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Letter from the CEO
"The 'To Lockdown or Not to Lockdown' debate presented in
the article to the right is a really important one. As the "IT
guys," we are often confronted with the same kind of frustration
from our clients' end users. If you're in a position to make these
decisions, here are two tips for dealing with that frustration and
building a good policy:
1) Carefully consider your company's landscape and make
informed decisions about what to allow. Mike hit the nail on the
head about how your level of leniency needs to reflect your
organization's culture. There is no critical point on the "lockdown
continuum" that is always best.
2) Take some time to explain your decision to those that are
concerned. It's amazing what a little understanding can do for a
frustrated employee. Nine times out of ten, those employees aren't
trying to be a pain, they just want to get their work
done.
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: How to Drive Revenue with a Comprehensive
Online Strategy
September 21, 2009
3:00 - 4:00pm
How can you make the most of the internet? Find out how
Switchfast can help implement a web strategy for your organization
or company. No matter what stage you're at, we'll go over some best
practices for taking advantage of all the benefits a web strategy
has to offer.
Register
Here
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Webinar: Empowering In-House IT Support
September 29, 2009
11:00 - 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
September 30, 2009
2:00 - 3:00pm
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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Workplace Computers: To Lockdown or Not to Lockdown?
A colleague of mine, George Tobin, forwarded me this article in Slate regarding the level of
computer security protocol that commonly exists at the workplace
and whether or not it actually hinders productivity. The author's
view is that by restricting employees' access to alternative
productivity tools and non-work related internet, IT departments
are doing more harm than good to efficiency and morale.
The article makes a pretty good argument, citing examples of
successful companies with lax behavioral policies that believe in
judging their workers on the results of their work rather than
their time management skills. While it seems intuitive to denounce
the use of Facebook or Twitter on "work time," does it really
matter how a worker uses his/her time so long as the work gets done
promptly and to acceptable standards? The author cites research
that found workers with unrestricted internet access were 9 percent
more effective than those that were blocked, because the
unrestricted workers were able to take short breaks that allowed
them to stay sharp while working.
Further, it's no secret that there are some alternative
applications available online that may help some workers increase
their productivity immensely. Depending upon the requirements of
their jobs or their personal working style, employees may find
their lives much easier using Firefox, loaded with customizable
extensions, or Gmail, with its lightning quick search
functionality, instead of the standard Microsoft equivalent. Who
would stop their workers from being more productive by forcing them
to use software that is less than ideal?
However, the opposing argument can be just as compelling...
READ MORE >>>
Switchfast Expands to Accommodate Future Growth
Switchfast has acquired an additional retail space within 4043 N
Ravenswood location. The new room is adjacent to the space that
currently houses Switchfast's help desk team, and plans to merge to
two rooms are in the works. The purpose of the expansion is to
accommodate future growth, but we're sure that Nik and the help
desk guys will appreciate the extra elbow room as well.
Big thanks to Hayes Properties for being fantastic landlords
over the years!
READ MORE >>>
Non-Profits Gain Free Revenue through GoodSearch
I've written before about how non-profits can benefit from
search engines through SEO, but today I'm writing about something
more direct and immediate. With the GoodSearch search engine, every
time a user searches for something, a small donation is made to the
non-profit organization of the user's choice.
Founded in 2005 by Ken and JJ Ramberg, Goodsearch has amassed
over 82,000 registered non-profit organizations eligible for
donation. Their engine is powered by Yahoo, and donates 50% of the
revenue that is generated from each search. The service couldn't be
any easier to use; all you have to do is type in your preferred
non-profit, select it from a list to confirm, and you're in
business immediately.
Non-profits: you should be promoting this heavily! It's
literally free money, and given the trend of rising search engine
use, it's a revenue source that is positioned to become more
lucrative as time passes. GoodSearch estimates that the revenue generated
from each search is about a penny. That isn't much if only a few
people are doing it, but it can definitely add up if you get your
whole network involved. Some of the largest benefactors of
GoodSearch are boasting revenues in the tens of thousands of
dollars. GoodSearch provides a list of suggestions for promotion here.
It's also important to note that there is a GoodSearch Toolbar
available for IE 6 and 7, and a search box plugin available for IE
7, Firefox, and Safari. I would recommend including links o these
downloads in your promotion efforts, as a growing number of
internet users are using their browsers for search instead of a
landing page. Also, there are some restrictions as to which type of
searches generate donations, outlined here. Basically, any time someone web (not
image or video) searches for something that they don't already know
about (and thus might be inclined to click on an ad), revenue is
generated.
READ MORE >>>
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