Author name: Megan Augustine

Managed Services provide enterprise-level IT capabilities without a large initial capital investment for a predictable monthly fee—which can be appealing to small and medium-sized businesses such as yours. Are you a candidate for Managed Services? Take our quiz below. Managed Services checklist o   We’re having difficulty staffing qualified IT professionals. o   We’re concerned about the security of our data. o   We’re concerned about the security of our transactions. o   We’re concerned about the security of our communications. o   We aren’t always able to respond quickly to market demands. o   We need to reduce overhead costs o   Staying up to date with evolving technologies is difficult for us. o   Maintaining current hardware and software is time consuming. o   We need to operate in real time to meet 24-hour demand. o   We need to deliver services to remote offices or workers. o   Our growth depends on our implementation of new technology. o   We need to upgrade our infrastructure. o   We need to relocate our infrastructure. o   We’re undergoing a merger or acquisition. o   The scale of our operations is going to change. o   We want to expand into new markets. o   We’d like to focus our efforts on our core competencies. o   We need to focus only on mission-critical activities. o   We need to implement a global IT network, but we lack the resources. o   We’re concerned about our ability to keep up with the latest security threats. o   We’re affected by privacy or security regulations. o   We’re experiencing dynamic business growth but have a hiring freeze. o   We need to maintain our current IT capabilities but are downsizing. If any of the items apply to you, you may want to consider Managed Services. Bring your completed list to us today, and we’ll let you know how can help.

If you travel for business, chances are you need to connect to the Internet while on the road. Here are some tips to help: Set up wireless access. If you travel frequently, sign up for a wireless data plan from your service provider. Depending on the features of your mobile phone, you can use it as a substitute for your laptop for accessing your emails or browsing the web. Some devices support tethering—where you use your device as a wireless modem for network access. Newer generation netbooks and laptops natively support 3G, which allows these devices to browse the Internet in places where WiFi is not available. WiFi is your friend. If you haven’t signed up for a wireless data plan, your mobile phone is limited in its features, or you prefer to use a laptop that only has support for WiFi, do your homework and research whether your destination or nearby areas provide WiFi access.  Websites such as WiFi Hot Spot List , JiWire , and gWiFi.net provide a database of places offering free WiFi. HotelChatter.com provides an annual list of Best WiFi Hotels as well. Dial-up as a last resort. You can always resort to dial-up if your location only provides fixed-line telephone access. Some ISPs still provide dial-up as an option and it’s a good idea to keep their access numbers just in case. Feel secure with VPN. If you are accessing sensitive data while travelling, certain programs will ensure secure access via public Internet connections.  One example is the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) software which can create a private network between two or more computers. If your company provides this service, use it. If not, contact us and we can set one up for you. Note that while you have access to office resources such as company file servers, printers and email as if you were there, you could possibly be restricted to the same security policies as well. Interested in finding out more? Contact us to find out how we can help you stay connected on the road.