How Small Businesses Should Budget For IT Expenses

29 Jun
Budget

A question that seems to come up a lot lately with clients and prospects, in some form or fashion, is “How should I properly budget for IT expenses?” While this is a great question, there are a lot of variables that determine the answer, so I can’t provide a “one-size-fits-all,” simple answer. However, below are some general guidelines that should help you figure this out: Hardware Refresh No one likes the cost of a network upgrade, but it IS necessary approximately once every 3 to 4 years. PCs and servers older than that tend to run slow, crash … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Financing, Maintenance, Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

How To Keep Your Cell Phone Costs To A Minimum While Travelling

8 Jun
Cell phone

If you’re like me when travelling (for work or pleasure) you need to stay tapped into your business and family from wherever you are.  And you don’t want to spend a fortune doing it.  If you’ve ever come home to a whopping cell phone bill, read these steps to learn how to minimize the pain.     Plan your communication strategy in the following areas:   TEXTING  Alert your circle:  Advise any heavy text communicators that you are travelling, and not to text you via normal methods.  Instead, use an application that leverages a data plan or wi-fi such … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Handheld Devices / Smartphones, Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

The Pros and Cons Of Switching To VOIP

9 Apr
Speak To An IT Support Professional To Learn if VOIP Is Right For Your Business

Since Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call to his assistant Watson, the phone has come a long way. And now thanks to Internet technology, it's possible to make phone calls over the Internet using VoIP technology or voice over Internet Protocol (IP). While there are a number of advantages to a VoIP system over a standard phone system, the biggest reason companies switch is to save money. It’s not uncommon for a company making a lot of long distance calls to save 50% or more on their phone bill. Of course, there’s no guarantee of this since there are a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

5 (Cheap) Ways To Make Old Computers Faster and More Reliable

3 Feb
With a proactive Managed IT services plan, your old computers can have a new lease on life!

#1. Add Memory. One of the most inexpensive and effective ways to improve a computer’s performance is to install more RAM (random access memory). This will speed up the applications installed on your computer and allow you to open and run more programs simultaneously. #2. Upgrade The Processor Or Add A Graphics Accelerator. If you are just looking for a little more “zoom,” upgrading the processor or installing a graphics accelerator will give your computer the ability to process information faster and improve its overall speed. #3. Perform Regular … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desktop Computers, Is Your Current IT Support Looking After You Properly?, Maintenance, Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

Up to 17 HOURS Of Your Time Is Wasted On This

12 Dec
Your IT support provider should be giving you advice on how to get your computers to run with maximum efficiency.

As a busy business owner or manager, nothing is more frustrating than being made to wait; especially when that waiting seems unnecessary. And when it comes to waiting for your computer to start up, most business owners, managers and employees are all too familiar with the frustration of impatiently watching as their computer goes through the slow and agonizing process of getting ready for you to actually use it. Most Microsoft Windows computers take between 3-4 minutes to completely rev up, not including opening any programs outside of the start-up menu. Multiply that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desktop Computers, Employee Productivity, Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

Can You Really Get Microsoft Office For Just $6 A Month?

2 Sep
Network support toronto, IT outsourcing Toronto, cloud computing Toronto

Recently, Microsoft announced a real “game changer” for the IT industry and something that may mean the demise of the $62 billion-dollar company’s stronghold on the desktop. What is it? Office 365, which is their new cloud computing answer to Google Apps. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars per license, you can now access the entire Office suite of products via the Internet for $6 to $24 per month (like paying for a utility). What Is “Cloud Computing”? Cloud computing or “going to the cloud” is very similar to the concept of paying for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cloud Computing, Money Saving Tips, TAG Blog

What To Do When You Want the Advanced Features of Microsoft Exchange But Don’t Want the Costs

26 May

     With the complexity, costs and problems associated with installing a mail server, many businesses are now opting for “Hosted Exchange” in the cloud rather than bringing the server in-house. What are “cloud”-based or “hosted” services? Think of them like a gym membership. Instead of purchasing your own home gym equipment, which can be expensive, require maintenance and take up a lot of space, you can pay a small monthly fee to go to the gym and use a multi-million-dollar facility that is kept and maintained by someone else.     Hosted Exchange … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cloud Computing, Hosted IT Solutions, Money Saving Tips

7 Benefits of Managed IT Services

20 Apr

     In my previous blog article ‘What Are Managed IT Services Anyway?’, http://www.technicalactiongroup.com/what-are-managed-it-services-anyway/, I explained the typical services included in a Managed Services Plan.  If you’re like a lot of business owners who just want to know “what’s in it for me and my business”, here are 9 reasons why Managed Services make sense for any business that relies on technology.  The Benefits Are Obvious:  You’ll practically eliminate expensive repairs and recovery costs.  Network monitoring and maintenance … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Is Your Current IT Support Looking After You Properly?, Maintenance, Managed Services, Money Saving Tips

How SharePoint Can Skyrocket Your Company’s Productivity Without Costing You a Bundle

21 Mar
IT support Toronto

  Many of you have heard of SharePoint and for those of you who have a Windows server, you have access to a free version of the software.  What you probably don’t know is that with a minimum upfront investment to set up and program some basic features, what a power tool it can be in your business by helping your staff get better organized, reduce clutter and skyrocket productivity - all while improving security. What is SharePoint?    SharePoint is a collaboration tool from Microsoft that provides essentially a database “sandbox” that is a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Document Management, Employee Productivity, Money Saving Tips, SharePoint

5 Easy Steps To Clean Your Keyboard and Monitor (and be germ-free!)

14 Feb

     ABC news reported that a study in England revealed that the average office keyboard had bacteria and germ levels up to five times higher than those commonly found on a toilet seat.       The study, headed up by Dr. James Francis, a British microbiologist, took culture samples from 33 office keyboards in London, and compared these samples to swabs taken from toilet seats in the same office buildings, containing nasty germs such as e-coli and staph bacteria. Kinda gives new meaning to the term, “computer virus!” So how do you not only disinfect your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Desktop Computers, Maintenance, Money Saving Tips
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