Here is our weekly Friday Fun question from our Facebook page:
Question: Where did the term computer “bug” originate?
Answer: In 1947, engineers found a moth in Panel F, Relay #70 of the Harvard Mark 1 system. The computer was running a test of its multiplier and adder when the engineers noticed something was wrong. The moth was trapped, removed and taped into the computer’s logbook with the words: “first actual case of a bug being found.”
Last week, we at Corporate Network Services had the pleasure of traveling down to Greensboro, NC to assist Microsoft office makeover contest winner, A.C.T. by Deese fitness center, with their new computer, software, and network services installation. While the installation was being implemented, I had the opportunity to see how they ran their business. I found their gym operation to be very impressive! Yes, it was clean and welcoming and had all the hot new fitness equipment. It was also quite busy in the early morning (we were there at 7 AM and they were running a special circuit workout) and it was busy at the end of the day, when members came in after work. But what was impressive was how they filled their afternoons– typically a slow period for fitness gyms. The owners figured out that senior citizens were a good target market to fill the gym in the afternoon, so they developed programs especially for seniors. They earned certifications in senior care and partnered with other business people that typically work with seniors, such as doctors and nursing homes, to market their services. Their hard work paid off, as the afternoon was filled with senior citizens, some coming in groups with walkers, some as couples, and some alone. The instructors kept them pumped up as they treadmilled and rode stationary bikes, and even helped them exercise their vocal cords. The gym was busy during all working hours, thus maximizing the facility and employees.
Does your business have idle resources or extra capacity that can be filled by targeting another market?
It’s right around the corner – Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac is set to release at the end of the month! This highly anticipated version marks the return of OUTLOOK to the Mac platform – and the death of the much hated Entourage! For more information, check out Microsoft’s site – http://www.microsoft.com/mac/office2011features/office2011.mspx
One of my favorite projects is helping a client move. From the early planning to the day of moving manual labor, I find that I enjoy just about every aspect of an office move (to be fair I hated my own move). One of our clients is currently in the throes of opening a new branch twice and moving employees – but at the same time, their main point person quit and I find myself the point person for all aspects of the move. Just where I like to be.
I’ll update the blog with the results of the move, but for now I thought I would share some lessons learned. Here are my top five things to think about for any office move (and no, these do not necessarily apply to any one project or customer):
1. Find a dedicated point person who is responsible for all aspects of the move and take away their other responsibilities for two weeks before and two weeks after. This lets them focus on their most important task.
2. Internet and telephone circuits can take 30-45 days to install. Do not forget to plan for that window! Nothing else takes as long (not even the build-out) with such negative repercussions.
3. Keep IT involved from the beginning. Leaving IT out reduces the amount of time needed to design the infrastructure and opens the possibilities that equipment will not arrive in time. It also increases the chance of last minute changes, and thus last minute costs.
4. Surround yourself with people you trust and take their advice. I’ve seen a lot of mayhem over the years that could be avoided if only the customer trusted their vendors and listened to advice.
5. Realize that you don’t know it all. You hired outside vendors for a reason – take advantage of them. Use them to make sure that you know all of the tasks at hand and who is doing them.
