ComputerCare would like to make you aware of an exciting event coming to Gainesville in May…

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from these amazing speakers:

Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, Soledad O’Brien, Patrick Lencioni, Marcus Buckingham and more.

Share the experience with other local area leaders as we join together to watch the event live from Atlanta right here in Gainesville. Tickets are only $89 per person through April 1^st and $99 after.

For more information, or to register, contact Brian Shey at 352.333.0304 or email brianshey@legalshield.com

As part of their Critical Issues in Business Series, the UF Warrington College of Business will be offering an in depth panel discussion on the state of the US economy on Tuesday, September 27th. Below is the link with more information.

http://warrington.ufl.edu/emailer/mba/2011-09_CIBGeneral.html

ComputerCare was very proud to be one of the sponsors of the Nonprofit Center of North Central Florida’s Inaugural Summit titled “The Spirit of Collaboration: One Sector Together.” The Nonprofit Center of North Central Florida’s mission is to cultivate support, growth, and community awareness for nonprofit organizations in the North Central Florida region and they are doing just that! The first summit was a great success. Check out this video for the highlights of this motivating and electric community event and get to know the Nonprofit Center of North Central Florida by visiting their facebook page here.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job has been watching our staff grow and watching our corporate culture develop. People say growing pains are good to have, and they are, but that doesn’t make them comfortable. As we grow we continue to identify new areas we want or need to improve and to confront new challenges. I know I speak for Mike also when I say that we are so incredibly thankful to work with people we have on our team. They continue to rise to every occasion, every challenge.

A special thanks to Jerry Harris who has done so much, especially lately, wearing several different hats. He continues to handle the bulk of our helpdesk calls and keeps an eye on the Network Operations Center (the program that helps us manage your updates, antivirus and watch for potential hardware failure). In addition, he is playing a crucial process in helping us streamline our helpdesk and implement our new ticketing software. He is also one of the nicest, most genuine guys you’ll ever meet.

Rick also is already making such a positive impact. Not only does he fit right into our team and we are getting great feedback from our clients, but I continue to be impressed with his professionalism, massive technical knowledge and how far he goes to get the job done.

Then there is Norine whose attention to detail has saved the day on more than one occasion!

I continued to be awed by what I see happening here and I am so grateful to each of them for their commitment and for everything they are doing to carry us towards our vision. It’s such an honor to be a part of this team!
-Heather Remer

Well, one thing is for sure. Things don’t seem to be getting stale around here! This has been the busiest summer in ComputerCare’s history. We have seen quite a bit of growth and change over the last two months and it looks like this pattern is continuing.

Growth
We have added several new clients over the past two months which we are extremely happy about and the vast majority have come directly from referrals from our current clients. It is always validating to get a referral and we consider it such an honor. Thank you to all of you who have continued to place your trust in us and are helping us grow and improve by sending us your friends and colleagues!

Upgrades to Our Processes
One thing that has become glaringly obvious to us over the last few months is that the current software we use to manage tickets is not up to our standards. We have invested in a new system that is best of class in our industry. Not only will it automate a lot of our current internal processes and drastically stream line our help desk system (Jerry is very excited about that) but it will also give you the ability to open tickets and prioritize them online so that they are immediately available to the assigned technician.  Key contacts at your company should also set up who can and who cannot open tickets with us to help prevent confusion. We expect the implementation to be complete mid-September.

New Staff
As I announced in our newsletter last month, we have added Rick Long as our new Network Administrator. In addition to Rick, we are currently interviewing for another technician who will be helping Jerry with the helpdesk and going onsite to perform physical cleanings for our service plan clients. You know that we interview for not just technical skill, but also the ability to interact with our clients well. This is another time that we welcome referrals. If you know of a technician that is courteous, professional and enjoys helping others, send them our way!

And our final addition is our new mascot. Please join me in welcoming Hera the Great Dane to our team! She is only 8 weeks old but already weighs a whopping 15 pounds! (We are beginning to think that we should have named her after the goddess of destruction rather than Hera).

Don’t be surprised if she greats you at the door to our office but don’t worry. We don’t plan on letting her do ride a longs with Rick or Mike!

For client’s that buy computers through us, we will gladly handle recycling your old system; however, we do get occasional calls from clients and individuals with an old computer system laying around somewhere that they need to dispose of.

The Arc of Alachua County provides this service. For those of you that do not know about The Arc’s Entrepreneurial Programs, these are programs that The Arc’s consumers with developmental disabilities take advantage of to earn a paycheck and help fund The Arc as a whole.  One such program they offer is electronic recycling. The Arc will break down and recycle computers, electronics, small appliances, and more. They will do secure hard drive destruction for $5 per drive as well.

Recycling is free but there is a pickup charge. In addition to this service, The Arc can also provide secure document destruction, recycling of cardboard, plastic and aluminum, and assembly such as welcome packets.

The Arc of Alachua County can be reached at 352-334-4060.

Ready to make an upgrade to your system and dispose of that old one? We can provide rates on new equipment such as Dell and HP, Linksys and more for often below retail rates. (And our service plan clients automatically get even more a discount). Contact us for more info or to get a quote.

NOW HIRING FIELD TECHNICIAN/NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR

We are currently seeking a high level technician to handle on-site second and third tier service requests, network administration and some help desk responsibilities on occasion. This is being advertised as a full time position but a part time position will be considered. Occasional overtime and on-call may be required.

If you are (or someone you know is) looking for an opportunity to build a career in I.T. with a growing company that has a solid foundation and presence here in Gainesville, understand the importance of professionalism in dress and attitude, view courteous customer service as the rule, rather than the exception, view teamwork as mandatory, not optional, have a sense of humor, are able and willing to work independently in the field, want to be a part of a company known for it’s uncompromising quality, dependability and professionalism, and emphasize effective and clear communication in your work style, then please contact Heather at hremer@computercarellc.com for more information about the technical and educational requirements for this position.

We would like to share some good news about another local company. Comsys is a business telephone and data company here in Gainesville. We’ve known the Comsys team now for many years and regularly refer to them when our clients are looking for voice and data solutions. That’s why we were extra pleased to learn that Comsys has received special recognition for their customer service at this year’s Technology Assurance Group (TAG) Conference. Comsys is a provider of Zultys phone systems. Based on customer satisfaction ratings before and after the sale, Zultys determined that Comsys’s, “outstanding commitment to their customers” warranted the “Top Customer Service Provider of the Year,” worldwide…yes, we said worldwide. Congratulations Comsys team on a job well done!

Guest post by Nick Banks, Front Street Realty
Many business owners are so busy running their business that they sometimes fail to act early enough to renew their lease or at least begin discussions with their landlord. Here are some tips to help you navigate through the process and take a proactive approach to the lease renewal process which will benefit the bottom line of your business.

• Read your lease. There is no such thing as a standard commercial lease – they are all different and you need to understand what yours says.  Chances are you haven’t looked at it since you signed it.

• Know what you are required to do. There are always notice provisions in the lease that require you to give the landlord a certain amount of notice if you intend to renew your lease.  Failing to meet these requirements can severely diminish your ability to negotiate the most favorable terms.

• Understand your renewal options.  Check to see if your lease has an automatic renewal option at predetermined rents.  Some leases provide for this option period but it is up to you as the tenant to exercise the option. Remember that since it’s your option to renew, everything is negotiable.

• Start talking now. The sooner you begin discussions with your landlord the better.  Landlords want as much lease term from their tenants as possible so if your lease expires in less than 18 months you need to start discussions.  Often a landlord will be more negotiable on rent in exchange for additional lease term.

• Understand the market. You need to know what competitive spaces are available and what the market rent is for space like yours.  This knowledge will empower you to have meaningful negotiations with your landlord.

• Retain a professional. A healthy relationship with your landlord is important.  An experienced commercial real estate broker will not only help you gain valuable market knowledge but they can also act as a buffer between you and the landlord.  Your broker can represent your interests to negotiate more favorable terms and save you time and stress while you do what you do best – run your business.

Nick is the Managing Director of Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group and is a 16 year veteran in the commercial real estate business.  He has developed, leased, managed, and financed over $750 million in real estate transactions throughout his career. For more information, visit www.FrontStreet.net or call 352.505.3884.

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For more information about VPNs, call Mike and the ComputerCare team at 352.378.8433.