Peace of mind, security, and superior IT are now made available not just for huge enterprises, but for small to medium-sized businesses as well. Using Managed Services, you can enjoy the same benefits big companies have without it costing an arm and a leg. Like a lot of small to medium-sized businesses these days, you perhaps have become greatly reliant on Information Technology (IT). You certainly want your own IT department to offer the functionality and security that huge organizations benefit from. But cost is most likely holding you back — the large amount of money needed to design, install and maintain such a setting is usually too expensive for smaller organizations. Fortunately, today you can have both the best IT and the most cost-efficient solution — because in Managed Services, they are one and the same. Managed Services is an IT model that provides IT management and security remotely. Utilizing the latest and most sophisticated technology, we can readily monitor and manage your network, determine possible issues, and solve them before they harm your business. These are the 2 major advantages: Superior IT – With Managed Services, you can accomplish the functionality and security that previously was only available to large companies. Inexpensive Price – Enjoy better IT without costing a fortune. Because of economies of scale, Managed Services enables you to create an infrastructure that delivers essential IT services to staff and clients without having to build or maintain these services internally. Contact us now to learn how our Managed Services can help improve your IT and save you money.

When you come across a web page you’d like to share, these simple steps allow you to easily send a link to a friend. Read more.

New research from risk consultancy firm highlights risk from data theft committed by employees. A poll of over 800 senior executives around the world showed that companies for the first time are losing more from the theft of their electronic assets than from physical assets. This was recently revealed by Kroll , a risk consulting firm. The incidents were especially alarming in emerging markets such as China, Colombia, and Brazil — where more than 9 out of 10 businesses report victimization. Most susceptible are firms that deal in information, such as businesses in professional services, media, technology, and finance. Often, according to the respondents, the perpetrators are the company’s own employees. Companies today should closely examine how information is managed within the organization. Appropriate levels of control should be provided, and policies, procedures, and tools need to be implemented to make sure access is carefully controlled and monitored and information is secured. Are you confident that your firm is safe from attack not only from outside the organization but also from within? If not, contact us today to find out how we can help.

If you use Web sites to share your documents, movies, pictures, and music files, you probably know what it means to have to convert files. Good thing there is a Web site that performs file format conversions online. It’s free, helpful, and extremely simple to use. Read more .

Disasters of all kinds could inevitably hit your business at any time. Therefore, in addition to having a backup plan, you should also create and implement a disaster recovery plan to constantly provide you with business security, as well as avoid financial loss and going out of business. Simply put, organizations that suffer data losses generally fail as a consequence. In fact, that statement is based on study by the Department of Trade and Industry, which discovered that 70% of small businesses that experience a major data loss eventually go out of business within 18 months. This statistics shows that a majority of small businesses have failed to protect themselves against a number of problems. According to Ontrack, data loss is due to the following: Human error – 44% of the time System or hardware breakdown – 32% of the time Software malfunction – 14% of the time Computer virus – 7% of the time Site disaster – 3% of the time Data loss is very catastrophic — because your data is critical to your business. To illustrate this, just imagine the outcome if you lost access to your IT systems, including: Client databases Supplier information Financial reports and documents — from invoices to tax records Product catalogs Marketing materials Emails and correspondences Document templates Employee records Like insurance to your business assets, the same idea is applicable to your data. Regardless of its location, your data needs to be constantly protected from every potential danger. The good news is that with a strong disaster recovery plan and an efficient backup solution, you can easily resume business in just minutes or a few hours in most instances. With these crucial things in mind, it’s best to protect your data to secure your business. Ask us how today.

There’s a boom in geolocation platforms these days, and experts are seeing vast potential in the way geolocation can help small and medium sized businesses put themselves on the map. Geolocation is a means through which people can track various locations through their mobile phone devices. Experts see a continued rise in the relevance and effects of geolocation, especially for small and medium-sized businesses who are looking for good but cost-effective ways to put themselves on the proverbial map. “When you’ve expanded the ability to track geolocation data from the 200 to 1,000 large businesses that could previously afford it to 26 million small businesses, you’re bound to see a bunch of creative experiences built around that data,” says Yan-David Erlich, CEO of Morpho, a new geolocation firm. The potential is vast, and there is little to lose. Especially considering the success of geolocation-enabled social network platforms such as Foursquare, putting yourself on the geolocation map might just be more than worth your while. Here are a few tips to get you started: Be a direct part of the community. Create an account, participate, and make yourself (or at least someone to represent your online presence) regularly felt. Customization is always key. Share something unique about your business – don’t make your profile generic and ordinary. You have to stand out, so choose a particular trait of your business you are particularly proud of, or something that sets you apart from the rest. Make sure to utilize as many keywords possible – but only within the bounds of practicality. And don’t forget links to your own website. Know what the competition is up to. There’s nothing wrong with checking out what competitors are doing to establish themselves in the geolocation map. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two, and then be able to apply improvements and adjustments to your own strategies. If you are looking at taking some concrete steps to establishing yourself and making your presence much more significant, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be happy to sit down and develop a customized geolocation strategy that works for you. Read the whole article at: http://technology.inc.com/telecom/articles/201007/geolocation.html?partner=newsletter_Technology

If you spend your day replying to e-mail in Microsoft Outlook, you may find yourself with a stack of open message windows all over your screen by lunchtime. Fortunately, most recent versions of Outlook can help you keep things tidy by closing the windows for you. Read more.

Almost every activity involves the use of technology, and almost everyone uses the internet. So, it’s only logical that if you want to go into business and be successful, you should have maximum exposure – and the best exposure that you can have is to make a video and take it online. Pocket Video Cameras are arguably one of the best gizmos out in the market today. Perhaps its appeal lies in being lightweight, portable, and affordable. They are almost as small as a regular cell phone, making it fit easily into one’s pocket. People use pocket video cameras to record just about anything. But did you know that you can earn money with the help of these pocket video cameras? You’re probably thinking – paparazzi. Well, that is a given. Paparazzi earn top dollar for controversial pictures of movie stars, politicians and royalty – but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Why Buy a Pocket Video Camera? If you’re an entrepreneur with a startup business, you’re still probably asking, “Why should I put a video on my website?” Ask yourself this:  how many people have become rich and famous because of YouTube? Without batting an eyelash, you can probably think of at least one celebrity who was discovered this way. The same holds true for small businesses. We live in the hi-tech age. Almost every activity involves the use of technology, and almost everyone uses the internet. It’s only logical that if you want to go into business and be successful, you should have maximum exposure – and the best exposure that you can have is to make a video and take it online. Sure, you can have the best web designer create your website. But plain text and graphics can sometimes be boring, and nothing beats embedding a dynamic video in your site. A Success Story A great example of successfully using a pocket video camera for business is Aquatic Fitness Concepts, a Southern California-based company that fits its 16 foot by 8 foot swim spas into backyards. Potential customers could not figure out how the company could do such a task. According to Paul Roberts of West Coast Marketing, the company that handles marketing for Aquatic Fitness Concepts, “It’s surprisingly easy using a crane, but everyone is terrified of and fascinated by the process. So, John Trzcinka, the owner, has started using his Flip camera to film these crane installations. It’s quite something to see.” Trzcinka posted the video on his company website and potential clients are reassured by the safety and ease of the installation process. This has brought on increased sales for the Aquatic Fitness Concepts. How to Benefit from Using Video Follow these tips for maximizing your use of your pocket video camera for your business: Establish yourself as an expert in your industry. Shoot a short video of yourself giving tips or a how-to tutorial to show how knowledgeable you are about your business. You’ll be surprised at how many people will try to make contact with you. Tell your story. Most people are interested in what goes on behind the scenes. Videos about how a product is made, how a service is done, or how a project progresses are particularly interesting to most audiences. Provide quick feedback to your clients. The pocket video camera is very useful in giving feedback, especially when you want to demonstrate a point to a client. For example, a business development consultant hired to develop a business on a particular site, shoots a video of the site to prove to the client the feasibility of the site. Create real-life testimonials. With your pocket video camera, you can easily take videos of your clients’ testimonials. Because of its small size, customers are less intimated to share their stories on camera. Use videos to enhance your press releases. Pyxl, a marketing firm in Knoxville, Tennessee mails Flip cameras to its clients whenever they have news to share about their companies. They shoot videos with the camera, return the cameras to Pyxl, and the marketing firm edits the videos and embeds them in online press releases and social media releases. One of the most popular pocket video cameras in the market today is the Flip Ultra HD. Priced at $150 to $200, it’s a small investment compared to the revenue that maximum exposure for your business will generate. Its 8 GB of internal memory allows the user to shoot about 2 hours of video. It has rechargeable batteries that you don’t have to remove from the camera when you’re charging. Just connect the camera to the USB port of your computer. You can also use 2 AA alkaline batteries as backups. Fortunately, these days you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get publicity for your business. Just use your handy pocket video camera and you’re all set for success.

The most commonly used feature in Internet browsers is the Back button, and many users click it several times to get where they want to be. However, all browsers also have a small down arrow that allows you to quickly see and access the last several pages you’ve visited as well. Read more.

Why risk the chance of infection and sickness when you can simply take a few minutes each day to disinfect and clean your workspace? It might be terribly trite, but the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” still holds true. Did you know that an average office keyboard and mouse can contain as much as 400 times more germs and bacteria than a toilet seat? That’s pretty disgusting, especially when you start to imagine opening a bag of chips and eating from it – after using your keyboard. Ingesting such dangerous bacteria can cause any number of ailments and illnesses, ranging from mild to seriously life threatening. The good news is that preventing these kinds of health incidents is pretty easy. The solution: regularly cleaning your workspace, especially your keyboard and mouse. Cleaning your workspace and workstation also has the added benefit of making your computer work more efficiently. Dust, dirt, and grime stuck in your keyboard and mouse make them sticky and uncomfortable to use, while de-dusting and cleaning the inside of your CPU enables better ventilation that increases its life span and performance. Cleaning materials don’t cost much (especially when you consider the cost of hospital and medicine bills), and cleaning isn’t all that time consuming – so there’s little reason to put it off. Disinfectant wipes – which can kill about 95 percent of existing bacteria – are available at any grocery store, and you can buy compressed air at most office supply stores to clean the spaces between and under the keys of your keyboard. It takes less than 5 minutes of your time each day. So why risk the chance of infection and sickness when you can simply take a few minutes each day to disinfect and clean your workspace? It might be terribly trite, but the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” still holds true.