Windows 10 Upgrade time is coming – are you prepared? When it comes time to upgrade to the new Windows 10 this month, at {company} we know that our clients are eager. Along with the upgrade come several new innovative advancements, making your work processes easier and more secure. Still, you need to take pause when it’s time to upgrade – because employing the automatic updater to get the job done may actually cause you problems. Using the new automatic updater is likely to have an adverse impact on your devices, including your computers, laptops, and your practice at large. That means that using the automatic updater can actually slow your transition to Windows down. When it comes to support cases for clients who have run into trouble due to attempting an automatic upgrade, we will deal with support on a first-come-first-serve basis. Avoiding an automatic upgrade will steer you clear of any issues. {company} wants you to benefit from all that Windows 10 has to offer; we want nothing more than to help your business thrive. In order for everything to run smoothly, your upgrade needs to be handled with care and by professionals. Get in touch with us at {email} or {phone} to discuss the right upgrade process for your business.

The rapid evolution of technology has enabled small and midsize businesses to gain a competitive edge in today’s market. In particular, technologies, such as cloud computing, mobility, and big data analytics have allowed for dramatic improvements in productivity and overall business performance. However, despite these new advantages, businesses are facing more security risks. If your business is considering moving to the Cloud or implementing a BYOD policy, you need to ensure that some basic security practices are part of your plan: Foster a culture of cyber security. Your employees are your first line of defense, and can be very effective in helping to protect your business from cyber attacks. However, in order to be effective, they need to be educated about the importance of cyber security. Without proper training and education, your employees will be your weakest link, as most cyber attacks originate from human error. Create a strategy for security management. Carefully plan for a possible cyber attack. Go over what-if scenarios and ensure that all aspects of your plan work effectively to safeguard your system in the event of a breach. Most cyber attacks are connected to highly organized crime rings. If your business is organized with a strategic approach, you’ll be in a better position to withstand these attacks. Align your technology with your company’s security needs. Acquire a managed security services provider that can provide you with easy access to highly skilled security professionals.  You’ll require engineers who can help you to quickly resolve issues as they arise. Design a policy for mobile devices. Mobile apps and devices have serious vulnerabilities when it comes to security. In fact, malicious code infects more than 11.6 million mobile devices each day.  Through these malicious codes, hackers can access sensitive files, personal data or even hijack a device’s camera or microphone to secretly obtain information about confidential business meetings. A comprehensive mobile security policy that addresses risks associated with mobile content, apps, and sensitive data access will protect your SMB against such vulnerabilities. Join a cyber threat intelligence sharing platform There is power in the conversations going on around you. Other businesses can be a great source of ideas. Therefore, working in conjunction with other organizations in the private sector to share information and expertise will better equip you to identify threats and prevent them from invading your networks before they become full-blown attacks. Cybercriminals are becoming more organized and effective in launching assaults against smaller businesses that are often unprepared to deal with security breaches. To learn more about how you can protect your data and arm yourself against organized cyber attacks, give us a call {phone} or send us an email: {email}.

Many companies just starting out are looking for ways to save money on their start up costs. Every business owner wants to appear as a serious player and be taken seriously. One of the ways you can do this is with a professional looking letterhead on your correspondence and other form of communications. What you might not know is that you can achieve this yourself simply by using Microsoft Word. It helps if you have a logo as that makes the process easier so you might want to hire someone to design one for you. Creating Your Own Personalized Letterhead The first thing to understand is how a “Header” works. You will want to start with a blank page and embed your logo and insert company identifiers into the header. Setting Up Your Header In the top of your blank Word doc you can either: Double Click at the top of the page, or Select the “Insert” tab and select “Header>Blank You must first decide on how much space from the top you will need to include the relevant company information and logo. The default amount of space before you select what you need is ½ inch. Be careful about going too close to either edge of the page as your printer may not cover all of the info. If you decide to make changes, all you have to do is double-click the header section once again, and then restructure what you have included. Another alternative is to insert a table inside the header which allows you to precisely configure your company information. You can also opt for right tabs or columns instead. Setting the Letterhead to the Side Alternatively you can also opt to put your letterhead on either the right or left side of the page. You can do this by embedding a text box inside the header, and then specify both the vertical and horizontal size of the space you need. You can also embed your logo. Embedding your Logo Logos might require a little more effort because they might be compressed. Only in Word 2010 can you instruct Word to not compress the image. For other versions of Word, you need to go the “File” tab and select “Options” and then click on “Advanced.” Find the section titled “Image Size and Quality” and check the box which reads “Do not Compress Images in File”. Also, you need to ensure that the area which reads as “Set Default Target Out To:” and set as the maximum DPI in the drop-down. And that’s it! You have a totally looking professional letterhead! Need your company to look professional! Our {company} can help you provide you with innovative tools to improve the look of your site and other vital documents so phone us right now at {phone} or email us at: {email} as we can custom design what your business needs to succeed! 

Most business managers are well versed in dealing with a crisis situation that can occur on a day to day basis. Unfortunately, many of these same managers don’t often consider creating a contingency plan in the event of a major disaster. This can vary from the sudden death of a key employee to having your whole building devastated by a natural disaster such as from a tornado, a fire or similar catastrophe. This can happen anywhere and at any time as you see from your nightly broadcasts. It is a sad statistic that nearly as many as these 25% of these businesses that have been at the wrong end of a disaster never reopen again. A good contingency plan can address many of the problems that can cause irreparable harm to your business. The best way to develop a contingency plan is to consider the various possible types of damage scenarios that can impact your business, ranging from minor inconveniences such as strikes, equipment breakdown, to the most serious losses such as the complete destruction of your business premise. In the situation of the death of a key employee who is vital for your business success and survival, you will want to have appropriate key man life insurance in place on your most valuable executives and personnel. Alternatively, you might to begin grooming other employees to fill in and take over for example. In the case of the most extreme scenario, it is vital that you have your extremely valuable IT services backed-up and located in servers at least 50 plus miles away from your current physical location. Another contingency possibility where temporary building/office premises aren’t immediately available, it would be possible for many of your employees to telecommute. But, that can only happen if you have a plan in place! Following a major disaster, your employees won’t know what to do and how to connect with you if you don’t have an established contingency plan. As a business owner or manager, you must be able to consider alternative suppliers, transportation scenarios, and consider and plan for a whole host of other strategic business issues to keep your business afloat or get restarted as soon as possible. This requires careful and detailed planning using the input of your essential personnel to develop an effective contingency plan to avoid falling in the failed business statistic category when a major disaster occurs. Need help in developing a viable contingency plan for your particular business? Contact {company} today, as we specialize in IT contingency business plans, so call us at {phone} or email us at {email} today. Protect you business before it’s too late!

You’re not an IT expert. But you need someone who is. You need someone knowledgeable, someone reliable, someone who knows how to not just respond to your needs, but predict your needs and take care of them before you have any problems. {company} provides the proactive support you need to prevent rather than recover from problems. That includes replacing or upgrading outdated hardware before it fails, and finding (and fixing) vulnerabilities before they’re exploited by cybercriminals. Securing your network, maintaining and optimizing your equipment, helping you prevent/recover from disaster… sure, those are all important responsibilities, and we’ll certainly take care of all that for you. But those services don’t help you grow; they just help you tread water. We want to do more than just that. {company} will give you the guidance you need to make smart investments in IT. We’ll sit down with your leadership and show you how technology can be used to help you meet (and exceed) your revenue goals and sustain long-term growth. The Darwinian Approach Only the strong survive. Over half of IT companies last less than 5 years before shutting down. So, it follows that you also want to use an IT company who’s been around for a while, specifically someone who’s been around for more than 5 years. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but in the majority of cases anyone who is able to stick around longer than the average IT company has figured out how to do something better than the competitors they’ve seen fail, which may include offering better service, a better price, or both. Geek Speak Translated into Plain English C-level Execs Can Understand The most important trait for a technology leader to have has nothing to do with technology. No, what are most important are communication skills, knowing what matters to businesses and how to look at the big picture. That includes knowing what needs to be said and what doesn’t need to be said. We’ll cut through the usual IT jargon and get right down to business value. We know you’re not interested in how technology works as much as you are in what technology can do for your business. That’s why we translate geek speak into plain English that C-level execs with no experience in IT can understand and get excited about. What are your long-term goals? Where do you see yourself next year, or in 5 or 10 years? We want to sit down with your leadership to discuss your future and show you how to use technology to make that vision become your reality. To get this level of leadership in-house you’d have to put up with the $150,000 average salary that a CIO takes home. We’ll provide you with the same expertise and attention you’d get with an in-house CIO, all at a flat rate that’s much more affordable than adding a six figure salary to your payroll. Contact us at {phone} or {email} for more information about our virtual CIO and other IT services.

We’re not here just to monitor your network, maintain your equipment, or help you recover from disaster… yes, those services are important and we do all those things, but so what? Every IT company does that. We want to go beyond day-to-day responsibilities, beyond what’s expected from a MSP so that we can be a true partner to our clients instead of just another IT service provider. That means we know how to move from the server room to the boardroom. Instead of bothering you with a bunch of technical jargon you don’t understand and don’t need to hear even if you did understand, we’ll get right down to business value. We provide the big picture thinking and expert advice you’d get from a CIO, at a predictable flat rate that’s much more affordable than the average $150,000/year salary you’d have to invest in an in-house CIO. {company} knows how to explain what technology does in terms a C-level exec with little to no experience in IT can understand. We want to help you see IT as an asset, not a liability. Okay, So There’s Some Liability To be fair, there’s some good reason to see your IT systems as a liability. It makes sense in particular to see your data as a liability. When you store other people’s private information on your equipment that makes you legally responsible for it, and it’ll cost you an average of $150 per compromised file to recover from data loss. $150 isn’t much, but thousands of files are compromised in the average attack, so really you’re looking at a six or seven figure hit to recover from just a single incident. {company} knows how to prevent unauthorized access and data loss. We’ll regularly assess your systems to find and fix any weaknesses before they’re exploited by cybercriminals. But Overall IT is a Competitive Advantage, Not a Necessary Evil We do more than just protect you from the financially devastating consequences of data loss. We’re also here to increase workforce efficiency, set up infrastructure that will allow you to accommodate future growth, and make it easier for you to meet and even exceed you revenue goals. Yes, smart investments in technology can do all that. Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years? What are your long-term goals? We want to sit down with your leadership to define your direction and break down your plans. We’ll then show you, step by step, how we can use technology to help you reach those long-term goals. Contact us at {phone} or {email} for more information about our network security, virtual CIO, and other IT services.

Proactive Business Technologies Services Company Hammett Tech Will Ensure Your Baltimore Business Can Leverage Technology To Produce Massive Business Outcomes. A lot of SMBs don’t exactly have a lot of wiggle room in their budget, so they often make the mistake of forgoing any kind of IT support until they absolutely need it because something is broken. The break/fix approach will save you a little money in the short-term, but it the long run it’ll actually end up costing you more than any other option. If you don’t upgrade hardware before it fails you’ll have to deal with downtime, which will bring productivity to a halt, reduce revenue, and severely limit the return you’re getting on your business’s biggest investment: your employees. If you don’t protect yourself from web-based threats, eventually you’ll be struck by a cyberattack, which could come with crippling financial consequences. Allow us to clarify: it takes an average of $150 per compromised file to recover from data loss, and thousands of files are compromised in the average attack, so you’re looking at the final recovery costs totaling six, maybe even seven figures. Proactive, not Reactive Support, At a Rate You Can Afford Okay, so break/fix isn’t a viable option. But what’s your alternative? The average low-level IT worker makes $50,000/year, the average CIO makes $150,000/year. Most SMBs can’t afford to just add salaries like that to their payroll. Luckily, you don’t need an in-house solution. We’ll provide you with the same level of proactive support that an in-house department offers (replacing outdated hardware before it fails, regularly assessing your network to find and fix weaknesses before they’re taken advantage of by cybercriminals) at a predictable flat rate that’s much more affordable than the wages and benefits required to add new members to your staff. Give us a call at {phone} or send a message over to {email} for more information about our IT services.

How Does This Legal Document Management Tool Benefit Legal Professionals? Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs Group created Matter Center, a legal document management tool, to work seamlessly with Office 365 – giving legal professionals a simpler way to find and organize files without leaving the productivity tools they depend on, including Outlook and Word. Essentially, the tool allows you to organize files by matter, find documents, and collaborate on important projects. How does Matter Center bring value to legal professionals? Simple: it gives easy, secure access to vital information, anywhere, anytime, from any device. The benefits are vast: A virtual briefcase: You’re essentially getting a virtual briefcase! Using OneDrive for Business, you receive 1 TB of storage that lets you store and access work documents online and offline from any device or location, whenever necessary. Search and find documents: You’re dealing with a massive amount of data, and if you want an easier way to find documents, you’ve found it! You can easily search and find matters/related documents within Word and Outlook. Manage documents for simplified compliance: You’re able to drag and drop to save emails and attachments into the correct matter. Plus, document attributes, permissions, and version control is automatically applied. Control access and permissions: You’re able to give internal and external team members/clients specific access or denied access to documents and matters, in order to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to confidential data. Save money on administrative resources: You’re able to reduce expenses associated with document management/administrative resources – letting you focus on spending time working with clients or efficiently collaborating with those important to you. Read more about Microsoft Office 365 for law firms. Discover the true power of Matter Center for Office 365 – and realize a whole new way to collaborate with clients and colleagues. Call {phone} or send us an email: {email}.

The question truly depends on what exactly you would like from your IT provider; striking a balance of quality, cost, and efficiency is a complex equation. What is that ideal balance worth to your company? {company} is the leading IT services company in {city} – and we know you need great IT services – but how much should you expect to pay? Quality Of course you want good quality IT services. Who doesn’t? Your company runs on computers and those computers need to keep running! You need an IT provider who will be there when you need them and do the work you need them to do. No one wants to have to put in multiple tickets or follow up time and time again to receive the help that they are paying good money to receive. That is unreasonable. However, sometimes those good quality fixes are time consuming. Which brings us to our next point. Efficiency Downtime is the killer of money and productivity. No company can stand to have their systems out for days or even hours at a time! The key here is to find an IT provider who takes the time to put in safeguards, monitor your system, and teach your employees to avoid issues. Therefore, they can focus on the small problems that do, inevitably, spring up from time to time. Sometimes, the fast fix is not the right fix and your IT company should not only know the difference; they should keep you informed about any and all progress on tickets that might take a little longer to properly address. Fast isn’t necessarily the key here; you want a company who responds to you, keeps you in the loop, fixes problems properly, and who takes the time to set your system up for success. And finally… Cost You just read those descriptions of great IT services and what they entail and now you are thinking to yourself “I bet that will cost me an arm and a leg!” Well, you’re not completely wrong. Just like in any other field; you get what you pay for. Don’t take the cheapest route on IT because there is no chance that you will receive support that you are completely happy with. Beware of companies that quote you at the lowest cost and then charge you for every ticket or phone call. That adds up fast! When you are budgeting for IT, also ask yourself if outsourced IT can compare in price to an in house IT department or even one IT guy. The answer will surprise you! For the most part; that IT guy will cost you far more in the long run! Find the best IT fit for your business and the price will match the benefits. Bottom line: you’re not going to find an IT consultant that’s fast, cheap, and good. You need to find the perfect balance of quality, efficiency, and cost – and it’s not going to be cheap. Your business is worth the cost, because ultimately, technology is a business enabler and you need to expect to pay a bit more to get the benefits. {company} provides quality IT services, stays in touch, sets you up for success, and doesn’t break the bank in doing so. Contact us today at {phone} or {email} to learn more.

If the average professional spends 30% of their time looking for lost documents, that’s 12 hours a week going paperless can give back to each employee. In the past, paper was required for businesses, but in today’s modern workplace, going paperless greatly revolutionizes productivity – letting your employees focus on what’s important: getting their work done. Ultimately, going paperless is no longer an option. How does going paperless revolutionize productivity? Here’s are the top 3 ways: Operate efficiently: Time is money, and if your staff members are wasting time sifting through paperwork, they’re losing valuable time that could be spent on otherwise productive tasks. An electronic document management system lets you operate more efficiently as documents are easier and quicker to find, view, manage, and share. Reduce errors: When you go paperless with a document management system, you greatly reduce errors, which means you’re not losing time trying to fix incorrect documents or address customer confusion that results from incorrect information. Speed up service: Paper records stored in filing cabinets quickly become a major drain on productivity and office space when a customer requests something, and someone has to spend upwards of half an hour trying to find the information they need. Going paperless through a document management system significantly speeds up service. Going paperless: saves you time AND money! Contrary to popular belief, electronic document management systems are actually LESS costly than paper records. How? According to Inc. Magazine, the labor costs associated with paper are quite hefty: Searching for a misfiled document ends up costing $120 per Recreating a lost document costs $250 per Are you ready to go paperless to revolutionize productivity? Do you need assistance finding the right solution? Contact {company} at {phone} or send us an email: {email}.