN features independent professional service providers and technology consulting firms that specialize in Apple and third-party solutions. To join the ACN, Providence gained certifications on Apple technologies that now enable us to deliver on-site technology services and
When new IT is released in the consumer market first, gains widespread popularity, and is then adapted by businesses for business use, it’s called IT consumerization. While many see the pros of this practice, few see the cons – and in business, it’s important to know both sides and understand not only how it will
Customers who call our office regularly have certainly gotten to know Summer Foster, but she is so much more than just the voice on the other end of the phone. As the Concierge for both our customers and staff, Summer has a passion for helping people and solving problems, and plays a vital role in
Google Chrome allows you the option to search within a specific site. First type the web address of the site you want to search in the address bar, and then press the “Tab” key. If Google Chrome has a record of the site’s search engine, you’ll be offered the option to search within that site
More than half of small business owners today remain unconvinced by or are completely dismissing the concept of cloud computing, according to a recent survey. While the cloud may not work for everyone, it does have several concrete benefits that some companies may be better off with – so maybe it’s best to give the
When someone who identifies him/herself as a representative from Microsoft calls you out of the blue, be wary. A new scam involves people posing as Microsoft employees and scaring victims into paying for bogus service and giving up credit information, by telling them that their system has been infected by a virus or that it’s
Providence Consulting announced today it has achieved the Small Business Specialization from Cisco. The Small Business Specialization recognizes Cisco resale channel partners that focus on meeting the technology and services needs of small businesses. “We’re very excited about the opportunity to partner with Cisco,” said Jeff Dettloff, President and Chief Problem Solver at Providence. “As
The kind of email system you use makes a difference. Full access and full control of your email account – even when on the go – can be essential tools for people who work in the field. But just the same, you might need a few tweaks to a less fully featured system to keep operations efficient and cost-effective. Whether you work from an office or are productive while on the go, email most likely plays a big factor in the way you go about your business. Unbeknownst to many, some types of email systems have certain limitations that by extension can also limit the level of productivity of your business, and especially for people in the organization who must also work while out in the field. One major issue for many people is synchronicity. Many people need their emails to be accessible on their mobile phones, PDAs, or other mobile devices, and they need them to be properly synchronized with their desktop workstations. The need to constantly update conversations and email threads from mobile devices to desktops with certain types of email can prove to be tedious and unproductive– and some email system types don’t include this ability at all. Depending on the way you use your email, especially when on the go, having full access and full control of your account can define how productive you and others in your organization can be. Besides providing a much better degree of synchronization and integration with mobile devices, certain types of email systems also have features for sharing and collaboration features that allow you to set schedules and share files from your mailbox, as well as central storage for emails that allows you to access your account seamlessly with any mobile device, regardless of where you are located. Of course, having a full-featured email system might not be best for everyone. The key is to know whether adapting a more bare-bones system is cost-effective for your business (especially in the long run). Sometimes the top of the line may be needed, and sometimes all you need is a bit of tweaking on your less fully featured system. Not sure which is best? Call us and we’ll be glad to sit down with you and assess what kind of email system is best suited for you and your business.
In Windows, there are various options for configuring the speed, look, and behavior of your mouse pointer to exactly the way you want it. To do so, click the Start button, and then click Control Panel. Click Hardware and Sound, and then under Devices and Printers, click Mouse. In the Mouse Properties box, click on
Your reputation and your company’s reputation are important. When people talk about you or your company, depending on what’s being said, it can have either a helpful or a damaging effect. In the online world this can be even more challenging, as the proliferation of websites and social media tools make monitoring these comments more difficult to do. Here are some tools to help you make sense out of the sea of information — so you can keep track of and manage what’s being said about you or your business. Besides your own eyes and ears, there are plenty of tools — for free or for a price — available to help you monitor your presence online. The simplest of these is your familiar search engines such as Google or Bing . By simply searching online, you can find where your name or your company’s name appears in various websites. With Google in particular, you can set up “alerts” which will email you when a specific word or term appears in their website index. What words or terms should you use? Start with your name, or your company name, then try the name of your products and/or services, and maybe even the names of your employees, directors, and other stakeholders. It might also be helpful to search for the competition as well. As results come in you can refine your search by expanding or narrowing the scope of terms you would like to search or be alerted on. If you want to be able to search across all different search engines and not just one or two, you can use Monitor This . Next you can use specialized website or social media monitoring tools to search only specific sites or services as opposed to the entire Internet. One example is Greplin , which allows you to search all of your accounts or accounts that you own. This is very helpful to be able to execute highly filtered searches on specific information in your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn accounts, or your blog. Another option is Rollyo , which allows you to set up your own specialized search engines that cull content from public or open websites of your choosing. Other more generalized tools include RSS feed readers—which allow you to consume news or information feeds from news sites or blogs. Examples include Newsgator.com , Bloglines.com , Google Reader or Pluck.com . Other generalized tools include those that monitor specific newsgroups or message boards like BoardReader.com , ForumFind.com , Big-Boards.com , BoardTracker.com , iVillage , Yahoo Message Boards , and MSN Money . Still others track changes to content of specific sites ( Copernic Tracker , Website Watcher and WatchThatPage.com ), as well as their domain information ( DomainTools. com and BetterWhois.com ). The really interesting new services actually give you an explicit idea of the status of your reputation — especially if you are a relatively well known name or your business has an established brand. In this category are sites like Amplicate , which monitors general feelings or impressions about brands, businesses, or services; Klout , which tries to measure the influence of individuals based on their social interactions; and SendLove.to , which focuses on celebrities and media personalities. There are literally dozens more tools you can use to monitor and manage your reputation online. To find out more, a great resource is here at the Duct Tape Marketing blog . If you have any additional suggestions, feel free to let us know!
