• Feature Article: When is it time to upgrade or replace your IT?
• Meet the Team: Chris Mackin
• Tech of the Month: Adam Cauchi
• Special Offer: Spring Clean Your IT!
• Tech Tip of the Month: What is your domain name, Where does it live, and When does it expire?
• Client Spotlight: Metromint by Soma Beverage

Feature Article: When is it time to upgrade or replace your IT?

These days, most companies are asking themselves if the cost of repairing and maintaining old IT equipment outweighs the cost of a full product replacement. When the question comes up “How many years should I expect to get out of this computer?” the general consensus can fluctuate depending on how you look at it.

What we typically see as the lifespan of a computer, whether it is a laptop or desktop, is 3-5 years with normal usage. If you are using a laptop, this number might be lower only because there is a higher risk of human error (dropping, spilling, etc.). In most instances, the first piece of hardware that will go is the power supply, followed by the electrical components. Other factors such as usage, stress, location, temperature, and environmental factors can all contribute to a shorter lifespan as well.

With proper care, maintenance, and upgrading, you may get up to 7 years of basic performance out of your computer but without vital hardware upgrades, basic functionality and speed may be the least of your concerns. After the computer hits the 3-5 year mark, hardware versus software compatibility is where we run into the problem. The software that you need for your company or the newest versions of current software, soon become impossible to purchase because your equipment is too out dated to meet the system requirements.

The same can be said about the lifespan of a Windows server. The life span of a server should not be measured in how long it remains able to perform the tasks given to it but by the amount of time that the hardware is supportable. As a company, one would have to balance out the cost of continually replacing the parts to keep it doing what you need it to do until you are able to go out and purchase one that will give you another 3-5 years without worrying about upgrading.

When it comes to making the decision to replace existing and outdated equipment within your company, there is a point that you ask yourself, “is the benefit to my company worth the impact on my wallet?” With a trusted IT provider on your side, you can rest assured that the products you are purchasing are going to be worth your time and money while also providing the right IT solutions for your business.

Keeping your equipment up-to-date will allow you utilize new software, software that may not be compatible (or possibly runs really slow) on your new equipment. A lot of new software programs are not supported by older software and some older machines do not even meet the minimum requirements.

Have you ever been sitting at your computer and you clicked to open a program and then you had to sit patiently and wait for it to open? If you add up all the time that you and you fellow co-workers spent just “waiting”, my guess is that it would be days or even months of time. With new equipment, the application response times are higher, processing speeds are faster and thus productivity in general increases for your business.

Along with productivity, there will be less downtime and the reliability of your equipment is much higher. Once you hit a certain point in the lifetime of a computer or a server, equipment failure is inevitable. With newer hardware, the quality of products that are being produced today has greatly improved the durability and lifespan of the device. With advancements in technology, the cost has also improved and may not be as expensive as you thought.

Now is the time to upgrade. With Everon on your side, we can do the searching and purchasing for you to find the PC or laptop you need for a price that will not break the bank. We’ll even set it up and configure it specifically per user with all the appropriate software, settings, connection to your domain and mapping of drives so you can get back to running your business while we handle your technology.

Check out our special offer below, if you purchase a new laptop or PC setup from us between now and June 30^th, we’ll take $100 off. If you want to replace the whole office- we’ll bump it up to $150 off per machine. For details and to register for this special offer click here. www.everonitsupport.com/springcleanoffer

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Meet the Team: Chris Mackin

Chris Mackin, Sales Manager

We would like to introduce you to Chris Mackin, Sales Manager for Everon Technology. Chris has been with the company from day one when it was founded in 2003 and in addition to his role as Sales Manager has worn a variety of hats over the years as the company grew. He currently oversees not only all sales activity for Everon but also works very closely with our Boston field services team and Boston client base.

Chris is an ex-PGA golf professional, and holds a BS in Computer Information Systems, a BA in Marketing and a BA in Communications from Bryant University. When he’s not hard at work he is found on the golf course, the beach, or hiking with his wife and dog. In his downtime he visits with his friends and family nearby or is watching the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics. Chris grew up in the Boston area in a town called Duxbury on the way from Boston to Cape Cod and currently makes his home in Boston where he works closely with our Boston field services team and our large amount of Boston clients.

Prior to joining Everon Chris worked for national technology and telecom companies; he brings a unique knowledge of how technology works and fits into prospective client’s operations. Chris was one of the founding members of the Gateway Computer business to business division, where he managed a National team of Sales Representatives selling to small and medium size businesses and delivering business solutions to increase efficiencies. Chris has as strong ability to work with business owners to understand their needs and help implement solutions that will allow for increased productivity with fewer technology distractions.

Chris has been pivotal to the success of Everon’s business and growth as well as building our amazing company culture. A testament to his contribution is the peer-nominated MVP award Chris has won every single year hands down at our annual awards ceremony.

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Tech of the Month: Adam Cauchi

Adam Cauchi, Network Engineer

Everon is happy to announce that Adam Cauchi has been named our latest “Tech of the Month”! Adam was chosen for his stellar achievement in customer service, receiving 100% NPS from our clients (NPS= Net Promoter Score, learn more about how companies measure NPS here). It’s no surprise to any of Adam’s co-workers that he receives such high marks or is the Tech of the Month. Adam jumps in to help all his fellow engineers whenever he has the chance. He thrives off learning new things and sharing it with others. He recently said, “With this experience, I take pride in helping others resolve issues and teaching them the reason behind the resolutions. The ‘Oh, I get it!’ moments are what make this job completely worthwhile.”

Adam joined the Everon team about one year ago when he moved to the Denver area from his longtime home of Sarasota, Florida. He brought with him a variety of different experiences ranging from computer science and mathematics to security and networking to desktops and servers to propriety software and coding. That extensive experience is apparent in Adam’s work as he is excellent at multitasking and resolving a variety of technical issues for all of our clients. He is known in the office as the “Outlook Master” and is an escalation point for Macs as well as desktop PC issues.

Our clients love Adam. His friendly approach and quick response help them know they are in good hands when he is on the phone or connected to their machines. Check out some of the great comments Adam has received recently from our clients:

• Adam helped find the problem and offered to let me call back later when I could get him answers to his questions.
• Adam was by far the most helpful representative that I have had the pleasure to work with up to this point. He was diligent in finding a solution to my problem and made a point to follow up with me when I lost track of time and forgot to call him back.
• Adam was extremely helpful. He gave a step by step explanation of what he was doing and answered the many questions I put to him while he was at work fixing my problem. I appreciated the manner in which he broke down the issue so that I could clearly understand what happened and what he did to correct the problem.
• Adam is the best! He was great through my numerous phone calls and issues throughout the day!

When Adam is not working hard at Everon he is enjoying his new life in Colorado. He spends time hiking and snowboarding and exploring all the Denver has to offer. Adam, like many in his field, spends countless hours fine tuning his computer skills with his current gaming obsession, Starcraft 2. Adam’s favorite non-profit is Gamers Outreach Foundation, an organization that through gaming tournaments raises money for gaming systems in children’s hospitals and to ship gaming systems oversees to the troops. www.gamersoutreach.org

Adam is a great addition to the team and brings a tremendous amount of value. He is truly deserving of “Tech of the Month” status and we’re happy to have him onboard!

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Special Offer: Spring Clean Your IT

Did you know the average lifespan of a PC is just 3-4 years and a laptop is only 2-3! Chances are if you look around your office you will see at least a few machines past their prime.

There’s no better time than the present to replace those old slow machines. Register with us before May 30th and we’ll give you:

• $100 OFF the setup of a new PC or laptop* (Regular price is $299)
• Need more? Order 10 or more new PCs or laptops setups and we’ll take off $150 per machine!

Our new PC or laptop setup includes:

• Joining to your domain.
• Installation of 3rd party applications.
• Installation of Microsoft Office
• Email setup for user
• Setup shared location and mapping of drives.
• Remote configuration of printers if requested
• Installation of antivirus software

Register here for details and to claim your discount today!

www.everonitsupport.com/springcleanoffer/

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Tech Tip of the Month: What is your domain name? Where does it live? When does it expire?

Your company’s domain name, or its address on the internet, is an important part of your brand, image, and message. It is akin to a piece of property or some other form of capital that you want to protect. That is why it is important to know the vital details about your domain name, including the technical information around expiration dates, Internet Protocol (IP) and IP location information, domain registrar and Domain Name System (DNS) name servers… read more here.

Read these other recent articles and more at www.SmallBusinessTechTips.com

• Google Play is Here! But What Is It?
• How to Clean Your Internet Explorer Cache
• DVI Cables 101
• Microsoft Word 2010?s Format Painter Tool
• What Are LSI Keywords and Why They Are Important For SEO?

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Client Spotlight: Metromint by Soma Beverage

Metromint is the brain-child of Rio Miura and Scott Lowe. Miura’s background in product and fashion design when combined with Lowe’s background in product development and manufacturing came together to form Metromint and Soma Beverage Company. Founded in San Francisco’s South of Market district (SOMA), a neighborhood that is home to artists, high-tech start-ups, and the entrepreneurial spirit, Soma Beverage has taken the beverage industry by storm. Combining the purest ingredients with innovative packaging and extraordinary taste, Metromint single-handedly created a new beverage category called mintwater. Metromint already has a loyal following. Metromint was introduced to the public at the New York Fancy Food Show in 2004.

Metromint starts with the best mint in the world. Real mint. Fresh, flavorful, pesticide-free mint grown in Washington State’s Yakima Valley. Their water is purified using reverse-osmosis, a process that saves all the good stuff and filters out the bad, including salts, impurities, and particles as small as an ion. What’s left is a blank canvas, so that we can showcase the taste of mint. When it comes to Metromint, their dedication to purity is so high they bought their own bottling plant and converted it to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. Every bottle that rolls off the Metromint bottling line is laser etched with an honest, easy-to-read freshness date stamp.

Everon has had the pleasure of providing fully managed IT support to Soma Beverage/Metromint since 2007 and can vouch from our samples in the office that Metromint is a special product from a company full of outstanding individuals. Scott Lowe recently talked more about his experience with Everon in an interview with New York Time blogger, Dave Freedman. To read the full article click here.

To learn more about Metromint and where you can find a retailer near you click here.

“Due to Soma’s basic, yet vital IT needs, we’ve been partnering with Everon for the last 4 years, and have been consistently impressed with the level of knowledge, service and dedication provided. Whether the problem is simple or complex, common or obscure, I’ve had nothing but great experiences with the folks at Everon, from the project team and front line techs, to account and general management staff. Over the years we’ve employed more and more of the Everon SaaS/TaaS services with great success, giving us time to focus on growth for our business and not on IT.”

– Evan Campbell, Soma Beverage

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Originally posted on the New York Times You’re the Boss blog.  Original article can be found here: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/tech-audit-two-owners-two-companies-lots-of-it-headaches/

April 3, 2012, 7:00 am

Tech Audit: Two Owners, Two Companies, Lots of I.T. Headaches

Courtesy of David Rio

Scott Lowe and Rio Miura have two companies and plenty of information-technology issues.

Scott Lowe had been living in Tokyo with his wife, Rio Miura, for a few years when in 1996 they started selling coffee and tea by catalog. “We really wanted to open a coffee shop and then expand, like Starbucks, but we didn’t have the money for it,” he said. But the catalog started pulling in sales, and then in 1998 they moved back to the United States and started selling here as well, settling in San Francisco.

Their chai tea blends became their biggest seller, especially in coffee shops and specialty stores — Williams-Sonoma sells it — and soon they focused their small company, David Rio, on that one line. (Mr. Lowe’s first name is David, though everyone knows him as Scott.) At that point, information technology was low on the list of the company’s challenges. “We were doing business by faxes,” Mr. Lowe said.

In 2003, they added a mint-infused water created by Ms. Miura, and that started taking off, leading to deals with big distributors as well as with Whole Foods, Kroger, and other large retailers. Recognizing that the battle for shelf space was very different from selling tea in shops, the two spun off the drink, called Metromint, into its own business, the Soma Beverage Company. But the two companies are still pretty much joined at the hip, Mr. Lowe said, with combined annual revenue of about $16 million and 26 employees split fairly evenly between them. “Their business models are different,” he said. “But they’re under the same roof, and share accounting and other resources.”

The two companies share something else: I.T. headaches and the lack of a full-time I.T. guru to deal with them. “We’re not big enough to afford a dedicated, six-figure I.T. guy here,” Mr. Lowe said. But with 30 computers, a server and a growing dependence on software, smartphones and the Internet, the combined business is big enough to feel a frequent need for expert help. To get it, the two companies contracted six years ago with an outside firm to do many of the things an internal I.T. expert would do — except remotely.

For the first several years, Mr. Lowe himself did the best he could to keep the company’s computers and cellphones up and running, with higher-powered help coming when needed from local independent contractors. But as the need grew to have help on hand day to day, he tapped one of the company’s employees — the operations manager, Evan Campbell — to take on the extra responsibility. “One day I just walked up to him and said, ‘Guess what? You’re the I.T. guy now,’” Mr. Lowe said. Mr. Campbell has done a great job, he continued, especially considering he had to teach himself how to do it and can only give I.T. about a tenth of his time. But as the importance and complexity of the technology increased at the companies, they found that Mr. Campbell and sporadic outside help wasn’t enough.

In 2006, after inviting a number of support companies to come in to pitch him on a higher level of care, Mr. Lowe signed with Everon, a division of a larger I.T.-support firm called PlumChoice, based in Billerica, Mass. (Many other firms provide remote I.T. support services, including dedicated support firms like ProVal Technologies and LogMeIn, and big companies that do it on the side, like AT&T and Staples.) He now pays a bit more than $3,500 a month, for which he gets assurance of constant up-time on all his computers, full-time monitoring for viruses and other security problems, online backup of all company data and the leasing of a server.

Mr. Lowe insists the price is worth it. If Everon determines there’s a hardware problem, he noted, it will either send in a technician or send a replacement computer overnight — as happened last week when Mr. Lowe couldn’t revive his laptop. (Everon charged for the replacement computer, which Mr. Lowe picked out, but Everon procured it, configured it with the needed software and backed-up data, and shipped it, all on the same day.)

Mr. Lowe was particularly impressed with Everon when his server died late in the day three years ago and a repair person drove six hours through the night to get to it and have it running before morning. “I don’t think about that sort of service being worth what I pay for the contract,” Mr. Lowe said. “That’s worth the value of staying in business.”

Still, Everon doesn’t do everything an in-house I.T. manager would do. It doesn’t help choose and customize application software, for example, leaving Mr. Lowe less than fully satisfied with his portfolio of software. The business relies on the software version of Intuit’s QuickBooks, and while the software does a good job for most financial accounting tasks, Mr. Lowe said, it falls short when it comes to his inventory-management needs. But he doesn’t feel the business has the time and expertise to migrate to a more inventory-focused package.

He also wishes he could figure out a way to set up a system that would help the sales representatives share detailed information about what sorts of promotions work best with which products and customers. He tried Salesforce.com‘s cloud-based, customer-relationship management service, but after several months, he determined it wouldn’t do the trick without more customization than he felt he had time or money to implement. “For me, that defeats the purpose,” he said. “I want it to be easy and affordable to share information.”

Everon also doesn’t design, set up or host the business’s Web sites or assist with its Facebook and Twitter efforts — although Mr. Lowe feels that his own marketing and design people have handled all of that well, with some help from an outside development company and a hosting firm. Thanks to some successful Facebook promotions, including a Scooter giveaway, the company has more than 100,000 consumer e-mail addresses, and Metromint alone has more than 25,000 Facebook likes and more than 2,000 Twitter followers.

And there are still those niggling little things that have to be handled in person and don’t justify waiting for a technician to drive six hours — things like resetting a cellphone, replacing a flash drive, getting the right passwords into everyone’s computer for a new network connection or helping a frantic boss pick out a new laptop to replace the one that just melted down. For that stuff, Mr. Campbell remains on call. “It would be a problem for us if we didn’t have him closing that gap,” Mr. Lowe said. “He can still deal with a lot of problems.”

No matter how flat or high-tech the world becomes, it’s hard to beat a flesh-and-blood presence.

You can follow David H. Freedman on Twitter, Facebook and on Google+.

April 3, 2012, 7:00 am

Tech Audit: Two Owners, Two Companies, Lots of I.T. Headaches

By DAVID H. FREEDMAN

Courtesy of David Rio Scott Lowe and Rio Miura have two companies and plenty of information-technology issues.

Tech Support

What small-business owners need to know about technology.

Scott Lowe had been living in Tokyo with his wife, Rio Miura, for a few years when in 1996 they started selling coffee and tea by catalog. “We really wanted to open a coffee shop and then expand, like Starbucks, but we didn’t have the money for it,” he said. But the catalog started pulling in sales, and then in 1998 they moved back to the United States and started selling here as well, settling in San Francisco.

Their chai tea blends became their biggest seller, especially in coffee shops and specialty stores — Williams-Sonoma sells it — and soon they focused their small company, David Rio, on that one line. (Mr. Lowe’s first name is David, though everyone knows him as Scott.) At that point, information technology was low on the list of the company’s challenges. “We were doing business by faxes,” Mr. Lowe said.

In 2003, they added a mint-infused water created by Ms. Miura, and that started taking off, leading to deals with big distributors as well as with Whole Foods, Kroger, and other large retailers. Recognizing that the battle for shelf space was very different from selling tea in shops, the two spun off the drink, called Metromint, into its own business, the Soma Beverage Company. But the two companies are still pretty much joined at the hip, Mr. Lowe said, with combined annual revenue of about $16 million and 26 employees split fairly evenly between them. “Their business models are different,” he said. “But they’re under the same roof, and share accounting and other resources.”

The two companies share something else: I.T. headaches and the lack of a full-time I.T. guru to deal with them. “We’re not big enough to afford a dedicated, six-figure I.T. guy here,” Mr. Lowe said. But with 30 computers, a server and a growing dependence on software, smartphones and the Internet, the combined business is big enough to feel a frequent need for expert help. To get it, the two companies contracted six years ago with an outside firm to do many of the things an internal I.T. expert would do — except remotely.

For the first several years, Mr. Lowe himself did the best he could to keep the company’s computers and cellphones up and running, with higher-powered help coming when needed from local independent contractors. But as the need grew to have help on hand day to day, he tapped one of the company’s employees — the operations manager, Evan Campbell — to take on the extra responsibility. “One day I just walked up to him and said, ‘Guess what? You’re the I.T. guy now,’” Mr. Lowe said. Mr. Campbell has done a great job, he continued, especially considering he had to teach himself how to do it and can only give I.T. about a tenth of his time. But as the importance and complexity of the technology increased at the companies, they found that Mr. Campbell and sporadic outside help wasn’t enough.

In 2006, after inviting a number of support companies to come in to pitch him on a higher level of care, Mr. Lowe signed with Everon, a division of a larger I.T.-support firm called PlumChoice, based in Billerica, Mass. (Many other firms provide remote I.T. support services, including dedicated support firms like ProVal Technologies and LogMeIn, and big companies that do it on the side, like AT&T and Staples.) He now pays a bit more than $3,500 a month, for which he gets assurance of constant up-time on all his computers, full-time monitoring for viruses and other security problems, online backup of all company data and the leasing of a server.

Mr. Lowe insists the price is worth it. If Everon determines there’s a hardware problem, he noted, it will either send in a technician or send a replacement computer overnight — as happened last week when Mr. Lowe couldn’t revive his laptop. (Everon charged for the replacement computer, which Mr. Lowe picked out, but Everon procured it, configured it with the needed software and backed-up data, and shipped it, all on the same day.)

Mr. Lowe was particularly impressed with Everon when his server died late in the day three years ago and a repair person drove six hours through the night to get to it and have it running before morning. “I don’t think about that sort of service being worth what I pay for the contract,” Mr. Lowe said. “That’s worth the value of staying in business.”

Still, Everon doesn’t do everything an in-house I.T. manager would do. It doesn’t help choose and customize application software, for example, leaving Mr. Lowe less than fully satisfied with his portfolio of software. The business relies on the software version of Intuit’s QuickBooks, and while the software does a good job for most financial accounting tasks, Mr. Lowe said, it falls short when it comes to his inventory-management needs. But he doesn’t feel the business has the time and expertise to migrate to a more inventory-focused package.

He also wishes he could figure out a way to set up a system that would help the sales representatives share detailed information about what sorts of promotions work best with which products and customers. He tried Salesforce.com‘s cloud-based, customer-relationship management service, but after several months, he determined it wouldn’t do the trick without more customization than he felt he had time or money to implement. “For me, that defeats the purpose,” he said. “I want it to be easy and affordable to share information.”

Everon also doesn’t design, set up or host the business’s Web sites or assist with its Facebook and Twitter efforts — although Mr. Lowe feels that his own marketing and design people have handled all of that well, with some help from an outside development company and a hosting firm. Thanks to some successful Facebook promotions, including a Scooter giveaway, the company has more than 100,000 consumer e-mail addresses, and Metromint alone has more than 25,000 Facebook likes and more than 2,000 Twitter followers.

And there are still those niggling little things that have to be handled in person and don’t justify waiting for a technician to drive six hours — things like resetting a cellphone, replacing a flash drive, getting the right passwords into everyone’s computer for a new network connection or helping a frantic boss pick out a new laptop to replace the one that just melted down. For that stuff, Mr. Campbell remains on call. “It would be a problem for us if we didn’t have him closing that gap,” Mr. Lowe said. “He can still deal with a lot of problems.”

No matter how flat or high-tech the world becomes, it’s hard to beat a flesh-and-blood presence.

You can follow David H. Freedman on Twitter, Facebook and on Google+.

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Welcome to 2012! We hope all or our clients and friends had a wonderful, relaxing and safe holiday season. We at Everon are excited to start 2012 with a bang and have some exciting offers and new products coming in the new year…..

• Meet the Team: Mitch Fillmore
• Tech of the Month: Evan Kamien
• Product Feature: Move to Cloud Computing and get your FIRST MONTH FREE!
• Tech Tip of the Month: Hosted Exchange – Is it right for your small business?
• Special Feature:  Does Your Business Need “The Cloud”?

Meet the Team: Mitch Fillmore

We’d like to introduce you to Mitch Fillmore, Everon’s Project Services Manager! Mitch joined our team this past summer and brings nearly 20 years of IT leadership experience. In his past roles he has worked in a variety of IT executive positions ranging from IT Operations, Director of IT Infrastructure and Chief Technology Officer.

Mitch is most known professionally for his deep technical background in almost all areas of IT from software development, operations, networking, telecom and engineering. When coupled with his strengths in team management, organizational development and client communication he has proven to be a very valuable addition to our project team. Mitch’s vast and varied experience makes him perfectly suited in his current role where he helps our clients who may have complicated or unique IT needs. He works closely with our clients to find the best IT solutions for their business and then oversees the project team as they implement and execute all the various IT projects our clients may need.

Like many of our employees, Mitch also grew up on the East coast in Massachusetts. Receiving his degree in engineering from University of Massachusetts, which then led him to start his career in IT. A corporate acquisition moved him to Colorado about 12 years ago and he’s been here ever since. Never one to stop learning, Mitch even went back to school in the mid 2000s and added an MBA with honors in finance and accounting to his professional bag of tricks!

While Mitch is definitely and “IT guy” at heart, he’s not all servers, networks and gadgets. When he is not hard at work in the office, he is traveling to different shows as the lead singer in his popular classic rock tribute band, Mid Life Crisis. Mitch can really rock out and his co workers frequently visit his local shows to see our project services manager tearing it up on stage!

As if he’s not busy enough singing his heart out and working hard for our clients all day long, Mitch has two young children and his wife of over 10 years to keep him busy. A devoted family man, he volunteers at his oldest child’s preschool and spends every free second playing with his little kiddos and enjoying the outdoors here in Colorado with his family.

We are very happy to have Mitch on board.

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Tech of the Month: Evan Kamien

Meet our latest Tech of the Month- Evan Kamien! If you haven’t been lucky enough to have a call with Evan allow us to introduce you to one of our tech all stars! Evan was selected as Tech of the Month for a variety of reasons; outstanding customer ratings, amazing performance and peer recognitions.

Evan joined the Everon team in March of 2011 and in just a little under a year here has made a huge impact. In previous roles Evan has worked in the internal IT department in the Colorado ski industry as well as the banking and finance world. He has a passion for IT that has made him successful in his current role as a network engineer at Everon because he is constantly striving to find ways to make the lives of our customer’s more efficient.

It is a unique skill to be able to explain complex IT issues clearly and one that sets Evan apart. His customers are constantly raving about their remote sessions with him. A sampling of some of the customer comments Evan has received:

“Evan is very friendly and was prompt with fixing the problem.”

“Awesome as always!”

“Evan was very thorough and persistent in his approach.”

“As always, Evan solved my problem quickly and was friendly and respectful while he worked. He’s my favorite rep to get on the phone!”

Evan brings a lot to the team here in Broomfield. Not only is he always one to help a fellow tech with a particularly complex issue, but he brings a great dose of levity and humor to work. At Everon we strive to find employees that embody our cultural values; heart of a servant, fun loving attitude, and entrepreneurial spirit. Evan exemplifies the meaning of all three of these as he is always helping, having fun and owning the solution.

When he’s not slugging away solving our clients IT issues Evan can be found with friends enjoying his favorite hobbies. In the winter time he can be found on the slopes. Evan is an avid skier spending every free moment in the winter months on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains. In the summer he is hiking and biking. To relax he takes care of his personal collection of salt water reef tanks. He finds the captive reefs to be very calming and fascinating.

Evan is truly a tech all star on our team and we’re glad to have him on board! Next time you get Evan on a call be sure to congratulate him on being named our Tech of the Month!

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Product Feature: Cloud Computing with Everon IT

The “Cloud” is a term that has taken the IT and business world by storm over the last couple of years. The term generally has a very broad meaning but in most cases relates to any technology you or your business uses outside your building.

Move to the cloud with Everon today and we’ll give you your first month FREE!

Why move to the cloud?

• Cost. Cloud based email and productivity applications can offer predictable monthly costs based on usage, much more affordable upfront costs versus traditional on-premise solutions, and help minimize ongoing operation expenses.
• Implementation Time. Cloud based solutions can be deployed in a matter of days compared to weeks or months for most on-premise solutions. With no hardware or software procurement the Everon team can get right to work setting up your cloud based email and backup today.
• Perfect for small to medium size businesses. With its ease of use, low cost, and scalability; cloud based solutions are often a great fit for small to medium sized companies while still offering all the benefits of traditional, on-site solutions.
• Built-in protection. Cloud based solutions generally have built in backup and recovery options that you never have to worry about or invest in.

Everon offers a variety of cloud-based email, productivity, and data backup solutions that are tailored specifically for your business’ needs. We can not only help with the selection and implementation of cloud-based email and data backup solutions, but also provide 24 hour support for all your new or existing cloud-based software applications.

• Cloud Online Backup
• Cloud Hosted Exchange
• Cloud Email Continuity Package

To help you move to the cloud today Everon will give you your FIRST MONTH OF CLOUD SERVICES FOR FREE! Register here to take advantage of this special offer today!

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Tech Tip of the Month: Hosted Exchange – Is it right for your small business? By Curt Kelley

It wasn’t that long ago small businesses had pretty limited choices when choosing an email solution: Either host your own Microsoft Exchange server or find a POP email provider.

With the cost of high bandwidth connections declining in recent years, along with huge strides in the world of cloud computing other options have become more viable for small businesses, specifically hosted exchange. What exactly is this you may ask? Read on here.

Read these other recent articles and more at www.SmallBusinessTechTips.com

• What email distribution lists am I on? By Alison Swanigan
• What is Disaster Recovery? By Jim DeVico
• My Citrix broke! Steps to fix the issue 90% of the time. By Evan Kamien
• Google Apps and iCloud woes – sync match not made in heaven By Danny Sears
• Outlook Time Zone Tip for Scheduling Meetings and Appointments By James Lawn

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Special Feature: Does Your Small Business Need “The Cloud”? By Daniel Gelber

For the last 10 years, owning a small business server (SBS) was a mark of legitimacy for small companies. A SBS meant you could have your own customized email addresses; you could run your own custom applications—database, office productivity, CRM, finance, etc; you had a secure place to store files; you had a central resource to manage and safeguard your network; whatever your business need was, there was probably a SBS-based application for you. In 2012, SBS still offers these valuable features and is still a great solution for many small businesses.

But there is a downside to SBS, and that downside is maintenance. Servers require updates. Security threats to SBS systems require that additional software and hardware be purchased (antivirus, firewall); computer hardware can fail at any time, making performance and support costs unpredictable; data loss is a constant concern, which requires SMBs to purchase and maintain backup systems. Because everything has to be managed by the server, systems integration is a challenge, and the answer to the challenge is conformity, compelling most SMBs into use only a narrow band of features and devices. When you think about the IT costs that go into owning a SBS—backup, hardware replacements, security services, warranties, tech support—and then compare that to the amount of money that was actually spent on productivity software, that ratio, in and of itself, explains why the SBS era may be starting to wane.

Now, imagine a world where you didn’t have to pay for all the other hardware and maintenance, and you only had to pay for the solutions that made your employees more productive. Well, that, in a nutshell, is what Cloud Computing is all about.

If you’re the average SMB owner or manager, at this point you’ve probably already heard about the Cloud and you probably have a basic grasp of its significance. If not, feel free to watch our recent webinar “Cloud Computing for Small Business” here.

But as Cloud-based services continue to develop, the question has quickly changed from, “what is the Cloud?”, to “should I move to the Cloud?”, to “when should I move to the Cloud?” And the answer to that question is, probably sooner than you think.

Cloud-based email services have already exploded in popularity (email being, actually, the most complicated internal service the typical SMBs runs). Cloud-based CRM systems are also well-established, led by early innovator salesforce.com. Beyond that, Cloud services are developing fast, and at Everon, we are constantly reviewing new products in hopes of finding ways to improve the value of IT services for our clients. In the past I’ve advised clients that the time to move to the Cloud is when their existing hardware is at retirement age. But I think we are getting to a stage now where the right time to move is simply when a service is available that can help your business. It’s not going to get any less frustrating for business owners when they receive service bills in the thousands for issues like hardware failures, virus infections, or accidental data loss. The sooner we move to the Cloud and make those sorts of issues the thing of the past, the sooner we can focus on what matters–value and productivity!

Everon Technology can help move you to cloud today. We’ll work with you to see what solutions may be of benefit to your business and we’ll even give you your first month of cloud services for free with any cloud implementation. Register here to contact one of our cloud specialists.

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Welcome to the November/December edition of Tech Insider! Now that the holidays are upon us please make a note of the following holiday closures. Our offices will be closed on Monday December 26^th and Monday January 2^nd but as always we will still be on call for any technical emergencies that arise.

Be sure to check out our generous refer a friend program below where you can earn up to $5000 by recommending our services!

• Meet the Team: Greg Williamson
• Tech of the Month: Cory Smith
• Product Feature: Cloud Backup
• Special Promotion: Refer a Friend
• Tech Tip of the Month: Is Microsoft 365 Right for Your Business?
• Time is running out: 3 important reasons to book your projects today!

Meet the Team: Greg Williamson

Meet Greg Williamson, Client Services Manager for Everon Technology! Greg has been a permanent fixture here at Everon from day one and has covered a lot of territory. He has spent the past 12 years honing a combination of technical, business and people skills in a variety of different roles. He came on board with Everon over 7 years ago as a network engineer and quickly moved into the account management realm, eventually leading him to his current role as client services manager.

Greg’s role is one of great importance for our customers. As client services manager, Greg leads a team of our account managers and personally acts as account manager for some of our larger clients that he has known for years. He thrives off of creating a relationship with our clients of trust and understanding. It’s a special skill to help our clients understand complex technology concepts in order to make the right decisions for our business and one that sets Greg apart. He thoroughly enjoys working closely with our client base of small business owners to help them navigate the complicated world of IT.

As a Boston and Metrowest Massachusetts native, Greg is a Colorado transplant who moved to Broomfield, CO with the company 4 years ago. He spends time outside of work exploring the scenic hiking that Colorado has to offer, supporting his local brewery and finding places to watch his favorite New England sports teams. Greg loves to cook and can fire up a pretty mean sourdough pizza, a not-so-hidden talent his co-workers thoroughly enjoy!

When asked what he is most passionate about professionally, Greg replied, “I believe that small businesses drive our country’s success. Innovation, creating jobs, and making the dream possible for people are what I see our clients doing on a daily basis. Helping enable small businesses to focus on what they do best and not worry about how to fix computer problems – and being the best at it – is what drives me.”

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Tech of the Month: Cory Smith

Cory was selected as our November tech of the month for a full 30 days of 100% positive customer feedback! He currently works on our tech team as a Network Engineer where he solves a variety of IT problems for our clients. His background in personal training and motivation has easily translated to the education and support he shows our clients as he troubleshoots and solves their toughest technical problems. Cory has been with Everon since August 2010 and has made a real impact on the team both in his premium level of service and the energy he brings to the team.

Similar to his professional accomplishments in personal training, Cory thrives off of results. When a client can breathe a sigh of relief that their email is back up and running or their PC is free from harmful malware it makes Cory’s day. He has an excellent way of putting our clients at ease while he works hard to troubleshoot and resolve their technical troubles. He has a particular knack for malware removal and Outlook issues. This dedication to providing top-level customer service is why our clients ask for Cory by name and rate his technical sessions a 10!

When he’s not on call or helping our clients through an emergency Cory is outdoors. He coaches lacrosse and spends countless hours on his mountain bike or on a golf course. Similar to many “Everon-ers” Cory also grew up on the East Coast and shows his home-team support by frequently sporting Baltimore Ravens gear around the office. He is a vital part of our team and when he’s not helping clients he is supporting his coworkers as well.

We asked Cory what get’s him fired up and his favorite thing about coming to work he replied, “New challenges and teamwork, hands down. Hearing the relief in a customer’s voice after encountering the inevitable “issue” is always a huge reward in and of itself.”

Next time you speak with Cory be sure to congratulate him on being named “Tech of the Month”!

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Product Feature: Cloud Based Backup

No matter its size, your company’s data is its most valuable asset. Think about it: What would you do without your financial or customer records? How long could your business survive without access to the information you rely on every day?

Yet, many business owners who diligently insure their businesses or property don’t have a contingency plan for their data. Considering the variety of possible data threats to your business—including hard drive crashes, theft, computer viruses, software corruption, natural disasters, and even human error—your unprotected data is living on borrowed time.

Why Cloud Based Backup?

With online backup, you can preserve and restore all of your files in a secure, offsite environment without a major capital investment. We even manage the setup and the maintenance for you, so you can concentrate on your business.

Our solution uses the same level of security that the top banks in the financial industry utilize for safe online banking. Your files are stored offsite in two mirrored data centers located on opposite coasts. Even if your company suffers a flood, fire, or break in, you can be sure that your data is safe.

From now until the end of 2011 we are offering a special discount to help you ensure your company is protected.

• Basic Cloud Backup Setup: Regularly priced at $299 per server – $100 OFF!

Online backups for all your server data, excluding Exchange or SQL applications:

$199 for first server, $159 each additional server

• Premium Cloud Backup Setup: Regularly priced at $399 per server – $100 OFF!

Backups for all your server data, including Exchange and/or SQL applications

$299 for first server, $259 each additional server

Not only will we knock $100 off per server, we’ll also give you your first month of storage FOR FREE! That means you won’t be paying for your online storage until 2012!

Monthly storage is priced at $2.00/GB of online backup used and includes any maintenance needed.

Contact us today at everonit@everonit.com to take advantage of this special offer or to find out more about cloud based online backup.

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Special Promotion: Refer a Friend

Just like your business, Everon relies on referrals from our clients, partners, and friends to continue to grow and develop our business. We appreciate you taking the time to share the name of someone you believe would be a good fit for Everon’s “Remarkable Service™” commitment.

If the company you referred becomes a Managed Services, On Demand Services, or Total Data Protection services client of Everon, we will gladly write you, your company, or your favorite non-profit a check for up to $5000! For more information on our referral program please click here.

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Tech Tip of the Month: Is Microsoft 365 Right for Your Business? By Jim De Vico

Recently Microsoft opened to the public their version of a Cloud based solution. They call it Office 365.

Office 365 is primarily made up of the following software:

• Email (using Outlook and Exchange Server)
• Webhosting (using SharePoint)
• Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)

What does this mean for your business? Read on for more.

Read these other recent articles and more at www.SmallBusinessTechTips.com

• Google Plus Business Pages Lack Multiple Admin Feature
• Turn Windows 7 laptop into a WiFi hotspot
• iPhone 4S, is it a 5? What’s the big deal?
• Three ways to Integrate Tablet PC’s into your Business
• Tech Tip from The HR Lady – Cleaning your MAC with a “Magic Eraser”

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3 important reasons to book your projects today!

With the holidays upon us and 2011 coming to a close soon we’d like to make you aware of three very important reasons to book your projects before the end of the year.

1. Thailand flooding causing potential hardware delays – Due to the devastating floods in Thailand manufacturers of computer hardware will be affected with shortages in the near future. This could potentially cause some lengthy delays on the availability of new equipment. The sooner you can book your project, the sooner we can get your hardware ordered and on the way.
2. Section 179 tax incentive – The IRS has doubled the limit on Section 179 for 2011 so you can claim the full depreciation of new technology purchases. This includes the labor and can mean significant tax savings for booking projects in 2011!
3. Slots are filling fast – The holiday season is our busiest time of the year for projects. We still have some availability in our schedule but it won’t last for long. Contact us today to book your project in 2011 while you still can.

Contact your account manager today to talk about your technology purchases and project needs.

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I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz around “the cloud”.  But what does it all mean?

What is the “Cloud”?  This term has taken the IT world by storm over the last few years.  It generally has a very broad meaning but understanding how to best utilize the cloud can mean a significant savings for your business while also streamlining your IT solutions.

We’ll help sort through all the terminology and applications for “cloud computing” in our webinar, led by Michael Cooch.

Cloud Computing for Small Business

Wednesday November 2, 2011, 1:00 p.m. EDT

In this half hour discussion you’ll learn:

• What is cloud computing? 
• What are the major benefits?
• What are the risks to be aware of?
• Which applications and services are best in the cloud?
• How does cloud computing save you money?
• What is hybrid-cloud computing and what are the benefits?

Click here to register today!

We are also offering a special FREE Cloud Computing Assessment ($499 Value) where we will provide an analysis of your current technology solutions to see when a cloud option may make most sense.  If you decide that you’d like us to help you move to the cloud we’ll also give you $100 OFF any cloud implementation project.  Click here to sign up today.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Thank you,

Everon Technology Services

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Welcome to the newly revamped edition of Technology Insider!  In addition to some helpful technology tips we would also like to share with you some important upcoming events, company news, announcements and special offers.  We are also including an opportunity for our clients to use our newsletter to advertise for free (see below)!

• Meet the Team: Jeremy Carr
• Tech of the Month: Colin Gasamis
• Product Feature: Email Continuity Package
• Upcoming Webinar: Cloud Computing for Small Business
• Tech Tip of the Month: Recalling and Resending an Email
• Client Spotlight: Crosby Benefit Systems

Meet the Team: Jeremy Carr 

Jeremy has been a long time leader here at Everon, starting almost 3 years ago as an engineer he quickly moved to a role overseeing our service teams and working as a Director of Operations. Jeremy wears a lot of hats here at Everon and brings a large amount of experience to his role. He has a passion for motivating the team and solving our clients’ toughest technical problems.

New Jersey native, Jeremy moved to Colorado early in his life and spent 12 years in the hotel industry in some of Colorado’s famous ski towns Breckenridge and Aspen. He worked in a variety of capacities in the hospitality industry covering everything from a Front Desk Agent to Sales Manager. He has a passion for building relationships with clients has translated from his experience with the hospitality industry directly to his current role working with our service teams on delivering superior customer service to our clients.

After moving to London in 2003, Jeremy went back to school and embarked on his journey into the IT world where he became a certified MCITP Enterprise Administrator. His work in London eventually led him to a Director of Operations role at an IT company oversees and after 5 years Jeremy and his family moved back to Colorado to raise their two small children.

When he’s not at the office, Jeremy can be found at his home, playing outside with his two little boys, skiing, or camping in the Colorado mountains. Jeremy and his family frequently travel to Europe to visit family and will be spending this Christmas holiday in London and Paris.

When asked about his life path Jeremy says, “I believe you control your own fate. You need to make your own opportunity not wait for it. Most things I tried; moving to ski town, moving to London, moving back to the states, changing careers; all seemed to be the “wrong move” but all worked out. I take chances.”

Jeremy’s enthusiasm and encouragement heavily motivate those around him and he’s made a definite impact here at Everon.

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Tech of the Month: Colin Gasamis 

Colin currently works on our tech team as remote network engineer. He is a leader in his team and stands out among his peers for his outstanding customer service recognition from our clients. Colin is a wonderful asset to our technical team and brings a wide variety of life experience to his role. 

At Everon we seek out individuals whose skills reach far beyond technical expertise and Colin is no exception. Not only does Colin bring years of technical experience working with systems but also his background as a special education teacher helping children with reading disabilities. This compassion for others and desire to help and educate contribute largely to Colin’s success and outstanding level of service when working with our clients. Not only does Colin excel at helping our clients with any technical woes but he is also a regular contributor to our smallbusinesstechtips.com blog.

Colin grew up in Dracut, Massachusetts and later moved to both Seattle and eventually Denver where he currently resides with his wife, 5 month old daughter and dog, Doc. Based out of our Broomfield, Colorado office, Colin spends his family time enjoying the outdoors at the many hiking trails and wonderful city parks Denver has to offer with his wife, 5 month old daughter and dog. Like his fellow New Englanders he has a rabid fandom of his home teams and spends a fair amount of time following The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins.

Colin is a large supporter of the Denver Max-Fund animal shelter. Colin’s family adopted their dog from a shelter and found the experience to very positive and rewarding. He works hard volunteering at the shelter and spreading awareness in the community about the organization.

We at Everon feel privileged to have Colin on our team and find him to exemplify the 3 cultural values we look for in every Everon team member: heart of a servant, entrepreneurial spirit and fun loving attitude.

About his Everon experience, Colin says, “I get excited about learning about new fixes and learning new solutions every day. The best part about working at Everon is the team we have. People are genuinely interested in teaching and learning every single day with an impressive stamina.”

Next time you are lucky enough to get Colin on the phone make sure you tell him congrats for being our “Tech of the Month!”

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Product Feature: Email Continuity Package 

Can your business afford to have email outages, spam or viruses?  Everon’s Email Continuity Package offers you a fully redundant and cloud based email backup service so you can rest assured your email is not only protected but up and running at all times.

Priced at only $2.00/user, our email continuity package includes:

• 24/7 access to corporate email accounts
• Cloud-based Backup of all email for a minimum of 14 days
• Automatic retention of email sent and received during down-time
• Automatic spam and virus removal
• Lost and deleted email retrieval
• Flexibility based on specific company needs
• Multi-system compatibility
• Complete Administrative Control
• Complete privacy

Moving to our complete email continuity package can be quick, easy and affordable for all sizes of businesses: 

• No extra hardware or software
• No special additional logins or passwords
• No complicated interfaces
• No strange fees or unexpected charges
• With pricing at just $2/user our email continuity is money well spent to protect your business
• Implementation usually takes less than a day!

Contact us today at everonit@everonit.com to discuss how we can help implement a complete email continuity program for your business.  Contact us before November 30th, 2011 and we’ll take $100 off the implementation.

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Upcoming Webinar: Cloud Computing 

Join us for an upcoming webinar on how cloud computing.  Michael Cooch will be covering some important territory: 

• What is cloud computing?
• What are the major benefits, risks and tradeoffs?
• Which applications make most sense in the cloud
• How cloud computing can save you money

Save the date: Wednesday November 2, 2011 Register for the webinar today at: www.everonitsupport.com/cloud

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Tech Tip of the Month: Recalling and Resending an Email

Have you ever sent an email and the moment you hit the send button, realized you shouldn’t have sent it? Or immediately upon sending it, realized your facts were wrong and needed to send a follow up? Or maybe you simply forgot to include the attachment you wrote three paragraphs about?  Read the full article here to learn how a little known feature can help.

 Read these other recent articles and more at www.SmallBusinessTechTips.com

• QuickBooks 2012 for Mac? Ready for prime time?
• Sync your personal Gmail or Hotmail accounts with your iOS or Android device
• Are you ready for your office move?
• Tech Tip from the HR Lady: Cleaning your Mac with the “Magic Eraser”
• United Airlines to deploy 11,000 iPads to replace pilot bags

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Client Spotlight: Crosby Benefit Systems 

Based just outside of Boston, Crosby Benefit Systems has developed benefit programs for over 500 organizations. For over 35 years, they have built their stellar reputation by concentrating on the design and delivery of quality benefit services. Crosby works with clients of all sizes across a variety of industries such as education, bio- and high-tech, retail, health care, financial services, manufacturing, municipalities and law firms.

Crosby began by offering a pioneering, payroll deducted, voluntary-term life insurance plan. As Crosby grew, so did its service offerings. Crosby now provides a wide range of services, including the administration of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), COBRA, Enrollment & Eligibility, Commuter Benefit Plans, Retiree Billing, Tuition Reimbursement and customized services. They are dedicated to their “High Tech and High Touch” approach, focusing on quality, customer service, and creative solutions. Find out more about Crosby Benefit Systems at: www.crosbybenefits.com

“Crosby has been partnered with Everon for over five years.  Since then, both Crosby and Everon have grown and changed quite a bit.  Everon has continued to provide great service that has helped us continue to be a leader in our field.  I find the folks at Everon to be knowledgeable, capable, responsive and down-to-earth.  Over the years we have expanded our relationship to the point that Everon now provides us with a full suite of IT services.  As a growing company with complex data and IT needs, we’ll continue to need a strong partner to stay on our projected track.  I’m confident that Everon will be that partner for us well into the future.” – Max Crosby

Looking for a better benefits service provider?If you prefer a benefits administrator with excellent technology, a proven track record for quality participant experiences and a reputation for flexibility – please contact us at:sales@crosbybenefits.com.Crosby Benefit Systems offers a wide range of health & welfare benefits outsourcing services. We take a holistic approach because experience has taught us to consider not just the parts of your benefits program, but also how they all relate to each other. The solutions we design, create, and implement enable those connections to work in your favor and be appreciated by your employees.

Advertise here for free!  We would love to help our clients spread the word through our newsletter.  Contact marketing@everonit.com today to see how you can feature your ad here for FREE!

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