On It

Today, I realized that I didn’t backup my iTunes library of music before blowing out the hard drive on my new laptop. Ordinarily, this would have been a disaster. Lucky for me, the geniuses over at Apple had my back. Or shall I say BACKUP.
Since I use iCloud, my music and other items had been backed up to Apple’s cloud storage service. Here’s what I did to get my iTunes music back on my computer.

1. Download the latest iTunes
2. Login with your iTunes account (this must be the account that you used to purchase the music).
3. On the right side of your iTunes screen, go to Purchases
4. Click Songs or Albums to change the page view and All or “Not in My Library” to view your purchased content that currently is not downloaded on your computer
5. Click the download icon to the right of each item to download that item or simply download them all.

Thanks Apple, for saving us from ourselves!

The cloud computing era is here and it’s a great time to be a small business. If you do it right, cloud computing could save you money and provide you higher levels of reliability. But with so many options out there, how do you choose?

We’ll, how do you choose a doctor, or an accountant? Certainly, the usual criteria like length and depth of experience should come into play. Other obvious factors like number of years in business should be considered too. So, what about location?

When we bring up the topic of location, some customers tilt their head in bewilderment, as if to ask, “Isn’t the cloud everywhere?” Or, “does the location of my small business cloud services company really matter?” We think it does, and here’s why.

Location, location, location

When looking at cloud services for your small business, you’ll want to ask your salesperson where your precious data will actually live once you move your business to the cloud. Yes, you did read that correctly. Wouldn’t you like to know that your data isn’t sitting a block away from a potential terrorist hotspot? How you like to learn that your servers are actually sitting in a known flood zone?

When shopping for small business cloud services, you absolutely want to visit the datacenter that will house the computing infrastructure for your small business cloud needs. It just makes sense to see it and touch it, doesn’t it? Any cloud services provider should be more than happy to take you on a guided, informative tour of their facility. After all, you don’t know if you don’t see. It would be pretty embarrassing to suffer a massive data or computing outage, only to find out that your cloud services provider’s datacenter was actually a small unused room in his basement.

Want to visit our jaw-dropping, purpose built multimillion dollar facility? Reach out to one of our friendly representatives to arrange for a tour. Hint: it’s not in our basement!

In an age where we have prototypes of flying cars, phones with more computing power than the most powerful computers from the previous decade, and an ever-growing web of endless possibility which is the Internet, we find ourselves growing in all aspects pf technology. Technology is the Zeus of the modern world and business is our Olympus. However, with a constantly changing world of technology, the warriors of IT must also be capable of changing and growing.

I have worked at Exigent Technologies in the Mount Arlington, New Jersey office for only a few months, but the culture embodies an undeniable Titan amongst the other would-be technomancers of the industry. Technicians are employed at most IT companies. Believe me, I have worked with them. A technician is a technical person employed by a business whose sole purpose is to resolve the technical issues being experienced by someone with as minimal effort as possible. Their goal is to find out what your technical issue is and to put the quickest bandaid possible on it so they can move on to their next droning task. A technology consultant, however, is much more than that. A technology consultant is someone who can work with technology, but has the wisdom and desire to see past the immediate or obvious. A technology consultant is someone who can analyze a problem and not only come up with a temporary fix or work-around for the problem, but develop an entire strategy to eliminate that problem from ever coming back, all while providing the maximum level of customer service, technical aptitude, and business-conscious advice possible. A technology consultant can differentiate between the “right way” to do something and the “easy way” to do something and will always make sure they do right by their clients.

When a small to medium sized business shops for a technology company to implement, support, or administer their servers and networks, they might not understand the difference between a technician and a true consultant. That is where we come along. Exigent Technologies is not a company that employs technicians. We employ consultants. When we perform work for our clients, that work is not performed so that we can pave the way for our future, it is done to pave the way for their future. In turn, as those businesses grow, their increased growth and trust in Exigent allow us to grow as well. This is the kind of culture and mindset that Exigent Technologies cultivates. And for that, I am not only privileged to be a consultant for our clients, but honored to be counted amongst the few, the proud, and the nerdy!

In the last 90 days or so, our company has added the following IT certifications.  This is in addition to what was an already long list of accreditations.  The new certifications include; CompTIA Network +, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuration, Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows 7, Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP), Apple Certified Associate – Mac Integration 10.7 (“LION”), Apple Product Professional (APP), and VMware Sales Professional (VSP).  WOW!

We’re really excited about our new relationship with FatPipe Networks.  Their solutions are very unique and really interesting.  Among other things, they have technology that allows you to bond (aggregate) Internet connections such as cable lines, DS3, T1, DSL, OCN, ISDN, wireless, etc.  You can use any combination too.  For the very technical, think of it as a BGP alternative.  Their patented technology is called Router Clustering.   

Let’s take a simple example.  Let’s say that you wanted to have 30Mbps of Internet access speed, but your cable company only offered a 15Mbps connection.  You could actually purchase two of those lines from the cable company and bond them together to reach a total of 30 Mbps using FatPipe technology. 

However, that is a VERY simplistic example of FatPipe’s technologies.  There is so much more to it.  I’m really looking forward to working with the FatPipe team to bring these extremely sophisticated bandwidth aggregation solutions to our customers in the NJ and NY area.

More and more small businesses are considering offsite backups – with good reason!  Our data backup best practices indicate that you should have both an onsite and offsite data backup.  Mozy Pro is an offsite only solution.  Several small business customers have asked me about the popular Mozy Pro service from EMC.  So here’s my take on it in terms of suitability.    

I think Mozy has a good offering, but due to the fact that there is no onsite backup, I can’t recommend it.  Trying to download large amounts of data over the Internet in the midst of a disaster just isn’t my cup of tea.  Further, I think it’s too complex for most small businesses. 

You see, many small businesses underestimate the complexity of data backup.  The majority of non-technical business owners feel that backing up is as simple as copying data from one place to another.  Most marketing campaigns are geared toward convincing small business owners that “anyone can do it”. 

Backing up servers a very different from backing up some documents stored on a PC.  Backing up servers involves the precise and specialized backup of files that need to be in use 24-hours a day.  Server backup also entails backing up your user database (Windows Active Directory) and several other live databases such as SQL and Microsoft Exchange Server (e-mail).  Does Mozy Pro support Active Directory, SQL and Microsoft Exchange backups?  Yes, they do.  Is a small business owner or his/her delegate best suited to implement, monitor, maintain and restore these backups?  Probably not. 

But don’t take my word for it.  Picture yourself in the midst of a data loss crisis, and click on the following links below to see some of the documentation from the Mozy Pro.  If any of it makes you uncomfortable or appears complicated, you should probably trust your backups to a local, trusted IT advisor. 

Links:
Restoring Microsoft Exchange in Mozy Pro

Restoring Active Directory and SYSVOL Data

As I’ve been going on more and more sales appointments in and around NJ and NY lately, it’s become abundantly clear to me that it must be extremely difficult for small business owners or decision makers to do conduct a fair comparative analysis of various Managed IT Service companies in the NJ and NY area.  Aside from monthly cost for the actual IT services, it must be hard for them to conduct a fair and thorough analysis after meeting with a few or more providers. 

One of my goals for 2011 is to try and make it easier by creating a system, document or website of some sort that will help consumers looking for a IT Managed Services company make a better choice and mitigate risks.  Stay tuned!

I recently came across this interesting whitepaper which makes the case for replacing old computers with modern ones.  I immediately thought the paper would be an intering read for our small business IT services customers.  Far too often, people overlook the many benefits of replacing those old clunker PCs with modern machines.  The rationale used often is that a particular small business or a certain user doesn’t have the need for a modern machine (e.g.) “John just does word processing and e-mail”. 

Not replacing old PCs solely on the basis of what the end-user does is wrong.  How about the fact that older PCs cost so much more to maintain than their newer counterparts?  What about the fact that the PC is the centerpiece of your employee’s work experience?  A slow PC with annoying issues will certainly reflect on that employee’s outlook of your company, don’t you think?  Check out the FREE whitepaper here:  “The Case for Buying  Modern PCs”.  And remember, we’re always here to help with your new IT hardware and software purchases.

Perhaps you feel that the time has come.  You’ve been outsourcing your IT operations to a local IT company or Managed IT Services Provider.  But after looking at the annual cost for IT services, suddenly there are feelings of ambivalence.  And it’s at that very moment when many important facts are inadvertently ignored.  You just can’t help but think “for what we’ve paid to our IT company, we could’ve hired our own IT person!”

Many small businesses have faced this exact scenario.  Why have part-time or per-diem IT support when you could have someone at your disposal, full-time?  Think hard and consider these facts, which are based on our real world experiences.

1.      Most small businesses owners and managers simply aren’t qualified to hire their own IT staff. 

Do you know exactly what skills to look for and how to separate a truly seasoned expert from a well-spoken imposter? Experts say that a bad hire can cost as much as 2-3 times the annual salary of the employee.  Here’s a handy calculator from ADP that you can use to estimate bad hire costs. 

2.      It’s way too risky. 

Typically, most small businesses lack formal documented systems and processes.  Undocumented IT systems are a disaster waiting to happen.  The most likely result of your new IT hire is that he/she will soon become the only person on the planet with the background to keep your organization’s IT systems functional.  This is not a good place to be.  What happens when this person gets sick or decides to move on? 

3.      It is highly unlikely to find a good IT professional that is going to last very long at your company.

Average tenures in the IT field are much lower than that of other professions.  This is because salaries are highly commensurate with experience and skill set.  Solid IT professionals will desire to continue on an upwardly mobile career trajectory.  Unfortunately, your small business IT environment will offer very little in the way of career growth, making for an uninterested staff member looking for the exit.  See No. 2 above – It’s too risky!    

4.      It’s probably more expensive than you think.

Back to hard dollars and cents.  When looking at hard costs, are you really performing an “apples to apples” comparison?  In addition to the payroll taxes, benefits, retirement savings match and paid time off, have you considered the other costs involved in adding new headcount?  For example, how will you keep your new IT professional trained and certified?  A one-week technical training class can cost as much as $3000. Don’t forget to allocate more cost for training time off.  Your new IT pro can’t be at work and training simultaneously.  Real estate space, laptop, cell phone and accessories are other items that should be included in your analysis. 

5.      It is highly unlikely that you will find the IT jack-of-all-trades. 

Your IT infrastructure is likely comprised of several areas, each requiring different skill sets to support, manage and maintain.  Your hiring budget is probably going to preclude you from hiring all of the skill sets needed to maintain your IT systems.  For example, you may find someone that is very good at managing and supporting your Microsoft Windows servers, but that same person shudders at the thought of working on routers or firewalls or has no experience whatsoever supporting the database or e-mail server platform that your company uses.  This means that you will likely still need to maintain and pay for outside IT consulting services, in addition to the salary and other aforementioned costs.

Over the course of the last 13 years in this business, servicing hundreds of companies in the New Jersey and New York City area, I’ve obviously had countless face to face initial sales meetings with prospective clients.  Each of the organizations (mostly small businesses) is as unique as the human beings that I meet with.  At each and every meeting, the question of RESPONSE TIME comes into play.  Without fail, virtually every prospective client wants to know; “How soon will you respond to our support requests?”

Response time is without a doubt a crucial element in our prospective customer’s selection process for IT vendors.  It’s also a key factor for keeping our existing client’s happy and satisfied.  And it should be.  Fortunately, WE GET IT.  Our Assurance Managed IT Services customers know exactly what to expect when it comes to response time.  That’s because we put it in writing.  When confronted with the inevitable question of “How soon will you respond to us?” or “How quickly do you return calls?” we’re able to answer very confidently and succinctly, showing the prospective customer exactly how soon they can expect a response for the various types of computer and network issues they may encounter.  It’s also nice to explain that calls are answered by a human being virtually all the time – and not a machine. 

Here’s the bottom line:  if you’re shopping around and comparing IT services companies, firmly request to see their guaranteed response times.  If they can’t readily produce the same, on paper, with some sort of guarantee, you may consider moving on the next candidate.