TECHNOLOGY TIMES · provider how to perform a backup of your data and implement a regular,...

TECHNOLOGY TIMES “

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Do I Need To Back Up Data That’s Already In The Cloud?

The computing world is forever changing. Over the last 15 years, SaaS (software as a service) providers have offered the convenience of data backup for your cloud applications such as CRM systems, SalesForce, Google Apps and Microsoft 365. The business question is, if I’m already working with a SaaS provider and my data is already “in” the cloud, do I really need to back up my data to another cloud? After all, isn’t the SaaS provider doing that for me?

Well, yes and no. Yes, your data (one of your company’s most valuable assets) is being backed up by the service provider. And yes, it’s in the cloud. And yes, these providers have backups to their backups … but are they backing up your business-critical information? Can you guarantee that? And do you have access to it in a timely manner? The answer to these questions may be no. As a rule, SaaS providers do not open backups to customers, nor do they make restoring critical data easy or intuitive. For example, SalesForce, the first commercially available SaaS application, does nightly customer backups. But if you need to recover your data, you have to go directly to SalesForce and pay a minimum of $10,000, then wait a few weeks for your data to be restored.

There’s no question that the results of data loss can be devastating to your company. But when it comes down to it, it’s your company information and you need to take responsibility for safeguarding it. You need to have a strategy in place.

For online drive services like DropBox, Google Drive, Apple iDrive, etc. I definitely recommend having a full and complete reverse-back. A reverse-backup is a local copy of all of your data at you office or other secure location. That way should you decide to part ways or should something catastrophic occur, you have a recent copy ready to go.

Other services provide a way to download a backup copy of the data. Ask your provider how to perform a backup of your data and implement a regular, preferably automated, backup of that data.

Want to learn more about how to back up your cloud SAAS applications? Contact our office at 623-44-2395 or via e-mail at [email protected] to schedule a time to discuss your particular situation and what solutions are available.

“As a business owner, you don’t have time to waste on technical and operational issues. That’s where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!”

Dedicated To Your Success,

David Carattini President & CEO

May 2015 Inside This Issue…

Do I Need To Back Up Data That’s Already In The Cloud? .............................

Shiny New Gadget: SaneBox .................Page 2

Yahoo Is Shutting Off Telecommuting – Should You? ..............Page 2

Does Your Business Need Cyber Security Insurance? ......................Page 3

4 Time-Saving Windows Keyboard Shortcuts ..................................Page 3

Mobile App Of The Month ....................Page 4

3 Reasons You Are Missing Out On New Customers .................................Page 4

The Business Owners Guide To IT Support Services And Fees.................Page 4

The First Computer Bug Was Actually A Moth? ......................................Page 5

Is Google The Computer From Star Trek? .........................................Page 5

Your Chance To Win ..........................Page 5

Never Forget A Password Again With A Password Manager ....................Page 5

The Pick-up Line ........................................Page 6

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Shiny New Gadget

Of The Month:

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or

even drowning with the number of

emails in your inbox?

Then SaneBox could be your

answer. This month’s gadget is a

cloud-based software application

that helps you manage your email.

SaneBox analyzes your email

behavior on all your devices. Then,

based on which emails you let slide

and which ones you open right

away, SaneBox creates rules about

sorting your email for you. The

result? Your inbox only has emails

you need to attend to now. All

other emails go to your SaneLater

folder. You can drag and drop

emails from that folder to your

inbox, and from then on, those

emails will display in your inbox.

SaneBox works with most email

systems including Office 365 and

Gmail.

SaneBox keeps you focused on

high-priority emails. There’s nothing

to download. There are additional

productivity features to manage

tasks, your calendar, and your

attachments. And the

SaneBlackhole is the fastest way to

unsubscribe from emails. See

www.sanebox.com.

Yahoo Is Shutting Off Telecommuting – Should You?

The recent decision by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to stop telecommuting has cast a negative light on this practice. After checking the company’s VPN log to see how many remote employees were logging in, she didn’t like what she saw. Effective June 2015, telecommuting is no longer an acceptable practice at Yahoo. The media excitement added fuel to the fire for those who think that employees working at home aren’t putting in an honest day’s work.

Mayer’s now-public memo talked about communication and collaboration. She thought the best way to make that happen is for people to be in one place. But that’s just one opinion and frankly I don’t agree with it.

There are many companies who use telecommuting practices very successfully. They also believe in communication and collaboration and use tools such as Google Hangout video chat service, GoToMeeting, Skype, Lync, WebEx and Campfire chat by 37signals to do just that. They support these tools with products such as Office 365 SharePoint, Lync & Outlook, and Google’s Gmail and Calendar apps for business and Asana’s task management software, to name a few.

Telecommuters are often employees who live in other parts of the country or even in other countries, and other time zones. After trying several techniques to work with a remote team member, David Bloom, the CEO of tech start-up Ordr.in, now uses Google Hangout for daily virtual meetings. He says, “We have five employees, and four of us are in the same place, but we all log on separately. This allows us to have a face-to-face meeting where everyone’s equal. It’s not the four of us sitting in one place, with our colleague sitting somewhere else.” He finds this arrangement keeps everyone accountable for their work.

Josh Siler, CTO of HiringThing, a virtual company, says it’s all about your company culture. “We’re trust-based, and we don’t micromanage our employees. We judge everyone based on their output. Anyone can make their schedule flexible, as long as they meet their commitments to their coworkers,” he says. “Our employees know that their performance is what matters, and we talk about it on a regular basis.”

Bloom and Siler would tell you that telecommuting is successful when you have a culture of accountability and trust.

What is your opinion of telecommuting? Do you allow your team members to work from home and if so what has your experience been? Let me know my emailing me at [email protected]. We will post your comments anonymously on our Facebook page.

For more information on Telecommuting download my free report:

The Ultimate Small Business Guide To Setting Up A Work-From-Home System For Your Staff And Computer Systems

You will learn: - What telecommuting is and why so many small businesses are rapidly implementing work-from-home programs.

- The single most important thing you MUST have in place before starting any work-from-home or remote office initiative.

- How one company slashed its turnover rate from 33% to nearly 0% — and increased productivity by 18% — by implementing a work-from-home program.

- How to get a FREE “Home Office Action Pack” (a $97 value).

Claim your FREE copy today at www.aztechworks.com/WorkFromHome or call our office at (623) 444-2395.


Does Your Business Need Cyber Security Insurance? While cyber attacks against large companies make headlines, small businesses are the primary target. According to The 2012

Data Breach Investigations Study by Verizon shows that 71% of security breaches occurred in businesses with fewer than 100 employees. The loss of confidential customer or employee data may be disastrous for your company. In addition to potential business disruption, you may also face the loss of consumer confidence, lawsuits from the parties whose information was compromised and disciplinary action or fines from regulatory agencies depending on the nature of your business. Cyber insurance may help mitigate some of the costs related to an attack.

Ask yourself these 4 questions: 1. Does your business store confidential or personal data on your network? If you keep online records of customer or

employees personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, birthdates, phone numbers, passwords, driver’s license numbers, social security numbers or credit card information you may benefit from cyber security insurance. If all of your business’s payments are made through a PCI compliant vendor and you do not store any payment or personal information on systems accessible by you or your employees, you may not need cyber insurance.

2. Do you or your employees have access to confidential data via vendors or in the cloud? Even if confidential data is stored on servers in the cloud or hosted by vendors, if you or your employees have access to the data, you may be liable for a security breach. Carefully review your vendor agreements to make sure you understand your legal responsibilities and liabilities.

3. How reliant is your business on your network and IT infrastructure? What would happen if a hacker, a disgruntled employee or vendor sabotaged your critical IT systems? What would be the cost to your business if you were shut down for a day or more while you attempted to restore your systems? These are vital questions to consider. If your IT systems are an integral part of your business you may want to consider cyber security insurance.

4. Do you follow cyber security precautions to protect confidential data and your network? Many companies both large and small fail to take even the most basic precautions to protect their data and IT infrastructure. Cyber insurance is not a substitute for lax security policies any more than vehicle insurance is a substitute for poor driving habits; it is a way to mitigate the cost of recovery and liability. See my free report: What Every Small Business Owner Must Know About Protecting And Preserving Their Company's Critical Data And Computer Systems. Download it at: www.aztechworks.com/protect.

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, your business may be a good candidate for cyber security insurance. Do your homework and carefully consider the different policies. This type of insurance is still new. If you need assistance or have any questions about cyber security insurance contact us at 623-444-2395.

4 Time-Saving Windows Keyboard Shortcuts Using these shortcuts can add several minutes to your day and that can add up to quite a bit of time over the month. Note that the Windows Key looks like this:

Windows Key +E This shortcut opens Windows Explorer to quickly browse through your files. Windows Key+D Quickly hides all open windows to show your deskop. To restore the windows, hit Windows key+D Alt+Tab This allows you to easily scroll through all the windows you have open. If you're working in Word and referring to something in Internet Explorer, for example, you can toggle back and forth between the two programs. Alt+F4 Quick way to close a window in any program or the application itself. Its just like using your mouse to hit the X in the upper-right corner of a window Ctrl+Left and Right Arrow This is one of my favorites. In Microsoft Word and many other applications, the left and right arrows allow you to move the cursor one word at a time vs. one character at a time. For other time saving tips and helpful suggestions, like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/aztechworks.


With the Google Earth app, you can tour the rolling green hills of Ireland, explore the polar ice caps or navigate the streets of Rome with a simple swipe of your finger.

Google Earth uses satellite imagery to fly you around the planet, helping users explore everywhere from your hometown to Honduras to Ho Chi Minh City. The intuitive, easy-to-use app lets you quickly search for cities, popular landmarks and businesses with simple strokes, similar to those used on Google Maps and other map apps. With stunning graphics and the ability to zoom to street level view or browse layers including roads, borders, photos and more, you’ll have fun being a virtual tourist.

One of my favorite features is Tour Guide, which helps you find new places to explore. Simply swipe the tab at the bottom of the screen to bring up a selection of photos linked to the area you’re viewing. Click on one of the images and you’ll be taken to the point of interest and offered Wikipedia information on the people, culture and history. Plus, you can view full-screen, user-submitted images of the area.

If you want to take a trip around the globe without leaving your house, I recommend downloading Google Earth and letting the app be your travel guide.

Free Report Reveals 7 Critical Security Measures Every Business Must Put In Place NOW With Mobile Computing

You will discover: What specific business policy every employee in your company must agree to before

they ever access company data on their mobile device.

The 4 minimum security requirements for every cellphone or laptop in your company.

2 critical steps to ensure that your company data doesn’t end up in criminal hands.

How to be 100% certain that a lost cellphone results in zero lost company data.

Claim Your FREE Copy Today at www.aztechworks.com/mobile

3 Reasons You Are Missing Out On New Customers

Lets face it, we are in a digital world. According to a survey by Search Engine Land, 85% of consumers have used the Internet to search for local businesses. It’s not surprising eMarketer estimates that US consumers spend almost 6 hours a day online of which the majority of the time is on their smartphone. Clearly, connecting with consumers online is crucial to bringing in new customers. Unfortunately, many local businesses fail to make the most of this lucrative opportunity. Here are three common mistakes.

1. Having Incorrect Information on the Web Having a website and creating business listings is just the first step. Sadly, for

many business owners it is the last step. They change locations, telephone numbers, menus, product selection, hours of operations or other vital information and never go back and refresh their listings. Consequently customers show up to a closed business or just don’t find them because their listings are not prominent in local search results. Keep your website and social sites up to date and refreshed with new, relevant content. Doing this also helps to boost your website in search results.

2. Failing to Acquire Customer Information Businesses often fail to follow up on marketing expenditures with

comprehensive analytics to determine what’s working and what’s not. Collect customer data from every interaction to build a perfect customer profile. Gather contact information, email and telephone communications, transactions, and any other details around potential and existing customers. Survey your customers to find out preferences, demographic information and how they were first introduced to your business.

3. Not Following Up With Customers When managed properly, existing customers are a terrific source of new

customers, through word of mouth referrals, Yelp reviews, Facebook likes and more. Too many short-sighted business owners forget about the customer once the sale is made, especially when it comes to large, one-time purchases.

Your existing clients are the #1 source for additional revenue. Send personalized remarketing messages to them. Encourage them to fill out a short online survey about their experience, in exchange for a discount on a future purchase. Offer a reward for referrals and encourage them to review you online and like you on Facebook.

Mobile App Of The Month


Your Chance To Win $20 Gift Card

The Grand Prize Winner of last month’s Trivia Challenge Quiz was:

Joe Shepstead of Climate Pro LLC The correct answer was: C) Spaghetti trees

This month’s question: What is a petaflop?

a) your dog after a long walk b) the latest toy for kids c) a measure of a computer’s processing speed expressed as: a quadrillion (thousand trillion) floating point operations per second (FLOPS)

Call or email me right now with your answer: 623-444-2395 or [email protected]

Is Google The Computer From Star Trek?

If you’ve ever seen a Star Trek episode, you’ll know that “computer” always knew the answer to whatever the commander needed to know to run the starship, do battles with aliens and it even made tea…Earl Grey…hot. In business today, Google has taken on the role of answering questions and providing information. In fact, the company name has become a verb in our language and you can google just about anything on this easy-to-use search engine.

“Computer” gave you one answer, Google gives you many. But there’s an easy way to limit the responses and that’s by the way you search. If you only want to see responses on exactly what you’re searching for, then type the minus sign at the end of your search. Another way to limit your responses is to take advantage of Google’s specialized search sites, for example Google’s Public Data Explorer. This site allows you to search specifically on public statistics.

The Star Trek computer spoke every language. Google speaks 80. You can ask Google to translate a single word by typing “translate (word) to (language)” into the search bar and you’ll get the translated word. There’s also a Google application called Google Translate where you can type, speak or handwrite the phrase into your device – you can even take a picture of a sign or other text. Then it’s your choice to have Google speak the translated phrase or display it for you. Need an easy-to-use price-comparison site for business travel? Try Google Flight Search. Pick your starting point and destination—or destinations—on the map, and then pick your dates. When you pick the dates, be sure to pay attention to the prices on each date and Google’s graph of days with the cheapest tickets. Then, you can filter the results by flight length, airline, price, stops and more. When you find a flight you like, you can book it directly on the airline's site.

Like the Star Trek computer, Google provides definitions and conversions. In the search bar, type define (word) or convert (unit of measure), and you can even compare the nutritional values of one food item to another’s: just type compare.

So is Google the computer from Star Trek? With all these features, what do you think?

The Lighter Side…

The First Computer Bug Was Actually

A Moth? The first actual computer “bug”

was a dead moth stuck in a Harvard Mark II computer in 1947.

Big banks don’t process checks and debit card charges to your account in the order they’re received, but instead use a computer program that selects the biggest amounts first and charges them against your account, emptying your account faster and resulting in more overdraft fees (profit).

In September 1956, IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first “SUPER” computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5 MB of data.

A computer as powerful as the human brain would be able to perform about 38 thousand trillion operations per second and hold about 3,584 terabytes of memory.

The first entirely computer-generated movie sequence in cinema history was the Genesis Device demonstration video in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The studio that made the scene would later become Pixar.

CAPTCHA is an acronym for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.”

MIT has developed computer software that can identify and distinguish a real smile from a smile of frustration.

The Pick-up Line In the world of dating, a successful “pickup line” can make or break any

chance of getting to strike up a conversation with someone you would like to meet. Below are a few examples of what some people thought were great "pickup lines."

“I'm not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together.” “Can I have directions?” “To where?” “To your heart.” “I thought happiness started with an H. Why does mine start with U?” “Is there an airport nearby or is that just my heart taking off?” “You're so beautiful that you made me forget my pickup line.”

You are probably wondering why I am addressing dating “pickup lines” in a business article. With profit margins being attacked from all angles, it is important for businesses today to do everything they can to take advantage of every consumer buying encounter. Probably one of the most famous business pickup lines, which added instant profits to their bottom line, was by the fast-food chain McDonald’s: “Would you like fries with that?” I have read where some experts have stated that McDonald’s added an additional $20 million in profits just by asking that one simple question.

Is your company leaving potential profits on the table, just waiting to be scooped up, if only your employees were trained in asking an additional, simple, not pushy question … that could possibly entice your customer to spend more money? I believe there are thousands of companies today doing just that. It is your job to exploit every sales channel to its fullest potential; but you need to do so by thinking like your customers. How would they like to be served better? What else could they possibly need, that they may have forgotten? Sometimes just planting the seed (suggestion) can lead to additional sales.

What else do your customers need? How can you best serve them? As long as your “pickup line” doesn’t alienate customers, you should take advantage of the current selling transaction; the “pickup line” technique can add a considerable amount to your bottom line. I fly a lot, and in every Hudson Newsstand in the airports, they ask me if I want water, candy or gum when I am buying anything in there; they do it EVERY time. Southwest Airlines upsells better seating on planes so customers can get early boarding and be assured of overhead space for their bags. Waiters can ask if you want an appetizer, salad or bread with your meal … and then after your meal ask if you want another dessert, coffee or glass of wine.

The retail marketing giant Amazon says the cross-selling suggestions on its website account for 35% of its sales; they fully take advantage of every opportunity they can to sell more merchandise … DO YOU? If you want to add additional profits to your bottom line, start perfecting your “pickup lines.”

One thing is for certain … if you don’t ask for it, you certainly won’t get it.


Contact us anytime for all of your IT needs!

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Phone: 623-444-2395

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Robert Stevenson is a highly sought after, internationally known speaker. He is the author of the best-selling books How to Soar Like An Eagle in a World Full of Turkeys and 52 Essential Habits For Success. Robert is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and is a for-mer All-American Athlete. He started his first business at 24 and has owned several companies. Robert has international sales experience dealing in over 20 countries, and his client list reads like a Who’s Who in Business. He has shared the podium with such renowned names as Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, Former President George H.W. Bush, Anthony Robbins and Steven Covey. www.robertstevenson.org

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TECHNOLOGY TIMES · provider how to perform a backup of your data and implement a regular,...

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