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I wanted to enhance the reporting and rating capabilities for certain aspects of the business going forward in 2010. My goal was to find a reporting application and/or set of applications that are cloud-based, and would cost roughly $150.00 per month. I also wanted the reporting tools to be industry specific. Within 15 minutes, I was able to find applications fitting my requirements by searching on Google.

I found a tool called Corelytics created by CoreConnex. Corelytics is an application that will enable me to determine what my goals are for the year by using company data from QuickBooks. Hooray! It also compares my financial data against thousands of other service providers just like me. (more…)

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We all know the saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” Well, what if it could be greener on both sides? Anything is possible, and we all have the ability to make changes to our lifestyle to achieve it (do you feel empowered yet?). There is so much being done today to help find solutions for the sustainability of the planet  - recycling, conserving water and energy – it’s called “going green.” Well, what does “going green” mean in relation to the IT world? That’s where Green Computing comes into play.

Essentially, Green Computing is the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment (whew!). In a nutshell, it is the term used to denote the efficient use of resources in computing.

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Near our office in Columbia, MD we have a sandwich shop called Jimmy Johns.  At first glance you see that they are nothing special. They look like any other chain shop – Quizno’s, Subway, etc.  However, that is simply where the comparison stops.  First, you place your order (mayI suggest a number 9 with no hots, and a bag of Jalapeno chips). Before you are even finished paying and receiving your change, the sandwich is handed to you in less than sixty seconds. Next, you begin to eat it, realizing that the sandwich is absolutely amazing – high end meats, fresh in-store baked bread… mmmm! When you are finished, you realize that your lunch experience has been all of 15 minutes. You think to yourself “WOW WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE.” (more…)

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Even cars need a reboot. Today I got in my car at 6:20am – it was 30° outside. Eager to start my commute, I put my key in the ignition, pressed the brake, hit the start button, and just as I was ready to put my pedal to the metal, an error message alerted me that my 4-Wheel X Drive had malfunctioned. Relentlessly, I drove for about 10 miles with a message saying “Drive with caution and call your BMW Service Center immediately.” Now, in the X-Series, the 4-Wheel X Drive is a critical piece of the car. I knew that if I was going to be driving 75 miles per hour, it might be a problem. I pulled over to the nearest Rest Area, shut down the car, and let it reboot. Once I let the car sit and reboot for about a minute, I re-started it, and all systems came up with no error messages. (more…)

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