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It’s a safe bet your business is always looking for ways to reduce waste. One place you might not yet have looked? Virtualization of your information technology. Choosing to virtualize servers offers several business benefits. Here are the top five. Let’s first clarify what we mean by virtualization. We’re not talking about a Ready Player One-like takeover of your business. Employees aren’t donning VR headsets to work in an all-encompassing virtual universe. Instead, we’re referring to the virtualization of servers. The work of multiple physical servers is handled on a single server or a cloud-based environment. Say you have three physical servers: one handles mail, another handles internet and routing, and the third proprietary, business applications. Each of these dedicated servers may not be at full capacity, but you need all three. With virtualization, the workloads are no longer tied to specific hardware. Software monitors and allocates IT resources. This means many things can happen at once on the same machines. That’s where we start seeing the benefits this article explores. #1 Greater Efficiency With virtualization, you can make better use of your server capabilities. Computer hardware running a single operating system or application underutilizes your IT. Organizations running more than one virtual system on a server take full advantage of their tech. #2 Lower Costs Virtualizing a server helps reduce spending. Housing many applications on one server, a business better meets storage and processing demands. This can cut down on hardware expenditure. The business also isn’t paying to power machines it isn’t using fully. Plus, cutting back on hardware in the physical environment can reduce cooling demands. This saves on energy bills while helping the business's corporate social responsibility goals. Reclaiming the space used for physical servers, the business can also increase profit generation. #3 Improved Responsiveness Virtualization offers greater operational flexibility. A business can respond to market changes with faster dynamic resource management. With a virtual server, you can backup operating systems and applications efficiently. Rather than dealing with hours of downtime, a virtual environment is deployed in minutes. Moving, copying, or saving data from virtualized machines can be point-and-click simple. #4 Enhanced Disaster Recovery A severe weather event or malware attack could take a physical server out of commission. The business struggles to install its backup (if it has one) on a new server. With a virtualized server, it’s much simpler to replicate that information. It’s also easier to do full backups with server virtualization. A business is more likely to have the latest, most up-to-date data available in the event of a disaster. #5 Reduced Need for Repairs and Support Owning physical servers means constant monitoring and maintenance demands. Reducing the need for physical hardware can cut back on repairs and demand for support. With fewer servers and related hardware, valuable IT experts can focus on challenging, rewarding work. That helps with employee morale and retention, too! Gartner (a research and advisory company) has estimated that businesses that virtualize save up to 50% compared to those relying on physical resources. That virtualized business is also increasing its speed and security. Save the staggering costs of downtime, and improve IT productivity with server virtualization. Ready for virtualization? We can set up the right virtualization solution for your business. Reach out to us today at (786) 233-2002.

Your business relies on any number of service providers. You’re likely contracting for domain names, website hosting, data backup, software licenses, to name just a few. And that’s only your online presence! So, when a renewal notice comes in, you might just forward it on or file it away for future reference. Here’s what you should be doing instead. First, when you get a renewal notice, you should confirm that it’s legitimate. This is especially true of domain names. Your business’s domain name and expiration date are publicly available. Anyone could look them up and send you an invoice. Scammers do. They monitor expiring domain names and then send out emails or convincing physical notices telling you it’s time to renew. They are not doing this as a civic service! Instead, they will be trying to get you to switch your domain services to a competitor or, worse, hoping you'll pay your renewal fee to their account, which has no connection to your domain. Look out for the following indicators that the notice is a fraud: The price is much more than you’d expect. The deadline is within seven days. You don’t know the business name. This business has never contacted you before. The notice requires you to send a check. Handling Authentic Renewal Notices Once you’ve determined the authenticity of the renewal notice, you’ll want to take stock. Putting your licenses or other online services on auto-renewal plans can be easier, but it may not be cost-effective. Before re-upping your plan consider: Are you still using this service? Do you really still need it? Do your current needs meet your current plan? Should you upgrade or downsize? You might also contact your provider directly and ask: Is there a better product available now? Are you eligible for a loyalty discount? The company you’re dealing with wants to keep your business (hence, the renewal notice). That can give you some leverage in negotiating what you are paying or what service you are getting. You could treat an annual renewal notice as an opportunity to renegotiate terms. It’s not always going to work, but it can be worth a phone call as you try to keep business expenses under control. Finally, you should pay attention to any deadlines on the renewal notification. Some are sent months in advance. That seems so helpful, but if you put it away to deal with later before you know it you’ve missed an important date and the service is stopped. You should always get a renewal notice for something like a domain name. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires companies to send reminders approximately one month and one week before your domain name expires. Don’t leave your renewal until the last minute. With expired domain names, for instance, you can lose your website! Options and fees for renewing domain names, including expired ones, are going to vary, so be sure you know what your subscription involves. Also, there are bad actors out there who monitor domain expirations to buy them up at bargain prices. Then, when you notice the subscription has lapsed, you have to pay a king’s ransom to get the Web address back. Yes, it can happen to you. In fact, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) handled a record of 3,074 cybersquatting disputes last year. Avoid being overwhelmed by all the subscriptions and service plans your business relies upon. A managed service provider (MSP) monitors your license and domain expiration dates to ensure your business is current. At the same time, the MSP has the expertise needed to determine what plans the best suit your business needs. Give us a call at (786) 233-2002 to enjoy the peace of mind a managed service provider brings!

Conventional wisdom states that cluttered workspaces lead to a disorganized mind.  Mess prevents productivity and begins to hamper professionalism.  Shouldn't that apply to the computer desktop too? The simplest way to clean and organize your digital desktop is to add more space.  Just adding a second screen doubles the available room and makes organization a breeze. Getting work done with a single-monitor setup is a balance of poor compromises.  There never seems to be enough space and the little space available is full of clutter and mess. Switching between windows or tabs wastes time and distracts from work to be done.  Stacking windows together, side-by-side, or top and bottom wastes valuable screen real estate.  The resulting clutter of windows makes it hard to focus on what is important. While most tasks can be tackled feasibly with a single monitor; two make the same tasks faster, simpler, and much more enjoyable. Two Monitors, Many Uses Data entry with two monitors is far easier than data entry with one.  Having source data on one screen, laid out in large type, and the destination on another makes the job a breeze.  By eliminating the need to scroll tiny windows or switch tabs, forget and repeat; the same job can be done in a fraction of the time. Graphic design, image manipulation, and editing are key areas that make the most of a dual-screen setup. Stacking one image on each screen allows you to make quick comparisons to make sure your work is going in the right direction.  Organizing your editing space is made simple too.  Stacking your tools, menus, and options on one monitor with your image maximized on the other helps to stay focused and finish the task. Beyond Just Two Having more than a single screen helps you to track tasks you need to keep on the back burner.  A team chats window to keep on top of collaboration, status updates for business-critical services, or the latest stock price.  These windows and dialogues can remain open and serving updates on a secondary screen while you keep your work focused on your first. It is not uncommon for stock traders or financial analysts to maintain 6 or more screens running from a single computer.  Many use this to track various stocks or indices so they don't miss a beat. Setup How You Like It Multiple monitors can be arranged in almost any practical configuration imaginable.  While traditionally positioned in landscape orientation, second, third, or fourth monitors are often rotated 90 degrees to portrait orientation. This setup is used often by software engineers, editors, and users reviewing large amounts of text.  The lengthwise orientation allows multiple pages to be read from the screen at any one time. Multi-screen setups, no matter how they are arranged, behave the same as if all the monitors were just a single screen.  Mouse input moves from one monitor to another as if there was no difference between them.  From the user's perspective, there is no difference in how they interact at all. A Boost to Productivity There is a scientific advantage to multi-monitor setups too.  A survey by Jon Peddie research found that adding an extra monitor boosted a user’s output by as much as 20 to 30 percent. A productivity advantage of even 10 percent is prized and very hard to come by in the business world.  Receiving a productivity reward of over 20 percent for just the cost of adding a second monitor is something few firms can afford to pass up. The satisfaction of de-cluttering your digital desktop and keeping your focus in the zone is worth it alone. Give us a call at (786) 233-2002 if you would like us to boost your setup by adding a second monitor.

The new year can mean resolutions and promises for a “new you.” One way to start this year feeling more in control is to clean up your computer. Follow these simple steps! Tackle the inbox We do a lot of shopping at the end of the year. Whether you shop online or in stores, you’re asked to provide your email address when you buy, which multiplies the number of mailing lists you’re on. Don’t start the new year deluged by unwanted newsletters and advertising emails. The extra messages in your inbox distract you from the messages that matter. Instead of deleting every new unread message from “Let’s Make Cookies,” click on one and unsubscribe. Usually, there’s a link that lets you do this at the bottom of the email. If you’re a Gmail user, start your effort to cut down on unwanted mail in your Promotions tab. Google’s algorithm sends sales pitches here, so cut messages from this section first. Clear bookmarks The internet is built for browsing. We’ve all lost hours to clicking and linking in this vortex of information. “Wait. How did I end up here looking at kittens eating cupcakes?!” To make things easier, we’ll bookmark sites we visit often or put a page we want to return to on a reading list. By the end of the year, we have marked many sites that we don’t even remember favoriting in the first place. “When was I interested in this?” Getting rid of any bookmarks for passing interests can help you navigate the Web better this year. In Google Chrome, click on the three dots in the upper-right of your browser window (to the left of your profile icon). The drop-down menu will have a Bookmarks option. Click on this to see another drop-down menu with Bookmark Manager on it. On the next screen, every one of your bookmarks will have three dots beside it. Click on this to select the delete option, and get rid of the ones you don’t need any longer. Safari users can click on Bookmarks on the top menu or the sidebar icon on the toolbar (to the right of the arrows on the left). Then edit your bookmarks by clicking on sites you no longer want and hitting your delete button. Sort through downloads We also download a lot of stuff in a year. Sometimes, because we’re impatient or don’t realize we’ve already hit download, we get multiple copies of the same file! A full download folder takes up storage space on your computer and can slow your computer down. On a Mac, go to the Finder and click on Downloads on the “Go” drop-down menu. You’ll find a folder filled with .pdfs, .docs, and .jpegs you long forgot about. Click on those you don’t need anymore and drag them to your trash can. On Windows, you can usually go to the “This PC” icon and then the “Downloads” folder. Right-click on the files you don’t want, and choose “Delete.” Empty trash/recycling bins Items you put in the trash or recycling bins at home take up space until you take those bins to the curb or the dump, and the same is true of your computer trash or recycling. Empty these bins by selecting “empty trash” on your Mac Finder menu, or “empty recycle bin” after clicking on the bin icon in Windows 10. Remove unused programs/apps - If you’re not using a program or app, don’t give it computer space. On a Mac, you can click on the icon for that program and drag it to the Trash. With Windows, you’ll open the Start menu, click on Settings, then System, then Apps and Features from the left pane to select what you want to uninstall. Click the Uninstall button, and you’ve decluttered your computer that little bit more for the new year. If you need help with any of these streamlining measures, let us know. We can help! Call (786) 233-2002.

Why can’t we all just get along? You’ve probably thought that before. But the sentiment is also one that goes through our heads when we’re trying to set up home networking. When cables and passwords abound, we can’t help but wish it was easier to get all our devices to play nicely together. Here’s help. Desktop computers. Laptops. Tablets. Network printers. Routers. Modems. Smartphones. Smart speakers. Media players. Gaming systems. Homes today have many, if not all of these. Each has all sorts of features, and they’d be even more useful if they connected to one another. If only it wasn’t so challenging to get all our devices to relay information between each other reliably. Home networking can bring so many benefits. You might enjoy: accessing emails on all your devices, wherever you are; surfing the Web using your voice; being able to share files, photos, and other media with any other networked device; viewing a baby photo album from your computer on your Smart TV during a Sweet 16 birthday party; printing from your smartphone or other devices, even when not connected to the device via cable, using AirPrint or Google Cloud Print; backing up all computers in the house to a centralized location via the network; securing your activity on all devices at home with a protected Wi-Fi network. Yep, all that sounds pretty great, but we’re right back where we started. How do we get our devices to do all that? What Your Home Network Needs First, take a moment to imagine connecting all the computers and smart devices in your home via cables. Ack! As if you want more cables snaking around your home! You don’t want to feel as if you’re rooming with Medusa. So, you’ll be looking into a wireless home network to connect your devices to the internet and each other. That means setting up a modem and a router (we’re assuming you already have an internet service provider). The modem is what connects your network to the internet. The router connects your devices to each other and to the internet through your modem. The router communicates the wireless signal between your devices and the modem. A gateway option combines the modem and router functions in one device. If your home is spread out over several floors or square feet, or you have to deal with thick walls, you might have difficulties at home with Wi-Fi dead spots. Great! You’ve made all this effort, and it’s still not working! You could try a mesh network. Instead of making one device do all the signaling, a primary router and many smaller satellites (or nodes) relay the signals with equal power. Securing Your Home Network When you get your devices connected, you’ll want to secure your home network. Taking these simple steps helps protect your personal information and prevent cyberattacks. First, change the default passwords on your modem and router, and choose something more complex than “123456,” “password,” or “letmein.” You’ll also want to set up a guest network if the router supports it. This allows visitors to access the Wi-Fi without you having to share access to your main network. Also, rename your Wi-Fi network so that it isn’t obvious that it’s your house. For example, if you live at 920 Hassell Place, you wouldn’t name it 920Hassell. Or, if you’re the Wilsons, don’t name it WilsonNetwork. Don’t make it easy for someone trying to target you to identify which network they are trying to hack. You like using all your devices, but getting them all networked seems like a headache. Still, once you have a home network set up, you’ll wonder why you waited so long. Don’t put off the convenience any longer. We can help you get all your devices playing together nicely and securely. Contact us today at (786) 233-2002!

Business collaboration is the norm, whether everyone is working in the same office space or not. Providing the latest technology for knowledge sharing and communication is critical. Google Workspace is a cloud-based solution enabling effective collaboration through flexibility, productivity, and transparency. A few decades ago, workers would be expected to answer phones, rip open physical mail, track faxes, and meet in-person with colleagues in the office. With the digital transformation, more of what we do is online. Adding email, file sharing, video conference calls, and chat could have overwhelmed us. Then came the business collaboration platforms streamlining workflow in a single solution. One of these is Google Workspace. It’s Google cloud’s bid to compete with the likes of Microsoft’s Office 365. Google Workspace aims to make “working together a whole lot easier.” It combines productivity and collaboration tools around: Connection – Gmail, Google Meet (chat and video conferencing), Google Calendar Access – Google Drive, Google Cloud Search Creation – Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Slides, Websites, App Scripting, and more. Control – Administration Settings, Analytics, Mobile Device Management, Data Storage. All of this in a single place. Yes, Google offers many of these solutions separately for free (or ad-supported), but with Google Workspace you pay per user for a more comprehensive solution with added control. What Google Workspace Offers Your Business Having Google Workspace gives your users an ad-free enhanced version of the features they may already use. For instance, instead of emailing from johnsmith@gmail.com, John could send from the professional domain jobnsmith@yourbusiness.com, and he’s no longer being distracted by email advertising. “Gmail has a whopping 26% of email market share based on open rates” – Litmus Since Google Workspace integrates with Calendar, it’s easy for John and his colleagues to plan meetings. People can share their calendars to enable scheduling, and they can hold the meeting in Google Meets. At the same time, users don’t have to share every appointment on their calendar with colleagues. Google Workspace's calendar allows users to create many calendars with different settings. Maybe one is private, another is only visible to certain people (you and your assistant), and yet another is public so that the entire company can see. Anyone who has used Microsoft Word or Excel will quickly adapt to Google Docs and Sheets. It’s even possible to import Microsoft files into Google, then export them again into .docx or .xls files. Yet on Google’s cloud platform, users can share files in real-time online. People can work together on the same file, at the same time, regardless of where they are actually located. This eliminates time wasted sending attachments and consolidating comments. While work is in progress, or after you move on, you don’t have to worry about the files disappearing. Basic Google Workspace users get 30GB of storage. Business and Enterprise users have access to unlimited cloud storage and archiving. This lets a business store all its files in a secure, centralized location. Google’s Cloud Search searchable one for Business and Enterprise users. The administrative control offered is another reason to pay for Google Workspace. A business can manage all its user accounts from a single dashboard. You no longer have to worry about someone leaving and refusing access to their Gmail files. With Google Workspace, you can go into the administration console and take control. Easily add and remove people. Plus, access management is easier with one dashboard to assign roles and rights. You can also manage mobile devices and set up two-factor authentication for greater security. Still, sound overwhelming for your small-to-midsized business? Simple Solution Tech managed services provider can help get you set up on Google Workspace. This secure, simple-to-use cloud platform can help you work smarter and faster. Find out how we can help you use remote work from home using Microsoft Office 365. Call us at (786) 233-2002 to get started!

Migrating to the cloud is no longer a “maybe” solution for many businesses. With many countries mandating staying home, remote working requires a fresh look. The good news? There are great solutions available, and you’ll see benefits not just today but also when you’re back in the office in the future. We recommend Google Workspace to enable business collaboration and communication while working remotely. Advantages of a Google Workspace Solution Google Workspace offers enhanced productivity, flexibility, and transparency, all without sacrificing security. Productivity Google Workspace provides access to Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Websites, App Scripting, and more. Using Google Workspace, internal and external users can collaborate and see changes made. This simultaneous, real-time collaboration saves on emailing documents back and forth. Avoid the inefficiency of someone having to correlate different versions of a document. Further, Google Workspace provides a single dashboard. Users can access the creation tools, as well as email, calendars, and Google Meet. People don’t have to keep several different applications open. It’s all available in a single, integrated solution. Flexibility Google Workspace is available on any device, iOS or Android. All your remote workers need is a working internet connection. With this cloud-based solution, you can let them log in to Google Workspace and get everything done in one place. Everyone can: share access to the business Google Drive; use Google Cloud Search to find the needed files; synchronize work calendars on Google; easily hop on video calls or chat in Google Meet. And they can do that from wherever they are, whenever they want. Google even touts a "99.9% service level agreement." Google maintains its systems while making its applications continually available, which means “no scheduled downtime or maintenance windows.” Transparency With Google Workspace, all the business data lives in one place. Users can share files but still control access. Your IT admins can decide what access to allow remote or guest users, and they can secure that access from within the Google Workspace Admin Console. With Google Workspace audit logs, IT admins can review actions taken by users. The logs provide information about what resources were used, by whom, and when. This can help with cybersecurity, plus it provides peace of mind that people are complying with procedures remotely. Google Workspace offers to report for international information security controls, accounting, financial services, health privacy, government, and payment card industry standards. At the same time, although you are using Google Workspace’s services, your data doesn’t belong to Google. All personal information and intellectual property remain your own, even that meme you made about the “joys” of homeschooling. Getting Set Up on Google Workspace Google offers many of these solutions separately for free (or ad-supported). Still, Google Workspace is worth the investment: you pay per user for a more comprehensive solution which adds: professional domain name – instead of johnsmith@gmail.com she could send from johnsmith@yourbusiness.com; unlimited cloud storage and archiving; administrative control to manage all user accounts in a single dashboard; better management of mobile devices; the ability to set up two-factor authentication for greater security. A cloud solution helps your remote workers work smarter and faster. Google Workspace is a secure, simple-to-use cloud platform. Another form of Remote Working can be used with Office 365 Our tech experts can help you effectively migrate to Google Workspace or another cloud-based solution. Contact our experts today at 786-233-2002!

The majority of homes today have at least one computer, and that’s unlikely to be the full extent of the technology. Everyone has a smartphone, and there may be streaming devices, modems, routers, or printers, and – we’re guessing here – lots and lots of power cords! When something goes awry with any of this tech, homeowners can feel stuck. In an office setting, there’s the IT support desk, but at home, you could be relying on Google search, YouTube videos, and the efforts of a digital-native teen. Talking with IT experts well versed in residential technology issues can help. As with doctors, it can be worthwhile to get a second opinion. Having an IT expert for your home can save you money and prevent disasters. With an IT guru on speed dial, you can make smart decisions for buying, repairing, and upgrading tech. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous computer businesses out there. They will take advantage of a buyer’s lack of knowledge about all things tech. Doing your own research is great, but it can get overwhelming. A search for a Wi-Fi-enabled, Mac-compatible printer nets hundreds of options, rankings, and reviews. You try to evaluate a laptop or printer on function, quality, and price, but all these other elements get mentioned. You don’t even know what they mean! How can you ask the right questions? An IT expert can narrow the field and make recommendations based on your needs. You don’t have to wonder what that salesperson is not telling you. Maybe you usually go to a big-box store to buy your technology. Yes, they can have good deals, but often there’s a reason that the laptop is so cheap or that printer is such a great deal. These temptingly priced technologies can be just too slow to do the job, or they’ll break down sooner. Or that astounding deal on a color printer is going to backfire on you down the road because the cost of the ink is crazy! With an IT partner providing a second opinion, you can avoid being bamboozled. Your IT support team will take the time to get to know the issues you’re facing and how you plan to use the product. They can steer you towards tech that is good value and makes sense for the problem you're trying to fix. They’re not trying to sell you the actual technology, only acting as a consultant. They don’t benefit from your buying a particular brand. You don't go home with something that duplicates or doesn't work well with your other tech. The best technology is going to be a combination of the right product at the right quality at the right price. Beyond Buying – IT Support for You When it comes to replacing or repairing technology, it helps also to get a second opinion. You wouldn’t want to get surgery when a week with a splint would do the trick, right? Well, you don’t want to buy a new computer to solve a problem that could be fixed by taking off under-performing but processing-power sucking applications. Or pay to repair a device when you could pay the same amount for a new one that works even better in the way you need it. IT support isn’t only for enterprise-sized businesses. Tech experts can help a homeowner: evaluate tech options; identify good deals; make smart upgrades; diagnose computer problems; install security measures; backup data; connect devices. Get the help you need to keep your computers and technology in top shape at home. Contact us today at (786) 233-2002.

​How long have you had your home printer? Maybe you have a printer that came as a package deal with your desktop or free with your laptop purchase. Look in many home offices and you’ll probably see a less-expensive inkjet printer sitting beside even the swankiest monitor. Here’s why it’s time for an upgrade. You should know that printers are often sold at cost or even as a loss leader (below cost to get your business). After all, once you get that cheap/free inkjet printer, you’ll pay for ink cartridges for the life of the printer. To make sure they get your money, manufacturers often sell new printers with half-empty ink cartridges from the start! You’ve heard “you get what you paid for,” right? Well, that’s definitely true for low-cost printers. Manufacturers are cutting production costs to keep the price down. These printers are not built with longevity in mind. Printer owners encounter all kinds of problems: multiple sheets pulled from the paper tray at once; paper jams; slow printer response; drop off in print quality; ink smearing. Frustrated customers soon discover they’ll pay more to fix their printer than they would buy a new one. Upgrading to an office-grade printer Our solution? High-performance commercial printers. Office-grade printers are designed as workhorses. These robust printers are built to withstand heavy use with speed and reliability. Yes, they cost more, but they are also less prone to problems and more likely to be a long-term value addition to your home office. You’ll have many printer profiles to choose from. You might select a printer based on its pages-per-minute printing speed. Or maybe you want a larger paper tray capacity and bigger ink cartridges. Depending on your needs, you might want a printer that allows for simultaneous operation. That would let one person print while another is able to scan or copy. Built-in Wi-Fi could also be useful in small home offices if you’re tired of tripping over so many unsightly cords. While you’re in the market for a new printer, know that we recommend laser printers over inkjet. Laser printers use a dry toner rather than wet ink. The toner cartridges are more expensive, but they print more sheets per cartridge than inkjets, plus, toner doesn’t dry up like ink. And you don’t have to worry about the printer heads getting blocked. Lasers print faster, and you’ll have fewer problems, which means these printers are typically less expensive to operate long-term. Inkjet printers typically have a minimum life span of three years, whereas you can expect a laser printer to last five years, although this will depend on the frequency of use, of course. When looking at laser printers, give serious thought to whether you need a color printer. How many times do you actually use color? Does it merit the added expense of that option? People who are printing photos at home only occasionally could probably get their images printed professionally for less overall cost. Prioritize your printer Even in our increasingly digital world, there are still times when we want to print. Whether it’s a family photo, school report, resume, or slide deck, you want to count on your printer for high quality and reliable performance. There are many, many office-grade printers to choose from, and it can become overwhelming. What and how much you print should factor into your decision. Find the printer for your budget that will last long term with help from our experts. Call (786) 233-2002.

Wouldn’t it be great to know you could access the internet from every room in the house – including the outdoor entertaining areas? How about wireless printing from wherever you happen to be? Many homes are embracing the flexibility of having multiple devices and users, but with each new addition come increased headaches when trying to make it all work together. They know what experience they want, but actually assembling a complex network can be like trying to juggle a live, angry octopus! Most people don’t realize just how complex their tech setup has become. Ask around and you’ll discover homes commonly have 4 mobile devices, 2 tablets, a desktop or laptop, a printer, plus a smart TV, media streamer, and a games console. All of which need access to the same secure internet connection, backup systems, and protection from digital threats. Yikes! While businesses immediately default to calling in the tech experts to make sure their system works exactly the way they need it to, residential users haven’t had that option - until now. Our Simple Solution Tech, Managed IT Services can assess your unique needs and create the perfect solution for you –everything working the way you want and within budget. Using managed residential services has the added benefit of providing one, predictable bill for every part of your technology services, including: Advice and setup: Our experts love to talk tech and can help you make product decisions, plan and create your ideal network environment – building in all the parental controls and security your unique situation needs. They’ll even help educate your family on best practices, cyber safety, and common threats. Remote support: Save time and energy if something goes wrong, our experts can securely log in to remotely diagnose and repair many issues – just let us know and we’ll take care of it. Backup: You’ll never have to worry about losing all your personal files, photos, video and music if your device is broken or stolen. Our experts will make sure everything that’s important to you is backed up regularly. Maintenance: While your devices are pretty durable, they still need regular maintenance and cleaning. This extends the life of your device greatly and has the added benefit of making it run like new again. Security: Every device under your managed IT plan will be automatically monitored for security issues and updated regularly. Our tech experts will ensure your network is secure, protecting you and your family on autopilot. Cloud: We’ll make sure you have access to all your files, no matter which device you’re on, giving you true digital flexibility and (a safeguard against forgetting homework!). With new connected devices finding their way into homes each year, it’s more important than ever to ensure your network can grow easily, with security at all levels. Remember, it only takes one unprotected device to let the malware in, even something as innocent as a remote-activated lightbulb! Our managed IT services will free you from worrying about security and maintenance, while at the same time giving you the performance and flexibility your family needs. Find out how Managed IT Services can help you by calling us at 786-233-2002!

(Photo Source: Unsplash.com) Let’s be realistic. You don’t care about information technology (IT). Or, you do, but only so far as it supports you getting the things you care about doing. You’d rather not think about IT at all. Many businesses are that way. That’s fine with us. We care enough about IT for all our clients. You love developing products, designing campaigns, or determining a financial strategy for clients. A managed services provider loves supporting you in doing those things. You don’t have to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty of networks, systems, software, and applications. We will. Happily. The thing is, we typically aren’t aware of what we don’t know. You may have more of a general feeling of unease. You wonder if: your business could be performing better; your team could be collaborating more; your processes could be more efficient; you have the right answers to cybersecurity risks and issues; your business has the best technological tools to meet its needs. But the learning curve seems too steep, and you have other things to be doing for your business. Researching new technologies, weighing upgrades, keeping up with cybersecurity, and maintaining and monitoring IT are responsibilities you’d rather avoid. Yet being uninformed is not going to work as an excuse in a breach, and your employees expect high-quality technology in their work. To recruit and retain people who drive business success, you need IT to support mobility, efficiency, and productivity. Your people want the tools to work smarter, not harder. That’s why many businesses turn to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) for help. MSPs Make Your IT Their Business So, IT isn’t what interests you. That’s fine. Partner instead with a service provider focused on IT. You can keep doing what you do best and care most about. But you can be confident your IT strategy is smart and secure. Plus, you can save money working with an MSP. For one, the MSP gets to know business processes and objectives to help your IT infrastructure run better. Your IT partner will identify opportunities for greater efficiency. Perhaps you’re paying for software licenses you don’t need, or you could gain greater mobility and improve business continuity with cloud migration. Your MSP partner will do the research to make sure your business is benefitting from its IT savvy. The MSP doesn’t gain from selling you more than you need. This expert team shops around for the right plans (whether office broadband, mobile phones, or cloud subscriptions). Even small businesses can access the best technological tools. The MSP can also provide server monitoring and IT maintenance services. You may know you need antivirus protection and firewalls, but that may not be enough. Your IT partner can do a cybersecurity assessment. This lets your business be proactive instead of trying to fix problems later. Gartner estimates business downtime can cost as much as $5,600 per minute or around $300,000 per hour. That’s a financial hit you want to avoid. Plus, the right MSP tailors its services to your workload size, regardless of company size. The goal is to match your business with the right technology to do things better and cheaper. It may not interest you, but it’s a fun challenge for our IT experts. Don’t leave your technology and cybersecurity needs unattended. Be proactive with an MSP as your IT partner. Our experts guide IT strategy, secure systems, and suggest solutions to achieve your business goals. No matter how you feel about IT, we care a lot. Contact us today! (786) 233-2002

No one is safe from cybersecurity threats or able to ignore digital transformation. But the healthcare industry faces extra pressures to keep its information technology healthy. Here’s why that’s the case and why a Managed Service Provider (MSP) partnership is just what the doctor ordered. Healthcare shares many of the same concerns as other industries. Leaders want to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve the bottom line. Many doctor’s offices are moving away from relying on paper files, insurance providers receive faxed claims, electronic medical records (EMR) have replaced rooms of filing cabinets, and medicine has gone mobile with data available on a centralized server in the cloud. Everything from surgery scheduling to patient payments can be processed online. So, healthcare business technology needs to stay current. Remote access to patient records, imaging, and prescription history is expected. Virtual collaboration with colleagues is a new norm. Dashboards providing data analytics are in demand, too. Plus, all these new technologies need to be secure. Every industry faces cybersecurity threats, yet healthcare handles personally-identifying patient information and financial data, which makes it a prime target. Consider the ransomware attack that crippled Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). That 2017 WannaCry attack cost the NHS 92 million pounds, according to reports, that’s not including the damage to the NHS’s brand reputation. High Standards for Healthcare IT Healthcare must also address industry standards and compliance concerns. Data breaches are expensive for any organization. But healthcare regulations make even the loss of an unencrypted laptop costly. Healthcare clinics face fines for sharing patient data or falling victim to a cyberscam. Partnering with an MSP is a prescription for IT success and security. An MSP provides an outside opinion on technological health. The MSP’s IT experts begin by diagnosing the current software, systems, and networks. They then track and manage technology. An MSP can also provide an IT strategy to support compliance. This could include introducing remote and mobile access policies or taking steps to better protect and backup sensitive information. Patching and upgrading systems is a proactive move against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. You might think of partnering with an MSP as a wellness check. Keeping an eye on the business’s IT health makes it easier to avoid something debilitating. Plus, if something does go wrong, MSPs have guaranteed response times. Your partner will develop a business continuity plan to get you back to IT fitness quicker. IT Managed Services Do More Than You Think On the heels of the headache of moving to electronic health records (EHR), businesses may be reluctant to add MSPs to the mix. Still, a savvy MSP can integrate EHR/EMR solutions with any new IT strategies. Interested in telemedicine applications or social media management? The MSP can help. An MSP does much more than risk assessments. Stopping smoking has many benefits beyond cleaner lungs. Similarly, working with MSPs can help healthcare treat several symptoms at once. The MSP supports medical clinics or healthcare organizations in: using IT to provide a better patient experience; securing networks for the medical professional and patient access; streamlining operational efficiencies with cloud-based computing solutions; improving medical professional communication with patients and other partners; managing IT security; spearheading digital business transformation. Healthcare providers and related businesses want to modernize and master cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Partnering with an MSP for IT strategy and support lets you focus on building a healthy business. Want a consult with our IT? Call us today at (786) 233-2002.