How to Backup Your Computer

how to backup your computer

how to backup your computer Imagine this scenario.

Your business is thriving. Just a month ago you hired two more employees, and you are considering expanding further. Your office is filled with employees hard at work on customer’s orders.

You smile with satisfaction. Everything is going great.

Fast forward to tomorrow and your entire business is in shambles. Your computer system has went down so all of your information has been lost. You know that it will take months to replace the lost information and start running efficiently again. Your dreams of expansion have been delayed.

This scenario isn’t so far-fetched if you don’t back up your computer. It’s vital that you learn how to backup your computer effectively.

There are two ways to backup your computer, a physical drive and a cloud-based storage system. In this article on how to back up your computer we will look at both:

1.  Physical drive

Many businesses regret using physical drives to backup their computer. USB drives are expensive and are easily lost or destroyed. If you lose your USB or it is damaged in an event such as a fire all your data is gone. In addition, USB drives can be stolen.

Physical drives are not the optimal way to back up your computer.

2. Cloud-based storage

When you use a cloud-based storage service all of your data is stored online. If you use a good company your data will be secure and easily accessible.

When learning how to back up your computer this is the method that you want to use. It is far superior to the physical drive method because you can access your data anywhere and there’s no risk of a USB drive being destroyed.

Backing up your computer using cloud-based storage is simple. Simply choose a company then follow their directions to transfer your files to the cloud-based system. The process is quick and easy.

If you want to work with one of the best cloud-based storage systems available for small businesses contact us.

4 Services Included with Outsourced Computer Support for Businesses

4 services included with outsourced computer support for businesses

outsourced computer support for businesses Technology can make or break a business. Everything is great when you increase your productivity, but one major hardware failure can lose your company thousands of dollars.

With computer support, you can enjoy the advantages of technology and minimize the risks. Here are four things outsourced computer support for businesses can offer you:

On-demand support

The real problem with technology is that you never know when it’s going to fail. It seems like problems only occur when you least expect it.

With on-demand support, this isn’t a big deal. If your computer won’t start or your network is down, you just have to contact support. They’ll take care of the rest.

Cost-savings

Outsourced computer support is beneficial because you don’t have to pay for a full-time IT staff. When you outsource your support, you only pay for the services you need. It’s an ideal solution for small businesses that use technology but can’t afford an IT team in their budget.

Virus protection and network security

Protecting your computers from viruses and your network from hackers is an important part of outsourced computer support. If you don’t do anything to secure your technology, then you’ll be an easy target for hackers. The best way to stop these things is to prevent them from ever happening.

Back up and save your data

Your business relies more on data than you might think. If you were to lose that data because of a hard drive failure, it would be catastrophic to your business operations. With outsourced computer support, you can back up your data so it’s safe in the case of a disaster.

Any company that uses technology needs some kind of support. Businesses with tight budgets should consider outsourcing their computer support to save money and protect their investments in technology.

To talk more about outsourced computer support for businesses, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.

Business IT Consulting in New York: Finding the Knowledge You Need to Prevent Disasters

business it consulting in new york finding the knowledge you need to prevent disasters

Business IT consulting is a choice that many businesses turn to now, perhaps mostly because they can’t afford to keep an in-house team on the payroll. But if many businesses take on consultants for sake of saving money (something that’s guaranteed), those businesses may not initially know how many more advantages they have beyond the financial aspect. Far too many businesspeople don’t really realize how much in danger they are now if they haven’t already taken precautions on technical and human-caused disasters.

Yes, the world of business disasters is extremely vast now and always right near the edge for those complacent. It’s possible that you’ve avoided taking proper precautions simply because nothing has had happened to you before.

This sense of complacency is a risky game in the world today when your business relies on technology and the online world to stay profitable. It’s become a true minefield out there with the news of brazen hacks and more complex technical issues as technology evolves. Ultimately, you need a crew that knows what’s really going on out there.

In the world of IT consultants, there aren’t technicians working for just one company. They’ve been out in the field dealing with every possible issue and knowing what works and what doesn’t in solving problems. As it’s always said, when you live in the world, you know reality. A lot of people think our own government should take such a hint, among others who think they know the world as it is.

True knowledge is the key to a sharp IT team and not one that’s worked for the same company going back years. If an IT team works for only one company going back years, they won’t possibly know what others are dealing with lately, even if taking time to upgrade skills.

Here at AE Technology Group, our team of IT consultants have helped many New York businesses with the latest solutions to every IT problem. They know about the latest viruses and other threats, including the proper methods to prevent these issues in the first place. They also know about the latest technology available so you have the best tools to keep your business running efficiently.

Contact us to find out more about what we do and how our consultants and managed IT team will safeguard your company 24/7.

A Network Support Technician Works Behind the Curtain to Keep Things Running Efficiently

a network support technician works behind the curtain to keep things running efficiently 2

networkAt one time, a network support technician usually meant an in-house technician working directly for you with their own office. But while some companies still prefer to keep at least some in-house IT techs on the payroll, a lot of IT management now occurs internally. The best way to describe the most efficient IT management today is “the person working behind the curtain”, almost as an analogy to the Wizard in the “Wizard of Oz.”

The big difference is that your IT manager is benevolent compared to how the Wizard initially was. And having a network support technician working this way behind the scenes has a lot of advantages for you.

Taking Care of Your Network Without Being Obtrusive

Perhaps the biggest misconception about IT management services is that they disrupt things while the company works on important projects. This never happens because it’s all internal without someone literally sitting at your computer to take care of issues. It’s all done through your Internet line 24/7. When there’s a problem, you’re alerted immediately so you know it’s being taken care of while you still go about your work.

That’s the key difference: Your work is never interrupted, even when a network technician is taking care of an issue. It’s truly the technician behind the curtain without the loud fanfare like the Wizard above.

Even better is that when problems happen unexpectedly (as they frequently do with networks), they’ll be fixed quickly without delay. This means no downtime for you, which is extremely important in the business world today. Even a few hours of downtime could cost you severely.

In the chance that a network support tech might slow things down for upgrades or some other reason, they’ll contact you in advance so you arrange the best time. You won’t have sudden slowdowns at the wrong moments while a technician performs maintenance.

Let us bring you this non-obstructive network support to you here at AE Technology Group.

Contact us and we’ll tell you more about how working with IT consultants works so efficiently without having to pay technicians for time they aren’t using.

Why Security is at the Heart of Managed IT Services on Long Island

why security is at the heart of managed it services on long island

It’s difficult to choose the most important component of managed IT services on Long Island. And that’s the whole point, really. Businesses outsource their tech support for a variety of reasons, and some value certain services more than others.

But we can at least say that there’s one factor of managed IT services that you can’t exclude. Without it, business owners wouldn’t even consider managed IT services as a viable solution.

That factor is network security. Whether you’re protecting your files against data breach or installing a firewall, security is at the heart of managed IT services. Some businesses opt for managed IT services just for the network security. From their point of view, the services automatically have a positive ROI since they prevent data breach and protect the business from hackers.

What About Now?

Charles Weaver, CEO of MSPAlliance, a California-based organization, talked about the importance of security in a recent Tech Target article. According to the article, managed IT service providers need to build a reputation through their security background:

“Security is the pinnacle of managed services. You don’t get into it by accident. You have to be known in the community and have an established relationship with people for them to want to work with you on security issues.”

You can’t just trust anyone with your network security. And you might want to think twice about working with a brand new managed service provider. If you haven’t talked to other clients or read positive reviews, you won’t really know how sophisticated their network security is.

Disaster recovery and cloud computing are great for small businesses, but they’re not quite as important as network security. When considering a managed service provider, your first questions should be focused on their security practices.

To talk more about managed IT services on Long Island, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.