First and foremost, get your customers to give you their permission to e-mail them. Sounds obvious, but many salespeople are using LinkedIn or other sneaky ways to garner e-mails online for prospects they’ve never met or talked to. If you don’t mind making a handful of people REALLY angry with you, this might be an okay strategy. However, if you want to build a good relationship with the people you are trying to sell your services to, then work hard to EARN their attention, not steal it.

So how do you do that? By offering some type of valuable information or entertaining content to them in exchange for their e-mail address. This could be a “how to” webinar, white paper, eBook or buyers guide. For example, a realtor could offer a monthly newsletter on home sales and home values for their neighborhood. A vet could offer a free report on “How To Solve The Top 3 Misbehaviours In Dogs,” or “How To Choose The Perfect Cat.” A restaurant could offer coupons and specials exclusively for their newsletter subscribers along with recipes and invitations to VIP client events. This type of information should be offered on what’s called an “opt-in” page.

Once you have their e-mail address, don’t abuse it by sending boring, off-target spam. That means you’ll have to work hard to consistently come up with good, valuable and interesting content or subscribers will ignore, delete and opt out of your list fast.  And finally, make sure you have clear opt-out instructions on every e-mail you send along with your full contact information; the law requires this and it’s just good online etiquette.

The most important thing you need to know is that these are relatively new technologies with new features being added on a monthly, even weekly, basis. And like any new technology, there are things that will not work as well as a very mature desktop application hosted on your machine. If you are a power user of Microsoft Office, you’ll quickly get frustrated when you discover Office 365 can’t perform some of the more sophisticated functions such as creating Macros in Excel or the advanced markup in Word.

Google Apps is a good platform for those businesses that need simple, inexpensive cloud-based collaboration software. However, if your company has been using Microsoft Office for years, you have a big investment to consider since all those documents will change when switched to Google Apps. Therefore, most companies will want to stick with Microsoft Office 365 rather than go through the pain of having all their documents slightly “off.” Additionally, Google Apps doesn’t always play well with certain line of business applications that were designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Office.

Then we have Apple’s iCloud. While this is a cloud-based service, it shouldn’t be compared to Office 365 or Google Apps since it’s geared towards organizing, storing and accessing media (music, videos and pictures). While they do have some applications for e-mail and calendaring, it’s not designed to replace an office productivity suite.

But the war is far from over yet, and in the grand scheme of things Google may resolve all the above mentioned issues. Again, these are new technologies that are changing rapidly; what might be a good choice today could be a second rate choice next week. So which one should you choose? That depends on your own unique situation. No two companies are alike in the way they communicate, store information and work; therefore, it’s important you work with an IT support company who takes a custom approach to solving your organization’s needs—not a one-size-fits-all company that only sells hammers and treats every client like a nail.

Of course it can easily be argued that technology does provide a return for your money. If you don’t think so, try communicating with your clients and market without e-mail or tracking inventory with pen and paper. And the right technology applied with a smart strategy can certainly give any business owner a strategic advantage in faster delivery of goods and services to customers, greater productivity, lowered production costs and the like. In fact, there aren’t too many businesses that can operate without a few core IT applications. But the reality is that your bank account is going to be a bit lighter after you install that new upgrade or technology, so how do you know if that IT upgrade or project is worth the money?

The right way to look at the true price of any IT project or upgrade is to look at TCO or “total cost of ownership” and not just the PRICE of the project or upgrade. For example, if you buy a car, the price of the car is only one cost of owning it. You also have to consider insurance, gas and routine maintenance like new tires and oil changes to get an accurate look at what you’ll pay. Therefore, the total COST of owning a car is far more than just the price tag – and a cheaper car up front can end up costing more in the long-haul if frequent repairs are needed.

In IT, the same principle applies. You have to look at the TOTAL cost of a particular IT decision, not just the price tag, when comparing options. For example, the real cost of not upgrading a network may actually be higher than spending several thousand dollars on new equipment and upgrades when you accurately assess the total cost of maintenance, service fees and poor performance. These days, many business owners are looking at “going to the cloud” because they want to save money. And in many cases, it will do just that, but the cost savings will often come in the form of cheaper devices, less maintenance and low (or no) upgrade costs over a 3 year period – not in a month to month IT support service fee. So before you say “No” or “Yes” to that next IT project, make sure you are taking into consideration the TOTAL cost of your decision, and make sure you are talking to a true professional computer support provider who understands the difference between the price of something and the total cost.

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 lot of different VoIP systems and the amount of money that you will save really just depends on which system you buy – and in some cases, no savings will make up for poor sound quality or dropped calls. So what are the pros and cons?

The upside is that most business class VoIP systems will offer you the same features you’re used to with your current phone system, including call forwarding, call waiting, conferencing, voice mail, and (depending on what your current phone system is) additional features like the ability to share data, applications and even transmit video in addition to voice so that you can see and hear the person that you are talking to.

Of course, there are some downsides you need to consider before jumping on the VoIP bandwagon. The biggest problem with VoIP systems is the sound quality. In some cases, it’s a bandwidth issue that will cause problems, but it’s not the only one. Since the voice data is being broken up into a series of packets and transmitted over the Internet, there could be moments of silence, broken voice patterns, echoes, delays and static sounds. Sound quality is the #1 complaint most VoIP users have about the service.

Another issue is that VoIP systems cannot be used if there is a power or Internet outage. A traditional phone can function during a power outage because the phone company transmits electricity over the phone line. This electricity is used to power the phone (cordless phones being the exception). That way, even if the power goes out, the phone will usually still work because the phone’s power is coming from a different source.

Your IT Support Provider Should Make Sure All Your Mobile Devices Are Secured In Case of Theft Or Loss

Here’s a little quandary for you to consider: If you have employees using company-owned laptops, phone or other devices, who’s responsible for replacing them if they get lost, stolen or damaged? This is a sticky question and one that needs to be addressed BEFORE the employee walks into your office to sheepishly admit he’s left his laptop at Starbucks  or a cab last night.

To answer this question, you should speak with your insurance company and lawyer.

Next, decide what your policy is going to be on this topic and communicate that in writing to your employees. It should outline what care they should take with company-owned mobile devices as well as the consequences of losing or damaging them. Yes, the term “policy” makes us all cringe, but it’s important to make sure you and your employees have a written understanding of what your expectations are, as well as what their responsibility is.

A BIGGER Loss To Consider

The cost of replacing a lost device is actually insignificant compared to the bigger cost and risk of the data it contains. Of course this opens up another can of worms all employers need to think about – security on mobile devices. And since some employees are using their OWN devices, you’ll need to think through what the rules are for company owned AND employee owned devices. (Aside, putting your data in the cloud can help).

But one thing is for sure: if you and your employees are storing sensitive information like passwords, credit card information, client or patient data on mobile devices, extra care MUST be taken to ensure the security of that data if the device is stolen. As always, if you need help in determining what your policy should be and how to secure mobile devices, give us a call, or speak to your IT support provider.

Your IT services company should be doing all things necessary to keep your computers safe from threats.

1) Be sure you have a good anti-virus program installed that includes anti-spyware.

2) Ensure all of your security programs have real-time updates and scans to check for viruses on a continuous basis.

3) Check regularly to be sure your virus scan programs are up-to-date and the most recent versions.

 4) Have a properly configured firewall.

 5) Make sure your browsers have the latest security patches installed.  For all of our clients on a Managed IT Services plan, we take care of this for them.

 7) Be careful when you open e-mail attachments. Even if you know the person sending it to you, scan the e-mail before you open it.

 8) Install a spam filter or delete spam e-mail as soon as it arrives in your inbox. Do not be tempted to open spam as such messages can often contain links that lead to phishing sites or viruses.  Your IT support provider should recommend a strong spam filter in your business, no matter how small your business is.

 9) Beware of virus hoaxes. If you receive an e-mail that says certain files on your computer need to be deleted because they have been infected with a virus then search the web for sites that write about hoaxes to see if the message is genuine.

10) Choose secure passwords.  Use a combination of letter, numbers and symbols to strengthen passwords.  Don’t use personal info in your password.

Smart Sally relies on a comprehensive network support plan so she doesn't need to rely on luck alone.

As luck would have it, Smart Sally and Lucky Larry were born minutes apart on St. Patrick’s Day in Luck, WI to first generation Irish immigrants. In a hurry to meet his fate, Larry burst forth without warning, causing Dr. Lecher (busy eyeing Nurse Nancy’s numerous notables) to fumble the catch. Orderly Oscar, thinking of Sunday’s game-winning touchdown, dove across the room and caught Larry inches before a potentially fatal floor impact. Everyone applauded and Oscar, resisting the temptation to spike the baby, did a quick end-zone dance and gently laid Larry in his mother’s arms. Smiling at her newborn, she named him Lucky Larry.

Next door, Sally was taking a more cautious approach. Moments before she emerged, the lights went out and the backup generator failed to kick in. Seeing the room was pitch black, she stopped her delivery and alerted the doctor to her pending arrival with adorable baby noises, which helped him locate and expertly deliver her. The lights came back on, and her mom declared to the astonished onlookers that she was naming her Smart Sally.

Lucky Larry skated through college as a party animal while Smart Sally studied hard and entered the business world with straight A’s. They opened accounting firms next door to each other with Smart Sally growing her business through good marketing and sound business practices. Lucky Larry found fortune at the grocery store where John, the owner of the largest manufacturing company in the state and a victim of identity theft, found with great embarrassment that his credit card was canceled. Seizing the opportunity, Lucky Larry paid for the man’s groceries and was rewarded with a massive contract from not only John’s company but all of John’s business associates.

Both Lucky Larry and Smart Sally understood that the data used and generated in their businesses was their most important asset. They both bought good computers and servers, and paid someone to set them up and connect them to each other and the Internet. Lucky Larry used his neighbour’s son who was a wiz with computers and worked for peanuts. The network seemed to work well with the occasional lock ups and blue screens of death that everyone has come to expect from Microsoft products. Lucky Larry felt lucky indeed as his employees never had to restart their computers more than once a day and coordinated their coffee breaks with the restarts, the loading of programs and the printing of documents. He noticed during the last few months that the number and length of breaks were increasing, but it was better than having them sit and stare at the “please wait…” message on the computer screen. He put a big screen TV in the break room, which helped his employees relieve their frustrations by watching television. This proved to Lucky Larry to be a great investment.

Smart Sally took a different approach. She contracted with a respected IT support company that handled her installation and provided her with managed services and a comprehsensive network support plan to keep the network running like new. Overhearing Lucky Larry bragging about how little he paid for the installation and upkeep of his network, Smart Sally wondered if she was spending her money wisely. It had been a year since the computer network was installed and she had never experienced a lock up or needed to restart her computers or servers.  She wasn’t sure what the blue screen of death was because she had never seen one.   It puzzled her during power outages that shouts and curses could be heard coming from Lucky Larry’s office while her employees calmly continued to work.  Though her employees didn’t know much about Oprah or Dr. Phil, they seemed happy with their job and the tools she had provided that made their jobs stress free.  She was proud of how productive her employees were and how quickly they completed their assignments.  Her network worked as good as new, and her employees could easily handle more work if she only had more clients.

That night luck proved to be a fickle lady.  As they slept, fire raged through the buildings where Lucky Larry and Smart Sally had their offices.  Nothing was left standing but a solitary staircase to nowhere.  Larry, Sally and their employees, all with tears in their eyes, stared in disbelief at the devastation.  What were they going to do?  What were their clients going to do?  Today was payday; W2’s and 1099’s were due next week.  All the clients’ records were up in smoke, as were the computers, servers and the precious data they contained.

Lucky Larry called his neighbor’s son at college seeking advice.  What he heard chilled him to the bone.  The wiz kid had trained an employee, which Larry fired two months ago, to exchange a tape each day with one from a pile of tapes on top of the server.  Larry felt a migraine coming on. His luck had finally run out.  He called his clients and explained that the fire and subsequent loss of their data wasn’t his fault.  Larry heard words he’d never heard before coming across the phone and was told to expect a call from their lawyers.

Smart Sally prayed for better news as she called her IT consultant.  What they told her sounded too good to be true.  They were doing off site backups each night and all her data was safe and ready to be restored.  They even offered to arrange overnight delivery of a server and work stations.  By using disk images stored off site they could quickly configure the new machines and have her company back up and running within 48 hours.  They also offered to fax her insurance company detailed descriptions and replacement cost of all the equipment destroyed.  Sally called her clients to advise them that there would be a slight delay, but they would have payroll processed within 48 hours and the W2’s and 1099’s would go out on schedule despite the devastating fire.  Sally received a call later that day from Lucky Larry’s unlucky clients who heard she was already back in business.  They transferred their accounts to her stat.  Smart Sally couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

Are you a Lucky Larry?  Call us before March 31^st, tell us you want to become a Smart Sally and we will perform a FREE 27-Point Problem Prevention Audit and design an action plan to make your network healthy and keep it that way! Call Joe Stoll at 416-489-6312 x 204 or JStoll@TechnicalActionGroup.com

Anti-Virus should be regularly updated by your computer support provider.

You can’t operate a business these days without online access – but hackers and cyber criminals work around the clock to find new ways to infect your computer and access confidential information. What makes this even worse is the fact that many viruses are introduced unknowingly by the user! To avoid downloading a virus to your PC and possibly your entire network, here are a few simple tips:

 Keep Your Anti-Virus Up To Date:  Every anti-virus software has an automatic update feature – make sure yours is turned “on.”    Your IT services provider should make sure that your anti-virus is always up to date, and remind you when it’s time to renew. 

Never Download Files From File-Sharing Web Sites:  Web sites like KaZaa are breeding grounds for viruses. Never download anything from these sites, period!  Especially free software!  Your computer support provider could provide you with web filtering software so your employees are blocked from accessing these types of websites.

 Never Open Attachments In E-mail From Unknown Sources: When in doubt, delete the file.

 Never Download Emoticon Programs, Screen Savers, Or Other “Cute” Program Files. Hackers love to use “eye candy” programs like cool screen savers to get users to download their viruses. Don’t fall victim to their scams!

A backup system and disaster recovery plan is ESSENTIAL for every business.

If you think “data backup” is synonymous with “disaster recovery” and aren’t sure what “business continuity” means, you’re not alone. Most of the business owners we talk to make the mistake of not knowing the difference and end up paying the price when data is lost, a network goes down or a disaster prevents them from accessing their physical office and the server inside.

 First, data backup simply means a copy of your data is replicated to another device or location. Tape drives, offsite backup and even USB devices provide data backup.  Data backup is obviously important. However, the more important consideration is whether or not your backup solution provides easy disaster recovery, or the ability for you to recover all your files, software and functionality quickly, easily and without corruption.  For example, if your server died, you wouldn’t be able to quickly get back to work if you only had file-level backup. In order for you to start working again, your server would need to be replaced, all software re-installed, data re-installed and then the whole system would need to be configured with your settings and preferences. This process could take hours or even days – and that’s if you have all your software licenses and a clean copy of your data.

Then there’s business continuity. This is the ability for your business to continue to operate even after a major disaster. For example, if you ran a law firm and your building burned to the ground, you’d be out of business if all your files were on the server only. However, if you had your network in the cloud, your employees could continue to work from home or some other location, giving your business continuity.

Of course, you need all three at some level. At a minimum you need to make sure you have in place the right backup and disaster recovery plan for your tolerance for downtime, and a plan for how your business could continue to operate if you could no longer access your building, server or data. You should review your plan annually. If you want a simple and easy way to get all of this handled, give us a call! We specialize in planning, implementing and managing these projects so you don’t have to.

Your IT support provider should share neat tricks like this with you!

My wife and I were at a cottage this autumn that not only didn’t have internet (gasp!) it didn’t even have a phone line (double gasp!!).  Since we needed to access the internet and didn’t much feel like trying to find the nearest library or chain coffee shop, creativity was key.  

Fortunately, there was cellular coverage.  Thanks to my iPhone , I enabled the “Personal Hotspot” feature which turned my phone into a wireless internet access point,.  When I configured my wireless on my laptop, this feature allowed me to connect to the internet and be off and running on my laptop.  Well, speed walking, electronically speaking.

While connecting to the internet in this manner is faster than dialup, it’s not as a fast as high speed in the office or at home.  But beggars can’t be choosers and better than driving to town searching high and low for public wi-fi.

How To Create Your Own Personal Hot Spot

iPhone:   On your iPhone (must be one of the more recent version 4 of IOS or higher), go to “settings” and select “personal hotspot” and follow the simple onscreen instructions.

Android:  Use the Barnacle Wi-Fi Tether feature.

Windows:   This feature is expected to be available on version 7.5,later this year (2011)

As a professional IT support provider, thankfully I’m aware of neat tricks like this.  If you use outsourced IT services in your business, they should be sharing tricks like this with you.