TeleBright Reflects on Technology Tax

TeleBright, an award winning leader in Telecom Expense Management and Energy Efficiency Monitoring, looks back on the near miss of a Maryland Technology Tax one year ago. Although the economic climate has continued to drop, Maryland lawmakers have fortified a stronger relationship with technology companies in the state.

Based in Maryland, TeleBright was first in line to protest the 6% special technology tax that would begin in June of 2008 and continue for the next five years. The state of Maryland had a deficit and targeted the technology industry as part of the recovery solution. The estimated calculation for the new tax $200 million each year. After weeks of debate the state voted to repeal the tax and opted to apply a surcharge on millionaires in Maryland.

"We are elated at the news that the House has passed the repeal. We want to commend Governor O’Malley, Senate President Miller and Speaker Busch for tackling this difficult challenge head on," said Julie Coons, chief executive officer of the Tech Council of Maryland. "With technology jobs so vital to the state's economy, this move sends the right message that Maryland is good for business, particularly small and medium-sized growing businesses."
As a long term member of Tech Council of Maryland, TeleBright has first-hand knowledge of strength in numbers and the importance of being part of professional associations.

Related Story: The Washington Post: A Year After ‘Tech Tax’ Scare, Maryland Firms Follow Up With Lawmakers

TeleBright Expands in Recession

TeleBright, an award winning leader in Telecom Expense Management, expands their TEM software. In the past year the company has been perfecting the ability to maximize client savings beyond telecom. TeleBright is addressing energy consumption, rates, and expenses. Clients are discovering why TeleBright can help them survive the economic meltdown.

TeleBright has relied heavily on listening to client surveys and individual communications. Account Coordinators share client frustrations during staff meetings and the development team has the opportunity to offer potential innovations. One overall client goal is the desire to control rising energy costs for their business. When budgets become constricted people review every option they have available to slash expenses.

During our planning sessions, we recognized the ongoing environmental concerns and the possibility that the same software platform could also address energy expenses and usage controls. As a certified Energy Star Partner, TeleBright software can flow through EPA’s Energy Star benchmark system. Along with a monthly Energy Star rating, businesses can establish goals to reduce their carbon footprint, obtain advice on their energy strategy, learn about usage spikes, and discover if they are actually being charged the correct amount for their energy consumption, at the correct rate. This enables clients to realize the same proactive alerts and savings in their energy expenses that they have experienced with telecom.

iPhone Improving Heart Health

Isn't technology amazing, now you can use your iPhone as your heart monitor. Heart monitors have become popular for fitness in the past 10 years, but now you can actually use your iPhone to track your heart beats.
Michael C. Williams, founder and CEO of iTMP Technology, Inc. "We wanted to make the fitness tracking experience cool, fun, simple and custom."

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say moderate exercise should give you 50 to 70% of a person's maximum heart rate. The SM Heart Link collects data from sensors and sends the information to your iPhone for tracking and display. The SM Heart Link can also track and store workouts, serve as your bike computer, and even submit your data to medical assessment websites.

Of course technology is not cheap. The module is $155, the assessments have a small fee, there is a cost for the sensors, the cost for the iPhone itself, but the applications are free.

At the end of the technology spectrum, you can take your pulse with your fingertips over your wrists to feel the radial artery and count the beats, after exercising. Old fashioned but believe it or not, it still works. The American Heart Association's (AHA) online cardiovascular center, Heart 360 (www.heart360.org), visitors can enter their information, log exercises, and keep a medication diary - for FREE. Heart rates can help people keep better track of their health and pay more attention to an often overlooked issue.

Whether you plug in your iPhone and provide your personal trainer with you every heart beat or you count your pulse with a pocket watch - the important thing is that you pay attention to your heart health.