Could Buying A Computer Actually Increase Your Cash Flow?

Buying a new computer isn’t cheap. Sure, the computer itself is pretty inexpensive, but then you have to purchase software and peripherals. Before you know it, you’ve tied up at least $1,200 of your cash on the thing. Then there’s the labor to install it. If you’re not under an all-inclusive type of IT service plan, the labor could run you a few hundred dollars more. Of course, the situation worsens when you have more than one system to replace.

What’s A Business Owner To Do?

Until recently, if you needed a new computer right away, but didn’t want to tie up your cash, your only option was to lease it. Not anymore. The recent credit crunch took the option of leasing new equipment off the table for many businesses. This means that you either have to part with the cash, or forgo the new technology you need.

“Hardware as a service,” otherwise known as “HaaS” is a new way business owners can gain financial benefits and peace of mind when purchasing computers, servers, and network equipment.

Like businesses who lease their computer equipment, HaaS customers also pay monthly for their infrastructure. This allows them to keep more cash in their pocket and gives them the tax advantage of converting a typical capital expense into an operational expense. But unlike leasing, HaaS can also alleviate computer headaches in these 3 ways:

1) No More Expensive Surprise Upgrades. If your computers or server don’t meet the minimum hardware requirements when your line of business software releases an upgrade, you could be forced to lay out thousands of dollars that weren’t in your budget. With HaaS, your computers are automatically replaced with new ones every 3-4 years, ensuring compatibility with almost any software refresh.

2) Dealing With Warranties Are A Thing of The Past. With a HaaS program, you get your equipment AND the service included in the monthly cost. Anything that goes wrong with the computer (like the inevitable computer crash just days after your warranty expires), is the provider’s problem to resolve. Plus, since HaaS computers are replaced regularly by your provider, you don’t have to settle for refurbished parts or old computers for very long.

3) One Easy To Understand Invoice. Simpler is better. Instead of receiving different invoices for hardware and labor, a HaaS plan means you get one invoice for virtually all your IT needs, giving you a truer budget number for IT related expenses.Think of it like this: Purchasing your computers with a HaaS program is like having a condo. You get control of what goes in it, yet you don’t have to worry about maintenance, building code issues, or updating the façade. Plus all your services and amenities are included in just one monthly fee.

Want new computers without the big upfront outlay of cash?

Call us today to learn more about HaaS and find out if it’s right for you. 508-992-2541 or e-mail us at info@thinktechonline.com

Working With PDF Documents

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a common, free download that allows you to open, read, and make comments on any Portable Document Format (PDF) documents you receive. But there are some limitations.

1. It doesn’t allow editing

2. It won’t convert your documents to PDF.

For those functions, there’s Acrobat Pro. It creates PDF’s, organizes them for easy searching, allows multiple people to simultaneously make comments and place sticky notes or highlights on a PDF, and can password protect it so only a select few can edit the actual document.

Don’t need all the bells and whistles? Nitro PDF (www.nitropdf.com) will edit PDF documents and costs about $100. Or, for FREE, you can download PDF995 Suite (www.pdf995.com) to read, edit & create PDF’s. The downside of FREE? With PDF995 you can only read and create PDF’s not edit existing ones.  On that same site you can download PDFedit995 that will allow you to edit.

There’s A Good Chance Over HALF Your Employees Are Wasting 3 Hours A Day On THIS...

A survey of over 2,500 employees found nearly half of the group admitted to wasting 1-3 hours every day on the web doing non-business related activities. Pretty scary, huh?

Just ONE employee in your company spending ONE hour surfing the web instead of doing what they should be doing is impacting your bottom line. Plus, this idle surfing doesn’t just affect that one employee; it could impact the whole team. If your Internet all of a sudden slows to a halt…a time-wasting employee may be the cause.

Watching a YouTube video, for example, can hog up your bandwidth and slow your entire company’s Internet speed way down, including e-mail and online applications.

How To Find Out If This Is Happening In Your Business

No business owner has time to look over their employees’ shoulders every hour of every day...and if Internet usage abuse is going on, how do you stop it? Look to these two tips for help:

1. Determine Your Rules. Unless your admin places company job postings online, you wouldn’t want to give her the opportunity to job search on your dime. So, you’d block career sites. Social media is another example. Typically, you’d block Twitter. But if you use it for marketing, your employees need access to it.

2. Get An Internet Filter. Basically, a piece of hardware is installed on your network and its job is to block any specific websites or categories of websites, like shopping sites. Some of these devices even allow you to assign a hierarchy to your Internet speed, ensuring that your payroll software gets all the Internet juice before the NFL replay does.

FREE Internet Usage Audit (A $297 Value)

As a way to introduce our services in March, we’re offering a FREE Internet Usage Audit that will reveal:

 - What impact employee web browsing is having on your Internet speed

 - How to stop any bad web behaviors without being “Big Brother”

To schedule your FREE Audit NOW, call us at :

508-992-2541

The Shocking Misunderstanding Most Business Owners Have About Their Backup System

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know you should be backing up your computers and server. But here’s something you probably DON’T know that will come back and bite you: simply having a backup of your data is NOT ENOUGH to guarantee you could be back up and running fast in the event of a disaster.

Having a data backup merely means that you have a copy of your company’s data stored somewhere; it does NOT mean you have a way to instantly restore your network back to normal.

For example, if your network crashed because of a hardware failure, your entire company is down, period. No e-mail, printing, accessing the database, customer records, and more. Until whatever caused the problem can be fixed (which might involve ordering replacement parts), your business is closed.

So You Reach For Your Backup Only To Discover...

Your information is there, but without a server, you have nowhere to load that information, and no way to access it. On top of that, a backup only holds your data, not your operating system, settings, or software applications. So even if you can load the data, you can’t actually use it without re-loading all the software applications—no small feat. Even IF you have all the software disks and key codes (most people don’t), it could still take days — possibly weeks— to rebuild, and the costs can run into the thousands.

That’s Not The Half Of It

The three most common causes of server downtime are hardware failure, software corruption and human error. But nearly 20% of businesses suffer damaging downtime from fire, flood, theft, or other natural disasters, and 44% of them never recover—and that’s mostly because they didn’t have a disaster recovery plan in place.

A disaster recovery plan covers more than just backup. It maps out how to get your business restored and running again in every possible scenario. For example, if another company in your office building has a fire, the police may quarantine your building preventing you from even entering your office. Or if a major storm knocks out power, Internet or the phone lines, you need a plan “B” for servicing customers, taking orders and keeping things rolling.

3 Crucial Components To A Disaster Recovery Plan

1. Have One! As the old adage goes, “If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” When it comes to disaster recovery, nothing could be more accurate.
 
If something happens to your office, will your employees be able to work from home? Do you have an alternate plan for your phones? Where would you temporarily set up shop? How quickly could you get technology equipment you need to function like computers, scanners, or printers? How will you access the Internet? Make a point to document the answers to these questions.

2. Onsite Server “Virtualization.” In a downtime situation, virtualization is basically a business owner’s lifeline to his business. Once only available to big businesses with deep pockets, this now affordable technology can literally get you back up and running just as you were before the disaster... in as little as 24 hours. If the disaster doesn’t take out your whole office, virtualization can have you back in business the same day. Here’s how it works. A second server makes exact copies of everything on your server—operating system, software applications and data—every 15-60 minutes.

This server replica, also known as an “image,” can take over if your main server fails or gets corrupted. No need to re-load software, reconfigure your network, or re-load your data. In as little as 30 minutes, everyone in your company can get back to work, just as they were before the downtime. Compare this to the days or WEEKS it could take without virtualization; the productivity and money savings is staggering. Side Note: If you are still using old tape backups, you NEED to throw them away and virtualize your server with an offsite backup!

3. Offsite Image of Your Server. Fire, flood, theft, natural disasters, or even faulty office sprinkler systems can physically damage your office equipment, including your server and your backup system.

Head this off by having an exact copy (an image) of your server’s operating system, settings, programs, and data sent daily to an offsite location. Also make sure this image can be quickly loaded on to a server and shipped to you. With this in your plan, a tornado could rip open your office and destroy everything, yet you could be back up and running within a few days.

Need Help In Writing Your Company’s Disaster Recovery Plan?

Call Today: 508-992-2541

Happy New Year!

It's New Year's Resolution time - have you made yours yet?

Some of us will hit the gym, others may quit smoking, but according to surveys 92% of Americans fail to obtain their goals throughout the year and almost half of them fail within the first month!

Have you ever thought about resolving your computer network issues for the New Year? I've included an article below to alert you to some of the threats that may be attacking your network as well as a FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Audit offer to ensure that your network is as secure as possible. Having a secure network is an easy resolution to make and keep when you have a company like ThinkTech  that will take care of it for you...

Top 4 Threats Attacking Your Network And What To Do About Them

 #1 Overconfidence
User overconfidence in security products is the top threat to your network.  Failure to "practice safe software" results in nuisance attacks like porn storms (unstoppable rapid fire pornographic pop-ups) and more subtle keyloggers that steal passwords.  Surveys promising free stuff, result in theft of information like your mother's maiden name, high school, etc. used to answer common security questions leading to theft of otherwise secure data.  Think before you click!

#2 Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like Facebook are exploding in popularity.  Threats range from malware (eg. viruses, worms, spyware) to scammers trying to steal your identity, information and money.  Many businesses and government agencies are using these sites to communicate with clients and constituents, so simply blocking access is no longer reasonable.  Defending your company while allowing employee access requires social network education for your employees and the enforcement of strong acceptable use policies.  We can help you develop a policy, then monitor compliance using a Unified Threat Management device that controls and reports on network access.

#3 Attacks On Mobile Devices
Everyone is going mobile these days not just the "road warriors."  Once limited to laptop computers, mobile network devices now include PDAs, handheld computers and smart phones, with new appliances appearing in the stores every month.  Mobile devices often contain sensitive data yet they are easily lost or stolen.  Be sure to password protect and encrypt data on all mobile devices whenever possible.  Include mobile devices in your acceptable use policy.

#4 Cloud Computing
"The Cloud," in its most simple form, involves using the Internet to access and store your data.  When you access email using a web browser, you are working in "the cloud."  Using the cloud for automated off site backup is rapidly gaining popularity and is just the beginning.  Companies like Microsoft, IBM and Google envision the day when we will use inexpensive terminals instead of computers to run programs and access data located somewhere on the Internet.  You need to be sure that any data you store and access across the Internet is secure not just where it is stored, but during the trip to and from the Internet.

Want More Information?

If you'd like to take advantage of our FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Audit call us at 508-992-2541. Your Audit will include:

• -  A check on your networks security against hackers and viruses
• -  Verification of network backups to make sure they are working properly
• -  Recommendations to make your systems run more smoothly
• -  Initial network documentation that is yours to KEEP

So call us and schedule your FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Audit today!

508-992-2541

Who Else Wants New Computers This Year?

When your computers (or other network equipment) start acting slow, when your software company suddenly forces you into an upgrade because they will no longer support the version of software you have, or when you need to add a computer or server for a new employee or new project, you basically have only a few options available to you.

1) Swallow hard, dig into your cash reserves, and plunk down thousands of dollars in new computer and network equipment.

2) Lease the equipment at an astronomical rip-off rate.

3) Suck it up and live with the lack of productivity and daily frustration of incompatible or slow machines.

Thankfully, a fourth, more agreeable option is now available: our Total Care Plan. By incorporating your hardware and software costs into your IT support agreement, you can get new equipment whenever you need it without having to drain your cash flow or put you into a restrictive lease. You get the support and service you need PLUS any new computers, servers, software and other network equipment rolled into one easy monthly investment. It’s sort of like renting your equipment, only it comes with all the support and service too. In addition to freeing up your cash, this new program also provides these benefits:

* You don’t have to keep track of which computers are getting old

* You don’t have to front thousands of dollars to revamp your network

* If something breaks, ThinkTech has to take care of it

* You don’t have to track any warranties

* There may be tax advantages since capital expenses now become operational expenses

* No big surprise hardware or software bills

* Your computers all stay pretty much the same age and performance

* No waiting on parts to be replaced – a free loaner service is included

Want To Find Out If Our Total Care Plan Will Work For Your Business?

FREE 27-Point Network Analysis (A $540 Value) will examine your entire network, review your backup technology, and document the software and hardware you use to determine a game plan for your specific situation. We’ll even tell you how to get the new equipment you need without breaking the bank.

(508) 992-2541

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!

Are You Being Too Cheap About Protecting This Aspect Of Your Business?

Think back to the last time your server went down or you weren't able to get e-mail; remember how frustrating that was? Or perhaps you experienced a virus or other data-erasing disaster. Remember how painful that was to resolve?

There are very few business activities that don't heavily rely on your computer network, e-mail and data - and if any of these components stop working, business grinds to a screeching, frustrating halt. And with viruses and hackers becoming more sophisticated (and smart) about accessing your network, you simply cannot afford to NOT monitor the health and security of your network daily.

A network monitoring system is simply a way for a trained professional to watch over your computer network for slow or failing components, security breaches, and alarms that signify trouble is brewing. It can also detect signs that your backup is not working, that you're running out of space on the server, or that a firewall is not functioning properly. Think of it like a security camera watching over your entire network 24/7/365.

So if network monitoring is SO important, why aren't more small businesses INSISTING that their IT person put a system in place? One of the biggest reasons we see is lack of knowledge. The reality is that many businesses DO have their systems monitored for problems; and the bigger and more sophisticated the company, the more critical this becomes. But smaller businesses are often outsourcing their IT support, and unless their computer guy offers this service, they may not even know it exists.

The second reason is complacency; the belief is that, "If it isn't broke, why fix it?" This is akin to saying, "We don't need locks on our doors because we've never had our house burglarized." The reason you HAVE the locks is to prevent your home or office from being robbed - and the reason you have network monitoring is to make sure you DON'T have problems.

Plus, simple monitoring is cheap. For as little as 93 cents per employee per day, you can have a basic monitoring system in place.