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 Maintenance On Your Servers and Desktops. Computers, like cars, need regular maintenance to perform at top speed and reliability. At a minimum, if you have an IT outsourcing company supporting your network, they should be running the ScanDisk and the Disk Defrag Utility on your machines once a month. This will make your applications and files load and run faster.  Part of any managed IT services plan would include these regular maintenance.

#4. Run A Spyware Scan Once A Week. One telltale sign that your computer is infected with spyware is slow, unstable performance. Spyware sucks up your system’s resources to carry out its evil intent, slowing down your computer and even causing it to freeze and crash.  Your network support plan from your IT services provider should include these routines as part of regular maintenance.

#5. Disable Or Remove Unnecessary Programs Running In The Background. Many computers have pre-installed software programs that use up system resources and slow down your computer.

While these recommendations will certainly speed up your system, they aren’t a miracle cure for a seriously out-of-date computer network. If your computer or network constantly crashes, freezes up, or runs painfully slow, then it’s time for an upgrade, or it could be a sign of a troublesome virus.

Your computer support provider should urge you to break these bad habits!

Admit it; some of you have some bad habits when it comes to maintaining the security and “health” of the high-tech tools you dearly depend on. Since it’s a fresh, new year, we thought it would be appropriate to point out the top 5 bad habits you should work on fixing in 2012.

1. Not backing up your data. Funny how most people start their confession of not backing up their data with the words, “I know it’s bad, but…” If you know, then why are you still doing it? There’s absolutely no good reason to let this one continue.  Your IT support provider should INSIST you be doing this. As well they should be testing it monthly to make sure it’s always working so you’re not surprised when you need to rely on a backup.  

2.  Relying on tape drives to backup your data. This is almost as bad as bad habit #1. Why? Because tape drives have an average failure rate of 100% – and that’s not a typo. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” is your tape drive going to fail. Trash ’em and get a better system in place!  Your computer support provider should warn you about the risks of tape drives. 

3. Using weak passwords. If you’ve ever used the word “password” as your password, we’re talking to you! A good password should contain a combination of numbers and upper and lower case letters.

4.  Not installing the latest security patches and software updates. Once a new patch is released by a software vendor, it acts like a green light for hackers who instantly implement viruses and scams to take advantage of those individuals who don’t regularly update (patch) their system.  As part of our Managed IT service plans, we take care of this for our clients so they don’t have to worry about it.

5. Printing and storing paper documents for everything. The cost of installing a document imaging (also called document management) solution has come down dramatically, and it is now easier than ever to implement. Plus you get the added benefits of saved storage space, saved time in searching for documents, instant access to any paper file via the Internet, fewer lost files, less chance of losing critical documents to fire, water, or wear and tear, AND a cost saving on paper and ink. With all these benefits, why would you still stick a paper filing system?

Want help in breaking any of these bad habits in your Toronto business? Contact Joe Stoll at JStoll@TechnicalActionGroup.com or 416-489-6312 x 204 for a no-obligation, no-pressure consultation on how we can help you break these bad high-tech habits for good!

Network monitoring should be a staple of the IT services you purchase.

Think back to the last time your server went down or you weren’t able to get e-mail; remember how frustrating that was? Or perhaps you experienced a virus or other data-erasing disaster. Remember how painful that was to resolve?

There are very few business activities that don’t heavily rely on your computer network, e-mail and data – and if any of these components stop working, business grinds to a screeching, frustrating halt. And with viruses and hackers becoming more sophisticated (and smart) about accessing your network, you simply cannot afford to NOT monitor the health and security of your network daily.

A network monitoring system is simply a way for a trained professional to watch over your computer network for slow or failing components, security breaches, and alarms that signify trouble is brewing. It can also detect signs that your backup is not working, that you’re running out of space on the server, or that a firewall is not functioning properly. Think of it like a security camera watching over your entire network 24/7/365.

So if network monitoring is SO important, why aren’t more small businesses INSISTING that their IT services provider put a system in place as part of their network support plan? One of the biggest reasons we see is lack of knowledge. The reality is that many businesses DO have their systems monitored for problems; and the bigger and more sophisticated the company, the more critical this becomes. But smaller businesses are often outsourcing their IT support and, unless their computer support company offers this service, they may not even know it exists.

The second reason is complacency; the belief is that, “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” This is akin to saying, “We don’t need locks on our doors because we’ve never had our house burglarized.” The reason you HAVE the locks is to prevent your home or office from being robbed – and the reason you have network monitoring is to make sure you DON’T have problems.

Plus, simple monitoring is cheap. For as little as $10 per employee per month, you can have a basic monitoring system in place. If you use IT outsourcing services, your computer support provider should have access to these monitoring tools.

Preventative computer support as part of Managed IT services will maximize the speed and longevity of your computers.

Do any computers in your office run so slow so as to drive you or your employees blood pressure to rise?  Do any frequently freeze up, crash and take forever to open files?  Aside from the obvious frustration and reduced productivity slow computers cause, it may actually be due to one or more of the following reasons that your IT support provider might not be telling you:

 Slower boot due to installed software.  To increase your security, software such as firewalls and antivirus applications must start up immediately when you boot up your PC. This of course will cause it to start up slower.  Some software partially loads at boot so when you launch applications they seem to start faster. Plus, device drivers and helper software for printers, multimedia devices, and other peripherals may require being loaded at boot to make using such devices in a plug-and-play environment as seamless as possible. All of this increases your overall boot time.

Slower overall experience due to installed software.  Just as loading applications slow your computer’s boot time, they also may require additional CPU cycles, causing your main applications such as web browsers or word processors to run slower. Plus, more tasks consume additional RAM, requiring your computer to use your hard drive as virtual memory. Paging information to and from your hard drive increases the disk thrashing, slowing down your computer further.  You can help offset this somewhat by installing additional RAM if supported by your computer.

Uninstall software doesn’t always work well.  While most applications support an uninstall procedure, these don’t always work perfectly. Uninstallers may leave temporary files, items in the Windows Registry, startup tasks to files that no longer exist,, device drivers that now are not needed, etc. Install and uninstall many applications and the leftover garbage can drastically slow your computer’s overall speed if the garbage isn’t tossed out.

Unneccessary Programs.   Many PCs come with programs automatically installed to run at startup.  Over time, these programs (along with all the other programs you install) can significantly slow down your computer.  They are often running in the background, but are never used. 

Updates require more power.  Updates to your device drivers, software, and operating system just may require more computing power than older versions. This can be due to sloppy programming or the addition of newer features. Plus, as security holes are fixed and workarounds created, such software may require more CPU cycles, RAM, and overall storage space on your hard drive.  Security is one reason why an older version of Windows may run much faster than a newer version. While the older version may seem to work fine, its lack of protection features can expose your computer to all types of security risks.

 File fragmentation.  Over time, the files on your hard drive get broken into pieces when saved, which causes your operating system to take more time to find, open and update files.  To prevent this, your hard drive should be defragged on a regular basis.  Your IT support provider can do this for you. 

The dreaded malware.  Of course, viruses, spyware and other malware may be to blame. These create additional processes that put more strain on a computer and can increase its overall boot time. Other users may be lurking around your PC via an open port, causing all sorts of chaos. Malware may be running in the background using your computer to relay e-mail messages, attempt to shut down websites via denial of service (DoS) attacks, and more.  So though security software may adversely effect your computer’s overall speed slightly, not having such software (and keeping it updated) can cause an even worse situation.

Next steps:  Make sure you have a good Toronto computer support partner in place with regular preventative maintenance routines and 24/7 monitoring of all of your computers.  Through monitoring and maintenance, early detection of ailing hardware can give you time to properly plan a replacement, thereby avoiding an expensive last minute ‘panic purchase’.  Managed IT services providers in Toronto  most always include preventative components.

Security is a major focus of a Managed IT services plan.

If you’re like most technology-reliant businesses, you’ve spend a great deal of time and money making sure that you have a good firewall, your servers are secured, controlling who logs onto your network and what they have access to. While all of these activities are a vital component in a secure network, very often the workstations (desktops / laptops) are least secured in the entire network and poses the greatest amount of risk because of users trying to get their work done as quickly as possible and don’t understand the security implications of their actions.

In a nutshell, you’re making sure you have a good lock on the door, a good security system that protects the perimeter of your house (windows, doors), but very often little thought is given to who is let in when the doorbell is rung by visitors.

Due to the plethora of new and increasingly sneaky cyber criminals lurking for unsuspecting victims, the area that we most need to focus on is in securing each laptop and desktop in such a manner so that staff members can still meet their daily work objectives, while making sure that confidential business data is not vulnerable to leaving the company and falling in the wrong hands. In a nutshell, you need to protect yourself against those that you let in while your employees do their work.

How do you know if you’re letting anyone dangerous into your network?

Obvious sign: When you get a virus infection and pop ups.

Silent Thieves: When software is installed on your computer externally and sits on your computer dormant until it’s activated from a remote location and then steals your confidential data which could be credit card information, passwords to any and all websites, client contact information. Very often you don’t even know it’s happened.

The most dangerous break-ins are the ones you don’t even know happened.

Who are you letting in? At the least, kids who are just trying to be disruptive. At worst: Cyber criminal rings located off-shore, who are impossible to find.

Here are some steps you need to take with your workstations to prevent your employees from
unwittingly inviting danger into your network:

1. Make sure users don’t have any more access on their computer than they absolutely need. They shouldn’t be able to install ANY software themselves. If anyone other than your key IT contact has administrator privileges, remove them immediately.

2. As a company, make it a policy not to allow any free or pirated software onto your network. Many of these have software imbedded in them that search for passwords, credit cards, and will launch attacks from your network.

3. Make sure you have good quality, up to date antivirus software installed on each PC and laptop.

4. Make sure you have good quality up to date malware. Malware looks at websites that your employees are visiting, and looks for phishing websites. Phishing websites look authentic (could even look like your bank) but their sole purpose (among other destructive goals) is to capture any confidential information you enter into the website (account numbers, credit cards, etc). Malware detects these types of sites and blocks them.

5. Keep all Windows software up to date with current patches and fixes to bugs.

6. Keep all third party software up to date with patches and fixes.

7. Enforce an Acceptable Use Policy and make your staff aware of the risks of not governing themselves appropriately while using their computers.

8. Make sure people have access to only the data they need to, and nothing more. For instance, prevent all non-finance staff from accessing financial information and HR folders . Only provide access to customer lists to the employees that need them to do their jobs.

9. Do not share passwords. Have an automated process in place to force your employees to change their passwords every 90 days. Use complex passwords using a combination of letters, symbols and numbers.

10.For users who need remote access, make sure you have the most secure solution possible so as to prevent hijackers from intercepting information as it’s being transmitted between your network, and your remote user.

Mobile Devices Can Also Invite Trouble

Asking employees to be more careful about where they keep their laptops, phones, and tablets IS a good step in the right direction, but accidents happen and thieves are always on the prowl. That’s why it’s so important to take measures to lock down and secure any mobile devices you and your staff use to access your company’s network. Here are just a few actions to take:

Encrypt All Information – Drive encryption software such as BitLocker (which is included with Microsoft Windows 7) can secure all the data on your hard drive. Also, check your computer to see if it has a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip which is generally more secure than those without TPM.

Multi-Level Access Security – Don’t rely only on passwords to keep your laptop safe. Hackers can usually break most passwords in a few hours. We recommend adding a second way for people to prove that they are who they say they are BEFORE they are able to log in. Some people use smart cards to do this, but fingerprint pads are gaining in popularity.

Log / Back-Up Information – It’s critical to log and back-up all information on business laptops to ensure smooth operations in the event of loss or destruction. We can automate the backups so they are done ON SCHEDULE and in a way that won’t interfere with the use of the laptop.

The Right Response – What happens when an employee loses a laptop? Do you have a next step action plan in place? If not, we suggest calling your computer support provider to report the loss. The sooner they know, the sooner they can take preventative actions to lock that laptop out of the network. A blame culture where people are afraid to report losses is actually much worse for security.

Security is a big focus in a professionally Managed IT Services Toronto plan so as to keep your valuable data in your Toronto business secure, keep intruders out of your network, and limit viruses.

The Benefits Are Obvious: 

• You’ll practically eliminate expensive repairs and recovery costs.  Network monitoring and maintenance will save you money by preventing (or at the very least, substantially reducing) expensive network disasters from ever happening in the first place.

• You’ll avoid expensive trip fees while receiving faster support. Remote monitoring software enables your computer support company to access and repair most network problems right from their offices. No more waiting around for a computer support technician to show up! 

• How does faster performance, fewer glitches, and practically zero downtime sound to you? Under a Managed IT Services plan, that is exactly what should be delivered.  Some parts of your computer systems will degrade in performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash.  Preventative maintenance and network monitoring will make sure your computers stay in tip-top shape for maximum speed, performance, and reliability.

• You will have ALL the benefits of an in-house IT department WITHOUT all of the costs. As a Managed Services Plan customer, you’ll have access to knowledgeable support staff that can be reached immediately should you have any kind of problem or question.

• You will receive substantial discounts on IT services that you are already buying. Many “break/fix” computer support companies will nickel and dime you over every little thing they do; under a Managed IT Services program, you may have the option (depending on the provider) to pay one flat, affordable rate and get all of the remote and on-site technical support you need.  Or pay one flat fee for unlimited remote services, and pay by the hour for on-site services.  Even with this latter model, you’ll still see subtantial discounts as a reputable Managed Services provider should be able to deliver up to 85% of their services remotely. 

• You can prevent expensive ‘panic purchases’. With your hardware integrity and reliability being constantly monitored, and your network maintained on a scheduled basis, you can be made aware of ailing and outdated hardware in advance.  This gives you the freedom to plan for upgrades and replacements according to your budget and timeline and avoid expensive, stressful, and productivity draining reactive panic purchases when your hardware gives out.

• You will sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” in the form of viruses and malware are being watched and kept out of your network.

     With the constant changes to technology and daily development of new threats, even a small, 10-user network requires ongoing maintenance from a highly-trained technician.  Obviously the costs of hiring a full-time IT person are not always feasible, even for companies with 20 to 75 workstations.  Up until the last couple of years, you only had two options for computer support with most computer support providers:

    Option #1: This option is the most common; you designate the most technically-savvy person on staff to be your make-shift IT manager and only bring in outside help when your “internal guru” runs into a network crisis they can’t solve.

      Problem is, you are pulling this person away from the real job you hired them to do AND unless they have the time to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in IT support and management, they don’t have the skills or knowledge required to properly support and secure your network.

    This inevitably results in a network that is ill-maintained and unstable, which then results in excessive downtime, overspending on IT support, and expensive recovery costs.    

Option #2: This is really foolish, but we see it every day; businesses that use their network until it “breaks” and then call in the experts to repair or replace whatever stopped working.

    This reactive model of network maintenance is a surefire path to extensive downtime, lost data, and excessive spending on IT support, not to mention major disruptions in staff productivity, sales, cash flow, production, and customer service that can never be recovered.

How To Make Certain These Disasters Don’t Happen To Your Business

   Through Managed IT Services, ongoing remote maintenance and support is provided to your computer network to maximize the performance, reliability, and stability of your computer network without the costs and overhead of hiring a full-time staff.

 And here is the best part…Managed Services can
cut your IT spending 30% to 50%
AND improve your network’s reliability and performance at the same time…

 Here’s How It Works:

    Network engineers perform regular, scheduled maintenance on your network each and every month. Your virus protection is kept up to date, backups are regularly monitored and tested to ensure their integrity, critical firewall and security settings are checked, and software patches are updated and maintained. Further, a series of system optimization tasks are conducted every month that will keep your network running at maximum speed and performance.

But That’s Not All:

    In a Managed IT Services support plan, your network is monitored 24/7, 365 days a year to detect, diagnose, and prevent lurking problems from turning into major interruptions to your business in the form of downtime, security breaches, or other failures. Finally, a flexible and reputable Managed IT Services provider should be able to design the right mix of on-site, remote, network, and help desk support to fit your specific situation and needs.

Learn the 7 obvious benefits of Managed IT Services  
http://www.technicalactiongroup.com/7-benefits-of-managed-it-services/

    Failure to thoroughly clean your computer at least once or twice a year will result in decreased performance and possibly even system failures. Here’s why:

• Dust clogs the computer’s cooling system causing it to heat up, damaging sensitive electronic equipment. Dust can also cause fan noise and (believe it or not) slow performance!
• Crumbs and dirt in your keyboard can cause keys to stick and crunchy sounds when typing. Plus, it’s just gross and unhealthy; do you know there are more germs on your computer keyboard than the average public toilet?
• Dust, fingerprints and dirt build-up will make your computer monitor dim and fuzzy.

But the physical “dirt” is only the beginning…

• Delete temporary files and unused programs taking up space and slowing things down.
• Defrag your hard drive (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter).
• Get rid of clutter on your desktop by removing shortcuts and files you don’t need.
• Make sure you have the latest security patches and updates installed and configured properly.
• Check your backups and conduct an emergency “restore” of the data. Remember, the best time to check your backups is when you DON’T desperately need to recover your data!

• 74% of the businesses surveyed were affected by cyber attacks – including hackers, viruses, worms, etc. – in the past 12 months.
• 62% had lost at least one mobile device in the last 12 months, and 100% admitted they had no password protection on these devices.
• Less than 1/3 of the devices lost had a way to wipe these lost devices clean to prevent unauthorized access to confidential data.
• 42% of businesses have lost confidential data in the last 12 months and 40% reported a direct financial loss because of this.
• 47% of those survey said they STILL do NOT backup their data!

     To be perfectly blunt, this is irresponsible behavior on the part of businesses who know better, yet who allow these attacks to happen. Even worse, it’s a black eye on their PR if the confidential information is CLIENT data, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, medical records or other important identity information like social security numbers, birth dates, passwords, etc.

     ALL businesses know of the threats to their computer network, be it viruses, hackers or internal employees; not taking some simple measures to protect against theft and loss of confidential data is completely foolish – not to mention expensive!

     If you have any doubt whatsoever about whether you’re backing up your data properly, protecting mobile devices and maintaining up-to-date firewall, patches and security updates, NOW is the time to get this fixed!