Orr & Associates Company Blog

Saving IT costs during slow times

2008-10-13T11:54:00.003-04:00

With the somewhat slow economy we are facing these days, many businesses are understandably looking for ways to cut costs and increase efficiency. One area to look at is your company's IT infrastructure. In my experience working with different companies, I have often found several areas where you can cut some of your IT costs.

A few items to consider:

Are you currently using one or more older computers just to run a single program? Often times, these can be combined on another system or as a virtual machine and lead to energy savings.
Are you paying a lot to subscription-based online services each month? I have seen several companies spending way too much on things like online backup, when far less costly options exist.
Are you delaying purchasing new equipment? New equipment pricing is very good right now. Just like everyone else, manufacturers want to make sales and are willing to offer special pricing. Now may be a very good time to make that purchase.
If buying new systems- often times manufacturers will try to sell extended warranties, backup CDs, etc. as ways of increasing their margins on systems. In some cases, these can be beneficial, but many times can also be unnecessary added expenses.
If you have an older system, can you breathe some new life into it? Simple things such as running a spyware remover, disk defragmenter, or upgrading system memory (RAM) can help add some extra life to an older system. This way, you don't have to rush out to buy a new system unless you really want to.

These are just a few suggestions on how to cut some of your IT costs. As always, contact me with questions or more specific recommendations.

Now is the time to market

2008-09-17T10:47:00.002-04:00

In my contact with business owners, it seems as if some people are reluctant to invest much into online marketing right now due to a slow economy. However, this is backward thinking and misses out on a great opportunity. Let me explain.

The slow economy causes many of us in small business to cut expenses wherever we can until sales expand. Internet marketing can be incredibly effective at a fraction of the cost of traditional marketing methods. So, one way your company can continue to market in a downtime is by investing more effort into cost-effective online methods and less into more expensive methods.

Another reason to push forward right now is that very few others will be. During slower times, a lot of companies do cut back on marketing. So, this creates an excellent opportunity for those who do expand efforts right now. You suddenly have more exposure and in some cases, for less cost, just because there aren't as many companies pushing hard right now. This can be especially important when using methods such as pay-per-click advertising, which depends largely on who else is marketing.

The companies that use this economic slowdown as an opportunity to move ahead will likely come out better than those who cut back. By focusing on online marketing, you can not only open up this opportunity, but also do it without a large, risky expense.

Backup Method #2- Online

2008-08-18T16:31:00.002-04:00

For this post, we will be returning back to our earlier discussion of backup methods. Remember the real key is not how you back up, but that you are backing up consistently and in a way that works for you.

Another popular and good backup method is online backup. Many online services exist, such as IBackup, Mozy and others. They offer you the ability to setup an automatic backup to a remote location connected to the Internet. Of course, the biggest advantage to this method is that your backups are stored safely off-site, generally at special data centers.

However, online backup is not appropriate for large amounts of data (like music or pictures) because of the time it takes to transfer information across the Internet. Some who are overly security-conscious may also be a little hesistant to trust their data to a center "out there." But, these centers are generally very safe- I trust them to store my information and think you would be safe doing likewise.

When choosing an online backup service, you want one that charges you by the amount of storage space, not the upload volume. This would end up penalizing you for frequent backups, which doesn't make much sense. You also want a service that transfers your data over a secure connection for privacy and security reasons. Most good services meet both of these requirements.

Questions? Contact us with any questions, feedback, or for recommendations of online backup services.

Another example of the need for wi-fi security

2008-08-07T21:18:00.002-04:00

As many of you are probably aware by now, there was a major security breach that involved credit cards used at many major retailers, including Barnes and Noble and other popular stores. The source was determined to be "war drivers" who found unsecured wireless networks and installed programs that would capture this sensitive data and send it to them. This was a major breach that reached many people all over the world.

Sadly, it was a breach that could have been easily prevented. All wireless equipment sold today features different security options to help protect your wireless network. Even the most basic security is usually enough to deter war drivers (those who drive around looking for unsecured wireless networks). Some people adopt the attitude that they don't care who steals their Internet. Well, unfortunately, there is far more at stake to your business than your Internet connection. You could unknowingly be exposing your customers' private data to prying eyes by operating an unsecured network.

The ease at which security can be implemented and the fact that all equipment supports it makes it a no-brainer in my opinion. I will say that of all the secured networks we have installed, we have never had a security breach- I say this not to brag of my abilities, but just to show what a difference in can make.

Questions? Feel free to drop us a line. We'd be happy to come out and help secure your network- it would be a minimal cost that would be well worth it compared to the losses you could be looking it.

One backup method- TrueImage software

2008-07-31T17:46:00.004-04:00

Continuing on the topic of backups, we are going to look at one of our favorite backup methods. That is, using imaging software, such as Acronis TrueImage, to do a system backup.

Here's how it works- you need to purchase and install an imaging package like TrueImage and configure it to perform a backup. Most will allow you to choose to backup selected files/folders or do a backup of an entire drive or drives. The biggest strength to this method is the ability to backup the entire system- including data, settings and programs. In the event of a hard drive failure, your entire system could be back up and running within minutes of replacing the drive.

Backups using this method could be stored on an external hard drive or network location, as well as on a secondary hard drive. Off-site backups are not practical when doing a complete system backup with imaging software. So, the downside to this method is the fact that it takes some extra work to have an off-site backup- we recommend using multiple external drives, with one being kept off-site for the ultimate level of reliability.

These software programs also allow you to create automated backups- for example, backing up certain files or your entire system every night so you don't need to think about it. Because of this, the speedy recovery and ability to perform a backup, imaging software is an excellent backup option for most people.

Surge Protectors & Backup Revisted

2008-07-24T20:45:00.003-04:00

In our most recent company newsletter, we discussed the importance of having recent surge protectors, as they are only designed to last 1-2 years. Unfortunately, I received a call yesterday from someone who did not know this fact and had a computer damaged during yesterday's electrical storm. The computer was connected to an older surge protector. So, that is a real-world example of how older surge protectors may not be doing us much good during storms and other surges.

So, the prudent thing to do is to replace your surge protectors each year. When purchasing new ones, look for ones from a reputable company that clearly state that they are surge protectors. Many companies produce power strips that look like a surge protector, but actually do not offer any surge protection. You want to stay away from these when connecting computers and other electronic devices. You can many times save money by purchasing several surge strips together online, as opposed to visiting one of the big electronic retailers.

Of course, the other key practice that I can't stress enough is backing up. Even in the event of a power surge or other failure, if your critical data is backed up, then it can be recovered. A good backup strategy is absolutely critical in today's business world, with the amount that we depend on our data.

There are many great tools available for performing backups and we will be reviewing some different services and products in the coming entries. So, stay tuned!

Best Mobile Devices for Business

2008-07-22T13:33:00.003-04:00

The Apple iPhone has done a great job in raising awareness of mobile devices and smart phones. Of course, there have been many others around before the iPhone, but it has certainly attracted more attention. But, the question is, which models are best suited to use in a business environment?

The answer to this question depends somewhat on your situation. Many organizations are using a Microsoft Exchange server to centrally manage e-mail, calendar, etc. For a company using Exchange, a Windows mobile device would be an excellent solution, offering the best level of synchronization. The latest iPhone also offers Exchange connectivity, so it also would work within an Exchange environment. Blackberry devices require additional software in order to synchronize with Exchange. Palm-based devices seem to have the most trouble connecting with Exchange and therefore, would not be the best option for this situation.

For non-Exchange companies, the options are a a little less clear. The Blackberry offers the best e-mail capabilities, but fall short of the iPhone in its multimedia capability. Windows mobile 6 devices now include mobile versions of Word and Excel, which is a nice added bonus.

So, my summary:

Best for Exchange- Windows Mobile
Best for E-mail- Blackberry
Best for Multimedia- iPhone

As always, we welcome your comments and feedback.

Windows XP Service Pack 3

2008-07-16T10:02:00.003-04:00

In the past few weeks, Microsoft has begun rolling out Service Pack 3 during automatic updates. You may have noticed this, as it takes a lot longer than the typical updates that are installed. You may be tempted to cancel and put it off, however, this is an important one to install.

SP3 contains over 1000 individual fixes and security patches for Windows. Simply put, it is years worth of fixes all put together in one package. So, it's important to get this one. If automatic update doesn't get it for you, you can always go to Windows Update (on your programs menu) and choose to install it that way.

We consider this to be such an important update that before we install or rebuild any computers with XP, we are installing SP3 here in our shop.

And, if you don't already have automatic updates installed, please do so. Having an unpatched operating system is one of the best ways to fall victim to hackers, malware and other online threats.

The Risk of Older Computers

2008-07-09T16:00:00.002-04:00

In the small business world, it is critical to maximize the usage of company resources and computers are no exception. So, many small business owners aim to keep computers as long as they remain useful. This can be a great way to cut costs and get the most out of your investment, but can also pose a potential security risk.

This risk is brought on by having computers prior to Windows XP on your company's network. XP and Vista have significantly better security than prior version of Windows and as a result, are less likely to be compromised by hackers or malware. Pre-XP computers, on the other hand, don't have the level of security that XP and Vista do, and therefore present a weak spot in your network security.

Does this mean to immediately upgrade all old computers? Not necessarily. Computers that are running Windows 2000 can be secured better through the use of a firewall and good security software. Anything prior to 2000 should be upgraded sooner rather than later. But, older computers that are running Windows XP can still be great functional business machines, so most companies don't need to rush out to upgrade to Vista, even though it does boast some security improvements.

One other concern with older computers is the protection status of your security software. It can be easy to forget to update protection, but that can be a costly oversight. So, make sure you keep that software updated and replace the security software on older systems if necessary.

Please let us know if you have any questions and we'll be happy to help out as best we can!

Welcome

2008-06-30T14:51:00.002-04:00

Welcome to our new site and blog!

This blog is going to be updated weekly with information relevant to you- computer tips and tricks about how to be more productive and efficient, as well as newsworthy items. So, please come back and check it often.

Also, please feel free to ask questions about any of the posts or contact us to ask other questions that we have not yet addressed on here.