Directive Blogs

Most small and medium-sized businesses aren’t new to IT. For the past 15 years or so, SMBs have been attempting to keep up with their larger competitors through the implementation of technology systems. They’ve instituted computing systems from servers to workstations to mobile devices, peripheral technologies like fax machines and copiers, “state of the art” networking technology, and all other sorts of tech, just trying to keep a leg up on their competition.

One of the most dreaded situations in the modern office is the resignation of experienced talent. It’s always sad to say goodbye to a colleague and friend… under the right circumstances. What would happen if an angry employee left your company and used their privileges to wreck havoc on your IT?

How messy is your server room? When was the last time you took note of how many machines you have, and what each of them are contributing to your business’s goals? If either of these situations sound familiar, it might be time to take a closer look at your technology and examine how you can improve operations. One of the best ways you can do so is by eliminating unnecessary costs from unused and underutilized servers.

One major technology pain point businesses have revolves around communication. If your clients and prospects can’t effectively reach your staff, customer support and productivity is weakened. Customers need more out of your phone system, and VoIP solutions offer more features with less expenses.

In a world where time is a luxury that the average business owner lacks, it can be burdensome to come up with new technology initiatives. The main issue that this presents is that it can be difficult to improve your operations if your technology’s growth is stunted. Stagnate technology deployment can be detrimental to your business’s success.

Chances are that when you begin going through your expense reports, one of the most glaring expenses your business has is payroll. It is possibly the most crucial cost you will be subject to. In fact, small businesses need to realize that by hiring employees, a large portion of your operational budget is out the window. To properly grow a business, you may need to take an alternative view to the traditional business model; including your technology management.

Have you heard the news? Passwords are old-school methods of authenticating account logins. If you want to maximize the security of your business, using two-factor authentication is your best bet.

As a business owner, you’re constantly moving around. At the same time, you’re expected to keep in touch with your base of operations, respond to employee and client inquiries, and many more mission-critical tasks that require the use of remote technology solutions. Unfortunately, public WiFi hotspots are known to be cesspools of online filth, where a secure connection is nothing but a dream. One way to correct this issue is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

It seems like we can’t go on the Internet without reading about some sort of data breach. Sometimes they’re caused by poor security measures, like lack of data encryption or two-factor authentication; other times, it’s because of lackluster password security. Despite the antiquity of the username and password, they’re staples in the modern office. Thus, it’s important that they’re as secure as possible at all times.

Anything that makes your business more mobile is a good thing, right? This is one of the main goals of virtualization services. These separate the software from the hardware it’s installed on, allowing it to be isolated and installed on a virtual machine where it can be accessed as an individual instance. Many businesses are finding success in their workplace by taking advantage of desktop virtualization services.

If you host your own servers in-house, or in an off-site data center, you know all about the frustrations of keeping your hardware up to date and healthy. This also includes keeping your servers from overheating. These mission-critical pieces of hardware are known to produce incredulous amounts of heat, and keeping them cool only gets more challenging during hot, sticky summer months.

When it comes to service jobs, there are two kinds: Those where the work is highly visible, and those where work gets accomplished behind the scenes. Each service is valued and needed, yet, one may receive more attention and recognition than the other. Managed IT service falls under the latter category, and we’re totally okay with that.

Today’s technology has accomplished a ton of fascinating things, but none are more important for the average business than big data analytics. When considering the incredibly competitive nature of the business environment, anything that gives your company an edge is a welcome addition to your strategy, and it’s more important than ever before to heed this call to action.

A trend that’s taking the office by storm is BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device. These policies entail workers bringing their own devices to the office and using them for work-related purposes. While this opens up many avenues for enhanced productivity and efficiency, being too laissez faire with your BYOD policy could instigate some problems later on, primarily in the security field.

We all know that hacking is one of the biggest risks we must deal with in today’s technology-based society. Most hackers out there try to take advantage of the latest vulnerabilities in software, but there are some that use a more sophisticated method. These hackers try take advantage of the weaknesses found in the human psyche, rather than the technological flaws that consistently get patched.

A reliable and skilled IT department is integral for the success of your business. If your IT team is burnt out, overworked, or dissatisfied, operations will suffer and your network will experience one IT emergency after another. Just as you expect your IT staff to use best practices, as a business owner, you need to manage your IT staff as best as you can in order to ensure that your network will operate at maximum efficiency.

We always talk about protecting your computers and servers from outside threats, but what about protecting your smartphones? There isn’t much difference between a smartphone and a computer. They both function in very similar ways with access to a variety of apps, social media, and browsers. Your smartphone could hold much more valuable data than just contacts or text messages.

July 14th is an important date in the business technology world. Why? Because it’s a major landmark for users of Windows Server 2003. In just a few short months, Microsoft will no longer support this decade-old server operating system. Therefore, you must take steps to upgrade away from this server OS before it’s too late.

Do you want to go green by making your business paperless, or even just make it a goal to use less paper? If you get rid of paper, what are you going to replace your information receptacles with? The best digital alternative to paper is a popular file format known as PDF.

There are a number of disasters which could hamper your business’s continuity, but the most dangerous ones occur when you least expect it. Despite this, it’s not always clear that your business needs a data backup and disaster recovery solution until it’s too late. You stand to lose everything your business has worked so hard for by ignoring potential threats, many of which can be prevented by simple proactive measures.