How to get the most out of Office 365

/0 Comments/in /by

While many Office 365 users know the service can boost their company’s productivity, many aren’t utilizing it to its full potential. There are several key principles and tips that can make the service even more productive. So to help you get the most out of Office 365, here are some tips to follow.

Get all staff onboard

To maximize your company’s productivity on Office 365, every employee that uses a computer needs to utilize it. While this may sound easier said than done, you can encourage company-wide use by getting the leaders of your company to use it first. When your executives, managers and top employees are all using and promoting Office 365, it sets a good example that will help persuade all employees to fall in line.

Train employees

If your employees don’t know how to use Office 365, you will see little gains in productivity, and the cloud service becomes a wasted investment. This is why training is absolutely vital. Teach your staff all the ins and outs of the platform, so they can take full advantage of it.

One way to efficiently train your staff is to create or gather a series of short training videos, only a few minute in length. Shorter videos are easy to digest for your employees and help them retain the info. Best of all, they can be reviewed again and again, and used for all employees. This saves time for management, who is often responsible for employee training.

Utilize core tools

When you first implemented Office 365, what sold you on it? Likely it was the fact that it increases staff productivity by allowing them to work and collaborate from anywhere. So if you’re not yet utilizing the tools that enables them to do that, there’s no better time than now to get started.

Some of the core tools that enable you and your staff to become more productive and work from anywhere are OneDrive for Business (OD4B), SharePoint and Skype for Business. OD4B and SharePoint enable your staff to upload and save documents to a virtual drive, share that document with another group or user, and then edit it at the same time. This gives you and your employees the ability to access that document from anywhere, and essentially work from anywhere. Skype for Business also enhances productivity by creating a more flexible communication channel. Employees, colleagues and customers, can communicate easily wherever they may be in the world. From online meetings, to conference calls, video calls and instant messaging, you have a wealth of options for instant communication.

Don’t forget security

Not only can a security breach cost you money, but it can also destroy your employees productivity. While Office 365 already has security built in with Azure Active Directory, you should still be cautious of what files you add and share on the service. If you do upload files with sensitive company information to the platform, it’s wise to keep them under you or your executives direct control.

These four productivity tips should help your business make the most out of Office 365. If you’d like more ideas on how to better utilize the platform, make it more secure or need additional training, give us a call. We are happy to share our expertise for your maximum gain.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

4 ways to manage your online image

/0 Comments/in /by

Not only has the 21st Century brought about vast technological advances, it has also enabled new ways for businesses to get their brand messages out to customers and unearthed a new-found necessity: online reputation management. With a multitude of platforms and tools out there, it has never been easier for customers to directly interact with brands and products. So to ensure they get a positive impression of your company online, here are four steps to follow.

Own the first page of search results

In his new book on online reputation management, Tyler Collins, a digital marketing expert for Fortune 500 companies mentions the importance of a company’s search results that appear after pressing enter. These results make up the majority of a business or personal reputation online. For optimal results, it is advised that you occupy the first 10 spots (the entire first page of the search results), and within this number, there should also be a variety of related content such as positive reviews, media coverage as well as customer testimonials that contribute to the establishment of trust and credibility.

Paint the picture before the exhibition

Especially for entrepreneurs embarking on a new company, it is best to work on their online reputation before launching. This includes creating a brand, company name and message, all of which should help your business land the top 10 search results online. You should invest some time in thoroughly researching potential brand names to ensure your tentative company name has no negative associations.

Don’t forget the execs

Equally important to online brand management is the implementation of reputation management policies for key executives. While researching a company, potential customers don’t only take statistics and reviews into consideration but also the people that are involved with and leading the organization. This is why it’s absolutely essential that your key executives have a clean online reputation.

To achieve this, the company can create a dedicated bio for each executive that helps increase the search ranks of that particular executive’s name. The next step is to get (positive) media coverage whenever possible. Everything from blog posts to press releases and quotes in an online news story will help forge a strong and credible image for the individual, and in extension, for the company.

Ask for help when required

When times get tough, seek the expertise of specialists that help maintain and improve online images for a living. It is almost impossible to change a customer’s first impression of executives and the company, so investing in expert advice can turn out to be the most important step in creating and maintaining your virtual image.

We hope you find these four online reputation tips helpful. If you need more help creating a credible online image or are looking to utilize technology to establish a stronger online image, give us a call. Expert advice awaits.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

How to be more productive in life and work

/0 Comments/in /by

Between your customers, vendors, employees and other moving parts of your organization, it can be difficult to find the time to focus on your business. On a daily basis, you likely have to deal with dozens of tasks, and oftentimes don’t finish them all. So how can you fix this? How can you be more productive, complete your to-do-list and get out of the office on time? There are a couple of key productivity principles and technology solutions that can help.

Have a single focus

When Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were asked what the single most important reason for their success in life was, both answered with a single word: focus. It is that important. When you work on one task for an extended period of time, the quality of your work is at its highest. What’s more, you’ll also finish that task in a shorter amount of time than if you had to stop and start it repeatedly due to distractions.

This principle of focus can be applied to many areas of business and life. Whether you’re writing a report, sharing time with your family, or simply reading a book for your own pleasure, the quality of that experience improves with the more uninterrupted time you dedicate to it. Now, when it comes to IT and technology, this same principle can have a tremendous impact on your business. Not only do technology distractions – such as constantly breaking computers, security breaches, and slow servers – hurt your productivity, but they also crush your spirits. How can you focus on growing your business like this? This is where an MSP comes in. They can help eliminate all IT interruptions so you get back to doing what you do best – running your business. What’s not to love about that?

Obey Parkinson’s law

If you ever pulled an all-nighter as a university student, you may be familiar with Parkinson’s law. The principle states that the time it takes to complete a task expands or shrinks depending on the time allotted for it. For example, when you were hitting the books in high school or college, you may have noticed that a few students (and maybe you were one of them) would put off an important paper or project to the last moment and still end up getting an A. While at the same time, other students would take weeks to complete the same project or paper and only manage a B. So how did this happen? This peculiar phenomenon is the magic of Parkinson’s law at work. When you have less time to work on a project, you focus only on the important aspects of it. Oftentimes this is all you need to do a good job.

So whether it’s a company meeting or the amount of time you put towards researching your next vacation, apply Parkinson’s law to increase everyone’s focus and ensure you’re not wasting valuable time on the task. As for your IT, give your in-house staff a reasonable, yet specific amount of time, to complete a task. This will ensure they finish the job in a timely manner, and then move on to other projects. Alternatively, you can simply outsource all of your IT to an MSP for a single, flat monthly fee, and never have to worry about it to begin with.

Use technology to become superhuman

As human beings, technology enables us to become more than we could have ever dreamed of. Apps like Evernote can enable us to remember every valuable piece of information we encounter. Cloud technology can bring a remote workforce scattered around the country together so they can work on the same project simultaneously. VoIP gives you the ability to video-chat with business partners, loved ones, and friends while they’re as far off as Bangkok or Baghdad. Technology is reshaping not only the business world, but also the life of every individual on the planet. So when it comes to your own business, is your company going to take advantage?

We hope that these productivity tips will help improve your life in and outside of the office. If you’d like to know more about how IT can transform your business, to make it more efficient and profitable, give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

How to use LinkedIn to create business value

/0 Comments/in /by

LinkedIn is a highly useful site, but many small businesses simply don’t make the most of it. The problem is that most of the information out there, that SMBs try to model, is focused on tips and strategies for larger organizations. And these strategies are simply not as effective when applied to the SMB. So what can the small or medium-sized business do to actually gain value from their LinkedIn efforts? Here are few tips to get you started.

Know LinkedIn’s purpose

Simply put, LinkedIn is not a content marketing platform. Yes, people do publish articles and posts, but if you have a small budget and are short on time, you will get more bang for your buck on social media networks that are more content marketing friendly. For example, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are all far better options in this scenario. Many users are on these platforms to view content in one form or another. On LinkedIn, content can undoubtedly be viewed, but people are primarily there to make connections. Of course that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post an occasional article on LinkedIn. It just means don’t make it the main source of your content marketing efforts.

Another way businesses misconceive LinkedIn is in terms of lead generation. Basically, you shouldn’t expect your LinkedIn page to generate a large amount of leads. As an SMB, your marketing budget is limited, so you’ll be better off using your advertising budget to drive leads to your actual website or even a Facebook business page. Your LinkedIn business page should be used instead to validate your experience, credentials, and professionalism. With that said, make sure your page is polished and updated with all this information.

Double down on business trips

We all know that LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with business colleagues. If you’re active on the platform, you likely have hundreds of connections. So when you make that next business trip, why not tap your network to book additional meetings in the city you’re traveling to? Ask yourself, which of your connections could help you extend your sales in that region or benefit your business in some other way? You don’t have to stick to business colleagues you know personally. You can create valuable new relationships by tapping your current LinkedIn network. To do this, search first and second degree connections using the geographic search option, and filter your results to job titles, industry, and company size of your ideal prospect. Once you’ve found potential contacts, see if you can get an introduction from one of your first connections, or simply InMail them and reach out yourself.

Your page is about your business—not you

A very common small business mistake on LinkedIn is making your company page about you, not your business. You may mistakenly create this page like your personal profile, listing accolades and job experience. What you should really be focusing on, however, is something much bigger: the story of your business or brand. A story will help engage your prospects, creating an impression in their minds, and also give you an opportunity to touch on the value your business provides to customers. Your profile should also include some of the top brands your business has helped. If one of your clients is Target, The Gap, Whole Foods or another big name, make sure to mention it, as it proves your credibility as a business or service provider.

Find talented hires

While big companies have the budget and time to post job openings on LinkedIn, as an SMB, there’s a good chance you’re lacking both. Fortunately, there’s an alternative way to find top talent on LinkedIn. Simply search for them yourself.

Before you get started, you need to know exactly what kind of hire you’re looking for. Think about people you already know who would be perfect for the job. While you may not have the ability or budget to hire them, look them up on LinkedIn and see their career path. What kind of roles did this person previously have? What kind of experience did he or she have before their current position? With this information in hand, now you can search for people who are in or have held similar positions, and will likely share qualities of your ideal candidate. Once you have a pool of potential applicants, reach out to them through InMail or a shared connection to see if they’re interested in your job.

Ask for help, and be helpful

Like all social media platforms, if you don’t engage with your connections, you’ll see little value generated from your time using it. However, with LinkedIn, the type of engagement you participate in can be extremely valuable for your business. All it requires is for you to ask for help or feedback. For example, if you have several logo designs for a new product and are unsure of which is best, share some of them with your network to get feedback. If you’re curious about a new productivity tool and wonder if it’s worth investing in, ask your network if anyone’s used it before. Oftentimes in the business world, people are happy to help you if you just speak up. However, don’t forget to return the favor. If you become the person who seems to only be taking advice without giving any in return, it can have a negative effect on your reputation.

If you’d like more ideas on how social media or technology can create value for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our IT solutions can help you overcome challenges, and create an even more valuable business.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

How to make the most of Microsoft Word

/0 Comments/in /by

Over the years, Microsoft Word has become the best word processor for businesses big and small. From creating documents such as company reports, forms, statements, and receipts to producing promotional materials, Word is able to accomplish all of these and much more. But its sheer number of features mean there are hidden functionalities unknown to many users. Here, we uncover some of the most useful tricks that will help you get the most from Word.

Combine text from multiple locations

We’re all familiar with the copy and paste function on PCs. The problem is, you can only copy one thing at a time, which makes it hard to combine pieces of text from various sources. And even if you manage to do so, the whole single copy and paste process can be long-winded and downright time-consuming.

Word has feature called “spike”, which allows you to cut pieces of text from documents and pages and paste them all in one go! To use it, simply highlight the text you want to copy and press Ctrl+F3. Repeat this and when you’re satisfied with what you have, you can paste everything on another document by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F3.

Format images

You probably already know that it’s possible to copy and paste, or drag and drop, images onto a Word document. But the image will place itself on a line of its own, pushing text above or below it. You can drag the image all day long to position it in a way you want, only to find that it’s not working properly. There’s a much better alternative. Simply right click on the image and select one of the layouts under Layout Options. You can position the image in line, behind or in front of text, and crop the image to remove unwanted areas.

AutoRecover feature

Microsoft Word can restore and recover unsaved documents when a crash occurs, but you can add another level of protection and peace of mind by enabling the AutoRecover feature. Navigate to File → Options → Save, and check the box that enables AutoRecover. This feature will automatically save your documents at regular intervals that you specify, minimizing the risks of losing important documents in an event where your computer crashes, reboots itself, or experiences any issues that shut Word down before you can hit the save button.

Use text boxes for layouts

Many people use Word only for reading and typing text. But did you know that you can play around with text boxes to make your documents more readable? By inserting text boxes and images, you can create rough mockups of ideas and projects, whether it’s website design or product catalogues. Adding text boxes is easy – just choose the Insert tab, click on Text Box and choose from many available styles and formats. You can customize text boxes with colors, frames and size.

Show hidden characters

If you’re a regular Word user, chances are you’ve come across that moment when something just feels a little off, whether it’s an extra space, out of place paragraph or weird bullet points. If you can’t understand why your document is behaving unexpectedly, you can get to the root of the problem by clicking on the paragraph symbol under the Paragraphs tab to make all the hidden marks (spaces, paragraphs, tabs) visible. This makes it easy to remove any characters that’s causing the error.

These tips may seem small, but they will make a big difference in helping you work more effectively towards your goals. Want to learn more Word tricks and tips? Get in touch with our professionals today and we’ll help you save time and increase productivity.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

Benefits of Business IT Support As-You-Need-It

/0 Comments/in /by

Take a minute to think about the top three things that constantly require your attention for your business. Now write them down. Once you’ve written them down you may notice there are things on that list you could use some outside help with. Perhaps a handful of computers go on the fritz each month. Maybe your communications system is acting a bit ‘weird’ and you can’t figure out why. Regardless of the issue, being able to get the IT Support you need as you need it is key.

It doesn’t make sense for you to pay a high, monthly fee when the issues you experience don’t merit 24/7/365 monitoring or maintenance. Besides, why would you do something like that when you can count on Parallel Edge to provide you with the exact type of IT Support you need for whatever it is you need. Don’t pay for added services you don’t actually need, and instead get exactly what you pay for – no matter how large or small a project is.

The benefits to your organization for choosing a business IT Support As-You-Need-It service are undeniable. Business IT Support, as you need it offers a flexibility that is not inherent in the large, generic IT Support packages some businesses pay for. That flexibility provides you more control how you request and receive business IT support. Speedy response time is another major benefit of business IT Support As-You-Need-It. Bundled services give you a window of time in which they’ll respond to you, which is typically 4-6 hours, whereas you can expect a near immediate response otherwise.

More than anything when it comes to business IT Support As-You-Need-It compared to bundled services, you know exactly what you’re paying for and why. You don’t have to worry about combing through ‘detailed’ reports of where your money is going when it comes to IT support.

Parallel Edge Password Security Best Practices

/0 Comments/in , /by

Information technology specialists strive every day to provide both security and stability to your businesses network. In today’s age of technology, hackers are always a threat and at any given moment can be out there attempting to compromise your network and obtain unauthorized access to your company’s sensitive information. How can both IT professionals and employees seamlessly work together to thwart hackers? A strong company password policy and general password training for your staff is a good place to start.

 

Password Security Don’ts

Passwords in today’s tech world need to be stronger than ever. While at one time it may have been safe to use your pet’s name or a combination of your nick name and your birthday, today that just won’t fly. When creating passwords you should never use:

  • Your kids names
  • Nicknames
  • Birthdates
  • Phone numbers
  • Words found in a dictionary
  • Your house number
  • Hobbies you enjoy
  • Simple number combinations like 12345
  • A combination of any of the above, for example your nickname followed by your phone number

 

Creating a Strong Password

Creating a strong password is simple. You need to just be creative and follow these tips:

  • Use at least 9 characters. The longer your password, the harder it will be to break.
  • Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
  • Your password should be completely random, for example, cD5&j2P0# would be a strong password.

 

Protecting Passwords

Protecting your password is just as important as coming up with a strong one. First, never share your passwords with anyone. Second, don’t store your passwords where they can easily be found. For example, do not save them on your phone or on your computer. Next, never use the same password for more than one application. If a hacker figures out your password on one account and you have used it everywhere, they can now gain access to all of your accounts. Finally, changing your password often is also a smart idea, making it even harder for hackers to break in.

 

Developing a Password Security Policy that Works

To keep sensitive information safe, companies can no longer afford to not have a password policy in place for their employees. Educating your staff on your policy is critical. Here are the essentials that should be part of your company’s password policies and procedures:

  • Strict guidelines on password creation so that weak passwords cannot be used. For example, set a minimum character count and have passwords contain at least one capital letter and one symbol.
  • Have a strict time frame for changing passwords, like every 30-60 days.
  • Do not allow employees to reuse old passwords.
  • Employees should never be allowed to share their passwords with others.
  • Guidelines should clearly state where it is safe/not safe to store passwords.

While it may seem like these password guidelines are a bit overboard, in today’s technological environment companies can never be too safe.

Cyber Criminals Increase Need for Network Security

/0 Comments/in , /by

Over the last few months, there’s been a lot of buzz about the Ashley Madison data breach. From front-page news to late night punch lines, the hack has attracted a lot of attention, but the truly scary element of the story is what lies behind how it was possible.

A New Generation of Hacker

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, hackers were a relatively small group of people, capable of breaking into some of the world’s most sophisticated systems. They were the villain in the action movie for years. We feared hacking, but there were enough jobs with few qualified coders and programmers to keep them occupied. Today, though, with thousands upon thousands being trained in technology, the highest level of interconnection of information in history, and a new level of “hacktivism” where political opinions and ideals can be the motive for a data breach, we have a new set of problems all together.

Lessons from Ashley Madison and Excellus

As you can imagine, companies are not eager to explain to the public how they were hacked. First, it’s often because they don’t yet know themselves. Second, as a black eye for the company, it’s more prudent to say that the problem is being addressed. Third, revealing a weakness can invite a new wave of attacks (especially with wide media coverage) when they’re already down.

The website Ashley Madison, a source for those looking for extramarital affairs, was hacked for the user data, including names, addresses, credit card information, and other critical information. This information was then dumped onto the web, following through on the hackers’ threats. Excellus, a branch of BlueCross BlueShield, was also hacked recently and the records of over ten million patients were compromised.

It’s unknown whether these were internal or external hacks, though the possibility of an “inside job” is less likely. What we know is that these databases probably had one of two frighteningly common weaknesses. First, the database itself was directly accessible from the Internet. This suggests that the defenses between any given user and the stored information were weak at best. Second, the companies fell victim to what’s called a “cross-site scripting attack.” Here, hackers can implant a malicious code to a site that uses JavaScript to collect information or provide a service.

The Core Problem

The real dilemma for businesses is striking the balance between network security and functionality. Many smaller, newer businesses cannot afford the tightest security and even more existing businesses can’t implement ideal conditions as it could easily turn off customers or clients.

Still, corporations from around the world have been buying into companies like Okta in San Francisco to improve network security for the most basic of employee functions (e.g. email, cloud access). These kinds of startups are specializing in adding new layers of security without dramatically reducing what your workers can do. Since it’s possible to be attacked by a hacker directly, contaminated by an unwitting customer, or compromised by a vendor or contractor it’s the newest essential to every business out there.

Small Business Technology Recommendations

/0 Comments/in , /by

Being a small business does not mean you are always going to be small, so you better learn how to play ball with the big boys before you get into the game. One way to compete and put your brand out there is to embrace business technology.   If costs are an issue, there are plenty of affordable technologies that can be utilized by companies of all sizes. Here are examples of technology that benefit small businesses and help the company flourish.

 

Tablets 

Companies are becoming more and more mobile as mobility adds flexibility and increases productivity. Tablets have greatly increased in popularity and they come with nearly every application available for a desktop. Use a tablet to video conference remotely, which makes it easy as a small business owner to communicate with your whole team with via simple use of an app.

 

Cloud Storage and Security 

It isn’t just the corporate titans that need to protect their data. A small business’s information is just as important and can just as easily be hacked. Invest in cloud security to backup and encrypt your data in case of a natural disaster or an attempted breach. The cloud also makes it possible to access your data during these tough times. Cloud storage makes it possible to get at your information from any place at any time, via the tablet, desktop, smartphone or other mobile device.

 

Social Media and Marketing Tools

With such a large percentage of people using sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it is irresponsible to not create a social media site for your small business. Social media can be used to reach targeted markets and social media tools make it much easier to promote your small business on these top networks. You can use social media tools to create social campaigns and then track the performance of each one. This saves a small business lots of money and time so you can see easily which campaigns can be dropped and which should be promoted more. With social media tracking tools, your small business will know which keywords to use to better promote themselves.

 

Website and SEO

Without a web site, chances are your business will not even be taken seriously in today’s market. Once you have on created, you will have to promote the site so you can reach your target audience. Since search engines are clogged with traffic it is difficult to know the best way to get your site out there. Even if your site is well-designed, you need to have the content written based on keywords you want targeted by those searching. For a small budget that is well-worth it, employ a search engine expert to optimize your website exposure. You will soon see rankings in the search engines and much more traffic coming to your web site, which equates to more sales.

Simplifying Your Life With Valued IT Consulting

/0 Comments/in /by

Have you had a chance to take a look around our new website? We worked hard developing it with you in mind. It’s important to us that our website serves as a way to provide you with an in depth look at who we are and how we function as a company.

For 20 years we have dedicated ourselves to taking care of our clients and offer technology solutions for all businesses, large or small, through our valued IT consulting services.

Here’s How We Simplify Your Life

  1. We Look at Your Technology Situation

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for businesses, and certainly not when it comes to technology.

You have unique needs and issues, and there are things you want to do better.

We figure out what technology you need, by listening to what you have to say, and then develop solutions with everyone in your organization. Once we have our plan we execute it and show you how to manage your technology within the framework of your budget.

 

  1. Become More Efficient

The second step in the process is to comb through your technology and find ways in which we can improve it and various processes. We offer many technology solutions that will make your office more efficient:

  • Proactive IT Support
  • Backup and Disaster Recovery
  • On-Site Management
  • Ongoing Advisory

 

  1. Business Continuity

Finally, it’s important to us that we ensure the technology implemented today will also support your business in the future. That’s why we don’t turn our back on you as soon as a solution is in place; we stay with you and make sure your technology solutions always align with your business goals.

Our technology experts are here to assist with:

  • Installation and ongoing support services
  • Specialized solutions for the AEC industry
  • Training services so your in-house staff knows how to use your information technology investment

Our mission is to keep your data safe and to ensure your business needs are met. So don’t be shy, contact us with any questions you may have. Take a look around our new website to learn a little more about us. You can even connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We want you to view us as not just a valued IT consulting partner, but a business partner that helps you keep moving forward.