Directive Blogs

It’s always an exciting time when you commit to a new IT project that promises to change your organization for the better. Of course, the exciting stuff is what comes after the implementation process—a process that can range from easy-as-pie to incredibly complex and stressful, depending on the expertise your organization employs.

The entire premise of managed IT services is that they can save your business money, but in what specific ways does working with us make your budget more predictable? It’s really quite simple, and it encompasses three primary pillars: an established level of service, proactive maintenance and management, and the reliability and access to expertise that might otherwise put a stopper on your business’ potential.

IT support is a must for the modern business. Whether you have an internal IT administrator, a team of technicians on staff, or you outsource your management, you need to ensure that your business has the support and service needed to keep your business’ technology running efficiently. 

How has your business managed its technology in recent years? Depending on the way you have done so, you could be unnecessarily throwing money down the drain when you could instead be reinvesting it into your organization. If you are ready to take your operations to the next level, consider changing your approach to your office’s technology management with managed services.

With cybersecurity a priority for every business that depends on their IT, there are a lot of different strategies being utilized out there to keep threats off of networks and data safe. One of the most advanced strategies being used today is enlisting a service that runs a Security Operations Center (SOC). Today, we’ll investigate what a SOC is and how it works to keep threats at bay. 

Technology is what keeps the modern business running, be it something as simple as a word processor or as complex as a server unit. Unfortunately, many businesses struggle with technology procurement, management, and maintenance. Let’s take a look at why this is the case and what you can do to help this process along, chiefly by implementing managed services.

A business’ budget is the biggest authority over it. As a result, each business needs to spend some time adjusting their operational investments to put itself in the best position to reach its goals… a process that a managed service provider’s help can make much simpler. Let’s review some ways that an MSP can help a business get that much more out of its investment into its IT.

The COVID-19 outbreak has put a lot of pressure on small businesses. In fact, many have been forced to close down operations until the situation ends. For those that are able to keep operations up and running there are likely to be some difficult decisions that will have to be made. We’re here to help by offering comprehensive IT support and services that will help keep your business up and running efficiently and securely at a time when many of your competitors might be closing their doors.

For the small business, times are increasingly tough. Many businesses have been forced to close down until after the coronavirus outbreak has been mitigated, but for those businesses who are still at it, you must be looking to save some money. Outsourcing your IT to a managed service provider may be just the thing you are looking for in order to get the comprehensive IT support your business needs, while also strategically cutting organizational outlay for IT support and services. 

There quite a few reasons that it makes sense for a small-to-medium-sized business to lean on outsourced assets. Let’s go over a few of the biggest benefits that you could see from bringing on these kinds of services, from both a financial and operational stance.

If you were to poll all the business owners in your general area, one point of contention they would all have is that their workforce investments stay static, while their returns are seemingly variable. A lot of the variance is tied to the fluctuations of staff productivity. Anyone who has paid someone else to do work understands that even if the jobs are all the same, people bring a fairly wide range of issues to work with them, and they can have troubling effects on the ability of a business to move forward. Today, we will take a look at the modern worker, their motivations, and how the right IT can work to leverage more consistency for your business.

Consolidation makes life easier. Your smartphone is a prime example of this; consolidating dozens of individual gadgets down to one easy-to-use device that can fit inside your pocket. Before smartphones, we had to travel with a carry-on bag full of electronics, but now, thanks to smartphones, traveling is much easier. This principle of consolidation also applies to IT services.

Two major concerns of every business owner are the protection of their company and making sure their technology does what it’s supposed to do. It can be overwhelming to manage these two aspects on your own, which makes outsourcing the security and maintenance of your IT such an attractive option.

There are dozens of surveys and reports produced each year that evaluate digital threats and cybercrime. Not every publication applies to every business - but many of them do have some important take aways about the best practices of handling IT. Here’s few highlights from the 2017 Cyberthreat Defense Report that offer important insight for SMBs and their use of technology.

Selecting a managed service provider should be like selecting any employee. You need to make sure that your expectations are going to be fulfilled, and that your selection will be there when you need them to be. However, the criteria you examine your potential IT service provider by should be a little different than how you evaluate your other prospective team members.

It’s no secret that a business owner has more than enough to deal with, regardless of that business’ size.

Whether the business has 10 employees or 100, the business owner has to deal with the stress of managing the minutiae of everyday operations, along with any other issues that may pop up. As one might assume, financial concerns can contribute considerably to that stress.

Any project manager will tell you that there are countless issues that can get in the way of a successful implementation. To nobody’s surprise, business technology can aid project management by streamlining operations and making the entire process much easier for everyone involved. We’ll dig into the details about how project management software and value-based managed IT services can help you complete projects on-time and on-budget.

Uh oh - your critical business systems are acting up again, and you aren’t sure what’s causing the problem. Fortunately, you aren’t caught up in this alone. There are those that can help you, just like a doctor would if you were ill. However, instead of calling your healthcare provider, you want to call a managed services provider.

Your business relies on its technology being maintained properly, but it’s not always as simple as updating a software application or replacing a hard drive following a catastrophic failure. You have to think about who you’re paying to maintain your technology solutions, if there’s anyone doing it at all. You need to consider what happens when you lose data or when your organization experiences downtime. How do you keep technology from becoming a hindrance for your business?

How much does your business rely on technology to keep your organization running forward? As business technology becomes more complex, it’s becoming increasingly popular for organizations to have their own internal IT departments to manage and maintain it. Yet, small businesses don’t often have the necessary funds for such a feat. How can your company afford quality IT service? You can start by pursuing managed IT solutions from a managed service provider.

How much money does your business waste on managing its technology solutions? You might be surprised by the answer to this question. Depending on the way that your organization takes advantage of technology, you’ll have different needs than other businesses, but no matter what kind of organization you manage, it’s critical that you try to get the best return on investment for your solutions.

Uh oh, your PC or laptop is starting to act up again. If it’s been checked for software problems, you’re most likely dealing with an issue with the hardware. Looks like it's time for a trip to the repair shop--but before you go, you need to make a few preparations. Here are the five things you need to consider before taking your computer in for repair.

If you think you are not up to date on your tech jargon, don't feel bad. A recent study conducted by Vouchercloud.com asked 2,392 adults multiple choice questions about the definitions of common technology terms. The findings suggested that many of them were worse off.

You started your business because you have a particular skill set. This is what allows you to continue doing business as usual. However, this also means that there are some topics that you might not understand completely. This is why you hire employees from diverse backgrounds, and it’s one reason that you should consider outsourcing what you can to professionals in specific fields.

When it comes to technology, it’s often difficult to understand how every bit of it fits into a complete IT infrastructure. In fact, if you were to ask your staff to communicate with your technology vendors, would they know how to do so? Understanding where your technology comes from, namely your vendors, is an important part of streamlining your business’s operations.

It’s already a couple of months into 2016, are you still relying on a break-fix company to fix your technology problems? Using technology comes with its own set of problems. For example, dealing with an influx of new devices in your office, determining whether or not your technology can take another year of use, and budgeting around new technology expenses, can be suffocating. If you haven’t done so yet, now is a great time to cast aside the break-fix IT policy and take your technology maintenance and management seriously.

Businesses thrive on technology, and constantly use it to push their initiatives forward. However, the latest solutions and business technology can often be complex, and it usually requires the attention of skilled professionals in order to guarantee its optimal efficiency. The only problem is that small and medium-sized businesses often don’t have funds to hire in-house IT technicians for their technology maintenance needs. Managed service providers offer a unique benefit for these budget-minded organizations.

Technology can be a fickle thing for small and medium-sized businesses, especially if they don’t have a dedicated staff whose sole responsibility is handling the maintenance and management of IT. It becomes much easier to simply outsource the responsibility to a managed service provider, but even choosing this has implications that should be considered before making such an important decision.

Staying on top of your company’s budget is a key component to increasing your revenue. By failing to do so, major expenses will blindside you and cancel out any progress that might have otherwise been made from increased sales. For many companies, one of the worst budget busters comes from their IT.

By now you’ve heard of managed services: Technology-related services that allow businesses to get the IT support they need without taking on the often large and unexpected expenses that usually accompany them. This allows a business the ability to budget a flat fee for their technology support each month, and address IT support needs that include communication, application deployment, and the proactive support of the business’ IT infrastructure. The overall managed services industry has seen immense growth as businesses look to cut their support costs, while continuing to build onto their IT infrastructure.

Are you experiencing performance issues with your computer network? Does it seem like it’s not running as effectively as it used to? Given the nature of technology, eventually, you’ll have to replace all of your computer hardware. But before you do, give your network a boost by trying these four IT maintenance best practices.

We live in a world where money is the solution to all problems. If you have a problematic piece of technology, what do you do to fix it? You can call in the professionals, or shell out for new hardware or software. Either way, you’re spending money, but the difference in how much you need to spend depends on the policies your IT support budget specifies.

Directive presents to you “Real Men of Brilliance.” Today, we salute you, Mr. Do-It-Yourself Entrepreneur.

When you’re in an electronics store searching for the perfect cable for your new piece of hardware, you’re going to find yourself wondering what the difference is between the cheap cables, and premium cables. How can you determine whether or not you need premium cables?

As a business owner, you know that technology is a necessary, albeit unpredictable, investment. Your organization thrives off of it operating as expected, yet suffers when it doesn’t function properly. This is the primary reason why the idea of help desk support was first introduced. It’s an effective medium through which your employees can receive tech support when it’s needed most.

As your company expands, you’re beginning to realize that one IT person isn’t enough to handle all of your technical needs. You feel like you need more hands on deck, but your budget won’t allow for it. You decide that your best option is to hire slowly and steadily, interviewing externally for the most qualified individuals. But, how can you be sure that they meet the needs of your company?

One of the most important factors that you should consider when looking for IT staff is how much you can trust them. After all, they’re dealing with your technology. You’re trusting them with incredible responsibility. Therefore, you need to be sure they are honest, hard-working individuals. How can you ensure that you aren’t getting blindsided by your IT staff?

One common characteristic about small-to-medium sized businesses is that they're often stretched thin. When your company is pulled every which way, certain aspects of it begin to suffer. One area that should never suffer is customer service. Managed IT service can make things easier on your staff so they can focus on what’s important, like better serving your clients.

As a small business owner, you want the best technology that will assist your company and allow it to grow. Not all technology vendors can do this for you. In order to get the most out of your technology, you need to separate the champs from the chumps. That’s where our vendor management service comes in.

Doing a project right the first time around is the most valuable way to get it done. Businesses that best understand this concept are the ones that have experienced the folly of choosing the cheap route to get something fixed, only to then have it break again--which ends up costing them more in the long run. Nowhere is this more true than with IT support.

A technology-based parody of the classic Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens.

Once upon a time, in a land not much different from this one, there lived a business owner. His name was Scrooge. He wasn’t an unlikable fellow; jolly and cheerful at any glance, his smile could light up the darkness in anyone’s life. Yet, when the winter months arrived, and a chilled wind blew across the land, so too did a fell gust freeze his heart. It was time to figure out why his systems were hacked (again), and he knew it would be an expensive endeavor. How he hated managing his IT.

An IT parody song to the tune of “Santa Baby.”

We offer a handy IT service called vendor management. This is where we resolve technology issues on behalf of your business by coordinating with vendors to provide a fix, even if it lies outside the realms of our expertise. You may not realize it, but you actually use vendor management services for other everyday aspects of your life.

It takes a special kind of person to give great customer service. If someone can't pick up on social cues, or if they have a low tolerance for repetitive questions, they will end up offending a lot of customers. To assist our clients with their IT problems, we make sure to hire the most helpful customer service representatives that we can find.

Just because you have an IT technician on staff, doesn't mean your technology needs are 100% covered. The people making up your IT department are just that, people, and because they are people, having reliable coverage can be difficult. Outsourcing your IT department is the perfect way to get the extra coverage your business needs, especially when your IT team can't be there for you.

You may have been using a PC long enough to remember just how awesome Microsoft Word 98 was. When Microsoft first released their Office 98 productivity suite with programs like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, there was really nothing quite like it on the market. Unfortunately for some businesses, Word 98 isn't nostalgia, it's a daily reality.

It seems odd, but people are declaring 3D printers to be the technology that's going to revolutionize the future while simultaneously moving away from paper printers. Let talk about the printers you use for your business. A print server solution will help you transition away from your current printer setup so that you can take advantage of cool futuristic technologies!

Technology is a major part of everything your business does. Therefore, you need a technology partner that does more than just fixes your computers. For example, if your smartphone decided that, "today is a good day to die," then it wouldn't matter how great your workstation was running, your day would still be ruined.

For a business owner, leaving money on the table is the worst feeling because it means passing up on easy money. From forgetting to upsell to a customer to having a delivery route be longer than it needs to be, there are many ways that businesses leave money on the table. Take a look at your company's technology; you may be leaving money on the table by using inefficient technology that's literally sitting on your table.

Starting a new business is a huge undertaking that's highly demanding. Wishy washy people need not apply. An individual starting a new company will need to take into consideration every possible scenario and make plans for it as best they can. Taking advantage of the right technology from the very beginning will make starting a new business much easier.

For a modern business that depends on its technology, few things are worse than when a server crashes, causing an entire organization to experience downtime. The only thing worse than downtime is the repair bill that accompanies it. In desperate times like this, is your IT company taking advantage of your misfortune?

When your business runs efficiently, you will see the positive side effects start relatively quickly. While this seems pretty reasonable to most everyone, there are many business owners that don't know how to best produce the kind of efficiency that will take their business to the next level.

One of the purposes of technology is to help your business grow. The best way to achieve this goal is to be intentional with your technology. Sometimes running a business can be so hectic that keeping up with your technology becomes an afterthought. Neglecting your technology can eat into your organization's profits; therefore, it makes more sense to outsource your IT.

The freeze of winter is hard on everyone and everything, especially windows. Seeing that on Tuesday, 90% of the US was literally frozen due to what meteorologists are calling a "polar vortex," we thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how to prevent your Windows from freezing with managed IT services!

A Song In the tune of "Here Comes Santa Claus"

For most small business owners, your average week includes several moments where you look at your expense sheet and search for ways to cut costs and improve the profitability, and thus, the sustainability of your company. Around the holidays, when business picks up for everyone, some small businesses run into problems that stunt their net profitability. The inability to spend the money that larger companies can, will often result in handcuffing a business' ability to compete.

One IT problem that you may have heard about is server noise. A server unit is a noisy piece of equipment because it comes with multiple fans used to keep the machine cool. One big reason why servers are banished to their own room is because of all the noise they make. Here's what you can do to quiet your servers.

How does it make you feel having to call IT support? If you've never talked with one of our IT technicians, then you may think of the stereotypical scenario of dealing with an incoherent foreigner and dread making the call. We feel IT Support should be quick, easy, and resolve the problem, not test the limits of your patience.

If your business has never experienced a major computer problem, then it's easy to underestimate just how damaging downtime can be. This conclusion can be drawn from a recent survey of small business owners, where 65% estimated they would only lose $500 if their company's network went down for a day. In reality, downtime is much more costly than $500.

As a small business, your goal should not only be to survive, but to thrive. Many times, small businesses try to cut costs by not purchasing essential equipment and services. Unfortunately, because of its cost, technology ends up on the backburner of the priority list. Don't cut corners. Here are seven tech assets you need to invest in.

Have you ever talked with an IT technician about how technology works, and one minute into their explanation you zone out and can't understand a word they're saying? They're speaking English, you recognize the words, yet you can't make sense of anything. In situations like this, you need an interpreter that speaks technologese, we can help.

With traditional IT support, there's room for humorous-yet-frustrating mistakes stemming from miscommunication. Having a user with limited knowledge about computers describe their problem to an IT technician with limited patience is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, new IT support tools make communication between users and IT support much easier.

It's convenient to have an in-house IT technician. If your computer freezes up, you can call the IT department and they will swoop in and save the day. This is how in-house IT is supposed to work, but it's hard to hire anyone that's 100% reliable. We think it's actually more advantageous to outsource your IT; here are 5 reasons why.

We've all learned in our Business 101 studies that cutting costs is an absolute priority of business operation. While there are plenty of products available that promise to save your business money, perhaps the easiest and most effective way is to downsize. Gartner Inc. reports that you can eliminate a quarter of your IT expenses by simplifying your IT network.

Managed IT services are designed to be an affordable solution to keep an organization's IT infrastructure running smoothly and minimize expensive downtime. To help you better understand how managed IT services can save your business money, let's look at five modern IT methods that our IT services are founded upon.

Outsourcing jobs is never a safe topic to bring up in a group discussion. If you mention "outsourcing," be prepared to hear nationalistic rhetoric followed by, "They took our jobs!" When outsourcing is done right, it can save your business money, and when you outsource IT services with us, you can rest easy knowing where the work is going.

You can take out an insurance policy on anything, even a wedding. Insurance company Fireman will protect your big day against "nonrefundable expenses, including cancellation due to serious illness, injury, extreme weather, a missing caterer or officiate -- even a bankrupt event facility." Your businesses technology is important enough to insure; is there a policy to protect your tech?

Upgrading your network and shopping for new technology can be a daunting task. Technology is expensive and it's an investment that will help your business grow, but that's only if you purchase what you need. A poor technology purchase can actually be a budget buster. To maximize your new technology purchases, it's worth it to partner with IT professionals.

Every business needs to have a business continuity plan to keep operations going after experiencing a disaster. The centerpiece to every plan is having a backup and recovery solution in place for your company's data. If something happens to your data, your business may not recover. Here are four backup statistics that show the importance of backing up.

When a major storm slams into your business and knocks out power, who are you going to call for help? If your communication system is hosted on your in-house IT infrastructure, then you won't be able to call anybody because your phones will be down. This also means your customers won't be able to call you for help.

How long has it been since you last had a comprehensive assessment of your company's technology situation? If it's been more than a year since your last technology assessment, or if you have never had one, then you may be missing out on some great money-saving solutions. You can discover these solutions with a business review.

When you break down our IT Company, you will discover that we are about more than just computers. In fact, everything we do with technology is basically one big effort to help your business perform better and save you money!

Something that's redundant might be understood as something that's no longer needed, excessive, or unnecessary. While the word redundancy is used as a negative adjective for most of life's scenarios, when it comes to business technology, redundancy is an asset. Here are three ways redundancy can help.

If the front door represents the entry point to your company where prospects turn into customers, then the back door represents weaknesses in your business model that provide customers with reasons to look elsewhere.

If you are a business that doesn't have an IT support plan, then you're running on borrowed time. It's the nature of technology to eventually break, and when it does, it can disrupt the entire flow of your business. A reliable IT support plan is crucial to your business continuity plan. Without a plan, you will have a big mess on your hands.

What are your business' biggest pain points? Some pain points are obvious, like the issue keeping you up at night. Other pain points are smaller; you may not worry about them as much, but they still negatively affect your bottom line. Here are three ways we can help identify and find solutions for your company's pain points.

You wouldn't make a major technology purchase without first researching it. A person who gives you advice is essentially putting their reputation on the line. When it comes to technology and our IT services, we will confidently offer you our expert advice in order to help provide you with the best solution possible. In business, this is called a guarantee!

As a business, you have to market yourself. Fitting everything you do into a catch phrase doesn't do justice to your many services. We know the feeling. As an IT Company, we do much more than computer repair. In fact, we work hard to find solutions for every part of business, including areas you wouldn't suspect, like administration and more!

When your technology breaks, your business goes to a bad place called Downtime. It's a place where productivity comes crashing to a halt, revenue is no longer generated, and repair bills mount. You don't want to go to Downtime. The solution to prevent downtime is to have your technology professionally managed.

An IT service company specializing in solutions does several things well. A business that's solution-oriented won't easily take "no" for an answer. Finding solutions means moving mountains for clients and providing service that goes above and beyond. One may think that we only fix computers, but our solutions-approach to service means that we do so much more!

You don't need us to tell you that running a small business has its inherent difficulties. There are all types of factors that could literally destroy everything that the hardworking people in your organization have accomplished. The problem is that these situations aren't limited to just disasters such as flood or fire. Below are three factors that may wreak havoc with your small business in 2013.

The whole point of making a budget is to control costs. All it takes is one surprise to undo all the careful work of budget planning. No department is immune to unplanned expenses, and while it's impossible to totally prevent budget-busting expenses across the board, you can take action to turn many surprise expenses into controllable costs.

It wasn't too long ago when a person could go to his or her local supermarket and rent a copy of their favorite movie on VHS. When that novelty fell off, you could still get the movies at your local video store. Every town had one. Whether it was a chain such as Blockbuster or a locally owned store, millions of people relied on the video store in their town for entertainment for the better part of a quarter of a century.

Remember the good old days? You'd come home from school and break out your new copy of Superman: The Secret Years. You knew that you always had a Super Hero you could depend on. Unfortunately now, bound with the ties of life, you no longer have time to spend reminiscing on the heroes of your youth.

You decide to take your workstation to a local computer repair shop because its running slower than a turtle at a dead run. Then after you've waited for the Computer Technician to fix your computer you find out it wasn't broken, it just needed a defragmentation and a little bit of malware removal. This is caused from carelessness that tends to happen because of the busy work day.

Having an IT infrastructure that works properly is the goal for every IT department. While it’s nice to have all of your technology in working order, this is just one part of the successful business/technology equation. Having your IT network properly designed to meet the needs of your business will maximize your productivity and make your technology work for you!

Everything feels extra difficult for small businesses. Technology makes things easier; yet technology costs money, and the lack of money tends to be at the root of every problem for businesses of all sizes. Big businesses can afford the best technology, which is one reason they do so well. We level the playing field by making big business solutions affordable.

Isn't it nice to have everything prepared for you? Of course it is. Whether it's having your dinner made for you when you get home, or having your car turned over to you fueled up and cleaned out, everybody appreciates having everything taken care of. In the world of technology, we take care of everything with our turnkey business management solutions.

There are many challenging aspects that come with running a business, but which aspect is the most difficult? According to a 2012 survey of small business owners by The National Federation of Independent Businesses, managing costs is the most difficult responsibility. We can help; our managed IT services turn technology into a predictable expense.

Managing your business is demanding. Staying on top of your employees, your inventory, shipments, payroll, and a hundred other things can be draining to say the least. The last thing you need is to add to your leadership burden. Let us manage your technology vendors for you! Our vendor management service will relieve you from these three management stresses.

As every good Stars Wars fan is well aware, May 4th is Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you). As an IT company, we love all technology, especially tech from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Therefore, let us take a moment and look at the most famous technology from Star Wars, Darth Vader.

May 4th is Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you). In celebration of our favorite space saga, we thought that we would write about our dream job; providing IT support for the mother of all technologies, the Death Star from Star Wars.

As busy as you are, the last thing that you want is to have one more thing to keep track of. This is why you have us take care of your IT infrastructure; it is worth it compared to learning how to troubleshoot each problem by yourself. Did you know that we can take care of more than just your computer network? With our vendor management service, we can also keep track of all of your technology.

What do you do with a broken computer? You can take the time to learn how to fix it yourself, you can drop it off at a computer repair shop, or you can call in a technician. While all of these methods will get your PC up and running again, we think that we have found the best way to handle a broken computer.

Thanks to the cloud computing, there's a lot of chatter these days about doing your work remotely. The idea of accessing your data from anywhere on any device is an exciting prospect, but it is not a new one. Windows Terminal Services (renamed Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2) has had this ability for many years, and it is still a great remote service option for your network.

If your business is large enough to have its own IT department, then you know firsthand how valuable it is to have a knowledgeable technology professional on the premise. Being IT technicians ourselves, we experience this appreciation all the time from helping our clients. Sometimes, a technician's popularity can be almost overwhelming, and for times like these, it is nice to have backup.

(To the tune of: Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

No need to watch out
Techs are standing by
There's no need to pout
Remote help via Wi-Fi
Your MSP will know when you're down