Signs You Aren’t Budgeting Enough for IT

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Generally, we like to make the argument that nothing about your small business is too small. We do say it a lot in relation to cybersecurity - no size of business is immune. Yet, there is the chance your IT budget is too small. Consider these indicators that you might need to invest more in your IT.

Every business wants to be cost-conscious. Saving money in one area can make funds available to expand, develop new products, or pay people more. That all makes sense.

Yet technology is the lifeblood of business success today. When you have the best tools available, you gain productivity, efficiency, and transparency. Plus, your people are likely to be happier, which helps retention, too. At the same time, with cyberthreats on the rise globally, IT isn't the best area in which to flex your thrift muscles.

How can you know you need to pay more now to avoid spending an exorbitant amount later? Look for these warning signs.

Employees Are Losing Time to Tech

The right hardware and software makes employees' jobs easier. Robotic process automation can improve workflow to avoid effort spent on mundane tasks. But people struggling with slow, outdated technology are wasting valuable time.

If your people have to find workarounds to get that project done on deadline, that's only a short-term fix. It is frustrating for them, which impacts morale and retention. Plus, the band-aid approach to getting the job done can backfire in the long run.

There are Important Things You Can't Do

You may be putting off upgrades to save on your IT budget. Yet in your effort to spend less on tech, you're undermining your business interests. You put off an operating system upgrade because your current system is working fine, except that choice could make you more vulnerable to cyberattack. You recognize the value of integrated customer relationship management (CRM) software but don't want to splurge on that valuable tool. Still, you don't want to save money on IT spend at the expense of business needs right now.

Customer Experience Is Suffering

You may not immediately connect IT budget and customer satisfaction, yet consumers today want convenience and personal attention. These can be difficult for the overworked human employee to do. Providing improved data and analytics makes it easier to offer individual attention. Plus, chatbots and mobile apps can transform the customer experience, because they save time and effort.

You're Struggling to Meet Industry Standards

Businesses face different industry standards to manage and protect personal and proprietary data. There can be requirements for backup practices, infrastructure testing, monitoring threats, and more. This can make the job of IT more complicated, but not spending to safeguard data or intellectual property risks a financial hit.

Improving operational efficiencies is a priority, of course, yet security spend needs to part of the IT budget, too. Address risk exposure with recurring risk assessments and a strategic security framework.

Better Budgeting for IT

Many businesses looking to bounce back from the pandemic are struggling with tight budgets. Still, technology can improve remote work, increase productivity, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Not sure where to direct that IT spending? Our IT experts can get to know your business and its objectives. We'll identify cost savings and suggest transformations for the best return on investment.

Call us today at (515)422-1995.

Do You Need Document Management?

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The employee surrounded by teetering stacks of paper is less common today. What with the move to digital technology, we’re all doing more online. Yet some businesses remain true to traditional processes, passing documents around the office. You could be paying for this in lost productivity or worse. You may need document management. Check out the common signs of trouble and learn what you can do about them.

Trouble Sign #1: You are losing business due to slow work processes

It may not even be this severe. Maybe you’re not actually losing that client, but your customers are not happy with the time it takes your staff to get back to them. They call with what they see as a simple question, but your people need to hang up to find the right folder on their desk or look through filing cabinets.

Trouble Sign #2: Conflicting information is causing problems

You have digitized some work processes, but you have people who still prefer to do things the old way. You wanted to be flexible, yet document control is a problem. It’s difficult to know who has the most current copy of a file. Plus, when someone enters inaccurate data, it takes time to notice, because various documents are floating around.

Trouble Sign #3: Inefficiencies are costing your business time and money

Exchange of information is essential for business success. You could be a one-person shop doing every task. Otherwise, you need to know what is happening end-to-end in the business. When you’re relying on manual processes, it is more difficult to track:

  • orders received;
  • where inventory is in the supply chain;
  • when orders ship;
  • current inventory levels;
  • what customers are saying to customer service;
  • which customers get discounts and which don’t pay on time;
  • where a document is within a multi-step process;
  • what employees are responsible for what tasks.

A miscommunication or lack of communication between departments wastes valuable resources. According to Google, executives waste 30% of their time looking for information. With what you’re paying top brass, you want them to do more with their valuable time.

Document Management Advantages

A document management system allows you to easily scan, capture, and retrieve documents. When a vendor calls, your employee can search a key phrase, email, or phone number to bring up the correct file.

A document management system can also streamline workflow. When sales submits a contract, underwriting can receive an alert that it’s time for them to take over. Once that’s done, the document is forwarded on to the next party. Throughout, everyone works with the same file, and all revisions and comments can be recorded and saved along the way.

Advanced document management software can also automate workflow to speed your processes. Additionally, the artificial intelligence engine running the software can confirm accuracy. You might configure the software to pre-populate fields. Some document management tools even check forms to confirm completion.

Automating document management also gives you access to data analytics. You can identify human bottlenecks and recognize employees who are particularly efficient. Monitoring documents can help identify trends, which can help with prioritizing business improvements.

With online document management, you can save on office space, too. Instead of keeping hard copies in file cabinets or off-site storage, digitally archive relevant materials.

That digital archive also supports compliance and can save your business from legal action. You don’t have to worry about being unable to provide the proper document when it’s needed. Document software systems provide a complete audit trail. The software might even generate automated notifications when sensitive information is shared.

Looking to add document management to your digital solutions? We can help your business find the best system to meet its needs. Work with our IT experts to find document management to make your work smooth and easy. Call us today at (515)422-1995.

Weighing Software-as-a-Service and Managed Service Providers

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There are many acronyms in the IT world. Two common ones are SaaS and MSP, which stand for software-as-a-service and managed service provider, respectively. The bigger question is what the differences are between these two and why you would need one or the other. Here’s help.

What’s SaaS?

Your business may already be relying on SaaS. Some of the more widely used platforms include:

  • Microsoft 365
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • MailChimp
  • Shopify
  • SurveyMonkey
  • Canva
  • Slack

SaaS companies are booming. Businesses are relying more and more on these technologies, and SaaS spending has grown 50% in two years. Why?

Software as a Service provides customers with convenience. The companies develop, manage, and update a product to support teams such as marketing, sales, or customer service. The SaaS platform will promise greater efficiency, improved productivity, increased transparency, and more. These tools automate and streamline processes to drive revenue.

Customers typically pay for a cloud-based subscription fee. In return, they get lower-cost services, reduced time to implementation, and scalability.

What’s an MSP?

Managed services support software, as well as your networking and hardware infrastructure. The MSP has human experts to install software, upgrade hardware, patch systems, and track security. The MSP provides all-around support for the business’s technology. This third-party firm gets to know you to help keep your business competitive.

The MSP tackles all sorts of tasks behind the scenes for your business. When your business outsources its IT to an MSP, you gain efficiencies and expertise. You are not giving up control but adding a partner to focus on time-consuming, complicated, and repetitive tasks. Meanwhile, your people can concentrate on driving innovation and generating revenue.

Businesses reap many rewards from working with an MSP. These experts can often find cost savings. Most MSPs charge a predictable monthly fee that’s easy to budget around. The enhanced expertise can also help ensure security and compliance. The MSP will also have the know-how to recommend the tools your business can enjoy most.

It doesn’t have to be either-or

Understand that you don’t have to choose between SaaS and an MSP – the two work well together.

MSPs can help you deploy and get the most out of your SaaS. In fact, an MSP can make sure your SaaS solutions work well together. They can help identify features on one platform that you’re not using. This could lead to you dropping an underutilized subscription to another SaaS.

Going on your own with SaaS means relying on each company’s IT support or asking your own in-house IT people to get to know the ins and outs of many different platforms. When you have an MSP, you pay that single provider for help instead of having to spend on tech support for each SaaS. Also, if you have a security issue, the MSP will alert you and act to cut the damage and repair the problem. The SaaS manufacturer doesn’t have the same responsibility.

Before you even get SaaS, the MSP can help guide your purchase. Your business may think it needs Slack because everyone else seems to be using it. But if you already have Teams, that could be unnecessary. The MSP learns about your business and how you work to help determine what SaaS’s are right for you.

The latest-and-greatest SaaS will come and go. Your MSP can remain the same as your business changes and evolves. Providing continuity of service, they will keep an eye out for the new SaaS you can adopt. The SaaS company wants to grow its customer base and evolve its platform, and the MSP’s job is to help your business succeed, with or without SaaS.

Contact us at (515)422-1995 today to enjoy the many benefits of working with an MSP.

Pivoting to the Practice of Virtual Law

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The law profession has been slow to embrace virtual work. It’s a people-oriented business, and there is great reliance on sensitive files and court documents, yet the pandemic pushed lawyers – and the rest of us – to embrace more digital technology.

Sure, lawyers were using mobile devices before. They worked in satellite offices, on-site with clients, or from home. Still, the profession’s traditionalists were loathing putting paperwork online or meeting virtually. Now they have to do so.

In the United States, 70–90% of firms surveyed by the American Bar Association still used traditional offices in 2019. By early April 2020, 48% were working online, and a further 40% were doing a hybrid of on-site and remote.

While many are eager to get back to the office, digital transformation has still taken hold. Let’s discuss the digital technology available to law firms today.

Digital Technology in the Law Firm

Digitizing documents and uploading them to case and practice management software has many benefits. The law firm gains:

  • collaborative access;
  • streamlined process;
  • improved productivity;
  • storage space previously wasted on boxes of file folders;
  • greater flexibility of interactions with clients familiar with digital upload of documentation;
  • peace of mind data backup is available;
  • centralized systems.

The software also adds a layer of accountability, as firm leaders or administrators can see who is accessing what and when. This enables better measurement of productivity and billable hours.

Clients also enjoy not having to leave home and find parking to drop off documents. Paperless transactions can speed the process on both sides, especially with virtual forms collecting data. This also avoids the inaccuracies that can come from manual data entry.

Another significant development for the virtual law firm? Relying on cloud-based collaboration tools such as Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). Paralegals and lawyers can work on documents and spreadsheets simultaneously in real-time. With Outlook email and calendar sharing, everyone stays current on any device.

SharePoint and OneDrive also offer secure document sharing. SharePoint is an internal file management tool, whereas OneDrive is a bit simpler.

Communicating Face-to-Virtual-Face

Lawyers now need to meet with clients and opposing counsel, and to appear in virtual courts. Online communication requires a good internet connection, plus a quality camera and microphone to take part in a Zoom or other type of virtual meeting.

Other firms are moving to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Those who have used Skype are already calling via data packets transmitted online. And there are other options available: B2B VoIP vendors offer options integrating call forwarding, call queues, and more. With VoIP, the client calls a local number and connects to an employee anywhere without noticing a difference.

All these digital technologies can have a positive impact on the day-to-day running of the law practice, yet it needs correct installation, as security is critical. You don’t want confidential documents shared publicly or phone conversations carried out on insecure lines.

Enjoy digital transformation efficiency with a managed service provider (MSP) installing the right tools. The technology saves space and frees up resources for other practice priorities. Meanwhile, an MSP will offer its IT expertise at a consistent set fee you can budget around. Plus, you’ll know you have IT help on speed dial if something goes wrong.

We’ll make sure your digital transformation – whether short- or long-term – is done right. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Microsoft 365 Streamlines Business and Reduces Spend

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When doing business online, you have many options for available software and systems. You might turn to one solution to handle online meetings, another to drive collaboration, and yet another to manage your content and workflow. It can get confusing. Plus, when you are duplicating tools, IT spend can mushroom unnecessarily. Microsoft 365 aims to offer a single, all-in-one solution. This article highlights the benefits of streamlining your software needs.

Formerly Office 365, Microsoft 365 is for home, business, enterprise, and education users. Microsoft touts that the software helps businesses reimagine the way they work.

Consolidating many business apps can encourage productivity, support collaboration, and cut costs. Doing away with the fragmentation of many different vendor apps your business can:

  • save time;
  • manage projects, communications, calendars, and more in a unified platform;
  • simplify deployment;
  • cut tech support and IT management challenges;
  • budget better with one invoice for the one solution.

Microsoft 365 Replaces Your Many Apps

There are many online business tools you can replace with Microsoft 365.

Communication

First, there’s Business Voice to replace your traditional phone systems. This secure and cost-effective VoIP service enables users to make and receive calls from any device. You can use a laptop, mobile, or desktop, while continuing to use the same number as the desk phone. You can dial in numbers for call conferencing, AI voicemail, transcription, and real-time captioning help, too.

Microsoft 365 also lets users pop into meetings immediately within their Teams channels. They can easily start a phone or video meeting, and during the meeting, they can also share files and PowerPoints. Plus, integrating Outlook contacts and calendars helps efficiency and scheduling.

Collaboration

Microsoft users are already relying on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. With Microsoft 365, these files are easy to use and share online. Collaborate in a shared document, in real-time, with version control.

Within Microsoft Teams, users have a whiteboard and screen, too. Custom backgrounds and the Together mode are particularly useful during the pandemic. Blur the background on a video call or choose a custom setting. Or sit in a shared digital background to feel as if you’re all actually in the same space together again.

This can replace GoToMeeting, Zoom, and WebEx, as well as document management software, Box, or an on-premises file server.

Apps and Services

Integrate bots, automate workflows, or manage data with more than 700 productivity, project management, industry-specific, or business department apps.

Businesses can connect data to improve agility with Power automate doing repetitive tasks. Power BI makes it easier to discuss and visualize data.

Emails and Planning

Microsoft Exchange does away with on-premises email, Web hosting provider email, or Gmail. Plus, people can stay better organized with integrated notes, documents, and calendars.

Instead of tracking things in Trello, Basecamp, or another project platform, use Planner to stay on top of progress.

Backup storage

Your Microsoft 365 subscription includes 1 terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage. That’s equivalent to 6.5 million document pages (such as Office files, PDFs, and presentations). Plus, your workers can share, locate, and collaborate in SharePoint.

Cybersecurity

Microsoft 365 also offers secure messaging and multi-factor authentication. The “1,000+ security and privacy controls” help meet industry and regulatory standards. That’s without needing Proofpoint, Mimecast, or Barracuda, or other advanced threat protections.

Simplify your IT infrastructure with Microsoft 365. Reduce software duplication, cut back on software licensing costs, and regain storage capacity.

Find out more about this secure, current, unified platform solution. Microsoft 365 can benefit your business. Our IT experts can answer your questions. We’ll help you make the most of your Microsoft subscription. Contact us today at (515)422-1995.

Why We Should Build Your Next CAD Computer

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Manual drafting is so old school. Engineers, architects, and construction managers have all moved to computer-aided design (CAD). CAD can provide 2D and 3D visuals of designs and streamline plan development and modification. Yet not every CAD computer is the same. Here’s why we should build your next CAD computer.

CAD software is at work in many industries. Using this technology has many advantages, including:

  • saving time;
  • increasing productivity;
  • improving accuracy;
  • helping stakeholders understand;
  • supporting collaboration.

Still, choosing the right computer for CAD can be challenging. For one thing, computers are always evolving, plus, the CAD program requires a desktop with real power. When you’re working with large design files, it can put your computer to the test. Building your own CAD computer workstation makes sense.

Why Customize Your CAD Computer

Of course, there are many places you can go to buy your next computer. You can go online or walk into a big-box store and buy a generic desktop for your design work, but you’ll soon find that most standard builds are not optimized for CAD functionality. And you don’t want to risk having a sub-par computer when it comes to a core piece of your day-to-day work.

Finding the right computer to run CAD requires knowledge of how CAD software uses the hardware. Some might recommend that you buy the fastest central processing unit (CPU); however, you have to understand how you get that speed. Some computers these days have multiple CPU cores. This means they can spread the workload across many processing units. This gets the task done faster (think of it as having team of eight complete a task instead of one speedy person).

The thing is, that team of eight cannot do the job of CAD. Many CAD apps and functions will work only on a single processing core. So, you could have those many cores, but the software will use only one of them. What you need to look for when customizing your CAD computer, then, is a fast single core speed.

At the same time, if you can have a high CPU speed and many cores, you’ll be even better off. The many cores can speed up rendering, simulation, or other processing tasks you don’t have to sit and attend.

The Right CAD Computer for Your Needs

In having us building your CAD computer, you can also select the best graphics card for your needs. The video card handles the display of 2D and 3D models on the screen. If you’re primarily working with 2D models, you may not need to boost your graphics processing unit. You could put your budget towards the solid-state drive (SSD) or random-access memory (RAM).

Many CAD machines have specific video cards installed in them, such as NVidia’s Quadro series. Still, gaming GeForce GTX or RTX cards are faster than almost all Quadro offerings. However, the Quadro series still offers some benefits depending on the work you do.

Building a computer for CAD can also help with software developer support. Some CAD developers support only professional-level CPUs (such as Xeon), which means you’d be on your own with a mainstream desktop CPU. Keep in mind, though, that Xeons cost more and run slower.

All these decisions require you to balance your needs with what the computer can do. You know how to tweak a balustrade or soffit, and we know how to customize the best CAD computer build for you. Work with us to get the most bang for your buck and make the most of your next CAD computer.

Contact us now at (515)422-1995!

Increase Productivity with Microsoft Power Automate

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Productivity is the great goal of business. If you’re a Microsoft 365 user, you have access to a tool that can easily increase your process efficiency. Here’s what you need to know about Microsoft’s Power Automate.

Power Automate is a cloud-based product available to Windows 10 users. The tool, formerly known as Microsoft Flows, brings intelligent automation to business processes. Harness the benefits of artificial intelligence developing workflows and creating data dashboards.

Power Automate hands over mundane tasks and manual processes to robotic process automation (RPA). With RPA you can:

  • understand bottlenecks;
  • map and analyze processes;
  • identify time savings opportunities;
  • capture institutional knowledge;
  • track important metrics;
  • make data-driven decisions;
  • empower users to share processes and collaborate;
  • break down internal business silos moving data between departmental systems on a schedule.

Power Automate is available online, as a desktop client, or as a mobile application, and for both iOS and Android devices. Best of all, it’s included in your Microsoft cost.

How Does Power Automate Work?

In Power Automate you build time-saving workflows using a low-code or no-code experience. The software offers templates or step-by-step guidance to help create automated workflows.

The secure and scalable technology connects with other Microsoft products, of course. It can also link new and legacy systems and allows users to integrate or create their own connectors.

You might set up a notification in Teams when a new Microsoft Forms response comes in, or when a Microsoft Planner task updates, or configure workflows to move documents between different SharePoint folders, or hand over Excel calculations to the AI.

Don’t trust RPA to do the work on its own? You can set up attended or unattended workflows. Attended workflows need humans to start the task or provide Yes or No feedback at workflow sequence stages.

You might use unattended for boring, time-consuming tasks. Think of the time saved in accounting with Power Automate:

  • printing an invoice hard copy;
  • creating a new Outlook task to follow up on that invoice in 30 days;
  • forwarding the submitted invoice to the next person in the operations chain.

Is Power Automate for Us?

RPA can help any business save time and reduce operating costs. Plus, Power Automate doesn’t work solely in the Microsoft environment. You might connect a Customer Relationship Management tool. Then, you could automate appointment scheduling and trigger file sending from One Drive.

The uses of RPA abound across industries. You might use Power Automate to:

  • process forms;
  • extract information;
  • perform sentiment analysis;
  • read business cards;
  • classify files;
  • track mailboxes;
  • orchestrate your pipeline;
  • automate auditing;
  • manage inventory levels.

Create workflows using templates or design your own with what Microsoft touts as “point-and-click simplicity.” Don’t find it that simple? We can do it for you.

Streamline repetitive tasks and operational processes with Power Automate. Turn your attention instead to areas that grow business and boost innovation. Need assistance setting up the workflows in Power Automate? Our IT experts can help. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

The Value of Virtual Machines for Your Business

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You invest a lot of time researching the best technology for your business. Your Apple computers work well for your needs, plus, the sleek desktops look great in client-visible locations. Yet occasionally, something comes up that you can’t do on an iMac. It doesn’t work on the Mac operating systems (OSs); only on Windows. That’s where a virtual machine can come in handy.

Perhaps you invested in your Mac technology before finding out about this industry-specific software you need to run. You’re not about to buy new computers for every user in your office.

You know that running Windows XP can be more dangerous. After all, there are many more cybercriminals savvy with Microsoft products. The payoff is much bigger for a bad actor who can find a vulnerability in Windows, as there are so many more users.

The answer, then, is to give your users access to a virtual machine. This lets you run that piece of software that only works on Windows, without starting from square one.

What is a virtual machine (VM)? VM software emulates your computer. It allows you to install an operating system, such as Windows 10, on your Mac. The software maps computer processing, memory, storage, and other components to run properly. Then, the virtual OS (or guest OS) acts as if it’s running on a real system. Yet for your purposes, it’s more of an app on your host OS. You open the software, make it full screen, and your computer looks and feels as if it has Windows installed.

One advantage of the virtual machine approach? You need only the software that you use on occasion and the VM software. You don’t have to get more hardware to accommodate that one Windows-centric tool. You can simply click into the software and do what you need to do. Then, when you’re done, you minimize that screen or close the application, and you’re back in Mac world.

Virtual Machines Not Just for Mac Users

Any computer use can also benefit from VM software. Maybe you’ve been a Mac loyalist but want to try Linux? You can install the OS virtually to check it out. Or perhaps you’re developing software and need to test your offering on other operating systems. The virtual OS helps there, too.

Overlapping the VM on top of the existing operating system can also provide peace of mind. If you have legacy software on an old Windows operating system, you continue to use it safely. Instead of connecting a computer with outdated (and unsupported) software to the internet, you can keep it separate, offline.

A virtual machine also offers a way to browse the internet without the risk of compromising the host OS. The original files and data are separate and won’t be at risk of compromise, theft, encryption, or ransomware.

Businesses can also benefit from a VM when they want to clone an existing system. Make a snapshot of the old computer and run it in on a VM on a new machine. This keeps the business running as usual when you’ve lost a software installer or need specific settings. Or use the VM when you want to move the guest OS to a new host computer.

The VM snapshot can also provide you with a backup of the old settings and legacy systems that you can always go back to. Worried about running an antivirus update or installing a new app? Use the virtual machine software to create a snapshot of your current machine’s state. Then, you can quickly restore it if the worst happens.

Real Help with Virtual Machines

Virtual machines offer real benefits. Our IT experts can help you setup an operating system within your VM. We can also connect the software to printers or the network as needed, securely. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Why Law Firms Need Managed Services

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The law industry isn't known for embracing change quickly: tradition can trump a willingness to embrace new technologies. Yet digital technology has become an essential part of many lawyers' working day. Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) provides support and enhanced cybersecurity during this evolution.

Lawyers rely on technology today to:

communicate with colleagues and clients;

  • exchange documents;
  • schedule events and share calendars;
  • research precedent and legal issues;
  • streamline file management;
  • automate menial tasks;
  • track billable hours;
  • invoice clients and pay vendors;
  • access information from mobile devices, when and where needed;
  • virtually conference during the pandemic.

Now, imagine the disruption if that tech-savvy firm's systems went down for a few days, even just for a few hours. No, this is not an argument to return to paper-pushing and the old-school methods; it's a reminder that you need an IT expert at the ready in case something goes wrong. Plus, an MSP can manage and watch systems to help prevent the worst.

The MSP Solution

Legal service provider clients expect digital proficiency. They want to schedule appointments online; they want to upload documents to the cloud instead of coming into the office; they are looking to provide digital signatures and pay securely online. The MSP can set up software to meet customer expectations without risking compliance or cybersecurity.

An MSP with experience in the legal industry can also boost competitive advantage. These IT experts can identify opportunities to improve productivity. It may be a faster network or computer upgrades, or you may benefit from improving software integrations and adopting better collaboration tools. The MSP's initial tech review may also save you money. They'll identify where you are overpaying or places to streamline software licenses.

Also, on the financial front, the law firm can enjoy a consistent budget line item working with an MSP. Instead of waiting for something to break and then looking for someone to fix it, you'll have expert ITs on call, which can reduce costly downtime. Better still, the MSP will take preventative action to avoid that downtime in the first place. This includes keeping your antivirus and security updated and checking technological asset health.

The MSP's small, ongoing fee is something you can plan around. The ongoing monitoring makes a budget blowout less likely, as well.

Managed IT services offer proactive support plus enhanced security. They understand the importance of end-to-end, layered security. They know the threats to a legal firm and can recommend quality precautions. Attorneys need to secure sensitive data and documents to remain compliant. The MSP can suggest secure storage and backup to perform the essential tasks.

Further on security, the MSP has the know-how to help your firm become more mobile, but safely. Your tech partner can put systems in place that allow your team to securely work when and where they need to.

It also helps to have a dedicated support team available. They'll already know your firm and its technology. This can speed up the response if there are ever issues, plus, you have a consultant to call with questions about new technological innovations.

Keep pace with customer expectations and maintain competitive advantage. Enjoy technology support and cybersecurity peace of mind with an experienced MSP. We're here to help. Call us at (515)422-1995!

Five Tips to Get the Right Printer for You

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Buying a printer can be overwhelming. There are so many options available from different brands, and buying guides galore. Yet we still often see people with printers that aren't the best ones for their needs. That said, we're offering five tips to help you find the right one for you.

#1 Identify Your Needs

What are you going to use that printer for? Is it for family use? Home office use? Just as a backup for occasional documents you need to print and sign? For printing photos? For printing graphic designs? Your needs for quality, efficiency, speed, and color or black-and-white prints will influence your choice.

Different printers offer distinct perks. You may want one that prints quickly or one that is compact. Or perhaps you want one that holds a lot of paper. If your priority is photos, you may need a printer that can handle many types and sizes of paper.

If you are running your office from home, you may want to invest in a multi-function printer. These not only print but also scan and copy.

You may not even need a home printer. If you're using your printer for photographs, you're better off going to an actual photo printer. It's about five times cheaper to get photos professionally printed than to color print at home. Plus, you'll get top-quality copy every time.

#2 Don't Settle for Cheap

Yes, it's usually very cheap to buy an inkjet printer from the local big-box store. You may even get a free or dramatically reduced price on a printer with the purchase of your computer. That's because they're getting you to buy the printer so that you'll need to take on the high cost of ink. You'll also need high-quality printing paper if you want to avoid the ink bleed that can happen on normal office paper.

Another issue with inkjet printers? If you don't use the color cartridges for a long while, they can dry up, which will leave partial lines on your prints, or the printer won't work at all until you pay for a fresh, more expensive color cartridge.

#3 Consider Laser Printers

If you've decided you do need a home printer, consider a laser printer. Whether you want a printer that works fast or you plan to use it all the time, a laser printer is quick to start up and print. Plus, it offers high-quality results. There is a higher cost upfront, but in the long-term you could save on ink. These printers use a fine powder that doesn't dry out due to inactivity.

Color laser printing is expensive, yes, but black-and-white printing on a laser printer can be quite cheap and effective.

#4 Read the Reviews

The manufacturer specifications will help you learn:

  • monthly page volume;
  • estimated annual print costs;
  • printing speed;
  • maximum resolution;
  • Wi-Fi functionality;
  • card reader and media plug-in capability;
  • added benefits (e.g. automation features such as collating or stapling).

Still, customer and online reviews can help you find out about durability and productivity. Read both positive and negative reviews to get a full sense of how the printer will suit your needs.

#5 Let Us Help

Inkjet, laser, all-in-one, and photo printers each have their pros and cons, and there is a lot to consider. We can help you choose the right model, set it up in your home, and help you keep it going strong for the long term. Contact us today by calling us at (515)422-1995.

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