1648 Western Ave - Opposite Crossgates Mall

Albany, NY 12203 518.452.0550

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January 7, 2010                                                                 Tim Cronin (518) 859-8647

Liberteks.com, Inc. Receives 2009 Best of Business Award

Small Business Commerce Association’s Award Honors the Achievement

SAN FRANSICO — Liberteks.com, Inc. has been selected for the 2009 Best of Business Award in the Computers category by the Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) in the Computers category.

The SBCA 2009 Award Program recognizes the top 5 percent of small businesses throughout the country. Using consumer feedback, the SBCA identifies companies that it believes have demonstrated what makes small businesses a vital part of the American economy.

The selection committee chooses the award winners from nominees based on information taken from monthly surveys administered by the SBCA, a review of consumer rankings, and other consumer reports. Award winners are a valuable asset to their community and exemplify what makes small businesses great.

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About Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA):

Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) is a San Francisco based organization. The SBCA is a private sector entity that aims to provide tactical guidance with many day to day issues that small business owners face. In addition to our main goal of providing a central repository of small business operational advice; we use consumer feedback to identify companies that exemplify what makes small business a vital part of the American economy.

About Liberteks.com:

Since 1991, Liberteks.com has committed itself to excellence in consultative selling and service to small businesses and personal computer client. Liberteks.com provides timely and critical information along with expert assistance in the ever-changing computer marketplace.

I was watching the “Jersey Shore” on MTV last night, when my thoughts turned to reports by the Cato Institute, Free Enterprise Nation, and others, which found that federal worker wages were 50 percent greater than the average private employee.

When wages and benefits are combined, federal employees receive twice the amount of compensation than private sector employees.

There’s a fundamental disconnect there, in my opinion. You have to wonder who’s serving who.  Private business is the engine that drives the economy and pays the taxes, and the economy is still struggling in many aspects.

As a small business owner and a taxpayer, I have often wondered how much government spending is really necessary and how long can we continue to fund government at the rate that we do. Now we’re at the point where the private sector is struggling to compete with the compensation provided by the public sector.

With deficits mounting at every level of government, you have to ask how much longer this excessive rate of government spending can go on.

While it would be easy to say that we could eliminate all government services – and pay no taxes — there are necessary government functions. The question is how many programs and agencies do we really need, and what should be adequate compensation. I’ll leave those decisions to the experts and the voters (and to you my readers), but it seems to me something’s got to give.

In business, when times are tight you have to reduce expenses and payroll. It’s difficult, but it is necessary when revenue is on the decline. That’s the business cycle. This reality often does not always affect the public sector however, and we witness negotiated employees raises year in and year out regardless of the overall economy.

Government, however, can act immune from these economic realities if it is allowed to borrow money recklessly and without oversight by the voters.

In my opinion it’s the syndrome of “other people’s money,” where it’s easy to spend lavishly when you don’t have a stake in the consequences. All too often that is case with public funds. I further believe that the downsizing principles that businesses have been applying since about the late ’70s need to be applied to government, and other sectors such as health care and education. In this way every dollar is accounted for and spent efficiently, and we begin to restructure government.   We can’t continue the way we’re now going.

I recently attended a workshop on blogging and social media networking, where I learned that I need to continue to work to develop original, dynamic content, that keeps my audience interested and engaged, in order to create a true on-line dialogue.

One of the routine tasks to be performed is the updating and maintenance of email reader lists, where individuals are added to and deleted from the list as per their request.

I recently had the occasion where an email recipient requested to be deleted from the list, a request to which we complied. His email read as follows:

Turns out I did not recognize him at a business mixer sometime back, hence his desire to be removed from the list for a blog that was providing him — I thought — with a wealth of interesting info on smAlbany, technology and small business, etc.

I found this situation to be unfortunate (in a number of ways), but what can you do…

Rather than trying to be ”memorable” on account of his personality, work accomplishments or standing in the community, he was looking for “professional recognition” from me in our encounter. Because he did not receive this recognition, he wanted to be removed from the list.

This incident reminded me of an event that occurred to me in my early 20’s, when I was just out of college. I was at a technology trade show in Las Vegas and in a conversation with one of my colleagues who was a few years more senior in the business than me. In the middle of our discussion he walked away from me in mid-sentence, and I had no idea where he was off to. Turns out he went off to talk with a good looking woman from one of the other venders at the show.  I was quite offended.

When he got back he was unapologetic, despite the offense I took. He told me: “Don’t take it so personally.” When you have an opportunity, you take it, he said.

I learned a lot from this incident, and have carried this concept with me in my business networking. When you have less than five years in a professional capacity, it’s understandable (but not always attractive) to seek “professional recognition” from others, but for people who’ve been in business for years, I suggest that instead you work to be memorable, and when something comes up, no matter what, “Don’t take it so personally.”

Simple is good. Simple is fast and easy. And when it comes to your computer, you should always keep it as simple as you can.

Everyone thinks computers are complicated, but I believe the best way to manage a computer network is by keeping it simple, so that you never have to think about the technology. (Do you ever worry about how the electricity in your house works when you turn on the light?)

Einstein said “Keep it simple, but no simpler,” and that’s what our technicians do at Liberteks.com. We take a complex assortment of operating systems, applications, networks and files and make it simple, fast and easy to use — you dont’t need to think or worry about the computer.

Too often, computer users have added applications that muck up and slow down the computer’s performance. You know, those old photo display programs (Picasa, etc.) or trial software that are still on your hard drive taking up space, constantly bugging you to purchase them as well as interfering with other programs and slowing down your system.

I don’t mean to be crude, but it’s like trying to put 10 pounds of ass into 5 pounds of pants…

Today those functions are often available on you operating system or on preinstalled software programs.

In the same way, there had been the trend to develop custom programs for a business’ specific operating. I would argue that this is costly and unnecessary in the majority of circumstances.

And that’s where Liberteks.com “Best Practices” and “Managed Care” programs come in. We clean up your system, remove old programs and files and reconfigure you system to run more efficiently. I’ve been told by my customers that their computers operate even faster after an upgrade than they did when they were first purchased.

On the business end, most small businesses would find it more efficient and cost effective to use pre-developed software and incorporate it into their system. Most programs can be customized to meet your exact specifications, and provide all of the functionality you seek.

The benefits of this approach are numerous. Your network runs smoother and more efficiently by uploading the specific programs you need. Upgrade and repair/reprogramming costs are significantly reduced.