Is On-site IT Services Right for Your Business?

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When something goes wrong in business, time is of the essence. When it comes to information technology (IT), problems or crises are magnified, as most businesses are heavily reliant on IT for everyday functions. Many companies rely on off-site IT departments or specialists to handle related issues, which can result in delayed responses and resolutions to serious dilemmas that can negatively impact their bottom line. If this sounds like your company, consider the following questions to help determine if on-site IT services are right for your business.

Do we communicate more effectively in person?
When discussing an issue over the phone, email, or online chats, details and particulars can be lost in translation. Most of the time, employees do not understand the exact nature of the situation when problems arise or how to relay this to their IT staff. All that is truly identifiable is a general issue, but that observation doesn’t provide IT services with the proper information to address and resolve the situation. If you and your coworkers are like most people and are better at communicating in-person, having someone on-site to help solve problems will prove helpful.

How often do we like to stay updated on the problem?
When you’re facing an issue that is restricting your employees’ ability to do their jobs, there is nothing worse than sitting around waiting to hear about an update. If you’re relying on off-site IT services that aren’t on hand to keep you abreast of the situation or if your outsourced IT team is working with numerous other clients simultaneously, it may be time to consider an alternative. Having trained IT professionals on-site ensures that the technician is in position to keep you informed about the situation while putting all of his or her attention on your team’s problem, rather than multitasking with other clients.

Are we shy about asking for assistance?
When dealing with an off-site IT team, many employees don’t report issues because they don’t want to bother another an external vendor with issues. This can be compounded if there are numerous or frequent issues and these problems remain unreported. Bringing an IT team on-site to answer questions and fix your problems feels like less of a burden than contacting an already-overloaded vendor off-site. IT issues that are reported and a healthy IT infrastructure ensures productivity and efficiency never suffer due to unresolved IT pitfalls.

Think it might be time for your organization to turn to an on-site IT service provider? Asking yourself the above three questions will help you determine whether you’d be better served working with a provider who offers more than just remote support. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn more about our on-site IT services.

Why You Need to Protect Yourself against Ransomware

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Everyone has seen a movie or TV show where a criminal kidnaps a victim and demands a ransom in exchange for their release. What some people do not realize, however, is that demanding a ransom is not just confined to kidnappings. Today, many criminals employ ransomware, a form of malware or computer virus that locks a user’s keyboard or computer and holds their data ‘hostage’ until the victim pays a ransom in exchange for restoring access to it.

Recently, computer criminals used ransomware to conduct the largest cyberattack in history. More than 200,000 Windows operating systems in more than 150 countries—including the United States, England, Germany, and Japan—were infected with the ransomware strain WannaCry or WanaCrypt0r2.0. Victims had the data on their computers encrypted or scrambled, effectively locking them out of it while demanding they pay a ransom of between $300 and $600. The attack was not limited to personal PCs—WannCry victims included hospitals, banks, and government agencies.

So, how does ransomware work? Well, just like in the movies, someone takes something you own and holds it hostage until you send them the money they demand in return. The individual requesting the ransom infects your computer with a virus, usually by sending an email that requests the user to click on a link. Once the virus infects the system, the hacker can lock down the computer’s files and extort the user until he or she is paid the money.

While this may seem like a relatively simple issue to resolve, the problem lies in the information that is being held hostage. Few organizations can operate without their data, and if one doesn’t have this data backed up, the impact of a ransomware attack can be crippling. In addition, the FBI, Department of Justice, and many technology firms suggest you don’t pay the ransom. Doing so does not guarantee you’ll regain access to your data, and since you’ve already been exposed to the virus and shown a willingness to pay the ransom, you’re vulnerable to be re-targeted again in the future.

How can you protect yourself against ransomware? To help prevent these kinds of attacks, there are a few steps you can take to mitigate risk. First, regularly install Microsoft security patches and system updates, frequently backup your files, secure your router, and—perhaps most important of all—don’t open suspicious emails. If it’s too late and a virus has already taken over your system, the most crucial step is disconnecting from the Internet to prevent the virus from spreading. Then, you should report the attack to authorities and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Finally, wipe your PC and restore your data and files from backups.

Big risks can sometimes yield big rewards, but not when it comes to cybersecurity. Be sure your organization is doing all it can to protect itself from ransomware and other cyberattacks. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn how our on-site Managed IT services can help give you peace of mind from ransomware attacks.

Is Your Printer a Green Printer?

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It is not a secret that printing a significant number of documents is not exactly the most environmentally friendly office practice. Despite this knowledge, having a printer in the office remains absolutely essential to a company’s success. That said, all printers are not created equal; some printers are greener—or more environmentally friendly—than others. Here are some easy ways to determine exactly how eco-friendly your office printers really are. It is never too late to ‘go green’ in the office, and this post will arm you with the information needed to help you do so, starting with your printers.

How much electricity is your printer using?

Energy consumption is generally an afterthought for most businesses; however, it must be considered more regularly in order to create more sustainable offices. Generally, business-grade inkjet printers use less electricity than other printers that rely on heat to fuse toner to paper. Fortunately, many printer manufacturers understand this issue and now make printers that are not as reliant on energy for efficiency. Look up the product specs for your printers to find out exactly how much power they use. This information will help you determine how your devices compare to other models when making future purchases.

Does it allow you to print on both sides of paper?

Printing large documents on individual sheets of paper is much more wasteful than necessary. Especially when the documents are only being used internally, as opposed to being handed off to a client, vendor, or partner. A printer that is equipped for duplex printing will enable you to easily print your documents on both sides of paper. This green option can cut your company’s paper consumption in half.

Is the printer multi-functional?

The more machines kept in the office, the more energy and consumables necessary to keep these devices up and running. Instead of having numerous machines that only have one purpose, consider investing in an all-in-one or multifunction printer (MFP). An MFP enables you to print, copy, scan, and fax from one single machine. Not only is this more efficient economically, but also logistically, as MFPs enable employees to multitask for a more efficient workflow and take up less office space.

Is it certified green?

ENERGY STAR certifies office technology devices that minimize operational power. For the most part, these machines stop using power and go into a ‘sleep mode’ when they are not used for a certain amount of time. This reduces the amount of energy used to operate certified machines. Additionally, they are easily programmed to go on standby mode, and in doing so, can save companies anywhere from 15 to 30 percent on printer-related expenses.

Businesses considering ‘going green’ can get started on their way to corporate responsibility by addressing simple technology devices like their printers. Spending a little extra time understanding how to improve your printer’s efficiency and effectiveness in the office can benefit your business, the environment, and your reputation with both clients and employees. Contact Infomax today to learn more.

Save Time, Space, and Money with Digital Archiving

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There’s no doubt that digital archiving saves you time, space, and money. It is effectively a death sentence for maintaining paper stacks and managing files in a physical location. With digital archiving, you don’t have to store thousands of documents in boxes in storage or sift through 10 years of files to find a specific piece of paper.

Digital archiving allows you to attain greater convenience for keeping client records and tracking business information safely. Technology has changed the game for businesses. No longer must you rely on outdated, labor-intensive business practices that take up time. Instead, companies can easily manage their records over the Internet through the cloud. This helps eliminate the costs and hassles of archiving records physically, while increasing ease of accessibility.

If your business is struggling to maintain its records, then you should consider digital archiving.  Not only will it help improve efficiency and accuracy, but you will gain the following benefits:

• Greater document security
• Cloud-based storage negates the need for copies
• Easily accessible data from any place at any time
• Enhanced compliance

With digital archiving, the days of drowning in piles of paperwork are over. This modern equivalent of recordkeeping provides a scalable, affordable, sustainable solution to your filing needs.

Implementing digital archiving

A lot of businesses are keen on the idea of digital archiving, but most of them don’t really know how to go about it. If your goal is to reduce the amount of paper your office uses, consider the following beginning steps to digital archiving:

• Acquire a digital storage option that offers high server capacity
• Consider scanning options that will allow you to properly archive every document digitally
• Adopt a document management system that will do all of the hard-work for you
• Create electronic signatures for employees to access the documents virtually

For help following the above mentioned steps to adopt digital archiving for your business, contact Infomax today.

Benefits of Production Printers

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If you’re thinking of taking advantage of production printing, then you really should learn more about the incredibly effective, diverse functionalities of these powerful machines. One of the most obvious benefits of a production printer is the ability to print large quantities of professional, on-brand materials for your business, in-house. This flexibility saves companies time and money while giving them a competitive edge over their industry counterparts. But the payoffs to production print don’t end there. There is a wide array of benefits to having a production printer in-house, some of which may surprise you. Consider the following advantages to production printers before automatically dismissing these machines as the next component of your print fleet.

Higher Image Quality
There is no denying the fact that production printers are big machines. However, great things come in big packages, too, including the fact that these large machines provide outputs with stunning image quality that a desktop printer simply cannot replicate. With better printing capabilities at your disposal, production printers’ high image quality allows users to enhance their marketing potential quickly and in large quantities.

More Productivity
By nature, production printers get more work done faster than a standard printer or MFP. They are designed to produce large quantities of outputs quickly, making your team more productive. So, if your business is paper-intensive and frequently requires high-volume jobs, the productivity benefits alone should convince you to consider adding a production printer as the next device in your fleet.

Better Compliance, Control, and Security
Another great reason to consider a production printer is because you achieve better regulatory compliance, have more control over the quality of outputs, and experience enhanced security over the content within your prints. Bringing a production printer in-house means you will not have to worry about leaking confidential employee or customer information or disseminating proprietary information to competitors.

Great Flexibility
With production printers, you are in control of your destiny. You will not have to worry about meeting deadlines or whether your logo colors are exact, because you will be the one in charge of the entire operation. Whether you are concerned about a last minute typo or want to tweak a cover’s title, you have the flexibility you need not only to quickly produce large quantities quickly, but perfect them as well.

To learn more about how a production printer can benefit your office, contact Infomax today.

Are You Taking Good Care of Your Office Equipment?

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The old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The reasoning behind this axiom is that putting in a little bit of work to mitigate risk before a crisis strikes is preferable to the great deal of effort required to clean up the mess afterwards. This applies to your office technology, as well. You’ll be better served engaging in preventative maintenance and measures for your printers, copiers, fax machines, document shredders, and computers, rather than keeping your fingers crossed, hoping for the best, and reacting to a problem after the fact.

Why?

Companies rely heavily on their office technology to keep their workflows moving along smoothly. Regular preventative maintenance will help keep your office equipment in peak condition, ensuring it operates at maximum efficiency and that you get the highest return on your investment. By taking care of your equipment it will function as it was intended to and last longer. Preventative maintenance will save money compared to service calls to fix an ad hoc repair every time you have a device go down. In addition, you’ll save time and productivity lost due to downtime resulting from unexpected malfunctions or breakdowns that bring your workflow to a halt.

How?

What are some of the preventative measures you can take to keep your office equipment in top-notch condition? Regular maintenance, of course, is a no-brainer. You change your oil, rotate your tires, replace hoses and filters on your vehicles to help keep them running, why should your office technology be any different? Another way to take care of your devices is by frequently cleaning them. Dust your equipment regularly, using a fine brush on internal pieces such as paper trays and ink cartridge bays. Finally, position your devices properly. Place them away from high-traffic areas and extreme heat or cold.

Taking care of your office equipment will keep it in optimal condition, and more importantly, up and running. Infomax Office Systems’ ConnectPlus program can help keep your devices operating as efficiently as possible. Contact us today to learn more.

Pros and Cons of Cloud Computing

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Cloud computing continues to experience an explosion in growth, with more and more businesses looking to the cloud to house their data and applications. In fact, the Cisco Global Cloud Index (GCI) predicts that by 2020, 83 percent of all data will be based in the cloud. With such an explosion in its utilization, moving to the cloud has to be a smart decision for your organization, right? Not so fast. While the cloud is wildly popular and an asset for many companies, like anything else, it has both its pros and its cons. In this blog post we will go over some of them to help you decide whether the cloud is right for you.

Pros:

Reduced Support and Hardware Needs. When you rely on the cloud to house your data and business-critical applications, you’re no longer obligated to maintain your own data center. The risks and burdens of maintaining your IT infrastructure shift to your external partner, so you’ll require a smaller IT staff, not have to invest in hardware such as servers, and not need to upgrade or replace computers as frequently.
Improved Accessibility. Cloud-based applications and data are accessible from practically anywhere via an Internet-connected device. Your software, platforms, and data are no longer tied to your physical network, meaning it can be accessed from any place, at any time.
Better Prepared for a Disaster. Cloud storage makes your data more disaster resistant. A copy of your cloned data is always kept to prevent data loss in the event of a worst-case scenario.

Cons:

Potential Security Risks. While cloud security issues are exaggerated, nothing connected to the Internet is 100 percent secure. It’s essential that you weigh all risk scenarios before hosting your sensitive information with an external provider.
Increased Reliability on the Internet. When you are dependent on the Internet to access your data and applications, a good Internet connection is essential. Problems with Internet access, connection speed, or bandwidth will give you nightmares.
Greater Costs. Despite no longer requiring your own data center, cloud computing can be pricey. Especially if your cloud solution needs to be customized to meet your specific needs.

Despite its growing popularity, cloud computing is not the ideal solution for every organization. It’s important to weigh its pros and cons in respect to your unique situation to help you make an educated decision. Contact Infomax Office Systems to schedule a free IT assessment for your company to help you weigh your options.

Essential Hardware Products for Every Office

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Regardless of the industry you’re in, there are a handful of essential hardware products the average office can’t operate productively without. Just as office furniture is a requirement in any workplace, office equipment is also a critical investment. If you’re planning on starting your own small business, here’s a checklist of the hardware products that will prove indispensable to you and your staff.

Computers – Modern computers not only provide you with access to your information, but are also essential components of business communication. Whether it’s a multi-user workstation, desktop, or laptop computer, purchase models from a reputable brand and buy the latest versions of software you plan to utilize.

Business Telephone Systems – Despite the myriad of different ways technology provides us to communicate with each other, much of business is still conducted these days over the old fashioned telephone. Whether your service is via Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or your local phone company, be sure your system features the ability to transfer calls, place calls on hold, and accommodate voicemails.

Multifunction Printer – The multifunction printer (MFP) is often the workhorse of the modern office, enabling users to copy, scan, and fax as well as capably handling all of their printing needs. In addition, finishing options such as collating, duplex printing, automatic hole punching, folding, and stapling can save a tremendous amounts of time by automating previously manual tasks.

Document Shredder – Every business, small or large, is responsible for protecting the sensitive information it works with. Shredders are an effective yet affordable way to ensure the confidential information you handle doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.

Wireless Router – The modern office requires Internet connectivity. A good wireless router will ensure high-speed connectivity while limiting the amount of wires running through your workplace.

When starting a new business it’s important to control your expenditures and maximize your startup budget by only purchasing what you really need. Stocking your new business with these essential hardware products will help ensure organization, efficiency, and productivity in your new office.

Email Best Practices to Keep Your Office Secure

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Businesses are constantly targeted by cyber attackers using malicious emails to gain access to their systems. Ransomware in particular poses an enormous threat to organizations, becoming by far the most common form of malware today. Cyber attackers use it to lock down an unsuspecting recipient’s files and deny access to infected data until the victim pays a ransom. As an added bonus, ransomware has evolved to enable criminals to steal personal or financial information from the victim’s system as well, increasing the impact of an infection.

So, how can you ensure email security to protect yourself?

As humans are the weakest link in any company’s security, the first step to protecting itself is through education. Keep up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity trends and inform staff members of the various types of threats out there today. Stress how serious these threats are to your team, that they can and will likely be exposed to them, and how they can avoid falling prey to them.

The best way for users to protect themselves is by exercising caution in their email inbox. Never, ever, open an attachment or click on a link in an email from someone you don’t know, especially if it seems out of context. If you’re suspicious, contact your IT department before proceeding.

In addition, hackers are adept at spoofing who an email is coming from, making them appear to be sent by someone you know. If someone asks you to provide sensitive information via email, do not trust them. Verify their request by telephone or another form of communication before providing this information.

Perhaps the most effective defense against threats such as ransomware is to frequently back up your data. Even if a business does pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that the hackers will release the files being held hostage. By consistently backing up your data, you can avoid paying the ransom by simply restoring your files.

Hackers are skilled and shrewd enough to bypass SPAM filters and email security. Don’t let them lull you into a false sense of security that leaves you and your business vulnerable. Contact Infomax today to learn more about email best practices and our dedicated security solutions.

Innovative Uses of Color Printing

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With all of the competition vying for the attention of your clients and prospects, it’s imperative for businesses to stand out and be noticed. And among the glut of competitors companies face in the majority of industries today, capturing your target audience’s attention can prove to be quite a challenge. One of the tools at your disposal that often flies beneath the radar is color printing, the impact of which is vastly understated.

Utilizing color in your marketing strategy is a great way to capture attention, improve retention, and invoke a response. According to a study by The University of Loyola, Maryland, color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent. And a survey by Harris Interactive revealed 54 percent of respondents are more likely to read marketing pieces when they’re printed in color. There is no questioning the value color printing brings to your marketing efforts, and printing in color is more affordable than you think.

Using color printing to gain a competitive advantage.

Use a color to influence mood: Cool colors such as blue, green, silver, and purple tend to have a calming effect on recipients. Warm colors such as red, yellow, orange, and pink tend to stimulate recipients. It’s key to understand your target audience, and use the colors that will produce the response you want to invoke.

Mix color text into the body of your message: Even a small amount of color text in any of your literature or marketing materials will significantly improve impact and response by helping readers easily locate the information you want them to find.

Be consistent with the colors you use for your professional identity: Create guidelines for your brand that establish the colors you will use when communicating with your audience to create your own look and feel, and cultivate recognition.

Color is a powerful tool enabling businesses to stand out among the competition. Utilize it in your company’s communications to capture attention and create a long-lasting impression. Infomax Office Systems has a color printer to meet your Iowa-area business’s needs.