Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

 

 

 

Zach Saunders (Madison office) – In March 2013, Zach passed the SharePoint Application Development Certification Exam that demonstrates his knowledge and skills on developing applications on the Microsoft SharePoint Server platform.  Not only is this an exciting accomplishment for Zach, it also earns Applied Tech the Microsoft Portals and Collaboration (SharePoint) Silver Competency.

Jason Mathews (Madison office) – Jason recently passed the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Applications Certification Exam.    This certification exam measures the ability to understand and articulate how to use, maintain and support Microsoft Dynamics CRM application including marketing automation, sales, service, and scheduling applications.

Great job, guys!

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In other news, please consider supporting the Autism Society of South Central Wisconsin (“ASC”) by dining at Chili’s Bar & Grill (either Madison locations).  From April 15 to May 15th Chili’s will donate 10% of your meal to ASC.  Simply present the voucher for all your dine-in or carry-out meals.  You get a great meal and ASC gets some extra funds to help those affected by autism spectrum disorders. You can download or share the vouchers at: http://autismmadison.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/chilisautism.pdf

Applied Tech – A Handful of employees will be participating in It’s Glow Time 5K on May 11^th to support Breast Cancer Recovery.  Want to join our team?  Email Julie to request the team registration link.

 

Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

Joe Van Maldegiam (Madison office) – Congratulations to Joe for passing the Microsoft 70-642 exam, earning him the MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008 certification.  Joe also recently received the WatchGuard certification.  We’re proud of you, Joe!

Julie Sheldon (Madison office) – Julie was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of South Central Wisconsin.  The Autism Society’s goal is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorders.  Serving on the Board gives Julie another opportunity help raise Autism Awareness in addition to the Adopt-a-Family program and the Quiet Santa event that are aimed to support families on the spectrum.

 

 

Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

 

 

Joe Van Maldegiam (Madison office) – Joe recently passed the Windows Server 2008 Server Administrator (70-646) exam.  The passing of this exams counts as credit towards the ‘Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Server Administrator’ and ‘Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows Server 2008’ certifications.

Applied Tech – A Handful of employees will be participating in It’s Glow Time 5K on May 11^th to support Breast Cancer Recovery.  Want to join our team?  Email Julie to request the team registration link.

Today, financial reports that only deliver results from last week or last month keep you looking in the rear-view mirror instead of the road ahead.  In the fast paced world we live in, you need reports that look to the future, not the past.

Real time information you can use to build business The out-of-the-box financial reports that come with most accounting software are built to summarize the transactions that have occurred in the past. Those daily, weekly, monthly and yearly reports provide the historic record of your revenues and expenses. Valuable? Yes. Enough? No.

Financial reporting really gets interesting when it delivers information that you can use to identify trends and help you make decisions that will affect future performance. With real-time centralized data that incorporates all aspects of your business, you can identify opportunities to change the course of your business. Five ways that you could build profits for the future include:

• Find your next best customer by analyzing your current clients. When you can accurately assign all revenues and costs for each client you will know who your most profitable clients really are. Set your sights on businesses just like those money-makers to build a more profitable business.
• Give more in-store shelf space to the products with growing online sales. With fully connected business management systems, you can use online sales as a predictor of in-store product success. Hold a special event featuring a popular online item to attract people to the store.
• Increase the profit on your next project. When you know exactly how much money you made on each project, based on actual expenses and revenue, you can bid more accurately. Avoid those projects that you wish you hadn’t taken and focus on the ones that make money.
• Close more sales with fewer people. When you know exactly when your inside sales team is closing the most business, you can adjust schedules to maximize their productivity.
• Create promotions specific to individual customers or groups. Sales data gathered across your customer base can help you predict future sales of individual clients. Offer promotions to customers based on what they are likely to buy next.

When you can analyze information from different angles you can change the course of your business.  A fully integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system can give you the competitive advantage to predict the future.

Find out how flexible reporting and business intelligence can help you transform your business.  Let us show you what a difference ERP can make.

 

 

Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

 

 

Joe Van Maldegiam (Madison office) – Joe recently passed the Microsoft 70-640 (Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring) exam. With the successful completion of this exam, Joe earned credit towards the following certifications: Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Administrator, Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Server Administrator, and Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows Server 2008.

Bo Bracey (Madison office) – Bo passed the Microsoft 70-417 (Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows Server 2012) exam. This exam is a composite of three stand-alone exams that validate the skills related to the core technology features and functionality of Windows Server 2012. He has now completed the requirements for the MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification.

Applied Tech – Employees donated time this holiday season to ring bells for the Salvation Army. We adopted a kettle on November 21, 2012 at Walgreens on the Square. This is Applied Tech’s third year in adopting a kettle for a day.

Applied Tech – Employees pooled together with other donors to “adopt-a-family” for Christmas through the Autism Society of South Central Wisconsin. This group will be providing a single mother and her three children with toys, clothing, a family gift and a grocery gift card.

Julie Sheldon (Madison office) – Julie and her brother, along with a group of volunteers, will be hosting Quiet Santa this Saturday, December 15, 2012 from 1-4pm. Quiet Santa is an opportunity for children with Autism or other special needs to meet with Santa, one-on-one, in a quiet mall-free zone. For more information, visit: http://www.appliedtech.us/2012/12/quiet-santa-a-unique-sensory-friendly-event/

 

Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

 

 

Scott Drost (Madison office) – Scott recently passed the Configuring SharePoint 2010 exam. Scott not only passed with flying colors, he also surpassed the candidacy requirements to take the exam including experience configuring SharePoint and related technologies, including Internet Information Services (IIS), Windows Server 2008, and Active Directory, and networking infrastructure services. Well done, Scott!!

Cory Rammer, John Storke & Gabe Kolesari (Madison/Waukesha offices) – These fellas all passed the Midmarket Sales Specialist in Server Platform exam. Their dedication and knowledge grants Applied Tech the Microsoft Midmarket Server Silver Competency.  Way to go!!

Yesterday I received a vCard that quite literally stopped me in my tracks. This was not the standard electronic business card that so many people are used to either doling out or receiving as an email attachment, but rather a highly informative and functional prospecting tool.
No longer do I view the vCard as being a simple tool for relaying contact information. Instead, it’s become quite clear that it can be used as a persuasive device meant to encourage a prospect to make contact without actively selling to them. Here’s how.

1. Insert Your Photo
A photo is a great way to add a personal touch to your vCard, and can make it more effective. With most email programs, once prospects have saved your vCard, each email message you send will result in your photo popping up automatically. This is a great way to subtly assert yourself when trying to get in touch with a prospect.

2. Include All Pertinent Web Addresses
Typical vCards include basic contact information. Distinguish yourself by including social media URLs, as well as Skype and instant messaging ID’s. This is a great way to further connect with a prospect on a more personal, humanistic level. You’d be surprised how many prospects will click through to read your LinkedIn profile from your vCard.

3. Include Your Bio
A strong bio makes all the difference in the world when it comes to gaining the confidence of a prospect. Whether it be either the company itself or you as an individual that’s highlighted, add a brief overview of yourself or your services to your vCard. This can help to ensure that the prospect knows exactly what you do and why they’d want to talk with you.
Be careful not to make your bio too extensive. Anything too long will be difficult for prospects to get through. Keep it brief, outlining only the main points you’d like your prospect to know, and leave a bit of mystery for your conversation.

4. Add a Personal Touch
A vCard is the perfect tool for helping your prospects get to know you. Consider adding a tag-line, which is a great way to add personality to your vCard. The more you are able to stand out to prospects, the more likely it is that you’ll find success.

5. Insert Your vCard Into Calendar Invitations
It’s a common misconception that vCards can only be sent and received via email. One of the most effective ways to distribute your vCard is by inserting it into a calendar invitation. You know I highly recommend using calendar invitations as a way to secure appointments with prospects and customers. When you insert your vCard into each calendar invitation you send out, it reaches your prospect and anyone else they invite to the meeting.
Sticking to the stereotypical vCard format is no way to differentiate yourself from the competition. Take the time to ensure that your vCard is unique and you can dramatically increase your chances of making a lasting impression on your prospects.

 

Published with permission from Kendra Lee.

As an Expert Partner, Applied Tech has proven expertise and product certification in the entire range of WatchGuard unified threat management solutions. Expert is WatchGuard’s highest level of reseller qualification. Since 1996, WatchGuard has been building award-winning unified threat management (UTM) solutions that combine firewall, VPN and security services to protect networks and the businesses they power.

Contact Applied Tech to find out how WatchGuard can save your business from the ongoing threats in today’s IT world.

Applied Tech and its employees are always on the move and we wanted our readers to know what we’ve been up to. Help us give some well-deserving props to the following employees in their recent accomplishments!

 

Kris Cears, Scott Drost & Noah Donaldson (Madison office) – Kris, Scott and Noah were among the top 75 Architects and System Engineers at the Server 2012 Summit at the Microsoft office in Redmond, WA last month.  Attendees were invited from Microsoft’s most influential SMB partners (Applied Tech) and received unprecedented technical training around Microsoft Windows Server Solutions.

Zach Saunders (Madison office) – Zach, our newest Business Information Systems Developer, recently passed the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications exam, making him a Microsoft Dynamics Certified Technology Specialist.  This certification exam measures comprehension on how to use, maintain and support Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 application including managing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 marketing automation applications, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 sales applications, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 service management applications, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 services scheduling applications.

Bill Martin (Madison office) – Bill has earned the ShoreTel Enterprise Contact Center (ECC) certification. ShoreTel’s ECC Certification allows Applied Tech to help its clients install, maintain, administer, and support the ShoreTel Contact Center feature as an extension of the Unified Communications Solution.

Whitney Erickson (Waukesha office) – On October 14th, Whitney participated in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco, a race to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  This was Whitney’s best time this year at 2:05:38.  “The course was brutal and the hills never seemed to end, but overall if was an awesome experience seeing 25,000 women on the start line!”, stated Whitney. Great job!