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How To Determine The TRUE Cost Of

Any IT Upgrade, Transition Or Addition

I’m often asked about the ROI (return on investment) for

technology. Truth is, I do believe that you “invest” in

technology if it’s the right solution. Investments are things

that provide a measurable, quantifiable return for your

money.

It can easily be argued that technology does provide a

return for your money. If you don’t think so, try communicating with your

clients and market without e-mail or tracking inventory with pen and paper.

And the right technology applied with a smart strategy can certainly give

any business owner a strategic advantage in faster delivery of goods and

services to customers, greater productivity, lowered production costs and the

like. In fact, there aren’t too many businesses that can operate without a few

core IT applications. But the reality is that your bank account is going to be a

bit lighter after you install that new upgrade or technology, so how do you

know if that IT upgrade or project is worth the money?

The right way to look at the true price of any IT project or upgrade is to

look at TCO or “total cost of ownership” and not just the PRICE of the

project or upgrade. For example, if you buy a car, the price of the car is only

one cost of owning it. You also have to consider insurance, gas and routine

maintenance like new tires and oil changes to get an accurate look at what

you’ll pay. Therefore, the total COST of owning a car is far more than just the

price tag – and a cheaper car up front can end up costing more in the long-

haul if frequent repairs are needed.

In IT, the same principle applies. You have to look at the TOTAL cost of a

particular IT decision, not just the price tag, when comparing options. For

example, the real cost of not upgrading a network may actually be higher than

spending several thousand dollars on new equipment and upgrades when you

accurately assess the total cost of maintenance, service fees and poor

performance. These days, many business owners are looking at “going to the

cloud” because they want to save money. And in many cases, it will do just

that, but the cost savings will often come in the form of cheaper devices, less

maintenance and low (or no) upgrade costs over a 3 year period – not in a

month to month service fee. So, before you say “No” or “Yes” to that next IT

project, make sure you are taking into consideration the TOTAL cost of your

decision, and make sure you are talking to a true pro who understands the

difference between the price of something and the total cost.

“As a business owner, I know 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!”

- Debi Bush, CMIT Solutions of Denver

Volume VI, Issue III

March, 2012 Denver, Colorado

Inside This Issue…

How To Determine The TRUE Cost Of Any IT Upgrade, Transition Or Addition...…Page 1

The Pros And Cons Of Switching To VoIP….…….…...….…... Page 2 Beware When Comparing “Apples To Apples” When IT Firms Are Courting You…………. .......………......................……Page 3 Find My iPhone App Saved My Son……................Page 4

Success Is A Result Of Achievement, Not Good Intentions……… ………...…Page 5 What Is Google+ And How Will It Affect Your Company’s SEO?..………..……………...Page 6 Not Even A Winter Storm Could Slow Us Down…....Page 7

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The Pros And Cons Of

Switching To… Since Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call to his assistant Watson, the phone has come a long way. And now, thanks to Internet technology, it's possible to make phone calls over the Internet using VoIP technology or Voice over Internet Protocol (IP). While there are a number of advantages to a VoIP system over a standard phone system, the biggest reason companies switch is to save money. It’s not uncommon for a company making a lot of long distance calls to save 50% or more on their phone bill. Of course, there’s no guarantee of this since there are a lot of different VoIP systems and the amount of money that you will save really just depends on which system you buy – and in some cases, no savings will make up for poor sound quality or dropped calls. So what are the pros and cons? The upside is that most business class VoIP systems will offer you the same features you're used to with your current phone system, including call forwarding, call waiting, conferencing, voice mail, and (depending on what your current phone system is) additional features like the ability to share data, applications and even transmit video in addition to voice so that you can see and hear the person that you are talking to. Of course, there are some downsides you need to consider before jumping on the VoIP bandwagon. The biggest problem with VoIP systems is the sound quality. In some cases, it's a bandwidth issue that will cause problems which can be avoided or minimized, but it's not the only one. Since the voice data is being broken up into a series of packets and transmitted over the Internet, there could be moments of silence, broken voice patterns, echoes, delays and static sounds. Sound quality is the #1 complaint most VoIP users have about the service. Another issue is that VoIP systems cannot be used if there is a power or Internet outage. A traditional phone can function during a power outage because the phone company transmits electricity over the phone line. This electricity is used to power the phone (cordless phones being the exception). That way, even if the power goes out, the phone will usually still work because the phone’s power is coming from a different source. From our research, we recommend our strategic partner and alliance, Thinking Phone Networks. It may or may not be a “fit” for your company and your needs, so let’s do a cost-savings or pro and con analysis to determine what type of phone solution is best for your business.

These days I am paying a lot

closer attention to stoplights and

it’s not just because I have a son

with a driver’s permit. Every-

where I look, there are stoplights.

There are the typical ones at

intersections which have different

settings for the transition from

Green to Yellow to Red. Don’t

get Debi started on which

intersection near our office needs

to have the transitional timing

recalibrated.

At home we have implemented

the Red-Yellow-Green (RYG)

chart for our 4th

grade daughter to

achieve 3 specific goals related to

school. It’s a great tracking

mechanism for her because she

sees each day what she needs to

do in order to move from the Red

to the Yellow to the Green zone.

There is even a Super Green zone

which means the realistic and

necessary goal has been

surpassed. To make it even more

fun, I am giving her points for

achievement; it’s almost like a

commission or bonus. I just had

to bring this story back to a

business focus.

This system of execution is used

in business (introduced by Patrick

Thean of Gazelles, Inc.) and now

at home. The goals are clear,

measurable and have a reward

structure included. Check it out!

Page 2

Phil’s

In The Corner

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Beware When Comparing “Apples To

Apples” When IT Firms Are Courting You More often than not, a prospective client will tell us that we are in a

competitive situation. To follow up on that, we will be told that all

proposals will be “apples to apples.” What do we learn a majority of

the time? We learn that, in fact, most proposals are not truly “apples

to apples” because there are subtleties that we would spot upon

comparing the proposals of our competitors.

It is true that in today’s world of IT firms servicing the small and mid-

size business many established firms like CMIT Solutions of Denver

use similar tools for their proactive, managed service practice. We also

use similar software applications for our ticketing, billing and

management of our clients. Sometimes the pricing models can be

similar too. Many of us have flat rate IT managed programs.

So, what is a business owner or decision maker supposed to do when

trying to compare “apples to apples?” There can be subjective

qualifiers and differentiators that will be discovered and discussed

in the selection process including capacity of technical support locally

and nationally, non-geek speak, and length of time in business as well

as likability and trustworthiness. Another one that is important is

whether the IT firm, a managed services practice (MSP) firm, actually

follows the standards and best practices of the IT industry.

The CompTIA MSP Partners Trustmark is a vendor neutral,

business-level credential, designed to qualify and

differentiate organizations providing remote IT

services via a managed service business model.

This credential identifies the MSPs (Managed

Services Providers) that demonstrate a

commitment to providing managed services

in a competent manner and strive toward

industry best practices. It serves as a

reference to the quality of the services these

companies provide and the commitment they make to their clients. To

receive the MSP Partners Trustmark, an IT service organization must

agree to a code of conduct, provide customer references, and submit

an application covering a detailed list of criteria.

CMIT Denver was one of the first firms in all of Colorado to earn

and acquire the MSP Partners Trustmark from the industry association,

CompTIA, and we are very proud of this designation. We are involved

in our industry channels and have strong relationships with our

strategic alliances and entities like CompTIA. This is critical for us in

order to better serve our clients.

So, when you are speaking with an MSP about supporting your

company and your business technology, ask to see their Trustmark

badge. Some may not even know what it is - believe it or not.

Wouldn’t you want a firm that adheres to high standards within its

industry?

Shiny New Gadget

Of The Month:

Since we talked about “who pays” (employees or employers) when a device goes missing in last month’s newsletter, we thought we would recommend a good device tracking system for laptops this month. The company that provides LoJack for Laptops, Absolute Software, is NOT the same company that provides the vehicle recovery service you’re most likely familiar with (they license the name). But they do provide a similar service in the sense that they help businesses and consumers track, manage, secure and recover mobile computers and devices. Once installed, LoJack for Laptops will allow you to geographically locate your lost or stolen laptop. It also allows you to issue a remote command to freeze your lost or stolen computer and/or create a customized message to display on your computer's screen to help someone who finds it return it to you. If you feel like it’s fallen into the wrong hands, you can remotely erase files on your computer. You can opt to delete all of your files, or just certain file types. The next time your laptop contacts the Monitoring Center, it receives the “delete” command and erases the files you selected.

Page 3

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AS SOON AS You Get Frustrated With a

Computer, Network Or Some Other Issue, SAVE TIME, MONEY & MORE

UPSET…..

Do you hesitate to call your IT support because you don’t want to bother them? Maybe you think it will cost your company more IF you were to call.

goal to ensure that our CMIT clients get taken care of quickly and with focused attention.

A native of Denver, Adam and his wife and pets love being in Colorado.

Favorite Movie: The Bourne Identity

Favorite Restaurant: Japon on South Gaylord Street Favorite Sport To Watch: Curling

Favorite Gadget: Xbox

Favorite Snack: Chips and Salsa, it’s just so easy Favorite Places To Shop: King Soopers, IKEA and Target in no specific order

Find My iPhone App Helped Saved My Son

Less than two weeks ago, my son misplaced his iPhone 4S and didn’t realize it for a few hours. When he alerted us to the phone’s disap-pearance, he immediately used his MobileMe Find My iPhone app on his iPad and the computer (easier to read view). He locked the phone ASAP so the thief couldn’t use it. There is also the “wipe” functionality which many phones, including Windows phones, have so all data can be erased. This is a great security tool for anyone to have. This app saved my son from me being completely angry with him.

It was a stressful 18 hours at the Bush family homestead. An expensive phone was missing. We were able to track it down with the MobileMe Find My iPhone app (http://itunes.apple.com/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648) where it narrowed down its location to a handful of homes in a nearby neighborhood. Lesson that we learned and will not repeat is that it’s probably not the safest thing to go knocking on doors at night asking if the residents have seen your missing iPhone. The saga continued. The following morning we looked at Find My iPhone and the phone had changed locations. Thankfully, it was still nearby so we went to the street to where the GPS pointed us. We decided that this location was not safe to go knocking on the door. Later that morning the phone changed to yet another (nearby) location. We narrowed it down to a small retail area and entered a small, no name phone store on whose outdoor sign was written “….-Unlock.”

That was the key! We entered the tiny no-name store and had someone at home click on the app’s “Play Sound” and we heard our homing beacon loud and clear! We told the employee that it was our phone and we looked behind the counter. It was my son’s iPhone and the screen saver with Justin Tuck’s photo (NY Giants player) confirmed it. The woman said that a customer brought it in to be unlocked. Customer my foot! How does she spell “I-L-L-E-G-A-L or T-H-I-E-F?” Lucky for her and her “customer”, we didn’t contact the police. We just wanted the phone back. My son had the box with the ID to match what was in the iPhone. Pretty exciting! What else is to be learned from this wild experience of ours? Have a tool or app to lock, wipe and locate your device. Security of one’s data (names, phone numbers, photos) is essential whether it’s personal or corporate data. FYI: There are some app solutions for protecting your Android device – phone or tablet as well as Windows phone. Check out these articles: http://www.pcworld.com/article/250040/how_to_locate_your_unprotected_android_device.html https://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/find

Page 4

Fear no more! Adam Roth, Tier 1 Engineer, has the mission, directive and

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Success Is a Result of Achievement

Not Good Intentions

At the beginning of every year many people make a New Year's Resolution List: lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more, learn a second language, lower their cholesterol, spend more time with their family, etc., etc., etc. Making a list is a great idea because "How do you know you got there, if you don't know where you are going?" Unfortunately most people never accomplish anything on their list. Why? There can be many reasons why people fail at achieving their New Year's Resolutions: lack of commitment and resolve, poor planning, poor organization, lack of time or poor time management, letting trivial things interfere, choosing too many resolutions, depending on others to help, family demands. With all the surprises and demands that pop-up in our daily lives, "New Resolutions" start getting pushed further and further back until they just disappear. This year I have decided to simplify this process in hopes of helping to ensure my success. I have decided to choose only "One" goal in each of "Four" important areas of my life. Areas you may want to consider are family, health, business, leisure, financial and personal. The key here is to limit your areas, because the more you pick, the greater your chance for failure. It is better to pick one and achieve it than it is to choose five and fail. When you concentrate your focus on just one goal, many other positive things can occur. A simple example would be to decide you are going to exercise more. Exercise will improve your health and your appearance, give you more energy, slow the aging process, cause you to sleep better, and reduce illness…One goal = many results. My suggestion for you this year is to Simplify (1 goal), Decide (4 areas) and Abide (Do). Success is a result of achievement, not good intentions.

Definition of “IDES”

The fifteenth day of March, May, July and October,

and the thirteenth day of the other months.

Source: www.brainyquote.com

Page 5

Are Your Employees Using Their Personal Devices

To Work?

Be Careful!

It’s only natural that employees will want to check e-mail and do other

work-related activities from home or on the road, often using their own

personal devices. But be careful! You

could be opening up a serious security

loophole by allowing this.

Since these personal devices aren’t company owned and regulated, you have limited access and control over

how they are used. Employees can easily download malware and viruses

and infect your network when they connect, send e-mails or transfer files. Another risk is the security of the

device. If an employee loses or misplaces a device with confidential client information on it, it puts a

responsibility on YOU to notify clients and can lead to a costly PR

nightmare or security breach.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t allow employees to use personal devices – but if you do, then you need

to make sure these devices are being secured and backed up like every

other device in your network. The type of remote security monitoring you will need depends on the device,

the information being stored or accessed and the laws regarding the information you store for patients or

clients.

If you are interested in knowing more about developing a concrete and

effective IT security policy for personal device use as well as general system access, please don’t hesitate to

give us a call so we can sit down with you and discuss a custom security

blueprint that’s just right for you.

Guest article provided by:

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 former 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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What Is Google+ And

How Will It Affect Your

Company’s SEO?

Not too long ago Google introduced Google+ in an effort to take on

Facebook and Twitter in the social networking war – and given the fact

that over 20 million people have already started using this feature since it

was introduced last June, there’s a good chance it will continue to gain

ground and popularity among web users. But what is Google+ and how

will it affect the ranking of your company’s web site – if at all?

Google is attempting to combine the most popular features of Facebook

and Twitter into a centralized social hub where users have the ability to

share content with specific groups of people called “circles.” As users

build these circles, they’ll be able to see web sites that members of their

circles have +1’d (is that a verb?). There's also a group video chat feature

called "Hangouts," and a user-defined topical news feed similar to

Twitter's hashtag called “Sparks.” While positive (or even negative)

reviews from users online have always been viewed through the lens of

skepticism, Google+ will add a level of validation to those reviews since

you only see the +1’s from people in your circles.

While it’s still too early to tell how Google+ will affect your

company’s SEO, it’s safe to assume that Google will reward web sites

that get lots of +1s because of the web’s evolution to become more

“social” and user driven.

The bottom line to all of this (and a key ingredient to any company’s

success online OR offline) is good old fashioned customer service. These

days it’s easy for any disgruntled customer to post a negative comment

online. And once it’s posted, it’s practically written in indelible ink. Get

enough negative reviews and your reputation will definitely take a hit.

Additionally, it’s important that you monitory your company’s reputation

online and encourage happy clients to post positive comments about you.

The Lighter Side…

Classic Irish Story

In a court in Killarney, deep

in Munster, Ireland, this

conversation is reported to

have taken place:

Lawyer: 'At the scene of the

accident, Mr. O'Shea, did you

tell the Garda officer that you

had never felt better in your

life?'

O'Shea the farmer: 'That's

right, sir.'

Lawyer: 'Well then, Mr.

O'Shea, how is it that you are

now claiming you were

seriously injured when my

client's car hit your cart?'

O'Shea the farmer: 'When the

Garda arrived, he went over to

my horse, who had a broken

leg, and shot him. Then he went

over to Darcy, my dog, who

was badly hurt, and shot him.

Then the policeman came

across the road, gun still in

hand, looked at me, and said,

'How are you feeling?' I just

thought under the

circumstances, it was a wise

choice of words to say: 'I've

never felt better in my life.'

Page 6

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Not Even A Winter Storm Could Slow Us Down

Who would have thought that we would experience a winter storm – not quite a blizzard – in early February? When I was helping to put together my CMIT Pacesetters quarterly in-person meeting (aka “the onsite meeting”), I would not have imagined that we would be watching the snow accumulate for more

than a day outside our meeting room at the Sheraton DTC hotel. Fortunately, everyone in our mastermind group had arrived safely before our first event - dinner. Our group is approaching our fourth year in existence. Phil and I have been fortunate to be

original or charter members. Just as teams or departments in a company evolve, we have become intimately involved with growing each other’s CMIT businesses. A week before we all gathered in Denver I was sharing with a prospect about our Pacesetters group. He was impressed with what we do, especially the deep dives into each business. And, it is only getting better as we face the challenges of continued growth in an ever changing industry. There are more engineers and staff on each of our teams, more clients on our CMIT Marathon (proactive IT support) program, and we all juggle work and family or is that family and work.! I think it’s the latter. For me, add in Rotary to the juggling mix. Over the years I have written about our Pacesetters group and the enormous benefit of being part of an accountability group. Most groups like ours are comprised of representatives from different companies in the same industry. I am a member of one of those and it has been great. The unique aspect to our Pacesetters group is that we are all separate businesses; however, we all work under the same corporate umbrella of CMIT Solutions. It takes us to an even deeper level of functioning and supporting one another. In addition to each of us supporting and challenging one another, it is also important to have similar relationships with one’s strategic alliances. Phil touched on this topic in his February column. Similar to a business having customers versus clients,

(Continued on back page)

Quotes For March

“Beware the ides of March.”

“The ides of March are come.”

~ William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” ~ Dr. Napoleon Hill

“Opportunity is everywhere; give it life by your actions.” ~ Sister Jennie Lechtenberg

“The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams, is you.” ~Tom Bradley

“Though I soon became typecast in Hollywood as a gangster and hoodlum, I was originally a dance, an Irish hoofer, trained in vaudeville tap dance. I always leapt at the opportunity to dance in films later on.” ~ James Cagney

“I’m Irish. I think about death all the time.” ~ Jack Nicholson

Page 7

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a business like ours has vendors and strategic alliances. We develop and nurture relationships with our Clients and in a

similar vein we do the same thing with our Strategic Alliances. It makes life (and work) a lot more enjoyable and rewarding

when there is a 2-way, collaborative relationship with the key players. We will go the extra mile for those special alliances and

help grow their business as they help us to grow ours.

Lastly, one of the rewarding moments of our group is recognizing and

celebrating success where a Pacesetter has ascended to the next

milestone level within our system. This photo is of my colleague Evan (left)

and our CEO Jeff as Jeff presents the ruby pin to Evan for his achievement.

What a great moment for Evan and for all of us because we believe that we

have all contributed to his success. I know that Evan will be there to cheer and support CMIT Denver and our other

Pacesetters in reaching new heights as well.

Our next Pacesetters meeting will precede the kickoff of our CMIT Annual Convention in Lake Tahoe. Don’t get any ideas

that we will be lounging around. We will be working to take our group and each CMIT office to the next level and beyond!

Have a great month in March! Beware the Ides and live it up on

St. Pat’s Day. See you in the Spring!

Warm Regards,

P.S. In case you are not receiving my monthly e-newsletter or CMIT QuickTip and would like to, please email me at dbush@cmitsolutions.com to request that your name be added.

Page 8

Debi’s To Do List for Reading

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie How To Win Friends And Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie