January 2011
In this issue:

HTS 2011
Webinar Series
Every month HTS hosts a webinar, bringing in our own and industry experts to introduce and explain tools and solutions that can help your business grow. We want to keep all of our clients well-informed and up-to-date on the latest solutions available to you.

This Month’s Topic:
An Introduction to Microsoft’s Business Applications in the Cloud

What’s in it for you? If you’ve ever wondered about improving your organization’s communication and collaboration without drastically increasing your costs, you won’t want to miss this month’s webinar. Communication and collaboration are key to any business’s success—even if you’ve never looked into this area before, listen in to get some ideas flowing!

Join us on Wednesday Feb. 9th at 10 AM when Tom George and Samir Kukreja from Microsoft show you how Microsoft Online Services and the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) can help you reduce costs on important productivity solutions!

REGISTER HERE!
Microsoft Online Services makes it easy for you to leverage and rapidly deploy familiar Microsoft server products (SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Live Meeting, etc.) as flexible services.

 Business
Continuity Tip

Final destination(s)
Building a robust recovery plan is all about establishing redundancies (for your staff, technology, communications, etc). These redundancies need to extend to recovery sites as well. When considering a temporary office recovery site you must think of the worst case scenario. Fact is, your obvious first choice may not be available during a large-scale event (think New Orleans post-Katrina, and Manhattan following 9/11).

Take some time to brainstorm multiple location options. Think creatively about how isolated vs. local vs. regional disasters may impact where and how you recover. For example, do you have a good relationship with a vendor in your supply chain? Maybe they can help you out in a pinch. Do you have access to flexible office space? Can your employees work remotely? If so, how long before inefficiency creeps in?

The bottom-line is - don't hinge your entire plan on a single recovery site. Flexibility is key

The World is Shrinking

We went expecting the country to be very “third world” in every way but found that in many places it is extremely modern. There is definitely a big difference between those who have and those who have not, but in the small area we traveled, we didn’t really lack much. Except heat – they seem to have an aversion to spending any money on warmth so we were continually wearing our coats all day in the 30 degree temps. Our general analysis is that China is not focused much on personal comfort – they make their investments in education and infrastructure – not living comfortably.

I was able to spend a half day at Microsoft Shanghai and experienced much of the same atmosphere that exists in the Redmond/Bellevue offices. In fact had I not known where I was, I might have thought I was in the great NW. The buildings look and are configured almost exactly the same way as in the US. People are required to speak English to work there. They have a great skill set and are doing more and more of the product R&D. And the big eye opener for me was that they are compensated almost as well as their US counterparts which enables them to be able to transfer to other Microsoft facilities around the world without any significant pay discrepancy. US companies are not going to China as a cost saving measure. They go there because of the quality of the workforce, the output they generate, and the work ethic they find so refreshing when compared to workers here. It wasn’t the words I expected to hear.

The reality is that this world continues to get smaller every day. We are in a very global economy. What happens half way around the world matters. The current events in Egypt do ripple back to us in the USA. At HTS we are focused on learning how to serve our clients well in the ever changing world we live in. Through our membership in the Heartland Tech Groups (which are operated by HTS team) we rub shoulders regularly with IT providers from all across North America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Our staff attends dozens of industry events and conferences each year in an effort to stay connected to the pulse of IT. We make every effort to remain on the forefront of where technology is heading, no matter what the source, so we can serve you well. Over the last few years we have had to spread our wings wider and fly farther – but we are committed to taking care of our clients in every way.

Thanks for putting your trust in us. We will work hard to not only earn your continued business, but to exceed your expectations and serve you beyond what you might expect. We count it a joy to be able to work with you in 2011 and beyond!

Arlin Sorensen, CEO
Heartland Technology Solutions

3 Essential Steps to Better Business Intelligence
used with permission from the Microsoft Small Business website

Companies today have too much information. What companies don't have enough of is intelligence - and no, we're not talking about your staff. Business intelligence refers to the insights you discover when you turn all that data into something that your employees can use to make smart business decisions.

Business leaders and managers at all levels are bombarded with data from accounting systems, CRM, ERP and other business applications. Much of this information comes in the form of reports, which can be difficult to read and understand, or charts, which often lack necessary background detail.

Here are three essential steps to turning all those reams and megabytes of information into vital business insights - business intelligence.

Eleven Things to Give Up in 2011
by Marlene Chism

Instead of trying to lose twenty pounds for your New Year’s resolution, what if you decided to give up eleven habits that keep you stuck in your relationships at home and at work. Here are eleven things, in the form of mindsets, habits and behaviors to give up in 2011.

1. Give up the need to control
Impatience, complaining, and manipulation are ways we try to change something that can’t be changed. You can't control the weather, the crowds at the grocery store or traffic. All you can do is prepare, shop at a different time or leave early. In your workplace, ask yourself where you need to let go of control, where you can delegate and how you can learn instead to trust your co-workers.

Read more

10 Tips for Making Your Business More Efficient
used with permission from Cisco

To keep pace in an increasingly competitive world, your business needs to run as efficiently as possible. "Sooner or later, any company not operating efficiently will be out of business," says Laurie McCabe, vice president of small and medium business insights and solutions for research firm AMI-Partners. Efficiency is even more important for small and medium-sized businesses, McCabe adds, because their resources are limited compared to large global companies.

Here are 10 tips for using network technology to help your business work more efficiently, cut costs, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition.

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