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About The Merced Sun-Star
The Merced Sun-Star was founded in 1869 as the San Joaquin Valley Argus. The paper moved to Merced a year later and, after a series of acquisitions and name changes, became the Merced Sun-Star in 1926. Dean Lesher bought the paper in the 1930s and ushered in the newspaper’s modern era. In 1971, the Sun-Star moved from its downtown location to the current G Street site. The paper was sold to U.S. Media in 1985 and was acquired by The McClatchy Company in January of 2004..

About CVTech Computers
CVTech Computers is a computer consulting firm that provides IT support, network implementation, software and hardware installation, and Web design and maintenance services for the needs of small to mid-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cvtechcomputers.com.

Dell is a world leading computer systems company that has an extensive portfolio of technology solutions ranging from server, storage, desktops, mobile, and professional services for the needs of any business size, including small businesses. By becoming a member of the Dell Partner program, CVTech Computers is ideally positioned to deliver Dell solutions to its clients that cater to the needs of their business. Additional benefits of being a Dell Registered Partner include faster ordering and shipment, increased technical resources and support, and flexible financing options available.

Ashley Smith-Jenkins, owner of CVTech Computers, stated, “Dell offers a wide range of solutions that we can offer our small business customers. Since most of our clients have Dell products, it just made sense to partner with Dell.”

About DELL
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers worldwide innovative technology and business solutions that give them the power to do more. Dell Services develops and delivers a comprehensive suite of services and solutions in applications, business process, consulting, infrastructure and support to help customers succeed. Learn more at http://www.dell.com.

About CVTech Computers
CVTech Computers is a computer consulting firm that provides IT support, network implementation, software and hardware installation, and Web design and maintenance services for the needs of small to mid-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cvtechcomputers.com.

Trusted by more than 100 million users and endorsed by industry analysts as a leader, Sophos provides a full range of endpoint, encryption, email, web, and NAC solutions that are simple to deploy, manage and use. With Sophos, you’ll have the best protection against today’s complex, blended threats. Sophos uses a combined agent specifically designed for small businesses that includes anti-malware protection, firewall, application and device control, file and folder encryption, and spam protection for Microsoft Exchange. Not only that, Sophos includes data protection, policy compliance and device control for mobile devices in case of loss or theft to stay within compliance.

Ashley Smith-Jenkins, owner of CVTech Computers, stated, “The biggest reason why we chose Sophos is to combat the rising threat of FakeAVs, or Fake Antiviruses, that causes the most headaches for small businesses, in terms of malware infection, that Sophos does a good job from preventing. We are very pleased to have them as our partner.”

About Sophos
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry’s lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs – a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.

Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.

About CVTech Computers
CVTech Computers is a computer consulting firm that provides IT support, network implementation, software and hardware installation, and Web design and maintenance services for the needs of small to mid-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cvtechcomputers.com.

Instead of letting your technology investments continue on underutilized, here are 4 tips for getting the most out of your technology dollars:

1. Put the client in the driver’s seat of communication.

You can improve the quality of customer service offered by your company through the use of simple technology. The more connected you are to your clients, the happier they are with your work. Use technology to give your clients a way to initiate discussion with you, either through blog interaction or a discussion forum. Set up instant messaging so clients can contact appropriate staff members as necessary. It’s simple technology, but will result in improved client retention, repeat customers and better communication.

2. Create a business culture of continuous improvement.

One of the most amazing aspects of technology is how quickly it is updated and improved. Just when you think you have the best of the best, new technologies and processes are created to improve productivity. Even in the sometimes mundane office environments, new ideas will enhance efficiency and productivity. Encourage staff and consultants to let the new ideas flow – continuous improvement is the key for making the most out of your technology.

3. Take advantage of training opportunities.

If the cost of sending staff to training courses is a bit much, and you’re unable to conduct monthly training seminars on your own – consider bringing in vendors and experts whenever a new version of software is released. You can also have managed service providers deliver training virtually as needed, in order to keep your staff up to date with the programs and tools used in the office.

4. Internal email newsletters with tips.

Most businesses recognize the value of sending newsletters to their clients to keep in touch and establish relationships, but what about internal newsletters among staff members? Send a weekly email to your staff with a single technology tip that explains how to do something that will improve their productivity or make their lives a little easier. Keep it fun and add a cartoon or a quick quiz to keep the staff looking forward to their weekly newsletter. Your ideas for topics can come from training and seminars you attend, or from questions staff ask the IT department. If one person doesn’t understand something, there are probably a few others who also don’t understand – but aren’t speaking up about it.

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With iDrive, not only can you backup your data offsite and restore on a Windows and Mac operating system, you can also backup and restore your website that is powered by WordPress, even backup and restore your contacts from mobile devices such as iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. You can also access your files instantly from anywhere in the world on your iPhone and Android mobile device.

To sign up for iDrive with a monthly backup plan (iDrive Pro for Businesses) starting at $9.95/month for 50GB, please click here.

About Pro Softnet Corporation
Headquartered in Calabasas, CA, Pro Softnet is a privately held company specializing in cloud storage, online backup, remote access, compliance and related technologies serving the consumer, SMB, and Enterprise market segments. Core products include IDrive(R), IDriveSync®, IBackup®, and RemotePC™. The company’s popular IDrive online backup service currently has over 750,000 subscribers.

About CVTech Computers
CVTech Computers is a computer consulting firm that provides IT support, network implementation, software and hardware installation, and Web design and maintenance services for the needs of small to mid-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cvtechcomputers.com.

The Proactive Network Monitoring service is designed to monitor, detect, and fix small problems on customer’s servers, desktops and laptops, printers, and network devices before they become larger, or more expensive problems. This service allows the customer to at least have their critical devices monitored and repaired when needed, without the cost of full-blown IT Support.

For more information on the new Proactive Monitoring Service, please click here.

About CVTech Computers
CVTech Computers is a computer consulting firm that provides IT support, network implementation, software and hardware installation, and Web design and maintenance services for the needs of small to mid-size businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.cvtechcomputers.com.

The Solution

With the advent of new monitoring tools and the ability to remotely deliver help desk services to small businesses all over the world, Managed I.T. Service Providers have developed proactive maintenance plans for their clients that maximize their uptime and reduce I.T. costs over time. By implementing newly available automated processes, systems can be patched and updated overnight without the need for onsite visits, or disrupting an organization’s work day.

In addition, remote help desk tools and technology allow Managed I.T. Service Providers the ability to react immediately and assist users when they experience day-to-day problems, without forcing them to wait for an on-site service call.

Forward-thinking Managed I.T. Service Providers are also implementing proactive remote Network Monitoring tools and services, which evaluate the performance of systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and alert these Service Providers of potential issues before they become work-stopping problems for their clients.

The Details

Implementing and receiving the benefit of these solutions is painless for the Small Business Owner, as Managed I.T. Service Providers can begin delivering these cost-saving and efficiency-improving services soon after deploying specialized software agents on all managed equipment. These agents report device health, service pack and operating system, anti-virus and anti-spyware update information back to the Managed I.T. Service Provider’s monitoring systems, allowing real-time analysis and proactive management to occur.

Specialized software applications installed at the Managed I.T. Service Provider’s location also track all problems reported by their monitoring systems and end-users, and are used to document all steps initiated for resolution. These applications provide a ready knowledge-base of information which grows over time, allowing swift resolution for issues that have been previously documented.

The Benefits

Benefits from Managed I.T. Services enjoyed by Small Business Owners are many, and include increased operational efficiency, the ability to reduce and control their operating costs and gain access to Enterprise-level support. In addition, these Small Business Owners are now able to focus on running their businesses, and not their networks, and receive the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge their networks are being monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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Social networking makes it possible to establish relationships and build trust online, which allows businesses to indirectly market their products and services to people who are more receptive to the marketing messages you are sending out. Generally, people are more trusting of social media sites than they are of more traditional websites selling products or services directly, because the users of social media websites feel that there are fewer people who would have something to gain by reviewing and recommending another's product or service.

Social media marketing offers a number of benefits you would be hard pressed to find in other forms of marketing, including:

• Ability to create brand awareness. As more people see your business name and the link to your site, your logo, and other details found in social media profiles, you establish more brand awareness among your potential client base.
• Trust is established through natural connections and relationships that develop in online communities.
• Your main website will gain traffic from niche conversations had through social networking websites, discussions, groups, and through blog comments.
• Search engine optimization is increased through the increasing number of high quality links to your site and/or blog as other community members link to you and as you link to yourself from various social media sites.
• Increased visibility in search engines will boost the number of visitors who find your website when searching keywords related to your industry.
• Having a following on various social sites will decrease your dependence on search engines in general, since you'll have a number of other websites helping to drive traffic to your site or blog.
• Your participation in social media discussions and groups helps you see what is going on within your niche and find out what people want to see in the products and services you offer simply by listening to what people say to one another.
• When you are actively involved in social media, you have the opportunity to manage your reputation. You can respond to complaints in a timely manner, encourage people to talk about their good experiences with your company, and keep an eye on what is being said about you in general by your client base.
• You can discover more about the needs, desires and trends that encourage your market niche to spend money, and use that information to fuel your marketing efforts.

Advantages of Social Media Linking

It's possible to obtain links to your website from a few different sources online – including companies who sell links to your site. One of the primary advantages of using social media marketing is that you obtain numerous links to your website and blog from multiple sources. When you publish a new blog post or an article on your website, you can automatically update each of your social media profiles across multiple websites to reflect the new post – and include a link back to your site. If your followers, fans, or connections appreciate the information in your blog posts or article, you'll see them announcing these to their followers, fans or connections, quickly growing the number of incoming links through social media. You end up with links to your site strategically placed everywhere your potential client base is already visiting online, which means the people who are clicking those links are already your targeted prospects, and have already established somewhat of a relationship with you through their connection on these social media sites.

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These goals are not easily achieved, particularly for young or small businesses with less financial resources and time available. Having your own successful information technology department can eat up too much of the company's budget and time resources, and eventually cause a loss of its competitive edge. These disadvantages of maintaining an in-house IT department are why companies of all sizes have turned to using managed service providers to either assist their existing IT department or become their virtual IT department, handling all of the technology involved in keeping their businesses running at optimal levels.

The benefits of using a managed services solution are numerous, but the top 5 benefits of managed services for business include:

1. Benefit from the expertise of a specialist, without having to spend time and financial resources training your staff to become experts.
2. Decrease your technology risks. Your company doesn't have to worry about losing and trying to replace trained staff members, or about repairing, implementing or replacing complex technology solutions.
3. Enjoy access to the most up-to-date, sophisticated technology solutions without having to invest in expensive equipment.
4. Experience ultimate control over your business technology without having to manage an information technology department. This gives you the time you need to focus on what you do best: your business functions.
5. Reduce stress and improve efficiency of your staff. When you make good use of managed service resources, your staff isn't tied up with IT concerns and they have more time to focus on tasks that are productive for the business.

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Switch to VOIP Phone Lines: Are you still paying high phone bills to make sales calls, handle customer service, or hold teleconferences? This is an expense that almost all businesses can save simply by switching to VOIP lines instead of your landline or cellphone service. From Vonage to Packet8 to Skype, there are numerous options that help you eliminate expensive long distance charges. Most businesses report a savings of around 60% when switching to telephone lines that operate through their internet connection.

Consider Switching to a Less Expensive ISP: Depending on your business needs, you may not require all of the features your current Internet Service Provider is offering. Why pay for something you don't need? Check other ISP's to see if you could be saving money.

Consider Dropping Your Merchant Account: Most businesses require a merchant account in order to accept credit cards as payments from their customers. With the increasing merchant account expenses, though, this is often a costly expense. You could still accept credit cards if you switch to an online payment processor, like Paypal, and avoid paying statement fees and monthly fees that are typical of regular merchant accounts. Online payment processors charge a higher fee per transaction than a standard merchant account, but depending on the volume of credit card transactions you may pay less overall than you do with your current merchant account. Run some numbers to see if the savings are significant enough to warrant a switch.

Use a Laptop: If reasonable, use a laptop instead of a full PC. A laptop consumes 90% less energy than the desktop version, and for many businesses, a laptop can do the job as well as a desktop.

Share Stuff: Do you have a computer and printer at every workstation in your office? Sell the individual printers and get a single printer that operates on the network. All computers in the office can print from the same printer and eliminate maintenance requirements on each individual printer, as well as reduce the energy required to power the printers. Think of other computer components that could be networked instead of used individually to further cut costs and set up a more efficient office.

Use Freelancers: When you discover you have a need for someone to complete a project that falls outside the scope of your current employees – instead of hiring another full time or part time employee, consider using a freelancer. Freelancers don't require office space, do not receive the employee benefits you provide to your current staff, and can be hired on a per-project basis instead of placed on salary.

Downsize Your IT Department or Re-evaluate Your Current Outsourced IT Service: Consider using a flat rate IT support service rather than maintaining a full IT department on payroll, or maintaining a reactive outsourced IT service whose monthly costs are unpredictable. Flat rate IT service providers allow you to budget for and reduce your monthly and overall costs, increase your profits and act as your virtual IT department so you can focus on running your business and not the technology that supports it.

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