September 2007

September 2007
In this issue:

■ Playoffs Event !
■ Microsoft Award
■ Are you IT Strategic – II
■ You Need A Pro
■ Are You Doomed if your
IT Tech Quits?
■ A Perfect Virus
■ What Should Be Secured?
■ Where in the World
■ Opportunities

Sometimes You Need A Pro

Buying and installing a new server

So, you’re going to run to your favorite PC store and slap in a new server? Unless you are a certified IT person, allow us to politely offer this piece of advice:

“No slapping without a professional, please.”
In past issues of eMazzanti’s newsletter we have offered advice on when to upgrade your server. This time we focus on avoiding the big mistakes once you do. There are decisions to be made about hardware, software, network connections and, perhaps, most important of all, whom to entrust with getting it up and on its feet.
Make the right choice, and your new server be running smoothly from the first day. Make the wrong choice and it won’t. Committed “do-it-yourselfers”, who pride themselves in being “do-it-yourselfers”, are inevitably the most likely to end up calling in the cavalry.

These are a few ways you can really screw it up.

Are you Doomed if your Office Computer Tech Quits?
By Kim Komando
Reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

It’s the nightmare that most small businesses aren’t prepared to face: What would happen if you suddenly lost your office computer expert? Would you be in big trouble?

The answer usually is “Yes!” But just how much anguish, time and money would an unanticipated departure cause your company’s operations? Ask yourself these six questions to find out.

A Perfect Virus for Imperfect Users
Getting back to the basics

Here’s a little special something to brighten your day. That nice virus protection software you own isn’t worth diddly squat – at least when it comes the new ecard attack that is currently sidestepping even the once adequate defenses of companies who are doing all the right things.

The ecard virus is just another example of why one mission of eMazzanti Technologies is to provide you ongoing advice on protecting your network. The awful reality is the bad guys are always a step ahead and this little baby, which can take you out at the knees, is an example.

Playoffs –
Newark Bears and Technology Smackdown

Please join eMazzanti Technologies for The Newark Bears Season Playoffs. We will enjoy a championship game of Newark Bears Baseball at Riverfront Stadium. This event presents an opportunity to learn about technology strategy and how it effects your business. We’ll discuss these issues with experts as we enjoy a great evening of baseball.

eMazzanti Receives Regional Award from
Microsoft for Networking CompetencyeMazzanti Technologies was honored with the Small Business Regional Award for its competency in Networking. Selected from an elite group of Microsoft Business Partners, eMazzanti has shown its skill, knowledge and commitment to help implement technology solutions that match a wide-range of business needs.The Microsoft Partner Program Regional Awards recognize those Microsoft partner companies that have developed and distributed exceptional solutions based on Microsoft technology throughout the year. Awards were given in five different categories to companies selected from over 375 partners in the New York Metropolitan Area. At a ceremony hosted at the Microsoft sales center in New York City, eMazzanti was recognized as the winner of its category. “The quality level of solutions and services offered by our New York Metropolitan Partners is impressive. eMazzanti clearly demonstrates professionalism in its implementation of Microsoft-based networks. We are proud of the work achieved by our partners and of the impact our system has had on the market,” commented Traci Wilkowski, Partner Account Manager for New York & New Jersey.

“It is a great honor for us to receive this award from Microsoft as we continue to focus on expanding our capabilities in support of Microsoft-based solutions,” declared Jennifer Mazzanti, president of eMazzanti.

eMazzanti’s corporate philosophy is to reduce cost, mitigate risk and drive revenue for all of its clients. The Microsoft Competency Award is a public acknowledgment of eMazzanti’s efforts to use technology for the betterment of its customers.

“Microsoft is one of our largest strategic partners and their products are prevalent throughout our customers’ environments. As such, we continue to expand our scope of technical resources to help customers optimize their networks, concluded Jennifer.

Are You IT Strategic? – Part IILast month we looked at questions to be asked when looking into new or updated technologies for your business. These questions focused on building a long term IT strategy rather than taking care of the “now.” Keep in mind the question to be asked: What is the strategy of the business from an IT perspective?This month we will look at three other technologies that represent growing trends within the technology sector: Data Backup, Data Storage, and Workstations.

Data Backup: The number one reason business owners and C-Level personnel lose sleep at night: the backup. Data backup is the process of technology copying important information to disk, tape, or even CD/DVD. Since companies rely more and more on technology to run their business, it is important to know that their data is stable and recovery will be as painless as possible. However, this depends heavily on the technology used for this important task. Questions to ask when considering a new or updated solution:

How long can I be without my data in the event of a disaster or equipment failure?
What is the required restore time for my required line of business applications (Accounting, Email, CRM, or industry specific applications)?
What is my cost of downtime for one hour of business?
Will data that has been backed up be stored offsite or onsite? How will data get offsite and where will it go?
Do I have the proper technology for remote backup (backup over Internet)?
What is my expected rate of data growth based on current storage trends?

Data Storage: Data continues to grow in our businesses as we depend more on email for communication, replace certain aspects of paper with digital imaging technologies, and rely more heavily on network based line of business applications. Buying disk space because it is low cost is not a strategic decision. Businesses need to consider several aspects of the data being stored on the network and having a good archiving strategy is key. Here are some key questions to ask when your storage needs continue to expand:

Am I required by any business regulations to keep data for a certain period of time?
How much of the data on my systems is production data (current projects or work in progress) vs. stale data (data not in use or that need not be altered)?
Who manages the data storage for the business network?
Are data storage policies acted upon or being enforced to ensure users are only using company storage for business data?
What is the growth rate of my production data per month? Bi-monthly? Annually?
Is digitization of paper documents or filing cabinets a future project?

Please share this newsletter
with anyone who might be interested.

Where in the World
is {e}Mazzanti?

Throughout the years,
patrons of eMazzanti have
sent us pictures of their
travels while sporting
eMazzanti gear. Can you
guess where this
eMazzanti fan is located?
Be the first to guess right
and be recognized.

To submit a photo of your
own or guess this
month’s location, email
where@emazzanti.net.
Should we use your
picture or your guess be
closest to the mark, you
will receive a thank you
package and be entered
into our annual drawing.

What Should
Be Secured?I recently attended an IT security conference in Chicago and the keynote speaker’s address reminded me that IT people and business owners often have different views on what are your company’s assets and what constitutes adequate security. Dave Stelzl, author of The House & the Cloud, simplified the security model for business by comparing a business’s security to a home. We “Protect” our home with doors, windows, locks, and fences. However, we all know that these security measures do little to stop a determined or skilled burglar. The next ingredient is the ability to “Detect” a security breach. In a home we put in alarm systems, motion detectors, subscribe to monitoring services and support neighborhood crime watch groups. Finally, the most important provision of the security model is the “Response.” We have a dog that will bite the thief, some people will have a gun ready for intruders, others rely on the police to respond and others purchase insurance to replace lost items and repair any damage.Using the house as your business scenario you must ask these questions.

Opportunities at
{e}Mazzanti

eMazzanti seeks bright
minds to join the team.

Refer a
Network Engineer to
www.emazzanti.net/jobs
and be eligible for a
shopping spree at
eMazzanti’s online store,
www.emazzanti.net/store.
Qualifying applicants
must receive full time
employment and have
referenced the referring
friend on the original
application in order for the
referrer to be eligible for
the annual drawing.
Shopping spree is limited
to $1,000 in merchandise.