Archive for January, 2010

CNS Deploys

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Yesterday, I read an article discussing troop deployment from Fort Detrick (http://www.wtop.com/?nid=598&sid=1866180 which was reprinted from the Frederick News Post). CNS has a large contingent of employees based out of Detrick, and while the articles does not specifically name them, the article is written about them. CNS supports the MC4 project, which integrates and maintains an Electronic Health Record system for the tactical military medical units. In fact, in the coming months, two CNS employees will deploy to support the system.

In the past, CNS has also deployed employees to train, integrate and setup the system. Lt. Col. William Geesey, MC4 Product Manager sees deployment as a vital part of their mission. The article quotes the Colonel as saying”Because MC4 systems are complex and system use is so widespread and critical to the war fighter, we have to assist system users with support and training staff to ensure success. Our job at the Fort Detrick MC4 headquarters is to oversee our operations worldwide, so regular deployments are a part of our everyday mission.”

I am proud of CNS’ commitment to the US Army and wish our team well on their deployment!

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Listen to Your Business to Get the Most Out of IT!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Far too often, I walk into a new PROSuite customer only to find that the company treats IT like a cost center and not as a strategic asset. It’s easy to do. IT costs a lot of money, then it breaks, and costs more money. It seems like it just costs and costs and costs. However, this attitude misses what IT actually does do for you. It enables your team to collaborate. It helps you get more efficiency from your employees. It allows your business to operate, even if your staff gets infected with H1N1 and can’t leave their house to come to the office. IT should not be haphazardly installed; rather it should be strategically placed to leverage the potential of your team against all other obstacles.

I know that this can be a paradigm shift for many of you, but the trick here is to not pay attention to the infrastructure (your hardware, cabling, desktops, printers, MS Office). I believe that the same infrastructure can run a doctor’s office or a law firm or a grocery store. The trick is what you do with the infrastructure. As a business consultant when initially helping a client solve a problem, the worst thing for me to see is a pre-selected bill of materials to be quoted. Typically, the list is emotion-based or created by someone’s brother-in-law and, while it solved his problem, it will not solve this business’s actual problem.

Instead of listening to someone else, listen to your business. Put your ear to the ground and see what’s there. What problems do you have? Where is the pain? What are the new business requirements? Instead of focusing on technology, focus on your business goals. Ask yourself what are the strategic business initiatives that you are trying to fulfill. If you don’t know how to do this, don’t be afraid to ask for help! At CNS we focus on this process and can quickly and easily help you get to the root of your troubles.

Once you can answer that, then go to your IT team (either in-house or outsourced) and tell them! Make it an IT problem! When IT knows what you are fighting, the technology can be selected, implemented and customized based on your requirements. If you don’t start with your goals, you end up with the opposite – requirements that are customized based on your IT. Remember, you don’t work for your IT – your IT works for you.

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The Top 5 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 7

Friday, January 8th, 2010

I started today at 5:00 AM so I could be sure to be on-time for a Windows 7 presentation for the Harford County Chamber of Commerce. While the presentation was cancelled due to the snow, I couldn’t think of a better way to clear my head than to put it into a blog post! Ladies and gentleman, the top 5 reasons to upgrade to Windows 7!

  • Get away from Windows XP – This is isn’t so much of a reason as it is a mandate! XP is an 8 year old operating system that was not built for and is not capable of being safe and secure on today’s Internet. Large corporations can lock computers down, but small businesses just cannot get away with it. As far as I am concerned, Windows 7 is a requirement of life – just like going to the dentist or drinking a cup of coffee in the morning. Windows Vista screwed things up and everyone needs to understand that Windows 7 is not only safe and OK, but it something that you really have to do.
  • Updated Tools – From Windows Search’s instant indexing to the new Problem Steps Recorder, Windows 7 improves your daily life. Stop hunting for files or trying to explain how to recreate a problem. Get better control of screen shots and calculator functions. Create easy ways to get to your files with the new Libraries feature.
  • Security Enhancements – Simply put, compared to Windows 7, XP has no security. Compared to Vista, Windows 7 has more security with a better, less bothersome implementation (there’s a reason the Mac ads don’t target this issue anymore). Windows 7 has better support for encrypted drives (including USB), biometrics (fingerprints) and those annoying little prompts that Vista introduced are minimized and hardly noticeable anymore. These enhancements will protect you and keep your machine from infection.
  • Improved Desktop Interface – It’s prettier; it has more options; it has better graphics. OK, so that’s not a reason to buy something. But, Jumplists are, so are Shake, Peek and Snap. These features give you the ability to easily move, resize, and minimize windows to quickly and easily perform your additional task. They also let you easily manage 20-30 open windows without confusion and perform basic tasks without even opening the window. All of this translates into a productivity increase for each user.
  • Speed and Stability – Windows 7 is faster that Windows Vista. It is more stable than both Vista and XP. It will run on the same hardware as XP – a little slower, but far more stable. OK, this is not a reason TO do it, but it is not a reason to NOT upgrade!

Keep in mind that if you are still running Windows XP, you cannot just insert a disk and upgrade. Microsoft calls this a custom install; I call it formatting your hard drive. You must backup all of your data and have your application installation CD’s available. Also, I strongly urge you to look into using the 64 bit versions of the software. Most computers sold in the past four years are capable of 64 bit software. Check yours out and use it if you can – that’s where the speed really comes into play.

Let me know if you want more information. I can send you my slides, or better yet can come out and demo everything for you.

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