Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

A small-to-medium-sized business, by definition, isn’t going to have the same resources that are afforded to enterprise corporations, especially where its IT is concerned. However, this doesn’t mean that the SMB is stuck using sub-par solutions. Here, we’ll review a few key needs of any business, and the solutions that an SMB can access to meet them.

For decades, a common quick fix for a slow computer was to run a disk defrag on the hard drive. For most modern computers, however, this common practice can actually harm your computer. Let’s talk about why, and how you can tell.

Is your business prepared for any disasters that come its way? If you haven’t considered which threats could cause your operations the most trouble, you need to devise a strategy that takes all possibilities into account. Here, we’ll help guide you through these considerations.

If you’ve ever received an email without a subject line, chances are you’ve never felt inclined to open it as soon as possible. The email subject line is critical to capturing the user’s attention, as it helps to ensure they understand what they can expect from the email’s contents. Here are a couple of pointers on how you can create more effective email subject lines to increase the chances of them being read.

As a business owner, I’m sure you’ve reviewed your business expenses… but have you ever gone through them and wondered just what it was that you had spent your money on? It’s an understandable feeling to have. The many different IT expenses that show up on the standard invoice can add up quickly, and might inspire you to reconsider how you’re investing them… besides, how much do you really need an IT provider that you never seem to call?

When you think about your data security, what kind of solutions pop into mind? If you’re like many, you probably start thinking about passwords, firewalls, and antivirus, right? While these are all good things to have, you also have to consider the possibility that someone could break into your office and bypass all of these defenses, simply by picking up your server and walking out.

If you use a computer today, there’s a fair chance that you have a Google account. The practicality that if offers with its comprehensive service offerings simply can’t be ignored. However, it is also important that a user’s, whether they utilize it for business or personal use, security isn’t ignored either.

Mobile devices - like smartphones, tablets, and the like - are expected to be used by 2.87 billion people by 2020. That’s a lot of devices, with a good portion of them contributing to business operations. Unfortunately, that’s also a lot of potential security issues if the right preparations aren’t taken in advance.

Microsoft Excel is an extremely useful program for visually displaying data. Having said that, these spreadsheets aren’t exactly the most attention-catching things on their own. Fortunately, Excel has some options built-in that can allow you to display your figures in a more engaging, more expressive, and more meaningful way.

Considering how long we’ve had access to the basic technology, telephones (and proper telephone etiquette while using them) haven’t changed all that much on the surface. What has changed is how the technology fundamentally works, and the options that are available for businesses. Here, we’ll go over some of the options today’s businesses have.

It is no secret that kids these days have more access to technology than any generation before them. While this access can truly help to enrich their lives if leveraged properly, it can also have serious ramifications if it isn’t checked.

As a managed service provider, one of our responsibilities is to ensure that your computing infrastructure is running without issue, and also without unduly interrupting your other employees. To accomplish this, we leverage remote monitoring and management tools that provide your operations with some notable benefits.

Mistakes happen. This is part of doing business with other people, as well as relying on them to make sure tasks are accomplished in a timely manner. If you want to reduce the amount of user error that your organization suffers from, you unfortunately have to assume the worst--that any user will inevitably cause a problem if it’s not addressed properly beforehand. Thankfully, we have some measures you can consider so as not to create unnecessary issues for yourself.

We have almost made it through this year’s hurricane season, but unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that businesses will suddenly be safe again. Many businesses that are impacted by these kinds of disasters are unprepared, and so when push comes to shove, some ultimately close their doors after trying (and failing) to bounce back. We’re going to tell you how to help avoid this outcome for your business the next time there’s a disaster.

Innovation has always been a major part of building better solutions, but some of the most recent trends have been in regard to enhancing security. Adapting to the threat environment is one of the most important parts of running a business, so innovation has been geared toward giving users and organizations alike the security they need. That being said, a lot can change in a short period of time. Let’s take a look at some predictions for how security will change in the near future.

While it may not be fun to consider the worst-case scenario, it is important that you have a plan to ensure that your business will be able to survive when the chips are down. This plan to ensure that your business will continue is called (appropriately enough) a business continuity plan, and needs to address a few things that we will go over here.

The one truth about technology is that it will always break--usually at the most inopportune time. When it does finally kick the bucket, how are you getting rid of it? It’s not as though you can just toss an old server or printer in the bin. Recycling your technology is the most responsible thing to do, but you have to be cognizant of the company you are trusting to dispose of your Compaq Presario from 1997, because they may not be doing what they are claiming to do; or worse yet, they may be trying to syphon data off your old hardware.

Email is a modern classic as far as business solutions are concerned, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an office that didn’t use it in some capacity or another. However, because email is so popular, it has become a favorite attack vector of malicious users. Fortunately, there are some basic practices that will help keep your email account secure and your communications private.

Physical data backup can be a key part of data backup and disaster recovery. Even if you utilize the cloud for your business continuity solution, there can be no discrediting the importance of having physical data backup. A simple physical data backup can be effective under the right circumstances.

Spring is traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal, which has inspired the tradition of spring cleaning - starting fresh and organized after long months of darkness and cold. While the home is the traditional target of spring cleaning, people spend enough time at the office to make some cleaning worth it. In this blog, we’ll go over the benefits of a clean office, as well as how to achieve one.