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What’s That Weird Noise Coming from Your Computer?

July 7, 2021 by Matthew Schulz

New computers are whisper quiet, seeming to run on pure magic, but after a while computers can start making some pretty weird noises. Clicks, clunks, and about-to-take-off jet noises are the most common, but when should you worry? Your computer has a number of moving parts and even some stationary parts that can make noises. If you’re listening, your computer might be telling you about its current health and how you can help it run smoother, for longer.

When you hear a clicking noise: This could be normal if it’s more like a soft tick. Mechanical hard drives work a bit like a record player with a needle and platter, so you might simply be hearing it spin up and move the needle around. When it starts sounding like a loud click it’s usually the needle hitting the platter too hard or bouncing around. If your hard drive has started making alarming noises, you should bring it in as soon as possible. Just like a record player, scratches that ruin your data are possible, and if ignored for long enough, it doesn’t just skip and have trouble reading the drive, the whole thing can become unusable.

Our technicians can copy the files onto a new drive before it gets to that point, but retrieving data from a destroyed hard drive is rarely achieved without CSI-level expenses. It’s easier and much cheaper to replace the hard drive at the first sign of failure.

When you hear a clunking noise: Unsurprisingly, this one causes certain alarm. Computers aren’t meant to go clunk! It may be a simple matter of a cable having shifted into the path of a fan and getting clipped during the spin. Remember when you pegged a card between your bicycle spokes? It might sound a little like that, skipping every now and then as it’s pushed away and drops back again. If that’s the case, our technicians will quickly secure the cable back where it belongs.

When you hear a jet-engine noise: Most computers and laptops have fans to keep them cool. The fans have to spin to move the air around, and the faster they’re spinning, the more noise they make. We start to worry when the jet-engine noise gets out of hand and it’s not just while you’re playing a resource-intensive game or doing some video editing. Constant jet-engine noise indicates your computer is struggling to cool itself down, perhaps because the fan vents are clogged with dust, your computer is in a poorly ventilated space, or the fan itself is worn. Each fan has ball bearings inside that wear out over time, making extra noise while it does the best it can. Our technicians can replace individual fans quickly and give your system a checkup to make sure nothing else has been affected.

When it’s beep city: Your computer’s friendly beep as you switch it on actually has multiple meanings. It’s not just saying hello. The single beep you normally hear indicates that it’s run a self-test and everything is fine. When your computer is very unwell, you might hear more beeps than usual. This is because each beep combination is a code to technicians, letting us know what’s gone wrong.

Certain beep combinations mean the memory is loose or damaged, others that the video adapter has a problem, etc. If your computer has started beeping differently, let our technicians know so we can decode it and repair the problem for you.

Some noises your computer makes will be normal, others a sign of deeper issues. Even if your computer seems to be operating correctly, a sudden onset of weird noises could mean failure is just around the corner. Taking early action ensures problems don’t escalate, costs are kept low, and your files remain where they belong.

Got some weird noises coming from your computer? Give us a call today at 470-236-2584 or email us at support@bluelightningitservices.com today.

Decide Between In-House Or Hosted VoIP

December 29, 2020 by Matthew Schulz

Compare Upfront Costs, Unique Benefits & More Before Diving In

On-premises VoIP systems have been around for quite some time, but with the increase of cloud-based technology offerings, managed and hosted VoIP solutions are becoming viable alternatives. Self-managed on-premises systems give companies full control but often have a higher upfront cost, while managed on-premises or hosted systems often have a lower cost but give businesses much less managerial control. Choosing one of these solutions can be difficult. But if you look at your infrastructure capabilities, compare costs, and weigh the pros and cons of each system, you should be able to find a VoIP solution that will meet your needs without exceeding your budget.

Analyze Your Infrastructure

Before you start examining the unique features of on premises, self-managed VoIP or hosted VoIP solutions, you should look at the capabilities of your existing infrastructure, including your network bandwidth and cabling. According to Brett Femrite, director of business development at Rackmount Solutions (www .rackmountsolutions.net), you have to ask yourself, “Do I have the appropriate cabling infrastructure in place to support the VoIP solutions? Are there dual CAT 5 drops to each workstation, or am I having to daisy chain my workstation PCs into the phone and the VoIP into the jack?” Depending on your answers, your infrastructure might not even be able to support in-house VoIP, which will limit your choices.

On top of infrastructure, you also have to analyze your work force. You may have employees that are familiar with using VoIP solutions but don’t have the expertise to manage them. If this is the case, you would have to hire new employees or bring in an outside expert to train members of your IT department, which all adds to the upfront costs related to setting up an on-premises, self managed VoIP system.

Upgrade Or Make The Move

Some companies may already have an on-premises VoIP system in place but are looking at either upgrading it or switching to a hosted alternative. There are a few signs that it may be time to upgrade, including failing equipment, expensive maintenance, or staff complaints about the current low-tech offering, says Daniel O’Connell, research director for the Enterprise Service group at Gartner. Depending on the state of your infrastructure and current VoIP solution, a simple upgrade may be enough to meet your changing VoIP needs. In some cases, however, it may be more cost-effective to switch over to a hosted solution that can provide faster speeds and better overall performance at a lower price. O’Connell says that hosted solutions may be more beneficial for SMEs or highly distributed businesses that have difficulty managing an in-house VoIP system. Instead of spending money upgrading your existing systems or hiring more personnel, you can pass the management responsibilities on to a third party vendor and focus on using the system, instead of controlling and managing it.

Key Points

Look at your infrastructure capabilities and make sure you are even in a position to manage a VoIP solution. If you already have one in place, decide whether to upgrade it or move to a third-party alternative.
Compare the total cost of ownership of in house, managed, or hosted VoIP systems and consider the long-term and short-term costs of each option.
If you choose a third-party VoIP solution, choose wisely between an on-premises managed solution and a fully hosted one. Determine how much control you want over the system.

Action Plan

The following steps were provided by James McCloskey, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research:

Inventory your existing telecom services, including circuits, users, functionality, capacity, and workload.
Understand near-term and future growth needs in terms of users, advanced features, and related capabilities, such as unified communication, videoconferencing, or mobility.
Identify your options. This includes upgrading or extending your current system, replacing it with a new on premises or managed system, or moving to a fully hosted version.
Understand the capabilities and lifecycle costs associated with the various options.
Make your selection and implement it, taking great care to ensure it is flexible enough to keep up with your company’s changing needs.

Get Started

Look at the size of your company and the number of employees that will need to access the VoIP solution. If your company has fewer than 250 employees, you may be able to put an on-premises VoIP system in place that will perform well and be easy to manage. However, if your company has more than 250 employees or is spread out over multiple satellite offices, then allowing a third-party provider to manage every facet of your enterprise’s VoIP system may be a less expensive alternative as well as a headache reliever for your IT department.

Managed On-Premises vs. Hosted

If in the end you decide that a third-party managed solution is the answer to your problems, you then have to decide between a managed on-premises approach and a hosted alternative. With managed on-premises VoIP solutions, you are responsible for purchasing or leasing hardware and software for the VoIP solution and implementing it. The service provider is simply responsible for managing your VoIP solution and helping with any issues along the way. With a hosted solution, you still have phones and other communication tools onsite, but the actual network connection and VoIP system are managed and hosted by the third-party vendor. In the short term, hosted VoIP is one of the least expensive and most adaptable choices, because “capital expenditures are minimized and subscription pricing provides substantial flexibility for adding or changing services,” says James McCloskey, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research. Both of these options will counteract the need for in-house personnel with VoIP management experience and help lower the costs associated with implementing a VoIP solution, whether it be through leasing or hosting. In the end, it depends on how much control your company wants over the system and determining whether a fully hosted solution would better fit the needs of the organization.

Compare The Costs

As with any major IT-related purchase, you have to consider the overall cost and what functionality you will receive for the price you pay. “With an in-house solution, you typically will have more upfront acquisition costs, but more control over your system for moves, additions, and changes,” Femrite says. “With a hosted solution, be sure to carefully examine the agreement and its response times for both standard charges and emergency situations, such as system outages.” Femrite says there are many financial factors related to choosing a VoIP solution that go beyond the cost of hardware, software, or hosted pricing. He recommends looking at the accounting aspects and tax advantages of each type of system and to calculate the total cost of ownership related to each type of VoIP solution. “A fixed monthly operating cost for a hosted solution can be desirable,” he says. “But the TCO over the life span of the system could in fact be less with an on-premises VoIP system.”

Make sure a third-party VoIP vendor fully meets the current needs of your company as well as any that might arise in the future. Have a good idea of what direction your business is going and how quickly. This will help you choose a VoIP solution that is flexible enough for your company and has all the necessary features.
Know the strengths of your workforce. Build a cost-benefit analysis of whether it’s worth it to train employees on how to manage a VoIP solution. If not, a managed or hosted VoIP system may be a better alternative.
Consider system availability. With an in-house, self-managed VoIP system, you have more control over uptime and downtime. If a third party vendor has an outage, no matter how large or small, it could negatively affect the productivity of your employees.

If you decided that you need to migrate to a VoIP service, check out our UCaaS Management service page under the Services menu here on our website to learn more about what our VoIP service offers. Fill out our contact form on either our home page or on our Contact page to reach out to us to get started with this service for you and your business.

5 Tech Travel Tips You Can Use

January 20, 2020 by Matthew Schulz

Traveling soon? For most people, this also means making sure your tech is packed and ready for the adventure. Smartphones, ebook readers, tablets, laptops and smart watches are now so light and portable that you’d never think of leaving them behind, plus they can add a ton of value your experience.

Here are a few tips to consider before you hit the road.

Backup to the cloud

While you’re jet setting around, relaxing on a beach or hiking your way to freedom, your tech is always going to be exposed to a level of risk. This might range from accidentally leaving your laptop at a cafe to having it stolen from your bag, but either way the problem is the same – your data is now gone. If you’ve backed up your devices to the cloud (eg Evernote, Microsoft OneNote or Google Drive) you’ll be able to access your files easily and securely from anywhere.

Hot tip: Scan or save important documents like itineraries and passports to the cloud.
Pack the right cables

Begging random strangers for a loan of their cable isn’t much fun, so remember to bring the exact cables and chargers you’ll need. Most smartphones and tablets use universal plugs like Micro USB, USB C or Apple Lightning, so you can get away with only packing one cable. Many locations now offer powered USB ports but be sure to also pack the right charger as well, it’s a convenience you’ll appreciate. If you’re travelling overseas and the socket is different, remember to pack a plug converter, and depending on your destination, you might even find the voltage is different. It’s a good idea to check whether you also need a voltage converter before you try and charge.
Download offline data

It’s no secret that global roaming can give nasty bill shocks. The easy access data you normally use over Wi-Fi or get included in your cell plan has us all accustomed to being connected. While travelling, you might find yourself in a location where data costs a fortune or it’s not available at all. Download any files you might need, including important documents like itineraries and bookings, so that you can access them even without a connection.
Update and scan

Just like you’d make sure you’ve got the right vaccinations and travel gear, make sure your tech is ready to travel too. Set aside a few minutes to run updates for your operating systems and apps, as well as your anti-virus. Go one step further and run a manual anti-virus scan too. The last thing you want to deal with one your trip is a cyber attack! While you’re doing your pro-active thing, turn on password protection for all devices so that only you can unlock them.

Hot tip: Use a complex password that is hard for thieves to guess.
Mark your territory

Almost exactly the way it sounds, let everyone know this tech belongs to you. Write your cell number on portable devices in case you get separated so whoever finds it can give you a quick call and save the day. Don’t want to use permanent marker on your shiny tech? Grab some sticky labels you can peel off when you get home.

You can also get little Bluetooth tracking tags to stick to your gear, so that if you ever lose something you can chase it down. Similarly, you might like to consider enabling the ‘find my feature on Apple devices. Having this feature switched on also means you can disable your device remotely, an excellent security option if it’s been stolen.

Need help preparing your tech for travel? Give us a call at 470-236-2584 or email us at support@bluelightningitservices.com today.

3 Microsoft Office Hacks You Never Knew You Needed

January 12, 2020 by Matthew Schulz

Edit PDFs – Your PDF files open by default in Adobe. But, what if you want to edit them? You cannot do that within Adobe Reader, and the Adobe software that does let you make changes to PDFs is not cheap. Microsoft Word to the rescue!Launch Microsoft Word. Attempt to open a document like you normally would by selecting File and then Open. On the bottom right of the window that pops up, click the drop-down menu. Choose PDF, and then browse to the file that you wish to edit. Once you open it, you can make your edits. You may lose some of the formatting in the process, but it’s nothing that you cannot overcome.
Collaborate in Real Time – With Microsoft Office, you and a colleague can edit the same document or spreadsheet at the same time. This feature is actually built into Office 2013 and later. No magic needed. It’s a little bit of a process, but will pay off once configured.First, save your document, spreadsheet, or presentation – whatever it may be within the Microsoft Office suite – to OneDrive. Once the document is saved, select File, Share (on the left side of the screen), and then send out your invites.If all goes accordingly, your colleague on the other end will now be able to review and edit your work in real time. You may need to adjust your Microsoft Office settings in order to do this, but you can always request help from your IT department or an IT services company, if you have any trouble.
Ignore Reply-All Email Annoyances – Have you ever been included on one of those spam email threads that have absolutely nothing to do with you, but someone (or multiple people) keep on hitting the reply-all button? Ignore these frequent annoyances with Outlook!
Select the chain of messages. Then, in the top of the Outlook window, to the left of the Delete button, you will see Ignore. By choosing this command, any future messages will now be sent straight to the Deleted Items folder, helping you cut down on inbox clutter.If you use Microsoft Office at home and at work every day, these time-saver tips may be just what you need to kick productivity into high gear!

If you don’t have Microsoft Office or need assistance with managing Microsoft Office for you and your business, don’t hesitate to contact us today by filling out our contact form on our home page or on our contact page. We will be happy to assist you and your small business.

10 Hidden IT Risks That Might Threaten Your Business

January 12, 2020 by Matthew Schulz

Your business depends on intelligence. But can you count on your technology?

You may not be in the intelligence technology business, but it’s probably impossible to imagine your business without IT. Today, computing technology plays a vital role in the way you serve, work with, and communicate to your clients. Thanks to advances that have made technology more powerful yet less expensive, even the smallest practice can enjoy capabilities – in everything from marketing and sales to delivery and fulfillment – that were once the sole domain of large enterprises.

But today’s big IT advantages come with major risks. Your networks and systems serve as your silent partner in operations. Should they fail – and when they do, it’s usually without warning – you’re exposed not just to an IT problem, but to a potentially large business problem.

This post exposes 10 silent threats that might be quietly undermining your operations now – and proposes one quick, easy and FREE way to bring these threats under control, fast.

Risk #10: Wrong keys in wrong hands

It’s just common sense: you restrict crucial information, such as bank accounts and inventory access, to carefully designated employees. Yet many businesses have lost control of their network’s user level access privileges, exposing vital company and client data to people without authorization. One of the first steps toward security is to be sure the right people have the right level of access to appropriate applications and data.

Risk #9: Bring your own headache

On the one hand, new devices such as smartphones and tablets can increase employee productivity – and when employees use their own devices, save the company money. But this new “bring your own device” (BYOD) environment brings new headaches, too. These devices are easily lost and stolen. When they are, any information available to the device – including confidential practice and client data – may be vulnerable to illicit access. Yet fewer than 50% of businesses report the ability to use data encryption and/or remote data wiping to protect their assets. Take stock of your data inventory: you need to share permissions reports that reveal which devices and users have access to which files and applications.

Risk #8: Who’s knocking at your backdoor?

Your business isn’t limited to your own systems. Thanks to access to outside servers and systems, you can leverage potent tools like Gmail and Dropbox to communicate with customers, share files and more. While these cloud services increase your capabilities without busting your IT budget, it’s important to remember that every connection that reaches out from your network may open an opportunity for someone else to reach in. Protect your portals: run an external vulnerability scan that reveals every “backdoor” through which an intruder might break into your network.

Risk #7: Weak Passwords

Your password protections are only as strong as the passwords themselves. Having no passwords – or using obvious passwords such as “12345” – undermines the very protection you seek. Yet employees often fail to establish passwords or, when they do, frequently use ineffective ones. Review your passwords’ strength to identify weak spots any unauthorized user could punch through.

Risk #6: Whoa, back up

If you lost a significant chunk of your data right now, how much business would you lose as well? Too many businesses run without sufficient policies, plans and procedures for backing up critical data essential to their ability to operate. If your business depends on manual procedures that are executed inconsistently, you’re exposed to unnecessary losses; it’s time to look for automated backup solutions that are always at work – even when employees might be forgetful.

Risk #5: Show me the compliance

Sensitive data demands special attention. In many businesses, the law obliges you to preserve client confidentiality – and demonstrate that you have processes in place to ensure compliance. The best way to prepare for a regulatory audit is to run regular compliance audits of your own that allow you to take corrective actions before your operation is called into account.

Risk #4: Print (lost) money

Despite high hopes for the “paperless” office, the reality is that businesses spend lots of money printing, faxing, copying and scanning paper documents. Consider the math: paper plus toner plus maintenance plus employee time, etc. It’s possible to bring these printing costs under control, but the first step is to discover who prints what, how often, and why. By monitoring your multi-function printers, you can limit access to authorized users, discourage unnecessary or wasteful usage, and encourage less-expensive options – such as scan to email or scan to file directories – that save time and money.

Risk #3: “Ghosts” in the machines

There may be “ghosts” haunting your networks – inactive users or inactive computers that remain part of your system, even if they are no longer contributing to your productivity. While the threat may not be immediately obvious, defunct computers represent an expense you don’t need to carry. Worse, inactive users may reflect open accounts (perhaps of people who are no longer employed by your business) that could present security holes for unauthorized access. Run audits that show you what’s active or not, then clean house – and close security loopholes – by burying the “dead” devices and accounts.

Risk #2: When IT can’t keep up, your business goes down

Smart businesses and wise managers protect their critical networks with redundancy: backup servers and routers that are designed to kick in should the main system go down. But the contingency plan is only as good as the processes and practices behind them; should these be inoperative, your business will not maintain continuity in an emergency. To safeguard your business, analyze your network before disaster strikes to be sure that your contingency technologies – such as your backup designated router or alternate domain control – are online and ready for action.

Risk #1: Hiding in the dark

You want to run your businesses, not an IT department. While IT may not be top of mind, it should never be out of sight. Lack of vision into the true status of your technology, and the quality of your defenses against attack or failure, may leave your business vulnerable to disruption, legal consequences and loss of revenue. By implementing regular monitoring and review procedures, however, you can anticipate challenges before they become problems, and take adequate measures to ensure the smooth conduct of your firm.

Consider the Massachusetts model

Effective March 1, 2010, Massachusetts law M.G.L. c. 93h imposed the most comprehensive confidentiality requirements yet for the safeguarding of “personal information” such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and other means of individual identification. Among the requirements are these:

Encryption of all transmitted records and files containing personal information that will travel across public networks, and encryption of all data containing personal information to be transmitted wirelessly; and encryption of all personal information stored on laptops or other portable devices.

To ensure compliance, law firms should consider implementing practices that can:

Enforce strong password policies on all computing devices
Automate backup and restore functions for all systems
Restrict data, devices and applications to authorized individuals
Deploy remote lock and wipe capabilities for all lost and/or stolen devices

Are you sure your IT is a sure thing?

We all depend on IT. Given the stakes, it’s important our confidence is well placed. Are you sure the technology you rely upon is adequately protected? In our experience, nine out of ten companies have undetected vulnerabilities that could lead to data disaster.

Take a moment to complete this quick self-analysis. If you cannot answer yes to every question, request our FREE network assessment to give yourself – and your business – the confidence you deserve.

Have you assigned appropriate access levels and authority to restrict data and applications to the right people?
Can you create and review permission reports that tell you which devices and personnel have access to which data and applications?
Are the connections you use to access online services protected against backdoor invasions by unauthorized intruders?
Are your data and applications password protected, and are your employees using sufficiently strong passwords to ensure security?
Do you use automated backup programs for data protection, rather than random and irregular manual backups?
If the regulators arrived at your door, are you confident you comply with legal and regulatory mandates for your data?
Can you monitor and control printing, faxing, scanning and copying to lower costs?
Is your system cleared of ghosts users and computers that waste resources and expose your network to unauthorized access?
Can you verify that your data recovery and network restoration plans are operative and ready to work in an emergency?
Do you have timely and actionable visibility into your IT status, so that you can intercept problems before they interrupt your business?Give yourself, and your business, a “yes” vote of confidence by requesting our FREE network assessment! Your network assessment will give you insight into the true status of your IT system, and point the way to appropriate corrective actions you can make to secure your business effectively and efficiently.
To get your FREE network assessment, fill out our form on our home page or our contact page today.

3 Reasons Why All Homes Should Have Office 365

January 4, 2020 by Matthew Schulz

Microsoft Office has been THE office suite for more than a decade, whether it’s for business or students doing their homework. Other applications have come and gone, but it’s expected that most people will be doing their work in Word, Excel or PowerPoint. While you may have an older version of Office that you love, there are three good reasons you should upgrade to Office 365.

It’s more accessible: Office 365 operates in the cloud, which means you can use your Word, Excel, Outlook and other office products from anywhere. This means no more forgotten homework, files you can’t access until you get to work or lost documents. The cloud has them all ready and waiting for you, wherever you are. Save important files to a USB drive or your computer and use the cloud versions as your mobile copy, there really are no restrictions on how flexible Office 365 can be.

Another benefit is that since it’s in the cloud, the barriers between Mac and PC versions have been erased. It runs on both platforms and on any device – iPhones, iPads, Android, tablets and many other smart devices. A hefty allocation of cloud storage comes with it too, in the form of OneDrive, so you can access your documents from any device. Many people have started using their OneDrive to store all of their important data, including photos, media and recipes. You can even share your files with a simple link, and you always have complete control over who sees what.

It’s more affordable: Previously, there was a large upfront cost per computer and you were stuck with that version until you dug deep and upgraded. For people with more than one computer in their home, for example 2 laptops and a desktop, this was a very expensive way to obtain software. Office 365 has no large upfront costs, no matter how many computers or devices you need to install it on. It’s actually a monthly or annual subscription for a small amount, with no contracts. Depending on your location (pricing differs across countries), you can have five Office 365 licenses for a whole year, for less than the cost of your previous version.

It’s always updated: You are always rocking the latest version of Office. You aren’t stuck with the one you paid for years ago, like Office 2007, 2013 or 2016. Office 365 is always the very latest. If you’re still using an older version, you’ll be surprised by how much Office has evolved. Gone are the annoying paperclip helpers, tacky looking clipart and templates and confusing buttons. Everything is intuitive and easy to use, so you no longer need to take classes or tutorials on how to work it. Even the jargon has been stripped out in favor of human-speak so you can get your tasks done faster and finally break up with the undo button. With the latest features, your files also take on a whole new level of professionalism. Plus, any updates, upgrades or patches happen automatically, so whatever Microsoft cooks up to impress you is added to your Office immediately. In the past, when you upgraded your Office version it was quite the drama and often left your files in a mess. Switching to Office 365 is like a breath of fresh air in this regard, as it’s essentially a sign up and go situation. Older files remain intact, your hard drive doesn’t get cluttered, and you’re up and running in minutes.

With Office 365, you’re essentially getting more while spending less. It’s a popular option for good reason. The fact that it’s always available, always the latest version and works anywhere is reason enough to make the switch, particularly if you have students or work-at-home users. The baked-in security features also mean you’re less at risk of cyber-attack, so you can get on with your tasks and let Microsoft deal with the dirty work. It really is a stress-free solution, saving you time and money.

Switch to Office 365 – contact us today at 470-236-2584 email us at support@bluelightningitservices.com and we will be happy to get you set up.

Small Businesses & Digital Transformation: What’s in it for you?

September 16, 2019 by Matthew Schulz

Why Digital Transformation is a Top Priority for Small Businesses

New technologies are opening up new opportunities for business. They’re driving a revolution known as
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, where processes are simplified, ideas are implemented, and businesses are benefiting like never before.

Discover what digital transformation is, and the possibilities that even small changes can provide to your business growth.

Digital Transformation is more than a buzzword

Digital transformation may be a buzzword thrown around by large corporations, but small businesses are quickly embracing the core ideas behind it – using technology to improve processes, innovate and expand.

It’s an umbrella term that encompasses multiple areas of business transformation, each driven by new technologies, customer behavior, market demand and external factors. Many businesses have already begun their digital transformation with cloud applications, remote working and using email for communication. When you consider you may already be halfway down the path, it’s much easier to look around and wonder what else could be improved with technology!

The Joy of Disruption

Right now, small to medium businesses across the globe are in prime position to disrupt their industries. That is, to use their inherent flexibility to do things in a new way, introduce new products and services, and generally show the old guard how things should be done.

When computers reached the point where they were widely affordable and understood, it caused a massive shift in how business was done. Ledgers became spreadsheets, letters were replaced with emails and a new normal was quickly established. It’s been this way for many years, but now companies are changing again. This isn’t for the sake of being cutting edge and looking cool, but to claim their share of real, tangible benefits.

Which opportunity will you embrace?

Quite often, decision makers hold off from worrying about how their employees will feel about the new technology. There’s concern it will make them redundant, they won’t know how to use it, or it will make their job harder. It’s worth noting that digital transformation is not only about getting clever with tech possibilities, it’s about providing a business culture where it’s clear you want to make success as easy as possible – both for your business AND your employees.

Go completely paperless

Efficiency is always the order of the day, and going paperless is one of the easiest ways to achieve this. You’ll avoid lost paperwork and illegible handwriting, and filing becomes a chore your employees will happily skip. New technology allows information to be entered directly into the system, even from remote locations and on-the-go.

You’ll save money and stakeholders throughout your business process will appreciate the speed with which things now happen. With the right applications, you’ll also have analytical data at your fingertips, automatically generated and ready for you to act on.

There’s no limit to the innovation a paperless office provides, and the technology is there to support even the wildest ideas. According to Forbes, nearly 20% of companies have implemented chatbots across roles such as diary management, customer support, and even confirming sick notes.

Say Goodbye to Old Hardware and Software

A large part of your IT budget is no doubt consumed by maintaining software you’ve been using for years. Legacy software like this, applications you’ve had for so long that it feels too costly or difficult to switch, are a common problem for small businesses. It might have been state-of-the-art 20-30 years ago, but after all those years of patching to force it to play nice with your modern business, they can actually become a productivity black hole. The same goes for older hardware, systems you’ve kept running despite the rest of your business surging ahead around it.

You might be pleasantly surprised to discover a replacement for that software or hardware has been developed in recent years, or that new advances mean you don’t even need it anymore.

Clocking into the Virtual Office

Cloud productivity solutions are becoming more common, such as Microsoft Office 365 and Slack. Applications like these allow employees to collaborate with maximum efficiency and ease of use. There’s never any lost work, ‘locked’ files and employees are able to extend themselves to showcase their skills like never before.

Cloud solutions are changing the way people work, and even how they expect to work. Confining their workday to the traditional 9-5 plus 2 hours in an exhausting commute is no longer accepted as necessary; many employees are embracing the flexibility that comes with cloud applications and choosing to work from home (or elsewhere). Around 30% of employees now work from home at least one day per week, a statistic expected to rise to 50% by 2020.

Create Room to Grow

Digital transformation isn’t just about getting rid of the old, but having room to grow into the new. You’ll be able to take on new opportunities, do more, and operate in ways you couldn’t before.

It not only benefits you as a business but your customers too. They want faster responses, faster turnarounds, and digital interactions. Whether it’s fair or not, whatever they see a competitor do, they expect you to follow suit. This might mean always available services, ever more rapid deliveries, and one-touch bookings. While your business might not be able to (or want to!) morph into a new Amazon with drone deliveries overnight, all these new technologies open a world of possibilities for your future. It’s now easier than ever to find out what your customers want, so you can leverage the right digital platforms to evolve alongside them.

Something else?

These are just some options and we know every business is different. For each business, we determine what they want to achieve and work out a plan to get them there. We can analyze businesses and see exactly where improvements can be made.

If you need help with digital transformation with your business, call us at 470-236-2584 or fill out our contact form here and we will be glad to help you and your business.

6 Business Problems You Can Solve with a Single Phone Call

May 18, 2019 by Matthew Schulz

More IT, More Problems

Technology itself is advancing at rapid speeds, but the way people conduct business is moving even faster. Processes that would have felt ‘space-age’ just 5 years ago are now the norm, and businesses are under increasing pressure to keep up.

With that progress comes increased complexity – ongoing headaches really – as cyber-attacks rise, data continues to burst out of your storage drives, and technology requires constant maintenance to avoid downtime.

While large corporations are able to hire entire teams to manage their IT, small to medium businesses find their IT budget is running dry, but the problems still remain.

Switching to Managed Services brings instant relief to both budget and problems, beginning with putting cash flow back in your control.

Cash Flow out of Control

Computer problems can happen at any time, and the fix can sometimes be costly. Replacing systems, servers, components, laptops, peripherals…the problems tend to quickly spiral out of control, as each failure triggers the next.

Unexpected expenses like this are terrible for businesses, especially those who have to carefully manage cash flow every single month. Our Managed Services will help remove this financial stress with a fixed monthly cost you can budget for, and preemptive maintenance protocols to avoid disaster of your storage drives, and technology requires constant maintenance to avoid downtime.

Reduce Break/Fix Emergencies

Without our Managed Services there to make sure problems are minimal, reactive solutions are always going to be costly. There’s always a mad rush to get systems back online, limited availability of technicians with expertise, and hustling around to locate suitable parts on short notice.

Your business ends up with a suitable solution, but it may not last as long and it sure cost more than it should have. Engaging with our Managed Services means your IT problems are proactively corrected, without the cost shock, and before everything goes wrong.

Business Growth Gone AWOL

It’s hard to grow a business without the right technology in place. In fact, it can severely throttle your growth. It’s like mowing the lawn with nail clippers – success never seems to arrive, no matter how hard you work! Not having the right technology will directly affect your ability to compete, streamline and innovate. Getting the technology to support your business growth doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does require expert strategy.

Take Advantage of Technology Consulting & Strategy

With Managed Services, we can work with your business to plan the IT strategy that will support (and drive) growth. Rather than dive on the latest technology for the sake of it, we’ll make recommendations based on the way you work, your goals, plus help you plug any productivity, efficiency or budget leaks. As your business grows, the technology we recommend can be scaled to keep you ahead and competitive.

Cybersecurity Concerns

It seems every month we’re hearing about a new virus or hack, usually with a regretful business taking the brunt of everybody’s frustration. All those patches and protections are a lot to stay on top of, which is why 43% of cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses. Far too many are successful. During 2016, an average of 4000 ransomware attacks happened every day in the US, a statistic that continues to climb.

Remote Monitoring = Protected

Unfortunately, 60% of businesses fail to recover from successful cyber attacks. Considering the sensitive nature of data held by business and the fact that IT is essential to continued operation, daily defense is required. Our remote monitoring can help cut off cyber-attacks as they occur, maintain your antivirus protection and software patches, plus assist with creating a secure culture. Businesses with our Managed Services enjoy highly effective security against threat.

Tech Wars

Businesses spend too much time battling with their technology, time that could be directed towards their core profit-making activities. Every day, employees struggle with compatibility issues, repeated errors and systems that simply don’t work the way they should. Even if you’re able to patch together a series of workarounds to keep things moving, the outcome is rarely ideal and usually has a negative flow-on effect for the customer.

Claw Back Your Resources

While our Managed Services takes care of your technology, your employees are free to focus on internal initiatives, innovation and collaboration. When things go wrong, support is a call or click away, and situations that would previously have been a productivity black hole are simply solved.

Downtime Revenue Loss

A single server going down can cripple a business, and the longer it’s down, the more it costs. Combine lost income with employee hourly wages and downtime becomes a hefty write-off. Once you start adding in overtime to catch up and missed deadline penalties, that small inconvenience becomes an extensive issue. It’s estimated that just one hour of downtime costs around $10,000 – an unwelcome price tag that increases with business size.

Prevent Problems from Happening

We are able to remotely see when hardware is about to fail and take steps to prevent catastrophe. Downtime is limited or avoided completely, and your business is able to continue surging ahead. We’ll let you know in advance what’s about to go wrong, and suggest proactive measures to ensure the crash is avoided.

Data Management

Data is the backbone of any business, whether it’s customer databases or proprietary files, and a catastrophic loss can see the doors close for good. Our Managed Services can make sure your data is backed up, moving fast through the network and you have enough storage. As your data needs grow, we’ll make sure it’s safe and if regulatory compliance is a concern for your business, we can help make sure you’re getting the tick.

Safe Data at your Fingertips

Backups rarely make for fascinating dinner conversation, but they will save your business in the event of corruption or breach. It’s one of the first things we’ll set up and manage for you, so you never have to worry. Our Managed Services can go one step further and help you go paperless where possible, improving response speeds within and without your business, while at the same time increasing your communication security.

Peace of mind is priceless – Get Proactive Computer Management Services today! Call us at 470-236-2584 or fill out our online form here and we will get you started today!

Eliminate Distractions

October 25, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

Have you ever been on a great roll with your work, in the zone, progressing your project leaps and bounds, only for a popup to interrupt? System popups, user maintenance, and computer interruptions can often feel like they are timed to break your workflow on purpose. You may have already had the experience of trying to rush to meet a client while your laptop demands yet more updates before you can shut down and unplug.

Distractions cost workplaces millions every single year. IT interruptions can be particularly frustrating, time-consuming, and costly to deal with.

In this guide, we talk about some of the top IT distractions that impact businesses and what we can do to solve them.

Social Media

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can cost businesses a huge amount of hours in time and productivity losses. Web browsing can introduce unproductive downtime and often invite malicious links and attachments into the network.

Both productivity and security can be boosted by limiting access to unproductive sites over the company network. Sites can be selectively enabled for a single department or individual to ensure social media marketing remains open to the staff that need it.

Social media and web activity can be secured with the installation of a Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliance. A UTM works as your “bodyguard at the door” to stop unwanted social media traffic traveling in or out of your company network.

Spam

One of the biggest and most well known IT headaches of the modern day is the spam email. You work hard every day to respond to clients quickly and efficiently with relevant information. However, in modern IT, even just to find a clients request in your inbox you often have to clear dozens of spam messages out of the way. With poor filtering in place it becomes easy to lose important messages and attachments amongst the incoherent mess.

Unified Threat Management can help here too, keeping spam at the door and freeing staff to focus only on what is important. By preventing spam from entering the network, a UTM solution can safeguard IT against compromising links, phishing attacks, and rogue applications. A UTM allows individuals to forget everything else and deal only with the queries that matter.

Windows Updates

Seemingly scheduled to happen at the worst possible minute, mandatory updates can lock you out of your machine at any time of day. These can happen when you’re physically away from your machine. Windows updater can take control and decide to restart the computer to install a downloaded patch. When this happens, open work, unsaved changes, and active projects can be lost before you even return to the computer.

Even when an update doesn’t apply itself on a whim, the system may decide that updates will be applied the next time you shut down the machine. These can work fine at the end of the day, but often occur when you need to unplug to visit a client, for an upcoming meeting, or to take home work for later review.

Updates are of course vitally important. They come with the latest security patches and bug fixes that keep your network and data safe from harm.

Using Managed Services, updates and maintenance are completed silently in the background. Updates, fixes, and security patches can be downloaded, installed, and applied at out of office hours to make sure your IT works to your schedule.

Virus Alerts and Updates

Antivirus is a critical component in every business. Keeping IT security up to date with the latest threats is vital to keeping your systems and data safe.

However, systems that need more attention than the threats they defend against can be counterproductive. Antivirus pop-ups interrupting your workflow with constant updates slow productive progress dramatically. Well-meaning staff can even turn off key security features just to get work done.

Effective security should work in the background. Securing your business against incoming threats without constant fanfare or interruptions. The best security works silently to allow you to focus on the important things.

Managed services allow security to be done the right way for you. We ensure that antivirus remains up to date and capable of handling new and evolving threats. Where a virus is detected, managed services allow us to take action, preventing its spread and securing your network before damage is done.

System Downtime

The ultimate distraction that a business can face is the complete loss of a system or network. Employees and owners both feel the impact when IT goes down and neither can work at all.

Complete system failures can seem unexpected and sudden, like a bolt from the blue. In reality, system hardware often gives subtle warning signals in advance. These signals tell us ahead of time one or more parts are destined for failure.

When monitored carefully these signals help us to fix problems before they even happen. A failing hard drive, for example, can be swapped for a fresh one at a time convenient for you and your business. Seamless data transfer means no interruptions or changes to data at all.

By keeping on top of your business-critical hardware, downtime and data losses can be avoided before a disaster occurs. Give us a call at 470-236-2584 or fill out our contact form here to find out how we can eliminate IT distractions that subtract from your business.

Are Registry Cleaners a Good Idea?

October 20, 2018 by Matthew Schulz

You have likely been alerted by popups while browsing the web. These, often flashing, advertisements claim your computer has more than a thousand errors requiring urgent attention to fix. Perhaps helpfully, these popups offer a solution to cure your computer with a click of the mouse. Buttons marked “fix now” appear to offer a simple fix to all your computer troubles.

These advertisements are often described as Registry Cleaners, or by a few other names that attempt to convince the user they will somehow clean or improve their home PC. Within the IT industry they are known as “scareware”. They are software designed to convince you that your computer has problems it might not have.

Are they trustworthy?

Almost all popups and advertisements that use banners saying “Fix now for free” are not trustworthy at all. They are little more than a scam attempting to take your credit card details, PC data or both. At best these programs might claim to scan your computer and show a convincing list of plausible sounding computer problems. Using this, they will ask for payment to “fix” these problems to get your PC back in shape again.

At worst these advertisements can be downright malicious. Some may attempt to use fake warnings and scare tactics to trick customers into installing spyware on their own computers. When installed, spyware will attempt to steal information in the background. Attackers may use this technique to steal usernames, passwords, emails, and credit card details. Sometimes the first sign a user has that something is wrong is when a virus scan detects software doing something it shouldn’t be.

Do I need to clean the registry?

The Windows system and various applications installed on your PC do leave files on stored your computer. These files can stay behind or go out of date even after the application that initially made them has been removed. These files can use up a little space on the hard drive and generally cause minor clutter within the system.

Despite the large amount of “scareware” and fraudulent computer cleanup scans out there, legitimate applications designed to clean your system do exist. This can be something we cover and is often done as a single small part of a complete computer tune up. Keeping up with out of date files and freeing up unused space is worthwhile and can be considered “good housekeeping”. The vast speed boosts many online advertisements claim to unlock by simply moving files around are almost always false.

The home computer, however, is commonly upgraded and can be boosted by more conventional means. If the speed of your PC is no longer up to the task, there are ways in which we can unlock far greater gains than simple housekeeping chores.

PC Boosters

Relatively low-cost hardware components such as memory can often be added to boost the speed of even an older PC and unlock a new lease of life. Upgrading the computers RAM can double the working memory available to the operating system. With extra memory, many programs can keep more information available to work with. This upgrade reduces loading times and increases the computers ability to run more programs at once.

Another common speed boosting upgrade involves how we store and load data from the computer. Switching from an older style mechanical hard drive to a modern Solid State Disk (SSD) can bring down the startup and loading time of any PC.

Loading data from the hard drive is very often the slowest part of a computer, the bottleneck in an otherwise very fast system. Because an SSD does not use any mechanical components the time to access the disk is nearly instant when compared to older, mechanical hard disks.

Safe Speed Boosts

These upgrades offer boosts in speed to rival a modern system at only a fraction of the cost originally paid for the computer. Upgrading the RAM, swapping to an SSD, or doing both will provide an instant, dramatic, and safe improvement to the speed of your PC.

If your computer is running slow give us at a call at 470-236-2584 or fill out or contact form here to arrange a real and professional cleanup today.