As we go through the holidays and approach the end of the year, we can’t help but notice how many numbered lists there are….top 10 great sports moments of the year, 7 greatest natural disasters, top 5 newsworthy people, top 3 movies of the year, etc.

Not to be outdone, we’ve got our own list, which may not be as interesting as some of the other year-end offerings, but hopefully will be more valuable.  Our list was suggested by a favorite holiday pastime… watching the same holiday movies, over and over again.

“A Christmas Story” was on the other night - and I had to stop and watch it, again.  Along with the Bumpus hounds, Scott Farkus, and Ovaltine, there’s one of the great movie lines of all time… “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”.  Poor Ralphie.  No one thinks he should get his coveted Daisy Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, because “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid”.  But Ralphie does get the Red Ryder - and what happens?  He nearly shoots his eye out.

What’s Ralphie’s BB gun have to do with technology?  Maybe not much, but indulge me in the analogy… sometimes computer technology is like that Red Ryder BB gun - it’s wanted, it’s needed, but we’re not always prepared to use it - and even when we are, sometimes accidents still happen.

That’s when we often get the call for help.  And often, the problem was something preventable - and the resolution something the computer user could address on their own.  With that in mind, here’s our list of the “Top 13 things you can do to avoid shooting your eye out when it comes to computer technology”….

1.     When you have a problem, reboot — you’d be surprised how many issues can be fixed just by giving your PC a fresh start.

2.     Power is your computer’s best friend

3.     Install and keep current a good antivirus/antimalware program

4.     Backup

5.     Backup (yes we put it in again, it’s that important)

6.     Have a secure password, and keep it secure (that sticky note on your monitor is not a secure password)

7.     “Click on” common sense.  If you don’t know what it is or where it came from, don’t click on it. 

8.     Defrag your hard drive

9.     Purge your Internet temp files

10.  Stay away from “file sharing” programs and networks, especially important if you share your home machine with tech-savvy teenagers who like to “share” music

11.  Keep your programs up to date

12.  When keeping programs up to date, be careful that you don’t update past what your PC can handle

13.  Check the expiration date on the eggnog, and step away from the fruitcake.

Our exclusive IT Vigilance remote monitoring and management service can provide the protection and automate the tasks to handle many of these items - though it can’t do much about the eggnog.  If you’d like to know more about how to handle some of these yourself - or would like to try IT Vigilance on a FREE, no obligation trial (some restrictions apply), please contact us today.

A one-dollar reduction in the after-tax cost of research and development creates an additional dollar of new spending in the short term and two dollars of additional spending in the long term, according to the Council of Regional Information Technology Associations (CRITA)—but what small business can afford R&D in times like these? Those who use the federal research and development (R&D) tax credit, perhaps.

The R&D tax credit, first enacted under the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, provides certain companies with a tax credit for R&D expenditures used to introduce new products and services, improve current products and services, or simply enhance processes.

The tax credit reduces the cost of capital, thereby mitigating the risks of R&D investment and allowing companies to “push the envelope” in the development of new products and services. In other words, your company might get a tax break simply by making its products or processes better.

The R&D tax credit likely applies to more companies than you think it does. Contrary to popular opinion, the tax credit is not just for scientific research done in a large laboratory setting. Thanks to recently relaxed regulations, it applies to companies of all sizes in many industries, such as manufacturing, technology, software, and engineering.

Examples of small companies that could potentially use the R&D tax credit are a 10-person company that designs and manufactures disk drives for personal computers, or a five-person company that develops software for streamlining real estate companies’ billing operations. And the list goes on. Companies involved in any of the following activities may also be eligible for the R&D tax credit:

• Manufacturing new products, processes, or formulas
• Developing new, improved, or more reliable products, processes, or formulas
• Developing prototypes or models (including computer-generated models
• Designing tools, jigs, molds, or dies
• Applying for patents
• Conducting certification testing
• Testing new concepts and technology
• Trying to use new materials
• Acquiring new equipment
• Conducting environmental testingDeveloping or improving manufacturing processes
• Developing, implementing, or upgrading systems or software
• Building or improving manufacturing facilities
• Using outside consultants or contractors to do any of the above activities

If your company is eligible, you can generally claim a 20 percent credit against your taxes for qualified expenses above a base amount. Qualified expenses include in-house costs for wages, supplies, and a percentage of any contract costs. However, you must provide certain documentation showing that your projects are not just part of the ongoing cost of doing business.

That’s where the tax credit gets tricky. For example, unqualified expenses include (but are not limited to) internal-use items, such as the installation and customization of software used by your company internally. In one case, a company increased efficiency and reduced costs with an administrative software package. It claimed the R&D tax credit for the wages of its computer programmers and analysts working on the system during its installation and customization. The IRS denied the claim.

If you think you may be eligible for the R&D tax credit, you may want to contact your accountant now. The credit has expired and been extended many times—most recently in October 2008, when President Bush signed into law a retroactive two-year extension of the tax credit, from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009. In some ways this is good news. Because it is retroactive to January 1, 2008, eligible companies can take advantage of a full year’s credit in a single quarter. However, if it’s not renewed again, you only have a year left to take advantage of the credit.

Finally, note that you may also be eligible for an R&D tax credit offered by your state. Your accountant can provide you with more information.