Wednesday

Saving Face with a UPS: Benefits of UPS PC Protection


By Melissa Winter
You only need to screw up once, in a big way, to learn a lesson and never do it again. After a storm last summer, I had the catastrophic experience of losing tons of important computer files — as fast as lightning, never to return. It took nearly a week to rebuild my system. That's when I bought an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Word to the wise: Get a UPS before this happens to you.

Why you should have a UPS:
A UPS is similar to car insurance: you need to have it, but hope you never have to use it. Like an automobile, a computer is an expensive investment you want to protect. In the event of a blackout, a UPS instantly switches your computer to emergency battery backup power and lets you work through brief power outages without losing data or experiencing other damaging effects. These can include hardware degradation, keyboard lockup and motherboard damage.

A UPS protects your system from the following power problems:
  • Power transients — brief surges in voltage caused by lightning strikes or when electricity-hoarding appliances (like air conditioners and copiers) are turned off
  • Spikes — instantaneous increases in voltage caused by lightning or overloaded power grids
  • Brownouts — a reduction of your incoming voltage
  • Power failure — a complete interruption of electrical power
  • Line noise — interference from electrical appliances
All of these power problems can damage your desktop and corrupt data. A UPS will provide power to keep your system running, giving you the chance to save valuable data and shut down your system properly. Some models even include software that automatically saves and shuts down your files.

Why a UPS and not a surge protector?
UPS units have a leg-up on surge protectors in many ways. Both handle surges, but a UPS gives you battery backup power. This allows time to save the data in your computer and shut down your system before anything is lost. Typical battery backup run times are shown in minutes and indicate the amount of time the battery backup operates. A UPS protects your computer from electrical noise and damaging power surges, including lightning. A surge protector can handle surges during a brownout, but your system will still have to work harder due to the lower voltage.

What you need to know before you buy:
Before you can decide which UPS system to buy, you need to know how much capacity, or volt-amps you need. To determine this, multiply the number of amps by 120. If the measurement is given in watts, multiply it by 1.67. For example, if your monitor uses 2 amps (2 x 120 = 240) and your computer uses 100 watts (100 x 1.67 = 167) the total volt-amps needed would be 407 (240 + 167 = 407).

Along with knowing your volt-amp capacity, look for the joule rating given on the UPS system. A joule (pronounced jewel) is a unit of energy. Its rating provides an idea of how much surge protection a UPS system provides. Look for a rating of 400 or greater to ensure reliable protection for your system.

Ready to protect your system? Here's our selection of uninterruptible power supplies.

Tuesday

The Benefits of Using Promotional Items to Your Advantage

Are you looking for a creative and catchy way to bring attention to your business If you are, you may be in the process of examining promotional items
Are you looking for a creative and catchy way to bring attention to your business? If you are, you may be in the process of examining promotional items. Promotional items are a great way to promote your business, but it is also important that you proceed with caution.

As previously stated, promotional items are designed to help promote a business, but if you are not careful, they can be a huge business expense. That is why it is important to first do a little bit of research. Before you set your promotional plan in motion, you should know which promotional items are the best, as well as know which distribution techniques are the most successful. For your convenience, a few helpful tips are provided below.

As for which promotional items will help you see the best success, it is important to look at it from the standpoint of a business owner and a consumer. From the standpoint of a business owner, you need affordable promotional items where your business name, logo, or slogan can be prominently displayed. From the standpoint of a consumer, it is important to choose promotional items that consumers want. Promotional items can turn into more of a hassle than anything else when no one wants them.

So which promotional items are the best for your business? You will want to examine shirts, hats, ink pens, magnets, koozies, and cups. They are, by far, the most common and successful promotional items for business owners, like you. Why? Because they are items that people use. Many consumers are always on the lookout for pens, magnets, and cups for their households, especially those that are free. These are all items that will be used, as opposed to later just tossed in the trashcan.

Once you have a list of promotional items to distribute, you need to decide how you wish to give them away. Are you opening a new business or have you recently done some remodeling? If so, you may want to consider hosting a grand opening or a grand reopening celebration. These, alone, can be used as promotional tools. You can give away free promotional items, such as ink pens, magnets, cups, and hats to the first hundred or so people who attend your grand opening celebration.

Another option that you have is to give away free promotional items to those who make a purchase, even just a small purchase. This approach is nice, as you are able to accomplish two of your business goals at the same time. These goals include making a sale and promoting your business. It is also important to note that this approach is realistic for those who operate online businesses, as you can simply just add a free promotional item into a package that you ship out.

By following the above mentioned steps, you are sure to see success with the use of promotional items that prominently display your business name, slogan, or logo. As a reminder, be sure to personalize all promotional items. Doing so ensures that your promotional campaign continues on for months or even years.

Making Promotional Products Work to Your Advantage

There is no dearth of products that can be used for the purpose of promotions. All you need to do is think of the right item and get your logo and company name imprinted on it. Promotional products can be used for a variety of purposes such as give-aways on trade shows and business events, sales incentives, contest prices as well as business gifts.
It's extremely necessary to choose the right promotional products. Once you've made a choice there are a few more things that you will need to keep in mind.
Goals
Promotional products can be used for all kinds of stuff like referrals and motivation. Before you go about promoting your business you need to ask yourself certain questions such as:
  1. What kind of product options do I have?
  2. What kind of business am I aiming at?
  3. What can be my budget?
You will need to make decisions based on the answers to these questions!The Scope of your Promotional Efforts
This concerns your target audience. For example, while you give away promotional gifts at a trade show, you need to know that you are giving them away to the right people rather than giving them to almost anyone who comes by to your space to take a look at your products and services.
Prepare a strategy...
...to make sure that all your promotional efforts are made in the right direction, i.e. towards your target audience.
This can be done easily if you have chosen the right kind of promotional products. For example, you can get attention from a soccer player with imprinted soccer balls and other soccer accessories. Alternatively, you can have your customer sit through a demonstration of your product and services and fill up a small questionnaire in order to receive a promotional gift.
All in all, you need to choose a promotional product that only your target audiences will be interested in, it should ideally be a promotional product to suit their lifestyle.
Useful Promotional Products
There is no point in choosing a promotional product which people are going to throw away. Choose a product that will be useful! It really doesn't need to be expensive. Remember, the most successful (refrigerator magnets, pens, calendars, post it notepads) promotional products are inexpensive.
Quality Matters
A bad quality promotional product is irritating. A defective quality product will not only get thrown away but will also tarnish the image of your business among clients and customers.
A Teaser
Get a mug with a nice teaser message and a phone number imprinted on it. Tell people about your products and services once they call up your company.
Lastly, consider the cost. Sometimes, an inexpensive promotional gift can make up for an expensive promotion. It's best to get some advice from your dealers. Make a good decision!
For any help on Promotional products, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the Promotional gifts!

Article Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?Making-Promotional-Products-Work-to-Your-Advantage&id=3095115

Promotional Products – Create Competitive Advantage

There are many new ideas and products, nowadays that are used to create competitive advantages. In today’s corporate world it is must to stay competitive and keep all your employees and clients active and interacting with you. Different companies and corporates use different activities and ideas to keep the employees and clients in touch with them and let them participate actively with the company affairs; one of the best and widely adapted things to create competitive advantage is by giving away corporate gifts. The theme and the ways of doing business have been prevalent since the old days.
Before enumerating the advantages of the corporate gifts and how they help you in being competitive, let us give you an idea about what corporate gifts actually are. Corporate gifts are actually giveaways by the companies to promote their name and improve their image. Corporate gifts help companies in interacting with clients and other competitive corporates. These corporate gifts can vary considerably from promotional discounts and holidays and other facilities like free coupons and traveling tickets and free stays. Whatever you pick to offer as the corporate gift on behalf of the company, make it stand out in the crowd and do something that others are not doing. You must aim at offering corporate gifts that are not available in the local market.
Corporate gifts are used to challenge the competition and for withholding a strong position in the market competition. In the world, when we talk about corporate links and relations it is a must to maintain healthy and yet competitive relations with other clients and do your best not to lose the customers at any cost. These are the little things; if proper care is taken, then these would benefit the corporates with multiple profits but otherwise carelessness can easily ruin the profits overnights. So, one needs proper strategy and planning for offering corporate gifts.

Promotional Products for Sports Events

Sports army comprises bound and activist audience. Audiences that feel blessed utilizing chargeless sample they receive. Abnormally the promotional articles that are imprinted with their admired sports logo works best. Promotional articles accept been articular as an capital and able allotment of business products. They are absolutely a accurate and able way to bazaar your aggregation at sports events. There are bags of promotional articles exists that assignment able-bodied with sports events, so accept one that is ideal for your company. A arch advantage of application promotional articles is to advance your business strategy. These promotional items are generally acclimated about and appropriately your angel gets again exposure. There are abounding advantages to application such promotional articles as a allotment of announcement at sports events.

Monday

The Additional Benefits of Sea Freight Services

A sea shipping company offers an extensive array of services to individuals or business owners that need to send cargoes or packages to different locations. However, overseas shipment services have become a mandatory requirement for companies that are required to transport goods to foreign countries. Therefore, sea shipping remains the perfect choice for companies seeking packing and moving services, transport services, custom clearance services, project transportation, and distribution as well as selling services. Over the years, sea transport has also emerged as an important aspect of international trade.
In the present scenario, sea transport companies offer cargo services that include world wide consolidation services, air freight shipping services, sea freight shipping services, air charter services as well as air forwarding charges. Besides this, the companies also provide warehousing as well as storage services to different clients.
Generally, a sea shipping company is responsible for delivery of freight container from one port to another while transporting your goods to any destination across the world. In addition, the company also needs to deliver the goods in a timely manner and in the perfect condition. Nowadays, majority of shipping companies utilize high-tech tracking equipments for monitoring the transit times of shipment. They are also capable of keeping the client updated with the latest information about the progress of their consignment. Besides this, there are several other advantages of utilizing the services of sea freight companies over other shipping carriers. This includes services like safe handling and insurance for protection of cargo.
The industry of worldwide shipping has to deal with several unique complexities. For transporting its freight to international destinations, an organization needs to abide by the rules and regulations of both the countries. This is where the services of sea freight companies come into the picture. Therefore, if you need to transport goods to an international destination or intend to expand on a worldwide scale, you need to utilize the services of an established sea freight company. Always opt for a company that meets the requirements of a customer besides providing the customers with premium quality services. In addition, make sure that the company utilizes an organized and open process for tracking of your belongings.

Article Source : http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Additional-Benefits-of-Sea-Freight-Services&id=4831068

Thursday

9 Benefits Of Having An Online Business

9 Benefits Of Having An Online Business

by moonheart85 on Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:08 am





Many people are now looking to work from home, essentially opting-out of the rat race to spend more time with their families. As you can imagine, there are plenty of benefits of having your own online business. Today, I will briefly talk about 9 of the most important advantages of working from home as an online entrepreneur.

Here are the 9 benefits in no particular order:
1. Gain Personal Freedom - No more commutes = more time = more money. You'll spend less money on gas and you won't have to answer to a boss or wake up to an alarm clock.

2. More Mobility – You work from wherever YOU want: from home, from the beach, from a coffee shop. Anywhere.

3. Actually Keep the Money You Make – Simple Principle: The harder you work, the more money you earn. Every hour you spend will directly help build your bottom line.

4. Tax Advantages – Using your home as a place of business offers a number of tax deductions including (home office deduction, transportation, phones and communications, a portion of utilities, office furniture etc.) I've personally saved thousands in tax dollars since I started online.

5. Join a Rapidly Growing Industry – Unlike the rest of the economy, online business is thriving. Today, with rising unemployment and massive layoffs, more and more people are looking online for entrepreneurial ways of making money. Millions upon millions of people are estimated to join home-based businesses in the next few years. Started now ensures that you take advantage of this.

6. Less Stress – Although success in online business does require consistent effort, working at home allows you to set your own schedule, and therefore more effectively juggle the commitments of family and daily life.

7. Increased Opportunity – With the economy down, being in online business allows you to create your own income-producing opportunities. As a home-based entrepreneur, you won't have to worry about the economic downturn affecting your job or future promotions.

8. Less Risk - Running a business from home takes much less startup money than a freestanding business, or even a franchise location. Once your business is up and running, it will cost much less to maintain as well

9. Make More Money - No longer will you have a ceiling on your income. In the corporate world, if you're lucky, the best you can expect to achieve is a 5-10% raise per year. Online, as your knowledge grows, so will your income.
Article Source : http://www.whydowork.com/forums/benefits-having-online-business-t23157.html