Productivity
Your Business Needs a Proactive Technology Planner, Not Merely a Repair Person
We recently evaluated technology needs for a company that was replacing its longtime IT repairman who was retiring. He had been “servicing” the company’s technology for more than 20 years. For him, service meant showing up when something broke, fixing it if possible, replacing it if not. For the company, that meant an…
Read MoreTechnology Options for the Post-Pandemic Workforce
One of our clients recently decided not to reopen its office which has been closed since the pandemic began. Instead, the company will allow employees to work from home. They’re not alone. Many businesses are radically changing how and where employees work. With those changes, businesses face new questions and challenges regarding…
Read MoreKeeping Your IT Staff Trained Will Keep Cracks Out of Your System — And Possibly Your Walls
A friend was telling me a story recently, about a business owner he knew… She was at her wits end after her one-and-only network administrator hit a wall… …literally. The guy was frustrated because he couldn’t fix a problem that had slowed the network to a crawl. After failing to get anywhere for hours, he…
Read MoreHow to Prevent Costly Tech Disasters So You Can Sleep Soundly at Night
We recently started with a new client who breathed a big sigh of relief when we successfully backed up his systems. “Thank, God,” he said. “If our system servers went down we would be screwed.” He got that right… …except for the big sigh of relief. I explained: Backups are critical, but they’re just the…
Read MoreDon’t Lose Control of Your Domain — It Could Cost You Time and Money
I know a business owner who had to change his website address because the jerk who built and hosted his website disappeared. The site went down, and when the owner tried to move it to a new server, he couldn’t do it… …Because the web developer registered the domain, controlled where it pointed, and never…
Read MoreAll Aboard! How to Get a New Employee Started without Hiccups and Headaches
Every time his firm hired a new employee, the CEO took off his senior management hat and put on his tech-support hat. He ordered a new computer. He installed the software. He established the new employee’s email address. He set up network access permissions and file shares. And on and on and on it went. …
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 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 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…
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