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

Special Alert For Business Owners: Backing Up Your Server Alone May Still Lead To Data Loss

Most business owners know that it is important for their servers to be backed up. But what about your computer? Though it’s true that your data is likely stored on your server and backed up by the network, your computer itself (your icons, the background you have, the programs that are installed, and music or pictures you may have saved locally) is NOT being backed up.

If your computer were to crash, get a virus, or simply die, all of that information could be lost. Your company data would be on your server, but you would have no way to access it from your computer. You would have to recreate that computer by re-loading all the software and settings. And if you’ve ever had this happen to you, you know that it can take a significant amount of time to do. Plus, the computer is never quite the same again.

So how do you solve this problem? Simple. You use an imaging software on your computer. Imaging software takes a “picture” or “snapshot” of your computer so it records it exactly as it is with all the software and settings you have on it. This way, if the computer crashes, there is no need to re-load software and reconfigure the computer. Simple restore the image from before the crash and your computer can be back to its old self again. This is a huge time saver and is especially useful if you have any important company software loaded on your computer but no longer have the disk for.

Protect Your PC’s Settings!

Call us today to get more information on our imaging solutions and see for yourself how simple it can be to save your computer’s information.

(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!

Attention Business Owners: 3 Simple Steps That May Save You From A Devastating Disaster

Though the ghosts and goblins of the Halloween season can be pretty scary, they are nothing compared to the true horror that can happen if a disaster were to strike your business. Whether it is a natural disaster, fire, flood, theft, or human error, these type of events can be debilitating to your business if you are not properly prepared for them. Fortunately, there are three easy steps you can take to protect your business from the downtime and data loss that can result from a disastrous event.

(1) Choose The Right Backup Provider

Make sure that you work with a technology company that can provide you with both offsite and onsite backup, preferably with an option to be back up and running within 24-48 hours. The backup solution they provide should not only protect your data, but should also give you a backup of your programs and network settings so your business operations can return to normal as quickly as possible. Also, be sure that the provider offers security, support, and monitoring on the backup solution so they can head off any potential problems with your disaster recovery plan.

(2) Conduct A “Fire-Drill”

You also want to be sure that your provider does a periodic “fire-drill” with your backup where they are testing your recovery process to make sure everything you need is there. This is the only way to know for certain that your backup will work when you need it.

(3) Keep Your Backup Current

Finally, whenever you add computers, new software, or new services to your network, be sure your backup solution reflects those changes. This will ensure that you are backing up everything you need.

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.