That can create a big dilemma when it comes to dealing with out-of-date hardware and software, regardless of how well it’s working.

Unless you are on a regular technology plan, one that ensures your hardware and software are being updated at set intervals, it’s likely that you’ll eventually face a dilemma that most of our clients do at some point or another: deciding what to do with older pieces of technology that you have around.

Here are seven guidelines to point you in the right direction:

1. Remember that newer and bigger isn’t always better and faster. As a society, we like to have the “latest and greatest.” From Blu-ray players to car stereos that accept voice commands, there’s always something new to try. It can be a lot of fun, but be careful when you’re spending for your own business. What’s new isn’t always better, and in fact might be less reliable than older equipment.

2. Figure the cost of doing nothing. Sometimes, the smartest thing to do with older technology is absolutely nothing. If it works, there isn’t any reason to assume it will stop working in the near future, and there aren’t any better options on the market, why spend the money?

3. Think cost-effectiveness, not costs. On the other hand, there are times when replacing functioning technology makes perfect sense, because upgrading can significantly impact other parts of your organization. Customer service and CRM tools are a good example, as they often allow you to save lots of money after an initial investment.

4. Consider sales and donations. When you do have to replace functioning technology, consider selling – or even donating – what you already have to someone else. Just because it makes sense for you to upgrade doesn’t mean that your technology doesn’t have value to another organization.

5. Keep backup equipment in place. It’s also possible that, even though replacing your technology makes sense, you might want to keep older equipment as a backup. Some pieces of hardware aren’t useful for day-to-day operations anymore, but can serve you and your team while in an emergency.

6. Make a plan with your IT provider. The best way to find the right solutions for your technology, and to lower your costs overall, is to work with an outsourced IT provider who knows your budget and business goals. They can help you to not only decide what to do with older technology, but also to make a plan for the right investments going forward.

7. Future-proof your technology plan. Through tools like cloud computing, leases, and extended warranty programs, your outsourced IT team can probably help you future-proof your technology so that you don’t have these kinds of dilemmas going forward.

Looking for the right balance between growth, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in your technology plan? Let us show you how we’ve helped dozens of other companies to find the right answers in this tough economy.

Malware costs businesses money, plain and simple.  Not necessarily because they steal your banking information, but because once infected it can be costly to fix.  The fix typically being a complete reload of your computer.

Today, when you shop for security software for your computers keep in mind that anti-malware products are just as important as anti-virus products.  Web filtering technologies can be effective in preventing many of these risks as well by controlling what websites your staff can visit. 

Things to think about for your network:

1. HARDWARE firewall

2. Anti-malware

3. Anti-virus

4. Web filtering

5. Anti-spam

If you have all 5 of these tactics implemented, you will be in good shape!

I have run across several organizations who decided their software security solution (such as Antivirus or Antimalware) was to operate in an Apple environment.  The underlying theory is simple:

“Macs don’t get infected with viruses.”

Please see this.

In other words, when running any type of business network you have to put a focus on your network security at some level.  No operating system is safe.  A good general rule of thumb is if you use a computer that plugs into a network or the Internet then you need to be running security software.  I will even encounter networks that use an appliance that eliminates viruses at the level of the Internet connection and I still recommend to them to at least be running Antivirus on their computers.

Apple is great.  They have great consumer products and have a great support channel to those consumers but don’t let a great brand and marketing strategy convince you to steer your business away from best practices.  OS X and Apple is not immune to these types of security issues.  Frankly, the false sense of security they breed makes their users potentially more vulnerable.

We have also seen fake emails increased coming from financial institutions such as banks and emails regarding popular tax software such as TurboTax.  Many times these emails contain content that is created to draw up immediate concern, such as a refund not processing or a person being flagged for audit.  Keep in mind these fake emails are purposely designed with one purpose in mind – to get you to click on something.

Bottom line is the best policy is not to click unless you have another way to communicate with the sender and they can verify it is a valid email.   Phishing scams are hugely popular and unfortunately successful so take care not to delete any emails that are questionable.  Most reputable organizations will not communicate with you via email if there is some type of large, legitimate problem requiring your attention.  If your organization is not protecting against this type of security vulnerability, then now would be a great time to do so.

And so, if you’ve been thinking of trying to save some money on IT this year, here is a great piece of advice for you: Outsource it to a reputable technology partner.

Notice that we said a reputable IT support company, not just the first or cheapest IT firm you can find online. There’s a big difference between price and value, and having the right IT vendor and managed services agreement – one that rewards your IT partner for working proactively instead of waiting for things to break – will save you money in important ways:

You’ll spend less than you would on hiring internal employees. We’ve written in the past about the reasons that in-house IT is usually more expensive than you would think, namely because it takes more than a couple of employees, and you can’t keep the same sort of flexibility that you can with an outsourced company. But there’s also a bottom-line consideration: Hiring a company to manage your technology is typically much less expensive, month to month, than hiring a whole team and paying their salaries and benefits.

You won’t be stuck fixing and re-fixing the same problems repeatedly. Paying for bargain-basement IT is a bit like buying terrible clothes or purchasing worn-out tires – you’ll just end up paying more to have the work repaired or replaced later. You want the team that’s looking out for you over the long haul, not one that wants to make a quick buck through “duct tape” types of IT solutions.

You’ll get “hidden” cost savings that you’ll never see on a balance sheet. It’s ironic, but the biggest savings you get from a good managed IT services agreement come in a place where most people never even look for them: in all the time you don’t spend frantically trying to get someone to fix your hardware or software while your company loses customers and new sales. That’s almost always an underrated benefit when you consider the alternative.

Running a profitable company in a tough economy is all about making the right choices. Choosing a quality IT firm for a managed services agreement might seem like something that’s more expensive than handling technology in-house, or going with the cheapest IT firm you can find. But the reality is that the increase in service (and the decrease in downtime) that you’re going to get will more than offset a slightly higher monthly cost of a good managed services agreement every single time.

The “A Day in the Clouds: Is your Future Cloudy?” breakout session at 1:45pm will include a high-level description of the cloud, the types of cloud services available, and the pros and cons of the cloud for business. The panel will examine real-world examples of companies that made the switch to the cloud. Finally, how cloud services effects the business environment will be discussed.

Vision Computer Solutions, with numerous real-world implementations of cloud environments, is uniquely qualified to moderate the cloud computing panel. “The panel and I are very excited to share our experiences as the switch to a cloud environment has made dramatic positive impacts at our client companies,” said Peter Marsack, vice president of business development at Vision Computer Solutions. “When implemented correctly, cloud environments lead to higher returns on investment and increased efficiency and system availability.”

The daylong Automation Alley IMPACT 2012 event will explore what it means to have IMPACT in today’s business environment. The event brings together experts in sales, marketing, finance, human resources and the public sector to forecast national and local trends affecting business in 2012. The event takes place 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. at the Centerpoint Marriott in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Are you lacking a business plan that leverages technology to optimize delivery of your product or service?

Would you rather spend more time working IN your business rather than working ON your business?

Is your definition of a business technology plan throwing buzzwords at your peers and clients?

An answer to YES on any of these is an indicator of a small business with stunted growth.  I guarantee you have at least one competitor who is answering NO to these questions and thus, is leaving you in the dust.  Griping about technology and complaining about lack of understanding or knowledge used to be the popular thing to do.  Now, this lack of understanding or showing technical adversity is a sign of inferiority compared to your peers and competition.

If you own a business, or you lead a business in some manner then you need to know just as much about your technical initiatives as anyone on your staff.  This doesn’t mean you need to know gigabytes, megahertz or gigaflops.   What this means is you need an AWARENESS of what technical solutions could be providing value or improvements to your processes, workflow, or staff.   How can technology make you more money?  How can it increase people’s awareness of your organization?  What changes are on the horizon?  What will my clients be asking for?  Where am I spending my money today and why?

Technology isn’t about having the latest Dell computer or the fastest network, it’s about making more money.  Put effort into understanding it even at a high level and create an appreciation for it.  If you don’t have a trusted IT partner, then find one. It’s time to catch up to the rest of us because the number of people you will be able to complain to about technology is dwindling fast.

Given that, you would think that there wouldn’t ever be a bad time to sign a managed services agreement. But believe it or not, we have seen clients choose the wrong moment time and time again: a week or two after they really needed one.

Let us explain: In a lot of ways, an IT managed services agreement is like a good insurance policy – having it in place can save you an extraordinary amount of time and frustration, but only if you have thought far enough ahead to get it before disaster strikes.

In the same way that a lot of homeowners start looking for good coverage immediately after a major flood or hurricane (kicking themselves the whole time for not doing it sooner), too many business owners and executives put off choosing one of the Michigan computer companies for managed services until something terrible happens. Once you have had your server fail, watched your company’s e-mail go off-line for a week, or lost one of your biggest customers because of a technical snafu, however, it’s often too late to undo the damage.

Worst of all, without a good managed services agreement in place, you’ll probably be stuck in a “break-fix” mode of payment, meaning that you’re going to be shelling out a lot of emergency and overtime hours to an IT provider just to get back up and running. This isn’t a good way to think proactively, or to get the best possible service for your company.

So why don’t more clients opt for a managed services agreement from the beginning? Some simply aren’t aware that they had a choice, but most put it off because managed services can seem like a bigger expense when you’re used to paying for IT only when you think you need it, rather than at regular intervals. Isn’t it worth it, though, to have a team of trained professionals preventing major technology issues, rather than simply answering your call after they’ve already hurt your company?

Waiting for an IT disaster can actually save you a little bit of money in the short term, but it could also easily result in a lot of downtime, expensive hardware and software replacement, and lots and lots of overtime IT hours. A managed services agreement, on the other hand, wouldn’t just eliminate these costs, but might well have prevented the problem from creeping up in the first place.

Want to know more about our ForeSite IT managed services? Call us at 248-349-6115 or submit a request for more information today. One of our reps will answer your call or respond to your online information request immediately.

I stopped by my town’s rec center last night and was surprised by the predictable annual workout resolution fall off.  It’s only the second week of January and already most of the “white shoe crew” was no where to be seen.  Unfortunate, as I admire those who take the initiative to better their own situation and I never like seeing someone quit.

Your business runs on its technology.  Your business runs because of its technology.  If you haven’t given your technology the appropriate time, attention, or investment then chances are its overweight.

Your technology is overweight and out of shape.  It’s slow, bloated, crashes often, makes people angry and often leaves them with a sense of giving up.  It has sat there for years, dusty, in a room.  No one has given it due attention.  No one has maintained it.  Most people have never even seen that mysterious server that they only hear about as a part of inter-office legend.  There it sits, aging, slowing down… gaining weight… and your business is suffering because of it.

Time for your technology to get a work out.  What does this mean in the IT world?  Fix it. Maintain it. If it’s too old, then replace it.  Make it a priority this year and stick to it!  Don’t be the one to walk away, head hung low disappointed stating “There will always be next year.” Make this the year your IT and business become lean and healthy.

A while back we posted about sitting down and having a plan for 2012 in regard to your technology solution and growth.  How did it go?  Did it get done?

You still have time.  It’s a new year and there are so many exciting things in the world of IT to talk about and how they can make your business smarter, faster and more lucrative.

Make 2012 the year your business became lean and intelligent.  Make this the year you stopped fearing technology and started leveraging its power to make your bottom line look nicer.  Time to stop settling for the status quo and time to start expecting better from your technology!