Current PMV Newsletter Articles

If your office’s productivity has taken a dive during these summer months, there’s still time to turn things around before the leaves start changing colors. To give productivity a boost, go ahead and try these three proven tactics.
One of my first experiences with the internet was reading the Drudge Report. The fact that a Website could break news before the big networks (ABC, CBS & NBC) really caught my attention. Fast forward a decade and social media has turned every subscriber or member into a potential Drudge Report. Anyone can pick up a tidbit of note worthy information and in an instant transmit it to hundreds of people. That’s great for anyone that has a story they want to tell, but what about the stories you’d prefer to keep to yourself?
Some tech junkies tend to neglect etiquette in the office. E-mail is still one of the leading culprits, but newer arrivals like BlackBerrys and wireless earpieces are causing their share of social snafus. "Technology should not be an opportunity to multitask conversations," says technology etiquette expert Laurie Puhn, president of Laurie Puhn Communications . "Anytime you're [doing that], it is rude and unacceptable."
You run a small or midsize business. Maybe it's not rocket science...then again, maybe it is. There's nothing small (or even midsize) about the complexity of managing your own business - it's big-time. On any given moment of any given day, you might be working furiously to track the effectiveness of your sales efforts, monitor your inventory, juggle receivables against payables, and reduce inefficiencies in production. You've got all the data - somewhere. It's in this sales report, that stock list, those account ledgers, these production updates. In other words, it's siloed here and siloed...
Yes, you’re red-faced when that report or e-mail you sent has a typo in it. But that blunder probably didn’t land your company in the red. Some of these may have. Everybody hits the wrong key or forgets to spell check now and then. Not the end of the world. You’ll feel a little better after checking out these eight minor typos.
In today's competitive market, small businesses need every advantage they can get. Many are looking for new ways to improve the bottom line, as well as protect their existing business. One area you might not have looked at is the experiences of larger businesses. With their greater resources, it's easy for them to "test drive" new ideas and strategies – which you can then borrow and apply as needed. Take a look at these four best practices borrowed from successful enterprises and try to put them to work in your business today.
Using your laptop to get work done away from your office or on the road is becoming widely accepted. But this rapid growth in laptop computing has made portable systems the target for theft around the world. If your laptop computer is stolen, company information can be exposed, as well as your personal and financial information. Use these 9 tips to learn how you can keep your laptop more secure when you're on the road.
Midsized companies are moving toward an infrastructure that is optimized and responsive to help them meet new business demands. This article in our series looks at the short- and long-term benefits of cloud computing and how midsized companies can start integrating some cloud services into their existing IT environments. In an increasingly interconnected world, the number of interactions among devices and systems is growing rapidly. As these connections multiply, businesses need to meet the demands of employees, partners and customers for greater access to systems and information. This...
Your boss doesn’t listen to your ideas. Your spouse refuses to try to understand. Your employees resist your leadership, and secretly you know you keep doing things you don’t really want to do but you feel stuck and don’t know how to tip the lever to change. What we are talking about is resistance.
At some point, your IT equipment will no longer meet your needs--either your business will outgrow the equipment, the equipment will become too slow, or the technology will become outdated. Something needs to happen. But you're on a tight budget. You can't afford to replace your PCs and other electronic equipment with brand-new models...or can you? Here's how to decide when--and if--it's time to upgrade, and how to save money doing it.
Security is the biggest concern when it comes to designing a telecommuting program. But a recent survey shows that many teleworkers aren’t even aware of their employers’ security policies. Allowing some telecommuting can be a big boost to employee morale, recruitment and retention. But one of the biggest obstacles is security: According to a report on telecommuting by CDW Government, Inc., that’s the most pressing issue for 42% of government IT departments and 27% of departments at private employers. Most departments (88% in the private sector, 84% for governments) said they have...
Whether you're leaving the office for the holidays, going on vacation, or taking a business trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare your computer for your time away. Canceling appointments and letting people know you'll be gone are just a few of the things you can do to make sure your responsibilities are covered and people aren't trying to meet with you. Here are some best practices to make sure your work goes on smoothly, even when you're gone.