Working from Home Remotely – What You Need to Know

The ability to work remotely outside of the office has been obtainable for a few decades; however, this technology has become more mainstream in today’s work society. Employers are finding it easier to allow their employees to work remotely as they discover it’s relatively simple to set up remote access with only a computer and internet connection.

Many corporations have continued to grow with the acceptance of remote positions available. Although this technology is still a new concept to many, some may find it intimidating. Consulting with a professional can make this process much simpler.

Using a VPN Connection

A VPN (virtual private network) is a standard component within remote access solutions. A VPN allows remote users to establish a secure connection within a computer network. It functions by using a public network (typically an internet connection) to connect remote sites. Virtual connections are then routed from a company’s private network or a third-party security service provider to users of the system.

Private data can be transmitted across unknown networks without the worry of a security breach within a company’s internal data or assets. A VPN connection is initiated by a remote user logging into a corporate server and then confirming details based on the security information provided by either a password, IP address, or SSL certificate.

Using Remote Desktop Applications

Another option that allows for remote access is third-party software programs specializing in remote technology. This software is designed for virtually accessing your work computing equipment. There are many companies online that offer software downloads with security options and additional features. However, it is best to consult with an IT professional when considering software options for your company’s needs. Consulting with a professional will ensure that the correct security features are properly integrated and installed within your company’s infrastructure.

Creative Communications

One disadvantage of working remotely can be the lack of face-to-face interaction that is present in an office atmosphere. Having the right technology installed can overcome this obstacle and offers enormous benefits. Video conferencing technology has become a great tool to reincorporate the human element of working remotely. Scheduling daily or weekly video calls to see your colleagues can help boost productivity and morale. As discussed previously, there are many third-party software applications to make life easier when working remotely. However, it is advised to speak with an IT consultant before installing any remote applications to your infrastructure.

Creative Programs and Systems is an all-inclusive tech company that specializes in Custom Development, Managed IT Services, and Digital Marketing. All work is done in-house. We never outsource services from custom server builds and workstations, custom software programming, and phone app development, to search engine optimization and paid advertising, our professionals provide results. For more information on CPS, check out our website at https://www.cpsmi.com.

Mistakes That Decrease the Longevity of Your Laptop

Purchasing a laptop isn’t a small investment and can be quite expensive if you need to repair or replace it. It is important that a laptop is kept in top shape to increases its longevity and effectiveness. Here are some tips on what to avoid in order to keep your laptop running efficiently for as long as possible.

Don’t Take the Term Laptop Too Literally

Nope, unlike the name states a laptop should never be set on top of your lap. The truth is that by putting a laptop on your lap you actually decrease the lifespan of your machine. A laptops processor, which is the brain of the PC, gets hot! The vent to release the heat is likely to be located on the bottom of the laptop where ventilation is scarce. This vent if covered by pants or blankets the laptop overheats. Another side effect of putting a laptop on your lap is that dust begins to settle. Even when this dust is then removed using canned air it is not really removed, it is just shuffled internally which can hurt the processor and internal workings of the laptop as well.

Don’t Forget to Shut Your Laptop Off Occasionally

It is so easy to simply close the laptop lid at the end of the night without shutting it down however this isn’t always what is best for the health of the laptop. Many of us fall into this trap because the next morning when we want to use it, the computer boots up within seconds. By shutting down your laptop on a regular basis, it allows the PC to install the fixes that need to run in order to update the software vulnerabilities. Laptops, like desktops, do not apply the fixes unless the computer is restarted. For the best results we recommend shutting your laptop down at least once a week (or more).

Don’t Overlook the Importance of a Surge Protector

Using a surge protector should be quite obvious however, so many people forget to use one when using their laptops. It is common to hear that you should unplug electronics during storms. If your laptop is plugged in and lighting hits and the computer is not plugged into a surge protector, you will likely fry your laptop.

Don’t Disregard the Importance of Installing an Antivirus

This too should go without saying, an antivirus is critical for the protection of your laptop. Antivirus protection is essential for both laptops and desktops as it keeps the bugs from getting into your systems. Which let’s be clear, happens all the time when you are surfing the internet. Malware and virus’s make your computer run hot and can “break” your laptop. Antivirus should be installed and regularly updated to keep your system safe.

Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, is an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a variety of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more. More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

When Do You Know Your Computer Issue Needs A Computer Technician?

There are a number of ailments that can curse your PC. Most computer issues can be troubleshot at home however more complex computer problems may require professional computer repair by a trained technician. Do-It-Yourself repairs may seem like a solid idea, however, overtime it may make more sense to take it to a computer repair store.

Software and hardware issues can often complicate the process of computer repair. When Do-It-Yourselfers start digging into their computers they can often have a difficult time getting the pieces put back together. There are some issues that just need an expert’s touch including some of the issues below.

Blue Screen of Death

The most common ailment seen by the experts at CPS have to do with the blue screen of death, commonly referred to as BSOD. Not only is it the most common issue to see it is also difficult to fix. When your laptop or desktop computer screen turns blue it means that the PC’s system has experienced something traumatic in which it had to come to a forced, abrupt stop. More often than not the problem has to do with the computer’s hardware or driver. This causes a STOP code to appear (the blue screen of death) and the computer shuts down.

When this occurs the only way to cure this computer ailment is to take it in to a computer repair store for a technician to diagnosis and repair it. Through a series of computer diagnostic tests, the technician will be able to determine an official computer diagnosis. Many issues give the Blue Screen of Death Error Code. Depending on the error code your computer is displaying, the pc troubleshooting steps differ. This is one of the reasons it is so important to take it into a computer repair technician over fixing it on your own.

Graphical Errors

Another common issue that is known to occur when you turn on your computer is that the screen is a muddled mess. Graphical errors may be common, but the necessary fix isn’t always which is why you should take it into a computer repair store for repair and diagnosis. Graphic issues are most often associated with software. If your screen looks distorted and the images are not displaying correctly it is time to take your PC in for diagnosis.

The technician will run some tests to determine if it is a software issue as sometimes a graphic disruption can involve a video card driver. A computer repair technician will have the capabilities to troubleshoot graphical errors.

Other common computer issues that occur which require a pc technician include blank monitors, operating system errors, virus warnings, and such. Contact the technical professionals at Creative Programs and Systems for any and all of your computer repair issues.

Can An IT Consultant Benefit Your Business?

Business of all shapes and sizes have begun to realize the importance of hiring consultants in the drive to grow their businesses. A consultant is a person who offers expert advice for an hourly fee. Often, they have a niche in which they specialize and can provide their expertise along with an outside perspective. Consultants give businesses opportunities to increase their productivity and expand business opportunities.

One area many companies seek to hire consultants is the world of IT. Information Technology has changed the way in which society as a whole operates thus its importance in business has increased as well. IT services transform how businesses operate. IT consultants are brought in to help businesses keep up with the latest trends in technology. Efficiency is a key element in business. IT consultants implement technology throughout business applications to increase effectiveness in all areas of your company.

The Benefits of Hiring IT Consultants in Business

Hiring an IT consultant allows you to focus clearly on core business functions. There is no doubt that employees are at their best when they are allowed to focus on their intended position. This is true no matter what industry you are in. From Teachers to Doctors, Sanitation Specialist to Engineers, when you are allowed to concentrate on your job and only your job, you will be more successful. Nothing is more frustrating for employees and business owners alike to be distracted from what they are supposed to be doing to focus on a task that is not relevant to them such as technology repair or upgrades. Hiring an IT consultant allows associates to focus on their core job which increases your bottom line.

Hiring an IT consultant allows you to benefit from a specialist. Yes, having an IT department does have benefits, when your printer stops printing there is someone on site to instantly handle the issue. However, the same person that knows how to fix your printer, reboot your computer, and can handle the ins and outs of your current system are not the same as a consultant that comes in, evaluates the overall system and based on experience recommends more efficient solutions to common, everyday operations. Experienced IT consulting services have likely helped many companies in similar situations to yours. Having an industry expert guiding your business increases your success while offering you peace of mind.

Hiring an IT consultant allows you to get an outside perspective on your business functions. We all get stuck in doing things the way in which we have always done them. For years you may have tracked inventory using pen and paper then inputting it into a program. This doesn’t mean that this is the most efficient method or even a method that keeps up with the way in which businesses are operating today. An outside consultant views your business from a whole new perspective than individuals who are immersed in it daily and used to doing things a set way.

Hiring an IT consultant is cost effective. The main “job” of any consultant is to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Full-time employees are expensive and require a full-time salary, benefits, a work space, and so on. Consultants on the other hand, are normally hired when a known problem exists and needs to be solved within a very specific time frame which is more cost effective and a better use of employee time.

The list of benefits that come from hiring an IT consultant can go on and on. If you find that your business has become stagnant and you are looking for growth, hiring a consultant may be just what your business needs.

Why Should We Use Outsourced IT Support Services?

There are a number of reasons company’s, big and small, choose to outsource their IT needs to a company that specializes in IT services rather than employ in-house IT support. One of the biggest reasons company’s do anything is because of money and this is no exception. The costs associated with an in-house IT department outweighs the major benefit of their familiarity with the ins and outs of the company. Outsourced IT services allow companies to continue to focus on their position within their own industry instead of worrying about issues outside their fields.

Making the decision to use an outsourced IT company, like Creative Programs & Systems, has a number of benefits including:

Improved Cost Management

Companies that are just starting up and even those small to medium sized that are established consistently attempt to shrink costs associated with operations. Outsourced IT support teams allow organizations to put a consistent budget in place vs the unpredictability of expenses that occur from in-house IT. Companies that maintain in-house IT support end up sustaining unpredictable expenses including training, upgrades, maintenance, and equipment purchases.

With expenses popping up out of thin air, companies have difficulty budgeting for unexpected IT costs that come from an in-house department. A new custom server can cost companies thousands of dollars if it needs to be replaced. IT employee turnover and training expenses can really hurt a company’s budget as well. When expenses pop up out of nowhere, they can severely hinder company operations.

Sourcing IT services to companies that specialize in IT consulting allows companies to have a better handle on their monthly expenses. The other benefit is the knowledge possessed by IT specialists who work within a number of different organizations. They are more likely to have seen and know how to correct issues quickly when they arise.

Increased Security

Your company’s security is one of the most important elements. Not only do most companies work with highly sensitive industry data, they also have a lot of client data to protect. The last thing you want is to leave your company data vulnerable.

Company’s specializing in IT deal with hackers on a daily basis. They are more familiar than in-house support teams with the techniques that are currently being used to breach crucial company data. Hackers are unscrupulous and use a combination of social engineering and black hat methods to steal confidential information. Outsourced IT specialists offer a faster, more efficient, thorough approach to IT security throughout your organization.

Data Disaster Recovery

No matter if you experience a disaster from natural sources such as tornados, fire, or floods or a virtual data disaster the most important element remains keeping your business data secure and accessible. Let’s face it, most companies are not well equipped to face either. Disaster can strike at any moment. It is important that in a situation where your companies is experiencing some type of disaster that you are back up and running sooner rather than later. Hiring outsourced IT professionals allows you the peace of mind that when and if a disaster occurs, they will have you back up and running quicker than any in house IT department ever could. Outsourced IT specialists spend time keeping up on all of the latest and greatest back up technologies. Since disaster recovery is something that IT specialists manage for more than one client you can rest assured that they will have the best solution to help you avoid a catastrophic data disaster.

Added Resources

The last thing you can afford when starting a new company and handling the competition is to waste time handling IT related issues. Newer companies need this time to develop their company, establish clients, and expand on their companies marketing strategy. When you outsource IT the valuable time resource is yours to use focusing on customers, products, and marketing.

Outsourcing IT allows you to dedicate extra time to your growing business. It frees up internal company resources to find additional business opportunities and increasing relevance within the industry. Leave the direction of the IT side of your company to the specialists. Thus leaving you and your team of specialists to focus on your budding business knowing that your growing IT needs are being professionally managed.

Managed IT Services: Finding A Compatible IT Provider for Your Business

As you are interviewing providers to provide your business with managed IT services it is crucial that you know what you need and exactly what services you are looking for. Below we will provide you with some tips you should keep in mind while you are interviewing companies to become your new managed IT services.

In business, no matter if you are growing or happy where you are currently at, your IT infrastructure is crucial. Many small business owners try to manage their IT services without hiring an outside source. However, as they grow, they find that their IT service needs become more than they can manage on their own. This is where companies such as Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, can help. Managed IT services leverage the use of technology to increase efficiency throughout your organization.

Managed IT providers, MSP, is a company that is an outsourced provider of set IT tasks for your business. Many MSP providers are seen as your company’s “internal” IT team as most are available to provide services to you 24/7, after business hours may be considered emergency only. A major benefit of MSP providers is that they become part of your company without the overhead and extra staff.

Important Features of Your Managed Services Provider

IT Support When You Need It – 24/7/365

One detail that many IT service contracts include is availability. Although most MSP providers offer services round the clock it is common that services provided outside of what is agreed upon as normal business hours is done at an additional premium. The point being that they are available when you need them. Catastrophes don’t always occur during “regular” business hours. It is important that even though your IT company isn’t open 24/7/365, they are available when and if you need them.

Backups and Data Recovery

It is crucial that your service provider has in place specific procedures for backups and data recovery. Most companies don’t know the benefits of an IT provider until an actual catastrophe occurs. When a data failure occurs, and you are required to restore your company information based on the backups that are in place is probably not the time to learn the company you hired is subpar.

Maintenance and Preemptive Support

Not only is the purpose of hiring an MSP about having support when a problem occurs, it is about being proactive and preventing issues before they occur. IT support providers need to be able to not only monitor the existing IT infrastructure they should also derail potential problems before they occur.

Hire an MSP Provider That Understands Your Company

Every business is unique and therefore needs special attention paid to their unique needs. Find a provider that wants to learn about your company in detail. In order to provide your business with a successful IT solution and suggest strategies to grow your company they must understand your companies wants and needs.

How Combining Professional Website Design and SEO Can Boost Your Online Business

When an online business launches a new website, careful consideration goes into their online image including the websites design and usability. Websites should be designed in a manner that allows visitors easy access to answers they are seeking. However, all of that is wasted if customers never visit a business’s website in the first place.

Search engine optimization, SEO is one part of a company’s marketing mix that helps to create a strong foundation for your company’s content strategy. On page content that is featured prominently in organic searches that beats out the competition for customer attention is just one goal. Good SEO design begins with the websites layout. Whether your business is currently designing your website or not, it’s important to ensure it’s getting the best search results possible.

SEO

SEO encompasses a series of activities that makes your website rank higher on various search engines. These activities include executing an SEO strategy, choosing to focus on long-tail keywords for website pages, and constantly generating new content on a blog. Search engines frequently update their search algorithm, which can be a problem for marketers and web designers. If you are running your own SEO strategy, you’ll need to monitor the changes and adjust accordingly.

Professional Website Design

Web design is the process of creating a website. This includes, layout design, graphics design, navigation, metadata, responsiveness to different resolutions, and content production. Web design also involves ensuring the website is programmed correctly and optimizing the speed. A professional website design communicates your brand messaging to the world, tells the story of your company, describes your services and products and can even sell directly online.

Combining both boost your online business, below are some aspect of SEO and website design that boost your online business.

Navigation

Navigation involves SEO and web design principles. The easier it is to navigate your site and find the information needed, the longer a visitor will stay on your site. A longer session leads to better SEO rankings. If customers cannot find what they’re looking for easily, they will abandon the site, and this affects your SEO ranking negatively. You can design an easily navigable site by using descriptive URLs, giving readers directions to find certain materials, and limiting the number of drop downs and sub-drop downs in your menus.

Engagement

Engagement on a web page depends on two things: the design and the content. To enhance the engagement on a page, you want the design to be pleasing to a reader’s eye because people make quick conclusions about a website based on appearance. Following the appearance is your content which is also a vital way of keeping a visitor on your site. Your homepage content should hook the visitor and make him want to read on. Content fall under both SEO and web design as content will help your SEO ranking and determine if a visitor stays on your page.

Speed

It is easy to focus on the visual appeal and website content over the mechanics behind how your website functions. This however often leads to a slower than average site that is bloated with useless information. If the website is slow upon loading people will abandon their effort. Many elements can come into play that can lead to a slow site; website elements including plugins, sharing buttons, and JavaScript that has not been optimized. All these are consequences of a poor website design. Search engines incorporate a variety of metrics into the algorithms they use to determine which sites are the most useful to users and therefore deserve higher organic rankings. This can include the use of keywords and long tailed keyword phrases, site links, and individual page load times. If your site loads too slow, search engines will favor other sites over it.

In conclusion, when SEO and a Professional web design come together, the result is a user-friendly, informative, and easy to find website that will maximize your sales.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com. To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

In-House or Outsourced IT Services: Which is Best for Your Business?

Businesses of all sizes struggle with their own set of challenges. Amongst the challenges for small and mid-sized businesses, is that business owners often insist on doing everything themselves. The age-old adage, jack of all trades, master of none has not lost its meaning in 2018. Far too many business owners try to handle managed IT services on their own or in-house with employees that are not necessarily up on the latest in IT. The problem with this is that they are unaware of all that is involved in creating a successful IT solution for their business.

Properly managing IT systems for a company of any size involves:

Increasing equipment longevity
Boost system uptime
Monitor staff productivity
Secure data and systems
Patch management and updates
Oversee server reliability
Routine disaster recovery drills and tests
Hardware procurement and monitoring
Network management
Software licensing, installation, and upgrades
Filtering for spam
Server setup and management
Email maintenance
Detection and removal of spyware
Data backup systems
Disaster recovery solutions

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list but servers to point out the myriad of services that are typical within managed IT services. Most, if not all these activities require a highly specialized skillsets to perform. Business owners who skirt these issues by attempting to do all of them on their own will quickly find themselves swamped and unable to execute them effectively, not mentioning the hours that go into running their business. Even worse, many try to pass the buck onto employees who are unskilled in IT which causes several other problems, including less time to focus on their own tasks.

Outsourcing Managed IT Services

The solution, outsourcing managed IT services to an outside firm or team of professionals who specialize in IT services. There are several benefits of outsourcing your business’s IT services including:

Protection against outages and downtime
Cost-effective
Disaster recovery
Increased data security

Outsourcing IT services means that instead of relying on your own knowledge or employees that are unskilled in IT you can trust in a team of experts that are not only trained to perform IT tasks but is resourced to do so with maximum efficiency. No business owner wants to deal with downtime caused by equipment failure or server crashes. Qualified managed IT professionals have all the resources to handle your business while preventing outages.

Outsourcing your businesses IT services can be more cost-effective in the long run. Consider that salaries for technology experts are on the higher end of the scale. Recent estimates show starting salaries for technology professionals hover right above $50,000 a year. This means small to midsized businesses would be hard-pressed to afford to hire a permanent team to staff their IT department. Outsourcing IT work to an outside firm can help mitigate against the costs of hiring a permanent IT in-house team.

Professional Computer Consulting Saves Time and Money

Nowadays businesses cannot run without technology. Business comes to a startling halt when software or program failures occur. When technology goes awry it affects day to day business. Most companies can’t afford the costs associated with downtime but also can’t absorb the expense of having an IT specialist on their payroll to fix issues with technology as they arise. A middle ground is reached through contract services in the form of managed IT.

Computer consultants are a precious commodity for businesses of all sizes. IT consultants are able to contract with a number of companies to basically be on call for a flat monthly service fee or hourly rate depending on the option that best fits your company’s IT needs. Some IT companies specializing in only one service whereas others venture into the tech world as a whole. Companies, such as Creative Programs and Systems offer clients a variety of services from website design to computer consulting which allows for an all-inclusive approach to IT services.

Hiring an IT consultant can save your company quite a bit of time and money in a variety of ways. For one there is no need for training or continued education to keep employees up to date with the latest technological advancements. There isn’t a need to pay employees overtime to work on computer issues after business hours or benefits which helps save on overhead expenses. Contracted services also don’t require paid sick time, vacation, or the expense of recruiting and training new employees when staff turns over.

Hiring IT consulting services is a win/win for business owners as well. From computer consultants, professionals can also learn how to more effectively run their business as those experts have picked up many new tricks of the trade from working with numerous companies over the years. A more efficiently run business will earn more money with less effort, which is helpful to those who are trying to find time to expand their services and grow their businesses.

Business owners who hire computer consultants will find that they are spending twenty-five to fifty percent less than they would if they hired their own on staff IT specialist. Computer consultant services are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, that is a great deal for any business. With this comes computer maintenance services, changes with websites, solving emergencies to eliminate downtime, and more.

By hiring computer consultant’s business owners and employees alike can focus more on everyday tasks rather than dealing with technological issues. Instead they can simply pick up the phone and make a call or send an email regarding the issues that are occurring, and a consultant will either remote in to your network or go on-site to ensure your problem is quickly taken care of.

Managed IT services not only save time but also money while making life simpler. Often in business the simple solution costs more, however in the case of computer consulting, it is in fact the most economical option.

Benefits of Managed IT Services Explained

Regardless of the size of your company, you will need an IT, Information Technology, infrastructure if you are to function within the 21^st century. Qualified IT personnel are essential as the services they provide can save small, mid-sized, and large sized owners. Many times, small and mid-sized companies attempt to perform many IT tasks, roles, and functions in-house. This however can result in poor performance, systems failure, downtime, and even in some cases business failure. Below is a non-exhaustive list of services that a typical managed IT company performs for clients. These skills require

In order to save money many small to mid-sized business owner attempt to perform many IT tasks, roles and functions in-house. The result is poor performance, systems failure, downtime and even bankruptcy. Below is a non-exhaustive list of services required by a typical business and which require highly-skilled staff to complete.

Increasing the longevity and uptime of equipment
Monitoring staff productivity
Software upgrades, licensing, and installation
Spam filtering
Securing systems and data
Patch management and updates
Monitoring and ensuring server reliability
Routine disaster recovery drills and tests
Hardware procurements, monitoring, testing, and repair
Network management
Email server setup and management
Spyware detection and removal
Creating secure systems and complete system backups
Server builds, maintenance, upgrades, and installation

Each of the above tasks require highly-trained IT personnel and technical equipment in order to execute. When business owners skirt around this issue, attempting to do all these tasks in-house, will quickly find themselves facing the results that come from incompetent IT repairs.

Outsourced Managed IT Services

The solution to all most company’s IT problems is to hire the services of a managed IT company. Out sourcing professional IT consultants often saves companies time and money. It is important to have once company that is in charge of all of your IT needs. This ensures that accurate records are kept, your goals and objectives are known, and you have 24/7 access to professional IT service consultants.

Companies looking for the best IT solution will hire an outsource IT services company. Not only will it save your company money it decreases downtime and increases the longevity of your technology as maintenance and upkeep is done on a schedule unique to your needs.