Managed Services for a Better Business

managed services for a better business

If the ever-changing world of IT has your head in a tailspin, you’re not alone. If the thought of running an IT department within your own business gives you nightmares, it may be time to consider an MSP.

An MSP, or managed service provider, is perfect for small, or medium-sized businesses that don’t have the capital to invest, or simply don’t want to spend the amount of money it would take to buy all of the equipment, and pay the necessary staff to run an effective IT department in-house. Managed service providers offer small businesses the opportunity to save time, money, and space by outsourcing their IT needs.

As more entrepreneurs open start-ups, innovators break ground, operations down-size, and many businesses shift away from the corporate structure, MSPs are becoming increasingly preferred. Having on-demand experienced IT support was once an expensive luxury exclusive to big businesses. Fortunately, with an MSP, this personalized on-demand support is now totally affordable for any size company. MSPs are flexible and allow companies to access to the amount of data storage they actually need, and can afford, and to adjust as their business grows, or downsizes. Utilize the experience and knowledge of information technology professionals, protect your data, and avoid any dreaded down-time with an MSP.

Forbes reported that, “The growing interest in management service providers comes as small businesses look for relief for their overburdened information technology workers who are often asked to perform around-the-clock maintenance. Such businesses are turning to management service providers to get a better bang for their buck…and to remotely monitor corporate networks to guard against hacker intrusion or to ease bandwidth bottlenecks.”

You don’t need to own an in-house IT department for your business to benefit from cutting-edge technology, customized support, and preventative maintenance. MSPs are the economical solution for any company that wants a slice of the IT department pie. Let the pros deal with your hardware, software, and network issues, and please contact us for any additional information to see how an MSP is perfect for your business.

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.

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.

The Four Myths About IT Support

the four myths about it support

Let’s take a moment and dispel some of the misinformation surrounding IT support ae-itsupport . Here are four myths that you can now discount.

IT support is too expensive and your small business can’t afford it

This is one we hear all the time. This is really more of a worry than it is a thought since it doesn’t make too much sense. Overall, there are two reasons why you can afford IT support. The first is that the service itself is cost-effective. It’s not going to be your biggest expense and the monthly bill is predictable. The second reason is that it lets you concentrate more on your business. Our economy is based off of people specializing in what they do best. Let IT professionals take care of your network and focus on your clients and products.

In-house support is better than outsourced support

While it’s certainly more expensive, in-house support is not always necessarily better than outsourced support. Ask yourself what kind of IT support you need in the first place. If it’s just normal everyday stuff, then outsourcing IT support will be just fine. If you’re asking why businesses would choose to outsource support instead, take another look at the first myth.

Businesses don’t need IT support

If your business only has one laptop, a printer, and a basic wireless network, then you probably don’t need IT support. But once you start adding more devices, you have to start thinking seriously about network security. Plus, there are a bunch of other services like cloud computing and VoIP. Your business needs IT support the same way you need Internet access.

IT support teams don’t listen to businesses

We’ve all brought our car to a mechanic only to be ignored when we suggest what could be wrong. We drive the same car every day, so they should probably hear what we have to say. We keep this same mentality when working with businesses. Whether you have a problem with your data or you need advice about which IP phone to buy, we’ll listen to you before making a decision.

To talk more about this, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.