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Letter from the CEO
It's always a pleasant surprise to receive the letter from
Inc Magazine informing us that we've made their list of the 5000
fastest growing private companies in America, but this year I think
it meant just a little more. The past 16 months or so have given
all of us a scare, and knowing how bad things can get with the
economy helps me appreciate what it really means to continue to
grow and prosper in the face of adversity.
So on behalf of myself and everyone at Switchfast,
congratulations to everyone out there. We've made it through the
worst of it, and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Here's
to a long and prosperous relief to this economy, and may it arrive
soon.
Best Regards,
Matt
Contact Us
4043 N Ravenswood
Suite 203
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773.241.3007
Fax: 773.241.8972
www.switchfast.com
Upcoming Events
Webinar: Improve Your Website with a Content Management
System
August 19, 2009
2:00pm - 3:00pm
This webinar will demonstrate how using a CMS allows and
encourages dynamic content creation that will ultimately improve
your web presence at a fraction of the traditional cost.
Register Here
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Webinar: Empowering In-House IT Support
August 25, 2009
11:00am - 12:00pm
This webinar will demonstrate how empowering your IT staff with
MaxPro's Remote Support software will increase efficiency and
reduce downtime.
Register Here
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Webinar: Switchfast as Your IT Department
August 26, 2009
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Switchfast will demonstrate the cost-saving and
downtime-reducing benefits of outsourcing your IT support functions
to Switchfast's MaxPro system.
Register Here
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Webinar: How to Drive Revenue with a Comprehensive
Online Strategy
August 31, 2009
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Switchfast will demonstrate the cost-saving and
downtime-reducing benefits of outsourcing your IT support functions
to Switchfast's MaxPro system.
Register
Here
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How to Use Social Media to Bring Business on No Budget
There's been no shortage of buzz about social media over the
last 6 months or so, with many businesses like Comcast and Dell
claiming that it's changing the face of online advertising. But
why? What are these businesses doing with these tools and widgets
to drive profits?
Check out this New York Times article for lots of
examples of micro-businesses leveraging Twitter to help them grow.
The answer for these businesses is not to treat social media like a
traditional advertising platform, but rather to embrace the
interactive and conversational aspects that made it such a consumer
phenomenon in the first place.
No one logs onto Twitter to read 140-character ads. Social media
platforms are successful because of consumers' desire to learn and
interact. Successful social media efforts will contain dynamic
content that gives users a reason to keep coming back. For example,
our downstairs neighbor, Threadless, holds t-shirt giveaways, announces
the release of new designs, and offers videos of warehouse tours
via their Twitter account. Threadless had a tent at
this year's Pitchfork Music Festival and disclosed the location of
free t-shirts exclusively on Twitter.
So before you make your next tweet, start your next LinkedIn
discussion, or make your next Facebook group, ask yourself: what do
I have to offer my contacts? What can I do to differentiate this
form of contact from any other medium?
READ MORE >>>
Switchfast is Proud to be Named to Inc Magazine's Inc 5000 List
for the Third Consecutive Year!
One of only four companies in the "IT Services" category to
appear from the Chicago metropolitan area, Switchfast remains among
America's fastest growing private businesses for the third year in
a row. Special thanks to everyone who has helped make it possible
for us to have sustained such growth. We promise greater things to
come!
Every year, Inc Magazine ranks America's private companies based
on percentage of revenue growth over a four-year period, something
it has been doing since its first issue in 1979. Click the link
below to read more about the Inc 5000.
READ MORE
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XP Mode: Killer App for Windows 7 Enterprise Adoption?
Microsoft has announced that XP Mode, a highly anticipated tool
for Windows 7, is now available as a Release Candidate. XP Mode was
designed to alleviate the issue of hardware compatibilities that
plagued enterprise Vista users in the early days of Vista's
release. Microsoft claims that in most cases, users will not need
to use XP Mode to run any applications, but that the feature is
available for less common instances where old software is not
completely compatible with the new OS. This is significant because,
as polls have shown, the biggest worry that IT departments have
with upgrading to Windows 7 is the fear of bugs and incompatibility
with legacy software. If XP Mode works as it should, any problems
that admins may find between old software and the new OS could be
immediately alleviated by simply running the old software in XP
Mode.
The big questions that remain are centered on how easy it will
be to use XP Mode, which essentially acts as a virtualized OS when
active, and how stable the experience will be. Microsoft claims to
have addressed many of the concerns that users had with the Beta in
the newly released RC version, but will it be enough? If XP Mode
performs well, are there any reasons left for businesses not to
upgrade to Windows 7?
From the Windows Team Blog, here is the list of new
features in Windows XP Mode RC:
READ MORE >>>
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