Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

You’ve invested serious money into your manufacturing equipment. We’re talking about your half-million-dollar workhorses that are supposed to be driving profit. If you’re being honest, though, you’re often just waiting for the next thing to break.

You run your machines hard, and if you only act when the alarm sounds, the grinding noise gets too loud, or the machine throws that dreaded red maintenance light, you’re cooked.

It can be challenging for small to medium-sized businesses to see the true value of artificial intelligence. After all, up until not that long ago, most people associated AI with things like the Terminator, so it has a bit of a reputation to make up for. Regardless, AI is now accessible enough that even these SMBs can embrace its features.

Let’s review some of the ways you could incorporate AI into your business, relatively easily.

Productivity is among the most highly prioritized metrics in modern business, as it impacts so many functions and directly influences your success. This makes every moment precious…meant to be spent progressing toward a goal, not simply doing busy work.

Let’s go over some ways you can manage your time using some proven and trusted frameworks.

An IT project manager might be the most important cog in the machine that is project implementation, and you want to make the best decision possible for the project’s future. We recommend you look for specific qualities that make for an excellent project manager. 

What are these traits, and how do you find them when they matter most? 

Technology should be an advantage for your business, not another headache. You have enough to go around as it is. But for many business leaders, managing their company's IT can feel like a constant battle against unexpected problems and costly downtime.

When it comes to IT support, there are two main approaches: the old-fashioned "break-fix" model and the modern, proactive model known as "managed services." While break-fix might seem simple on the surface, it often creates more problems than it solves. Managed services, on the other hand, offer a more strategic, reliable, and ultimately more profitable path forward.

You want a productive team, therefore, you want to be responsive to their needs. That being said, there comes a time when you have to question if their requests are in the best interest of your operating budget. Today, we want to explore how you can balance the needs of your employees with the needs of your business’ budget.

When you have a business with employees, things tend to get a whole lot more complicated, especially when tracking time for hourly employees. The sad fact is that some individuals are not going to invest their full effort into making sure they’re following operations and procedures as intended. This can bleed into your bottom line. What are you going to do to stop time theft?

One of the most frustrating parts of operating today’s technology is how easy it is to grow disorganized from your day-to-day file management. The good news is that your digital workspace practices can be tidied up easily with just a couple of simple tips. Today, we want to go over how you can become more productive by taking better care of your digital workspace.

Have you ever been met with resistance when you implement a new IT policy or solution? You’re not alone; countless CIOs and business owners experience this issue any time they go to implement an innovative new tool that can have a significant impact on operations. Here’s how you can have a rock-solid approach to taking the friction out of new IT initiatives for your organization.

Downtime is a serious issue for businesses, sometimes to the point of it being a business killer when it’s left unchecked. But what is downtime, and why is it such a problem? Today, we want to help you understand just that, and we’re doing it by calling on the exact opposite of downtime: uptime.

For most people, the Internet browser is likely one of their, if not the, most-used tools in the workplace. Let’s discuss some ways to keep yours organized to help you stay productive.

Today’s medical field depends on technology, whether it’s the front desk that keeps it all organized or the operating room that powers the procedures and practice. 

IT is central to ensuring people receive the care they need. If any practice’s IT is inoperable, you can bet its patients will feel it in more ways than one.

There are a lot of risks that could impact your business’ IT systems, and many of them have the capabilities to end your operations for good if you don’t have contingencies in place. Today, we want to highlight some of the most expensive IT problems and what you can do about them.

IT security, while a critical topic to consider, can often be dry and challenging to communicate. We decided to change things up a bit and present this information in a different format to keep things fresh, putting together a simple soap opera to share these lessons instead. As such, please imagine soft strings playing in the background and a soft filter over the scene.

Data—ones and zeroes in sequence—runs the world… even in the quiet town of Oak Falls. Let’s check in on the residents of this little town, but beware. Threats exist even here, so make sure you’re keeping a close eye on… All My Data!

Do you have employees working remotely? If you do, the real question is, are you doing everything you can to keep them productive and secure? Remote work is awesome, but it comes with its fair share of risks. Today, we get into how to competently confront them.

Downtime is a business killer, and if you’re not actively monitoring your network to keep it to a minimum, you’re doing yourself and your business a disservice. Downtime can be defined as any time when your organization is not operating as it’s supposed to, and it must be controlled at all costs. Otherwise, you’ll run into the following three issues that are difficult to deal with.

Sometimes, one of the best ways to get things done is to take a step back and think. Imagine a chess grandmaster sitting and staring at the board, planning moves for the next seven turns.

To be more productive, think about your tasks like a chess grandmaster. Here's how to do it:

Every business has a choice to make in the productivity software they use. Some options offer cloud connectivity and robust collaboration, but might cost more than small business owners want to pay; while others are affordable, but may not have the integrated options of their more expensive counterparts. In this week’s blog we will go through six aspects of modern productivity software.

"Toxic" is a word we hear a lot these days, but when it’s used to describe a workplace, it’s a serious issue. A toxic work environment can cause many problems that hurt your business. That’s why it’s important to make sure your company has a positive, healthy atmosphere.

Sometimes, the simplest tips are the most effective, particularly when promoting productivity. While tools like the Eisenhower Matrix or the after-action review certainly have their place, they are ill-suited to those moments where you just need to get through a long, arduous task.

In these cases, why not just keep doing one more?