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IT News
January/February 2016

In This Issue

 

 

All 2016 recycling proceeds are donated to Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia.  Read more about their mission here!

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LAN Systems

2016 Bulldog 100  

On January 30th, LAN Systems was named to the Bulldog 100:  Fastest Growing Bulldog Businesses Class of 2016! Read more ...

 

We also were named "Best in Gwinnett" 2015!  That's seven years in a row.

 

Our sincerest thanks to our loyal clients. We appreciate you and the trust you place in us to serve your IT needs.

Get to know Windows 10
Go beyond browsing- Microsoft Edge is the all-new browser that helps you go beyond browsing and get more done on the web. Experience the thrill of writing or typing directly on webpages. Clear away distractions from your online articles. And, with Cortana enabled, you can instantly move from searching to doing.

Top 10 IT Trends for 2016

For many years, we have been bringing you our Top IT Trend predictions for the technology that will change our business and personal lives. This year our Top IT Trends have an emphasis on small business. The most talked about trends are not always attractive to small businesses because of the complexity and cost to implement. Our 2016 collection is for the small, growing business that wants to take advantage of high-tech advancements without breaking the budget.

Big Data for the Small Company - Big Data and Analytics shows up on all the enterprise lists of the hot IT trends. If you are a small company, you are
probably wondering how you can use big data to grow
your revenue. Start with what you know: your customers and their purchase profile, marketing that brings response, and how potential buyers interact with your website. Use your Customer Relationship Management (CRM), accounting, email marketing and website analytics to get a deeper understanding of how you interact with current and future customers. Over the next year, we will see many Cloud applications that offer to aggregate and analyze data for the small company. 

Cloud Productivity - If you are not in the Cloud, what can we say? It will definitely save you money and may help you make some money, all while making you more efficient, productive and well .... smart! Whether you use a PC, laptop, tablet or phone, you will be the most productive you have ever been. Choose Microsoft's Office 365 for email and a variety of office productivity tools like Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive.  It might even be time to get a Cloud server like Amazon, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure . There are many big data Cloud platform options available for small companies that help kill two birds with one stone - efficiency and mobility!

Antivirus Is Not Enough Protection - Threats to your data, computers and security are constantly changing. Protecting against modern threats requires a new way of thinking. Detecting malicious behavior, verifying web reputation, implementing isolation and encryption tools should be a large part of your cyber security strategy. Heuristic analysis or looking for suspicious behavior is effective against quickly morphing threats like Crypto attacks. Most antivirus software has added features for advanced threats. Make sure you stay up-to-date and vigilant.

Digital MarketingWe have all seen it - the "Sponsored" label. With the latest innovations in digital marketing, it is getting harder and harder to tell ads from the content resulting from your browser search. Digital marketing isn't only sponsored or "native" ads, but these ads are getting the lion's share of attention, probably because they are so noticeable. Many users will catch on and stop clicking on obvious ads, or perhaps they will click just to make a point.
 
Drones - If you can do anything with drones in your business, this is your year.
Beyond military uses for drones, there is so much that an "eye in the sky" can do for business. From farm and land management to movie filming to surveillance, drones are being used for many commercial applications. You may have heard about Google's "secret" plans to deliver 5G from solar-powered drones.  No doubt this technology will change our world as innovators find new ways to use drone technology. Keep in mind that drone use is regulated. So if you find a great application for drones in your business, be sure to keep up with federal, state and local regulations and safety restrictions.
  
Disclaimer: Like horoscopes, our predictions for the Top IT Trends of 2016 are general in nature but they are intended to help you grow your business and profit from technology advances.
For our non-profit customers and friends
Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia - The Foundation is pleased to announce that our 2016 Discretionary Grant Cycle is now open and we are actively accepting grant applications.

We anticipate granting approximately $180,000 this year to nonprofit organizations across the northeast Georgia region. Funding priorities in 2016 remain focused on empowering children and youth and the elderly in our community.  The Foundation Grants Committee will consider sustaining grants up to $5,000 and impact grants up to $25,000 with priority given to challenge grants. 
 
 
Click here for the 2016 grant application.
 
Close date February 29, 2016
Spark - Interested in winning $25,000 for your Nonprofit or Community Group? Save the Date and Get Ready for the 2016 Spark Prize Gwinnett Event!

United Way, in partnership with The Primerica Foundation, The Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, Partnership Gwinnett, the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services and the Atlanta Community Food Bank will host the 2016 Spark Prize event in Gwinnett County. 

If you reside in or serve Gwinnett County-don't miss out on the opportunity to apply for a Spark Prize! Finalists will be chosen from video submissions, which will be due by March 1, 2016.


Rotary Club of Gwinnett Grant - For many years now the Gwinnett Rotary Club has awarded grants to nonprofits in our immediate community that are doing great work and we're excited to continue that tradition again this year. The board has voted to award up to $10,000 in 2016 to support a multitude of local nonprofits with programs and services that align specifically with Rotary's six areas of focus: 
* Peace & Conflict Resolution
* Disease Prevention & Treatment
* Water & Sanitation
* Maternal & Child Health
* Education & Literacy
* Economic & Community Development

Applications will be accepted from February 1st through March 4th. Grant awards will be decided by March 28th and we will present the checks to our 2016 recipients during our Club meeting on Tuesday, April 19th. 

If you have questions, please email Paige Havens havensp@bellsouth.net to learn more.

Click here for 2016 grant application.

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