4 “Techie” Reasons Small Business Owners Can Be Thankful This Season

1. Cyber Thieves Keep A Knockin’ But They Can’t Come In

A study presented at the International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks showed that small business networks are attacked every 39 seconds by some type of hacker or malicious software. Thankfully, having the proper firewall and Internet security software tools can prevent even the most determined hacker from getting his hands on your network.

2. Downtime Can Be A Thing Of The Past

Thanks to new 24/7 remote monitoring tools, most reputable computer companies can now actually notice when things go awry and prevent your computers from having issues. Hot fixes, patches and security updates are generally items that, when maintained on a regular basis, keep a network healthy and up and running.

If, for some reason, your network still does have some kind of downtime, remote management software allows your IT professional to access your system from anywhere, getting you up and running more quickly than ever before.

3. If Disaster Strikes, You Can Be Back Up & Running In 24hrs

In addition to lost data, many businesses’ operations would be completely down for days, weeks, or even months if a major disaster like fire, flood, or theft ever occurred. Here’s where Backup & Disaster Recovery solutions (BDR) can help you feel very thankful indeed.

Most BDR solutions include a “virtualization” component, which means an exact “picture” of your server is taken and then typically stored offsite. If you ever need to get back up and running, your IT company simply puts the offsite copy on to a new server...and you’re back in business.

4. You Don’t Have To Wait

Though some computer techs are amazingly unreliable (when you call them for help, you always end up talking to their voice mail) ... when you finally get them on the phone, they make you wait days before they can respond to your needs), the most savvy IT companies can now provide new support plans with guaranteed response times as part of their service offerings.

Want to Feel Thankful Instead of Frustrated With Your Computers?

Call us before December 31st for a FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Network Audit (A $540Value) that will help eliminate problems on your network and give you peace of mind.

CALL 508-992-2541 NOW!

How To Get Paid $817 Every Year For “Going Green”

While Kermit the Frog may disagree, it turns out that it IS easy being green. For many small businesses, going Green is a way to cut costs with the added benefit of helping the environment. Follow these three simple steps to be on your way to greener, more cost effective computer systems...and put about $817 bucks back in your pocket.

1. Buy Green Equipment.

When it’s time to purchase new computers, monitors, or printers, consider asking your computer company for “Energy Star” rated equipment. According to Energy Star’s website, using electronics with the Energy Star seal of approval can save you as much as 60% in electricity costs over non-rated equipment. For the average small business with just 5 computers, this would represent a savings of over $442 per year, based on average computer electricity usage and costs.

2. Implement Green Processes.

Maybe your work orders are still hand-written, or company memos are printed and passed around, or perhaps you have a paper component to your invoicing. New hardware or software can solve most of these non-eco-friendly communications and save you a few hundred dollars a year in ink and paper costs. In addition, many IT companies will do research to find cost-effective and specialized solutions, such as giving sales people on the road the ability to electronically enter information into your system. The total financial benefit of these kinds of services is hard to measure, but small businesses can expect to see significant results from implementing any electronic processes, since in a smaller organization, updating even one process makes a huge difference.

3. Use Green Power.

Certain power settings on your computers can give you huge savings in terms of electricity costs. “Hibernate” and “stand-by” settings, for example, were found to save most businesses an average of $375 per year. There are also important battery backup decisions to consider, since those can affect your power usage as well.

Want To Find Out How You Can Improve Processes, Save Money & Save the Earth?

Sign up before December 31st and get our “Go Green” Network Audit (a $397 Value) for only $47!

Call 508-992-2541

4 “Techie” Reasons Small Business Owners Can Be Thankful This Season

1. Cyber Thieves Keep A Knockin’ But They Can’t Come In

A study presented at the Inter-national Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks showed that small business networks are attacked every 39 seconds by some type of hacker or malicious software. Thankfully, having the proper firewall and Internet security software tools can prevent even the most determined hacker from getting his hands on your network.

2. Downtime Can Be A Thing Of The Past

Thanks to new 24/7 remote monitoring tools, most reputable computer companies can now actually notice when things go awry and prevent your computers from having issues. Hot fixes, patches and security updates are generally items that, when maintained on a regular basis, keep a network healthy and up and running.

If, for some reason, your network still does have some kind of downtime, remote management software allows your IT professional to access your system from anywhere, getting you up and running more quickly than ever before.

3. If Disaster Strikes, You Can Be Back Up & Running In 24hrs

In addition to lost data, many businesses’ operations would be completely down for days, weeks, or even months if a major disaster like fire, flood, or theft ever occurred. Here’s where Backup & Disaster Recovery solutions (BDR) can help you feel very thankful indeed.

Most BDR solutions include a “virtualization” component, which means an exact “picture” of your server is taken and then typically stored offsite. If you ever need to get back up and running, your IT company simply puts the offsite copy on to a new server...and you’re back in business.

4. You Don’t Have To Wait

Though some computer techs are amazingly unreliable (when you call them for help, you always end up talking to their voice mail) ... when you finally get them on the phone, they make you wait days before they can respond to your needs), the most savvy IT companies can now provide new support plans with guaranteed response times as part of their service offerings.

Want to Feel Thankful Instead of Frustrated With Your Computers?

Call us before December 31st for a FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Network Audit (A $540Value) that will help eliminate problems on your network and give you peace of mind.

CALL 508-992-2541 NOW!

4 Do's & Don'ts Every Business Owner Should Know About Windows 7

Windows 7, Microsoft’s new operating system, just released last month, and with all the advertising buzz that Microsoft has created, many business owners are looking to know more about it. Here’s a list of Do’s and Don’ts for helping to determine whether or not a Windows 7 upgrade makes sense for you.

DO – Find out if all your software programs will be compatible.

Anytime Microsoft creates a new operating system, software companies often scramble to make their package work properly with it so there are no errors, glitches, or data corruption (a.k.a “your information deleted”). Some software companies are faster and better at this than others, so be sure to check with your software manufacturer to make sure you won’t end up with more problems than when you started.

DON’T – Hold back from getting the new computers you need.

Maybe you want to wait until Windows 7 gets the bugs out. Or, maybe it’s because you’re worried about buying a computer now that will be considered “old” when Windows 7 is officially released. The good news is you don’t have to wait. For a limited time when you buy from Microsoft-approved vendors, your new computer purchase will come with the ability to upgrade to Windows 7 for free, giving you the flexibility to have the upgrade option now and install it when you choose. Also, if you participate in Microsoft’s “Software Assurance” program for your operating system, you’ll be entitled to the new version for free as well.

DO - Know how to "shake" it.

Have you ever had a bunch of windows open on your computer and felt like it was out of control and you couldn’t find anything? Then Windows 7 might be for you. It is designed to save time for people who work on multiple documents, spreadsheets, and web pages at once by allowing you to simply shake your mouse vigorously and make all those open Windows drop to the bottom of the screen and clear up your workspace. In addition to the “shake” feature, Windows 7 also makes it easier to view and use two programs side-by-side with just one click.

DON’T – Expect miracles.

Windows 7 does truly make using your computer faster since many of the features Microsoft has rolled out to help business owners and their teams work on multiple projects at once easier to use than ever before. Initial studies are showing that it might add one to two hours of productivity to your week over previous versions. But, if you expect Windows 7 to actually do the work for you, you may be disappointed.

Contact us for special Windows 7 offers!

(508)992-2541

Is Your Company Getting Slandered Online?

Do You Know What People Are Saying About You Online? New “Online Identity Managers” Are Becoming A Must For Business Owners Who Need To Keep Their Reputation Clean...

A recent front-page story in the Washington Post brought to light a fast-growing trend in today’s digital world: online identity management.

According to the article, Sue Scheff, a consultant to parents of troubled teens, was getting slandered online after one of her clients turned on her, calling her “a con and a fraud,” and accusing her of taking kickbacks and destroying people’s lives. Negative comments were being posted on online bulletin boards, forums, and threatening videos were posted up on YouTube for the world to see.

Even though Scheff sued for defamation and won an $11.3 million verdict, the attacks worsened. To resolve this situation, Scheff was forced to hire ReputationDefender, a PR firm that cleaned up her reputation online.

While the costs for hiring this firm were steep (reputation management firms charge $15,000 to $100,000 for their services), the cost of her time, litigation and reputation make their fees seem like a drop in the bucket.

So what should you do if you are an average Joe small business with limited resources?  Fortunately, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and you can easily monitor your image online for free with a few simple steps.

First, the easiest way to check your online reputation is to Google your name or the name of your company and see what appears. Next, set up a Google Alert on your name and your company name. You’ll be alerted by e-mail whenever you or your organization has been mentioned in a blog, by the media, or in an online forum.

Next, make sure your web site and your company is coming up first in search engines. If you own the top positions online, negative media may not show up on the first listing when your name is Googled.

To do this, create a profile of your expertise using social bookmarking tools and news aggregators such as del.icio.us and Newsvine. Contribute to online forums and write articles for user-generated content sites such as Squidoo. You can even create book and product reviews at Amazon.com to help establish your authority on a particular topic.

You should also create a free blog on Blogger and then link that to your main web site. Post frequently and make sure your posts are key-word relevant.

Other obvious ways to put a positive spin online about your company is to create content pages on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.

Finally, be very careful about posting any incriminating evidence about you or your company online or sending e-mails with incriminating information, tasteless jokes, or messages that could easily be misconstrued out of context.

You don’t want a search on your name to bring up pictures of you in compromising situations or sexist, racist, or off-color jokes you thought were only being sent to your friends. If you wouldn’t want it posted to a billboard, don’t post it or send it via e-mail.

  

Warning: If You Meet These 3 Criteria, You Are Getting Ripped Off By The Phone Company!

If you are a business owner that is spending $100 or more per month on long distance phone calls and you need advanced phone features like voice mail over e-mail, find me/follow me, and call reporting, then I can virtually guarantee that, right now, you are paying the phone company way too much for your phone service.

Here’s how I know…

Until recent years, businesses only had one option for phone service – “Ma Bell.” Yep, they had the perfect business model; or should I say monopoly! If you wanted phone service, you had to take whatever they were selling, good or bad because there were no other options…until now.

Thanks to major advancements in Internet communications, a new phone service alternative has arrived – and it’s rapidly overtaking traditional phone service. What is it? Voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP.

Simply put, VoIP is a technology that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet with the same features, functions, and clarity of traditional phone service, but without the heavy costs and hidden fees..

So Why Is VoIP So Much Cheaper Than Traditional Phone Service? VoIP is cheaper than traditional phone service for 3 main reasons:

1. VoIP phone calls are much cheaper to make because the call is connected using the Internet rather than traditional phone lines.

This means you pay one monthly fee for all the calls you want to make regardless of the time of day or location. Plus, VoIP phone equipment costs less to maintain than traditional phone systems. This is because IP phones use the same wiring that the computer system does, leaving you only one set of wiring to maintain.

2. You get unlimited long distance. I have yet to find a VoIP service provider that does not include unlimited long distance (if you are thinking about switching to VoIP, make sure this feature is included).

Some VoIP providers even include fixed rate international add-ons, which can produce a windfall of savings for multinational businesses.

3. Moves, adds, and changes to your service are FREE. As you know, the phone company loves to ding your wallet every time you add or change a line.

Plus, the company that sold you the phone system charges for any type of “service call” that requires a technician to move, add, or make changes to your system.

With VoIP, most moves and changes are software-based so they can easily be performed by you or your current IT support person. Same holds true when adding extensions.

If you want to know if VoIP is right for you or if there are other ways to reduce your phone bill, give us a call! We can answer any question you have, conduct a price comparison, and help you get set up with a VoIP or different phone service provider!

(508) 992-2541

Is It Legal For Employers To Monitor Your Computer?

Courts have ruled that an employer’s monitoring of its employees’ e-mails and other computer related activities during work hours and/or on company-owned equipment, Internet, and e-mail accounts is not illegal.

Companies typically monitor employees’ online usage for the following reasons:

1. To avoid claims based on sexual, racial, ethnic, and other forms of harassment.

2. To protect against an employee sending or posting confidential information.

3. To reduce exposure to intellectual property infringement claims.

4. To decrease the likelihood that an embarrassing message attributed to the employer will be sent.

5. To guard against computer viruses.

6. To improve productivity.

It is recommended that employers create an AUP (acceptable use policy) that outlines what is and isn't acceptable use of electronic media and communications. If your company does not have an AUP in place, you need to act now! Call us for more information: (508) 992-2541