99 Ways We Can Support Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

For muslim readers.....

Praise be to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

The first pillar of Islam is our testimony that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The first half of this testimony is our declaration of monotheism. The second half is our declaration that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). We can only fully realize the meaning of the second half of the testimony in our hearts by cultivating the following:

1. Belief in everything the Prophet (peace be upon him) has told us. We must believe, first and foremost, that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah sent to all humanity to convey to them what Allah revealed to him of the Qur’ân and Sunnah. This is the religion of Islam, and Allah will accept from his servants no other religion.
2. Obedience to his commands with full acceptance and submission. We must adhere to his Sunnah and emulate his most excellent example and eschew everything to the contrary.
3. Love for the Prophet (peace be upon him). We must love our Prophet (peace be upon him) more than we love anyone else, even our own parents and children. In this way, we will show him the respect and deference that he deserves and we will be inspired to do what we must to support and defend him.

It is incumbent upon every one of us as Muslims to fully realize in our lives the meaning of our testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. We must truly inculcate this faith in our hearts. The hypocrites had said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “We bear witness that indeed you are the Messenger of Allah.” In turn, Allah said: “Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.” (Surah, 63: 1)

There are a number of things that we can do to put our love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) into action and carry out our duty to him. We must confront the vicious attacks being waged against him and ransom him with our lives, our loved ones, and our wealth to the extent of our varying abilities. We must all carry out our responsibilities on whatever level we are able.

THINGS WE CAN DO AS INDIVIDUALS

1. We can contemplate the evidence which decisively demonstrates that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. The first source for this evidence is none other than the Qur’ân.

2. We can learn the evidence from the Qur’ân, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims that it is obligatory to obey the Prophet (peace be upon him) and emulate his most excellent example.

3. We can acquaint ourselves with how Allah has protected the Prophet’s Sunnah. We should learn about the considerable efforts that were made by the scholars throughout the centuries to separate the genuine Sunnah from what was false and how they compiled the authentic Sunnah according to the most stringent conditions. No other civilization of the past had ever developed a more arduous and learned set of principles for authenticating historical evidence.

4. We can cultivate in our hearts our love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) by recalling his noble attributes. We can read about his good character and his noble deeds. We can learn how he embodied all the good qualities that can possibly be attained by a single human being.

5. We can bring to mind the great favor that he bestowed on all of us and how indebted we are to him. He is the one who conveyed to us the true religion. He carried out this duty in a most excellent manner. He fulfilled his trust to Allah perfectly and delivered to us his Lord’s Message.

6. We can give him due credit for all the good that we attain by Allah’s grace in this world and the Hereafter, since he is the one who showed us towards how to attain it and who brought us guidance. Allah has blessed him on our account with the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon a Prophet.

7. We can bring to mind how compassionate and merciful the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to his followers and how concerned he was for our guidance and welfare. Allah says: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to their own selves.” (Sûrah, 33: 6)

8. We can become acquainted with the verses of the Qur’ân and with the Hadîth that discuss his lofty status with his Lord and the love that Allah has for him and the esteem in which Allah holds him.

9. We can carry out Allah’s command to love the Prophet (peace be upon him). We should love him more than we love ourselves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until I become dearer to him than his own self, his children, his parents, and all of mankind.”

10. We can carry out Allah’s command to show respect for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for his Sunnah. Allah says: “O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the Prophet’s voice and do not speak to him loudly as you might speak to one another, lest your deeds become vain while you perceive it not.” (Sûrah, 49: 2)

11. We can fulfill Allah’s command to come to the defense of our Prophet (peace be upon him) and protect him from those who wish to harm or defame him. Allah says: “To believe in Allah and His Messenger that you may assist and honor him.” (Sûrah, 48: 9)

12. We can cultivate in our hearts a sincere and constant resolve to defend the Prophet and promote his good name.

13. We can bear in mind the great blessings and rewards that in the Hereafter await those who genuinely put into practice their love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They will be his close companions in Paradise, for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has promised: “You will be with whom you love.”

14. We can make it a habit to offer salutations of peace upon our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) whenever we remember to do so, especially after the call to prayer and on Fridays. This will increase our blessings from Allah.

15. We can read the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from authentic sources and benefit from the many lessons that it contains. We can then try to apply those lessons to our lives today.

16. We can learn the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by studying its authentic sources. We must study the Hadîth and strive to understand them correctly. We need to derive from these Ahadîth the rulings and the lessons that they contain.

17. We can follow the Sunnah in its entirety, giving priority to what we are obligated to do.

18. We can strive to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) even in matters where we are under no obligation to do so. It is better even if we do something the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did only once in our lives just so we can follow his example to the last detail.

19. We can be vigilant to avoid ever belittling any aspect of his Sunnah.

20. We can make sure that we feel joy every time we see people putting some aspect of his Sunnah into practice.

21. We can feel sorrow whenever we find that some aspect of his Sunnah is being neglected.

22. We can feel enmity towards anyone who defames the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or disapproves of his Sunnah.

23. We can show love for the members of our Prophet’s family and for his wives and descendants. We can seek nearness to Allah by loving them for the sake of their nearness to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and for the sake of their commitment to Islam. If we find any of his descendants disobedient to Allah, we should be eager to guide them, since their guidance is something most dear to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). `Umar the son of al-Khattâb said to the Prophet’s uncle: “O `Abbâs! The day that you accepted Islam was more beloved to me than the day when al-Khattâb accepted Islam. This is only because I know that your acceptance of Islam was dearer to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) than that of al-Khattâb.”

24. We can act upon the direction of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with respect to his family when he thrice said: “I remind you of the rights of Allah with respect to my family.”

25. We can show love and respect for the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and recognize their honor and distinction with Allah and their superiority in knowledge and good works to those who come after them.

26. We can show love and respect for the scholars on account of their status and their knowledge of the Prophet’s legacy. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. They deserve to be loved and honored. This is a right that our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has over us.

THINGS WE CAN DO AS FAMILIES AND AS A SOCIETY

27. We can raise our children to love the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

28. We can raise our children to emulate his excellent example.

29. We can make available in our homes books about the Prophet’s life.

30. We can make available in our homes recorded lectures about his life for our families to listen to.

31. We can show our children cartoons that have a clear and wholesome Islamic content.

32. We can set aside some family time every week for an Islamic study circle.

33. As husbands and wives, we can follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in how we deal with our families.

34. We can encourage our children to memorize and put into practice the words that the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to remember Allah on all occasions.

35. We can encourage our children to spend a portion of their daily allowances on charitable deeds that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to encourage, like providing for an orphan, feeding a poor person, or helping the needy. This is an excellent practical application of the Sunnah.

36. We can make our children accustomed to using some of the Prophet’s good sayings in their everyday speech like: “A believer is clever and sage”; “A believer does not get stung from the same hole twice” and “Make things easy, not difficult”.

37. We can hold competitions at home where the children can be tested on their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.

38. We can teach our children about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by holding little programs at home like: “A day at the Prophet’s house”.

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

39. We can cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the hearts of our students by teaching them about the rights he has over us as his followers.

40. We can increase the amount of lectures given covering different aspects of his life and personality.

41. We can encourage educational authorities to add to the Islamic Studies syllabus a subject entitled The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

42. We can make efforts to finance the appointment of professors of the Prophet’s biography in prominent Western universities.

43. We can encourage serious research into the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and encourage scholars to publish works about different aspects of the Sunnah.

44. We can hold exhibitions at schools and universities to inform people about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) while focusing on the geographical spread of Islam.

45. We can devote prominent sections of our libraries to books about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

46. We can develop valuable encyclopedic reference works about the Prophet’s life.

47. We can host annual competitions where students can receive scholarships and prizes for writing the best original research papers about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life.

48. We can hold youth camps that cultivate love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and teach the practical application of the Sunnah.

49. We can host training seminars for our future leaders that focus on how to emulate the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE FIELD OF ISLAMIC WORK

50. We can explain the hallmarks of the message that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called towards, emphasizing that he came with the original, pure religion and that his concern was to guide all humanity to the sincere, monotheistic worship of their Lord.

51. We can step up our efforts in calling people of all nations and all walks of life to the guidance of Islam.

52. We can convey to the people the illustrious and noble character that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had even before he began to receive the revelation from Allah.

53. We can explain to the people the good qualities of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the unique features of Islam in a manner that will hold their attention and capture their interests.

54. We can explain how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) behaved toward his family, his neighbors, and his followers.

55. We can focus on how admirably and magnanimously he conducted himself with the Jews, Christians, pagans, and hypocrites who showed him enmity and hostility.

56. We can explain how nobly he carried out his most mundane, daily affairs.

57. We can set aside part of the Friday sermon for discussing certain aspects of the Prophet’s life and occasionally devote an entire sermon to this topic.

58. After the daily prayers, we can offer a few comments on how the verses we recited in our prayers relate to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life.

59. We can hold study sessions for the memorization of the Sunnah just like we do for the memorization of the Qur’ân.

60. We can correct the misconceptions that the general public has about the Sunnah and emphasize the importance of following the Sunnah in our lives.

61. We can call the people’s attention to the Islamic rulings issued by scholars regarding those who defame the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and emphasize that we have to disassociate ourselves from such people.

62. We can work to return the people to their religion by presenting to them the message of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the simplest terms.

63. We can use the media to warn people against going overboard in their reverence for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and explain to them the verses of the Qur’ân that prohibit excess and extravagance. Allah says: “Do not go to excesses in your religion.” We can also mention relevant Hadîth like: “Do not venerate me in the way that the Christians venerated the son of Mary.” We must emphasize that true love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is expressed by following him faithfully.

64. We can encourage the people to read about the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from its authentic sources. We must clarify those sources and make them available.

65. We can refute and dispel the misconceptions and false claims that are circulating about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life.

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE AND IN THE MEDIA

66. We can use cultural and media events as opportunities to teach people about the illustrious character of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

67. We can refrain from publishing or broadcasting anything that is contrary to his Sunnah.

68. We can oppose the Western media and refute the misconceptions and false claims that they are propagating about our Prophet and our religion.

69. We can host press conferences and cultural events with moderate non-Muslim thinkers where we can openly discuss the Prophet Muhammad (peace e upon him) and his message.

70. We can publish and disseminate what objective non-Muslim thinkers have said about the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

71. We can hold conventions and conferences to discuss the life and methodology of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and to demonstrate how that methodology is suitable for all places and times.

72. We can air televised competitions where contestants can earn prizes by demonstrating their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.

73. We can write and publish articles, stories, and pamphlets about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

74. We can petition the editorial boards of newspapers and magazines to provide a regular feature that highlights verses of the Qur’ân and Hadîth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and explains why Muslims love the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and emulate his example.

75. We can petition the executive bodies of television networks to air programs about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life, highlighting his good qualities and the exemplary way that he conducted himself with his wives, his children, his followers, and his enemies.

76. We can encourage production studios to prepare professional quality video programs about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life.

77. We can encourage our local television stations and satellite channels to produce and air cartoon programs for children highlighting the good qualities of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and stories from his life.

WHAT WE CAN DO THROUGH OUR ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARITIES

78. We can establish committees and departments within our organizations devoted to supporting our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

79. We can reserve space for our organizations at local and international expositions and conventions and distribute literature and other media products about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his message.

80. We can establish permanent distribution centers for distributing books, pamphlets, and audio recordings about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

81. We can establish a special award with preset standards to be presented to the person who best served the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his biography. The presentation of this award could be accompanied by a major ceremony to which many renowned personages would be invited.

82. We can print books about the Prophet’s life in various foreign languages to be distributed to public libraries, universities, and centers for Oriental studies around the globe.

83. We can publish a periodical journal that specializes in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his life, Islamic teachings, and the Muslims, emphasizing the good qualities of the religion that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came with.

84. We can establish charitable funds to finance our program of supporting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and to pay for the writing and translation of books and articles.

WHAT WE CAN DO ON THE INTERNET

85. We can establish organizations devoted to propagating Islam and showing, among other things, how Islam teaches love and reverence for all of the Prophets (peace be upon them all).

86. We can establish websites and online newsgroups devoted to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). On a smaller scale, we can create dedicated web pages for existing websites that have a broader focus.

87. We can participate in live chats online with non-Muslims and invite them to study the personality of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the religion that he came with.

88. We can include at the bottom of our e-mails some appropriate Hadîth and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

89. We can prepare an occasional online newsletter that discusses the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his message to be sent out on special occasions and whenever circumstances warrant it.

90. We can post on major search engines notices about relevant books and lectures.

THINGS WE CAN DO WITH OUR WEALTH AND THROUGH OUR ISLAMIC GOVERNMENTS

91. We can give financial support to Islamic activities that focus on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

92. We can print billboards and bumper stickers that quote the words of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

93. We can help to establish Islamic television and radio stations, as well as periodicals that are devoted to spreading the message of Islam in many languages around the world and especially in English.

94. We can pay for airtime on television and radio stations in various countries to get our message across.

95. We can establish centers devoted to research into the study of the Prophet’s biography and the publication of that research in many languages.

96. We can establish museums and libraries devoted to the Prophet’s life and his legacy.

97. We can fund the establishment of high quality professional websites on the Internet devoted to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his life.

98. We can pay for the production of high quality books, audio recordings, and television programs in various major languages, especially English.

99. We can help to finance Islamic competitions about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and provide substantial prizes to encourage participation.

By ICSFP

20 Ways to Enjoy More Fruits and Vegetables

Building a healthy plate is easy when you make half your plate fruits and vegetables. It’s also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in calories and fat. Make 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables your daily goal. Try the following tips to enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day.

1.    Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.

2.    Mix up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana.

3.    Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla.

4.    Try crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing for dipping.

5.    Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms and onions.

6.    Add color to salads with baby carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.

7.    Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.

8.    Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a snack-on-the-run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table.

9.    Get saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry, or on pancakes, French toast or waffles.

10. Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp cheddar cheese.

11. “Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.

12. Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, ready-to-eat cereal, yogurt or toaster waffle.

13. Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.

14. Microwave a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.

15. Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.

16. Make fruit your dessert: Slice a banana lengthwise and top with a scoop of low-fat frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of chopped nuts.

17. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side dish.

18. Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful vegetables. Add chickpeas or fresh soybeans. Top with low-fat dressing.

19. Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.

20. Dip: Whole wheat pita wedges in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa, strawberries or apple slices in low-fat yogurt, or graham crackers in applesauce.

6 Ways to Calculate Returns from your Network Monitoring Investment

Executive Summary

All network management teams have two things in common: their budgets are tight and their user communities expect reliable network performance. Finan­cial constraints put all technology investments under a microscope; even tech­nology that ensures network reliability. Depending on an organization’s busi­ness model, network infrastructure and overall goals, return on investment (ROI) for network monitoring might be realized in five minutes or over five months. This paper outlines the areas in which network monitoring, mapping and alert­ing solutions deliver ROI. It discusses how to compare those returns to the costs for achieving them.

ROI FROM NETWORK MONITORING, MAPPING AND ALERTING IS ACHIEVED THROUGH

..Salary/Staff time savings

..Minimizing or avoiding outages

..Reducing support calls

..Reducing time to fix

..Guaranteeing and managing SLAs

..Reducing downtime

Finding Returns from Network Monitoring, Mapping and Alerting

Given the fear most organizations have of network downtime, it might seem easy to justify the cost of network monitoring, mapping and alerting solutions. Anything that keeps the organizational lifeline up and running 24x7x365 has value. But business unit managers, financial officers and CIOs are responsible for justifying all costs, to under­stand their true value and determine their ultimate return on investment.

The formulas for network monitoring ROI vary widely and are dependent on the operational role played by the network within a particular organization. Organizations involved in online commerce might tie ROI to revenue generation. Others might focus on reducing the costs of network maintenance and support. Still others might search for downtime reduction as a way to calculate improved end-user productivity.

Determining the ROI from a network monitoring investment starts with an under­standing of what problems it solves. Those benefits might be expected or pleasant surprises. For example, a network manager might find that he/she has reduced the time needed to resolve network problems as he/she expected to, but also avoided hir­ing new staff and increased network uptime.

Network Monitoring Benefits

Network monitoring returns typically come from one or a combination of areas.

1- Salary/Staff Time Savings

Running a network requires trained staff. Technicians are needed to maintain and upgrade devices and connections, configure new users, answer support calls and plan network expansions and changes. Technology that helps maintain or even reduce headcount offers quick, definite returns. In many cases, network monitoring solutions free network managers to work on more strategic projects that drive top line growth.

Salary savings are fairly easy to notice and calculate. For example, if monitoring technology allows night shift staff to be reduced (or even lets you run “lights out”), the savings would simply be the freed up salaries or minimized over-time costs. If the technology allowed a staff resource to spend time on an e-commerce project that real­ized $100,000 in its first month of operations, that amount should be factored into the return on investment.

2- Minimizing or Avoiding Outages

Network monitoring solutions alert the network management team to potential prob­lems. Network utilization rates, error percentages, transmit/receive statistics (packets per second or bytes per second), round trip times or percentage availability that vary from documented trends can all signal upcoming trouble.

Setting alerts based on performance thresholds notifies technicians of those red flags. Implementing corrective action before the network slows or servers go down stems

The tide of support calls, eliminates the need for network-wide apologies and fix status reports. Best of all, keeping the network up and running allows the whole organization to be more productive.

Calculating reduced downtime is easier when a pre-network monitoring baseline has been set. For example, if a company had been experiencing 90% uptime that increases to 99% after network monitoring is implemented, the 9% improvement can be used to calculate increased online store availability or improved end-user productivity.

3- Reducing Support Calls

Communicating with end-users in order to keep them on-line and productive is a critical network management role. Network technicians staff hotlines, email inquiry or problem report systems. Obviously, when end-users call in a lot of problems, the entire network team becomes focused on problem fixes. In the worst cases, staff has to be added.

In the best cases, a network monitoring solution alerts the network management and support team to potential problems. Bandwidth consumption, error percentages, trans­mit /receive statistics (packets per second or bytes per second), or round trip times that vary from documented trends. These anomalies can all signal imminent trouble. Fixing adverse conditions before end-users are impacted stems the tide of support calls and eliminates the need for network-wide apologies and fix status reports.

Support call volume is typically carefully tracked and costs can be derived by applying per hour staff salaries to the time it typically takes to close a call. For instance, if a net­work monitoring solution reduces calls per week to an average of 20 from an average of 50 and it takes, on average, 30 minutes to resolve or close a call, then time savings would be 15 hours. If an average, fully loaded hourly salary rate for network support staff is $30, then the per week savings would be $450, or $22,500 per year.

4- Reducing Time to Fix

Once network technicians are notified of a network problem, it can be difficult to locate its source. Are performance issues caused by high bandwidth utilization, or is something going on at the ISP’s end? The Chicago office can’t connect. Is the problem on their email server or is a router off-line?

Looking for problem sources can take time, especially if databases that detail network equipment are out-of-date or incomplete. Furthermore, when a highly distributed network is spread over long distances, fixes can be delayed due to traffic jams or long commutes to the site.

The time it takes to find and fix problems along with the fuel it takes to drive from place to place add real, easy-to-quantify costs. Network monitoring applications that provide real-time diagnostic data and geographic maps that locate devices save hours, if not days, and drastically reduce travel budgets.

5- Guaranteeing and Managing SLAs

 Whether operating as an internal unit or providing services to external clients, network operations teams are usually held to service level agreements (SLAs) that are set at 99.99% uptime. Meet the SLA and end-users or clients are happy. Fail to meet the SLA and hard questions are asked.

In the same way that monitoring technology can prevent the proliferation of support calls, it can go a long way towards SLA guarantees. Network teams can proactively ad­dress potential disruptions before user impact, by receiving early warnings on:

>>>     heavier than normal traffic conditions

>>>     unusually high bandwidth consumption

>>>     underperforming servers

>>>     and more

Quantifying ROI based on SLA is easy when networks actually secure business. If an on-line store is down for an hour, the network team uses the average revenue that would have been gained during that time as a metric. In the case where network operations are generally vital to the organization and SLAs reflect true requirements, consistently met SLAs indicate that network monitoring delivers ROI.

6- Reducing Downtime

There’s no doubt that network outages or slowdowns reduce employee productivity and commercial activity, but it can be difficult to assign a dollar value to downtime. When a company knows how much a website earns per hour, it can quickly determine how much a two-hour outage would cost. But, companies that don’t directly generate revenue from their network have a harder time defining the cost of downtime.

On fully productive days, employees often waste bits of time on personal email, trips to the snack machine, or chats with cubicle neighbors. Does network downtime lead to more snacks or chats? How does downtime factor into a measure of employee pro­ductivity? If a company that strives to earn $125,000/year/employee misses that mark, can it assume that network downtime was the only cause?

Calculating reasonable and agreed upon returns on reduced downtime depends on understanding how much unplanned downtime was typical before monitoring tech­nology was put in place and how productive time can be valued. Assumptions about productivity value (amounts of revenue per hour, data processed per hour, transaction rates, etc.) that are separate from per-employee behavior (snacking, chatting) can then be applied to increased network availability.

For example, if network monitoring eliminates 12 hours of unplanned, business hour downtime per month and 5 catalog order takers process $100 in revenue per hour, ROI equals $6,000 per month.

Network Monitoring Costs

Once returns have been calculated it’s time to compare them to the cost of the invest­ment in network monitoring, mapping and alerting. Certainly, software and hardware purchases are the most visible costs, but other costs that vary organization to organi­zation have to be included.

Initial purchase of solution —the price of network monitoring licenses.

Product upgrades and support —the price of product upgrades and mainte­nance and support contracts. These costs may be optional.

Required hardware or associated software —the price of hardware that will be dedicated to running the network monitoring solution.

Installation/implementation consulting —the cost for solution set up and testing. This could be as simple as a consulting fee or include any overtime required by staff that is already fully subscribed.

Training —training costs should include travel (either by staff to a class or consultants to your facility) and any on-going instruction that will be needed as staff is added or turned over.

Solution administration/management —salaries for staff dedicated to the solution should be fully applied to overall costs. If new staff has to be hired, factor in costs of recruitment.

Costs vary widely depending on the network monitoring solution that is implemented. Network management systems (like HP OpenView, CiscoWorks, etc.) include network monitoring as a component and are much more expensive than standalone products that focus on monitoring and alerting. Besides coming at a higher purchase price, those systems cost more to configure, maintain and run. Dedicated hardware is often required as is dedicated, highly trained headcount.

Personnel costs associated with solution administration and management cannot be overlooked or taken lightly, especially if the network monitoring technology will require an increase in IT headcount. Since most organizations justify the purchase of network monitoring technology by assuming a lower support call volume and hold on support staff hiring, having to add a six-figure salary to run the technology could undermine the anticipated benefits.

If your network is monitored by a consultant, costs can be fairly easy to derive from contract fees. In addition, your out-of-pocket costs may still include many of the categories listed above: license, support, and hardware pass-through costs along with staff time and administration fees.

Total costs are incurred over time. Calculating accumulated network monitoring costs for a year will ensure that maintenance and administration is fully considered. Under­standing how costs play out over time will help you understand if your benefit out­paces, or lags behind, the investment.

Conclusion

With IT budgets under close scrutiny, it’s imperative that all technology investments yield positive returns on investment – as fast as possible. The hope for network moni­toring, mapping and alerting technology is that it keeps networks reliably up and run­ning while trimming staffing expenses and costs associated with downtime. And, of course, returns depend on the solution delivering a level of benefit that outpaces the costs it imposes. A solution that is easy to implement, use and maintain will yield the fastest positive returns and continuously save more money than it costs. 

20 Ways to Add Value to Others

1. Complement people in some way within the first 30 seconds of your conversation.

When you are meeting someone for the first time, or for the 100th time, it is always nice to be flattering! Notice that the person looks happy or acknowledge a recent accomplishment of theirs; people are always looking for acceptance, make someone feel valued by noting their specialness in the form of a sincere compliment!

2. Ask people questions about three key areas: their passions, their projects, and their principles.

Begin a conversation with, "I value your opinion about _______(subject ideas: class, school, church) that I am thinking of joining, could you share your thoughts on it with me?" it is a positive way to make someone feel as though you hold their opinions in high regard. It is an intimate look into the person to whom you are speaking. Because the question is open ended you may learn a lot about a topic of interest to you both, as well as a lot about the person!

3. Complement a person about something specific in front of another person.

This one is tricky, be careful not to say, "Wow I haven't seen you in a while, you have lost a lot of weight!" This has happened in my presence before! I was with a new friend who ran into an old friend while we were all at a football game. My poor friend was very embarrassed! Clearly, you can find a nice complement to say to someone that will not mortify them!

4. If you discover a meaningful article or blog post, send a copy to another person with a note describing the benefits you derived from it.

We have all been victims of the well-intentioned forward with the Chicken Soup for the Soul type message. While these are somewhat inspiring the first time you read them, they get a little old after the 187thone. Why not work to recreate the culture of forwards by forwarding specific information that will truly add value to the person (yes…just one person at a time) you are sending it to. When you forward something meaningful like this, make sure you tell them why you think the other person will find this information helpful.

This is a big tip when dealing with people in business. People are very attached to their name! Nothing makes a person feel valued more than knowing they made enough of an impression on you for you to remember their name! It helps in the dating world, too!

6. Remember people's birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions. Send them a note on those dates to let them know you are sharing in their celebration.

It doesn't matter if a person is 4 or 40; everyone likes to be acknowledged for being born! If you can make a note in your records of someone's birthday and remember to send a card or make a surprise phone call on their special day you will surely make them feel valued! Same goes for life events such as anniversaries and promotions!

7. Strive to be the first to help a person whom you know in need.

Sometimes we can be at the right place, at the right time, for someone who needs our assistance! You know when those moments happen and you act on them, most of the time! Have you ever reached to the top shelf for an elderly lady at the grocery store and graciously smiled when she thanked you? If yes, you most certainly made her feel valued! Keep your eyes and heart open for ways to be helpful in your family and your community. Making another person feel valued will make you feel valued as well!

8. Help people focus on their strengths and assist them in delegating their weaknesses.

Most people buy into the notion that they need to work on their weaknesses. But they will be most valuable in the area of their strengths. If a person is good at organizing, give them responsibilities in that area. Let them use their uniquegiftedness to accomplish a task in their way. If a person struggles in the area of public speaking, putting them up in front of people may only frustrate them.

People will feel more valuable to an organization or team when they are able to do things that they’re good at. In school, when a parent looks at their student’s report card, their attention seems to be focused on the lower grades. “You have to get those up,” they might say. Unfortunately, many people live with this sense of always having to focus on our weaknesses instead of being recognized for and honing our strengths. While it’s important to get good grades and do your best, no one gets straight A’s in life. There will always be things that we’re better at then other things.

9. Comment on someone’s blog or web page with kind words and a recommendation for that person and the work he or she is doing.

Social networking sites started off being nothing more than personal diaries. But now they are the personal communication medium of choice amongst younger generations. Use this form of social media to connect with people and encourage them. Leave them a comment or message in their inbox. If you leave a comment, others will see it as well. Plus, everyone likes to get a new comment on their MySpace/Face book/Twitter account.

10. Send handwritten notes as often as possible. Writing a note out by hand expresses more of a personal touch and a greater investment of time.

I keep thank you notes and other small stationary cards in my car and in my kitchen, this way I can always conveniently jot a note to a special friend! Try to make a habit of making someone aware of their value to you by personally writing a thank you for being you note, in your own unique penmanship!!  Nothing beats a sincere and physical thank you for making a positive impression. Email/online thank you messages just don’t have the impact, the weight, of an actual card or letter. In an age of hundreds of fleeting digital messages and relationships, of faster, faster, faster!, go offline if you really want to make an favorable impression on someone you only know digitally.

11. Offer the unexpected, anonymous gift. Bring coffee to your co-workers.  Arrive to work early and leave a small gift on someone's office chair. Leave a gift card on someone's windshield.

I love this one...balloons are my signature surprise; it is a joyful and very visual way to celebrate someone you value. For a few dollars you could flood someone's office or dorm room with helium balloons and uplift their mood and “value quotient”.

12. Find out what kinds of hobbies people have and send them ideas, brochures, or flyers on that subject.

People are often passionate about their hobbies. What if you discovered a way for them to make money with their hobby? Perhaps they could consult or teach others? Help them figure that out. Show them what other people who have a similar hobby are doing. Is there a trade show or expo coming in the future that would be of benefit to them?

13. Write a song or poem expressing how much someone means to you.

I had a boyfriend in high school that wrote poems for me...he was very creative and sincere...and HOT....I fell for him hard and kept those poems for twenty years! He had me in the palm of his hand! Oh the words he wrote! He made me feel valued like no one else ever had! Writing something to someone you care about is wonderfully received. If you choose to write love letters - Please be sure not to let it be known that it is your modes operandi. Something is taken away when you find out your special someone is writing sonnets for the whole cheerleading squad!

14. Smile at people. Smile when you talk to them. Smile when you walk by them.

Smiles are contagious and free! Some people will wonder what is so funny, or what you are up to! Isn't that worth it? You can give a stranger a smile and possibly make their whole day brighter! What have you got to lose? Remember: a smile is free; and your day goes the way of the corners of your mouth!

15. Say "hello" to people when you walk by them in stores, malls, street corners, coffee shops.

In the middle of our country everyone greets each other whether or not they know each other, maybe that is another reason that it is called "the HEARTland"! When friends of mine have been in New York or Los Angeles for the first time they always say how cold the people act, no smiles, no hellos - everyone is just rushing by! Let's help to make the world a little warmer by sharing a greeting with each other! Let's let everyone we encounter know that we see them and recognize their specialness!

16. Imagine a "Make Me Feel Important" sign is hanging around the neck of each person that you meet. Work to treat them that way and they will respond in kind.

Instead of walking around thinking that you have learned it all, and know it all; try going out into the world seeking what others have learned as well. Try leaving your ego at home and treat others as if they can teach you something!

This will convey a sense of openness on your end and will allow the person you are talking with feel valued.

17. Express gratitude for the ways that people specifically add value to your life.

Sometimes our struggle isn’t with giving of ourselves, but being able to receive good when it comes our way. Learn to say thank you from a grateful heart.  Showing our appreciation makes the gift giver feel appreciated. Showing gratitude to another offers proof of their value and the significance they bring to the relationship.

18. When you learn something new, decide on which three people you are going to share this new information, idea, or practice with.

Read or listen to someone and you can learn something. But take what you’'ve learned and turn around and teach it to someone else and you’ve taken this thing to a whole new level. By passing on new information, ideas, or practices you empower someone else, but you also deepen your own learning. It also speaks volumes to someone else when you come across something and let them know that when you discovered it, you thought about how much it would be of value to them.

19. When someone asks for your help or assistance with something, always do a little bit extra. It is the extra that turns ordinary into extraordinary.

This is called “going the extra or second mile.” It means we have the opportunity to do more than is expected of us. It is the “and then some” mindset. Someone asks you to help them clean their backyard, so you help them clean their backyard and then some.  

20. Spend time with people. Often we communicate a person's value to us simply because we like hanging out with them, even if there's no agenda.

Time is a precious commodity and a valuable resource. How can you spend this resource effectively on others?