On It

Referrals are always very flattering.  When a customer has enough confidence in your abilities to tell someone else, you know you’ve done a great job.  Referrals validate and reward you for your hard work.  Some call it “found business” since it unexpectedly lands in your lap.  Indeed, Exigent Technologies IT services business was built on referrals and these referrals remain one of the most significant sources of new customers for us.

But how about former employees as a source of new business?  Over the last few years, multiple ex-employees have come back, not as rehired Exigent Technologies employees, but as customers or prospective customers.  This is equally or perhaps even more flattering than a customer referral.  Why?  Well, think about it.  If you’re the person that brought in a new IT vendor and things don’t quite work out, at the minimum you have a slight blemish on your record, either formally or informally.  This could be especially amplified as a newer, unproven employee.  If the IT vendor you invited in is a complete disaster, you may even lose your job.

Fortunately for us, our former employees, now IT managers at various NJ area companies picked up the phone with confidence, becoming valued customers and perpetuating our relationship with them in a new capacity.  We owe them a debt of gratitude and realize the responsibility to come through for them, consistently.    Thanks, guys!  You know who you are.

Yes, it’s true!  With the recent release of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) “Express”, there comes an excellent opportunity for organizations to deploy a robust BlackBerry solution in their organization with little or NO COST.  Yes, you read correctly, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server software and the client access licenses (CALs) are 100% FREE. 

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is the new, slightly scaled down version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 (BES).  It replaces BlackBerry Professional Server (BPS) which is being phased out.  BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a fully functional BES and supports up to (75) users when installed directly on the Microsoft Exchange Server (yes, it’s supported) and up to 2000 or more users when installed on a separate server.  VMware is supported as well and priority technical support can be purchased for a fee. 

So, it begs the question:  “if it’s all FREE, what is the trade-off?”  The answer is; for most or virtually all small organizations, there aren’t any.  Generally, the only things missing from BES Express are very advanced IT policies and the ability to install BES in a high-availability failover configuration.  Yes, there are a few other things that you should know about, so if you are not an IT professional or very technically adept, be sure to ask questions.  Also know that there may be carrier related data plan implications with your wireless vendors as well. 

Bottom line – this is great news.  If you’re currently using the “desktop redirector” method or some other zany configuration to get your e-mail on your BlackBerry PDA, fear not, there is a better way and it’s FREE!

Today I got to see our PREVENT Small Business Backup Service in action.  I was quite impressed!  A service ticket was opened by one of our clients looking for assistance with accessing a database from a certain point in time.  The client was concerned that one of their production SQL databases was not accurate so they wanted to be able to bring up the database from January 2nd and run it parallel to the production database for comparison.  In the ‘old’ days this request may have made me  a bit squeamish. 

In the old days, I would initially need to hunt down the tape from January 2nd, then I would need to import the tape into the drive on the  backup server, and finally sit back and hope that the backup server would be able to find the data I was looking for.  If I had made it that far I would then need to figure how to turn that backed up data into a database that would not interfere with the production version running on the same server.

Not only did PREVENT make this whole process a lot easier, but it also significantly reduced the amount of time needed for the restore.  I started the restore by connecting to the client’s PREVENT box and launching the Backup Management Console.  From there I was able to ‘Explore the backup’ by browsing to the location of the PREVENT backup files, sorting by date and choosing the incremental image of the server’s drive where the database was stored.   I finished the explore backup wizard and two minutes later PREVENT presented me with an exact duplicate of the disk drive on the server as of January 2nd. 

I quickly browsed into the SQL database folder and sure enough, there were the .mdf and .ldf SQL files that made up the database.  I copied both files to the client’s server and used SQL Enterprise Manager to attach the database as a different name.  The client was then able to go into the database and find the data they were looking for.  The entire process took me about twenty minutes to complete.

With PREVENT, I was able to do the entire restore remotely, quickly, and most importantly, of all the data was reliable.  What more could I ask for in a small business backup product?

We recently announced the hiring of Tom Szabo to our service team.  This is a calculated and important hire for us for a few reasons. 

Tom’s experience is deep.  He has seen and worked in very large IT departments and enterprise infrastructure, but also has the unique perspective and experience of small business IT as well.  A little known fact is that Tom was an owner of a small business IT service firm in New Jersey.  The biggest beneficiaries of Tom’s great knowledge base will be our clients.  Welcome aboard, Tom!

Disreard this test posting.  It is for verification purposes only. 

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The recent press release, “New Jersey Top Docs Choose Exigent Technologies for IT Support & Services” drew attention to the fact that several of the physicians and practices named in the popular listing published by New Jersey Monthly magazine engage us for their IT support and outsourcing.

According to the information on the NJ Monthly website, the list is comprised of doctors that were chosen by their peers as the physician that they would call on for themselves or a family member in need. 

This makes perfect sense to me.  Yet several of the doctors that I have spoken to, both those that that made the list and others that didn’t, have curiously downplayed their appearance or lack thereof on the list. 

Surely, being included on this list means something positive.  I’m not touching this one with a ten foot pole.  Suffice it to say we’re smitten to count many of the state’s top docs as our clients – PERIOD.

As technology and practice management goes, few things are more important than the proper backup and safeguarding of your practice data. But traditionally, physician practices remain severely behind the curve when it comes to technology. Conversely, the data stored in the medical office is vitally important. Patient records, billing, correspondence, receivables, electronic medical records and accounting information are just a partial list of items that are sitting on computer systems in your office and entrusted to your care by your patients.

Recent reports and our own experience indicate that most practice managers admit to doing a poor job at protecting their data. Many report that they have little or no process in place for disaster recovery. Shockingly, many assume that the backup is someone else’s responsibility.

In terms of backup and disaster recovery, it’s not IF, but WHEN. The key is to be prepared. Will you be a survivor or statistic?

SIN 1: You just assume that your backup is working

Your backup was set up by some vendor, perhaps your practice management software vendor. You were told that it was automated and that the most you needed to do was swap out tapes periodically.

SIN 2: You are still using tapes for backup

Tape technology is becoming obsolete and is being replaced by much faster and more reliable disk-based backup. The truth is that tape has a poor record of reliability.

SIN 3: You are only backing up practice data

Many practices are only backing up their practice management data (or at least they think so). What about all of the other files such as spreadsheets, accounting data, documents, correspondence and e-mail? Is any of this work product stranded on PCs around the office?

SIN 4: Your backups are not password protected or encrypted

What would happen if your backup fell into the wrong hands? You would likely be in a world of trouble and undoubtedly legally responsible for any ensuing damages.

SIN 5: You are not properly storing your backups

Are you or someone else in the office charged with shuttling backup tapes to and from the office? Is there any chance that those tapes were ever left in a car during a hot day in August? How about overnight in freezing temperatures? Many practices we meet extol the virtues of their “fireproof box”. Unfortunately, the likelihood of your backup tapes surviving the heat of a burning building is very low.

SIN 6: You are not keeping enough backups

Many practices are performing a daily backup, overwriting the previous backups. But what if you needed to go back to a certain point in time for legal or technical reasons? Do you have archived copies of your backup?

SIN 7: You are not using offsite data backup

Once out of reach for most medical practices, the cost of offsite data backup has plummeted to jaw-dropping lows. Integrated onsite and offsite backup strategies can be had for less than $150 per month.

I was just going through my e-mail.  Blogging was the furthest thing from my mind.  Like most people, our employees make use of signatures in their e-mails.  In those signatures, it has become customary to list the various certifications that they have achieved.  I always knew what certifications we had in our repertoire, but perhaps I had forgotten just how many certain staff members had.  GO EXIGENT!

Here is a cumulative list of certifications from just two Exigent employees.  IMPRESSIVE!

• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows 2008
• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA)
• Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP)
• Network +, A+ Certified
• IP Communications Express Specialist (IPCX)
• MCSE:Messaging (Windows 2003)
• MCSE:Messaging (Windows 2000)
• CCNA (Cisco)
• FCNSA (Fortinet)

I take my hat off to them.  Their dedication to continuous learning and improvement is both humbling and gratifying.

Labor Day 2009: Its 8:50AM and with a steamy cup of coffee in hand, I look down at the table to see the OS X Snow Leopard upgrade package that has been quietly competing all weekend with barbeques and pool parties for my attention. With no hard plans on the agenda, my inner-geek gets the best of me as I mutter, “there’s no better time than the present”. I make a beeline toward my study. I’m upgrading my MacBook to Snow Leopard. As I sit down, inner-geek taps me on the shoulder. “You’re not going to just stick that disc in and let it roll, are you?”

Ah, the OS upgrade dilemma. Seasoned computer users and experienced IT professionals alike know all too well that, many times, an “in place upgrade” can lead to problems. At best, this type of upgrade has a tendency to leave lots of junk behind, among other shortcomings. At worst, the upgraded computer is rendered unstable or completely hosed. (Hosed is geek-speak for “really, really messed up”.

But something feels different about this one. Somehow, I feel compelled to put my fate into the hands of the Apple team and “think different” this time. Not to let my anxiety go unchecked, inner-geek speaks again. “I understand that you’re feeling brave, perhaps the coffee has something to do with it, but please, just Google, what to do before upgrading to OS X Snow Leopard and see what you find, please, Dan.” And so I submit. As I expected, the results are rich with advice and war stories of Snow Leopard upgrades gone good and bad. Practical Me wants to get this thing running, fast. But inner-geek knows better. He’s been burned before.

With a slightly elevated pulse, I rationalize that the average consumer wouldn’t consider searching Google for OS X pre-upgrade exercises, let alone going through some of the aggressive motions that I found in the search results. Would Joe Mac User, let alone Joe Six Pack make a bootable backup of their OS X installation before running the upgrade? I think not. So with a chip on my shoulder and points to prove, Practical Me wins.

About 49 minutes later, I was running Snow Leopard, safe and sound. No issues at all to speak of. A pretty thorough check revealed that all of my apps and data were intact. My biggest worry was my Parallels 4.0 installationfor Windows Vista Business, but it too was running just fine. So far, I haven’t felt any of the performance gains that many people are talking about, but in all honesty, the machine was pretty snappy from the start. I also haven’t completely looked under the hood yet at some of the newer features.

So, was it a flawless operation? Yes, with a caveat. One of the main catalysts for my upgrade, like so many others, was the Microsoft Exchange support. After getting Snow Leopard up and running, I almost immediately configured the Mail application to connect to our Exchange 2007 Server at the office. The configuration itself was relatively easy for me, a technical person. But it would have frustrated an average end user. The results were annoying and disappointing. But the Exchange support debacle is a different story for a different day in a different posting. This was a Snow Leopard OS upgrade experience post, and I have to take my hat off to Apple for a job well done in that regard.

Disclamer:  The writer is an experienced IT professional.  The laptop that is the subject of this blog post had virtually no data stored on it.  Before performing an OS upgrade, always consult an IT professional and/or make backup copies of your data.

As I make the rounds, meeting different practice managers and physicians, I never cease to be amazed at how many EMR vendors are misleading prospects into thinking that their firms are truly capable of providing comprehensive support for all of the practice’s technology needs.  At best, their idea of comprehensive IT support is usually a remote call center for software support and a recommendation to a third-party IT firm.  And when the finger pointing begins between the EMR vendor and the IT services firm, the customer is usually left holding the bag.

When using an electronic medical records (EMR) system, the reliability and uptime of your computers, network and related technologies is crucial.  The fact is that failures on your network or servers can cause your practice to grind to a screeching halt.

Nearly all EMR vendors are software companies, only. They don’t specialize in the highly complex world of computer networking.  In an effort to “close the deal”, many will claim to have the expertise to deliver the “complete solution” of hardware, software and installation.  Others will tell you that they don’t get involved with it and may recommend a local IT company.  Be wary!  Let the blame games begin!

What if you could have the best of both worlds?  Exigent Technologies is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Microsoft’s highest level of accreditation.  We’ve been working with specialty physician practices in New Jersey and Manhattan for over 11 years.  Our uniqueness lies in the fact that we provide expertise in advanced networking and Microsoft technologies, as well as electronic medical records.  Most of all, we understand the business and dynamics of a busy medical office.

The benefit to you and your practice is a single source provider for all of your information technology and EMR support needs.  Avoid the blame game and consolidate vendors by considering a true IT solutions provider that offers the best of advanced networking and computer support along with world-class EMR software.