Profitability is UP!

Third Quarter

The13% increase in profit this quarter was largely due to the continued hard work and dedication of you, the employees! In any market this is a great accomplishment, in this market it was next to impossible!  As we near year end this sets us up very well for raise and bonus season!

Several specific factors account for this rise in profit. A shout goes out to the marketing department for their work this past year to build the company’s brand. Their groundwork enabled each and every one of us to show increased value to our customers this quarter. The professional services team has streamlined their processes to deliver high quality projects under budget and on time, adding to the bottom line. The Datacenter team continues to do their part, consistently delivering 99.9999% uptime.

There is a specific component of the business that we will leverage in the next quarter to continue this upward trend. The solution development team has struggled to find and grow new opportunities. The sales and marketing team will shift focus toward up-selling the solution development products. Let’s continue the hard work and finish the year even stronger!

Dry Socks

Dry socks. Yet I’m tired, wet and cold; the jungle unforgiving. The platoon moves day and night, my pack and rifle keep pace. We march on. Life passes like so many villages. Not happy at home, back to the jungle. Crack!! Smashing pain and a crimson river. Dry box.

11,000,000 in 2009

In the time it takes you to read this sentence 2 Americans will have their identity stolen. The recent data theft at TJ Maxx cost the company over $8 million. This theft was accomplished by a guy in a parking lot with a laptop…Fandotech today announced its entry into the Information Security Market.

Fandotech now offers information security services to companies. Offerings will include data security assessments, audits and remediation. Already Fandotech has completed data security assessments for prominent customers such as nationwide banks and large hospitals. Our work has already saved our customers an estimated $10 million.

In addition to the above information security has gained local prominence because of the recent passing of the CMR 201 statute by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This regulation lays out minimum requirements with regards to personal and financial information for all companies that do business in Massachusetts. Fandotech will bring your company under compliance for this statute as well as current HIPAA regulations.

Social Media

Social Media is a useful tool that Fandotech, LLC is currently leveraging to build brand recognition. We manage an active Facebook, Twitter and blog. In addition we have several videos outlining products and offerings on YouTube presently. Our stance on employees using Social media is pretty open. After all we are realists. Our stance and policy can be found here: http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2xqwk5dzF9sZWIyNTU1NjktOTE4NC00Y2Q0LTk2NzEtZWM1N2ZiMmViMjc1&hl=en&authkey=CLzAxbwK

Three Weeks...

Communication is complex. Once we start to weigh group dynamics, our human tendencies, and the barrage of information that we have become adept at ignoring, the idea of brokering communication that will grab the attention of our peers is a tall order. What has become apparent to me over the last three weeks are some of my tendencies and shortcuts. My belief has always been that some of my best communication is through electronic means. However, it is now apparent that while this may be my most efficient technique, it is clearly not always best. To take a page from the Heath’s, maybe this efficiency is in direct contrast to my company’s core message. (The message has not been clearly defined, by the way.)

At work each morning I log onto my workstation, launch outlook, pidgin, (IM client, www.pidgin.com) the customer/process management system (connectwise) and Kaseya (client asset management system). These tools combine to create an environment akin to the Borg Collective. The past three weeks have taught me to question these processes and apply some thought to my choice of communication when going about my daily tasks.

For example, I recently kicked off a new project for a new client. In the past I would handle the communication strategy purely through email. For this project though I have chosen a more personal communication strategy including weekly conference calls and onsite visits. Even though the project is only a couple weeks in I am seeing an increase in rapport with the key stakeholders, this is resulting in a more relaxed atmosphere for the project team and better decision making.

Our Business' Potential

As a professional service organization focused on technology we face an ever-changing business landscape from day to day. The economy has forced companies to reassess their expenditures, while new competition enters the market daily.  This correlates to a reduction in corporate information technology budgets which places pressure on companies like us. In addition costs continue to rise which cuts our profit margin. Only continuous leveraging of the newest technology can continue to deliver a cost-effective solution that is easily managed and lowers overall TCO for the client. This is indeed our overall business strategy, delivering quality solutions and cost-effective technical support to clients. Maintaining this competitive edge can only be accomplished through each and every employee’s continued, concerted effort. Perseverance will lead to positive results similar to what we’ve enjoyed over the past couple years as our market share continues to grow through word of mouth from satisfied customers and brand recognition. Increased revenue will open up new market segments and ultimately create opportunity for employees and shareholders alike.

Steve Jobs "Leave us alone"

My strategy with this assignment was to read just the email string first, starting at the bottom with the student’s initial email to Steve Jobs. My hope with this approach was to avoid shaping my reaction with the opinion of others and what must be endless feedback about who’s right or wrong. My initial reaction is that this student seems to be a typical journalist, self-important, as if her grade is somehow more important than the support calls from millions of Apple customers. She cites six voicemails left for the Media relations department and mentions her grade six times. The Media Relations Department is no doubt prioritizing to keep up with true problems (like Jobs alludes to) and I am inclined to take their side. I may be biased because of the technical support/customer service work that I’ve done in the past.  

I am truly surprised that Jobs responded at all, I would think a better tact for him to take would have been to ignore the email. Once he started responding to her emails it may have been easier to just answer her three questions or delegate someone else to provide the standard Apple responses.