Our world is getting more and more complicated. Consider this: it is estimated that until 1900, human knowledge doubled once every 100 years. Then by 1945, it doubled every 25 years. And by 1982, it doubled every year. Now, experts are saying that knowledge doubles EVERY 12 HOURS. Why do I bring this up? Because as the holidays quickly approach, I urge you to take a break from the complexity and “noise” out there, and reflect on the SIMPLE and TRUE things that make life such a joyful journey.  I am reminded of the lyrics to the classic song Happy Xmas (War...

Anyone who knows me is aware that I am fiercely patriotic. I always have been, and I always will be. And that is why Independence Day is always a very special occasion for me and my family. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on the immense gratitude that we feel to all of the men and women — past and present — who have served and defended our country in various ways; some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. We owe these heroes a debt that we can never repay, and we honor them in our hearts, thoughts, and...

In today’s relentlessly competitive, fast-moving, and highly uncertain business landscape, the need for CEOs and business owners to find efficiencies and “get more for less” is not just a strategic priority. It is a fundamental necessity. You need to save money. Yet despite this urgent requirement, a surprising number of CEOs and business owners — through no personal fault or failing of their own — are wasting tens of thousands of dollars a year. How? By having their IT Director perform double-duty as their “telephone services guru”. Sound far-fetched? Let’s do the math: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlXSOyS1O_s According to payscale.com, the average total salary for an IT...

We live in a complex and unpredictable world. Lately, our world has been even more stressful and out of control than ever - or so it seems. In tumultuous times, I center myself with some simple guidelines that I apply to my personal as well as business life. I am sharing these rules for a happier life in the hope that you may apply them to your everyday life and benefit from them. Rule for a happier life 1: Laugh and the World Laughs With You Try this - make an effort every day to make someone smile. It doesn’t need to...

When the going gets tough, local businesses get going As a longtime business owner in the Triad, I have always been a big supporter of backing local companies and following the principle of “give where you live.” But as we all know, relationships are a two-way street. And right now, as we grapple with this unprecedented crisis caused by COVID-19, I am seeing local businesses step up and give back to their customers in ways that are both practical, and inspirational. As the saying goes: In bad times, you find out who your real friends are. Since the beginning of this crisis,...

The look on people’s faces is asking the same thing: How could this happen so rapidly? In just a few weeks, we have gone from being advised to wash our hands properly -- which, frankly, is something that we should always be doing regardless -- to being ordered to stay in our homes for all but the most vital activities, like buying essential groceries or going to the drug store. True, our nation has faced larger catastrophes before. But we have never experienced so much remarkable change in such a small period of time. This isn't merely dizzying. It's staggering. However,...

Right now, we are living in uncertain times resulting from a global pandemic. There is fear and even panic resulting from this virus and the resulting aftermath. Many are sick, some have died, many more are at risk, food and savings are scarce for some people, some have lost their jobs or at least their income, and schools are shut down. No one is unaffected by the turmoil. While we are struggling through the changes and adjustments needed to fight this virus, we may have difficulty seeing an end. We may be longing to go back to a time before the...

To Our Valued Customers: With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading around the globe so rapidly in recent weeks, I am taking this opportunity to share with you the key actions that we are taking in response: maintaining business continuity, maintaining high availability of services, offering our mobile app for remote workers, and introducing our next day telework solution for remote workers. Each of these is described below. [su_highlight]1. Maintaining Business Continuity[/su_highlight] Our office remains open, and our staff is ready to provide the exceptional support that you have come to expect from us. Should it become necessary for us to temporarily close our...

Anyone who knows me in my personal or professional life knows that I’m an incurable optimist. This doesn’t mean that I don’t face problems and challenges head-on, because I certainly do. And it also doesn’t mean that I “sugar coat” truth, facts or reality. Sometimes things aren’t good. And occasionally, they’re downright bad. But it does mean that I believe in focusing on the positives, and as the old and wise saying goes: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And so, it may come as a surprise that a self-described optimist like me would want to share some of the...

Message from our CEO: A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog to celebrate what is probably my favorite day of the year: the Fourth of July. Since then, I’ve received some nice feedback from our customers and partners, and I wanted to say thank you. Patriotism is about principles and pride, and it runs very deep in our company. And that brings me to another topic that has come up over the years that is along the same theme: why we always have — and always will — provide U.S.-based customer support vs. outsource this to a call center offshore,...