Posts by Todd Rochleau
How a Support Playbook Keeps Customers Happy
A friend told me the other day about a customer service nightmare. He emailed the company that provides his sales management software because the system was throwing errors. Here’s what happened… No reply after 48 hours. On hold for 15+ minutes with the telephone support. A “support” rep who 1) didn’t have a clue and…
Read MoreCritical Questions to Ask When Hiring an IT Firm
All tech firms are NOT created equal. So when you’re shopping for a firm to manage desktop support, keep your network running 24/7, protect your data from hackers and thieves, and help you plan and budget for technology upgrades… …you have to be prepared. Here are a few questions to ask when vetting prospective Managed…
Read MoreShould I Put My Critical Data In The Cloud?
I know a business owner who refused to store critical data in the cloud — until he discovered the advantages He wanted the data in his building, on physical machines that his employees and contractors can touch. He thinks his data is more secure that way. We understood his concern, but we helped him understand:…
Read MoreThe True Cost of a Break-Fix Agreement
I know a business owner whose email server broke down and ground operations to a halt. His IT vendor sent a young associate to fix the server, and the kid didn’t have a clue. The so-called technician was on the phone half the day, speaking to some other expert who directed the process. The “fix”…
Read MoreHow to Keep Your Network Secure When Employees Work from Home
When the pandemic hit, a business owner I know scrambled to get his employees up and running at home as quickly as possible. Fire up those computers. Connect to the business-critical software. Get to work. Keep the business running. We all have to keep our businesses running… …but working from home creates unique security challenges…
Read MoreWhen a Tech Disaster Hits, Will You be Ready?
True story… A business was backing up all of its critical data to drives every night. Then the server that housed all that data croaked. The company’s hapless IT guy said, “No problem. We’ll install a new server and restore all our data from the backup.” Good idea, except the restoration didn’t work. The IT…
Read MoreImplement a Password Management System to Avoid Being Stung
A few years ago, we began to work with a new client who had no idea he was sitting on a hornet’s nest of hassles. The first sting came when we asked for the administrative password for one of the servers. The client didn’t have it. Then we asked for more passwords, and the hornets…
Read MoreMy Computer is Slow as Sloth. What Can I Do About It?
I have a friend who has a lot of aches, pains, and medical fears. Every time anything is wrong, he goes to the internet, enters his symptoms in the search engine, and then goes down the rabbit holes. He gets 15 different explanations about what might be wrong — each one more dire than the…
Read MoreHow to Prevent Phishing and Other Scams During the Pandemic
Crises always bring out the crooks. This pandemic is no exception. As we search online for critical information, scammers lurk around every corner, waiting to steal our personal information or install malware on our computers and phones. How do you prevent phishing and other scams? Here are a few tips to keep the scammers at bay:…
Read MoreHow to Use Zoom Safely
Is Zoom safe to use? We’ve heard that question a lot over the last couple of weeks from clients who are using the web conferencing while working from home. So we looked into it. The bottom line: We believe it’s OK to use Zoom, if you take certain steps to secure the system. Any technology…
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