Keep Your Team Connected with ConnectPlus

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Businesses have become increasingly dependent on technology to handle their day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, much of the technology we rely on is exceedingly complex, and employees with the knowledge, training, and skill set required to install, set up, and optimize our systems are hard to come by. Not to mention expensive. Few organizations can afford to keep someone on staff to keep their office technology devices connected, or to reconfigure equipment they already have in place.

Thankfully, Infomax Office Systems offers an affordable program to help keep all of your equipment connected. Our ConnectPlus program is a comprehensive service package for organizations that rely on interconnections between desktop PCs, networks, and imaging systems like printers, copiers, and multifunction printers (MFPs). ConnectPlus is a completely hands-off approach to your office technology, one that keeps your systems up-to-date and working together as efficiently and securely as possible, all for one flat fee.

When your systems are linked, as is typically the case in today’s high-tech office environment, you need each piece of equipment to perform as strongly as the next. There’s no room for a weak link in this chain, as it could result in unexpected and costly downtime, or inefficiencies in your business processes and workflows. ConnectPlus eliminates these headaches and hurdles, ensuring that all of your office technology devices are working correctly and economically, at maximum efficiency. Whether our service professionals are setting up new machines in your office or reconfiguring ones you are currently utilizing, ConnectPlus puts all of Infomax Office Systems’ invaluable resources at your disposal.

Our Connect Plus program includes:
• Basic Installation & Implementation Package
• Ongoing User Training on Document Output Devices
• Network Installation of Document Output Devices
• Ongoing Loading & Training on Print/Scan/Network Drivers
• Initial Software Enabler Installation and User Training (eCopy, Paper to Office, Essentials, PPDM)
• Installation of Remote Output Device Monitoring Software on Applicable Network Devices
• Ongoing Remediation Assistance for Print/Scan/Network Fax Issues
• Ongoing Assistance for any Infomax Provided Applications
• Unlimited Help Desk Phone Support.

Today’s businesses can’t afford inefficiencies or downtime when it comes to their office technology. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn more about how our ConnectPlus program will keep all of your office technology connected!

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.

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.

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.

Protect Your Office from Cyber Attacks: A 6-Point Action Plan

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With all of the publicity garnered lately by cyber attacks on huge nationwide companies, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) may be developing a false sense of security. In reality, 43 percent of businesses attacked are SMBs, so make sure your company is protected against the threat posed. In this blog post we cover some of the ways you can mitigate the risk of a cyber attack.

● Educate Employees — When it comes to digital security, your employees are both your first line of defense and your biggest vulnerability. Use consistent training and education to develop a culture of caution. Unexpected email attachments, messages requesting login information, and unknown links are all to be avoided.
● Update Software — All of your software should stay up-to-date, because new patches and security adjustments are being constantly being developed. Keep your operating system, programs, and antivirus software current at all times.
● Tighten Security — Most cyber attacks come from inside a company, either due to malicious intent or vulnerability caused by human error. Limit access to sensitive data and make use of audit trails for your files. Require that all passwords contain at least one of each of the following: an upper case letter, a lower case letter, a number, and a special character.
● Evaluate BYOD Policies — Employee devices are the norm today, so make sure your policy addresses security issues that they present. Powerful tools include remote wiping, cloud-based business software, and anti-malware apps.
● Have a Disaster Recovery Plan — A data breach can ruin your business if you don’t have a robust backup and recovery system in place. Backup data should be current enough to be useful, but make sure you have access to clean data that dates to before a breach and has been stored at a different location.
● Get Insurance — Despite your best efforts, the worst may still happen. Protect yourself and your company from expensive litigation with insurance against cyber attacks. You may be glad you did.

Cyber attacks are a real risk for SMBs, so don’t neglect to protect your digital ecosystem. For help managing your Iowa-based business’s data security, backup, and recovery, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

Simplify the Cloud with Managed Services

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Simplify the Cloud with Managed Services

Transitioning to cloud-based software services can be a smart move for your company, but your “go-live” date is just the beginning. Going forward there will be updates, maintenance, training, integration, troubleshooting, and more. If you prefer to keep your head in the game rather than in the cloud, consider simplifying your life with a move to managed services.

The Cloud is Thriving
Technological change today is happening at a blistering pace, which is one of the reasons the cloud and SaaS are appealing to so many businesses—when software is a service instead of an asset, it can continually evolved by being updated, upgraded, and adjusted. Moreover, using cloud-based services offers a balance of business unit independence and organization-wide compatibility.

Keeping Up Can Be Costly
Cloud software uniquely empowers small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to be proactive rather than reactive, but the costs of thorough monitoring, analytics, maintenance, and staff training can add up. That’s assuming you can find (and pay) an IT staffer who can meet your needs.

Why Managed Services?
Just like printing, payroll, and other services, outsourcing the management of your cloud-based services can be a cost-effective way to stay ahead of the competition. Here’s why:
● Performance — Working with a managed services provider means having access to specialists with expertise in the cloud. Dedicated cloud technology managers can handle all the aspects for you, from end-to-end monitoring, reports, and data analytics to training, customization, and proactive guidance. Your regular IT staff can focus their energies on your core business, developing solutions that add value to your company.
● Cost — Managed services expenditures are predictable and can be lower than when those same services are managed by an in-house staff. You’ll also get more value for your IT dollar, with increased efficiency in the support, maintenance, and growth of your IT infrastructure.

The cloud is opening up new possibilities and efficiencies for SMBs, but those capabilities are wasted if you can’t keep up with them. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn more about managed services that can help your company thrive. 

Maintain Business Continuity with Digital Archiving

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Whether it’s an angry hurricane or a destructive fire, disasters can and will happen. Sadly, most businesses that suffer through a disaster will fail within two years. Digital archiving is one effective tool you can use to help protect your organization’s long-term health against the threat of a disaster.

What are digital archives?
Digital archives are electronic versions of your company’s historical assets. Archive content is fixed and not needed for current operations; its main purpose is long-term storage and retrieval. Archives can provide an automated mechanism for regulation-mandated records retention, and typically have extensive metadata attached to allow for search and retrieval of even the oldest records.

How are archives different from backup?
Contents in your digital archives don’t change to reflect your daily operations. Archived data is not in current use and will be kept essentially as-is over the long term. Backup for disaster recovery, however, generally involves up-to-date copies of operational information that can be restored quickly. In fact, you’ll even want to back up your archives to protect yourself in the event something should happen to the original files (a safety net not available with paper-based archives). Remember this rule for backing up: three copies, on two types of media, in one additional location.

Why are archives needed?
Digital archives go beyond operational recovery (disaster response) and organizational recovery (business continuity). Your company doesn’t want to lose regulatory records or long-term, institutional history. Corporate governance, litigation, and regulatory compliance all demand data be archived past three, seven, or even ten or more years. Digital archives also provide security and traceability, with audit trails recording who accessed what, when, and what they did.

What else should I consider?
Since digital archives are for the long term, don’t forget to address issues such as life expectancy (of the software required to read data and the storage technologies themselves), increasing capacity needs over time, and the eventual disposal of the data.

A disaster could strike at any time. If you want your business to be one that bounces back after the worst happens, it’s time to get started with digital archiving. Contact Infomax today to learn more.

Why a Comprehensive Management System Makes Sense

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Today’s office is a connected office. PCs, printers, scanners, and fax machines all communicate over the network. While this connectivity enables remarkable productivity, it also comes with costs, namely the need to manage network system components. Unless your company’s primary business is managing computer systems, consider adopting a comprehensive management system like Infomax’s ConnectPlus.

Hassle-Free Additions
Getting a new computer, printer, or other network device can throw your day into chaos, but a comprehensive management system handles the headaches for you—including system integration and connection to other devices in your network. With our basic installation and implementation package, we’ll manage the assignment of ports, defaults, and connections.

Installation & Training
With ConnectPlus, you’ll get complete assembly and testing of your new equipment, accessories, and related software. Our technicians will handle the fine-tuning of system components, loading drivers and training your staff. We make sure new devices integrate seamlessly into your network and your personnel are trained to run it.

Ongoing Support  
Once you’re up and running, we’re here for problem-solving on your output devices and we offer assistance for every application we provide. You’ll get installation of new device drivers and you can call on us for unlimited help desk phone support. We can add supplementary training in systems, administration, and software on an as-needed basis. We can also manage system reconfiguration, memory installation, and other services—just ask!

Free to Focus
Teaming up with a comprehensive management system gives you and your team something priceless: the freedom to focus. Instead of wrangling new machines, you can concentrate your resources on activities that truly add value to your bottom line. Your IT specialists can be writing custom apps that serve your clients instead of crawling under desks to connect cables.

In today’s hyper-competitive environment, working with a systems management partner can mean the difference between surviving and thriving. Programs like ConnectPlus make it possible for you to focus on your core business, so call Infomax today about getting started with ConnectPlus—and leave the tech to us.

What to Look for in a Managed Services Provider

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It’s important to work with technology partners who can manage your services efficiently and effectively. You must find a provider that is trustworthy, reliable, and able to meet your company’s specific needs. When looking for a managed services provider to partner with, here are a few important considerations for your search.

● Reputation — Talk to companies similar to yours and read reviews for potential partners. Ask to speak with a current customer for a reference.
● Goal Orientation — Look for a provider focused on impact, not the status quo. You want a partner that’s actively looking to improve performance, boost productivity, and lower costs.
● Analysis — Your provider should be data-hungry, offering dashboards, reports, and analysis of cost and performance.
● Workflow Expertise — Look for experience and expertise in managing and optimizing systems. You want a partner who can bring something extra to the table.
● Growth Potential — This isn’t a one-time encounter, it’s a long-term relationship. Will your partner be able to help you grow, change, and adapt in the future?
● Security — Your partner should be well-versed in encryption, access controls, role-based permissions, and monitoring.
● Vendor Neutrality — Your partner should support and service any and all brands you work with. A vendor-neutral partner will look for the best solutions for your business, not just the ones they sell.
● Integration — Make sure your partner supports any third-party apps, services, or tools you utilize.
● Clear SLA — You should have a good understanding of your service terms and responsibilities (including performance, response time, and uptime). Make sure there’s an exit clause should things not work out.
● Cost Clarity — Service partnerships are typically custom solutions designed to meet your specific needs, so your capacity, quality, services, and workload will all impact the bottom line. Understand your costs and how they change as your needs change.

When searching for a new partner in managed services, carefully consider your options and the capabilities of potential partners. You’re building a long-term relationship, so find a partner that has the skills and expertise to meet your needs and help you reach your goals. For document management, information technology, and print services, contact Infomax Office Systems today.