Consolidation makes life easier. Your smartphone is a prime example of this: consolidating dozens of individual gadgets down to one easy-to-use device that can fit inside your pocket. Before smartphones, we had to travel with a carry-on bag full of electronics, but now, thanks to smartphones, traveling is much easier. This principle of consolidation also applies to IT services.
When your business runs efficiently, you will see the positive side effects start relatively quickly. While this seems pretty reasonable to most everyone, there are many business owners that don't know how to best produce the kind of efficiency that will take their business to the next level.
As the world of business becomes increasingly dependent upon technology, the role of IT is changing. Historically, the IT department has been viewed as a separate entity in the office that fixes and maintains the IT infrastructure. Today, more companies are involving IT when making important business decisions. Have you consulted your IT professional lately?
The freeze of winter is hard on everyone and everything, especially windows. Seeing that on Tuesday, 90% of the US was literally frozen due to what meteorologists are calling a "polar vortex," we thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how to prevent your Windows from freezing with managed IT services!
For most small business owners, your average week includes several moments where you look at your expense sheet and search for ways to cut costs and improve the profitability, and thus, the sustainability of your company. Around the holidays, when business picks up for everyone, some small businesses run into problems that stunt their net profitability. The inability to spend the money that larger companies can will often result in handcuffing a business' ability to compete.
How does it make you feel having to call IT support? If you've never talked with one of our IT technicians, then you may think of the stereotypical scenario of dealing with an incoherent foreigner and dread making the call. We feel IT Support should be quick, easy, and resolve the problem, not test the limits of your patience.
Some people are so good at communicating that they do it for a living. The best communicators get paid to talk to people on the behalf of others, with an interpreter being the classic example of this. In your business dealings, there are some people that you would rather have someone else talk to on your behalf; IT vendors often fall into this category.
If your business has never experienced a major computer problem, then it's easy to underestimate just how damaging downtime can be. This conclusion can be drawn from a recent survey of small business owners, where 65% estimated they would only lose $500 if their company's network went down for a day. In reality, downtime is much more costly than $500.
When looking for a mate, you will be most attracted to a "total package." This is a guy or a girl that has it all: Looks, personality, a sense of humor, and everything else your heart desires. Looking for a business partner is a lot like looking for a mate. You want to go with a company that is a total package.
Outsourcing jobs is never a safe topic to bring up in a group discussion. If you mention "outsourcing," be prepared to hear nationalistic rhetoric followed by, "They took our jobs!" When outsourcing is done right, it can save your business money, and when you outsource IT services with us, you can rest easy knowing where the work is going.
When a major storm slams into your business and knocks out power, who are you going to call for help? If your communication system is hosted on your in-house IT infrastructure, then you won't be able to call anybody because your phones will be down. This also means your customers won't be able to call you for help.
With every upgrade to every product, we see technology appealing to people's insatiable need for instant gratification. From microwaves to emails, you know the drill; the most successful innovations are the ones that make life more convenient. Why should your IT service be any different and fail to instantly gratify you?
You can't do everything yourself. Often times, you spend too much of your day dealing with unforeseen situations that arise. This makes completing all the tasks you've laid out for yourself extremely difficult. Implementing best practices will help you manage your time better, have fewer surprises, and allow you to focus more on making your business profitable.
As your company expands, you’re beginning to realize that one IT person isn’t enough to handle all of your technical needs. You feel like you need more hands on deck, but your budget won’t allow for it. You decide that your best option is to hire slowly and steadily, interviewing externally for the most qualified individuals. But, how can you be sure that they meet the needs of your company?
We live in a world where money is the solution to all problems. If you have a problematic piece of technology, what do you do to fix it? You can call in the professionals, or shell out for new hardware or software. Either way, you’re spending money, but the difference in how much you need to spend depends on the policies your IT support budget specifies.
Are you experiencing performance issues with your computer network? Does it seem like it’s not running as effectively as it used to? Given the nature of technology, eventually, you’ll have to replace all of your computer hardware. But before you do, give your network a boost by trying these four IT maintenance best practices.
It’s already a couple of months into 2016, are you still relying on a break-fix company to fix your technology problems? Using technology comes with its own set of problems. For example, dealing with an influx of new devices in your office, determining whether or not your technology can take another year of use, and budgeting around new technology expenses, can be suffocating. If you haven’t done so yet, now is a great time to cast aside the break-fix IT policy and take your technology maintenance and management seriously.
