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The Future Is Almost Here
As hard as
it may be to believe, your technology plans may be just
like Microsoft's. This could yield both great
benefits and headaches for your business. There
are a couple of things you should do today to deal with
the changing technology landscape.
Microsoft recently
released the
free preview of their next version of
Microsoft Office which is scheduled for release
early next year. There are two factors in this
release that will probably affect every business in
America. The Cloud becomes the central focus for much of
the product, and the way you pay for and use the
software is about to change in a big way.
The "Cloud"
Traditionally, Office software comes on a purchased
DVD with a license for one computer. Installation
can take an hour, and consume a large portion of your
hard drive. For the new version, you'll still be
able to buy a DVD copy but for most people, the new
version will install directly from Microsoft's servers
in the Cloud. The installation will be quicker and
simpler than ever before.
 The
bigger Cloud based change will be the integration of
Microsoft's SkyDrive Cloud storage into Office.
The default location for saved files will be on
Microsoft's servers. This will allow you complete
access to you files from any internet connected
computer. You'll be able to open a document on one
computer, and when you start the same Office application
on another computer, you will return to the same
location in the document to continue editing.
The downside of this Cloud
focus is that the Cloud is not always there. As we
learned in June, even the most reliable servers go down
- sometimes for hours or days. Amazon runs what is
considered the gold standard for reliability and
performance in the Cloud.
The storms in early June took their servers down for
many hours. The NSPG servers were down for about eight
hours that week, too. Our users could not download
free
software updates or send us their data files for most of
a business day.
If your applications or
documents are exclusively stored in the Cloud, they
would be unavailable until the servers come back up or
your internet connection returns. For a Word
document or spreadsheet, this is only an inconvenience.
But, if you have software exclusively in the Cloud that
you rely on to run your business, you must have a plan
for how to deal with the outages that will almost
certainly occur. Your entire team needs to keep up
to date on a backup plan for running the business like
it's 1999.
The New Payment Model
It is expected that Microsoft will combine their new
software distribution model with a subscription payment
system. Your software will become a service like
your cable bill or your phone bill. Each month
you'll pay a fee to keep your software running. No
pricing has been announced, but recent speculation puts
the price in the $20 to $50 per month range. For
that fee, you will have access to Office software on
multiple computers.
The upside of this model
is that you will always have access to the latest
version of Office from multiple computers. If you
regularly update your Microsoft Office version, this is
probably a good option for you. If you tend to
only update your software when you absolutely have to,
this model could be much more expensive over time.
From our standpoint here
at NSPG, the real issue is the Cloud. We are not
ready to trust the Cloud for mission critical data yet.
We have released software updates from the Cloud for
many years, and we automatically back up all of our
critical files to encrypted online storage in the cloud.
We feel that a hybrid of local applications and Cloud
storage is the right solution for most businesses today.
If you don't have your
critical files securely backed up off site, get it done
now. If you choose to fully embrace the Cloud now,
be sure to have a backup plan ready to be implemented to
keep your business running for when the Cloud is not
available.
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"Be
comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the
clouds. ". Louisa May Alcott |
Give
Mike Conroy a call at 800-841-8542. He can quickly walk you through
the business basics that you need to help make your
company more consistently profitable, and increase the
value of your business. Mike has
years of experience helping companies set their own
profitable prices, respond to price complaints, track performance, implement and fine
tune Flat Rate systems, and improve profitability.
Take advantage
of Mike's experience working with hundreds of companies
like yours to help you achieve your own business
success.
Click Here to Crunch your Numbers Today!
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Announces 2012-2013 Scholarships
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The Nexstar Legacy Foundation has announced
their first round of 2012-2013 scholarship award
winners. $34,500 was recently awarded to sixteen
students, with scholarships ranging from $1,000
- $6,000.
 The
award winners are pursuing education in
preparation for careers within the plumbing,
HVAC and electrical industry. "The mission of
the Nexstar Legacy Foundation is to give back
to an industry that has been so good to
us," said Foundation President Bill Raymond of
Frank & Lindy Plumbing & Heating Service Company
of Peekskill, New York.
Each year, scholarships are awarded to
students based upon merit, chosen by a
scholarship selection committee comprised of
industry leaders both inside, and outside of
Nexstar Network.
The scholarship program is the major gifting
program of the Nexstar Legacy Foundation. The
largest annual award is the Frank Blau, Jr.
Award of $6,000, awarded to a student who is
enrolled in a four-year program with the intent
of working in the industry.
Foundation VP and Scholarship Chair Julie
Wieman said, "We want to inspire people to
discover the prestige, earning power and
stability of careers in the plumbing, HVAC and
electrical industries by being the leading
resource for career information, training, and
financial aid," Wieman is President of
MacGregor
Plumbing & Heating in Harbor Springs, MI.
86 high school, college students and industry
professionals applied for this year's
scholarships that were funded through the Legacy
Foundation by individual and company donations.
This fall, an additional $7,500 will be awarded
to students enrolled in technical
school/apprentice programs, bringing this year's
total to $42,000 - more than double than last
year.
For more information on the Nexstar Legacy
Foundation or to apply for a scholarship (open
through August 31, 2012), go to
www.nexstarfoundation.org or contact Renee
Cardarelle at (651) 789-8518 or
info@nexstarfoundation.org
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Award Winners
Frank J. Blau Jr.
Honorary Scholarship $6000
Sarah Masters (Allendale, NJ)
University of Delaware, Mechanical Engineering
George Brazil
Honorary Scholarship $5000
Cody Cannon (Morris, MN)
Minnesota West Technical College, Electrical
Barnett Honorary
Scholarship $5000 Benjamin Wineinger
(Reading, MI)
Jackson Community College,
Electrical
Jill Pomroy Reed
Women in Business Honorary Scholarship $2000
Colleen Koenig (Centennial, CO)
University of Portland, Marketing
John MacGregor
Scholarship $2000
Devon Castro (Albuquerque, NM)
New Mexico Tech, Electrical
John MacGregor
Scholarship $1500
Andrew Ballantyne (South China, ME)
Southern Maine Community
College, Electrical
John MacGregor
Scholarship $1000
Travis Callahan (Manassas, VA)
Fairfax County Adult Education Apprentice
Program, Plumbing
John MacGregor
Scholarship $1000
Andrew Genevro (Brockport, PA)
Pennsylvania College of
Technology, Electrical
John MacGregor
Scholarship $1000
Victoria Weems (Atlanta, GA)
Interactive College of
Technology, HVAC
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Management Scholarship $2000
Logan Messmer (Jasper, IN)
Purdue University,
Construction Management Engineering and
Mechanical Engineering
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Graham Thurber (Topeka, KS)
Washburn University, Business Administration
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Tim McGuire (Long Lake, MN)
University of Minnesota Duluth, Accounting
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Management Scholarship $1000
Stephanie Stevens (Wylie, TX)
University of Texas at Austin, Accounting
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Technician Scholarship $3000
Scott Steier (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Northern Alberta Institute
of Technology, HVAC
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Technician Scholarship $1000
Rylan Easter (Pateros, WA)
Oklahoma State University
Institute of Technology, HVAC
Nexstar Legacy
Foundation Technician Scholarship $1,000
Evan Dukart (Wibaux, MT)
North Dakota State College
of Science, Electrical |
September 21 - 24, 2012 -
Hilton Hotel -
Minneapolis, MN
NSPG Flat Rate User on Ask This Old House
Long time NSPG Flat Rate
user Scott Caron
works with a homeowner
to add a ceiling fan in a stifling room with a vaulted
ceiling on
Ask This
Old House.
This Is Kite Island
NJ (video)
|
Special Offer
Call 800 841-8542 today
to learn about our affordable, no interest, payment plans for NSPG
software. |
Quotations
A sense of humor is part
of the art of leadership, of getting along with people,
of getting things done. Dwight D.
Eisenhower
People who reach the top
of the tree are only those who haven't got the
qualifications to detain them at the bottom.
Peter Ustinov
The smaller the mind the
greater the conceit. Aesop
I don't know the key to
success, but the key to failure is trying to please
everybody. Bill Cosby
I told my psychiatrist
that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous -
everyone hasn't met me yet. Rodney
Dangerfield
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The Economy
The US economy grew by 1.5% in the second quarter of
2012, and is projected to grow by 2.2% in the second
half. While this is better than the negative
growth fueled by government cutbacks in Europe, there
are no apparent prospects for increased growth until
after the election.
Job growth for 2012 is expected to be 1.8 million - the
same as last year. This is better than the average
job growth over the last 15 years, but not enough to
spur the economy.
Interesting
Online Items
Self Employed Taxes Video
German View of Plumber's Butt
Olympic Toilets
Business Plan
Videos
Efficient Hydronic Boilers
VetsBuild
High Efficiency Plumbing Course
Solar Roof Space Auction
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