Sage Computer Associates

March 2008
In this issue

►Greetings
►Protect Your Data
►Broadband Blues
►E-Mail Signatures
►Lunch & Learn

Lunch & Learn -
Get to your data:
Anytime, Anywhere

Come join the SAGECare^sm Team for a Lunch & Learn filled with valuable information and good food. SPACE is LIMITED.

April's Lunch & Learn is open to
all on a first come first serve basis. There is only room for 15 people.
If this session fills up like our last one did, we will create a waiting list and setup an encore performance.

What: Secure & Effective Remote access - How, when & where

When: Thursday, April3, 2008

We start promptly at 11:45am and will have you out the door by 1:15pm.

Where: SAGE offices
1 Computer Drive South
Albany, NY 12205

Why: Improve the return on your technology investment

How: Email info@sagecomputer.com or call 518-458-9300

· Install the round wheels you have in your wagon

· See new ways to use your technology to “make your business smarter”

· Share best practices with other members to achieve greater productivity

· Ask questions

· Answer questions

· Learn

· Have fun

· Play “Stump the Chumps”

1 Computer Drive South
Albany, NY 12205
518-458-9300
info@sagecomputer.com
www.sagecomputer.com

Greetings,

Welcome to the March edition of our Making Business Smarter E-Newsletter!

This month marks the quarter century anniversary for SAGE Computer Associates. Our 25 years have witnessed breath-taking changes in the ways our clients use information technology to run their businesses. Twenty five years ago, SAGE was a custom programming shop for mini-computers. The first personal computers were just available. Apple, Commodore and Radio Shack were the “big guys” on the block and IBM was just sticking a portion of one toe into the PC water. PC networks were a dream of some developers, but not a reality for a small business.

Just look at where we are now. Many of our clients have more computing horsepower and data storage than a Fortune 100 company had 25 years ago. We can easily connect offices all over the world and seamlessly collaborate on projects. Your employees can connect to their business server from anywhere at any time.

The most amazing thing is that the pace of innovation continues to increase and the resulting productivity has helped our clients become more productive and profitable. We are very proud that you, our clients, have not only allowed us to survive the 25 years, but have helped us thrive. We have thrived by helping you to understand and adapt the productivity that the information revolution has made available.

To help celebrate our silver anniversary, we offer the SAGE 25 Challenge. Send us an email (or snail mail) with the story of the time our staff provided outstanding service for your company. We will honor three clients with an 8GB Ipod touch. Entries can be in the following categories: (1) SAGE staff going way beyond expectations, (2) The implemented solution greatly increased client productivity, and (3) SAGE pulled our company chestnuts out of the fire (or flood). We hope you will have as much fun remembering the things we have done for you, as we will have reading about them. In addition, one of our staff members will also be awarded an Ipod based on your submissions. Entries need to be received by April 30th.

Thanks for your support and we look forward to the exciting opportunities the next 25 years will bring.

Preserve and Protect Your Data

Summary
As the amount of data being created continues to increase, and that info is accessed and shared by more people, SMBs can't afford to ignore the need for data protection.

Small and medium businesses are powered by information.
Should your business lose that information or even suffer an interruption in access, it can have serious consequences. When it comes to protecting their electronic data, some SMBs feel they are at a disadvantage because they lack the large budgets and dedicated IT staff that many large enterprises enjoy. While this may be true, that doesn’t detract from the fact that SMBs face the same fundamental data protection concerns as large businesses, as no business is too small to be immune to data loss. As the amount of data being created continues to increase, and that info is accessed and shared by more people, you can’t afford to ignore the need for data protection.

4 tips for Troubleshooting your Broadband Blues
by Kim Komando
Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Many small-business owners shell out big bucks for high-speed Internet access. The savings in time are usually rewarded with higher productivity.

If your high-speed system happens to be running slower than a clogged drain, don't complain just yet. Before you pay for an expensive in-office visit from your Internet service provider's tech support, here are four things you should consider.

How to Unleash the Power of E-mail Signatures
By Joanna L. Krotz
Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Small Business Center

Every time you send an e-mail message, you have an opportunity to share something personal or powerful or playful in an "e-mail signature." Yet few people realize its potential.

E-mail signatures are the wise or funny sayings and quotations, artwork or animated gifs that appear at the bottom of messages, following your name. You don't need to type in words or attach signature files for each outgoing message, of course.

You automate the process with a few simple selections in your e-mail program .(See below for how to include signatures in Microsoft Outlook.)

Why make the effort?