November 1, 2006 – IT may be a daunting task to some, but with a few adjustments you can have your IT work for you and not the other way around. Many companies view IT as an overhead cost, often times these companies are the same ones that react to IT problems when they happen - instead of thinking of the big picture. Your IT can be a driving force to gain profitability and increase productivity. Your edge is gaining the insight on how to think proactively and leverage your IT to improve your bottom line.

1. Business Intelligence How well do you know your own business? BI is having access to current data about how your company is performing in designated key performance areas. Digital dashboards are often utilized … data is pulled from various sources, with the dashboard containing concise reports on each critical area your business must execute, and where you are vs benchmarks. President of DynaSis Complete IT David Moorman comments, “Reporting on performance measurements is key in reaching your goals for adding profit and reducing overhead costs. At the end of the day, information is what is going to get you ahead of your competitors.” For example, wouldn’t it be nice to predict the amount of inventory you need months in advance simply by tracking your sales pipeline, thus reducing unnecessary warehouse costs or taxes? BI is usually “real-time” or very close to it, providing you the critical information required to make solid business decisions. Reports focus on profits, customer satisfaction, efficiency, inventory, sales, productivity and more.
2. Software Integration Software integration is basically allowing two different software packages to exchange data per your specific requirements. Automating routine processes and eliminating redundant data entry are a couple of items that fall under software integration. Consider this scenario: your customers currently order your product by phone, requiring a dedicated professional to stop what they are doing and take orders. Why not simplify this process by implementing an e-commerce website, where clients can easily browse and purchase online? Integrating an e-commerce web site with your accounting software can automatically create invoices and post payments for orders placed online. This eliminates data entry required to keep your accounting data up to date, freeing up time for more productive activities.

3. Create an Extranet An Extranet is a secure web site designed to serve your customer base as an extension of traditional customer service efforts. Permission-based user management ensures that each customer has access to only their company information, and not another company’s. In addition, access levels dictate which reports or functionality each user has access to. These sites are great for streamlining and automating routine processes, and providing for efficient information exchange between you and your customer. Using an Extranet can help your clients access data and services easily, reducing the time you and your employees spend answering questions- allowing you to focus on your core responsibilities.
4. Internet Marketing Internet marketing consists of a variety of ways to gain new and repeat customers for your business via your website. Internet marketing includes: email marketing, affiliate programs, link exchanges, and banner advertising. One of the most effective methods is known as search engine marketing. With search engine marketing, you research which "keywords" your prospective customers use to find your products or services in the search engines. As long as people are actively searching for your products or services online, search engine marketing is superior to traditional forms because the audience is coming to you and has a current need for your product or service, allowing you to increase online sales or convert online leads to sales. Search engine marketing also allows you to measure the effectiveness of your website at converting visitors to sales. Lachlan Brown, SEM Director for DynaSis commented, “Internet marketing in its various forms is an extremely effective form of marketing that results in bottom line return on investment. With it you can put your message in front of your target audience at the exact time they are looking for information, and you can track the return in a precise way not possible with traditional, offline marketing."

5. Outsourcing Your IT Several benefits are available for firms that choose to hire an outside IT service provider rather than an in-house professional. With an outsourced company you gain a larger knowledge base of professionals that hold a wide array of certifications, while an in-house IT professional has limited knowledge and resources. An outside company also lets your valued employees who may have other job responsibilities focus on core competencies. Those professionals can now be dedicated to tasks the increase profitability instead of spending their time on IT problems. Lastly, the costs associated with downtime if an in-house professional is sick or on vacation increases, not to mention benefits costs, while an outside company has many employees capable of overseeing your account.
6. Software as a Service An ASP or Application Service Provider model can help reduce unnecessary costs while ensuring your software and hardware are maintained and up-to-date. In an ASP model, all your software and files can be fed over an Internet connection; data is safely stored and backed up. The cost of the service includes software and hardware that is hosted on the provider’s site, so you are always guaranteed the latest versions without upgrading or patching; licensing hassles are also eliminated. Companies benefit from a per user charge or bandwidth charge for the entire service with costs directly relating to the size of the workforce in the event of growth or downsizing.

7. Disaster Recovery While this form of technology may be more preventative in nature, thinking ahead to safeguard your digital assets may save your company itself, not to mention money. Backing up your data to begin with is crucial to disaster recovery, as losing confidential client records or employee data can be detrimental. Using tape drives to store company data is not as reliable as it once was due to advances and price breaks in disk to disk solutions which allow for real time recoveries.
Other techniques like off-site data backup at a secure data center can reduce your risk of data loss due to disasters that occur on your site. Andy Dunlop, an expert in data protection and disaster recovery for DynaSis Complete IT says, "Often people don't realize how much they have invested in their data until they don't have it. When recognizing the cost of data loss, it quickly comes to light that a good regular backup is essential to any IT infrastructure. Whether a single spreadsheet is accidentally deleted or a natural disaster destroys your file servers, you can recover if you have copies of the data; and by having copies at diverse locations, you can ensure you are prepared for a crisis."

Using techniques like those listed above will create a mind set of proactivity. IT will no longer be a hindrance to business, but it will help streamline processes to make your company money and impact your bottom line. For more information contact DynaSis Complete IT Solutions at 770.569.4600.

October 18, 2006 – The City of Atlanta’s Ethics Office has chosen DynaSis, an IT company in Roswell, Georgia, to design their new web portal, a web-based filing system for financial disclosure forms. The portal will be used for city officials to file for expenditure reimbursements, gift reports, campaign contributions, state financial disclosures, and conflict of interest reports. The e-filing system also permits citizens to review the financial information disclosed by officials, employees, and candidates who file online.

The goal of the e-filing project was to give citizens better access to ethics disclosure forms and automate the past method of paper filing. City officials, employees, and candidates will now be able to fill out reports online, allowing for increased productivity and less paperwork for the City.

An added search feature enables the public to review online the assets and income sources of city officials and employees as well as the campaign contributions made to candidates and their campaign committees. Ethics officer Ginny Looney describes her thoughts on the e-filing system, “The public search feature of the e-filing system is a powerful tool that arms citizens with vital facts about the way our city operates. With this information, citizens are empowered to make more informed decisions in voting and to hold public officials accountable for their actions.” For example, citizens can view in .PDF format the campaign finance data of candidates for municipal office in this year’s elections, determine the candidates who have received contributions from specific developers and city contractors, and discover which city employees earned income in 2004 from companies doing business with the City. The disclosure forms may be viewed online at https://apps.atlantaga.gov/efile/search.asp.

DynaSis Business Solutions is a division of DynaSis that specializes in web design, applications development, IT consulting, software integration, and search engine marketing. Visit www.dynasis.com or call 770.569.4600 to learn more about DynaSis.

“With DynaSis Digital Veins plan, they show up when they say they will, they fix what they say they will. When I have a question, I get an honest answer. A lot of companies say they will provide this level of system support. DynaSis really does it and they make it look easy.”

- Luke Kassler

Roswell, GA -August 31, 2006- DynaSis Complete IT Solutions today announced that it will partner with Cisco Systems to provide an "Extreme Technology Makeover" for a deserving business in the Atlanta metro area. The makeover will include a new network complete with servers, software, a VoIP phone system and technical service plan, amounting to $75,000. Cisco will supply all equipment necessary and DynaSis will supply business expertise as well as a proactive service plan. Extreme Technology Makeover nominations can be completed online at www.DynaSisITMakeover.com beginning August 31st through mid-October. The kickoff event for the contest is August 31st ,which will be held at the Fox Theater as Catalyst presents “Atlanta’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs and Top 10 One’s to Watch”.

Businesses throughout the greater Atlanta area have the chance to win the technology makeover, which consists of: a Strategic Technology Review; a complete network infrastructure, including servers and software; Digital Veins Guardian, DynaSis' highest level of service plan; and a Cisco VoIP phone system. After completing the nomination form online, the top ten businesses, as selected by DynaSis and Cisco Systems, will be interviewed for the chance to win the "Extreme Technology Makeover.” A second place winner will be awarded a Strategic Technology Review with managed services such as Data Vault Offsite Backup, SpamSniper and Managed Security in the amount of $7,500; finally, third place will receive a strategic technology review worth $3500. The grand prize winner and runners up will be announced live at the November Catalyst Magazine Awards in Atlanta, Georgia.

“We have a passion for helping businesses make the most strategic and effective technology decisions,” said David Moorman, president of DynaSis. “This contest will allow DynaSis to share not only technical knowledge to one deserving company, but knowledge regarding how to make a business more profitable. "

DynaSis is a Complete IT Solutions provider offering IT infrastructure, managed services, business solutions, and technical support. To learn more about the "Extreme Technology Makeover", visit www.DynaSisITMakeover.com.

Roswell, GA- April 3, 2006. This past month, DynaSis participated in Hands On Atlanta's annual Technology Service Day, a day benefiting schools and non-profits. Technology Service Day serves to educate the community on basic Internet and computer skills to bridge the digital divide among citizens of all ages and backgrounds. Companies participating in Technology Service Day helped build computer networks, teach computer education classes, landscape grounds, and paint facilities. Volunteers gathered in downtown Atlanta for a kick-off breakfast, then separated into teams for assignments across the Atlanta-metro area.

Saturday, March 18th 2006 , DynaSis volunteers came to help Atlanta based "Jesus Set the Captives Free", a non-profit organization that supports the rehabilitation of the homeless and ex-offenders by providing shelter, computer training, and faith based mentoring. The DynaSis team spent a half day building a computer network, clearing the grounds of debris, planting a vegetable garden, and painting the facility. Residents will be able to learn basic Internet and computer skills through the use of the network, as well as earn their GED online. The garden will provide a project for the residents to work on and eventually profit from through the sale of produce in the community. The shelter itself will house two individuals and a family among its three apartments, and will also provide a meeting place for others in the community to assemble for training and mentoring.

DynaSis' President David Moorman commented, "It was a rewarding experience to be able to use our skills to help people that need a second chance help themselves into a better life. Technology is becoming more and more important in everyday life and we are happy to help educate the community." Project coordinators in charge of scheduling volunteers for the event, such as Arlene Browne, work for organizations like "Jesus Set the Captives Free" on a voluntary basis. Her project is also in partnership with "Hosea Feed the Hungry" and can offer food and clothing to those in need. To learn more about participating in a Hands on Atlanta Event in your area, visit www.handsonatlanta.org.

DynaSis Complete IT solutions specializes in IT infrastructure, Managed Services, Business Solutions, and Technical Support. Want to learn more about DynaSis? Visit "www.dynasis.com" www.dynasis.com, or call 770.569.4600.

All property management firms, no matter their size, play the game of "connect the technology dots" between the corporate office and remote locations. More than a decade ago, multi-family apartment management company HMI Property Solutions, Inc., won that game with help from ITility by DynaSis, DynaSis's "anytime, anywhere," remote access technology. Today, ITility by DynaSis has become more valuable than ever, and company management says they cannot imagine operating without it.
"At the time we began working with DynaSis, we had property management software running at eight remote locations," says HMI Enterprises, Inc. President Hugh M. "Don" Inman, Jr. "The software worked fine in its own silo, but the team in our corporate office didn’t have access to the data except through printed reports. DynaSis developed a solution that brought the data into the office so the corporate team could access it. This streamlined our ability to operate."

Far-Reaching Benefits

What began as a solution to centralize isolated data has grown into a fully hosted solution that also enables HMI employees to work from other locations, as well. Today, DynaSis manages and maintains all of HMI's applications, including the original property management software. DynaSis handles all software updates and license renewals, as well as monitoring and maintenance of any solution-related hardware located at the HMI office. For this service, HMI pays a preset monthly fee, per user.

Employees at all HMI-managed or owned properties access data and applications via a secure, dedicated interface, not only at the corporate or remote offices but at any location, any time they choose. This enables workshifting, letting employees access email, applications and other data outside of office hours and locations to facilitate performance of their jobs.

"ITility by DynaSis gives us the ability to work with our employees and their schedules," says Inman. "One employee in our corporate office works from home on Fridays due to childcare-related issues. If I can’t get into the office, I can just pop onto my home computer and not have to lose a day of work. It affords us incredible flexibility."

Superior Performance

Inman says DynaSis and ITility by DynaSis not only expand HMI's functional footprint; they also make company operations—and his work day—more productive. "I can measure the success of our relationship by how infrequently I have to speak with them," Inman says. "It’s seamless. We are heavily reliant on the system being up and available and that has never been an issue. They provide all of the support and the virus scanning and backups—everything. It’s great because I don’t have to worry about it."

Inman also reports that adding and removing users is a breeze. "In our industry, there is a fair amount of turnover among workers at the site level. When a new employee comes on board, one call sets that person up, and if he or she has any familiarity with computers, the solution is straightforward and simple. We don’t have to worry about that user not being ready to go as soon as they hit the ground."

Ready to Work, Now and in the Future

"Because of our remote locations, if we had to bring applications and data hosting and management back in-house today, it would be a train wreck," Inman says. "We don’t have the technical expertise or scale to have an internal IT department. I don't need to know what DynaSis is doing, and that is the beauty of it."

DynaSis is currently helping HMI expand its use of technology to better communicate with tenants and the public at large. ITility by DynaSis is providing the hosted access platform for other solutions that will invite tenants to send maintenance requests to leasing offices and pay rent online, and enable prospects to view apartment pricing for various floor plans in real time.

"We have been very pleased with ITility by DynaSis and DynaSis, and we would highly recommend them," says Inman. In fact, he says he has already given other companies good reports regarding the firm. "I am in a position to give DynaSis a very positive reference," he notes.

"I’m in the business of running a business, not of being an IT expert," Inman concludes. "With DynaSis, this is one of the aspects of running a business that I don’t have to worry about. And, if I did have something to worry about, I would know who to call."

About the Client

HMI Property Solutions Inc. is a privately held, family owned property management company founded in 1993. The company owns or manages 1600 units in the metro Atlanta area and Dalton, GA and has a combined staff of 60 employees. HMI strives to be an industry leader in customer service to both its clients and the residents of the communities it manages. For more information, visit www.hmipropertysolutions.com.

“We needed new software, servers, and desktop terminals, everything was being managed in-house,”explained Alexander. “But it was soon clear that we were growing beyond capacity and that would have to outsource, but to whom?”, said Director of IT, Ron Alexander. The answer became clear when the team discovered DynaSis and its state-of-the-art, full-service ITility by DynaSis program.