March 2016 issue - Cal

Cal-Ore Communications
March 2016
LOCAL CONNECTION
Community News You Can Use
#MyCalOreHoliday Contest
IN THIS ISSUE
Thank you to everyone who participated in the #MyCalOreHoliday
photo contest and congrats to all of our winners! We loved
checking out your submissions and seeing how you spread the
holiday cheer.
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#MYCALOREHOLIDAY
PHOTO CONTEST
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Big Idea Innovation Award
CUSTOMER PROFILE:
KARUK TRIBE
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We're honored to be nominated for the Big Idea Innovation award
at the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce 95th Annual
Awards Gala. This award recognizes an organization in any
industry that employs new ideas or approaches to doing
business. Innovation could fill an unmet need, create attention, be
different or better than existing products, exceed market
expectations, achieve financial success or improve business
systems. Thank you to Klamath IDEA for sponsoring this award!
CUSTOMER PROFILE:
COLDWELL BANKER
HOLMAN PREMIER REALTY
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TECH TIPS
Karuk Tribe
NOW HIRING
The Karuk Tribe relies on technology in more ways than one – and
it has certainly made life easier for its members in Happy Camp,
Yreka and Orleans, California. The word Káruk means “upriver
people,” referring to the indigenous groups who have lived in
small villages along the Klamath River for thousands of years.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 12, 2016
Casablanca Gala at
Yesterday’s Plaza
With its own elected government, the tribe has worked extremely hard to provide various service programs for the community in
healthcare, government, education, natural resources and more.
March 12-13, 2016
Siskiyou Sportsman Expo at
the Siskiyou Golden
Fairground
March 18, 2016
65th Annual Citizen of the
IT Director Eric Cutright manages the small team that is
responsible for maintaining all network computer and phone
systems for the Karuk Tribe. “The work I do is good,” he says.
“I’m helping a people who have been historically underserved.”
The tribe earned federal recognition in the 1970s, becoming a
"Self-governed Tribe" and helping to establish governmentfunded services for members and other people in the area.
Year Awards Gala at the
Best Western Miner's Inn
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The most widely-used programs are in healthcare. "We're
interested in providing for the overall health of the community, not
just the medical side," Cutright says. The services offered range
from primary care doctors and dentists to social workers to
counselors – and technology plays an important role in all of
them.
"We use technology on a regular basis here. If the network were
to go down, things would be a mess,” Cutright says. The tribal
offices in Yreka are on the outskirts of town where traditional
service providers don't reach. Until Cal-Ore came in with Fiber,
the office was still relying on dial-up Internet and suffering badly
from lack of bandwidth.
March 2016
#MyCalOreHoliday Contest
Winners
Heather Tramp
Grand Prize Winner
Clinics made the switch to keeping medical and dental records
electronically five years ago. Cal-Ore connects all the Yreka
offices together as a fiber local area network, so all three
communities can stay connected. "We've seen an overall
improvement in productivity and we can diagnose and solve most
issues much faster now," says Cutright. Now the team can
address network problems remotely instead of spending half the
day driving between offices.
Recently, with an improved connection, they've also been able to
offer "telemedicine," or live video conferencing to serve patients
remotely. "Let's say a patient needs to make a cardiology
appointment but the doctor is in Sacramento," Cutright says.
"Instead of having to drive for hours, we can set up a video
appointment from any of our locations."
Cutright believes access to reliable Internet should be as universal
heat or electricity. "It's the new utility of the 21st century," he
says. "People in rural areas just don't have the same access and
often end up with much poorer connections." With better
bandwidth, the tribe has seen improvements all across the board
– in education, government and public safety.
Melissa Westhouse
Second Place Winner
Brian Gailey
Third Place Winner
Coldwell Banker Holman Premier Realty
Randy Shaw, owner of Coldwell Banker Holman Premier Realty, says a real estate company’s
inherent objective is to promote its community. That’s not difficult to do when you work in a place as
great as Klamath Falls.
Randy and his team of local real estate professionals have sold diverse properties in the Klamath
Falls region since 1982, winning multiple awards and garnering serious recognition along the way. Local Connection March Newsletter
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The company was founded on the principal of putting the customer’s best interest above all, and
that’s still true today.
“We understand how important our job is when handling someone’s assets,” Randy says. “We’re
always looking out for our customers and we do everything we can to handle their needs with care.”
Whether it’s volunteering time on
organizational boards and
committees, or researching local
property laws, the team at Coldwell
Banker Holman Premier Realty is
doing their best to contribute to
their community and protect
people’s ability to own a home. “We
try to create an atmosphere within
the company where following the
‘golden rule’ is a main priority,"
Randy says.
Randy's customer service has
significantly changed since Coldwell Banker Holman Premier Realty helped its first customer in
1972 and opened as a Coldwell Banker office in 1984. The paradigm shift is due to new technology.
“When I first started, records and listings were kept in huge, heavy books,” Randy remembers.
“Keeping track of every listing and balancing customer needs were huge, time-consuming tasks!”
Computers and the Internet changed the face of the industry. “Now, all inventory is at the tip of our
fingers,” Randy says. “It’s accelerated our ability to do more volume and serve more customers.”
Today, everything from signatures and forms, to transactions and client communication are
organized electronically.
"We've been able to increase our marketing efforts," Randy notes. "We're now able to reach more
customers by listing our properties online and offering virtual tours.”
At Cal-Ore, we're proud to provide broadband Internet services that Randy and his team rely on.
From Cloud Voice to Fiber Internet, our services provide Coldwell Banker Holman Premier Realty
the bandwidth to stay connected. "Previously, we were working with people who were out of town
and couldn’t help when we needed it," Randy says. "But now, we can pick the phone up and call
someone. We don’t get put on hold, and we get to talk to a real person.”
Tech Tips: 5 Basic Tips for Better Online Security
People today keep more information online or on their smartphones than ever before. Follow these
five basic tips to ensure you are keeping your valuable information as safe and secure as possible.
Update your system
Make sure you are always up to date with the latest software for your devices. Often times, out of
date Java or PDF software are easy targets for cyber attacks. You can set up automatic updates for
most applications now so it’s not too much work.
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Make a decent password You should always make sure to have a strong and secure
password to protect your information. Use different passwords
for different sites and services, and try to keep your passwords
discrete and personal.
Keep a backup
Some attacks now do permanent damage that cannot be
reversed. A tried and tested backup procedure can save you a
lot of headaches should you be put in that situation. You may be
able to recover a lot of valuable data. Find out more about
Backspace, the online backup service from Cal-Ore.
Run basic security controls
Keep your system clean with updated anti-virus software. It’s a
good idea to always be a little suspicious. Keep your eye out for possible scams and make sure
sites are secure when entering personal information.
Look up best practices for other devices
While you may have properly secured your computer, there might be very similar data on your
mobile device with no security checks at all. Try setting a passcode or pin number to protect the
information on your smartphone.
This article was originally published on the TED
Blog.
About This
Newsletter
Thanks for reading the Cal-Ore
Local Connection. We hope it's
interesting and useful to you. If
you have ideas, feedback,
comments or complaints, please
contact us at (541) 887-8100.
Cal-Ore Communications
201 Riverside Drive Klamath Falls, OR 97601 (800) 858-2399
(541) 887-8100
comm.cot.net
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