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If success is what you aspire to, you need to know what to do when unexpected events cause harm or hassle to your business. You need to be prepared, and you need to know exactly what steps to take to solve the possible plagues to your business when they happen. As you know, businesses must continually evolve, and as a savvy business owner you constantly respond to changes in the market by adjusting your products, services, systems, and processes to meet these changing demands. Your disaster recovery plan should get the same treatment. If it doesn’t, it’s almost as bad as having no plan at all. For example, imagine that the raw materials for your main product did not arrive in time, and you don’t have any stock left. What do you do? Panic? Even the most seemingly minor complication can become a major cause of worry, so it’s always best to be ready when trying times come along. Proper risk management is a must for a successful business. Therefore, the possession of a disaster recovery plan may make or break your business. Therefore, it’s a good idea to review and update your disaster contingency plan every now and then – especially when your business has gone through any type of change. It’s also recommended that you test out what plan is effective for your company, then document what works and what doesn’t. Use this information to adjust your plan as needed. A disaster recovery plan is not just simply a handy thing to have – it’s a necessity. If you don’t have one, or if you think yours might be outdated, you should make this a top priority. If you need help you can always contact us. We’ll guide you every step of the way in coming up the best disaster recovery plan to keep your business safe and sound.

Here are some free online tools that can help you modify PDF files. What’s even better is they don’t require downloads or installation. The only requirement is an Internet connection and browser. Read more .

A  Smartphone is lightweight and portable, making it very prone to accidental drops. Not only do you risk damaging the phone itself, you also risk losing valuable data stored in the device. Many businesses all over the world issue Smartphones to their employees. While they can seem expensive for many small to medium-sized business owners, with the greater amount of work done at a faster pace, Smartphones are an ideal business solution. However, since Smartphones are lightweight and portable they are carried around everywhere, making them very prone to accidental drops. Despite the advances in technology, some Smartphones are more prone to damage than others. Touchscreens are generally more susceptible to damage because they usually don’t have an extra layer of plastic on their screens. And when these devices are damaged, not only do you incur the cost of repair or replacement, you also risk losing valuable data that’s stored in them. So, should you spend more to protect your employees’ Smartphones? Some people think it depends on your industry. According to Tim Doherty, research analyst for small to mid-sized business markets at research firm IDC, most blue-collar employees should be provided with protective cases for their Smartphones since their work environments are more likely to be physical in nature. Equipping these employees with cases like the OtterBox or rugged devices such as those being offered by Motorola is a good move. Meanwhile, according to Doherty, white-collar employees using Smartphones only have “a moderate risk of drop or damage” because they usually put their devices inside their bags or pockets. Still, providing these employees with “a basic rubberized case makes a lot of sense,” adds Doherty. He also adds that providing cases lessens “the company’s liability to replace damaged devices.” Some analysts think, however, that cases citing damaged Smartphones due to accidental drops have been exaggerated. Analyst and Partner Michael Gartenberg of Altimeter Group believes that cases can protect and personalize your Smartphone, but he does not agree that these cases are essential accessories. Gartenberg claims that, “Most phones are rugged enough to handle the usual bumps and abrasions of everyday life and most screens are quite scratch resistant.” He adds that normal maintenance will ensure that most Smartphones work well. In addition, Gartenberg believes that if users are aware that their Smartphones have additional protection, they may tend to be less careful when using their devices. Still, Tim Bajarin, President of Creative Strategies, a firm that provides industry analysis for the technology sector, believes that a Smartphone case “isn’t much of an investment . . . yet it can go a long way.” As Bajarin says, we should treat these cases as insurance. With just a little extra expense, you not only protect a $200 to $300 Smartphone, you may also save your business from a loss of thousands of dollars worth of data stored in a single device.

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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.

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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