Trades Should Add Technology to Their Tool Belts

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There are many hands-on trades that haven’t traditionally needed technology. Yet modern tech tools help the plumber, carpenter, welder, or other trade improve productivity and competitiveness.

There are certain common tasks tradespeople face daily:

  • scheduling appointments with clients, suppliers, or inspectors;
  • tracking project deadlines and budgets;
  • communicating with project managers, customers, trades, office administrators;
  • paying employee salaries;
  • invoicing and tracking payables, receivables.

These can all be done with pen and paper, sticky notes, and forms in triplicate, but technology cuts the time spent and lets you focus instead on increasing your bottom line.

The Difference Technology Tools Make

Most of us carry small, powerful computers around in our pockets every day, whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet. Internet-connected devices give tradespeople access to tools to enhance productivity.

Let’s start with scheduling apps, as tradespeople are often on the move throughout the day. Signing up for a scheduling tool (e.g. Doodle) makes it easier to set appointments, and you aren’t involved in the booking process. Customers simply go to your website or link to the app and choose an available time that works best for them. You can even set it up to ensure you have buffers between appointments or prevent someone from scheduling a new, big project to start at the end of your day.

Integrating the scheduling app with your website helps customers reach you. Also, connecting also to a shared cloud calendar can help your team work together better. Everyone invited into the calendar can see who is out on a call, and where.

You can make changes to a cloud-based calendar on any connected device. Others will see the alterations in real-time. This helps you avoid scheduling conflicts. You can set a follow-up meeting with an inspector while you’re out in the field. The office secretary sees your availability in real-time to set up a new customer visit.

Your Trade Office On the Move

With cloud-based office software also available online, you can get more done out of the office. You don’t have to make a trip back to the office to enter your invoice slips and make photocopies of receipts. Instead, take pictures on your phone or tablet, and attach them to the project file in the cloud, or invoice directly from a secure cloud-based processing site. You won’t have to worry about any paperwork getting lost in the back of a truck or bottom of a toolbox.

The Microsoft Office suite, Google Docs, and cloud storage are available from iOS and Android devices. This lets you monitor project timelines, view budgets, and track invoices and payments in the field. Cloud-based accounting packages let you see cashflow or outstanding balances, and pay contractors or suppliers on the spot.

Cloud-based software also gives every employee access to business tools in the office. With a virtual desktop, they can collaborate easily (out on a job or in the office) and make changes in real-time. For instance, a contractor could access software to edit a building plan, then actually see the new design in 3D modelling software.

The great news is that technology is ever more accessible and easy to use. Embracing modern digital tools can improve customer service and trade business efficiency.

Your skill set may not extend to technology, but that’s where we come in. We can help you find the right technology for your business needs. Contact us at (515)422-1995 today!

What G Suite Is and How It Helps Business

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Business collaboration is the norm, whether everyone is working in the same office space or not. Providing the latest technology for knowledge sharing and communication is critical. G Suite is a cloud-based solution enabling effective collaboration through flexibility, productivity, and transparency.

A few decades ago, workers would be expected to answer phones, rip open physical mail, track faxes, and meet in-person with colleagues in the office. With the digital transformation, more of what we do is online. Adding email, file sharing, video conference calls, and chat could have overwhelmed us. Then came the business collaboration platforms streamlining workflow in a single solution. One of these is G Suite.

G is for Google in the case of G Suite. It’s Google cloud’s bid to compete with the likes of Microsoft’s Office 365. G Suite aims to make “working together a whole lot easier.” It combines productivity and collaboration tools around:

  • Connection – Gmail, Google Hangouts (chat and video conferencing), Google Calendar
  • Access – Google Drive, Google Cloud Search
  • Creation – Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Slides, Websites, App Scripting, and more.
  • Control – Administration Settings, Analytics, Mobile Device Management, Data Storage.

What G Suite Offers Your Business

Having G Suite gives your users an ad-free enhanced version of the features they may already use. For instance, instead of emailing from johnsmith@gmail.com, John could send from the professional domain jobnsmith@yourbusiness.com, and he’s no longer being distracted by email advertising.

“Gmail has a whopping 26% of email market share based on open rates” – Litmus

Since G Suite integrates with Calendar, it’s easy for John and his colleagues to plan meetings. People can share their calendars to enable scheduling, and they can hold the meeting in Google Hangouts. At the same time, users don’t have to share every appointment on their calendar with colleagues.

G Suite calendar allows users to create many calendars with different settings. Maybe one is private, another is only visible to certain people (you and your assistant), and yet another is public so that the entire company can see.

Anyone who has used Microsoft Word or Excel will quickly adapt to Google Docs and Sheets. It’s even possible to import Microsoft files into Google, then export them again into .docx or .xls files.

Yet on Google’s cloud platform, users can share files in real-time online. People can work together on the same file, at the same time, regardless of where they are actually located. This eliminates time wasted sending attachments and consolidating comments.

While work is in progress, or after you move on, you don’t have to worry about the files disappearing. Basic G Suite users get 30GB of storage. Business and Enterprise users have access to unlimited cloud storage and archiving. This lets a business store all its files in a secure, centralized location. A Google’s Cloud Search searchable one for Business and Enterprise users.

The administrative control offered is another reason to pay for G Suite. A business can manage all its user accounts from a single dashboard. You no longer have to worry about someone leaving and refusing access to their Gmail files.

With G Suite, you can go into the administration console and take control. Easily add and remove people. Plus, access management is easier with one dashboard to assign roles and rights. You can also manage mobile devices and set up two-factor authentication for greater security.

Still sound overwhelming for your small-to-midsized business? A managed services provider can help get you set up on G Suite. This secure, simple-to-use cloud platform can help you work smarter and faster.

Call us at (515)422-1992 to get started!

Hey You, Get Off the Public Cloud!

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The Rolling Stones sang, “Hey you, get off my cloud,” yet businesses might want to think instead about leaving the public cloud. Weigh these possible public cloud concerns against the advantages of alternate cloud solutions.

When most people think of the cloud, they are thinking of the public cloud. Apple users are on its iCloud. Others may be storing files on Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Cloud, or other services. These all typically have a free level of service. You can pay a monthly fee to upgrade based on the resources you use.

Cloud data is easy to store and access. This can enhance business productivity and efficiency. Added advantages of hosted cloud services – public or private – include the following:

  • Speed. Hosted cloud services come on demand or self-service. It’s possible to have cloud resources up and running in a matter of minutes.
  • Performance. Cloud providers focus on running secure data centers with the latest infrastructure. It’s their job to worry about hardware setup, software patching, and network reliability.
  • Scalability. Add cloud capacity without buying equipment or software, or training employees.
  • Mobility. Employees can access the cloud from anywhere, on any device.
  • Disaster recovery. Providers build in redundancies to ensure uninterrupted service.
  • You don’t need to invest in on-site equipment, maintenance, and management.

Yet there are some drawbacks to the public cloud. The public cloud is affordable because businesses share resources. The cloud service provider relies on economies of scale. They bring many businesses together for the same services, and it all adds up. But if you’re in an industry with high compliance requirements, the public cloud is a risk.

Advantages of the Private Cloud The private cloud offers the same benefits as the public cloud – and more.

A private cloud solution is dedicated to your business: yours is the only data on the server. This is a more secure solution offering greater visibility and infrastructure control.

A private cloud can be on- or off-premises. On-premise, your IT team sets up, manages, and maintains the cloud infrastructure. Off-premises, a cloud services provider customizes a dedicated and secure cloud.

The private cloud is appealing to regulated industries, government agencies, and tech companies needing strong controls. It is more expensive but allows businesses to easily access data, applications, and backups, and with reduced security risks.

Cloud Flexibility with a Hybrid Option A third alternative is the hybrid cloud. The business takes advantage of both public and private cloud solutions. You decide which apps and data workloads need more security. Meanwhile, the public cloud is available to offer cost savings and efficiency, plus, it can be a backup for sporadic traffic spikes.

The hybrid option, though, requires strong integration between private and public cloud deployments. Managing the mix of architectures can prove challenging.

Understanding the difference between these cloud offerings can help you choose the best for your business.

Need help migrating to the cloud or changing your cloud solution? Our IT experts can help you weigh the tradeoffs and determine the best one for your needs. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

6 Reasons to Replace Your ISP Email

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When you sign up for an internet service, the provider will hook you up with an email address, too. Your internet service provider (ISP) wants to keep you connected to them. But this convenient email address isn’t always the best long-term solution for you.

That “yourname@ispprovider.com” email address may work fine. You use it to keep in touch with your family and friends, you get bills to that address, and you’ve used it to login to your social media and online news and shopping sites.

But relying on your ISP for your email address may not be the best strategy for you. Here are some drawbacks to consider.

#1 If you rely on your @isprovider.com address, you could end up locked in with poor service or high prices. You feel stuck because you can’t take your email address with you if you want to switch providers.

#2 Internet service providers are not in the email business, whereas email providers such as Gmail and Outlook are always working to improve. Your ISP may not have updated its email offerings for a decade.

#3 Most ISPs have very limited storage space for email, which can make your service less reliable and convenient.

#4 Also, ISPs don’t make the same effort to keep your email secure and your inbox spam free. A provider more focused on email services offers more sophisticated filtering. ISP emails usually have primitive spam filtering that is easy to bypass.

#5 With an ISP email, your email is often accessible only on the provider’s mail servers, and you need to be able to access those servers to get to your emails. A cloud-based email provider lets you access your inbox via a Web browser. So, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are; you can still get access.

#6 You might be supporting a local ISP with your business. If that smaller provider goes belly up, however, your email address is gone forever, too.

Making the switch to an email provider

You may feel compelled to remain loyal to your ISP because changing your email address is a headache. Yet migrating to a Web-based email provider on your terms will help.

You’ll have a smoother transition if your ISP allows you to download your current address book.

Fortunately, once you make the switch to a Web/cloud-based email provider, you can move ISPs without it making any difference to your email communications.

You could even pay a small fee to upgrade your email with a custom domain name. Maybe you’ve always wanted to have your email come from @yourlastname.com, because it looks cool. Or, if you have a home business, you could have your email come from @yourbusiness.com. This looks more professional, and you can move the address to any provider, as the domain remains the same.

Whether you’re using an ISP or Web/cloud-based email provider, it’s also a good idea to back up your emails. By downloading and backing up your email, you gain more control and peace of mind.

We can help you find the right email provider or ISP for your needs. We’ll help you migrate your email, and we can set up a backup too. Let us help you, call us now at (515)422-1995.

What Is SharePoint, and Why Use it?

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Mobile, remote workforces still need tools to share and collaborate with one another. Business teams want to work together and get the job done efficiently. Microsoft SharePoint helps make that happen.

SharePoint is used in science and education, law and government, finance, computers, electronics, and technology verticals. Its largest market share globally is in the United States. Other top markets are Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

If you’re subscribing to one of Microsoft 365’s business plans, you already have access. SharePoint is Microsoft’s document management and collaboration tool. Users, wherever they are, connect to SharePoint through their own browser. SharePoint streamlines the process of tracking workflow and documents. But that’s not all that the platform offers.

SharePoint Core Features

Businesses gain several benefits from using SharePoint.

Collaboration. Now, you can store documents in a folder on a server. SharePoint lets you create workflows, see document history, track file access, and more.

Organization. SharePoint greets users with a screen that shows:

  • what they interact with most frequently;
  • sites that they are following;
  • featured links;
  • a search bar

Having recent activity and access to important links and relevant sites as the entry point to the platform can help keep your people productive.

Within SharePoint sites, you can also create lists to collect items. This might be announcements, contacts, links, or a task list.

Integration. SharePoint works with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and more. A team might create a shared notebook to keep information in one place and evolve as projects do.

Create community. SharePoint websites are a centralized location for teams to find what they need. Human resources might set up a site with its updates and important forms. This allows everyone to quickly find the information they need.

Version control. Don’t worry about emailing documents to various team members for input. A SharePoint document becomes the single source for the one, current document.

Search. Advanced search capabilities make it easy to look across a site library. Or users can search content in all SharePoint sites they can access. Avoid decentralization where assets are spread over employee PCs or different department siloes.

Data insights. Keeping all business data in one place makes it easier to review. Determine what’s being used or who is accessing what to identify trends. Site admins, owners, and members can track number of views, popular items, how many times people interact with the site, and more.

Share news. Keep teams engaged and informed using the News feature. Users post updates, or share reports and documents in the newsfeed section of the website.

Mobility. Users can upload files and access them from anywhere. SharePoint works with Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox browsers. There’s even a mobile app to let people remain connected from their mobile devices.

Why SharePoint?

SharePoint bundles many features together in a dedicated platform suiting different industries. Replace inefficient, paper-based processes with a centralized, online repository of documents. This can help with accountability and limit business bottlenecks.

SharePoint helps you build personal, team, project, customer, and/or vendor-facing websites. Avoid unwieldy email threads or confusing conference calls. Chat online and track edits in SharePoint.

You can also automate business processes. SharePoint allows you to create intelligent workflows for simple tasks. For example, you can streamline processes, with SharePoint automatically sending files for approval. Once done, you’re notified the review is complete.

Success with SharePoint

You’ll need to establish an implementation strategy, and also train employee to understand SharePoint’s value. Know that businesses lacking IT resources struggle to customize features and build automated workflows.

Our IT experts can determine the SharePoint service model that’s best for you. We can help integrate SharePoint and add customizations where they can help you. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Is Your Business’s IT Ready for the Coronavirus?

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The Coronavirus is spreading as fast as feared. Business must be ready for the worst. One priority? Protecting the health of employees. Preparing the way for remote working is one top recommendation.

News of the virus, which the WHO is now calling COVID-19, has prompted urgent interest in remote work. Business collaboration software, virtual desktops, and private networks can all help. This tech helps business continue as usual, even with quarantined employees.

It’s difficult to imagine you aren’t aware of the looming health pandemic. Trying to limit the contagion, we’ve already seen big business take major measures. These include:

  • Nike temporarily closed its European headquarters when an employee was diagnosed with the virus. After the first death in Washington state in the U.S., the company also closed its world headquarters for a deep clean of its campus.
  • Twitter told its roughly 4,900 employees to stay home to work.

Other businesses are weighing up the options. Furloughs? Changes to sick leave? Or encouraging work from home. The last option appeals, but how do employees work remotely? How can they continue collaborating with people they used to sit beside, meet in the office, or travel to see? Technological solutions.

The Right Technology for Remote Work

Remote workers want a centralized platform with a simplified (yet secure) login process. Business collaboration software is a great enabler of mobile, flexible work. Replace in-person meetings with voice or video conferencing. Streamline chat, voice, and video in one software platform. Tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google’s G-suite, or Slack, allow business to create team channels.

Business collaboration tools also simplify access to email, calendars, documents, and file sharing. Employees can use a single sign-on to access business tools and data. This supports improved efficiency and increased transparency.

Providing a virtual desktop can provide access to important business applications, as well. Virtual desktops in the cloud allow users to work separately from their personal computers. The software virtualizes the user’s unique desktop environment at any workstation. All the data and applications are stored on a central server. Users access apps, folders, and toolbars from anywhere, with a consistent, secure experience.

Using a cloud-based solution also provides peace of mind. While remote workers access the corporate network, the sensitive data isn’t stored locally. So, the business needn’t worry about the loss or theft of sensitive data. Plus, cloud-based virtual desktops are easy to rapidly install outside a quarantined area.

Worried about securing those remote connections? Another option is a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN connects computers, smartphones, or tablets to a shared or public network as if connecting to a private network. These encrypted connections to the internet secure data and protect employees’ mobile activities.

Mobile Work Helps Every Day

You can hope that your employees stay healthy and your business remains unaffected, but why take that risk? Empowering remote work benefits business, even without the threat of a fatal flu.

Remote teams enjoy greater work-life balance. The workers spend less time commuting and are more productive. Empowered, they also feel trusted and more engaged.

Meanwhile, business can save money on physical space and hardware investments. Additionally, the hiring pool of qualified personnel expands with remote work, and the business can offer its services more globally and flexibly. All that’s true whether the coronavirus becomes an issue for your business or not.

Enabling a remote workforce takes technology. Need help installing and connecting your employees? We can help. Contact us today at (515)422-1995.

Storage Struggles? How to Keep Up with the Data Explosion

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The digital boom presents us with brand new problems too. By moving all our files into a digital space, the amount of storage we need to maintain has grown larger and larger just to keep up.

As digital technology has improved, the resolution, clarity, and size of the digital files we create has exploded. Items such as Xrays, which used to be printed on film are now digital files transferred by computer. As a result of the increase in both the number of digital files we use and their ever-growing size, the size of the data we need to store has exploded exponentially.

There are a number of ways in which we can tackle our ever-growing storage problem.

Local server or Network Attached Storage (NAS)

A local server is a machine physically located within your own office or building. These are typically designed to serve many files to multiple clients at one time from locally held storage.

The primary advantage that a local network server has is that all your vital data is available to all users in one central location. This means that employees across the network can access all the resources made available.

These machines can serve files at the speed of the local network, transferring large projects, files, and documents from a central position within the network with ease.

A NAS has many of the same network properties, typically packaged as a smaller profile, low powered computer. A NAS is specifically designed to enable network file sharing in a more compact package. These can be available in units small enough to fit in a cupboard nook and yet still provide staggering storage capacity on only a small amount of power.

Both a local server and NAS device allow for large amounts of storage space to be added to the local network. These units are often expanded with more and more storage over time. As an organization grows over time, so do its data storage requirements.

Cloud Storage

Sometimes the best option for storage is to move your ever-expanding data outside of the business completely. Often, offloading the costs of hardware and IT management can work out to be an intelligent business decision. One that provides freedom and flexibility in your data storage needs.

The major advantage of cloud storage comes from the ability to expand and contract your services as needed without the unnecessary overhead of adding and maintaining new hardware.

By moving storage to the cloud, data can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The flexibility provided by cloud storage allows limitless expansion to any number of devices, locations, and offices. Being able to access data from many locations at a single time can often provide a valuables boost to productivity that can help to speed projects along.

Some of the drawbacks of cloud storage come from factors that may be outside of the control of the business. Not all internet connections are found to be up to the task of handling large amounts of data to and from the cloud. In some cases, the infrastructure is quite simply not in place yet to support it.

IT security regulations can prove to be a barrier to enabling storage in the cloud too. Some regulations either prohibit the feature entirely or enable only certain specific types for use.

The Right Choice for your data

Both cloud and local storage can provide further benefits to enhance your business. Audit logs, central backups, and version control can all be used to secure the way your firm handles data.

Whatever your situation, whether a small NAS can boost your office productivity, a local server can provide the connectivity missing from your firm, or cloud storage can switch on new resources, we can advise on the best choices for your business.

Give us a call at (515)422-1995 to allow us to use our expertise to make the right chose for your data.

3 Reasons Why All Homes Should Have Office 365

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Microsoft Office has been THE office suite for more than a decade, whether it’s for business or students doing their homework. Other applications have come and gone, but it’s expected that most people will be doing their work in Word, Excel or PowerPoint for a LONG time to come. While you may have an older version of Office that you love, there are three good reasons you should upgrade to Office 365.

It’s more accessible: Office 365 operates in the cloud, which means you can use your Word, Excel, Outlook and other office products from anywhere. This means no more forgotten homework or files you can’t access until you get to work. The cloud has them all ready and waiting for you, wherever you are. Save important files to a USB drive or your computer and use the cloud versions as your mobile copy, there really are no restrictions on how flexible Office 365 can be.

Another benefit is that since it’s in the cloud, the barriers between Mac and PC versions have been erased. It runs on both platforms and on any device – iPhones, iPads, Android, tablets and many other smart devices. A hefty allocation of cloud storage comes with it too, in the form of OneDrive, so you can access your documents from any device. Many people have started using their OneDrive to store all of their important data, including photos, media and recipes. You can even share your files with a simple link, and you always have complete control over who sees what.

It’s more affordable: Previously, there was a large upfront cost per computer and you were stuck with that version until you dug deep and upgraded. For people with more than one computer in their home, for example 2 laptops and a desktop, this was a very expensive way to obtain software. Office 365 has no large upfront costs, no matter how many computers or devices you need to install it on. It’s actually a monthly or annual subscription for a small amount, with no contracts. Depending on your location (pricing differs across countries), you can have six Office 365 licenses for a whole year, for less than the cost of your previous version.

It’s always updated: You are always rocking the latest version of Office. You aren’t stuck with the one you paid for years ago, like Office 2007, 2013 or 2016. Office 365 is always the very latest. If you’re still using an older version, you’ll be surprised by how much Office has evolved. Gone are the annoying paperclip helpers, tacky looking clipart and templates and confusing buttons. Everything is intuitive and easy to use, so you no longer need to take classes or tutorials on how to work it. Even the jargon has been stripped out in favor of human-speak so you can get your tasks done faster and finally break up with the undo button. With the latest features, your files also take on a whole new level of professionalism. Plus, any updates, upgrades or patches happen automatically, so whatever Microsoft cooks up to impress you is added to your Office immediately. In the past, when you upgraded your Office version it was quite the drama and often left your files in a mess. Switching to Office 365 is like a breath of fresh air in this regard, as it’s essentially a sign up and go situation. Older files remain intact, your hard drive doesn’t get cluttered, and you’re up and running in minutes.

With Office 365, you’re essentially getting more while spending less. It’s a popular option for good reason. The fact that it’s always available, always the latest version and works anywhere is reason enough to make the switch, particularly if you have students or work-at-home users. The baked-in security features also mean you’re less at risk of cyber-attack, so you can get on with your tasks and let Microsoft deal with the dirty work. It really is a stress-free solution, saving you time and money.

Switch to Office 365 – call us today at 515-422-1995

6 Clear Reasons to Switch Your Application to Cloud

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Has your business embraced the cloud yet? As we move closer to 2019, it’s estimated that approximately 83% of business traffic will involve cloud applications – a trend driven largely by smart decision making. When cloud applications first came out, nobody really understood what the cloud was or how it could help their business, but as the technology improved, so did the secure and flexible solutions available to you. Some of the most common cloud applications are accounting software such as Quickbooks, as well the Microsoft Office 365 package.

Instead of being seen as alternative options, cloud applications are now clearly viewed as the next logical step. Here’s why:

Your data is safer: While it can give you a sense of warm fuzzies to hear your storage drives whirring away, the risks are less appealing. Your servers could crash, drives become corrupted, or a breach could see your data held hostage under a ransomware attack. Of course, there’s always the standard fire/theft/flood scenario to consider too. With cloud applications, your data is safely tucked away in Fort Knox style data centers, complete with robust backup systems in case anything goes wrong. As part of their service guarantees (usually 99.9% uptime), your cloud solution will have technicians on-site whose sole job is to make sure that when you need to use the application, it works. Of course, no one can 100% guarantee that your data will never be lost, but the chances are MUCH greater vs leaving your applications on site.

You’re always updated: Gone are the days of trying to work out compatibility between versions and accidentally corrupting files. Cloud applications are updated automatically on all devices, and unlike when you run an update on a local computer, the process is almost instant. This is because the update is actually running on their end, at the data center. With this advantage, you’re always up to date with the latest features and security patches, no matter how busy you are. This is ESPECIALLY useful in cases of shared database software like Quickbooks.

You’re free to move: One of the best ways to increase efficiency is to remove restrictions around where your employees can do their job. With your new cloud application, they won’t have to wait until they get back into the office to send an invoice, follow up with a customer or even make a record-breaking sale – they can do it wherever, whenever. This flexibility opens up a world of possibility and can literally hand you a competitive edge. All your employees need is an internet-enabled smartphone, tablet, or laptop so you’re even saving money on tech. You can bet we have tons of ideas on how your business can take advantage of this freedom.

Collaboration is easy: Since all the data is held in one place, your employees can collaborate with ease. Nobody gets locked out of files because someone else is using it and changes appear in real-time for multiple users. By having a single version of a file, ideas can flow faster, results become more valuable, and employees enjoy overall satisfaction with a job well done. It may sound like a simple benefit, but we know how frustrating it can be for staff to collaborate without the right tools to support them.

All you need is internet: Considering how fast modern internet speeds are, this is usually a non-issue. It simply needs to be stable and meet a standard speed. If you’re concerned, we can run checks to make sure it will be a smooth transition for you. Because it’s internet-based, the cloud application works with your established network, whether it’s wired, wi-fi or cellular (or a hybrid). Some businesses also choose to have mobile 4G set up in case the internet goes down, that way the connection automatically switches over and downtime are completely avoided.  But please note, you MUST have a correctly sized internet connection for what you are wanting to do. Our technicians can help you determine if you do, and help you find a suitable replacement if necessary.

Size doesn’t matter: Cloud applications are a great option for both big AND small business. Smaller businesses only need to subscribe to single user licenses, while larger businesses enjoy the multi-user license savings. Skipping the cost of per-computer installations and choosing between per-user, per-site or per-use options. We can help you choose the application and cost-saving model that suits your business best.

Talk to us about your cloud options and lock in the advantages today! Call now at 515-422-1995

Are You Backing Up the Right Way?

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The 31st of March is World Backup day and it’s a great time to put a backup in place. Businesses are losing huge amounts of data every day, purely because ‘backing up’ is stuck at the bottom of their to-do list. So this is your reminder, that even if you only do this once a year when the calendar tells you to, it’s time to flip that to-do list and make it happen! But how? What’s the easiest, most effective way for your business to backup?

You’ve probably heard of file backup by a number of names: Cloud Sync, Cloud Backup or Cloud Storage. They’re all similar enough to be confusing and meaningless enough to be anything. Here’s what they mean and which one you need today.

Cloud Sync

Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, etc are services that sync up with a single folder on your computer. They mirror it. When a file changes in one, the sync service rushes to change it on your computer too, so they are always the same. Cloud Sync services are hugely flexible for remote employees, or even those squeezing in a few quick tasks while riding the train to work. They’re ridiculously easy to use, require no training, and the free tiers are enough for most individuals. This all sounds amazing, right? Except…when things go wrong, they go wrong big time. Accidentally deleting a file means it disappears from the Cloud Sync drive – almost immediately. Overwriting a file does the same thing, and if an employee makes edits to the wrong file, then those edits are there to stay. If disaster strikes and your local copy becomes corrupted (or ransomed), well you guessed it, the corruption is uploaded too. While some Cloud Sync services now offer a 30-day backup option, you may not notice the file was missing within this time and even if you do, restoring multiple old versions of files is VERY time-consuming.

Cloud Sync services are fantastic for productivity and accessing files on the go, but they simply can’t be relied on as your backup tech.

Cloud Storage

Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, etc are massive buildings full of storage drives that work just like your local hard drive, except you access them securely via the internet. In fact, when you use a cloud sync app like Dropbox, they’re actually sending your data to one of these locations. While the sync services have a constant back and forth connection between the storage center and your folder, and as explained above aren’t good for backup, you have another option. You can access cloud storage on a per/GB basis yourself and upload your entire backup as desired. It won’t update with changes on your local network, but it will be safe from disaster. When you need to retrieve a file, you simply login and download it.

Your backed up data is secure, protected against disaster, and always available to you. However, because it relies on you/your employee to handle the backup plan and manually take care of the uploads, this is a high-risk solution. Unless your employee is scouring your network each day/week/month for changes to files and uploading them with fervent dedication, chances are this plan won’t work. We recommend an automated or outsourced solution so you can get on with business AND be protected.

Cloud Backup

Mozy, Carbonite, Backblaze backup, Crashplan, or our custom monitored Managed Online Backup may or may not be names you’ve heard before, but they work in the background to monitor changes to files on your computer or network and make sure you’re backed up. You can roll back individual files or whole drives, and even select from earlier backups, not just one. Like sync services, they use cloud storage centers with extra-high security and redundancy so that your data is always there when you need it. Even better, neither you nor your employees need to worry about when it was last done.

The One You Need

Let’s take a moment to talk planning. We recommend starting with the 3-2-1 strategy. This means having 3 copies in total, 2 of them locally such as on your computer (the working copy), an external drive (the easy-to-reach backup copy), and another offsite in the cloud (in case something catastrophic happens). Using this strategy keeps your business operating when data disasters occur and is an investment in your uptime. We can help get you set up with the 3-2-1 method, including selecting the best cloud service for your needs. If you’re looking for a more scalable, cost-effective solution that gives the utmost peace of mind, ask about our managed backups service.

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