Cloud computing is everywhere (well not quite). 
By now, you’ve heard and used cloud computing in some fashion whether it be through social networking sites like Facebook, online e-mail like Gmail, shopping sites like Amazon.com or even storage programs like DropBox.

Today, many of the everyday services we rely on are moving to the cloud in order to expand the breadth of their offerings and serve a larger portion of their market. Your business can profit and flourish from these same cloud solutions.

Trade in your tricycle for a mountain bike.  Joining a trail bike race with a tricycle is just crazy. You need the right equipment to compete at the same level with industry experts. Cloud computing offers high quality solutions that prepare small and medium sized businesses for the fierce, otherwise untouchable, competition in their markets.

 Things to look for to prepare you for the ride.  Cloud computing is a complex mixture of technologies and not every piece will be a great fit for your operations. Take a look at these three things to consider when looking into cloud services.

1. What are your goals?  Clearly defining what you want to accomplish with your technology will help you determine the best solutions to support your efforts. Don’t pay for added offerings you will never use. Look for utilities that have a measurable benefit that will improve your business.

Today, many of the everyday services we rely on are moving to the cloud in order to expand the breadth of their offerings and serve a larger portion of their market. Your business can profit and flourish from these same cloud solutions.

2. Enlist an IT consultant that will map out your course and stick with you for the long haul.  Find a consultant who is ready and willing to discuss all the details and options with you. Creating a plan for implementation is just as important as putting the technology in place and maintaining it for the future.

Changing your company over to the cloud is not always a smooth transition. Having an expert on your side will smooth the integration keeping your business on track throughout the changes.

3. Create standard operating and training procedures.  As with anything new, change is difficult and there is a learning curve. Setup company meetings to inform staff of the operational changes and develop a list of standard operating procedures. Include things like common mistakes, error messages, and who to call for technical support.

This may seem pretty simple but, it can help employees tremendously just knowing they have the support they need.  

Cloud construction.  Cloud providers have worked hard to build business environments with a robust basis to account for the desired scalability and security businesses today require. Working with a cloud solution provider is like joining a large community. You become a part of their internal operations and can take advantage of their large scale options without the high cost of physical infrastructure installations.

Solid potential.  The “cloud computing” name doesn’t say enough for the possibilities. It sounds light and fluffy, airy, even temporary. However, cloud solutions are very firm, concrete if you will. Cloud providers give businesses of any size access to tools that can skyrocket their potential for success. To review cloud computing options for your company give Biz-Net a call today!!!   775-850-7700

We all joke about how donuts are evil, but now it’s a fact.  Nutritionists have found that those who consume more fatty dishes, carbohydrates, and processed foods experience higher levels of anger, frustration, and irritability due to a lack of proper nutrients. There is a direct connection between poor diets and anger. Nutrient deficiencies can trigger our tempers.

So, the next time you feel enraged, heated, irritated, offended, or just down right annoyed, take a look at what you’ve been eating.

Remedy your blue mood with good foods.  After all, it’s spring time and there are many luscious choices for fresh fruits and vegetables all around us. Remember, your body runs best with balanced diet.

A great tip to ensure you’re getting enough good stuff? Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal. Include things like fish, eggs, beans, and lintels in your diet and reduce or eliminate sodium and sugar.

Fatty and processed foods are truly under the microscope.  From restaurants to break rooms around the globe, fatty processed foods are becoming a thing of the past. Fresh options for quick meal fixes are available. The biggest challenge is making wise choices to keep your body healthy and balanced.            Fire the donuts!!!

Reducing the cost of doing business has become the topmost priority.  Since the benefits of information technology have become ubiquitous today, outsourcing has assisted in developing new global business trend. Time consuming tasks like trip planning, bookkeeping, research, scheduling, and marketing calls can be delegated and completed while you focus on larger tasks.

Outsourcing offers businesses more traction.  For instance, managers can easily get the things done in faster, better and cheaper through contractors living in another part of the world. It has helped to bridge the gap between the east and west. Countries like India, Bangladesh and Philippines have done a tremendous job to produce technically skilled manpower in order to put momentum in the businesses of the developed world.

Tips for outsourcing your work or personal tasks  There are a variety of resources online to help you find the right freelancer or assistant. Look for a reputable organization that has a history of outstanding service, offers reviews on their website, and tests for their freelance workers to show their skills like ODesk.com. As for personal assistants, consider using a virtual assistant staffing firm that does background checks and monitors their agents before you offer up your personal information.

A little extra time goes a long way. Business owners are now concentrating solely on important things like strategic planning and attracting potential customers. They are confidently putting the responsibilities of doing the simple day-to-day activities into the capable hands of freelancers or personal assistants

1. Overloading your network can lead to failures.  Computer systems are like a coffee cup…you add your beverage of choice, drink it down, and repeat. It’s a house for the caffeinated goodness you rely on. You wouldn’t continue filling your coffee cup if it was full, right? After all, you can’t drink the coffee off the floor.

With computers, we fill them with information, cycle out the old data, and work some more. Filling servers and computers to the brim can cause your systems to slow dramatically, programs may crash, or you may receive error messages warning you about low memory or disk space.  interrupting your workflow.

Make room before you overfill your cup.  Believe it or not, most people don’t know how much memory they have on their computers or company servers. Unfortunately, this is a huge risk. When you run out of room on your computer, there is simply no where to store things and there’s less memory for operations. This can cause your whole computing experience to come to a halt.

When was the last time you tested your servers to see what’s left? 
If you can’t remember, it has been too long! Have a trained technician determine the current memory used on your machines, the amount remaining, and the amount you need for your systems to continue operating effectively. Knowing what you’ve used, what you have left and what you need for the future will give you a clear picture to make informed decisions about your technology improvement projects.

2. Old equipment brings increased failure rates, compatibility challenges, and higher labor costs.  Pushing the life expectancy of your servers to the brink of its useful life is dangerous—You’re walking a tightrope with no net!  Yes, it sure looks good on your depreciation schedule, but your chances of a complete server failure dramatically increase and compatibility struggles as well as standard maintenance costs will skyrocket your operating expenses. Ultimately, using a server beyond its useful life can cost you more in the end than replacing the entire unit with something larger and more reliable.

Don’t underestimate the volatile nature of aging technology. Address errors, failures, and storage constraints before they become a burden your company can’t handle.

3. Rushing into solutions that won’t last.  Sometimes making a plan seems tedious. It’s just easier to implement something and see how it goes.  Hours of analysis and meetings to make decisions for the future can be time consuming and seem needlessly painful.

Enlist the assistance of an experienced advisor  to review your current operations and suggest reliable solutions for the future. Creating a plan for technology improvements before you dive into an overhaul will save you time and money. Put a system in place that offers the security, versatility, and scalability you need to grow your business without interruptions.

4.Underprepared for inevitable risks.  If you are in business, you know there are always risks. Some risks can be mitigated with simple procedural solutions like an evacuation plan for workers to safely exit in case of an emergency. Unfortunately, technology doesn’t allow the same level of visibility. You cannot always see the hazards ahead.

Invest in quality critical business services that support and secure your operations. Things like an automatic backup and recover solution, regular software and hardware updates, antivirus protection, a firewall, and ongoing network monitoring will help you head off disaster before it strikes. Take control of your essential operations so you can focus on more important tasks like serving your clients.

5. Ignorance is bliss.  When you see a new high-ticket item, do you simply take a deep breath and pay the price you see first? NO! These days, we are a society of wise shoppers. The Internet is a great resource to find great deals on otherwise grossly overpriced items you may see in stores. And, you might even find something more suited to you needs.

Technology is no different.  Shopping for items for your business shouldn’t be about the best sales pitch or the prettiest advertisements. If you have a need, ask. Reach out to your trusted advisor to discuss your business needs, technology goals, expectations, and general thoughts. Finding a solution that works doesn’t mean you have the best equipment for the long haul.

Business is business… and there will always be risks. Take charge! Avoid these five common oversights and save your company a bundle of money and a barrel of time so you can get back to what you do best.

Signs of this hoax.  Generally, callers have a heavy accent, they use common names like “Bill” or “John” and always have a sense of urgency. These scammers may tell you that they are technicians and noticed your computer is reporting error messages to their systems. Then the caller claims they can resolve the issue for you if you allow them access to your system.

The technician may even tell you a virus has infected your computer and if you give them authority they can upload a program to scan and clean it up for a small fee.

Avoid hoax calls by asking a billion questions.  That’s right,  don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. If the caller is legitimate, they will be understanding and ready to walk you through everything step-by-step. Here are a few great questions to start you off. If they can’t answer these, hang up! What is the name of your company? What’s the phone number I can call if I have questions? What is your supervisors name? May I speak with your supervisor please?

Remember…  If anyone calls claiming to be from a software company, your computer probably isn’t infected, don’t type in any information from them on your computer, and never give out your credit card number over the phone. Be safe!

For more information visit:  www.ic3.gov.

Many of the breaches reported in 2012 were 100% preventable. For example, many of these included theft of an unencrypted laptop from an employee’s car or home in which the criminal found a gold mine of employee, client, or contractor information.

Had the companies conducted a risk analysis to safeguard electronic client information, they may have been able to simply replace the laptop and move on. In a world of remote workers, security is crucial. Never store client or financial information on a laptop or personal device even if you use them for work.

Setup a secure connection for remote workers to access files and store information on protected work computers or servers. If you need assistance setting up a remote environment for your company, give Biz-Net a call. Better to be safe, than a statistic!

Have you ever heard someone say, “Wow, you’re so lucky!” Are these people really lucky? Are you sure they aren’t just prepared?

Everyday, we hear stories about folks that have seemingly avoided disaster. Some of these stories make the victims look so lucky to have survived the incident. But, if you look closely you will find that many of the individuals or companies had taken some measure of caution to prepare themselves for such a disaster. Were they paranoid?

Paranoia is the baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.  In some cases, paranoia can be crippling. For example, business owners that spend countless hours trying to predict what the market will do or how an event will negatively impact their company, but never take action. They spend so long trying to plan for every “what-if” scenario that they miss the simple precautionary measures that could save their business in any event.

Productive paranoia is when those excessive suspicions push you to take action. Being paranoid shouldn’t paralyze you. Find and implement preventative measures that will counter act or stop a negative impact in any situation. Think about it, what makes up the core of your business? Immediately, I think of my customers, data, and staff. My business can operate anywhere as long as I have these three things. Can yours?

Create a safety net with your suspicions.  Every business is a little different and we are all at risk in some fashion. Go ahead, brainstorm the worst case scenarios for your company. Here are a few to get you started: physical break-in and theft, natural disaster, an Internet attack, data loss or a fire. Build a plan to keep the basic functionality of your business in tact in any event. This may be the determining factor in how quickly you recover when the unthinkable comes to fruition.

Preventative measures give you strength.  Now that you have those uneasy feelings stirring inside, set your mind at ease with these four little words…

You can prevent loss!

Taking a proactive approach to managing your company gives you strength. Physical protection including an alarm system in your office, good internal and external lighting, working smoke detectors, and a regularly maintained fire
extinguisher may help you prevent devastating break-ins and fires. Technical measures include things like an active antivirus protection program, 24/7/365 monitoring for your network, a strong firewall, off-site backup, virtual servers, regular system checks, and updates. These affordable precautions can keep hackers and thieves from taking hold of your company data. Preventing even one attack is worth the investment.

What do the “lucky ones” have in common?  Productive paranoia. They don’t let fears overwhelm their efforts to conduct business. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, they work under the assumption that risky situations will surface and they are prepared to take action when the time comes.

Do you react or respond with grace?  If you feel like you’re stuck in fire fighter mode, you need to make some changes. Reacting to critical issues doesn’t give you time to breathe. Put preventative measures in place so you can respond to turmoil and threats with grace and relax a bit so you can focus on what really counts.

Speed dating drops your expectations.  Simply having awesome technology isn’t enough to guarantee your business will succeed. Your network requires an attentive partner to keep things running up-to-date and efficiently at all times. Calling a technician from the Yellow Pages when you have a problem may be an easy fix, but how do you know the technician is genuine and truthful? You don’t!

It’s OK to run screaming for the door!  If your current IT provider leaves you pulling your hair out for days or keeps coming back to fix the same issue, drop them like a bad habit. You deserve the best! Don’t lower your expectations of service, raise the bar for future relationships and find a solution that fulfills all of your company needs.

Take inventory and communicate your needs clearly.  Relationship experts around the globe will tell you, a good relationship hinges on clear communication. So, it’s time to take inventory of what you have, find out what your company requires for smooth operations, and learn how to get what you need out of your network so you can clearly communicate with your IT advisor. Start by reviewing the following:

• Policies: Rules in place to keep your network safe like an Acceptable Use Policy, Communications Policy, or a Remote Access Policy so everyone understands what is expected.
• Equipment: Your network should be made up of the right hardware and software to fit your company needs. Evaluate each component to ensure proper space, speed, and security.
• Backup: A comprehensive backup of all your data is priceless. When disaster strikes, your backup may be the only leg you have to stand on. Automatic offsite backup is a great way to ensure you have everything no matter what.
• Security: An antivirus protection program, a method to implement security updates and patches as well as an ongoing monitoring to assess and protect your company from potential threats.

Need help reviewing your network?  Give Biz-Net a call. We can help you turn that messy marriage of servers, computers, and peripherals into a harmonious work environment everyone will love.

Don’t be afraid of commitment…  Now that you know what you need and can communicate it clearly, it’s time to create and implement a solution for the long haul. A managed service agreement provides you with big business technology solutions for a flat monthly fee without a large investment. Here are a few advantages you can expect from a great managed service provider like Biz-Net:

1. Lower overall costs with one predictable monthly price tag

2. Higher levels of support and availability

3. Access to the latest technology and security

4. Adaptable and scalable business solutions

From the first date to the proposal and beyond… We vow to be honest, thorough, and reliable. We’re dedicated entirely to your technology needs so you can focus on what really counts, your business.  Marco

1. Don’t tap the keyboard, swipe (aka Swype).
The keyboard’s Swype feature eliminates the problem of hitting tiny keys with big fingers. Swype lets you drag your finger from one letter to the next. A little line follows your drag.  When you are finished with a word, lift your finger and the word you made appears on the screen like magic. It’s pretty darnn accurate too. If you tried this and it doesn’t seem to work, it may not be activated on your device. Open a text field and pull down your device’s notification bar from the top of the screen and tap ‘select Input Method’, then choose ‘Swype’.

2. Unlock with your face.  This is so sci-fi!! You can hold your Android up and stare into its camera to unlock the device. To set up, go to Settings>Security>Screen Lock>Face Unlock. Do yourself a favor and set a backup pin or pattern to trace to quickly unlock your devise if you’re in a pinch or if the face detection doesn’t work. It’s fun, but sometimes it just doesn’t work.

Social networking sites give away more than just info. Hackers have a billion and one ways to guess your password and most of them are pretty simple. Bad guys often start with the names of your children, spouse, or pet and then combine it with a significant birthday or anniversary. Unfortunately, many of us are guilty of highlighting these things on social networking sites.

A general rule of thumb. Change your password two to four times a year and always use letters, numbers and characters. In addition, make your password at least 20 characters long and protect all of your personal accounts with family information and financials.

Password tips to remember… You can use a favorite phrase (as long as it isn’t on Facebook or Twitter) and mix it up a little by adding some numbers and a top keyboard character and you’re set. Or, try combining familiar things with an acronym. For example, use the initials of family members separated by a sentence.

Example:   ACM20thawi2009.JC  comes from Anne Carter (aunt) My 20th anniversary was in 2009. John Carter (uncle)