Scheduling Mandatory Reboots: Computer Tip of the Day

scheduling mandatory reboots computer tip of the day

Computer updates are important for security and functionality, but nobody likes waiting for their computer to reboot. Oftentimes, users get caught in a cycle of delaying them every chance they get without ever making time for the updates to download. If this has been frustrating you since your first Windows desktop, then read below for our computer tip of the day about scheduling mandatory reboots.

Scheduling Mandatory Reboots

With Windows 10, Microsoft won’t let users delay updates for long. But to help with this transition, it’s also offering an option for scheduling mandatory reboots.

This PC World article talks about the feature and explains how you can use it:

“Windows 10 won’t allow you to skip updates this time around, but it tosses enthusiasts a bone by finally—FINALLY—including an option to schedule exactly when those mandatory restarts happen. Once an update’s been downloaded, head into the Windows Update section of the Settings app’s “Updates & Security” section to tell your PC when it’s got a greenlight to reboot. If you head into the advanced options you can tell Windows to notify you to schedule a restart whenever an update’s ready to rock.”

Changing the settings only takes a couple of minutes, but it’ll save you a lot of frustration later on. The good thing is that you won’t have to keep clicking “Postpone” every four hours when scheduling mandatory reboots.

This tip has several benefits. For one, it makes sure that employees update their computers regularly. This is critical for protecting your company’s hardware and data. Moreover, by scheduling their mandatory updates, employees will see an increase in productivity. The updates will start at convenient times as opposed to interrupting employees when they’re busy.

If your computers don’t have Windows 10 yet, then you should encourage employees to update their computers regularly. Not scheduling mandatory reboots can create problems later on and frustrate employees in case the updates start at inopportune times.

The best computer tips are the ones that save time and remove frustration. If you’re interested in other computer tips that increase productivity, or anything else, contact us today.

What Is HIPAA Compliance? If You Have A Business, You Should Know

what is hipaa compliance if you have a business you should know

What is HIPAA compliance? Having a thorough understanding of HIPAA compliance is imperative for any IT professional working in the healthcare sector. This factor is especially important as technology evolves, and more affected organizations utilize innovative tools like mobile devices and Health Information Exchanges.

But what is HIPAA compliance?

As this article explains, HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data. A comprehensive IT plan for HIPAA compliance must include, training, review, and safeguards.

TRAINING:

For training to be effective, it must be current and thorough. Members of the medical and administrative staff need regular and comprehensive training to lessen the practice’s risk of exposure to data leaks and potential financially crippling HIPAA violation penalties.

REVIEWING:

As technology and regulation evolve, it is important to incorporate regular reviews of policy and procedure as it pertains to patient information and how that information is shared and stored.

SAFEGUARDING:

There are three basic areas to consider when developing safeguards; physical, administrative and technological.

1. Physical

Organizations covered by HIPAA must have physical measures in place to protect both traditional and digital data from unauthorized intrusion. These actions may include having a patient’s charts placed in areas where only authorized personnel have access, securing laptops with passwords and keeping them in safe locations and putting security cameras in those locations. Policy and procedure training must include instruction for proper use.

2. Administrative

Security controls have to be evaluated regularly from a risk management standpoint in the following administrative areas of your medical office:

  • Assignment of responsibilities
  • Workforce security
  • Awareness and training
  • Incident reporting protocols and periodic analysis
  • Contingency planning
  • Emergency data recovery planning
  • Vendor access and control – confidentiality contracts

3. Technological

IT is the fastest evolving area of a practice today. Tech areas that need to be kept in compliance with HIPPA regulations are:

  • Data encryption
  • Data storage options
  • Data disaster planning
  • Data recovery planning
  • Email filtering
  • Web filtering
  • Digital data sharing
  • Risk analysis

Consequences of non-compliance

So now you know the answer to the question, “What is HIPAA compliance?”. Having a thorough understanding of the complicated requirements for HIPAA compliance also means that the penalties for violations are also understood. HIPAA violations and resulting lawsuits are soaring. The dollar amount of awards and settlements for HIPAA ITsecurity violations is currently at $20.3 million, (for the first eight months of 2016) that is an increase of 32% from 2105.

To discover how AE Technology Group’s HIPAA Consulting can benefit your business contact us today.

Find IT Support on Long Island That Meets Your Needs

find it support on long island that meets your needs

Find IT Support on Long Island That Meets Your Needs

If you have your own business in Long Island, chances are you have at least some IT needs. For a small business with only one computer and not very much dependence on it, maybe you can make due without IT support.

But most small to medium businesses need some outside IT support. For the layman, IT is complicated, and as a business owner, you want to spend your time on your business, not fixing the infrastructure that helps it run.

AE Technology Group provides IT support on Long Island so that your business can run smoothly and efficiently.

How Does Our Service Work?

AE Technology Group offers a fixed, affordable rate and our technicians are available 24/7/365. AE Technology Group was formed by the merger of Adam Kaplan with ASK4Technology and Marc Bellack of Evolution CE. Together they have more than 20 years of experience in IT and have created a company that is designed to meet all of your IT needs.

We understand that technology is complex, and it is constantly changing. We stay on top of those changes so you don’t have to. AE Technology Group can help your Long Island business with hardware design and installation, technical and help desk support, and network design and implementation. We help you prevent potential problems by offering software trainings.

For more information on our rates and how AE Technology Group can help your small to medium business grow, contact us today. With the proper IT support, you can focus on what you do best, and we will back you up completely with your technology.

Utilizing a Managed Service Provider for IT support is the Right Move for Small Businesses

utilizing a managed service provider for it support is the right move for small businesses

In this high paced technology world, guaranteed, something will go wrong with the technology. The computer is flashing error messages; the software is freezing up; the network is down; you can’t print the report. Work grinds to a halt. The IT department is called, but they are backed up or are one person.

If you’re a small business, you may not have an IT department, so rely on a computer tech person, who is running from client to client, or a teenager, or worse, you try to solve the problem yourself. Grinding teeth, shouting expletives follow. It doesn’t have to be this way. Hiring a managed service provider is a growing trend.

A recent Market and Markets report predicts the managed services market will grow from $142.75 billion in 2013 to $256.05 billion by 2018, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 12.4% from 2013 to 2018. In the study, managed service providers included managed data center, managed network, managed information, managed mobility, managed infrastructure, managed communications, and managed security. Another important result was that using managed services reduced costs by 30%-40% and improved productivity and efficiency 50%-60%.

Another study revealed that more highly skilled workers are joining managed service providers so that businesses are receiving competent assistance in a person’s specific area of expertise.

What does this all mean? How can a small business benefit from using a MSP?

  • Have a problem after hours? MSP is there 24/7, 365 days a year.
  • Desktop computers, laptops, networks and servers are all covered.
  • Advice on what are the best hardware and software solutions for your business.
  • Explain and advise how to best utilize cloud services.
  • There are many remote service options that allow the technician to access a computer from a remote location, analyze the problem and solve the issue. This is a great savings in time since there is no waiting for the tech to show up.
  • There is not one person to answer all questions. A business will talk with someone who is skilled and has expertise in the specific problem area.
  • MSPs can monitor servers and networks and solve a problem before it becomes one.
  • Flat monthly fee, nothing more, no surprises.
  • Most important, “Time is Money.” With MSPs taking care of IT issues, that frees businesses to engage in their expertise – their business.

AE Technology Group can provide all these services. Get a handle on your technology. If you want more information on how to improve your data security or if you have any issues with your systems, please contact us, your Long Island computer network support specialists.

4 Tips for Choosing Outsourced Computer Support for Your Business

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

Though it’s clear that security breaches are an issue for large corporations and organizations, they are also a major issue for small businesses as well. If you’re like most business owners and managers, you want to choose the right IT solution for your business model. However, not being an IT expert yourself, you’re likely unsure how to go about it.

What to Look For

Professionalism

The on-boarding process will show you whether an IT company is professional. They should provide you with a designated team member that you can always use as your first point of contact in every situation. In some situations, however, you or your staff might just want to speak with the help desk. It’s important to note that good IT teams clearly define their help desk policies in writing.

Your potential team should also offer a seamless service transition, with a clear outline of the information they need from you or from your previous IT services provider.

Coverage

Many issues that arise between IT providers and the companies they serve occur because managers and business owners don’t understand exactly what their service contract covers. The best way to avoid these issues is to understand exactly what your potential IT team covers up front. Ask for a Service Line Up and a Device Inventory. These documents will outline exactly how your potential IT team will handle service delivery in the different technology areas of your company.

Mobile Security

If mobile security isn’t something you’ve been thinking about, you should make it a priority. Yes, network security is typically the primary issue for most companies. However, more and more, employees are using mobile devices for both personal and business use. Even simple tasks like:

Accessing the company network, Emailing clients, Texting clients, or Transporting files can put company data at risk. Your potential outsourced computer support team should help you design a mobile security plan that includes:

  • Provision of or help with planning compliance training
  • Help with choosing a BYOD or COPE device policy
  • Device security, backup and recovery protocol implementation

Disaster Recovery

There is no question that every company needs a good backup and recovery plan. Here’s 4 reasons you need a disaster recovery plan. Make sure that your potential IT company provides you with a backup and recovery plan in writing, and that it covers your office’s hardware, peripherals and mobile devices.

We believe that it’s important that you and your staff understand everything we have to offer, before you sign on the dotted line. Having it in writing gives you proof, but clarity and understanding give you the peace of mind you need to focus on your business.

Contact us today!