In This Issue:

• Business Solutions That Make "Cents"
• Accent's Newest Service - Network Monitoring by Gary Lowe
• Accent Managed Services (AMS) by Steve Hearst
• Did You Know We also Provide Paging? by Sam Mackay
• Structured Cabling by Joe Bash
• Economic Stimulus Tax—Deduct Cost of Equipment by Steve Hearst
• Accent Welcomes New Employees

As we promised in our August newsletter, Accent Information Systems is happy to share with our customers the latest offerings and technology tips that can benefit your business. Please take a few moments to see what’s new in the communications industry, and how Accent can help your company improve productivity, and meet and exceed the expectations our your clients.

Business Solutions That Make "Cents"

As businesses, we must always look at investments that provide an appropriate ROI (return on investment). Given the current cost of fuel, all businesses are experiencing increased costs of travel. There are numerous technologies available today that not only assist in travel savings, but also have a positive influence on productivity, resulting in maximizing the ROI.

Any technology that allows us to save travel costs should be reviewed and given real consideration. Remember, the fuel expense is just one piece of the travel cost. “Total cost of travel” must include lost productivity, total vehicle expense, and labor expenses.

Some of the many technologies that Accent offers as solutions to consider include:

• Increased network functionality
• Improved voice communications
• Voice conferencing
• Video conferencing
• Unified messaging
• Real time monitoring of our secure environments (DVR solutions)
• Employee time tracking through key FOB access.

Call us today for business solutions that will enhance your organization’s productivity and provide the best possible ROI - business solutions that make “cents”.

Accent's Newest Service - Network Monitoring by Gary Lowe

Have you ever said, “My network is slow?” You’re at a loss as to why. You struggle with computers and servers, call your Internet service provider, and everyone points a finger at the other guy.

Accent is pleased to be able to offer network monitoring. Network monitoring allows you to see exactly what is happening in your network. Key points in a network are monitored for the amount of traffic. Statistics are collected and averaged to 5-minute intervals. This allows you to see how the network is performing currently. The statistics are also accumulated by the day, week, month, and year so that network usage trends can be seen and informed decisions can be made about network changes.

Alerts can be set up to alert you when certain equipment “goes down” at any time or place. This allows you to take a proactive approach to fixing your network. Instead of the users informing you of problems, you are notified immediately and can deal with the problem before it costs time, reduces productivity, and hampers your ability to serve your customers.

Let us set up a network monitoring system for your business. It will speed troubleshooting network issues, and provide valuable information when evaluating network changes and upgrades. Responses to network problems will be immediate and precise.

For more information, contact Gary Lowe, Network Engineer, at (740) 548-7378 or toll free at (800) 589-7379.

Accent Managed Services (AMS) by Steve Hearst

Today, eight out of ten American companies, from small operations to Fortune 100 companies, recognize that the value of their telecommunications equipment comes from using it, not owning it. To serve this need, Accent is pleased to offer Accent Managed Services which combines the reliability of an on-premises Accent system with the convenience of a simple monthly rental fee for system usage.

Accent Managed Services enables us to bundle offerings of network assessments, equipment, installation, support, taxes, shipping, optional system health checks, software upgrades (meaning software subscription) services and wrap it all up in a simple rental package which provides all this and more at a low monthly payment.

Accent Managed Services is a good fit for the businesses with under 50 seats, or organizations that do not have full-time IT or telecom staff. Small organizations (public or private) looking for a worry and hassle-free telecommunications system can focus on their core business when they turn to Accent Managed Services for their telecommunications needs.

The Accent Managed Services Program requires a low down payment. Customers can combine items including equipment, installation, maintenance, software, network assessment, training and support. The Accent Managed Services Program makes it easy for companies to obtain a communications solution without the responsibilities and cost of ownership. These costs are fixed for the customer for up to 5 years, without any underlying increases in equipment or service costs.

Moreover, AMS provides services such as software upgrades, all labor, an annual health check and training to match specific business needs. Customers have the option to select a three- or five-year initial term with a fixed monthly fee based on their specific configuration and services needs. When the initial term expires, you can renew for a one-, three- or five-year term at a rate of 50 percent of the initial term's cost - or simply uninstall the system.

“More and more customers are asking for ways to take advantage of the capabilities of solutions according to their usage and without the commitment of ownership,” said Frank Goode, Accent's President and Chief Executive Officer. “Accent Managed Services combines the reliability of an on-premise IP telephony system with the convenience of a simple monthly fee for equipment, services and support.”

For more information on Accent's Managed Services Program, please visit: http://www.accentservices.com/accent-managed-services.

Did You Know We also Provide Paging? by Sam Mackay

Many customers refer to us as “The Phone Guys.” But did you know we are so much more than “The Phone Guys”? Office and industrial loud speaker paging is an area where we also excel. A couple of my favorite customers are Doug Mowry and Jerry Othersen with Iams Foods Research and Development. Iams Foods R&D produces pet food and care products at their facilities located in Lewisburg, Ohio. We have maintained their paging systems in multiple buildings throughout their campus for a number of years now. Doug came to me with a need and we were able to help. Each of their buildings or complexes was a different individual paging zone, each with different access codes, and at the time, they were not able to page all of those zones simultaneously. Iams safety committee approached Doug with the concern of not being able to deploy emergency pages throughout the entire campus.

I feel very proud of the solution we were able to supply to Iams, helping their organization solve their paging challenges. Doug was able to supply a couple more page ports from their telephone system to use as all call paging, one for the entire campus, and one for just the R&D areas. But with just one amplifier in use at each building and only a single page input on each amplifier, how would we connect two or three needed zones into each one? Working with Bogen Engineering, we were able to design, supply, and install multi-zone mixers before each amplifier, allowing up to eight inputs each to be connected and controlled at each of Iam’s five different areas. The tornado alarm was also added in as a connection providing Iams with the overall Emergency Notification they required.

As I like to tell my customers, “Tell me what you need to accomplish, and we will provide the vision to create the solution!”

Structured Cabling by Joe Bash

Emerging voice and data technologies place increasing demands on your structured cabling system. Voice, data and video applications continue to consume more and more bandwidth. That’s why it’s important to know that your structured cabling is designed and installed correctly.

Accent’s team of highly experienced design, project management, and installation experts is at your service. Accent offers a wide range of structured cabling products and services, including Category 5E, Category 6, and fiber optics, as well as underground and aerial cabling services.

From simple “move and change” activity to complex projects and multi-site national rollouts, Accent is experienced and ready to go to work for you. If your company has a need from structured cabling, feel free to speak to your Accent Account Representative or contact Joe Bash, General Manager of our Structured Cabling Division at (740) 203-3556 or by email at joeb@accentservices.com.

Economic Stimulus Tax—Deduct Cost of Equipment by Steve Hearst

Is your company looking for a way to improve its communication equipment in 2008, and get a tax break? As part of the economic stimulus package, businesses are now allowed to claim all of the cost of purchasing or leasing equipment in the current tax year. Many firms are not aware of the tax benefits or how to go about applying this new rule.

It's probably one of the leading questions that clients ask any financial professional - "What's this Section 179 deduction all about, and how can I take advantage of it?"

The questions are so prolific that it spurred a website specifically designed to answer the common questions regarding Section 179, and explain, in plain English, the nuances and details regarding this very popular (yet misunderstood) tax deduction.

The website, www.Section179.Org, launched in July of 2008. It is a free reference available for businesses looking for information on this tax deduction topic. The goal of the website is to be a comprehensive resource regarding the Section 179 deduction - there are pages that explain the deduction, what equipment qualifies, how to elect to take the deduction, what changes occurred as a result of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (www.section179.org/stimulus_act_2008), and even a few extras, like a section 179 calculator (http://www.greatamerica.com/taxcalc.cfm) for 2008 (and even 2007).

Make sure to visit http://www.Section179.Org for more details.

Accent Welcomes New Employees

Most businesses are trying to survive this challenging time by cutting staff to reduce costs. However, at Accent, customer satisfaction is number one. It’s not just a buzzword; it’s the very essence of how we conduct business. In order to reaffirm its commitment to customer service, Accent welcomes four new employees.

Tom Nann, our new Business Solutions Consultant, joined the ranks at Accent in July this year. Tom assesses new and current customers’ needs, and finds the best communication solutions to help clients maximize efficiency, manage the flow of information, and stay ahead of their competition. Armed with the support of the rest of the Accent crew, Tom will find the best solution for you at the best value possible.

Accent is excited to have Adam Brinkman and Jodi Wilson, our two new Customer Advocates, as part of its team. Adam and Jodi are in our Delaware Office, and join Deborah Cox (in our Dayton Office) as our “watchful eyes” to be sure our clients receive services that exceed their expectations. They are responsible for adding value to the services we provide by following up on service orders to ensure that work was done efficiently and professionally. They will also be sharing with clients the value of our other services. Both Adam and Jodi will be making introductory calls over the next few months, and are eager to get acquainted with all our clients!

The newest member of the Accent Team is Mike Cooper. Mike joined Accent this November, and with his prior cabling experience, is certain to be an asset to the Structured Cabling Division.

We welcome Tom, Adam, Jodi, and Mike to our Accent Team!!!