Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Using an Email Address as a Business Card

Using an Email Address as a Business Card

The advent of the business card was in France during the monarchy of Louie XIV. The first cards used were actual playing cards with signatures, promissory notes and other comments and were called “Visiting Cards”. This transpired into the current business card through several different juxtaposes of form and content. (http://www.belightsoft.com/products/composer/historyfr.php)

Now with the invention of the internet and the digital revolution the newest style of business card is the email address.

Many have their username reflect a personality trait that they have, or think they have, or wish they had. This is somewhat like the tattoo’s that emboss many individuals in today’s society.

More important though is the use of the email address as an actual Business Card to replace the typewritten, embossed, engraved, colored, two-sided and picturesque cards that are commonplace in addition to the more austere single color, or lack of color(white), and black colored font.

Note the email address of the professional that represents a business.

Jane.Doe@mycompany.com
JohnSmith@ourcompany.com
CJones@thecompany.com
ClarkL@company.com

There is a lot of information available in that email address.

There is the name.

Note that the first two contain the full name and one of them puts a period between the first and last names so there is no doubt about the separation.

There is a last name in all of the above that provides a good starting point even if the remainder of the name is shortened to an initial.

There is the company.

The domain name should provide the link to the company’s web site. This will provide information about the company. It will provide an address, a phone number, a fax number and maybe a staff directory. It will also provide information about the company, what it is and what it does. It has established credibility.

The email address has provided you just as much, and more, information than will a beautifully developed, printed business card. It is also more useful because you don’t have to worry about filing the business card and remembering the person’s name or the company name because you have an address book in your email program with search capabilities and folder differentiation to take care of things like that for you.

More important is that you now do not have to type the email address of that person into the email that you are sending as you will be able to copy and paste or type in a couple of initials and be offered a list of available email addresses that meet that criteria from which to choose.

There is also the other side to the “business email address”.

JanesStore@gmail.com
TheBaker@hotmail.com
and the list goes on.

These type email addresses are fine for personal mail as they engender the relationship of the sender to their audience. However, it does absolutely nothing from a business standpoint.

You don’t have a valid name for the person. You don’t have a company web site address from the domain name. You don’t have the information afforded by access to that company web site. You will just have to wait until the arrival of that infamous paper business card to proceed.

Remember that first appearance. Now it is your email address before it is yourself or your business card.

Plus, every business card that you don’t use saves a twig!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sentry9000 Showcased at the 2009 Health & Nutrion Expo in Lubbock, Tx.

Sentry9000, a leader in Food Safety Management is proud to announce that its environmentally friendly Bluetooth Temperature Probe, Hand-held PDA, and Web-based Data Management System will be showcased at the 2009 Health & Nutrition Expo in Lubbock, Texas on December 10, 2009.

The Sentry9000 Digital HACCP Food Service Management System takes advantage of the latest in Bluetooth technology and web-based data organization and storage to increase safety in the food service industry. Sentry9000 was developed in 2005 in response to the USDA mandate requiring school cafeterias to have a documented HACCP and food safety program in place. The USDA Guidelines and the subsequent SOP’s issued by the National Food Safety Management Institute (NFSMI) at the University of Mississippi requires not only HACCP, but also the additional preventative measures associated with an overall food safety program.

This includes collecting and storing data regarding receiving ingredients, ingredient storage temperatures, hot and cold equipment holding temperatures, sink and dishwasher water temperatures and the routine completion of a 3-page food safety checklist developed by the USDA.

Sentry9000 has revolutionized data collection to meet the HACCP as well as the ancillary requirements of the mandate. Sentry9000 uses a small, handheld computer, Personal Digital Assistant(PDA), that has all the required food safety forms downloaded on a user-friendly interface. The PDA also communicates with a Bluetooth Temperature Probe that wirelessly captures the prepared, cooked, and served hot and cold food temperatures. The temperature data collected is transmitted real-time to a customized website that organizes the data into an easily accessible format.

The website not only organizes and stores the daily food and equipment temperatures for each kitchen, but is also a very powerful management tool. The web site is a cornucopia of information with powerful reporting tools for viewing data in many different formats. A Job Info page is created for each menu item and reflects all the actions in detail for that menu item from cooking, to serving, to leftovers, to reheating and also includes all the warmer and serving line temperatures during the meals. In the case of a regulatory concern or a judicial concern, this is the information that shows that the cafeteria met all of the requirements expected to provide a safe food product.

With the website’s Reporting Tool, reports can be created to organize the information collected by one day, one week, one month or 10 years of data. Sentry9000’s custom website also provides tools for recording and managing employee training records, and tools for inventory and equipment management. Sentry9000 was created to enhance the food safety protocol, but has expanded to be a complete food service management system.

The obvious advantage to digital data vs. paper data is the savings of time and labor which results in money savings, but more importantly is the increase in personal responsibility, accountability and accuracy in food handling and preparation that comes with digital and automated data collection. This provides the basis for improving the food safety procedures and overall operation of the kitchen food preparation.

The USDA HACCP guidelines and the NFSMI SOP’s provide paper forms and instructions for accomplishing the tasks. However, the questions of interpretation, actual accomplishment, truthful and timely data entry and conformity of procedure do arise. It is interesting to note that directors learn that their managers had not been doing the tasks as they had imagined they were once Sentry9000 is installed and the facts are known. With Sentry9000 in place, the exact time when the temperature is taken and who is taking the temperature is recorded and transmitted real-time to the website. All data entered is coded with a digital signature, a date and time stamp and it cannot be erased.

Sentry9000 not only collects data, but analyzes the data and automatically generates a corrective action form if the data does not meet pre-set requirements. When data is entered on the PDA that is outside the limits for any cooking or cold food temperatures or when there is a NO answer that should be a YES, a corrective action form immediately appears and provides the options to correct the problem…..continue cooking, rapidly chill, discard, etc.

Food service personnel can’t forget to take a temperature. Workers can’t take a temperature now and hope to remember to record it later. The best compliment for Sentry9000 came from a cafeteria worker when she said, “It makes us do things right.”


The Sentry9000 HACCP Food Service Management System

Eliminates the subjectivity related to human error.
Eliminates the objective errors related to human error.
Uses web-based information organization and storage for easy access to critical data.
Initiates accountability with digital time stamped data collection that is transmitted real-time via internet.
Provides extensive savings in labor, material, maintenance and storage associated with using paper forms.
Creates an environmentally friendly solution to information collection and storage for the food service industry.


Sentry9000 Inc. is a food safety and technology company; not a hardware company. Dr. Larry Wyatt, President and founder of Sentry9000 Inc., has been actively involved in food safety since 1973. Dr. Wyatt has worked with HACCP, food safety and quality control at Ralston-Purina, Red Lobster, Silliker Laboratories and The Cheesecake Factory. He has used his more than 30 years of food safety experience to develop the premier food safety system for food service industry.

For more information on Sentry9000 please visit wwww.sentry9000.com. To set up a meeting or free demo for please call 1-800-519-7657 or email information@sentry9000.com.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

“Green” Food Safety Technology that the Food Service Industry can sink its teeth into - Digital HACCP Documentation and Web-based Data Management.

Sentry9000 is revolutionizing how School Cafeterias address Food Safety with improved and enhanced procedures with digital data to replace the stack of paper forms. Sentry9000 has digitized all of the necessary food safety forms based on Standard Operating Procedures, the USDA, and The NFSMI Guidelines into a handheld computer. The hand-held PDA records real-time data and wirelessly transmits critical information to a customized website for easy viewing and monitoring on the Internet.

So, what does this mean? NO more HACCP Paperwork!! Imagine the impact that will have on offices and the environment. There are forms for cooking temperatures, cold food temperatures, vendor receiving, food safety checklists, equipment temperatures, equipment inventory, production reports, leftover handling, and the list goes on and on. Sentry9000 has developed the software to replace every necessary form with a digital form on a hand-held computer. The forms are then viewable from a website that is generated for each specific school district.

Eliminating the paperwork has a snowball effect in the handling and organizing data. Paper forms have to be stored in binders, clipboards, or filing cabinets. With the paperwork gone, there are no more binders, clipboards, or filing cabinets. Access to the information is only a touch away with the keyboard on a computer. So, wherever there is internet, there is access to the cafeteria’s data.

Digitizing information is a concept that is utilized in almost every aspect of daily life. Paper has become an archaic system for recording and organizing data. Computers and Internet have transformed the management of information.

The downsides of paper documentation:

Cost of Paper
Purchase time and inventory of paper
Time to create paper forms
Time and space to store paper forms
Time for employee to fill out paperwork
Time to review employee data of paperwork
No way to track accuracy of data
Time to locate a form to respond to possible food borne illness or regulatory inquiry.
Missing papers or information needed.
Throwing out paperwork once it is out of date.
Environmental impact of paper waste.

Sentry9000 not only provides a means to do away with all the paperwork, but also provides a HACCP and food safety tool that is also a kitchen management tool. Sentry9000 is your complete, automated wireless HACCP Documentation, Kitchen and Food Safety Management System.
Sentry9000, a leader in Food Safety Management is proud to announce that its environmentally friendly Bluetooth Temperature Probe, Hand-held PDA, and Web-based Data Management System will be showcased at the 2009 Region 1 Food Service Product Show on October 15th in South Padre, Texas.
For more information on Sentry9000 please visit wwww.sentry9000.com. To set up a meeting or free demo for your school please call 1-800-519-7657 or email information@sentry9000.com.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Sentry9000 will be showcased at this years Region 2013 Purchasing Cooperative Food Service Product Show on September 30th in Live Oak, Texas

Finally the breakthrough in Food Safety Technology the Food Service Industry has been waiting for - Digitized HACCP Documentation. Sentry9000, a leader in Food Safety Management is proud to announce that its cutting edge Bluetooth Temperature Probe, Hand-held PDA, and Web based data management system will be showcased at this years Region 2013 Purchasing Cooperative Food Service Product Show on September 30th in Live Oak, Texas.

Sentry9000 is the complete automated wireless HACCP Documentation, Kitchen and Food Safety Management System.

Based on Standard Operating Procedures required by the USDA and The National Food Service Management Institute Guidelines, Sentry9000 has put all of the necessary food safety forms into a handheld computer that records real-time data and wirelessly transmits critical information to a customized website for each school in a district for easy viewing and for monitoring. It is Internet based so it also can be viewed from an offsite location.

Not only does Sentry9000 record data but it will analyze the information collected and alert management when out of limit conditions occur. Maintaining safe food temperatures is critical in preserving Food Safety. If a temperature collected is out of the designated safe temperature zone a Corrective Action will be automatically created requiring the problem to be fixed to allow the program to move forward.

Digital data collection changes the work dynamic because the data is Real-Time. It records WHO takes temperatures, WHEN temperatures are taken, and WHAT menu items temperatures are taken. Accountability creates a more responsible kitchen staff. There is much improved data accuracy because temperatures are sent directly from a wireless Bluetooth temperature probe to the handheld computer without transcription error, time recording errors, forgetting and the other human errors that occur. Everything is time and date stamped with a digital signature of the person inputting the data when they take the data.

Sentry9000 prides its self on being an environmentally friendly company. Taking the necessary steps to eliminate ALL paperwork associated with HAACP and Food Safety in the kitchen and the ancillary programs that benefit HACCP. Sentry9000 not only provides the means to do away with all the paperwork, but also provides a kitchen management tool. Nowhere is this more evident than on the home page for each school where Incidents, Reports, Corrective Actions, Freezer and Cooler Temperatures and Food History are all available at a glance.

One of the greatest features of the Sentry9000 system is the Reporting capabilities. Once the data has been collected it can be organized into concise, informative reports.

Sentry9000 is a Food Safety company with a suite of products to enhance your Food Safety Program that is based on the HACCP program. These include:

Temperature monitoring of coolers and freezers – Sentry9000 installs wireless sensors that monitor the temperature and provide alarms and alerts when conditions arise for concern. This includes out of limit temperature conditions as well as lack of signal because of electrical failure. Monitoring of coolers and freezers are an ancillary program of HACCP that provides insurance against the loss of a freezer full of food over that long weekend or scheduled break.

Production Reports – Sentry9000 utilizes the HACCP system that provides a production report based on meals that are prescheduled and allows easy changes to menu items and quantities at the different school grade levels. It can provide the pull amount for each ingredient and accounts for disposal of menu items at the end of the meal.

Preventive Maintenance and Inventory – Sentry9000 provides a preventive maintenance for scheduling and tracking maintenance that is required and that occurs to provide an easily viewed schedule for compressor and other preventive maintenance as well as maintaining an inventory of all equipment assigned to the food service department.

Training – Sentry9000 includes a Training Schedule and Record as part of the basic HACCP program. All employees assigned to a single school will be on the Training Record for that school. The training that is scheduled will appear in an easily viewable schedule and a permanent record of training and other administrative actions.

For more information on Sentry9000 please visit wwww.sentry9000.com. To set up a meeting or free demo for your school please call 1-800-519-7657 or email info@sentry9000.com. Don’t forget to stop by their booth if you are in the area for the Region 2013 Purchasing Cooperative Food Service Product Show on September 30th in Live Oak, Texas at the Live Oak Civic Center.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

What is Sentry9000?

Sentry9000 is your complete automated wireless HACCP documentation, Kitchen and Food Safety Management System.

Basically, it’s Food Safety at your fingertips!!

Based on Standard Operating Procedures required, the USDA, and The National Food Service Management Institute Guidelines, Sentry9000 has put all of the necessary food safety forms into a handheld computer that records real-time data and wirelessly transmits critical information to a website for easy viewing and for monitoring from on offsite location. You will know who collected the data and what time temperatures were taken. This puts you in control of your kitchen with the click of a button.

Not only does Sentry9000 record data but it will analyze the information collected and alert you if something is not right. Maintaning safe food temperatures is critical in preserving Food Safety. If a temperature collected is out of the designated safe temperature zone an alert will be sent to the administrator and the incident will remain until a corrective action has been documented. Now you know if a freezer is out before the ice cream has had time to melt!

But that is just the beginning Sentry9000 is so much more than data storage…

It can also wirelessly monitor the temperatures in your walk-in and reach-in freezers and warmers.

It will allow you to schedule and log employee food safety education and certification.

It can catalog cafeteria equipment, schedule and detail regular equipment maintenance, and track your inventory so you keep your cafeteria running smoothly.

So now that you have gathered all of this important informatio, Sentry9000 will allow you to take that data and create professional, concise, and informative reports with ease…..no more chasing the paper trail to find and report on critical information.

There are also added benefits to installing Sentry9000

Sentry 9000 is environmentally friendly, by eliminating ALL HACCP, Standard Operating Procedures, and National Food Safety Management forms we stop the paper trail. So do away with the old clipboards! Go digital and Go Green!!

Plus everyone is into saving money these days. Sentry 9000 will save you money on reduced labor costs, reduced food waste and reduced energy consumption. Cut costs not food safety!!

Then there is the most important benefit of all, our children’s health and safety. Bring the food safety in your cafeteria to the next level. Food Safety is our #1 Priority…..Is it yours?

To find out more about Sentry9000 visit our website at www.sentry9000.com or please call us at 1.800.519.7657.