While your business might last into the near future, your IT is more challenging to upkeep and preserve over time. You’ll have to consider reworking and restructuring your infrastructure to ensure that it stands the test of time. Let’s review some warning signs that it might be time to do just that.
It is the right thing to do to use technology in your business’ attempt to be more productive and efficient, but it can also be a giant headache if you don’t deploy new technology proficiently. It can be expensive and really a hindrance to the way that you run your business, your staff’s ability to meet your productivity guidelines and more. In this month’s newsletter we want to give you four things you should consider when planning out any new technology additions.
Unfortunately, technology is just a tool. It can do so much for your business, but there are times when your technology is getting older and it stymies the amount that you can produce. This degradation can have a stark effect on your organizational productivity from downtime, cost, and more. Let’s look at how you can identify variables that tell when your technology has to be replaced.
So, you’re looking to improve your business’ technology…that’s great! More effective solutions are critical to helping boost your success. However, it is important to acknowledge that these kinds of initiatives don’t always have the greatest record of success. Let’s examine why this is, and critically, what can be done about it.
Updating your technology is one business task that needs to happen if you want to optimize your operations. Some companies, however, still rely on legacy systems that could be holding them back from peak performance. It’s difficult to update legacy systems without comprehensive IT knowledge and proficiency, which is why you have us!
With Microsoft announcing that the Windows 11 release is right around the corner, most users will be looking to upgrade to hardware that supports it. This is a topic for another day. As we approach the Windows 11 launch, Microsoft is gearing up to retire one of its most controversial (and ultimately innovative) operating systems to date, Windows 8.1. Today, we thought we’d talk a little bit about the mixed bag Windows 8.1 is and how it will be important to move off of the software by January 2023.
While Google Search has become eponymous for “online search”, the company has not stopped innovating upon the capabilities of the service. Most recently (as of this writing, of course) one improvement that the company is making is to give more content a bit more context before a user clicks through to a potential threat.
Your business wireless connection is an increasingly important consideration, which means it needs to be installed and supported thoughtfully. Today, we will tell you a little bit about Wi-Fi and how to get the best performance out of your business’ wireless network.
Over the past year, Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10, has gained a massive user base. With over 300 million devices worldwide running it, it’s safe to say that Windows 10 has, thus far, been a commercial success. However, the biggest reason for upgrading to Windows 10 (the free upgrade) will soon expire. So, are you going to take advantage of this, or wait until later?
If you’ve been in business for a while, there are devices on your network that see little to no use. Even for the most frugal business, due to the fact that technology eventually winds up being arbitrary thanks to the continued development (and deployment) of more powerful solutions, there will always be situations where you have devices that do nothing but take up space. You can reduce the chances of this happening by finding the right IT for the job the first time, while sparingly implementing only IT solutions that will provide a return on your investment.
If you’re trying to determine whether or not a piece of technology will help your business, you’ll first have to figure out how the technology will affect your product or service. If you think your business can properly utilize the technology to create more opportunities and improve efficiency as a whole, then it’s clear what you must do. On the other hand, if the solution doesn’t offer you obvious benefits, you’ll have to put more thought into whether or not you’ll actually want to implement it. An IT provider or technician can be of great benefit in this regard--especially when you’re facing IT troubles.
We’ll discuss some of the technology that you’ll find in today’s business environment, as well as when you know it might be on its way out.
Server Hard Drives
Your business probably has at least one server unit on-premise which relies on hard disk drives (HDD) in order to accomplish various tasks. These tend to last around three-to-five years, but they will also showcase various signs of failure before it actually strikes. Here are some of them:
Keep in mind that these signs of trouble can also apply to just about any device that utilizes a HDD. Many computers these days have moved in the direction of solid-state drives (SSD) due to the plethora of benefits they provide, but they are constructed in a fundamentally different way. Monitoring them is the best way to ensure they don’t prematurely fail and cause a world of trouble for your organization. The Connection, Inc can help you accomplish this in an easy and affordable way that won’t break your bottom line.
As far as some telltale signs of a failing SSD, here are a couple to think about:
Upgrading your hard drives and solid-state drives periodically can help you ensure minimal damage in the long run, but we always recommend having a quality data backup system in place as well to minimize downtime and the costs associated with it.
Networking Components
Businesses that suffer from networking problems can have significant difficulty keeping operations progressing at a smooth rate. If your employees need access to data or the Internet to do their jobs, they will simply get paid to do nothing in the event of a downtime incident. If you are experiencing issues with staying connected to the resources needed to stay productive, perhaps you need to investigate the issue at the source of the problem--either your router or the service provider.
Of course, it could also just be an internal networking issue, but this isn’t always easy to diagnose. If your business needs assistance with rooting out the cause of networking problems or inconsistencies with your IT infrastructure, The Connection, Inc can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (732) 291-5938.
Even if we’d like it to last forever, business technology can’t possibly do so for a number of reasons. Due to the fact that businesses and their technology are constantly upgrading and changing, it’s almost a certainty that you’ll have to upgrade your technology at some point, whether it reaches its end-of-life event or just simply becomes obsolete for your organization. In fact, failing to update your infrastructure from time to time can have serious negative side-effects for your business.
Microsoft is coming to the end of its support for the wildly popular Windows 7 operating system, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t make a contingency plan for those organizations that haven’t yet made the jump to new systems. It just won’t be cheap. We’ll break down the upcoming Windows 7 end of life event, and how Microsoft is offering an olive branch of sorts to organizations that simply haven’t upgraded away from this OS.
A business’ IT solutions aren’t the kind of thing that you can worry about once and never touch again - this is why manufacturers and developers are always sending out upgrades. However, you also need to have a strategy ready before you go to implement these upgrades. For this week’s tip, we’ll review how to put this strategy together.
No matter how hard some organizations may try, the technology solutions that a business leverages simply aren’t meant to last forever. You may have noticed that some of your systems are less effective than they once were, and that your competition seems to be playing with a different set of rules. Sounds like it’s high time you implemented a few upgrades.
Windows is a great operating system, but unless you’re keeping track of which version you have, you’ll be in for a rude awakening when it comes time to upgrade. In just six short months, there will be two Windows End of Life events for major technology solutions: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. You need to start thinking about upgrading now before it’s too late to do so.
Technology is a requirement in today’s businesses - but just having technology isn’t nearly enough. You need to make sure that you are performing the proper maintenance activities as well, to prolong the useful life of your solutions. Here, we’ll review a few basics to keeping your technology solutions ready for your use… and how we can help with that.
It is no secret that a computer that doesn’t seem to want to behave (or seems to experience constant issues) is something that most people just want to replace, no questions asked. However, by nature of how computing devices are put together, it is entirely possible that your device could simply be in need of a (much less expensive) repair.
Here, we’ll review some of the issues your device may be exhibiting, and discuss what could potentially be causing them. First, however, we need to address the first step you should take - just to be safe.
The moment you suspect that something may be wrong with your device’s hardware, you need to make a point of taking a backup, double and triple-checking that your data is redundantly saved. Ideally, at least three copies, saved in at least two locations, one of which is located offsite. This way, should something go terribly wrong with your equipment before you can solve the problem, you won’t lose everything.
This is purely a means of mitigating a worst-case scenario, and is really a best practice that you should be following every day as there are a variety of situations where a backup can prove useful.
Once you have done so, you are ready for some basic diagnostics.
This is one of the surest signs that there is an issue, as long as a few conditions are met. First off, you need to consider how many software titles are experiencing repeated problems. If it is just one title in particular, the problem is probably with the software, not your device. However, if multiple programs are behaving oddly--crashing, glitching out, or freezing--there could be a much more serious problem at play with the software that supports your computer.
This is when it is time to try reformatting the hard disk and reinstalling the operating system (which is exactly the kind of situation in which it helps to have a data backup at the ready). Most software issues would be resolved by this, so if your issues persist, you likely have an issue with the hardware that actually makes up the device.
As your computer is made up of many different parts, any of them could potentially fail… and depending on which part it is that does, you could be facing a relatively simple replacement of a certain component, or the replacement of the entire device.
For example, issues with dead pixels on the screen of your device or an unresponsive touchpad are times when it’s just more economical to replace or repair the part, whereas an issue with the motherboard (which would mean replacing a litany of other components, like your RAM, the CPU…) might make it more worth your while to just replace the entire device. In these situations, it is likely better to turn to an expert for their professional opinion.
While computers don’t have wrinkles, they certainly show their age in other ways. Devices that haven’t been maintained well or are getting long in the metaphorical tooth can become noisy, hard drives clicking and grinding or fans running on full speed, effectively all the time. These are signs that something isn’t quite right in your computer, and that this something needs to be resolved before the part making the noise fails entirely.
A slower computer can also be a sign that your computer has outlived its productivity, but it could also indicate the need for some maintenance. Before taking any drastic measures, try emptying some space on the device’s hard drive and running a virus check to see if your computer’s resources aren’t being used pointlessly. If this doesn’t help matters, it is likely time to replace the device.
A good rule of thumb to follow when deliberating between repairs or replacement: if your computer is too old to run updated software, or your repairs will cost more than half of what a new device would cost, replace it.
If you still aren’t sure about the state of your current devices, or just want a professional opinion as to what your best option is, reach out to The Connection, Inc. Our job is to ensure that businesses have the resources they need to effectively function. To find out more, give us a call at (732) 291-5938.
Windows 7 is only days away from being officially retired by Microsoft. The software company has done all it can to try to educate users about the end of the OS, which has its last support update on January 14, 2020, but won’t be getting any more. As of this writing there are still nearly 25 percent of computers running Windows 7. Let’s take a look at why it is imperative that you upgrade or find a solution to get out from under the Windows 7 OS.
The first thing you should know is that when the end of life date passes, the software will still be completely functional. It’s not as if it will fail to load on your computer, but what will happen, however, is that it will not get another software patch or update. Over time, this could cause a whole slew of negative situations. Among them, networks that the Windows 7 computer is connected to will not be secure. That could cause some very real problems.
Of course, you could take your Windows 7 systems offline, or quarantine them behind another firewall, but there is nothing you can do that will be safe over a prolonged amount of time. You will be breached, and any new vulnerabilities will become large holes in your computing infrastructure. You may not think you can afford to upgrade away from Windows 7, but you sure cannot afford to be left without support from Microsoft.
Currently, you have several options, even now, that can keep your business out of the line of fire, so to speak. These include:
This is the obvious one. By upgrading to Windows 10, you are sure to get the security patches and other updates needed to keep your business out of harm's way. Since the minimum specifications that it takes to run Windows 10 aren’t much more than it takes to run Windows 7, it seems like a solid plan to upgrade if you can. Here are the specs your computer will need:
All told, most computers that were running Windows 7 can run Windows 10. Above are the minimum specifications, so if you have a computer with this hardware profile, you shouldn’t expect the Windows 10 OS to run fast. If you are going to go this route, we recommend that every Windows 10 workstation have some type of 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4-to-8 GB of RAM, and at least a 160 GB hard drive.
If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, or if you can get some good terms on a lease, this may be the easiest way to move past Windows 7. You would have all new hardware which would come with Windows 10 installed. It may take some time to configure your new hardware with your line-of-business software, but at least you would get regular Windows 10 updates.
You can repurpose your old hardware to act as thin clients. This may take some capital to do since you would have to virtualize your data and applications, but it might just be an option for your organization. Since you have a severely limited timeline, it may be impossible to ensure that your data is protected before the deadline.
Microsoft is offering a service called Microsoft 365 that could make this transition a little easier. For a flat rate billed per user, you can get Windows 10, Office 365 with a terabyte of OneDrive cloud storage, and dynamic security software that can be accessed through any Internet browser. If you have teams of workers that only need access to productivity software, you could do much worse than this cloud-based option.
No matter how you go about doing it, you have to get out from under Windows 7 now. Call our IT experts today at (732) 291-5938 if you would like help going through your options.
The curious thing about information technology is that, while it improves as any other technology would, the environment can accelerate the various changes made to it at various rates. As a result, knowing when your business needs to upgrade its technology isn’t always so cut-and-dry. To help, we’re sharing a few clear indicators that hint that the time has come.
Or, more specifically, they are always scrambling to fix problems as they pop up. Older technology is prone to issues like this (and others, as we will get into). So, if your internal team is always chasing down problems, or you’ve been calling in the local IT guy almost every day, it will be more helpful to upgrade your technology. More up-to-date solutions will be less susceptible to these kinds of difficulties, so the costs saved in maintenance and remediation will likely offset the financial burden of an upgrade.
One of the most reassuring things about most job processes is the fact that there is a process at all, so if your technology no longer allows your set processes to be followed, how do you think your employees will react to it? They aren’t going to be happy, that’s for sure, and in order to accomplish what they are responsible for, they might resort to finding their own, less efficient (and less secure) methods to complete their objectives… methods that might be laden with problems. Improved tools can eliminate this need by providing a set, company-approved and secure process for employees to follow.
Speaking of things that frustrate your users, slow technology is perhaps public enemy number one in the office. Whether workstations are taking too long to boot up, the Internet connection is flaky, you deal with slow application load times, or too many other examples to list here, lagginess is generally best resolved by a replacement. This is very closely related to our next warning sign…
It’s simple math, really. If each task takes longer to complete, fewer tasks can be completed throughout the day, which usually translates to reduced revenue overall. At the same time, your employees will still be paid their usual wage, meaning that you’re spending the same amount of money to generate less income. It doesn’t take an economics degree to see that this isn’t good.
Investing in an upgrade can help you improve your productivity, which gives you the potential to generate increased amounts of revenue. So, instead of working for less money, you have the chance to see some significant returns from your investment.
Here’s the worst of it: as technology improves, so do the cyberattacks that bad actors will use to undermine it. By using older technology, you are effectively welcoming cybercriminals to attack you--especially if your tools have passed their end of support date. Updating your software, whether it’s your security solution or the productivity tools you rely on, helps to reinforce your overall security by reducing a particularly potent weakness.
So, when all is said and done, keeping up on your IT upgrades is a bit of a no-brainer. For more information on whether or not you need to upgrade your IT, or assistance in doing so, reach out to The Connection, Inc! Our professionals are just a call to (732) 291-5938 away.
Microsoft is just days away from officially retiring their Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems. If your business is, for whatever reason, still using this software, you will need to upgrade by January 14 or face using unsupported software that could quickly become a security problem for your business. Let’s take a look at your options.
Mobile? Grab this Article
