Monthly Archives: January 2010
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Syndication
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January 25, 2010
Improving Productivity
A time-tested way to improve performance of business processes is to increase transparency. A process that everyone can watch is a process people can comment on, suggest improvements, and determine if it even makes sense to be doing in the first place.
One of the ways New Signature can help your organization increase the transparency of its processes is to conduct a through process review with key stakeholders. In it, we will:
- outline the cyclical processes that take place each day, week and month;
- identify the review points, potential bottlenecks, and areas that are ill-defined;
- go over the existing documentation (as well as the process to update said documentation); and
- suggest potential changes (both on a technology and a process level) to speed changes.
The last point is important. Often the problems with a process are not simply a technology problem. Some vendors might come in and say “Purchase SharePoint Server!” as a potential solution without fully understanding all the facets of the challenges. At New Signature, before we make a recommendation we want to ensure that we know all the facts. Although Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (and soon Microsoft SharePoint 2010) are great solutions, if the real flaw in the existing paper-based process is an overloaded manager, or an ill-defined review system, simply converting that system to a computerized model won’t solve the problem. Instead, we focus on the heart of the problem, and once solved, provide real recommendations for the best problems to fix. (more…)
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January 20, 2010
New York Times Reports “Simple Passwords Remain Popular, Despite Risk of Hacking”
In July of 2009 New Signature published a post on network security (Network Security: Passwords vs. Passphrases) where we pushed for the use of more complex passwords and the use of passphrases to make this easier for the average person to use and remember. This morning (January 20, 2010) the New York Times published an article entitled “If Your Password Is 123456, Just Make It HackMe“. The article shows that weak passwords continue to be a substantial problem.
“According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like ‘abc123,’ ‘iloveyou’ or even ‘password’ to protect their data.” (more…)
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January 15, 2010
Microsoft Office 2010: Outlook
Continuing our Microsoft Office 2010 exploration, we come to Microsoft Outlook 2010, the most used application during the day. Some of the new features include:- Conversation View
- Multiple Mailbox Support
- 64-bit Support
- Online Archive Folders
- Mail Tips
- Search Folders
- Enhanced Calendar Functionality
For users of Google Mail, Conversation View may seem like a feature long overdue. By allowing multiple emails to be combined into a thread, reading large quantities of emails can be done in a much quicker manner. (more…)
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January 13, 2010
State Charter Laws Rankings Database Released
“It’s very important to have better, clearer charter laws – laws that enable innovation, promote transparency about how charter schools perform and how they are held accountable, and provide fair access to public funds and facilities. We’re encouraged that the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools supports creation of better charter school laws as models of learning, and we encourage authorizers to hold charters accountable for student performance.”
– Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
With that quote, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools launched, their “State Charter Laws Rankings Database,” a unique, highly interactive mini-site that allows visitors to review the laws governing charter schools in all states and across 20 categories. The site uses color coded maps, animated text panes, pop-up help windows, and rich cross-linking to provide a compelling research experience. (more…)
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January 11, 2010
Microsoft Office 2010: Cool New Features
There are so many new features in the Microsoft Office 2010 suite, it’s difficult to narrow them down to a few highlights. But moving beyond the consistently cool Backstage view, here are some of the great new features in Office 2010 that work across all the products:- Same File Format
- Customizable Ribbon
- Save Screenshots
- Save to SkyDrive
- Co-authoring
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January 8, 2010
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Launches Community Resource Site for State Charter School Leaders
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools unveiled a new, private site for the nationwide community of public charter school leaders and administrators on Wednesday, January 6th. New Signature worked with the Alliance to design and construct the site which features discussion boards, an online resource library, events, community profiles and directory, announcements, and polls. Access to the site is by invitation only. Once registered and logged on, each member is greeted with a personal home page presenting the latest content in his or her areas of interest. In addition, members can search or browse content and they can sign up to receive a weekly digest of the latest material via email.The site is an important tool that will allow charter school leaders across the country to collaborate remotely to share best practices and improve the quality of local charter schools by tapping the expertise of colleagues nationwide. Members can work together to achieve their common goals by sharing experience across broad topics including: Advocacy; Communications and Public Relations; Quality; Sustainability, Revenue and Membership; and Internal Operations. (more…)
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January 5, 2010
Dodging Diabetes Charity Dodgeball Tournament Website Re-Envisioned
New Signature is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Dodging Diabetes Charity Dodgeball Tournament website. New Signature worked with Dodging Diabetes’ founders Anna Tiedeman Irwin and Elizabeth Kramer to re-envision the graphic design, information architecture and functionality of this interactive website. The site was built on the WordPress content management system in order to provide the founders and volunteers with an easy way to update content on the website. In addition, the site leverages active.com to provide registration, donation, and team fundraising functions.Anna Tiedeman Irwin, Elizabeth Kramer and a team of volunteers from the D.C. area founded the Dodging Diabetes charity in 2005 to raise money and awareness to defeat diabetes for good. Both Anna and Elizabeth have brothers who live with Type 1 diabetes. Dodging Diabetes has netted over $40,000 for the Joslin Diabetes Center through its annual charity dodgeball tournaments. (more…)
