The Newest (and Coolest Looking) SMART Services Vehicle

Check out the latest edition to the SMART Services vehicle fleet - a 2009 Chevy HHR. The car is decked-out in a colorful graphic wrap that features circuits, chips, cables, and other computer components incorporated into a classic "hot rod" look.

Click here to check it out on YouTube!

GLAD 2009 Recap

Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD), presented by the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, turned out to be another excellent event. Great presentations were given throughout the day by Steve Anderson, Angelyn Treutel, and SMART I.T. Services very own Bryant Caudill (pictured). Agents learned about leveraging social media and having an online presence in order to nurture relationships, build new ones, and stand out amongst the crowd.

Steve Anderson kicked off the event by explaining why people and business professionals need to pay attention to social media. After Angelyn Treutel showed the audience how her agency is incorporating social media tools as part of its sales and customer service strategy, Bryant Caudill demonstrated how to set up a Google AdWords account and campaign to drive traffic to an agency’s web site.

Vendor booths, lunch, and a whole lot of networking rounded out the busy day. Thank you to everyone who stoppped by the SMART I.T. Services booth(s) at the show (we had two of them). It was great to see some familiar faces and some new ones as well!

Are You Being Buried in Paper?

Learn how the latest docStar software can take your agency from being buried in paper to best practices by attending this free webinar on Monday, November 23rd.

This 45 minute session will show you how docStar's electronic document management system helps you virtually eliminate paper and associated costs, find documents quickly and easily, allow remote employees to access documents from any location, increase overall productivity, and more.

Date: November 23, 2009
Time: 1 pm Eastern

Register: Click here to register for this free webinar

Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD) 2009

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents will be holding its annual Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD) event on November 6, 2009 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The theme for this year's event is "Agencies in the Age of Social Media."

Do you think social media is just a fad? Come find out what the experts think about its potential benefits and the best practices to utilizing it at your insurance agency.

Speakers for GLAD 2009 include Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services, Steve Anderson, and Angelyn Treautel of the IIABA's Agents Council for Technology.

Don't miss out on this great event! Visit http://www.michagent.org/ more information and to register.

Webinar: Best Practices for IT Budgeting

Proper IT budgeting can help your business reduce unexpected costs, minimize equipment downtime, strategically plan the usage of your IT resources, and determine the return on investment of your IT expenditures. Research also suggests that companies with successful IT budget management are able to prevent budget overruns and get the most out of their infrastructure.

Join SMART I.T. Services for a webinar on October 28, “Best Practices for IT Budgeting,” and learn how to maximize the effectiveness of your IT budget.

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT
Register: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/166350627

SMARTservices.com Gets a New Look

We are pleased to announce that we've redesigned our website, SMARTservices.com.

Our revamped site is now on a content management system (CMS), enabling us to make continous updates and improvements on the fly. Please bare with us as any minor tweaks and changes are made to improve functionality.

The site contains the integration of video, social media, relevant news feeds, and more to provide visitors with a variety of information and resources. Check it out!

Another Successful Lunch & Learn

SMART I.T. Services would like to thank everyone who attended our Lunch & Learn on the topic of electronic document management. Turnout was excellent and feedback we received was very positive.

Jerry Fetty of SMART I.T. Services presented the many benefits of electronic document management and Rusty Keighron of DocStar demonstrated the latest and greatest features of DocStar 3ten.

Information about our next Lunch & Learn being held in Grand Rapids will be available in the coming weeks.

Only a Few Seats Available for Our Lunch & Learn

There are only a few seats still available for our Lunch & Learn on September 22, 2009. The event, "How to Save Money & Increase Productivity with Electronic Document Management," will show attendees how electronic document management can help reduce costs associated with paper, improve employee productivity, create workflow efficiencies, improve responsiveness to customers, and more.

Date: September 22, 2009

Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Please arrive between 11:30 am and Noon)

Cost: FREE - lunch will be provided

Where:

SMART I.T. Services

34715 Van Dyke Ave. (Van Dyke & 15 Mile, next to the Best Western Sterling Inn)

Sterling Heights, MI 48312

Register today at smartservices.eventbrite.com.

What You Need to Know About Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups

Our webinar, "What You Need to Know About Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups", from August 26 is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel.

Upcoming Webinar: What You Need to Know about Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups

In this day and age, proper retention of company data is not only important, it is critical to staying in business. With the ongoing risk of data loss and regulatory compliance concerns, there has never been a better time to make sure that your archiving, data retention, and backup practices are adequate.

Join SMART Services for our free webinar, “What You Need to Know about Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups”, and discover strategies and best practices for protecting your data and minimizing your risk of data loss.

Title:
What You Need to Know about Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups

Date:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Time:
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/315312826

Webinar: Online Threat Forecast & Prevention Strategies

Viruses, spyware, phishing scams, and other threats are constantly evolving, posing potential harm in the form of data loss, compromise of customer information which could lead to a lawsuit, slow network performance, and more.

Watch our webinar, "Online Threat Forecast & Prevention Strategies", to learn more about the latest online threats and how to help protect against them.

SMART I.T. Services Hires Vanni as Account Manager

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI (July 16, 2009) – SMART I.T. Services, Inc., information technology services provider, recently announced that Doug Vanni has been appointed Account Manager for the company.

Vanni’s responsibilities will include marketing SMART I.T. Services’ automation and technology services, including S.M.A.R.T. Services®, electronic content management, intelligent telephony, and other solutions, as well as managing existing accounts.

Vanni brings with him 10 years of sales and marketing experience with extensive knowledge of the insurance industry, most recently working for a leading comparative rating software provider. Vanni has a background in Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service and earned an M.B.A in Marketing from St. John Fisher College of Rochester, NY.

“I have known Doug for years and he is highly regarded in the insurance industry for his relationships and professionalism. He will be a great asset at our company and we are please to have him on our team,” stated Jerry Fetty, CEO.

About SMART I.T. Services, Inc.
SMART I.T. Services, Inc. is an information technology (IT) services provider that has been serving insurance agencies since 1991. Businesses have turned to SMART I.T. Services, Inc. to reduce their IT costs, increase productivity, and gain peace of mind. Additionally, SMART I.T. Services is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is certified under the Managed Service Providers Accreditation Program (MSAP) by the MSP Alliance. For more information, visit SMARTservices.com.

###

Kleinschmidt Insurance Partners with SMART I.T. Services to Reduce IT Costs and Increase Efficiency

ANN ARBOR, MI (July 14, 2009) – Kleinschmidt Insurance of Ann Arbor, Michigan, an independent insurance agency, partnered with SMART I.T. Services, Inc. of Sterling Heights, Michigan to help improve their productivity and profitability by moving their agency management system in-house. Kleinschmidt’s agency management system, Applied’s The Agency Manager (TAM), was previously hosted off-site by a third-party.

Kleinschmidt made the decision to bring their agency management system and related infrastructure back in-house to help increase speed and operability of the system, which will lead to increased employee productivity and reduced downtime.

New infrastructure for the agency includes technology such as Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 with Microsoft Exchange, SMART BDR Backup and Disaster Recovery services, and more. In addition, they opted for a proactive approach to managing their network by selecting the S.M.A.R.T. Services® Platinum program offered by SMART I.T. Services.

Since moving their agency management system back in-house, Kleinschmidt reports that their network is running faster, allowing employees to be more productive.

“Moving Kleinschmidt Insurance’s agency management system in house will provide them with a much more stable, reliable, and robust system. This will result in increased productivity and reduced costs associated with productivity loss and downtime,” commented Jerry Fetty, CEO of SMART I.T. Services. “Overall, they are investing in the future of their insurance agency by making these strategic decisions.”

About Kleinschmidt Insurance
Kleinschmidt Insurance is an independent insurance agency that has been insuring businesses and families since 1926. The agency represents more than 25 insurance companies to provide business, home, auto, life, health, and other insurance solutions. For more information, visit kleinschmidtinsurance.com.

About SMART I.T. Services, Inc.
SMART I.T. Services, Inc. is an information technology services provider that has been helping insurance agencies increase their productivity and profitability since 1991. SMART I.T. Services is the only managed services provider in Michigan certified under the Managed Service Providers Accreditation Program (MSAP) by the MSP Alliance. For more information, visit SMARTservices.com.

###

Extreme Technology Makeover Update

SMART I.T. Services recently caught up with Holly Rossell of Action Insurance, winner of our 2009 Extreme Technology Makeover, to talk about SMARTweb Defense, a solution for curbing unauthorized employee web surfing and defending against threats like viruses and spyware. Check out the footage as Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services trains Holly on the in-depth reporting features of SMARTweb Defense.

Wouldn't it be nice to receive SMARTweb Defense for your business? Apply for our next Extreme Technology Makeover and it could be yours, too!

Webinar: How to Get the Most Out of Outlook 2007

Microsoft Outlook 2007 users - our "How to Get the Most Out of Outlook 2007" webinar is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Presented on June 24, 2009, this informative webinar shows you how to automate tasks, increase productivity, and make your life a little easier with Outlook 2007.

Managing Spam and Employee Web Browsing

93% of organizations have had a virus, worm, or trojan horse successfully infiltrate their network through email (Source: Osterman Research, Inc.) and 30 to 40% of internet browsing is non-job related (Source: IDC Research).

Spam emails are more than just a nuisance – they pose threats to your network security and contribute to lost productivity from having to manage them on a daily basis. Unauthorized employee web browsing is not only a productivity killer; it increases the chances of viruses infiltrating your network and can lead to security breaches.

Our "Managing Spam and Employee Web Browsing" webinar from May 27, 2009 discusses how to prevent spam and associated threats, as well as prevent unauthorized employee web surfing. This webinar is broken into five parts and is viewable by clicking here.

Lunch & Learn at the IIAI Conference Center in Indianapolis

Hey Indianapolis area agencies! You're invited to join SMART I.T. Services on June 16, 2009 for “How to Reduce Your IT Costs 30 to 50%”, part of our quarterly Lunch and Learn series.

This hour-long event will be hosted at the IIAI Conference Center.

• See how to reduce costs associated with network performance and downtime
• Learn how you can reduce your business cost of data,
• Discover how to cut costs and reduce threats associated with spam email messages and unauthorized employee web surfing
• Door prizes
• Lunch is provided compliments of SMART I.T. Services!

When:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Where:
IIAI Conference Center
3435 W. 96th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46268

Cost:
FREE! Registration is quick and easy - click here to register.

Proper Data Backup and Recovery Methods

20% of small to medium businesses will suffer a major disaster causing loss of critical data every 5 years. (Source: Richmond House Group)

Watch our "Proper Data Backup and Recovery Methods" webinar presented on April 22, 2009 to learn best practices for keeping your company data safe and secure.

This webinar is part of our webinars playlist created within our SMART I.T. Services, Inc. YouTube Channel. Now you can go straight to our webinar playlist so you don't have to sort through our numerous videos to find what you're looking for. Now that's SMART!

It's Back... Extreme Technology Makeover 2010

SMART I.T. Services, Inc. is proud to announce that entries are now being accepted for our Extreme Technology Makeover 2010 giveaway. Action Insurance of Utica, MI won our 2009 giveaway. You could be next!

This makeover includes technology that can help increase employee productivity, gain overall efficiencies, reduce IT costs, prevent data loss and associated expenses and increase overall profitability. Does this sound like something your business could use in these tough economic times? Then enter for your chance to win our Extreme Technology Makeover by clicking here.

Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 Opening Video

By popular demand, the grand opening from Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 is available for viewing, featuring Jerry Fetty as Super Smart IT Guy.

Extreme Technology Makeover Video Submission for Action Insurance

Action Insurance of Utica, MI was the winner of SMART I.T. Services' Extreme Technology Makeover. They were announced as the winner at Take Your Agency to the Next Level on January 30, 2009. Check out their creative video submission for the technology makeover!

Webinar: Creating and Maintaining a Free Intranet Site

Keeping information and company resources organized can be challenging. In today’s economy, it is especially important to have your systems as organized as possible to maintain optimal efficiency.

On February 25, 2009, Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services presented "Creating and Maintaining a Free Intranet Site," a webinar that gave a first-hand look at what Microsoft SharePoint has to offer and how to easily organize your company resources by setting up an intranet site of your own.

Follow along as Bryant guides you through setting up a sample intranet site using SharePoint. This webinar is broken up into 6 sections, clocking in around an hour. Visit our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/smartitservices to view the complete webinar.

Stay tuned for our next webinar, "Increasing Productivity with Remote Workers," taking place on March 25, 2009 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am.

Lunch and Learn - Lansing

Hey Lansing area agencies! You're invited to join SMART I.T. Services on March 26, 2009 for “How to Reduce Your IT Costs 30 to 50%”, part of our quarterly lunch and learn series.

• Learn how you can reduce your business cost of data,
• Discover how to cut costs and reduce threats associated with spam email messages and unauthorized employee web surfing
• Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of our “5 Ways to Increase Your Agency’s Profitability” report, commissioned for the benefit of insurance agencies like yours
• Lunch is provided compliments of SMART I.T. Services!

When:
Thursday, March 26, 2009 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Where:
MAIA
1141 Centennial Way
Lansing, MI 48917

To register, visit http://www.smartservices.eventbrite.com/

Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 Wrap Up Pt. 2

Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 Wrap Up Pt. 1

Thank you to everyone who attended Take Your Agency to the Next Level on January 30, 2009! This year's event was another success, with the overwhelming favorite session being "Ask the Geeks", where Jerry Fetty and Bryant Caudill answered a wide-range of technology and automation questions.

Not only did attendees walk away with a wealth of information and guidance from SMART I.T. Services, many left the seminar with some great prize giveaways just for attending.

The biggest winner of the day was Action Insurance (pictured left with Jerry Fetty) of Utica, MI, who were awarded with our $60,000 Extreme Agency Technology Makeover. Hetrick & Associates of Marquette, MI and Burr & Company of Grand Rapids, MI were also finalists for the makeover. In the coming months, Action Insurance will receive a variety of technology solutions to help increase the productivity of their agency.

Check back often for videos and additional tidbits from the seminar. In the meantime, check out a few pictures from Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 below.

Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 is almost here!

Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2009 is fast approaching. Be sure to sign up now before it's too late! This annual seminar presented by SMART I.T. Services takes place on January 30, 2009 at the Best Western Sterling Inn Conference Center in Sterling Heights, MI.

• Discover the latest technology and how to implement it to increase productivity and profitability
  


• Learn how to get the most out of the technology you already have
  


• Extended "Ask the Geeks!" session based on feedback from last year's seminar - bring your questions for the geeks!
  


• Find out what other agencies like yours are doing to stay competitive in this soft market

Click here for more information and to register!

Happy Holidays!

SMART I.T. Services, Inc. would like to wish you happy holidays and a very prosperous new year!