On Monday, May 7, Pragmatix attended and helped to sponsor the 10th annual Not-for-profit Leadership Summit hosted by United Way of Westchester and Putnam. This was an event that brought together local volunteer and professional leaders in the nonprofit sector to identify challenges and opportunities, shape new strategies and help build organizations that will excel.
In 2010, nonprofits employed 1.2 million people in New York and while the demand for nonprofit work has increased, sadly, government funding has decreased.
This event featured New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who discussed his plan to “reform and revitalize” the state’s nonprofit sector. The summit also featured 16 breakout sessions throughout the day covering a wide variety of topics from using LinkedIn to fundraising to IT outsourcing in NY.
Pragmatix works with a variety of nonprofits and is looking forward to continuing these relationships. We hope to continually educate our company and staff on nonprofit trends and challenges in order to create more effective managed IT services and solutions. Nonprofits will continue to be an important and growing sector for business while providing Westchester County residents with the services they need.
In addressing the growing demand for nonprofit support, we have also put together a separate page on our website and have created several white papers for nonprofit regarding the cloud and a disaster recovery plan. Be sure to check them out below!
info.pragmatix.com/nonprofits
Businesses today rely more and more on their network infrastructure for day-to-day business operations. However, behind all that hardware and software, there are people. Whether you’re outsourcing your IT or using a managed IT services provider, there are three important qualities that every IT engineer should have to help support all that vaulable “stuff.” 
1. Limited “geek speak” – It’s the job of your IT person to make things simple and understandable while limiting the use of industry jargon because many IT decisions or problems can be explained with easy-to-understand concepts. Any IT engineer who cares about their managed IT services will make these conversations as palatable as possible for you, their client.
2. Proactive – Today, technology is constantly evolving and your MSP should be recommending system improvements regularly and proactively. If not, you might be exposing yourself to potential (and preventable) problems in the future. Valuable insight and experience should allow effective IT engineers to take care of potential problems before they become real problems for you or your business.
3. Reliable – It is important to make certain that a managed IT services provider is well-equipped and thoroughly staffed before you sign a contract. Your problems and tickets should be dealt with promptly and follow-up procedures should be performed in a timely fashion. Once again, IT issues should have little effect on your business productivity and a good managed IT services provider will ensure just that.
Are you looking to change or hire a managed IT services provider? Don't be caught off guard, download our FREE white paper on IT support today!
Due to the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets along with other devices that use network connectivity, bandwidth is going to play a pivotal role in the success and adoption of cloud services and managed IT hosting on said business tools. According to Gartner, the global cloud computing market is expected to reach $150 billion by 2014; and the pure abundance of cloud-hosted needs for mobile devices will present a real obstacle, especially because of the way that users have learned to consume and store data.
Cell phone and tablet connectivity pose an inherent problem to the adoption of serious cloud usage because, simply put, these devices are wireless. Varying data rates, gaps in coverage and general energy and power needs, in addition to uncontrollable factors such as weather, will have a real effect on the use of mobile-based cloud services like cloud-hosted email solutions and custom applications.
There are 4 central components to optimal cloud use on mobile phones:
- Increased bandwidth
- Limited network delay
- Energy saving/storing power
- Mobile cloud application efficiency
Bringing effective cloud use to mobile phones, etc. will most likely be a gradual software and product evolution that hones in on the four factors stated above. Pragmatix will continue to post updates about any and all, as this is a very relevant topic for managed IT services providers.
Constantly on your smartphone, tablet or laptop? Curious if your sensitive data is protected sufficiently? Check out our free white paper on passwords!
Like all things, it is best to fully educate yourself before opting to use a particular product or service. Cloud-hosted email is no different. There are many managed IT services providers out there willing to offer you roughly the same product along with very similar features. It is, however, these very small variations that make up the difference between a close-to-perfect complement for your current system and needs and one that deviates.
1. Security – Check out security features and take some time to understand exactly how your data is being stored.
2. Active syncing – If you or other members of your company work on the go, make sure you can actively sync email, calendar appointments, contacts, etc.
3. Cloud computing – You will need to find a reliable cloud service provider. Check out our many blog posts about cloud computing to learn more!
4. Costs – It's important to compare costs of cloud-hosted vs. MS email and other localized email options. Be sure to consider key features you may need and consider support options because this will hopefully be a long-term decision.
As we have been discussing, cloud service is becoming a larger part of daily business infrastructure and cloud-hosted email will be no different. It is possible to get more space and security for less money with this form of managed IT hosting. Do you have any cloud-hosted email questions? Contact Pragmatix here or feel free to leave a comment!
Check out our FREE white paper on cloud computing for more information!
Business owners most often think about the cloud for data storage, but have you considered cloud-hosted email solutions as well? Highly integrated and securely hosted, email through managed IT hosting on the cloud has a number of perks which I have outlined below:
“Any way you like it” communication. Hosted email solutions help businesses manage their communications through a single, highly integrated, secure, standards-compliant platform that supports e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging and other custom applications.
Easy collaboration. Users can create, manage and share all their data, including Contacts, Calendars, Files, Tasks and more; plus, they can easily schedule meetings and take advantage of company resources.
High security. In addition to being hosted in a secure data center, most email servers are protected by intrusion prevention systems and require passwords. The servers themselves have multi-layered protection and high-performance anti-virus defense.
Mobility. Wirelessly synchronize email and data to your mobile devices. If your phone is lost or stolen, have peace of mind with information-wiping solutions, which deletes sensitive data from lost or stolen devices. Check out our white paper on properly safeguarding your devices here.
As we have previously dicussed, the cloud is a growing tool for managed services and daily business operations much like the use of email. Together, business productivity would be at an all time high - 24/7. For more information about the cloud check out our FREE white paper about cloud computing!
Yesterday, Google unveiled their very own online data storage system with Google Drive, a product that will compete directly with other online storage providers. This move had other major players frantically searching and revamping their systems in an attempt to match Google's super competitive pricing scheme and the integration of many new features and tools with the help of Google Docs.
For years, DropBox reigned as king of the online storage domain; however, large software companies like Google and Microsoft have entered the market armed and ready to fight.
So, what does all this mean? Yes, DropBox will come across some stiff competition as the online storage provider of choice but, more importantly, these products demonstrate that online data storage, a.k.a the cloud, is becoming increasingly popular. Individual and businesses alike need more room to hold an ever-growing deposit of information.
Interested in learning more about the cloud? Check out our white paper here or view all of our past blog posts covering a variety of cloud-related topics.
As usual, if you have any questions feel free to contact Pragmatix for all of your managed IT service questions.
Do you constantly find yourself lost in dozens of open internet tabs, programs, and document files? Wish your computer screen was bigger?
While monitors themselves aren’t dramatically increasing in size, users are opting for more screens per desk. Last year there were 179 million monitors sold compared to only 130 million desktop computers. And, according to NEC Display, a supplier of monitors, 30%-40% of the employees of its corporate clients use more than one screen – compared to just 1% in 2008.
It just makes sense. More computer screens mean more productivity. There is less wasted time toggling between open programs. The addition of one or even two computer screens grants numerous ways to reorganize and readjust how you use your computer. If email is a large component of your work, try using one screen solely for email. That way, instead of constantly minimizing programs to check email inboxes, a glance every couple of minutes will keep you up to date and concentrating on and fully immersed in your work-at-hand.
It doesn’t seem like much but the continual shuffling of programs is a time waster. With more computer screen real estate and a more organized viewing scheme, the use of multiple monitors is certainly the direction that everyday business operations are headed. Plus, monitors are relatively inexpensive these days!
Interested in learning about more efficient business strategies from a managed IT services provider? Check out our FREE white paper on the Cloud.
Is a slow computer wasting your time and affecting your productivity? While most computers certainly slow down over time, I have outlined below 5 quick-fixes to instantly improve operating speed. These steps also help preserve your computer, more effectively store data and protect your information.
- Free up disk space: Delete unused programs that you don’t need. This will save a ton of room and boost operating speed. Refer to our blog post on freeing up disk space here.
- Remove spyware: Spyware collects your information from websites you visit without asking for your permission. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware also takes up space thus affecting your computer’s operating speed. There are a ton of free programs out there that will detect and remove spyware from your computer like PC safety scan from Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft Security Essentials and Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
- Run the disk defragmenter: Disk defragmentation slows down the performance of your computer because it requires that files be pieced back together which takes up time and energy. A disk defragmenter will sort out, reassemble and consolidate these files and should be run weekly.
- Repair disk errors: Run an error checking tool that scans the computer for bad sectors or misplaced folders or files. To help prevent data loss and improve performance this tool should be run once a week as well.
- Upgrade: Sometimes a system upgrade is the only viable remedy.
Do you have more questions for a managed IT services provider? Feel free to reach out!
Your computer’s internal hard drive can quickly fill up with programs or large files. Whether you’re hoping to resell, save space or increase speed, there are several simple solutions for cleaning up your computer and simple computer maintenance!
Some technology analysts believe that we use less than 10% of the programs installed on our computer, according to Microsoft. Get started today with the computer clean up tips outlined below!
Delete unused programs: Check out all of your computer’s programs through the control panel. Are there any programs you haven’t used in years and don’t plan on using ever again? Have you installed software for an old camera that you no longer have? Remember that simply deleting the program’s icon doesn’t delete the program. To delete: on the Start menu, click Control Panel, and then click Programs and then follow the steps.
Worried about deleting an important program off your computer? Use system restore, which resets your computer back to an original time to relocate programs. To restore, on the Start menu, click All Programs (or Program Files), click Accessories, and then click System Tools. Click System Restore, and the program will guide you through the steps. Curious about backing up all of your data, check out our blog post here.
Remove temporary files: You can delete an original file if you have downloaded a .zip or .exe file from the web and then installed the program on your hard disk.
Format disks and drives: By formatting disks and drive, you will be performing the ultimately cleanup on your computer - also an irreversible one. Make sure you have a good reason for deleting these files. Maybe you’re installing a new operating system, or you are selling your computer and need to remove all of the information on it. Just remember, this is permanent!
Empty the recycle bin: This is a pretty self-explanatory step; finally rid your computer of the files you had already taken the first step in deleting.
Use the Disk Cleanup tool. This software helps you to free up space on your hard drive to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Tired of storing all of your files on your computer? Wondering just safe these documents are on your hard drive? Consider migrating to the cloud for individual or business use and learn more about this process with our FREE white paper!
The measurement of managed IT services is a topic we have yet to address on this blog. Your managed IT services can be a sizeable investment but one that is critical to the operation of your business. It is important to explore and quantify the productivity of your services through several recommendations that I have compiled below. 
Audits: Professional audits can be valuable in assessing the efforts of your IT system. However, most small businesses do not regularly perform these and have little information to compare against. Informal and internal audits can produce similar feedback at a fraction of the cost. Tools like Nessus and Microsoft Baseline Security will assess server/network preparedness as well.
Productivity: Small businesses know that downtime can seriously affect business productivity and result in financial loss. A successful IT infrastructure should have minimal downtime. Check to see if there are any devices in place that measure system downtime and if not, consider installing one. This can indicate areas of business affected most and allow your IT department or managed IT services proivder to focus and allocate specific resources to aid these issues.
Employee awareness: Educate users on program, tools, and strategies for increased productivity and awareness. Consider sending out a quick survey to help understand troublesome areas for employees. Ex: how often should your password be changed? Having a two-way conversation about the ins and outs of company-wide IT infrastructure is the only way to gain the honest feedback from employees, educate, and help with problem areas. In the end, user satisfaction is key and integral to the continuity of your overall business practices.
The guidelines above will provide insight and measurement on the effectiveness of your IT outsourcing or department and how it affects business performance. The information will be valuable for financial and IT budgeting as well.
Wondering if your IT support is lacking? Download our FREE white paper!
