Over the past few years we have kept our clients up to date with realistic, affordable and effective business solutions to keep their businesses moving forward.  This month we thought we would share our latest find for protecting your data using a service called Live Drive.

Live Drive is an off site back up company based out of the UK.  They have developed a back up system which is installed on your computer(s) which monitors the data on your hard drive.  As you make changes to your files, the live drive system tracks them and uploads your files to a back up server.  In the event you were to have an equipment failure, experience a theft or have an environment issue such as a flood or fire, your data is secure.  From any Internet connection you can not only access your data as individual files, but also restore your data should you suffer a catastrophic loss.

In addition to being able to retrieve your data, for an extra monthly fee you have the ability to not only access your files while away from your computer, but edit them and synch them with your computer from any Internet connection. This is their briefcase package.  (Most common file types are supported.)  So in a sense, you are not only getting a back up for your systems, but remote access.

Now here's where it gets really cool...  Unlike many other business models out there, Live Drive offers flat fee accounts.  These accounts not only come with an unlimited amount of storage, but you can use one account for multiple computers or systems.  (We are currently using it for 4 computers at our office!)

And finally, the price is right!  for as little as $9.95/month for the basic back up or $24.95.month for brief case services you can protect your data and increase your productivity.  They also offer discounts for yearly vs. monthly subscriptions and longer term plans. 

If this is something you are interested in... here is a link for a free trial!  

It is also important to note... not all back up or disaster recovery solutions are appropriate for every situation.  If you are simply looking for an offsite component... we've had a great experience and the price is right with Live Drive!  If you are not sure if this is right for your individual situation check with your IT group or contact Bob Ash and the team at Pyramid Business Systems.  This is the team we use and recommend for the difficult decisions!

Are you serious about color?  Do you sometimes print something from your screen and the paper on your printer looks nothing like what you expected?  Do you use multiple monitors and images look differently on each?  Do images, photos, graphics need to look more crisp or does everything have a hue that bugs you?  If you answered yes to any of these... Read on!  We have a solution for you.

We recently build a really cool site and when showing it off to a client what we thought was burgundy was bright red.  We've always been conscious of color in our designs and advertising layouts, but recently it's become more of an issue to us and it will only become more of an issue as digital printing continues to improve...   

After some extensive research and reviewing the many options out there, we found a reasonable solution which has us viewing color in a new way.  Meet Pantone's Huey Pro.  ($89 at Buy.com)

A cool little USB device that installs in seconds and calibrates multiple monitors throughout the office in a matter of minutes.  In addition to performing the initial calibration, it can automatically adjust your monitor(s) for ambient light.  If you are working on a project and the lighting in the room changes, the monitors change so that what you see is really what you are creating, producing, and/or printing.

We priced them throughout the web and found the best price at Buy.com.  Click here and search for Huey Pro... you will be amazed at the results!

The end of the year is always hectic as most clients are wrapping up  this year and getting ready for the challenges and changes a new year often brings.  Realizing this, we have already sent out our expiring contracts for 2010.

These contracts are identical to those executed in the past, EXCEPT:

1.)    They reflect the increase in our hourly rate for all contracts written and/or renewed after December 1, 2009. This was announced to all clients in September of 2009.

2.)    At the advice of our attorney, we updated and further expanded section 8 regarding the payment of fees.

These renewals lock in your pricing until December 31, 2012.

If you have not received your renewal, and believe that your contract is expiring at the end of the year, or you wish to extend your current contract through 12/31/10 to lock in your pricing, please contact us and we'll be sure to follow up immediately.

If you have received your renewal, please return an executed copy to me as a scanned copy via email, US mail, or you may fax your completed contract to (607) 785-2537.  (If faxing, please fax the entire contract.)  We would ask that these be returned as soon as possible so we not only all have one less thing to worry about at the end of the year, but also so their is no interruption in any of the services we provide you.

Thank you for your continued business.

We are excited to announce the arrival of our NEW GOOSE at our studio.

As we prepare for our fifth year celebration we had the opportunity to commission Master Taxidermist David Tuttle* to create a mount of a Canadian Goose for our studio. 

Mounted on a pedestal of drift wood and grass she stands about 28 inches tall and although her wings are cropped in for a landing, she has a wing span of 50 inches.  An incredible specimen that the photo below only partially conveys the beauty.  Make sure you plan on stopping by the office to check her out!

* David Tuttle is a Master Taxidermist and owner of River Run Taxidermy in Hallstead, PA.  An award winning artist with over 65 major awards to his credit, David has created  exhibits for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences and the Iowa Science Center. He has also created taxidermy props for movies, television commercials, and a dead game deer mount for the H.B.O series the "Sopranos.  David can be reached at (570) 967-2121 or though his website at http://riverruntaxidermy.com (Website not produced by Grey Goose Graphics, we are currently negotiating to revise his website to align with the quality of his work.)