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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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Steps to Take When You Have an IP Address but No Internet Connection

Managed ServicesA common help desk call for any user is when their internet connection is not working.  After the obvious is ruled out (DSL line is down??  Did you remember to pay the cable bill this month??), and you realize that you actually have an IP address but no internet, you pick up the phone for IT support.

Before making the call, we found this article on GlobalKnowledge.com to be a very useful step-by-step guide to address the issue of no internet connection despite an IP address.

“Many of us have experienced the frustration of having an IP address and not being able to connect to the Internet. The question that is arises is: Why is there no connection?  This happens multiple times daily somewhere  in the world. In this paper, we examine possible reasons why this happens and what to do for each possibility.  Most common causes will be presented first, followed by the less likely reasons. We’ll begin by looking at this from a basic trouble-shooting view to verify both connections and configuration. Then we will move to related issues from the local network such as address conflicts and limited connectivity. That is where things get more complicated, so we’ll explore parts of IP addressing and DHCP basics to understand what else could cause this challenge. That will lead us to what happens when DHCP misfires.”  Download full whitepaper here.

Is the Problem in your Network?

Great Lakes Computer’s Managed Service Products include Computer Network Management.  Avoid problems before they arise by maintaining the critical components of your computer network – the heartbeat of your business. Preventative network support saves you time and money by optimizing your computer network’s performance and keeping risk to a minimum.  We’re there when you need us, with prompt response time and outstanding customer service. Through our reliable computer network management, you can rest assured that your network is solid, and your business is properly supported.

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A Buying Guide for Small Business: VoIP vs. Hosted VoIP

Brett Harney, VoIP expertToday, we introduce fellow Northeast Ohio blogger Brett Harney, Principal at Corporate Technologies Group in Hudson, Ohio to share with us his buyer’s guide for SMB’s on Voice over IP technology:

A Buying Guide for Small Business: VoIP vs. Hosted VoIP

We came across a great article on the basics of VoIP that explains the difference between hosted and self-hosted Voice over IP in a clear manner, perfect for our Back to Basics blog series.  It also provides some insight that many SMB’s need when deciding to move to VoIP: how much bandwidth is enough for my voice network?  The article was found on PC World and written by Brad Chacos.  We recommend reading the entire article here, but below are some highlights we would like to share with our blog readers:

“As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

VoIP sounds almost magical: The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured, and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers…

How Does VoIP Work?

Generally, things are pretty simple if you’re looking for a hosted service. Many of the top VoIP providers handle all the heavy lifting offsite, delivering calls to your phones and software clients without much hassle, especially if you use phones that are plug-and-play certified for the service in question. The majority require no additional on-site hardware aside from those phones; at most, you might need to find a space for a small box of hardware somewhere on-site.

In contrast, maintaining a self-hosted, on-site VoIP system requires a bit more work. You need an IP-based private branch exchange—a VoIP-friendly version of the PBX phone systems that many offices use—to route your calls to the appropriate phones on your network, as well as a device called a PSTN gateway. The PSTN gateway sits between the IP-PBX software and the analog signals of the public switched telephone network, converting calls to and from digital signals as necessary.

No matter which option you choose, typically you can handle the basic settings for your phone lines or extensions over the phone, while tweaking more advanced options requires diving into your provider’s online account interface.

What Do You Need to Implement VoIP?

Depending on the size of your company and the infrastructure you already have in place, jumping on the VoIP bandwagon could cost your company next to nothing, or it could entail significant up-front costs.

VoIP requires a broadband connection—and the more simultaneous users you have, the more bandwidth you’ll need. If you work alone out of a home office, or if you have only a few employees, you won’t have much to worry about…

Make sure that your internal network—including your routers and switches—can handle the load, too. Most providers suggest using a router with configurable Quality of Service settings and assigning VoIP traffic high priority to maximize quality.

If your Internet service provider has a bandwidth cap in place, you should take that into consideration as well. Most VoIP service providers use the high-quality G.711 codec for VoIP communications, which consumes 64kb of data every second you talk. In reality, even a large number of people should be able to chat it up on VoIP without having to worry about hitting bandwidth caps, but you’ll want to keep close tabs on your data usage to avoid exceeding that cap.”

Right Sizing your Voice Network

Whether you will be using a Hosted VoIP service, or and onsite VoIP system, right sizing your bandwidth for VoIP is critical.  CTG’s Voice Utilization Assessment can pinpoint the number of call paths required to handle your call volume during peak calling periods. This information will allow you to right-size your voice network and ensure you have the correct bandwidth in place to ensure your call quality remains high when using VoIP.

Contact Great Lakes Computer today to be introduced to Brett at CTG today.

 

 

We came across a great article on the basics of VoIP that explains the difference between hosted and self-hosted Voice over IP in a clear manner, perfect for our Back to Basics blog series.  It also provides some insight that many SMB’s need when deciding to move to VoIP: how much bandwidth is enough for my voice network?  The article was found on PC World and written by Brad Chacos.  We recommend reading the entire article here, but below are some highlights we would like to share with our blog readers:

“As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

VoIP sounds almost magical: The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured, and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers…

How Does VoIP Work?

Generally, things are pretty simple if you’re looking for a hosted service. Many of the top VoIP providers handle all the heavy lifting offsite, delivering calls to your phones and software clients without much hassle, especially if you use phones that are plug-and-play certified for the service in question. The majority require no additional on-site hardware aside from those phones; at most, you might need to find a space for a small box of hardware somewhere on-site.

In contrast, maintaining a self-hosted, on-site VoIP system requires a bit more work. You need an IP-based private branch exchange—a VoIP-friendly version of the PBX phone systems that many offices use—to route your calls to the appropriate phones on your network, as well as a device called a PSTN gateway. The PSTN gateway sits between the IP-PBX software and the analog signals of the public switched telephone network, converting calls to and from digital signals as necessary.

No matter which option you choose, typically you can handle the basic settings for your phone lines or extensions over the phone, while tweaking more advanced options requires diving into your provider’s online account interface.

What Do You Need to Implement VoIP?

Depending on the size of your company and the infrastructure you already have in place, jumping on the VoIP bandwagon could cost your company next to nothing, or it could entail significant up-front costs.

VoIP requires a broadband connection—and the more simultaneous users you have, the more bandwidth you’ll need. If you work alone out of a home office, or if you have only a few employees, you won’t have much to worry about…

Make sure that your internal network—including your routers and switches—can handle the load, too. Most providers suggest using a router with configurable Quality of Service settings and assigning VoIP traffic high priority to maximize quality.

If your Internet service provider has a bandwidth cap in place, you should take that into consideration as well. Most VoIP service providers use the high-quality G.711 codec for VoIP communications, which consumes 64kb of data every second you talk. In reality, even a large number of people should be able to chat it up on VoIP without having to worry about hitting bandwidth caps, but you’ll want to keep close tabs on your data usage to avoid exceeding that cap.”

Right Sizing your Voice Network

Whether you will be using a Hosted VoIP service, or and onsite VoIP system, right sizing your bandwidth for VoIP is critical.  CTG’s Voice Utilization Assessment can pinpoint the number of call paths required to handle your call volume during peak calling periods. This information will allow you to right-size your voice network and ensure you have the correct bandwidth in place to ensure your call quality remains high when using VoIP.

– See more at: http://www.ctgusa.net/blog/a-buying-guide-for-small-business-voip-vs-hosted-voip/#sthash.iWg4wXwM.dpuf

We came across a great article on the basics of VoIP that explains the difference between hosted and self-hosted Voice over IP in a clear manner, perfect for our Back to Basics blog series.  It also provides some insight that many SMB’s need when deciding to move to VoIP: how much bandwidth is enough for my voice network?  The article was found on PC World and written by Brad Chacos.  We recommend reading the entire article here, but below are some highlights we would like to share with our blog readers:

“As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

VoIP sounds almost magical: The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured, and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers…

How Does VoIP Work?

Generally, things are pretty simple if you’re looking for a hosted service. Many of the top VoIP providers handle all the heavy lifting offsite, delivering calls to your phones and software clients without much hassle, especially if you use phones that are plug-and-play certified for the service in question. The majority require no additional on-site hardware aside from those phones; at most, you might need to find a space for a small box of hardware somewhere on-site.

In contrast, maintaining a self-hosted, on-site VoIP system requires a bit more work. You need an IP-based private branch exchange—a VoIP-friendly version of the PBX phone systems that many offices use—to route your calls to the appropriate phones on your network, as well as a device called a PSTN gateway. The PSTN gateway sits between the IP-PBX software and the analog signals of the public switched telephone network, converting calls to and from digital signals as necessary.

No matter which option you choose, typically you can handle the basic settings for your phone lines or extensions over the phone, while tweaking more advanced options requires diving into your provider’s online account interface.

What Do You Need to Implement VoIP?

Depending on the size of your company and the infrastructure you already have in place, jumping on the VoIP bandwagon could cost your company next to nothing, or it could entail significant up-front costs.

VoIP requires a broadband connection—and the more simultaneous users you have, the more bandwidth you’ll need. If you work alone out of a home office, or if you have only a few employees, you won’t have much to worry about…

Make sure that your internal network—including your routers and switches—can handle the load, too. Most providers suggest using a router with configurable Quality of Service settings and assigning VoIP traffic high priority to maximize quality.

If your Internet service provider has a bandwidth cap in place, you should take that into consideration as well. Most VoIP service providers use the high-quality G.711 codec for VoIP communications, which consumes 64kb of data every second you talk. In reality, even a large number of people should be able to chat it up on VoIP without having to worry about hitting bandwidth caps, but you’ll want to keep close tabs on your data usage to avoid exceeding that cap.”

Right Sizing your Voice Network

Whether you will be using a Hosted VoIP service, or and onsite VoIP system, right sizing your bandwidth for VoIP is critical.  CTG’s Voice Utilization Assessment can pinpoint the number of call paths required to handle your call volume during peak calling periods. This information will allow you to right-size your voice network and ensure you have the correct bandwidth in place to ensure your call quality remains high when using VoIP.

– See more at: http://www.ctgusa.net/blog/a-buying-guide-for-small-business-voip-vs-hosted-voip/#sthash.iWg4wXwM.dpuf

Learn more about the author Brett Harney

By

How to Minimize Computer and Network Maintenance Costs

Cost Savings of IT OutsourcingYou don’t have to be a technological genius to keep your maintenance costs down.  That helps, but there are some simple things you can do to reduce the frequency your computer needs to be repaired:

    1. Use Antivirus: Antivirus isn’t foolproof, but it helps prevent many catastrophic problems from occurring.  And, it can be incredibly difficult and expensive to recover from the devastating effects of some viruses.  Make sure all your PCs are protected by antivirus software and that your employees receive regular training on how to protect your computers and network from them.
    2. Keep a PC about 4 Years: After a computer turns four years old, it becomes more expensive to maintain it than it would be to simply purchase a new computer.  If you have computers older than four years, you also have to factor in your staff lose around 20-30 hours of productivity because of these maintenance issues.  Around this timeframe, it’s time to start considering the replacement of your computers.
    3. Move What You Can to Cloud: If you can execute some applications from the cloud, that’s generally better for your business, financially speaking.  You don’t have to pay staff to maintain what’s run from the cloud.  And if something on the cloud breaks down, it’s the service provider’s responsibility to repair, not yours.  If you do get cloud-based services, just make sure you read the contract carefully so you know the exact costs.

Why Outsourced Computer Repair Makes Better Sense

Because many repair jobs are smaller ones, some companies have an easier time justifying higher costs.  Another option you have is to outsource all your computer and network maintenance needs to a third party.

That way, you always know you have your needs covered and that you’re getting the same, or even better, service than the original manufacturer.  An outsourced option can also design a contract custom to your needs, so you don’t have to worry about overpaying for your desired level of service.

If you follow these tips, you’ll find your computing costs much lower now and for the long haul.  Enjoy, and think about what your business could do with the freed-up cash!

Learn more about the author Bob Martin

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“Basic Tech Tips” Blog Series: Managed Print Services

Managed Print ServicesThis is our first installment in an ongoing series of blog articles where we take a step back and re-introduce some basic concepts in today’s office technology.  Today, we will be discussing Managed Print Services.

What is Managed Print Services?

I looked to the Gartner IT Glossary for a definition:

“Managed print services (MPS) are services offered by an external provider to optimize or manage a company’s document output. The main components provided are needs assessment, selective or general replacement of hardware, and the service, parts and supplies needed to operate the new and/or existing hardware (including existing third-party equipment if this is required by the customer). The provider also tracks how the printer, fax, copier and MFP fleet is being used, the problems, and the user’s satisfaction.”

This is a great explanation, and, to the small to mid-size business owner, lacking an internal IT department or printer maintenance personnel, a dream come true.  Managed print allows a company to stop getting angry and stressing out about running out of ink, having a broken printer or fax machine, and control employee print costs.

What to Expect from an MPS Provider

Below is what you should expect from a Managed Print Service provider:

    • All inclusive plan: everything is included except the paper (i.e. toner, maintenance kits, all parts, labor, etc)
    • “Per page” billing, which means how much you pay per month will depend upon how much you print
    • Preventative printer maintenance
    • Automated print supply ordering and trouble notification
    • Your printers are monitored remotely, catching problems early and resolve them more efficiently. Items to monitor include: the toner level of a printer, any errors that are generated, and page count.
    • Detailed reports with information that gives you a better overview of your print operations, plus insights as to how you can further reduce your costs.

What Benefits does MPS Provide?

These are the benefits you should experience with an MPS:

    • Lower print costs with up to 30% savings on overall printing costs
    • Less IT involvement with printing problems
    • Precise management of print resources to control and reduce print cost

Download our Managed Print Brochure

What Companies would Benefit from MPS?

Any small to midsize business with printing needs can potentially benefit from Managed Print Services.  Law firms and healthcare facilities with a high demand for printing needs, or companies with multiple locations and varied print environments who find it hard to maintain a control over tend to benefit the most from this service.

Great Lakes offers a free print cost analysis to determine if Managed Print is right for you.  What can it hurt?  Get the free analysis and see if you can save money on your print budget.

Get on Our Schedule for Our Free Print Cost Assessment

Learn more about the author Bob Martin

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