March 2011
In this issue
►Letter from the President
►Ricky's Corner
►Software and the Taxman
►Social Media Can Improve Sales
►Learning to Actively Listen
►Top-notch Password Security
►Business Continuity Tip
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5 Tips for Top-notch Password Security
by Kim Komando
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website
Whether it's a few PCs or hundreds on your network, there's one thing that can separate your system from being compromised: a great password.
Why? Hackers want access to anything and everything. If they can guess your user name and password, you might as well have given them your wallet and the keys to your building.
Before we talk about what makes a good password, let's begin with the first of five things to know and practice in using passwords.
1. Don't be complacent: Attacks can and do happen.
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Business Continuity Tip
It's Not Me. It's You.
Risk assessment is a critical element in any business continuity plan. When assessing risk, most companies instinctively think of the large scale disasters: Hurricanes, Floods, Terrorism, Ice Storms. But in most cases, the real risks surround us.
Ask yourself, who else occupies your building? Is there an office above you? Who is below you? Is your office near a government building? Is your building secure, or can anyone walk in off the street?
These seem like obvious questions, but in many cases, disasters that directly affect a fellow tenant can indirectly cripple your business.
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Laugh a Little
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A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he'll feel worse when he feels better.
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Letter from the President
Tim Rettig
To the Cloud!
Have you seen those “To the Cloud!” commercials on TV and thought “To the what?” Well, you aren’t alone. A lot of people have been wondering what exactly Microsoft is selling in those commercials. “The Cloud” has been around since 2006, when Amazon first started selling excess computing and storage capacity, but only recently have companies started marketing it to consumers. The problem is that most people don’t know what “The Cloud” is.
Everyone understands the concept of renting a hotel room. You go to a building that some company owns and maintains and you use your credit card to purchase a certain sized room or rooms for a certain length of time. The room has electricity, television, water, maid service, etc. While you are in the room you expect a certain level of privacy to do whatever you came to do. When you are done you take what you brought with you and check out.
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Ricky's Corner
Ricky Phipps
Managers of INTRUST GROUP: Chad Adams – Manager of Business Development
The first of our managers that I will be highlighting in this series of articles is Chad Adams, Manager of Business Development. As a reminder, the teaser facts that I shared in the series introduction are italicized below.
Chad used to be a Deputy Sheriff, and he is a veteran college football official. He is addicted to Facebook and Foursquare; he has to be in the 95th-percentile of Foursquare mayorship. (His wife is equally addicted to Facebook.) Finally, he has an amazing memory for lyrics. I once saw him recite the first two stanzas of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" to a complete stranger.
The factoids about Chad listed above are really just a small sampling of what I think makes him such an interesting guy. Even as I was preparing this article, I asked him some clarifying questions about things I basically knew, but I learned more than I expected.
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Software and the Taxman
By Jeffrey A. Levenstam, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP—International Tax Services
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website
What do you consider when you're buying new business software? How well the product addresses the needs of your organization? Naturally. The cost per seat? Sure. The ease of administration and maintenance? Of course. The tax implications of the purchase?
If you're not thinking about taxes, you should be. The green-eyeshade gang in your finance department will thank you for it, and heaven knows we could all use a friend or two in finance. So, sharpen your pencil and grab your abacus, and let's take a look at some of the tax implications of software licensing.
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4 Ways Social Media Can Improve Sales Performance
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website
 Every salesperson knows that information is power. The more you know about your prospect, the more insight you have into what makes them buy.
The Internet has made researching your customers easier than ever. You can visit company websites to research products, read press releases, and get a feel for a prospect's organization. Taking your research one step further, subscription-based research tools allow you to easily gather information on key executives, company size, number of employees and other quantifiable information.
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Learning to Actively Listen Will Close The “Gap”
By Craig Kitch
www.craigkitch.com
 There is nothing more fruitful for your business or career than the art of active listening. Unfortunately, most people would rather talk than listen and that’s why most people live lives of mediocrity. You learn nothing when your mouth is moving but you can acquire vast amounts of knowledge by simply listening attentively. How many sales people have you dealt with that put so much effort into telling you about their product or service that they never even asked what your needs were? Whether you are selling a product, managing people or simply trying to understand your coworkers, there is no skill more valuable to have in your bailiwick than that of being a good listener. Read more
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