Micro Tech Systems' online newsletter for June 2018
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June 2018
Summer = Camping MY FAVORITE PART OF THE SEASON
E ver since I was little, the onset of summer has, more than anything else, meant the beginning of camping season. Though the way my family and I camp has changed throughout the years, it’s still one of my absolute favorite pastimes whenever the weather gets warm. Like many native Idahoans, camping has always been an important part of my life. When I was little, my family used to take frequent trips out to Baumgartner Campground near Featherville, taking full advantage of the nearby hot springs and the awesome wooded trails that the site offered. When we weren’t there on the weekends, we were relaxing by Redfish Lake, roasting s’mores and swimming in the picture-perfect water. There was just nothing more freeing and exciting as a kid than getting out of Boise and roughing it out in what, back then, felt like endless wilderness. Back when MicroTech was called A1 Business Equipment and my dad was running the show, they would do a huge company camping trip every year. Some of my fondest summer memories come from those days, when we’d fill the campsite with upward of 15 families. A lot of my dad’s co-workers were big motorcyclists, so every once in a while I’d get to hitch a ride or even cruise around the campground on a bike by myself. When the company shifted away from selling adding machines and typewriters and morphed into MicroTech, we tried to continue that tradition with the team, but after a couple years, we realized that the industry had just changed too much to keep it up. Somebody always had to be on call at the business, so it unfortunately became impossible to pack up for a weekend and shut down for a couple days. Still, my family and I continued to take every opportunity to escape into nature for a summer weekend. It started with just Keri and me backpacking into remote locations and pitching our small tent out in the middle of nowhere, and then the kids arrived and the whole system had to change. While the kids were still in diapers, Keri basically figured it’d be too much hassle to camp with them, but as soon as they got a little older, we were back out in the wilderness.
While they were still little tykes, though, I had to make a small concession to keep Keri from going crazy managing the kids: a pop- up tent trailer. That worked great for a few years, until we found our family in the middle of a sketchy situation that I’ll leave up to your imagination. Then, as a security measure, we picked up a big full- service, hard-topped camping trailer. With every step up, the experience became more comfortable but also a little more complicated than just picking up and leaving town on a weekend. With Keri and me becoming empty nesters in the next 4–5 years, every once in a while I’ll float the idea of going back to our camping roots with tents and coolers, but Keri puts the kibosh on that pretty quickly every time. It’s just too difficult to go back once you’ve slid into “glamping” territory, I guess! But hey, I’m not complaining. I’ll do whatever I can to keep us heading out to a campground as often as possible. Over the years, we’ve built a treasure trove of memories out in the Idaho woods, from laughing together by the fire, to hiking through breathtaking natural beauty, to paddleboarding or boating on the lake. In fact, just writing about this has got me excited to get out there again — I need to get on it and start planning our next few phone-free adventures before I blink and summer’s already over!
–Randy Amorebieta
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Business cards don’t have the same presence they once did. These little pieces of card stock were once a vital part of professional
The business card provides a snapshot of your business to someone you may want to work with in the future. It’s an easy way to instantly hand someone your contact info — no fumbling around to find your smartphone or a relevant app. And that person will have a physical reminder of your name. But in 2018, your business card can’t be boring if you want to catch someone’s attention. It needs to convey key information in a simple, professional way while also standing out. That’s no easy task. Here are a few things to keep in mind when designing a business card: Have purpose. Before you order cards, decide how you will use them. Don’t invest in cards that are going to sit in a desk drawer for the next five years. Keep the design clean. The idea is to capture the attention of the recipient, not overwhelm them. If the information on your card isn’t clear, the card is useless. Only say what is necessary — name, profession, contact info, and a brief description of the service you provide — and leave it at that. Let your creativity shine. When you hand someone a well-designed business card — one that goes beyond a boring white rectangle — they keep it. Let your card reflect you and your business. Don’t be afraid to step out of the 2-by-3.5-inch box. Need inspiration? Head over to YouTube and search “Tim’s Novelty Business Cards” or go directly to youtube.com/watch?v=r4IDLvwgDbU. You’ll be inspired in no time!
networking, but they’ve become more of a niche
Business Networking in 2018
item these days. So, should we consider the business card dead? Not so fast! There was a time when it seemed
Are Business Cards Still Relevant?
that the business card was legitimately on its way out and social media was poised to take over as the business-connection solution. While some
websites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, have become popular networking tools, they certainly haven’t rendered the business card obsolete.
Our Clients Say It Best
“We have used MicroTech for the past 10 years at my place of business. They have always had exceptional customer service on minor calls as well as on complicated issues. They have orchestrated our last two companywide server upgrade/installs without issue and ahead of schedule. I highly recommend them.” –Kristi D. “MicroTech has helped us for over 14 years. They continue to shine in customer service and knowledge of the IT industry.” –Medical Practice
“Spiers Construction has been a longtime customer of MicroTech Systems, and we appreciate their service. Anytime we have a need, Joe Shumway is our go-to guy. He’s always aware of our past and present issues and is quick to help. It’s like having an old friend give you a call. Excellent quality of service!” –Judy P.
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Does Your Business Need Disk Encryption?
Over the past few months, the experts at MicroTech Systems have received a number of questions regarding “data encryption” or “disk encryption.” Everybody wants to know, what exactly is this high-tech-sounding procedure, and is it necessary for their business? The good news is that encryption isn’t some arcane technology available only to IT experts. It’s a fairly simple lock-and-key strategy for protecting your data from shady infiltrators, and encryption software comes standard with all Windows installs past Vista, as well as Apple systems.
accessed. Imagine locking your server, laptop, or computer hard drive behind a vault door that only you have the key to . Do you need it? Short answer? As usual, that depends. The thing about encryption is that it’s so easy, inexpensive, and straightforward. In fact, Bitlocker, one of the most commonlyused softwares for encryption, comes free with Windows 7, 8, and 10. If you’ve got medical data, financial data, or sensitive data housed on your business network — and especially if you’ve got employees working from a remote system like a laptop — it’s a good idea to lock that data up as much as possible. But there are a couple of small downsides to disk encryption. For one thing, this particular type of encryption won’t protect you from hackers. If a malicious party gets into your computer network and then tries to access an encrypted server, that wall of encryption won’t deter them, since that computer is already allowed access to the server. And just like a vault, encrypted files need a key to access. If you lose your encryption key or forget your password and find yourself unable to get into the system, you’re probably sunk. So, if you’re dealing with ordinary documents or other non-sensitive data, it may not be worth that risk. But if you have sensitive data and you are confident you can keep your encryption key locked down and prevent it from being lost, it’s another security step that you might want to look into.
How encryption works To put it simply, disk encryption uses complicated algorithms to scramble the data on your laptop, server, or other device into inaccessible, unintelligible code. Anyone snooping on this information (maybe they’ve stolen your laptop or physical server) will find it all but impossible to access without a special encryption key that only your most trusted parties will have access to.
There are other types of encryption, such as “in transit” encryption, which protects data in motion like emails or browser data, but for the purposes of this article, we’re mostly talking about “full disk encryption” or “file encryption,” which protect static files or entire hard drives from being
Father’s Day Chili Lime Chicken Wings
Have a Laugh!
Ingredients
• •
4 pounds chicken wings 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• • • •
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 lime, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Chopped cilantro for garnish
•
•
1/4 cup honey
•
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. Rinse wings under cold water and pat dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper,
3. Blend butter, red curry paste, honey, and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl. 4. Toss wings in butter mixture. Squeeze lime juice on top, transfer to serving plate, and garnish with cilantro.
and drizzle with olive oil. Roast on a baking sheet for 25 minutes or until skin becomes crisp and brown.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
12592 W. Explorer Dr. #100 Boise, ID 83713
Inside
The Amorebieta’s Camping Adventures
Are Business Cards Still Relevant?
Our Clients Say It Best
Disk Encryption: What Is It?
Father’s Day Chili Lime Chicken Wings
Business Must-Read: ‘The Origins of Happiness’
CHANGING OUR IDEAS OF SUCCESS What is happiness? How can we encourage well-being in others? These are the sorts of questions that have kept philosophers busy since the dawn of human history. In “The Origins of Happiness,” a team of the world’s leading social scientists tackles these age-old mysteries. Their groundbreaking findings may change the workplace and public policy. ‘The Origins of Happiness’
While it’s designed to help policymakers quantify and boost the satisfaction of their citizens, there is something for everyone in “Origins.” The chapters on success and happiness in children are of particular interest to parents and educators, for example. Business owners and managers should be especially interested in the book’s data-driven reimagining of wealth and happiness. The paycheck is no longer the universal incentive for employees we once thought it was. One has only to look to Silicon Valley to know that some of the most successful companies on the planet have prioritized
Listed as one of the top five books Business Insider was excited about for the year 2018, “Origins” does not disappoint. If you want to better understand your own happiness or the happiness of others, you’ll find the book to be an enlightening page turner. Even though it’s based on
years of research and filled with graphs and data to support the authors’ arguments, it doesn’t read like a heady scientific report. On the contrary, this fairly short book is surprisingly accessible. Between the charts and equations, you’ll find “Origins” has wit, charm, and wisdom in spades. With their down-to-earth prose, the authors dissect complex arguments and strip long-held beliefs to their core assumptions. The result is a methodical yet enjoyable exploration of what it means to live well in today’s world.
the well-being of their employees. The quirky perks and benefits offered by Google and Amazon make much more sense from a business standpoint after reading “Origins.” This is one of those rare works that captures the prevailing winds of the business world and puts them into easy-to- understand terms backed by hard data. Far more than vague platitudes about money not buying happiness, “Origins” will change the way you think about everyone’s well-being — including your own.
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