Great Lakes Computer Corporation

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Archives for April 2014

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“Basic Tech Tips” Blog Series: Remote Monitoring

Remote Monitoring basicsToday in our Basic Tech Tips blog series, where we look at some of the terminology we use daily and get back to the basics, we examine Remote Monitoring.  We found a great definition from Techopedia:

“Remote monitoring and management (RMM) is a collection of information technology tools that are loaded to client workstations and servers. These tools gather information regarding the applications and hardware operating in the client’s location as well as supply activity reports to the IT service provider, allowing them to resolve any issues. RMM usually provides a set of IT management tools like trouble ticket tracking, remote desktop monitoring, support and user information through a complete interface.

RMM is the proactive, remote tracking of network and computer health. RMM helps to enhance the overall performance of present technical support staff and take advantage of resources in a much better manner.”

Managed IT Service Providers and Remote Monitoring

Managed IT Service providers use Remote Monitoring to:

    • Effectively handle their clients’ IT requirements.
    • Increase Technician productivity by monitoring various workstations and multiple clients simultaneously.
    • Quickly resolve issues even before the clients experience these issues in their environment.
    • Automate scheduled maintenance tasks.

The core benefit of Remote Monitoring is detecting problems, reporting them back to the service providers, and permitting technical experts to fix these problems remotely, often times before the client realizes there is an issue.

Once thought to be a luxury for large organizations, Remote Monitoring has become an affordable practice for any size oganization.  At less than $1/day, Great Lakes Computer provides Remote Monitoring to businesses both large and small, helping reduce business impacting outages.

More information on Remote Monitoring for less than$1/day!

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5 Features Your IT Support Service Must Have

IT OutsourcingIf you’ve finally made the decision to outsource your IT support services, then you’re going to start evaluating a number of different companies. You’ll learn a lot during the process.  But before you even start, you should at least have an idea of some of the best features
on which to compare your future IT support team.

Here are a few of the top areas of comparison:

    1. General experience: This isn’t everything because some companies learn how to do things better than others. You could hire a company with 5 years of experience who knows how to do things much more efficiently and cost-effectively than another with 7. But, in general, the more experienced company will provide a higher quality of service and know how to better address your needs.
    2. Experience within your specific industry: The IT needs for the healthcare industry versus a law firm, for example, are much different. Both will need extensive record keeping, but what is stored differs dramatically. Legal firms, which are often very small, also may need someone who physically visits the premises and makes hardware repairs.
    3. Custom solutions: When you talk to the representative from your managed services provider, note how much they ask questions versus provide answers. If they’re doing all the talking and telling you how things should be done, then how are they going to understand which services best fit your company’s needs?  If they’re giving you all the answers, then you’re probably getting a cookie-cutter solution that everyone gets. And that may not be the best for your company. The best managed network services provider asks many questions so they fully understand which services will drive the most value for your business.
    4. Client references: Any company worth their salt should be able to provide you with at least a handful of clients willing to serve as references. And if you really want to go the extra mile, actually call them. Few companies will follow through and contact the client references.
    5. BBB rating: Not all IT support companies have been around long enough to get listed with the BBB. However, the industry as a whole is getting mature enough that many companies do have this rating. Don’t view it as the final authority on the quality of a business, but do take it into consideration as another important factor.

If you check those 5 factors while you evaluate different IT support companies, then you’re sure to end up with a high-quality service provider.

Learn more about the author Bob Martin

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5 Preventative Printer Repair & Maintenance Tips

Printer maintenance“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is a wise and true saying. But, it’s difficult to pull off in business because you have so much on your plate at any given time, that it’s hard to keep up with every last detail.  So, hopefully this post saves you some time by helping you understand how to take action and perform simple printer maintenance and repairs in the first place, so you don’t have to pay for a more complicated one later on down the line.

Here are some simple preventative printer maintenance tips

First of all, if you have the manufacturer’s manual, check it out for a prescribed cleaning regimen.  Most manufacturers do provide specific maintenance schedules for each printer model they have. They’ll often provide a specific schedule for daily, monthly, and yearly maintenance. If you don’t have that manual and can’t locate it on the internet, however, follow these general tips:

    1. Avoid using solvents or ammonia-based cleaners to clean your printer. If you do wantto clean the exterior of your printer, it’s better to dampen a cloth with isopropyl or ethyl alcohol. Make sure you inspect the rollers that pickup the paper to see if they’re dusty, and clean them when necessary.
    2. Help the ink keep its pigment. In most offices, this will never be a problem. But if you have a personal printer you use that doesn’t sit on the local network, then this is a good point to remember. You should print a few pages at least every 1-2 weeks to keep the ink fresh. This also helps the print head remain moist, giving you good printing quality.
    3. Maintain a good humidity level. For ideal functioning, printers need to have around 40-60% humidity.
    4. Clean the paper path. Paper dust, toner, film, and regular airborne dust can accumulate both on the paper and the path it follows before it gets printed on. Inspect this path every few months, and clean accordingly.
    5. Pay regular attention to the print heads. Remember that isopropyl alcohol you’re supposed to use? Apply it to the print heads to ensure they do not get clogged. You can identify if this is a problem by poor printing quality.

When it comes to printer repair, following these simple preventative maintenance tips will help keep the quality of your printing high, extend the life of your printer, and reduce the frequency repairs are needed. What will your business do with the cash it saves?

Learn More About Great Lakes Printer Repair

Learn more about the author Bob Martin

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