HAPPY NEW YEAR! January 2020
microTECH Times Covered I.T. 24/7—Never Worry Again!
Every year roughly 60% of us make New Year’s resolutions, but only about 8% are successful in achieving their goals. Here are five great resolutions to implement for your business that can help you grow your company.
Lose weight, quit smoking, or learn a new skill... Many people set resolutions like
these to better themselves personally. What about your business though? What kinds of resolutions will help your company grow? We did a little research and found the top five New Year’s resolutions to adopt in order to grow your company.
1. Invest more in your company’s infrastructure. Ever heard the old adage about put-
ting lipstick on a pig? Well, many business owners are caught up in a vicious cycle of dressing up their old technology just enough to keep things running. Don’t wait until things start falling apart. Make a plan this year to invest in your infrastructure and build a better foundation to grow your company in the coming year. Refreshing the core of your IT infrastructure may include things like enhancing IT security, upgrading your technolo-
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gy to increase productivity, or even automating your backups.
2. Move to the cloud. Have you
been considering cloud services? Well, it’s a great time to make the change. There are a variety of cloud service offerings available these days that offer access to your data from anywhere anytime with unlimited storage abilities and real-time collaboration features. The time of on-premise servers is quickly fading. Let go of that old physical server. With cloud services there are no more maintenance bills, upgrade expenses, or storage expansion projects. Everything is always on and ready.
3. Replace old equipment. Building a business is hard enough without interruptions from failing equipment. So, when you toss that old server and (Continued on page 2)
6 Top Security Risks For Businesses……Pg 2 Is Managed IT Really For Me?...................Pg 2 Business Tech Trends To Watch For……..Pg 3 Top VoIP Service Features…...….…...Pg 3 Make S.M.A.R.T Resolutions This Year....Pg 4 A New Year’s Resolution For Better Security This Year...……….Pg 4
“You are never too old to reinvent yourself.” ~ Steve Harvey “Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret or fear.” ~Unknown Author “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” ~Tony Robbins “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” ~William E. Vaughan
It’s that time of year again to set some new personal and business goals. Here are a few of the hottest personal resolutions for 2020. Maybe you’ll fine a new one to inspire you.
Do something you love every day.
After 80,000 interviews with managers, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, discovered that people truly just want to be motivated, happy and productive. These brilliant founders of the Gallup organization, witnessed people affirmatively answer time and time again that most workers just want to be passionate about what they do. They are more happy and productive when they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day. So, check-in with yourself at work today. Are you truly doing what you love? If not, how can you revitalize your career?
Give yourself and others more credit.
It’s true. We all operate better when we feel like we’re recognized for our hard work and dedi(Continued on page 3)
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move into the cloud, look at a full network refresh. Updating things like battery backups, computers, switches and your firewall will increase the speed of your network and processing power.
4. Tighten up your IT security. Marsha,
Marsha, Marsha! Do you remember that old line from the Brady Bunch show? Jan was always so jealous of Marsha. Well, you don’t have to be jealous of those bigger companies. Enterprise level security features are available for everyone these days. The tricky part is investing in the right network security solutions to protect your company files, valuable client data, email communications and financials. Make sure your company has these basic security features in place before it’s to late:
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Wi-Fi security Two-factor authentication VPN for remote work
5. Build a scalable IT plan.
Building a plan for the future seems like a no brainer. However, it is truly one of the most overlooked plans in business. I guess it makes since because money is truly the ultimate goal. Increase revenue, boost profitability, or reduce expenses; that’s what most people keep at the forefront of their operations. So, I hate to break this to you, but you need a plan in place to help you scale your technology. With all those sales goals and revenue numbers to hit, don’t forget you will need more workers to fulfill your commitments to your new clients.
Need help? Give us a call. We’re of-
fering a Network Assessment to give you a full view of your company’s infrastructure. This can help you map out for goals for the year and prioritize your company’s needs.
An update and patch plan
Network Security Audit. Micro Enterprises LLC
Firewall
877-540 -6789
Kicking off a whole new year full of new risks and infections. Take time to review these top six security risks for businesses in 2020.
2.
Weak passwords — make strong passwords, encourage your staff to do the same or implement a password manager to help.
Risks for the new year. I’ll never
3.
Lack of encryption — if your data and e-mail isn’t encrypted, it’s time to get the ball rolling. Unencrypted data is the MOST vulnerable!
forget being mesmerized by my first computer, a Mac 512. Ahhh, those were the good old days before cyber attacks and security became second nature. Here is a listing of the top recorded security risks for businesses in 2020. Make sure your company is ready.
4.
Malware — these darn infections are just nasty, but can be avoided with a regular maintenance schedule to install updates and patches.
If you don’t know, learn and grow.
5.
Rouge insiders — who would have thought that disgruntle employees would make this list. Unfortunately, employees can be a real security threat for company's’ of any size.
1.
6.
Unpatched or unsupported devices. Routers, servers, computers, firewalls and more are all risky for your business if they’re left unmanaged.
If you don’t know about or have security to protect your company from these threats, be aware — your business may not recover from an attack:
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Phishing Attacks — when hackers sneak into your network via email to exploit your company data for their own personal gain.
I am sure you’ve heard of managed IT services, but what are the major pro’s and con’s?
The pro’s... Managed
IT services can help you manage costs and gain more control over your technology. This will help you avoid high risk situations. Threats are on the rise and evolving. Managed IT providers stay in tune with current security trends and equipment releases. These advantages will improve your work environment, reduce down time, and help you scale as your business grows.
The con’s... One of
the biggest complaints we’ve heard is that not all managed IT companies are local, so they cannot come onsite to fix things as easily. Another con, all providers are a bit different. They pick and choose what they are willing to support. They may not be well versed on your specialty software therefore, troubleshooting and upkeep may take some time to learn.
The bottom line…
if you’re spending to much on hourly IT and you’re ready to outsource, look for a provider who can handle your specific IT needs. Layout your expectations and concerns during the 1st meeting and stay in communication with them 100% of the time.
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cation. A Gallup study found that people who felt recognized and praised over the past week were actually more happy and productive workers. Even though we are less likely to work directly with our immediate supervisors, it’s critical to keep in touch and discuss our work as well as our direction. So, recognize yourself and others around you to help inspire a healthier and more productive work environment.
Listen more than you speak. As Epictetus stated, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” Take time this year to listen to all that your coworkers are saying. They may need you to be the voice of reason or just listen while they work through a problem. Lending an ear can empower them to resolve issues that they may be stalled with and cannot move forward. Your kind ear may be just what they need to feel validated and ready to take the next step.
Resolve to be a better you. The year is
just getting started. Make resolutions that are realistic and attainable; then dedicate yourself to them and push forward to achieve your greatest dreams.
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Technology allows your company to stay productive and competitive. Business owners today see the great value in growing their toolset to enhance their business. Here are a few tech trends to watch for in the coming year.
Collaboration tools. Businesses rely
heavily on a combination of skills from a variety of people. More small businesses today are shifting their tools to include remote offerings and team collaboration platforms. This helps keep everyone connected and able to put in a 100% effort regardless of their personal pain points.
Managed services. Business owners
just like you are truly seeing the value in refocusing their business efforts on just their offerings. Managed IT services are a great way to take the struggles out of technology and allow your staff access to trained professionals that easily resolve issues that arise so they can get back to what really counts, your customers. Technology inherently comes
January 2020
with a learning curve, but you don’t need to have an IT manager on staff to keep your company moving. Managed IT services offer 24/7 monitoring, scalability, and security. Data breaches are at an all time high. Give your business a stable infrastructure to safeguard your operations from annoying interruptions.
HR technology. The meat of your
company is ultimately your staff. They care for your clients, data and daily operations. Without them, you’d be running a one-man army. That is why many business are investing in HR technology to create a better overall employee experience. Cloud-based HR tools provide real -time data and personal access. Things like employee onboarding, engagement, training, health, and even recruitment are more accessible, consistent and stable with these new tools.
Technology can help. Collaboration, IT maintenance or even people management, no matter what pains you’re facing, technology may be a great solution.
Tired of your traditional landline telephone lacking flexibility and features? Business VoIP telephone services may be the perfect solution.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone services, you can put your com-
munications in a more accessible outlet with advanced features everyone will love. This cloud based solution will unite your entire business on one easy to use platform. These top 9 features are just a few of the reasons why we are seeing such a shift this year. Watch out telephone company, smart business owners want more from their providers like: 1.
Call recording
2.
Lower costs without losing features
3.
Accessibility anywhere, anytime
4.
Voicemail transcription right to you inbox
5.
Enhanced call quality
6.
Always on reliability
7.
Virtual concierge when you need assistance
8.
Top notch security features
9.
Conference calling
Ready to take the next step? Give us a call today. We’d love to see your current phone bill and show you your savings with a new VoIP system.
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January 2020
“We make all of your computer problems go away without adding additional full-time I.T. staff!” Ask about our fixed price service agreements — Computer support at a flat monthly fee you can budget for, just like payroll!
Make S.M.A.R.T. Resolutions This Year. The New Year R is for Relevant. Every resolution makes us all want to commit to something new. Regardless of your final resolutions this year, you can turn them into S.M.A.R.T. goals so you can truly see your success.
What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal? Paul J. Meyer, the author and
founder of Success Motivation International, defines S.M.A.R.T. goals in his book “Attitude Is Everything: If You Want To Succeed Above and Beyond.” This fantastic book lays out a concise method to set and achieve goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for; specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.
you select should match your other efforts, be a worthwhile expense of your time, and applicable for you personally as well as professionally. Look at the big picture of your work life balance.
T is for Time Bound. Create a target
S is for Specific. Be very specific about your final vision for
date for your resolutions. Giving yourself a firm deadline will help you focus on meeting the mark. For example, if you want to increase revenue by 30% this year for your business, give yourself a few benchmarks to view your progress and a final date to see how you really did.
M is for Measurable. There is nothing worse than running a
Benefits to smartening up your resolutions. This S.M.A.R.T. method for
your goal. Whether it is a business or personal goal, you should clearly define what you want to accomplish, why it’s important, who you may need to be involved, where you can execute your activities, and what resources you’ll need to be successful. race and just following the leader. When you’re considering resolutions this year, take time to layout the finish line. How will you know you’ve completed it successfully?
A is for Achievable. Look carefully at the full picture and your current standing. Is your resolution achievable? What obstacles may stand in your way and how can you ensure success.
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goal setting helps you plan and achieve your goals. It is an extremely effective tool to help you gain clarity and motivation.
A New Year’s Resolution For Better Security The New Year is here and there is no time to waste. Technology is not perfect; inevitably it will crash at some point. The key is keeping good records of your data so you can recover gracefully when disaster strikes. Give your company the upper hand with automatic offsite backup from Micro Enterprises LLC. Don’t count on external hard drives or flash drives that can become corrupt, damaged or lost. Invest in the only proven method to keep your data up-to-date and secure throughout the year,
AUTOMATIC OFFSITE BACKUP
Monitored for you by skilled technicians 24/7/365
Micro Enterprises LLC ● 877-540 -6789