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5 Tips on How to Choose a Managed Print Provider

managed print servicesYou give your business the most value by sticking with your core competencies. Eliminating some of the other business functions through outsourcing can be a great way to free up your schedule to focus on the important parts. One commonly identified bottleneck in any business owner’s day is dealing with print-related issues. But, how do you choose the right Managed Print Provider? We suggest using these criteria:

1. How many years has the provider been in the managed print business? Longevity means they have happy customers that have kept them in business.

2. What type of printers are they trained to repair? If you have specialized printing equipment, like thermal printers. POS printers, or laser plotters, you need someone with expertise.

3. Do they offer regular maintenance? One of the best ways to reduce downtime and unexpected expenses is regular maintenance. Keeping your print equipment clean, updated, and in good working condition can help your equipment last.

4. Do they offer remote monitoring? Remote monitoring of supply levels means they can get your new toner to you before the old one runs out. It also allows you access to information you can use to reduce your print costs by telling you who is printing, what they are printing, and more. You can use this information to identify unnecessary printing operations and resource hogs.

5. Are they reliable? How quick can you expect service when a printer experiences a problem? You need to be confident they can get to you in a reasonable time frame, have a parts inventory at their disposal, and be able to offer you a temporary replacement printer in the event yours is not a quick repair.

Great Lakes Computer Corporation is a Managed Print Provider

Through our Managed Print Service, we will examine your document reproduction needs, streamline your work flow, and minimize your print costs by optimizing your print processes, helping you get the most out of this critical business function.

This service by GLC includes Toner along with repair and maintenance services, all for about the same amount you’re paying for an OEM Toner alone!

What you can expect:

• All inclusive plan: everything is included except the paper (i.e. toner, maintenance kits, all parts, labor, etc)

• Lower print costs with 10 – 30% savings on overall printing costs

• The program is billed on a “per page” basis, which means how much you pay per month will depend upon how much you print

• Preventative printer maintenance to increase uptime and reduce printer repair service calls

• Automated print supply ordering and trouble notification

• Less IT involvement with printing problems

• Precise management of print resources to control and reduce print cost

• Your printers are monitored remotely, enabling us to catch problems early and resolve them more efficiently. We monitor the toner level of a printer, any errors that are generated, as well as the page count. GLC can then produce various reports with information that gives you a better overview of your print operations, plus insights as to how you can further reduce your costs.

Let us take a look at your current print operations, and help identify where you can save – schedule a free, no obligation assessment today.

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How to Make More Money While Doing Less

managed service providerWe’ve certainly got your attention with that headline, right? Too good to be true? Not at all. Entrepreneurs are known for having great ideas, but they are equally notorious for thinking they can do it all. Many SMB owners are the first to admit that they “wear many hats”. They tend to hold the reigns, from accountant to manager and sales to procurement, potentially to their own detriment. So how can you possibly make more money while doing less? Smart outsourcing of day-to-day tasks.

Previously, outsourcing was reserved for the enterprise-level operations with big budgets. But, technology in general, and cloud computing specifically, has made these services realistic and applicable to businesses of any size. How can paying someone to do a task you could do in-house make you more money? Because you are buying yourself the time to focus on revenue-generating activities. You are using your expertise in the best way possible, and letting others do the same.

What Services Should I Outsource?

There are some functions that are quick to be outsourced, like payroll and background checks. Then there are the more complex or vital functions like marketing, blog writing, IT management, and accounting. When deciding what to outsource, determine which functions of your business make you different from your competition, your “core competencies.” The services that aren’t in this group you can consider outsourcing. There are a wide range of service providers from independent freelancers to small firms that specialize in being outsourced service providers for SMBs.

Who Is Providing these Services?

There are many providers who recognize that specializing in a particular business function could create great economies of scale for clients. These managed service providers can leverage their expertise to get the best results for their clients. Additionally, technology has enabled us to work remotely without a disruption in level of service. When it comes to functions like IT hardware management, data and network security issues, and printing functions, having an expert focused solely on this technology can be a boon to your bottom line. Even if you have in-house IT staff, do they have time to maintain all your hardware and networking needs while also innovating to help you grow?

How Do I Choose a Service Provider?

Today’s world runs on recommendations. We don’t go anywhere, or buy anything, without doing some quick research on what others have experienced. Managed Services should be the same. Ask other business owners that you trust. Ask for a list of references, and take the time to call them. Find a provider that understands your business needs and that values security. Check out our blog post Top Criteria for Choosing an IT Managed Service Provider.

How Do I Outsource Successfully?

The biggest factor in success, once you have chosen a function and provider, is to clarify your expectations. For example, if you value quality over speed then they need to know that. Don’t keep providers in the dark about your goals. You are paying them to act on your behalf, so give them access to the tools and information they need to successfully do their job. The challenge here is to outsource functionality securely, in a manner that does not put employee personal information or customer data at risk. 

When you outsource, you can focus your time, attention and resources on your company’s core competencies – and spend your time setting new goals and finding ways to achieve them.

Investing in the services of a Managed Service Provider pays off in dividends in the form of more time to focus on and grow your business. It also reduces the potential costs resulting from catastrophic hardware failure or data loss. The key is to find a provider you can trust. Your MSP is not just a vendor, but a partner that wants to see your business succeed and operates in your best interest. Great Lakes Computer can be that partner. We offer a range of Managed Services that can manage your IT and help you get back to what you’re good at.

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Data Security Warning: Hurricanes Bring Out the Scammers

bigstock-Hurricane-Matthew-Above-Florid-150583559-221441-edited.jpgIn the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and with the predictions for Irma, we want to remind our readers to keep vigilant about protecting their data. Hackers use the confusion and swell of donation requests as a window of opportunity to send phishing emails. Want to learn how to protect yourself from these attacks? Read our blog post Malware Tip: Protecting Yourself from Phishing Hacks. 

Read the official warning released by the Department of Homeland Security:

US-CERT warns users to remain vigilant for malicious cyber activity seeking to capitalize on interest in Hurricane Harvey. Users are advised to exercise caution in handling any email with subject line, attachments, or hyperlinks related to Hurricane Harvey, even if it appears to originate from a trusted source. Fraudulent emails will often contain links or attachments that direct users to phishing or malware-infected websites. Emails requesting donations from duplicitous charitable organizations commonly appear after major natural disasters.

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventative measures to protect themselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns:

    • Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
    • Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the US-CERT Tip Using Caution with Email Attachmentsfor more information on safely handling email attachments.
    • Keep antivirus and other computer software up-to-date.
    • Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks.
    • Review the Federal Trade Commission information on Charity Scams.
    • Verify the legitimacy of any email solicitation by contacting the organization directly through a trusted contact number. You can find trusted contact information for many charities on the BBB National Charity Report Index.

If you want to ensure you have the best data security protection for your business, contact Great Lakes Computer Corporation today.

Learn more about our Data Security Product Suite

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Lenovo Innovations Making Sci-Fi a Reality – An Augmented Reality

lenovoLenovo makes computing equipment that is best-in-class. That’s why we are a certified supplier of their hardware. The Lenovo brand has the industries lowest failure rates, the best end-user experience, and a commitment to cutting edge technology and innovation. The latest out of Lenovo, using Augmented Reality (AR), may not be useful for your business, but it shows their dedication to forward-thinking.

The new product they are releasing, in partnership with Disney, is a Star Wars fan dream. The technology is the Lenovo Mirage AR headset. It provides users with an augmented reality experience that combines a smartphone-powered headset, touch controller, and tracking sensor. In combination with the Disney game Star Wars: Jedi Challenge, users can use the Lightsaber Controller to battle the dark side in a very realistic experience.

From a feature in PCMag.com:

“With Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, Lenovo and Disney are bringing Star Wars to fans in ways they could previously only imagine,”says Jeff Meredith, SVP and General Manager of Consumer Business Segment, Lenovo PCs and Smart Devices. The game will be user-friendly for all ages while still having multiple levels of immersive gameplay focused on the use of Jedi Holocrons, gaining knowledge of the Jedi, and perfecting lightsaber skills.

A strategic element will also be involved with the ability to command armies to fight the Empire, Sepretaists, and First Order. Holochess, the holographic board game that’s periodically been seen in Star Wars movies will now appear in real life. “Augmented reality has always been an important part of Star Wars, and it’s exciting to bring these key moments to life with this product,” said Meredith.

“We believe augmented reality will usher in a new era of storytelling and play an important role in the experiences we create for our fans,” said Kyle Laughlin, SVP of Games and Interactive Experiences, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. “With Star Wars: Jedi Challenges [we] fulfill the wishes of anyone who’s ever wanted to wield a lightsaber or take on empire forces on the battlefield.”

Official release of the game is scheduled for November 2017.

If you’re in the market for new IT hardware, contact us today. We can help you find the Lenovo products you need to help your business run smarter. 

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Ransomware: A HIPAA Compliance Nightmare

HIPAA ComplianceWe’ve written a lot about ransomware in the last year. It’s a serious data security risk and can cause complete data loss, even if you pay the ransom. Dealing with any data loss takes a toll on a business in terms of customer trust, downtime, lost revenue, and security. But, combine that loss with personal health information (PHI), and you’ve got a far bigger problem.

In July, we published a blog, Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals becoming an Epidemic, because there is definitely a trend in these attacks on health facilities. Why would hospitals be a preferred target? Because they can’t afford to lose access to health records.

Detecting and addressing a ransomware attack is a very stressful situation. When it comes to medical records, we now have a far more complex situation. HIPAA compliance rules are very strict and the penalties for violation can be steep. But, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that HIPAA compliance can in fact reduce the likelihood of an attack as well as aid in the recovery after the fact. The full details were published in a fact sheet about HIPAA compliance as it relates to ransomware that may be useful. 

How HIPAA Compliance reduces likelihood of attack

While there is no guaranteed prevention from being a victim of this breed of malware, following the HIPAA Security Rule can certainly reduce the likelihood. These measures align with smart computer business practices we should all follow. Some of the required security measures are as follows:

    • Implementing a security management process, which includes conducting a risk analysis to identify threats and vulnerabilities to electronic protected health information (ePHI) and implementing security measures to mitigate or remediate those identified risks
    • Implementing procedures to guard against and detect malicious software
    • Training users on malicious software protection so they can assist in detecting malicious software and know how to report such detections
    • Implementing access controls to limit access to ePHI to only those persons or software programs requiring access

How HIPAA Compliance aids in recovery after attack

We preach it all the time, but the HHS agrees: The only way to achieve maximum recovery from an attack is backup and recovery. The HIPAA Security Rule will help here too. From the fact sheet:

Because ransomware denies access to data, maintaining frequent backups and ensuring the ability to recover data from backups is crucial to recovering from a ransomware attack. Test restorations should be periodically conducted to verify the integrity of backed up data and provide confidence in an organization’s data restoration capabilities. Because some ransomware variants have been known to remove or otherwise disrupt online backups, entities should consider maintaining backups offline and unavailable from their networks.

Implementing a data backup plan is a Security Rule requirement for HIPAA covered entities and business associates as part of maintaining an overall contingency plan. Additional activities that must be included as part of an entity’s contingency plan include: disaster recovery planning, emergency operations planning, analyzing the criticality of applications and data to ensure all necessary applications and data are accounted for, and periodic testing of contingency plans to ensure organizational readiness to execute such plans and provide confidence they will be effective.

If HIPAA Compliance is part of your business, consider attending our webinar.

Attend a FREE Webinar On Demand:

Top 5 Reasons Small Practices Fail HIPAA Risk Assessments

HIPAA

Small medical practices are under intense pressure from the HHS Office of Civil Rights to demonstrate compliance with HIPAA, and fines for non-compliance are quickly climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

In this 30-minute webinar, our HIPAA experts will break down the top five reasons small medical practices fail these HIPAA risk assessments, and what YOU can do today to fix these little-known errors. 

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HIPAA and the CLOUD

HIPAA RiskIf you’re in the healthcare industry and thinking about the pros and cons of switching over to the cloud, then one of your top concerns is following HIPAA regulation, or ensuring the confidentiality of your patient information. So the question becomes: is it more secure switching to the cloud?

This depends on a number of factors, especially the specific security protocol of your cloud service of choice, but we’ll try to break it down for you here.

Traditionally, your IT workflow is based on physical, on-premise servers and storage devices. What this means is that there are essentially two points of access for hackers: 1) your hospital or office’s local network—the security of which depends on how your IT specialist set up firewalls and how up-to-date your security protocols and software are, and 2) physical devices—the dozens, if not hundreds, of desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile devices being used around your  facility might be storing sensitive data and files, which could easily be accessed if the devices were stolen. While this method is still widely used today, it’s easy to identify security vulnerabilities.

With a Desktop as a Service (DaaS) cloud solution, all of your employees would have their user accounts hosted in the cloud, meaning that all files, data and software would be hosted in the cloud instead of on physical devices or on a local network. Since the only access point then becomes a portal to your DaaS account, stolen devices are no longer a concern. And neither is having your network hacked.

With such a cloud solution, all security rests in the hands of your cloud provider. This is where the differences among cloud services and deployment methods become especially critical. In short, public clouds have an enormous scope of access where all of their users (sometimes millions) are logging into their accounts through the same portal. If a hacker were to gain access through the firewall, they could feasibly gain access to several accounts at once. A private cloud
solution, however, will most likely have each of their clients set up with customized firewalls under the client’s domain, making it inherently safer than a public cloud. For more details about the differences among each type of cloud service, refer to our Cloud Computing 101.

The bottom line is that if your cloud provider is secure, then there are fewer security concerns to have with a cloud solution than a traditional on premise infrastructure. In summary, utilizing a cloud service to host your healthcare database can be an extremely safe and cost-effective IT solution for your business.

If HIPAA Compliance is part of your business, consider attending our webinar.

View a FREE Webinar On Demand:

Top 5 Reasons Small Practices Fail HIPAA Risk Assessments

HIPAA

Small medical practices are under intense pressure from the HHS Office of Civil Rights to demonstrate compliance with HIPAA, and fines for non-compliance are quickly climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

In this 30-minute webinar, our HIPAA experts will break down the top five reasons small medical practices fail these HIPAA risk assessments, and what YOU can do today to fix these little-known errors.

View the HIPAA Webinar

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