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Avoid these 5 things when investing in ITSmall- and medium-sized business owners have a lot to do. Aside from managing their staff, exploring new opportunities for growth, and keeping clients happy, they have to oversee investments in new technology. Being busy, they can easily commit mistakes when choosing the right IT solution. Here’s a list of common IT investment missteps that owners […]

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Avoid these 5 things when investing in IT

Small- and medium-sized business owners have a lot to do. Aside from managing their staff, exploring new opportunities for growth, and keeping clients happy, they have to oversee investments in new technology. Being busy, they can easily commit mistakes when choosing the right IT solution. Here’s a list of common IT investment missteps that owners like you should avoid.

Spending without finding the perfect fit

Advertisers like to make you believe that the newest technology will solve all your problems. While the latest cloud or virtualization offering is likely to make things better for many companies, they won’t work for everyone. 

Don’t let the flash and hype of new products deceive you. Take time to think about the results you want to achieve with technology. Make a list of your goals and check if they can be fulfilled with your new IT investment. A good IT provider should guide, not confuse you. That provider should see to it that you make the best choice. 

Believing everything will magically work together

As technology evolves, it becomes easier to use. User-friendly products help people work better and faster. However, not all products follow that route, and many business owners wrongly assume that the new technologies they invest in will work well with the other IT systems they already have. This mistaken belief can get them in trouble. 

While many technologies are compatible with one another, those that don’t work together can result in massive and costly downtimes that can cripple your business. So, don’t push your luck. Be smart, do some research, or consult an IT professional before making a purchase. 

Not training your team 

Now that you’ve found the perfect fit technology that will integrate with your current IT, go ahead and purchase it. After that, you think you can relax and let your sparkly new IT solution power your company to new levels of success and profits, right? Wrong! 

Don’t forget that not all employees will be comfortable with your new investment. Nor will everyone know how to use it. That’s the time to consult an IT provider for support and training. If this is not possible, look elsewhere or think twice before buying anything. 

Forgetting your budget

More and more IT solutions are packaged with pay-as-you-go monthly pricing. While this is a great way to help you avoid a large upfront capital investment, implementing too many different technologies quickly without thinking about recurring costs can eat up your money. 

Think carefully before opening your wallet. Do a little research, draft a budget, or get help from a consultant. This will spare you a lot of frustrations. 

Not getting feedback

It’s wise to consult employees who will be using the new technology on a daily basis. Do this even before you make a purchase. 

Remember that not everyone may feel at home with the new product. They might even discover some downsides you aren’t aware of. Talk to people to get important feedback, or you may find it difficult to convince them to use it. 

Need an IT professional to create a complete technology solution for your business? We’re happy to serve you.

 

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Here’s Microsoft 365!Microsoft pays more attention to customer feedback than you might think. Many business owners who complained about having to purchase Office 365 and Windows 10 separately have gotten what they wanted: Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 caters to the workplace by combining Office 365 and Windows 10 into one solution, which is available in two plans: […]

The post Here’s Microsoft 365! appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Here’s Microsoft 365!

Microsoft pays more attention to customer feedback than you might think. Many business owners who complained about having to purchase Office 365 and Windows 10 separately have gotten what they wanted: Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 caters to the workplace by combining Office 365 and Windows 10 into one solution, which is available in two plans: Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise.

Microsoft 365 Business

Designed for small- to medium-sized companies, this bundle includes some of the best productivity tools, security, and device management capabilities that Microsoft has to offer.

Productivity apps:

  • Access, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
  • SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, OneDrive, and Exchange
  • Business tools from the Office suite (Microsoft Invoicing, MileIQ, Outlook Customer Manager, and Bookings)

Enterprise-grade security and device management capabilities:

  • Intune App Protection for Office and other mobile apps
  • Exchange Online Archiving to back up, preserve, and protect your data
  • Windows Defender Exploit Guard and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection to keep your system safe from sophisticated malware and external threats like phishing

Additional services:

  • Regular updates for Windows 10 and the Office 365 apps
  • Automatic installation of Office apps on all Windows 10 devices
  • An admin console for managing and setting up devices and users

Microsoft 365 Business is available in three pricing plans: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for larger companies.

Productivity cloud-based and local apps:

  • Office 365 ProPlus, including apps like Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word for your Mac or PC
  • Online services for meetings, collaboration, file storage, email, and more
  • Windows 10 Enterprise, which includes app and device management features, providing users with the most secure version of the operating system yet

You can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Enterprise through three plans: E3, E5, and F1.

By choosing the right subscription model, you’ll be able to make the most out of Microsoft’s growing number of service offerings. If you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 10 and have any questions about the operating system, or are wondering which of the two plans to choose, give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Diffuse negative online comments the right wayCurrent trends show that personalized interactions help establish a business’s persona or identity with prospective customers. This makes the business more relatable and therefore more attractive to more consumers. To use this opportunity properly, social media managers should know how to keep their wits together, especially in the face of negativity online. Read on to […]

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Diffuse negative online comments the right way

Current trends show that personalized interactions help establish a business’s persona or identity with prospective customers. This makes the business more relatable and therefore more attractive to more consumers. To use this opportunity properly, social media managers should know how to keep their wits together, especially in the face of negativity online. Read on to learn more.

Online reputation management mistakes

As long as you have a successful business or brand, people will always have something to say about it. And when it comes to online reputation management, the goal is to create positive engagement with your customers. So if the discussion about your brand swings negative, here are a few online reputation blunders to avoid.

  • Reacting to negative commentary – Negative commentary is generally any commentary that constitutes a verbal attack. As a rule, if it isn’t constructive criticism, it’s probably negative commentary. Feel free to ignore these comments because engaging with them will escalate the conversation further, and fueling those flames are never good for business. It is one thing to stand up for values and principles in a diplomatic manner, and it is a completely different thing to engage in a word war with online commenters who will likely not endure any adverse effects to their negative commentary.
  • Reacting emotionally – If your reaction to negative comments is to fire back with negative comments, you’ll appear unprofessional. Customers want to do business with a brand that is professional. If you react emotionally or negatively to a customer online, who’s to say you wouldn’t do the same in real life to the person reading it? As a social media manager, you are the voice of the business. If your voice is abrasive, immature, and easy to bait into a pissing contest, best believe that your customers will see your business in the same light.

How to resolve negative commentary

While a negative comment about your brand may upset you, don’t let your emotions get the better of you and post something you’ll later regret. Instead, calm down, compose yourself, and follow these guidelines.

  • Figure out what the customer really wants – Every customer wants their problem to be resolved, but how they want their issue fixed will vary. Some customers want an apology, others want a refund, and some may simply want the product they ordered but did not receive. Just because the customer’s comments are poorly phrased doesn’t mean that they don’t have a legitimate grievance. Learn to ignore the personal attack and carefully draw out the true cause for concern.
  • Stick to the facts – When engaging with a customer online, the initial comment can quickly turn into a back-and-forth discussion. If this happens, don’t get off topic when addressing the problem. The customer may try to engage you in a he-said-she-said battle, but avoid taking the bait. Respond with facts, stick to the matter at hand, and don’t get caught up in personal accusations.
  • Turn the negative into a positive – Negative feedback is an opportunity to improve your business. So be honest with yourself and, if there’s truth in the comment, take a good hard look at your company. Did the commenter point out a glaring problem you can improve upon? Remember, a business is nothing without its customers, so it makes sense to do your best to please them.

To learn more about how to best manage your online reputation, or for assistance with any of your IT needs, get in touch with our experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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What you need to know about juice jackingWe’ve come to rely on our smartphones to help complete daily tasks, and this has resulted in the need to recharge our phones multiple times a day. But when you’re far from your charger, public charging kiosks can seem like a good substitute. However, this can lead to an incident of “juice jacking.” If this […]

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What you need to know about juice jacking

We’ve come to rely on our smartphones to help complete daily tasks, and this has resulted in the need to recharge our phones multiple times a day. But when you’re far from your charger, public charging kiosks can seem like a good substitute. However, this can lead to an incident of “juice jacking.” If this is news to you, find out what juice jacking is and how you can avoid it.

What’s juice jacking?

While newer phones have ditched the cable charger and moved on to wireless charging, older models still rely on power cords to transmit power to the mobile device. The problem with this setup is that the cable used for charging can also be used for transferring data. This setup is easily exploitable, and trust opportunists to do just that. When you use a public cable, they gain user access by leveraging the USB data/power cable to illegitimately access your phone’s data and/or inject malicious code into your device.

Attacks can be an invasion of privacy: your phone pairs with a computer concealed within the charging kiosk, and information such as private photos and contact information are transferred to a malicious computer. The computer can then access a host of personal information on the device, including your address book, notes, photos, music, SMS database, and keyboard cache. It can even initiate a full backup of your phone, all of which can be accessed wirelessly anytime.

But attacks can also be in the form of malicious code directly injected into your phone. A public USB hub can be used to transmit malware-ridden programs or tracking applications to the user’s mobile phone. All it takes is one minute of being plugged into a harmful charger.

How to avoid juice jacking

The most effective precaution is simply not charging your phone using a third-party system. Here are some tips to help you avoid using a public kiosk charger:

  • Keep your battery full. Make it a habit to charge your phone at your home and office when you are not actively using it or are just sitting at your desk working. When unexpected circumstances happen and you get stuck outside, your phone has juice.
  • Carry a personal charger. Chargers have become very small and portable, from USB cables to power banks. Always have one in your bag so you can charge your phone securely from a power outlet or on the go using a power bank.
  • If possible, carry a backup battery. If you’re not keen on bringing a spare charger or power bank, you can opt to carry a spare battery if your device has a removable battery, or a battery case (a phone case that doubles as a battery).
  • Lock your phone. Without the proper PIN code, fingerprint scan, or face ID, your phone cannot be paired with the device it’s connected to.
  • Use power-only USB cables. These cables are missing the two wires necessary for data transmission and have only the two wires for power transmission. They will charge your device, but data transfer is impossible.

Technology threats are all around us. Even the tiniest detail like charging your phone at a kiosk charger could affect the security of your device.

Looking to learn more about today’s security and threats? Contact us today and see how we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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