Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

Many businesses have already used the cloud to great success, but others might not even know where to start. The thing is, the cloud has so many features and potential solutions that organizations who don’t know where to start might be overwhelmed by the possibilities. Today, we’ll look at some specific benefits offered by cloud-hosted solutions and services.

Of all industries, retail has probably escaped the dependence on technology that many others have developed over the years for the longest span of time. However, it has become clear that there are many ways that IT solutions can assist the retail sector that just weren’t present in the past. However, this shift is proving challenging for many of this industry’s leaders.

A lot of good can be accomplished by making a change to your business’ technology. On the other hand, if you don’t properly implement technology it can be a devastating blow to your business; and, not in the way you may think. With today’s employees getting more and more computer savvy, if you don’t feature the right technology, it could be a reason that your employees leave your company.

Let’s face it, it’s hard to get things done in the office sometimes. Productivity is something that is precious in the workday, but it’s difficult to maintain if the tasks are monotonous and repetitive. Automation can take some of these tasks and make them more manageable, but it can do so in a way that helps you boost your productivity as a whole.

Network is a word that’s commonly seen in the office environment in many different ways. In particular, you’re likely to hear about network security, network maintenance, social networking, and network switches, but what does it all mean? In this week’s tech term, we’re going to address what a network is and how it works to tie your business together.

If you don’t take measures to secure your email, you could potentially give up crucial information to anyone lurking on the same network as you. This is inevitable on public Wi-Fi connections, or anywhere data is in transit. Encryption is the best way to make sure that your organization’s communications are secure, so you absolutely want to encrypt your email.

Depending on your business’ setup, you might have an in-house IT department that manages any of your technological assets, or you might have an outsourced vendor that you prefer to work with. Regardless, you know that as a business owner, you don’t have time to worry about managing IT--especially if you’re a small organization that has a limited budget and a limited workforce to do the work.

Does your organization have an internal IT department? If so, you’ve probably noticed that they are too busy problem solving to focus on improving your infrastructure. If they do have time to innovate, chances are they’re neglecting important maintenance. All it takes to improving your infrastructure and operations is, contacting your local managed service provider.

Business continuity is an incredibly important part of running a business, but some smaller organizations underestimate just how crucial it is in the event of a disaster. Although FEMA estimates that more businesses are taking advantage of business continuity than ever before, not enough are. Business continuity is something that must be planned for, practiced consistently, and updated as needed. Does your business have a business continuity plan?

Is your web browser running as well as it should be? Sometimes you might experience situations where your browser freezes or crashes. If your web browser starts acting up, you can troubleshoot what’s wrong by trying to clear the cache.

As computing and business have become more intertwined, it has become more important for software solutions and other business-essential tools to be ready at a moment’s notice. This tendency has contributed to the rise of mobile solutions, although there is still a need for the power a desktop provides. That’s why we are big fans of convertible ultrabooks, or 2-in-1 devices.

Imagine working diligently, then being abruptly cut off due to an unpredictable power surge. It would drive anyone to anger, especially if you had just gotten a significant amount of work done. Unfortunately, power surges happen and outages are inevitable, but the least you can do is prepare for them, and minimize downtime and data loss.

Data storage is a major part of running a business, but when it comes to doing so, you have several options. The usual suspect, the hard drive, is what’s most commonly found in both consumer and business environments for a number of reasons. The solid state drive in particular presents unique opportunities for your business that you shouldn’t dismiss.

The cloud trend has been very friendly toward businesses, allowing organizations to fulfill many of their needs and simplify processes that were challenging them only a few years ago. If you’ve never considered the cloud for your organization, it’s time to rethink your choices and ask yourself why you’re hesitant when there are so many great benefits of cloud implementation.

As a small business grows and takes on more employees and adds more departments, one aspect that becomes increasingly difficult to manage is email. Essentially, you go from using a handful of email addresses to managing dozens of accounts. If it feels like you’re losing control of your company’s email situation, then you’ll want to implement the following email solutions.

Imagine that, despite the extreme care you took to avoid threats from infecting your devices, they turned out to be infected anyway. However, what if the device had been infected before you had even gotten your hands on it?

Every business has hardware, like workstations, servers, and other devices, that are critical to its operational efficiency. However, managing your hardware can be tricky, especially if you’re a small or medium-sized business that has limited time and resources. If your business doesn’t have a process put in to place to handle hardware inventory and deployment, perhaps it’s time that you consider implementing one.

Every business owner is keenly aware of how prominent a role technology has in today’s business environment. Yet, the vast majority of companies aren’t doing enough to keep up with the latest developments, and therefore, risk missing out on serious opportunities for growth, or even going out of business.

The last time you implemented a technology solution, how did it turn out? Was it a great initiative that continues to provide a return on investment, or was it a failure that hurt your company? As it turns out, half of the IT projects started by businesses turn out to be a failure, and the numbers are only increasing with time.

Publishers have long provided authors with outlets to share their work. However, just like many other industries, technology has changed publishing over the years. Is this a positive change, and are there lessons that the modern business owner can learn from this shift in the way technology is handled and managed?