Link: http://www.centrend.com/events.html

The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations has issued a compliance date of March 1, 2010 for the new regulations, MA 201 CMR 17.00 - Information Protection.

Over the last year, Centrend has been conducting compliance audits and participating in various panel discussions and will continue to lead workshops on compliance. Although the new regulations are more widely known by business leaders, we are still observing a large number of organizations that need to take action for compliance. Whether the concerns are administrative or technical, these organizations need to formulate action plans now.

This is important. In addition to holding ourselves responsible for protecting the personal information of potentially millions of citizens, organizations will face heavy fines for non-compliance.

Centrend is offering help and free guidance to any organization challenged by this initiative. Click here for more details and to register for a free webinar on compliance presented by Centrend. Additional dates and times will be added as needed.

- Bill

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Bill Bowman
Senior Technology Advisor
Centrend, Inc.
508-347-9550 x135

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While there are some things we can do to help a communications upgrade or new service turn-up go well, we are still mostly at the mercy of the communications providers to do what they say they will do on time.

Let me share with you a recent case study one of our customers experienced this past week. The events are true; only the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
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One of our clients had been planning an office move for months. It is a small office in the Worcester area being relocated to a small suburb outside of Boston. The project manager called me about 6 weeks prior to the move and told us what they were planning. I explained to him the process of getting the phones and data circuit up and running and tested prior to the move so they would experience no downtime. I encouraged him to call his communication provider, which I’ll refer to in this article as None-Comm, which he promptly did.

A smooth, reliable turn-up needs about 4 to 5 weeks to plan and install so there should have been time to get everything in place and tested prior to the move-in date.

The problems started when the vendor missed the original date and did not quickly return calls to advise of a new date. Bear in mind that the office is moving out of their old location so there are lease contracts that have to be held. None-Comm finally called back with a new promise date, a full week past the original date.

The project manager and the Centrend Technician began asking for the technical details of the circuit such as the IP address, so we could get their equipment preconfigured and ready to quickly slide in place when the circuit was finally turned up. It’s now up to None-Comm to provision the equipment.

It wasn’t until the day after the rescheduled date, the very same day our Centrend technician was scheduled to arrive, that None-Comm finally called back and blamed Verizon for not putting the circuit in until late the previous day. Because it was so late in the day, None-Comm did not have a chance to place their equipment yet. Without None-Comm’s equipment in place, the project is at a standstill.
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Communications vendors need to be held accountable for how much their failure to execute a planned installation causes major problems for their customers:

• Our customer is hurt because they can’t move in on time and violate their lease termination agreements.
• The customer potentially experiences down time because their old circuit is still terminated on schedule.
• Centrend’s technician loses a productivity day because of the canceled appointment, and the schedule has to be shifted quickly to fit the equipment configuration back into their schedule without breaking other customer commitments.

Come on providers, get it together and service your customers! If we can find a communication company that can smoothly turn up phone and data services on schedule, I promise you’ll have our loyalty forever!

-Paul
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Paul LaFlamme
President & CEO
Centrend, Inc.
508-347-9550 x115

Windows 7 is here, and well … so far, so good. Some of you may be considering an upgrade to the new Microsoft Windows operating system, perhaps because you’ve heard the general consensus reports that it is decidedly better than Windows Vista. As you consider an upgrade, you should be able to clearly define the business purpose for it, and run the upgrade advisor provided by Microsoft on each computer to be upgraded. Not all hardware is compatible with the new OS.

If you are wondering about whether or not the new operating system would be right choice for your business environment, let Centrend help you decide. There are many factors to consider, and your Centrend Technical Consultant will help you uncover the benefits as well as explain any challenges to an upgrade.

Bill

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Bill Bowman
Senior Technology Advisor
508-347-9550 x135

It’s a funny name for an entry in an IT blog, but read along. A couple of my customers have gotten some bad computer viruses. This usually prompts the user to ask me, “How did I get this?” Now, when you ask your IT provider this question, “How did I get a virus?” stop for a moment and rephrase the question using the title of the blog. It seems like a farfetched analogy, but it’s like if you went to bed feeling fine and the next morning you woke up coughing and sneezing and said, “How did I get this cold?” In that case you can retrace your steps and ask yourself some questions…

- Was I around someone sick?
- Have I been taking my Vitamin C?
- Have I been using hand sanitizer for extra protection?

Well the same goes for computer viruses. Retrace your steps and ask yourself these questions…

- Does someone else have a virus that I got through email?
- Do I have antivirus software and is it updated?
- Am I using other protection like spam filters and updated patches?

When you look back, you may have an “aha!” moment, and figure out what was most likely where you got the cold. The same with the computer virus. There will also be times where you say “I’ve done all the right things not to get sick, and here I am in misery!” Well just like the cold you may do all the right things to keep yourself protected from a nasty computer virus and yet you still get one. This is occasionally going to happen, even if you have taken the best of precautions. Sometimes the virus will be brand new or sometimes you will open an email from a friend that is infected and now you have it. This is where the professionals at Centrend can help. We’ll make sure you are taking all the precautions and doing everything you should to avoid a virus in the first place. When you do find yourself afflicted, Centrend’s IT staff can step in and help you getting back to, well …feeling better again!

Call me or any one of our qualified support staff anytime you have Virus questions or concerns at 508-347-9550 X201. We’re always ready to help.

-Hank

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Hank Lockwood
Technical Consultant

If you are thinking about buying a smart phone, the next month or so may be the right time. Industry rumor has it that a price war is underway. We are already seeing $99 iPhones, and $79 Palm Pre. The manufacturers of the devices, and the cell phone providers are advertising the heck out of the fun and interesting look and feel of the newest generation of the feature-rich phones.

Some words of CAUTION: When shopping for a smart phone try not to be overly “wowed” by the great sale price, consider your total cost of ownership.

The portable device itself is one cost, and the network subscription is another cost. Smart phones, such as the Blackberry, iPhone, Palm, all require data services from the cell phone network provider to work. So, your $99 iPhone could end up costing $1,500 per year on your cell phone bill.

I was speaking with Nikilette Walker of T-Mobile the other day, and she agreed with me, but also recommends that you consider replacement cost of the device as well. When you buy a smart phone for $99, typically you will be under contract with the service provider for two years. If that phone is damaged, lost or stolen during that time, your replacement cost is going to be in the hundreds of dollars. An insurance plan from the provider for a few dollars per month is a good investment in most situations.

When choosing a smart phone, look at the network service available for it, and choose accordingly. Is it going to be used primarily for business or personal? Decide what features and functions are most important to you, like MS Exchange integration and international roaming for example, and choose the rate plan that comes with the phone that best suits your situation. It may be a good idea to shop for the rate plan… then choose a device that works with that plan’s provider.

- Bill

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Bill Bowman
Senior Technology Advisor
Centrend, Inc.

888-558-9550 x135