News from Tobin Solutions, Inc

What do lead, mercury, cadmium, tin, silicon, iron, aluminum, plastic, gold, and copper have in common? All are used in computers and other electronics.

Although many are dangerous to the environment, most can be safely reclaimed from old equipment and reused, lowering the cost of new systems.

Rather than putting old computers, monitors, and other electronic equipment in landfills or incinerating them, they should be sent to recycling centers where materials can be recovered.

Local waste handling companies offer recycling programs for electronics as do retail outlets such as Best Buy, Goodwill, and Radio Shack. Check the Internet for a list of Wisconsin solutions.

Many computer recyclers require owners to remove or destroy data on hard drives to eliminate the possibility that personal information might be accessed. Some charge for recycling monitors because disassembling them costs more than the value of the materials they contain.

Businesses needing to dispose of large volumes of equipment might need to make special arrangements. Tobin Solutions will properly dispose of unwanted client hardware including removing all data for a small fee.

Does Your Business Have an IT Policy?

What is your policy on acceptable employee use of company computers? Do employees know what is allowed?

Clear policies that define appropriate IT use help protect your business, but writing policies is not easy. Many executives and managers get bogged down trying to determine what to include.

Consider activities such as watching videos or listening to the radio on computers during work time which can slow your network response. These programs hog bandwidth and clog the shared network resources, crowding out legitimate work functions. And they can be time wasters.

Have a written policy that states what is and isn't allowed makes it clear to employees where the boundaries are, and gives you the clout for enforcement.

Policies can also define the processes used for managing your network and resources so your systems are protected.

What processes do you follow when adding users to your system? What do you do when employees leave the company? Do you redirect their e-mail to another user, or change their password to keep them from reentering the system? Who is responsible for handling emergencies, such as power failures?

Defining how and when you will restrict access to your computers, or who will take responsibility in a crisis can help you avoid losses.

Tobin Solutions is ready to assist you with sample written policies and procedures that will provide consistent rules for employee use of your IT resources.

Contact us today to improve productivity, reduce the possibility of offensive computer use, and prevent security breaches.

Shorthand in Today's World...

Can you guess what these mean?

(see answers at bottom of page)

- 411 - BBL - F2F - N1 - RUOK

OUTLOOK TIP:

Allow Others to See When You Are Available

In businesses that use the Outlook Calendar for scheduling meetings the Free/Busy Options define what people see when determining when others are available for meetings.

The default only displays two months of your schedule unless you change the settings.

In 2003, or 2007 open Tools menu> Options> Calendar Options>

In 2010 go to File> Options> Calendar>

Then select Free/Busy Options. For 2007 and 2010 click Other Free/Busy... button.

Free/Busy Properties