May 2009
In this issue...

 ►Business Survival Expo
 ►Software Piracy
 ►Laptop or Desktop?
 ►A Tale of Two Dogs
 ►Quote of the Month
 ►Just for Laughs
 

Laptop or Desktop: Which One is Right For You?
reprinted with permission from HP

In the not-so-distant past, the choice between a desktop and a laptop computer was simple: do you want portability, or not? There were a few other clear-cut differences, too. Desktop models offered more power and features and were less expensive, while laptops were portable, but also more costly, and less ergonomic.

While some of these differences remain, advances in technology make many of them insignificant. Laptop prices have fallen, and the machines now offer even more power and features. Desktop models are less bulky than they used to be, and with the proliferation of devices like USBs, portability of data is not such a big issue. So how do you choose?

Here are a few points to consider.

Quote of the Month

REGISTER NOW:
2009 Business Survival Expo:

More than ever, South Florida businesses are under attack from economic pressures, employee theft, foreign competition, the risk of data loss, hackers, malware, even the weather. The event, to be held on May 26th at the Deerfield / Boca Raton Hilton, is a South Florida first and will feature local and national speakers and presentations designed to help your business save money, increase security and improve efficiencies.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER
 

Rid Your Business of Software Piracy: 7 Tips
by Monte Enbysk
reprinted with permission from the Microsoft Small Business Center

Pirates still roam freely in the ocean of software out there, but if your business is among the pirates, it could end up costing you literally and figuratively.

You may very well be a smart, community-minded business owner. But if your company is using pirated software — and you condone it, you aren't aware of it or you don't really give a rip — you're not a responsible business owner. And you are taking unnecessary risks.

No, you're not alone. In the United States, about one-fourth of the software programs used today by businesses are illegal copies, according to the statistics from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an active industry group. For U.S. small businesses, those with 100 or fewer employees, the piracy rate is even higher: about 40%. While those numbers are bad enough, the piracy problem worldwide is worse — although software piracy worldwide has decreased since 1994, some $13.08 billion was still lost in 2002 due to pirated software.

Indeed, software piracy continues to generate negative publicity, especially for those busted for it. But that isn't stopping a lot of good people from doing it (or supporting what has become an underground industry, run similar to drug trafficking).

Obviously, there's a moral argument for avoiding casual copying and taking the time to get your software licenses into compliance. Here it is: You are ripping off an industry that feels the same way you would if your products were illegally copied and then sold or distributed in the marketplace, robbing you of revenues and profits.

But there are business arguments for it, too, even if pirating software — or supporting the black market by buying counterfeit software at dirt-cheap prices — is helping your business make it through tough times.

Here are the dangers of using pirated or counterfeit software.
 

As a first time dog owner, he failed. He would call, “Ginger!” but Ginger wouldn’t respond. She continued wandering and sniffing bushes, as dogs are wont to do, and only return when she wanted to, which was neither soon nor quick enough to suit him. And when she did come back, he was furious. He would grab her collar, shake her and yell, “BAD dog! You come when I call!” But she gradually became even less inclined to respond and he grew more frustrated, until one day he left the dog on a friend’s farm where she could run free.

Enter dog number two—Dusty. By now our friend, the misguided dog-lover, had matured such that he remained calm even when Dusty ignored his commands. He just waited until Dusty did respond, then he lavished praise and affection upon her. He would hug her and pat her and say, “GOOD dog, Dusty!” Thus Dusty quickly learned that being obedient was a pleasant experience, and she became an exceptionally obedient dog, which made her master a happy dog-owner.

The difference? It wasn’t the dogs. It was the way they were treated—one negatively, one positively. And if positive reinforcement worked with Dusty, wouldn’t it be equally effective with people?

Read on