The Connection, Inc Blog

It’s nice to do something and feel good that you’re the one doing the work. This DIY approach provides you the satisfaction that you’re doing the job yourself, and that you’re doing it right. If you’re the kind of person who gets nervous about others handling tasks, you fully understand how stressful it can be to have someone you don’t know or trust working on important initiatives; particularly working with your company’s technology.

This is the main advantage of working with The Connection, Inc to outsource your business’s technology maintenance. We are willing to put in the extra effort to build a solid working relationship with your company, just so you can rest easy knowing that your IT projects are being done as per your specifications. While this might not feel like DIY, once you’ve grown to know us and trust the quality of our work, you’ll know with confidence that you can count on us to get the job done properly. Plus, if you’re trusting us with your IT projects, you won’t have to invest precious time into the project yourself, meaning that it will likely be resolved faster and with less incident.

In other words, outsourcing your IT is like having a trusted friend help you with an important favor. We treat your technology like it’s our technology, so you know that the quality of the service received is of the utmost importance.

The average break-fix IT company won’t provide this kind of care and attention your business needs to ensure the proper functionality of your organization. A break-fix IT company is only going to look at your broken technology as a paycheck, when in reality it’s your business’s livelihood at stake. You want someone who understands the importance of technology to your business’s workflow, and that’s something that only The Connection, Inc can offer.

By having us manage your technology, we want you to know that we’re invested in your business’s success. When your business succeeds, we succeed, too. This type of working relationship is a far cry from anything that a break-fix IT company can provide.

Basically, The Connection, Inc provides a DIY experience for your business’s IT, without the need for all of the labor and work on your part. Our proactive approach to IT means that we can remotely monitor and maintain your systems to prevent a major catastrophe from striking. By keeping an eye out for warning signs, we can effectively eliminate key issues that could result in wasteful downtime.

If you can trust and rely on us to provide quality services, then we can extend this service beyond just your IT maintenance and handle vendor management services. This is where we act as a single point of contact for all of your business’s technology needs, which includes working with your vendors. If you need something that isn’t covered by our IT agreement, like repair on a third-party printer or installing an Internet connection, just contact us. We have our own network of professionals that you can trust to handle your technology solutions. If you trust us, and we trust them, then by proxy you can view them as trustworthy resources, worthy of dealing with your technology.

For more information about managed IT services and what makes The Connection, Inc so different from everyone else, give us a call at (732) 291-5938.

In the natural course of doing business, an owner/operator will have to face many difficult situations, but none of these situations are as difficult as asking them to determine whether or not to close the doors of the business for good. Many problems could cause a business to fail, but it has to hurt the failing owner a little more when the solution for the problem was not only within his/her reach, it was affordable.

Today’s businesses still require a lot of hardwork and dedication, but technology assists with day-to-day tasks, and gives more opportunities than we could otherwise imagine. As such, it needs to be in optimal shape, but what business has the time to see to that? Well, with the help of remote monitoring and management, yours does.

It’s a fact that most businesses today are rolling out technology as a part of their strategic plan to improve productivity and make their business more efficient. The more technology your organization relies on, the more crucial it is to get comprehensive IT support for that IT.

Computers need to be maintained in order to ensure that they are working as optimally as possible. It’s also known that technology solutions are prone to failure, be it from users making mistakes, deliberately ruining something in a fit of rage, or components simply failing. If you’re concerned about the wellbeing of your organization’s IT, then you need to rely on a technology specialist who can manage and maintain it.

Most modern businesses depend on technology in at least some capacity, whether it’s for productivity, efficiency, or even security purposes. Without access to important data and applications, your business is a shell of its former glory. This is why it’s so important for businesses like yours to implement managed IT services. It certainly beats having untrained employees maintain your crucial computing systems!

Managed services - what are they? The short answer, other people managing the IT systems that you rely on every day to be productive and accomplish your tasks. In essence, they are a freedom from dealing with the troublesome and time-consuming parts of leveraging technology. You may have heard this much about managed services before, but have never been given a deeper understanding of what they entail. That is precisely what we aim to accomplish below.

Technology support can be one of the major pain points for businesses, and it’s not something that your organization wants to invest in without thinking about the details. Technology support as a service has a lot to offer when compared with the break/fix method. We’ll help you make the right decision by explaining why remote IT services are a major benefit for any business.

There will never be a time that we are not committed to improving the security of businesses. To continue striving for this goal, we’re dedicating this week’s tip to describing some solutions that can assist in locking a business and its data down.

The act of “yak shaving,” also known as “bikeshedding,” is a specific kind of procrastination that can hold you back from getting the most out of your workday. This week’s tip is dedicated to explaining what this nonsensical phrase means and why it’s beneficial to keep your employees on track.

What Does Yak Shaving Have to Do with My Business?
Yak shaving is just another way to define semi-defensible procrastination. It uses the following scenario to make its point: you need to complete a proposal, but you might be tired from a long day of work, making concentration difficult at best. You start to look into the best kind of coffee to get into a productive mindset, and your research yields potent results. The best coffee beans in the world come from a remote island, and they can only be harvested by a yak. So, now you need a yak. You take a trip to the Himalayas to acquire said yak, but the yak can’t take the temperate climate of the island with the coffee beans. In order to bring the yak to the island, you’ll have to shave its long fur off. Once that’s been done, you can take that yak to the island, harvest your coffee beans, and brew that perfect cup of coffee for flawless productivity to finish your proposal.

Basically, it takes a normal problem and uses a ridiculous and overly elaborate method to resolve the issue, but this in itself creates complication to get away from doing the less desired task. Everyone has been in this position before, where a particular task is so unappealing that they would do anything to get away from it, but the fact remains that the task needs to be done, whether you want to do it or not.

How to Identify (and Overcome) Your Hairy Yaks
The first thing to do if you think an issue like this arises is to notice how you tend to react to them. Consider all of the tasks you need to complete; how many of them actually have to be done to reach your ultimate goal? There’s no doubt that looking for excuses will lead to procrastination rather than productivity.

Imagine all the time spent earlier looking into the yak and the island with the coffee. What if you invested all of that time and energy into completing the task? Instead of wasting time, you could have already completed the task, rendering the need for the yak obsolete. Granted, the problem-solving skills you’ll acquire might seem valuable, and they are to an extent, so it’s not a complete waste--just not a great choice in the first place.

Think of the Task as an Investment
Time is money, and time-consuming tasks can be a waste if they aren’t being handled as well as possible. Think about it like this; you’ve already invested a considerable amount of time and effort into one solution, so why not simply go all the way with it and finish it, if the alternative is to waste even more time?

Overall, you need to remember that successfully completing a goal should outweigh the frustration of having to do it. The results are what matters primarily, but if you have only been working on something for a couple of moments, don’t be afraid to change it up.

The technology you use will play a considerable role in the way you complete a task. To learn more about how you can use it to benefit your business, reach out to The Connection, Inc at (732) 291-5938.

Businesses have a lot of technology to manage. While some organizations have an in-house IT department to manage it, many small businesses are limited due to location factors, budget concerns, and countless other variables. In the past, organizations would turn to break-fix IT management for all of their technology issues, but trends in IT maintenance have given rise to a more popular and more sustainable way for small businesses to get the technology maintenance and management they need.

Downtime is a major problem for businesses, and it’s largely a result of technology taking over the workplace. Since many jobs rely on technology to be done properly, it stands to reason that broken-down technology can pose a considerable issue for businesses--not to mention the costs that are associated with downtime and maintenance. A help desk can alleviate some of the pressure that the average employee feels as a result of relying on technology in the workplace.

Small businesses can’t afford to have the position of IT administrator held by someone who isn’t certified and experienced. In some cases, they have whoever knows the most about computers in charge of it, but this often leads to disaster.

As a standalone service, a help desk can remediate many of the issues that some organizations face with their IT strategy. It provides comprehensive IT support that your business is looking for. Not only does it handle broken technology services, but it also reduces your downtime, human error, and other situational IT troubles. You’re doing your employees a disservice if you force them to encounter roadblocks that could easily be surmounted with the proper support. Having IT experts on hand can make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier.

Furthermore, if you have a dedicated IT administrator or outsource your IT management to a firm that doesn’t offer help desk support, having remote technicians can be a game changer for your IT department. Just having the option of additional assistance can go a long way toward helping everyone make ends meet, moving your business forward in a way that is most successful for all.

Does your business have trouble keeping up with maintenance, help desk support, and other technology-related troubles? The Connection, Inc can help. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (732) 291-5938.

In order for one methodology to replace another, it has to provide more value than the one that came before. In terms of IT support, managed services can deliver far greater value than the familiar break/fix method. In this series, we’ll explore the value that managed services contribute to a business, starting with their proactive nature.

How Do Managed Services Work, Compared to Traditional Support?

In order to fully appreciate how managed services provide a business with value, let’s consider two scenarios, side-by-side.

Jack’s job requires the use of a computer to accomplish his tasks, as does Jill’s. If Jack experiences computer issues, he relies on a break/fix IT arrangement. Jill, on the other hand, leverages managed services.

Comparing the Experience of Break/Fix Against Managed Services

Let’s say that Jack’s computer encounters an issue in the middle of the workday, just as he was making progress on one of his responsibilities. Once Jack realizes what has happened, he calls his computer guy and explains his situation. Now, his computer guy has a few clients with appointments ahead of Jack’s, so Jack will have to wait a few hours before his computer guy will get there. Once he finally arrives, the company is billed for a relatively simple fix.

As it happens, Jill’s workstation also encounters an issue, also while she was being productive. Once Jill realizes this, she reaches out to her company’s managed service provider and explains the situation. The managed service provider then remotely logs in to immediately take control of the workstation and troubleshoot the problem, identifying the problem and allowing Jill to resume her task. As this fix was covered under her company’s agreement with the managed service provider, Jill’s employers won’t have to make any payments beyond the usual monthly subscription fee.

Proactivity is Central to Managed Services

As Jack and Jill each carry on in their work, Jack is much more likely to encounter issues, while Jill rarely notices any problems at all. This is because Jill’s workstation, like all the workstations in her business, is remotely monitored by the managed service provider. The managed service provider uses this monitoring to prevent glitches, malfunctions, and incompatibilities before Jill is even aware that she could have a problem, with no onsite visit needed from the provider.

As Jack’s computer guy is paid each time that Jack or his coworkers call upon them, that computer guy has no motivation to help prevent issues from occurring, or recurring. This means that Jack frequently finds his day interrupted - often by the same issue as before - and needs to call the computer guy back in for another (probably expensive) visit.

Thanks to their respective service agreements, Jack and Jill each have a very different workplace experience. Jill is able to accomplish more than Jack can, simply because she has an expert team looking after her IT from a distance. (We’ll discuss this more in the next part of this series.) 

Applying and Installing Patches and Updates

The same can be said of any updates that either need. Jack will need to rely on the company’s internal IT resource (assuming there is one) to keep track of any patches or pending updates that need to be applied. If this resource is too busy, these updates could slip through the cracks and go undone. If the resource does manage to get around to Jack, Jack will again be unable to work as the solutions install.

Again, on the other side of the coin, Jill’s managed service provider is committed to keeping track of the solutions that Jill and the rest of her company use, and maintaining them as need be. This includes keeping an ear to the ground regarding patches and updates, and putting forth a best effort to avoid interrupting Jill’s productivity. This is often accomplished by the managed service provider remotely accessing and applying needed updates and patches after hours when there is nobody there to interrupt.

Stay Tuned for More Information About the Value of Managed Services!

When it comes to the benefits that leveraging a managed service provider can bring your business, we’re just getting started. We have plenty more to share, so make sure to subscribe to our blog so you don’t miss anything.

Of course, if you want to find out more now, we are available to talk to at (732) 291-5938. Give us a call to discuss managed services with one of our experts and how your business can benefit!

Information technology support has developed and evolved as the methods and equipment used have improved. As a result of this development, there are a variety of ways that managed IT providers can deliver additional value through their services. In this series, we’re exploring the many benefits a business can gather through managed services - here, focusing on the support available.

When it boils down to it, there are really only two ways to operate a business: proactively, or reactively. While many businesses still rely on their reactivity to deal with their technology issues, the opposite approach is demonstrably more effective for the modern business. Let’s explore some of the effects that a proactive and reactive strategy can each have on your operations.

To start, it is probably wise to establish how each approach generally works out.

What A Reactive Approach Entails

As you might imagine, a business that doesn’t adapt to the shifting landscape until something is going to directly influence it would be described as reactive. Whether it’s by boosting the company’s efficiency when a new competitor opens up, or scaling back spending after the local economy takes a significant downswing, adopting this method can present you with some significant issues.

For instance, reacting to these kinds of circumstances inherently means that your business is going to be behind the eight ball, susceptible to larger issues and their consequences. Your competition will have the lead on you, and if you’re occupied by playing catch-up, your capability to make the most of your business will be hampered.

What A Proactive Approach Entails

Comparatively, a proactive approach to IT maintenance and management takes the polar opposite approach. Rather than essentially sitting around and waiting for something to interfere with business operations, a business that leverages a proactive approach considers the data they have collected, identifies trends, and uses these insights to prepare themselves for a variety of different scenarios.

For instance, a proactive behavior we frequently recommend is to maintain an offsite data backup that is compliant to best practices. Managed services are inherently proactive, as your technology is monitored for the express purpose of catching issues early.

Turn To The Connection, Inc For Proactive Support

Of course, we don’t expect you to just take what we’re saying at face value - let us show you how beneficial our services can be. The trained team here at The Connection, Inc can keep your technology operational and optimized, ensuring your productivity.

Keep reading our blog for more benefits of working with The Connection, Inc, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance by calling (732) 291-5938. Don’t wait until doing so is a reaction!

You’re likely aware that we have a Help Desk for our clients to leverage, but not all companies handle their support the same way. Here, we wanted to share a few reasons that we are confident that our approach to support is better for our clients.

This is, in part, thanks to the tools we use. While they are intended to make our jobs easier, the result is ultimately improved support for you. What follows are a few of the features that help us, help you.

Improved Organization

In most businesses, there is no shortage of requests received from their clientele. Rather than requiring an employee to record and organize all of the information that one of these requests contains, businesses today can leverage an automated process to create their tickets. As a result, these requests can be delivered to an appropriate resource faster, without the risk of being overlooked, lost in email, or incorrectly scheduled by a human being.

Furthermore, with help desk software assigning tickets to a particular resource, you are less likely to encounter instances of multiple resources attending to a given issue, which adds to the confusion and can slow down the process.

With our help desk, a ticket is generated for us once you submit your issue, and it is assigned to one resource for them to take point on it, bringing on other resources for assistance, but generally remaining your sole point of contact. As a result, all communications and updates can be found in one place, keeping us all on the same page.

Flexibility

There are a lot of ways that you can reach out to us - from our website, emailing us directly, or calling us. This not only makes it easier for us, as we can be sure that there is always some way that our clients can reach us, it also assists you.

Consider it - what if your VoIP system was on the fritz? Or your email wasn’t working? By ensuring that, again, our clients always have some way to reach us, we ensure that we can always be made aware of an issue - and that’s assuming that we didn’t spot it through our remote monitoring.

Accuracy

Let’s face it, even the kind of professionals that The Connection, Inc hires can occasionally make mistakes - we’re only human, after all. However, by using the full capabilities of our technology solutions, we can make sure that - through automation and documentation - the possibility of human error is minimized. With fewer mistakes made, and the time-intensive tasks on our end minimized, your issue is resolved faster, allowing you to return to productivity.

Our team hopes that you have acquired some additional insights as to the value that a help desk can bring you. If you are interested in learning more about implementing one, give us a call at (732) 291-5938.

Most businesses nowadays require a server in order to operate properly, but these critical pieces of infrastructure aren’t immune to issues. Here, we’ll go over a few common reasons that you may experience a server crash.

Age

Frankly, the server might just be getting old. Server hardware tends to have a lifespan of somewhere between four-and-six, some companies replace it sooner, and some try to stretch it out for as long as they can. When the end of this time approaches, the best way to avoid expensive issues is to replace it, as trying to push much further could wind up costing your business more in the form of downtime and disruption.

Equipment Failure

On top of your server, you have the other components in your infrastructure that, if they are having an issue themselves, can share that issue with the server and cause difficulties. Oftentimes, simply rebooting these components is enough to resolve your server’s problem… but if the issue persists, try calling The Connection, Inc for assistance.

Environmental Issues

Despite their size, servers are extremely vulnerable to the conditions around them. Too much heat, too much humidity, too little airflow, too much dust and grime, too much (or not enough) electricity being supplied to it; all of these scenarios could impact how well (or if) your server functions.

There are many ways to help mitigate these kinds of issues, like installing uninterruptible power supplies to enable the server to power down safely in the event of an electrical outage, or proper ventilation, fans, and other climate-control assistance to help keep things clean.

Of course, these aren’t the only reasons that a server might encounter problems… there are plenty more problems out that can have a marked effect on your company’s IT. The Connection, Inc is here to help you diagnose and deal with them all. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us today at (732) 291-5938.

That’s an interesting question, as there are many things that can create some form of lag in a business’ network. Let’s go into some common causes of this slowness, starting with one clear indication that something is up.

Causes of Lag

Insufficient Bandwidth

You may be demanding too much of your Internet service at a given time, leaving too little bandwidth for your desired process to complete efficiently. If you consistently encounter issues, you may consider investing in a greater bandwidth for your business. Before doing that, check to make sure nobody is misusing the company network. If employees are streaming video content, uploading a lot of data, or other things that might not be a part of their everyday job responsibilities, you might experience bottlenecks due to this overwhelming amount of unnecessary traffic. Setting up a content filter is a good way to block a lot of this.

Hardware and Software Issues

This one is straightforward: out-of-date software and older hardware simply won’t work as well as the newer stuff, which could lead to network issues.

Malware

Many examples of malware can tax your network, hindering its performance and holding you back, among other detrimental outcomes to your data security and efficiency.

Network Misconfiguration

The issue may really be within your network in the form of poor configurations. An internal audit can help you identify if this applies to you.

Issues with the ISP/Website

On the off chance your Internet service provider is experiencing issues, your performance will see some detrimental impacts. There isn’t much you can do about this other than reaching out to your ISP. The same goes for those times that you’re accessing an online tool or cloud-based database. If things aren’t working right on the provider’s end, you will also have difficulty.

Latency

Latency is just one side effect of a greater issue; and, is also one of the most frustrating for a user to experience.

When your computer reaches out to another part of a network, like a website, it sends a small data packet (known as a ping) to confirm that there is a connection made through call-and-response. Latency is the delay in the time it takes for the ping to be sent out and returned. The higher the latency, the longer it takes, and the worse the user’s experience is.

Like we said, frustrating.

There are many reasons that you may be experiencing high latency, which can impact the operation of your entire network and each of your processes.

Reach out to your IT resource for more assistance with your network’s performance, or give the team here at The Connection, Inc a call. We can be reached at (732) 291-5938.

Remote monitoring and management software helps businesses of all sizes avoid issues of equally variable sizes, which is why it is a key facet of the managed IT service model. We wanted to review some of the ways that it benefits the managed service provider, and as a result, benefits our clients.

First, What is RMM Software?

RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) software is a solution that allows an us to--as it says in the name--remotely monitor and manage a client’s systems. By installing a small software application (known as an agent) into the various components of a business’ infrastructure, we are able to keep an eye on the business’ technology. When we detect an issue via that software, it can be identified and resolved without interrupting the operations of your business, oftentimes before you have any idea that an issue is even present.

How Does RMM Software Help Us?

There are a lot of ways that using RMM software is to our advantage:

• It collects data about your systems, including the status and health of your devices.
• It simplifies the process of updating and proactively protecting your systems.
• It enables us to care for your systems without sacrificing travel time.
• It allows for concurrent mitigation and resolution of IT issues.

So, why should any of this matter to a business? Simple--the benefits that we gain from these tools directly translate to benefits for you. For instance:

• With additional data collected about everything on your network, we can better understand and care for these systems more effectively.
• With updates and proactive protections applied more easily, you can enjoy a more secure computing experience.
• With the need for us to travel reduced, you could see your issues and challenges resolved much more efficiently.
• With IT tasks across an infrastructure resolved simultaneously, you could see improved results in less time.
• With issues detected in their infancy, they can be resolved before they escalate into a larger problem.

Interested in Learning More About RMM?

Reach out to the team here at The Connection, Inc. Our expert consultants can help you determine your business’ needs and recommend the IT solutions that best fill them. Give us a call at (732) 291-5938 to get started.

If you’re trying to minimize your operating costs to improve your budget, it is important to keep in mind that sacrifice isn’t your only option. Instead, you also have the option of streamlining and minimizing some of your larger expenses by enlisting a managed services provider and the more sustainable business model we adhere to.