Getting Practical and Creative

Efrat Networks recently installed an alarm system in an apartment in Jerusalem that was being remodeled. We were late… Not because we were slow in doing the work. Rather, the alarm was installed after all the air conditioning equipment had already been delivered to the apartment.

You don’t need to work hard to guess what happened. The same night after delivery, the air conditioning equipment was cleaned out of the apartment by thieves. The neighbors didn’t hear a thing, and even if they did, they may have thought that it had something to do with the remodeling.

So, our first practical tip: when you buy a home or apartment, or move into a new/used office, don’t move in and don’t even have expensive equipment delivered until the alarm system is in place. This can be done in stages, with no need for aesthetics, to insure that general protection is intact until the ‘face lift’ of the apartment or office has been completed. After completion of the interior design work, Efrat Networks can then come in and properly place all of the alarm equipment.

And now, for the creative… Internet Surveillance

Setting up Internet security cameras for your home or business is less complicated than you might think. The cameras can be connected directly to your computer network connected to the Internet, which you can then control, monitor, and view directly through a computer with Internet access. This gives you a lot of flexibility in how you customize your video surveillance.

Let’s take this one step further. Many homeowners and business owners want to be able to see what’s going on while they are away - e.g., watch the kids in the home/backyard, watch your workers in the office. Using the online interface from any computer in the world (preferably not in Mexico…), you can scope out your home or business in real time.

For example, if you get an SMS that an alarm went off, you can quickly go on line to see whether its a false alarm (as in most cases) or someone unwanted is in your home or office.

One more step further… if you love the view from your home, why not put a pan and tilt IP camera up on your roof. You can see the view on line as if you’re standing on the balcony yourself.  We did this for a client in Yamin Moshe just recently.  And while its not the same as being in Jerusalem, its still pretty cool to watch the Independence Day celebration over the Old City from the States.

IP cameras come in a range of shapes, sizes, functions (e.g., pan/tilt, day/night vision, 2-way audio, etc.)  and prices. They do not replace a solid alarm system, but come as wired or wireless add-ons to your security system.

Please call Efrat Networks today to review which IP cameras best meets your home or business needs.

Technological Solutions to the Pandemic Panic

It is no secret: the Swine Flu [Influenza A(H1N1)] is now at the top global alert level (Phase 5) of the World Health Organization (WHO). While journalists are doing their best to create global panic, and some Mexican government officials are suffering from denial, the facts are as follows (according to WHO) as of May 1 2009:

• 17 countries have officially reported 787 cases of infection.
  
• The United States Government has reported 160 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.
  
• Mexico has reported 506 confirmed human cases of infection, including 19 deaths.

All of Mexico City’s citizens are sitting at home, waiting for this pandemic to pass. Mexican businesses and businesses dealing with Mexico are being crippled from this forced ‘curfew’.

We don’t need this or any other pandemic to know that air travel is one of the great ways to transmit contagious illnesses. The air conditioning systems of airplanes are notorious for harboring germs and bacteria, which are easily passed around to passengers on the same flight and on later flights. Moreover, we never know the true health status of other people who board the flight with us.

OK, enough of the scare tactics. Now what?…

How do we avoid these issues and still function?

As we’ve said many times before, video conferencing systems offer a cost effective, efficient, immediate, and very practical solution to business travel and even ’shmoosing’ with the family. In the pandemic, from the safety and comforts of your office or home, you can virtually be on the other side of the globe with your clients in real time, any time.

The compelling arguments just get better when pandemic panic reaches new heights.

• You’ll save days/weeks in travel time.
  
• You’ll save money from less travel.
• You’ll improve your existing business relationships by having regular (anytime you want) face-to-faces with the critical decision-makers.
• You’ll have more time to spend with your family at home, and…
• You’ll avoid contagious carriers of H1N1.
  

The list goes on, but the point is clear. Call Efrat Networks today to discuss how we can help minimize your travel while boosting your business relations abroad.

Pandemic Tips from an Expert
Here are several tips from a pandemic expert for all of us when pandemonium hits:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly, for a period of 20 seconds, with warm soapy water.
2. Wash your hands frequently.
3. When coughing and sneezing, (regardless of whether you think you’re sick) cover your nose and mouth in the inside of your elbow or on your upper sleeve.(The people standing nearby will thank you for not ’showering’ them with your germs).
4. Don’t travel to Mexico.
5. Don’t go to work when you are sick.
6. Don’t send relatives to work or school when they are sick.
7. Take care of yourself while caring for others who are sick. (They need you well.)
8. Be very aware of how you and your loved ones feel. This flu comes on fast, and if it doesn’t stay mild for you, it will hit like a ton of bricks in a matter of a couple of hours to half a day. Don’t wait to see if it passes.
9. Understand that you are contagious during the 24-48 hours prior to showing symptoms yourself, and you remain contagious until as many as 7 days after your symptoms began, maybe longer.
10. Call Efrat Networks to install a refurbished video conferencing system…save time and money while traveling less.

P.S. We’ve seen several reports that the medical masks really don’t work when worn over an extended period of time.