22
Apr, 2015
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Tip of the Week: 3 Options to Consider Before Trashing Your Old Technology

b2ap3_thumbnail_is_your_current_it_still_ok_400.jpgIt’s often the case that people excitedly upgrade to new technology without giving much thought about what to do with their old tech. In an upgrade situation like this, you’ve got a few options for dealing with your old technology that are good for the environment, socially responsible, and may even provide you with some cash.

Alternatively, you could just toss your old equipment in the garbage.

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As convenient as it is to throw something away and not have to think about it, it’s not responsible. Electronic equipment is notorious for containing components made up of toxic chemicals that, if not disposed of properly, will leak into the environment and do some serious damage. Plus, it’s often the case that people will toss aside perfectly-good-and-working technology just because they’ve got a hankering for an upgrade.

Don’t be wasteful with your old technology. Consider these three options instead:

Resell Your Old Equipment for and Repurpose the Funds
Your most profitable scenario involves you selling your old equipment. Though, don’t get your hopes up that you’ll be able to find a buyer for every old piece of tech. As explained by Kyle Bittner of Exit Technologies, “If it’s junk from 1985, it would be a waste of time to pursue reselling the product. If it’s decent stuff from 2004, it’s probably still worth thousands of dollars that could return capital to the budget.”

The Internet provides consumers with several great platforms for users to sell their used equipment, with websites like eBay, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, and more. Before posting an ad to sell your old tech, be sure to spend time researching its value so that you’ll get the biggest return on your investment. If you’re not sure if your item is worth selling or not, then ask the IT pros at NuTech Services. We’ve got a good grasp on the market and we’re always happy to give helpful advice.

Donate Your Old Tech and Feel Good about Yourself
Instead of throwing away perfectly good tech, why not donate it to someone or some organization that can use it? If it’s got plenty more miles left on it and you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a buyer, then it might be easier just to give it away. You might have an employee that would appreciate getting an old workstation for private use, or maybe there’s a nonprofit organization in your community in need of a gently-used server unit.

When donating old equipment, just be sure that you’ve completely wiped the data from the hard drive. Or, better yet, do the recipient of the gift a favor and just go ahead and replace the old hard drive so that they’ll not have to work with a drive that’s old and prone to crashing. Replacing the hard drive will completely eliminate the risk of the next user uncovering sensitive files. NuTech Services can help with both wiping the data completely from your old drive and swapping out the old hard drive for a new one.

Repurpose Your Old Tech and Save Money
Before you say goodbye to your old technology, take a look around your office and see if you can find a place where it can come in handy.

For example, it’s always a good idea to have a backup PC handy, just in case one of your working units were to unexpectedly crash. Plus, you can always repurpose an old workstation into a server with a dedicated task, like hosting your company’s email, handling the printer traffic, or hosting one specific application. Repurposing an old PC like this can free up resources on your network, but reconfiguring the old equipment can be an involved process, so you’ll want to have an IT professional lend a helping hand.

All of these options are far better than just throwing out your old equipment and having it muck up the environment. NuTech Services can help assist you with all of these green options. We can even help recycle your old tech in an environmentally-friendly way that you can feel good about. Call us today at 810.230.9455 to learn more.

15
Apr, 2015
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Tip of the Week: How to Know When You Need a Consultant

b2ap3_thumbnail_do_you_need_a_consultant_400.jpgHave you ever felt like you aren’t sure how to proceed, or how to get yourself out of a rut? You surely don’t want your competitors to know about your weak points, but you feel so much pressure that you might think twice about asking for tips of the trade. After all, a hand once in a while can make all of the difference. This is when you might consider outsourcing a consultant.

Before you cave in and let an outside consultant in on your problems, be sure to take these factors into consideration.

What’s the Worst Way to Approach Consultation?

  • Approach consultation as your only option. This, in particular, is something you want to avoid at all costs. Outsourcing your consultation needs to a third party is a valuable asset, but you don’t want to do this as a last resort and become reliant on the opinions of the consultant. It’s important to maintain control of your problems and keep them from spiraling out of control.
  • Confuse your responsibilities with those of your consultant’s. Before engaging in dealings with a consultant and signing your name on the dotted line, make sure that each party’s responsibilities are clearly mapped out. This way, you won’t confuse who is responsible for performing certain tasks, and you can move forward with certainty.
  • Without an end result in mind. Make sure that you always keep your goals in mind when looking for a consultant. This way, they’ll be able to help you get a clear picture of where you want to be, and how to get there.

What’s the Best Way to Approach Consultation?

  • Be as specific as possible. There’s no room for ambiguity in business. You can’t formulate an accurate plan of action without getting into specifics. You can avoid this by remaining open with your consultant and letting them in on your ideas.
  • Find consultants with a similar mindset. One of the best roles that an IT consultant can perform for you is managing a project on your behalf. To this end, it helps that you find a consultant who thinks like you and can best replicate your expectations. Furthermore, they must have proven their expertise in the industry in order to facilitate a proper level of trust. Give them a trial run to see how they perform under pressure.
  • Be sure to take responsibility for your decision. Just like any other choice in life, you can’t take it back once you’ve chosen which consultant you want to hire. This means taking responsibility for whether or not they perform to your expectations, and realizing that even if it’s not your fault, you’re the one who made the choice. Use this experience to make more educated decisions in the future. It can help to hire a consultant who has skills you don’t have. This way, you’re less likely to get stuck in a foreign situation.

NuTech Services knows how stressful and difficult running a business can be. We also know that you have a lot of work ahead of you, and that you can use a hand or two to stay ahead of the competition. We always maximize the communication between ourselves and our clients when we’re providing a consultation, and we want to see you succeed more than anything else.

NuTech Services can perform any function of your normal in-house IT staff, including IT consultation, minus the hefty salary required of hiring a new employee. For more information, give NuTech Services a call at 810.230.9455.

3
Apr, 2015
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Tip of the Week: How to Find the Perfect Outsourced IT Company for Your Needs

b2ap3_thumbnail_it_company_for_your_needs_400.jpgA growing company tends to experience a lot of IT pains. This is because growth usually goes hand-in-hand with an expanding IT infrastructure, and your in-house IT staff might not be able to keep up with the increased workload. This is especially painful if your budget isn’t as flexible as you’d like. You decide that it’s in your best interest to outsource your IT, but where should you start looking?

Outsourcing your IT comes with a lot of great benefits, and it should always be considered as a viable option. Compared to hiring a full-time team member, you save money in the long run by taking advantage of easily-budgetable payments. In addition to cost-efficiency, you also need to look for technology competency. Not all of the so-called professionals you meet will have the skills to back up their claims. The solution to finding the best of the best can be as easy as holding a “mock interview,” of sorts with the prospective outsourced IT vendor.

Are They Up-to-Date in the Industry?
It’s only natural that technology professionals keep up with the latest occurrences in the industry, and your prospective business partner should be no different. Are they keeping up with the latest security protocol and backup practices? Are they always trying to use the latest technologies to stay ahead of the competition? If they are, it shows a passion that can be leveraged for your benefit.

NuTech Services is one such business. We stay ahead by following reliable news feeds and staying aware of important findings and trends. We know what a reliable IT staff should concentrate on, and our strategies reflect these trends to help your company take full advantage of its technology.

How Do They Handle Difficult Tasks?
In IT, issues that aren’t a technician’s expertise frequently arise. This means that they might not be entirely comfortable dealing with a situation. How IT staff handle stressful situations like these can make or break their service. Do they research the problem? Do they strive to make clarity one of their biggest and best selling points?

They absolutely should, and NuTech Services knows this better than anyone else. We always work to find the best solution to a problem, even if we’re unfamiliar with it. If it looks like a job that we can’t help you with, we’ll find someone from our list of trusted IT vendors who can assist you to the best of their ability. Their work is a reflection of our company, and since you trust us, you know you can trust them to perform their duties to both your expectations and our own.

How Do They Handle Hypothetical Situations?
Now that you’ve limited the number of applicants to those who know what they’re doing, you can impose hypothetical situations onto your candidates to see who has a thought process similar to your own. This process is perhaps the most important part of hiring an outsourced IT agency. You want to make sure that they have solid business practices by seeing them in action for yourself.

At NuTech Services, you can see our prowess with your own eyes with a IT consultation. This can address any problems or questions you might have concerning your technology. We do our best to explain the problems to you, and make sure that you know all of your options before you commit to a particular solution.

These tips can help you locate a quality IT specialist, but why do so when you have NuTech Services readily available to help you out at this very moment? All you have to do is call 810.230.9455 to get started. We’ll work with you to make sure your technology is working at maximum capacity.

25
Mar, 2015
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Tip of the Week: 5 Ways to Put the Power Back In Your PowerPoint Presentations

b2ap3_thumbnail_presentation_power_400.jpgPresentations are a necessary, albeit time-consuming, responsibility that you have as a business owner. Thankfully, there are simple tools like Microsoft PowerPoint available to help make your job a little easier. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to make a boring or less-than-great presentation, which can hamper the audience’s ability to let the message sink in. Here are five ways to make sure that your next PowerPoint is as effective as possible.

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Minimal Text Means a More Effective Message
When making a presentation, some users will find that it’s very easy to load their PowerPoint presentations full of text. This is one of the most common ways that PowerPoint presentations fall short when it comes to value. The slideshow text shouldn’t be used as a substitution for your own voice. It’s difficult for an audience to read the text on a slideshow and listen to you speak at the same time, so use a minimal amount of text whenever possible; and whatever you do, do not read directly from the slides.

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Use Quality, High Definition Graphics
During the construction phase of your presentation, it’s important that you keep the quality of images in mind. Just because the presentation looks great on your monitor doesn’t mean that it will look fine when blown-up on a big screen. Low or normal quality graphics might look blurry when applied to a large screen, so it’s important to always use high quality graphics whenever you can. Try to avoid using generic Microsoft Office clip art graphics and stock photos, if possible.

Don’t Use Animated Transitions
It’s true that the occasional slide transition can help ease the monotony of simply clicking the button and advancing to the next slide, but animating every single image and bullet point is a little overkill. You want the audience to be able to concentrate on you and your presentation. If they’re too busy staring at words whipping all over the screen, you run the risk of losing their attention, which is counterproductive to your goals and intentions.

Use a Single Clear and Consistent Font
pp tips 3othing is more unprofessional than a PowerPoint presentation that can’t seem to decide which font it likes the most. If your slideshows use multiple different fonts, you’ve likely fallen victim to this common mistake. Use one font and make sure every slide uses only that one. Your slideshow should utilize a basic font like Arial that can be seen uniformly across the entire presentation area. Fancy letters aren’t necessarily good for your presentation, either, so avoid those as often as possible.

Use a Uniform Color Scheme
Inconsistent colors can be one of the worst ways to destroy a presentation. Just because your presentation can have all of the colors of the rainbow doesn’t mean that it needs to. The less complex your color scheme is, the better for your viewers. Try using your company’s logo as a jump-off point, and be sure to use the templates provided by Microsoft Office. Unlike the clip art, the templates are actually very sharp and simple to use.

All of this winds down to one overarching tip that should always be followed when constructing the PowerPoint slideshow. You should always design it with the end user in mind. The audience is the one who has to view it, so make it easy on the eyes and use it to augment your presentation in a professional manner. After all, you’re the one they want to see, not the PowerPoint.

Do you have any particularly helpful tips you’d like to share concerning PowerPoint? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to call NuTech Services at 810.230.9455 for more tips on how to make the most out of MS Office.

20
Mar, 2015
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Tip of the Week: How to Integrate 2-Step Verification with Your Google Account

b2ap3_thumbnail_authentication_security_400.jpgIt seems like you can’t go a week without hearing about some new security vulnerability or massive data breach. Naturally, this leads the average computer user to feel nervous, especially when dealing with sensitive information. With only a password standing between you and your account, hackers can easily access it if you’re careless. Two-factor authentication is the key to maximizing your online security.

Most online accounts allow you to set up some form of two-factor authentication, but today we’re going to concentrate on how to set it up on your Google account.

How It Works
Google calls their two-factor authentication service, “2-Step Verification.” Basically, Google will require that you use more than one form of login credential before allowing access to your account. This generally comes in the form of an SMS message sent to your phone, a voice call, and more. Google can even provide you with a security key that you plug into your PC’s USB port as a two-factor authentication tool.

The plus side of this is that it makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access your account if the only credential they have is your password. This means that the hacker needs to work twice as hard and steal your actual hardware if they want to get into your account. This brings the chances of you getting hacked down to almost zero.

Besides that point, however, there’s quite literally no reason not to integrate two-factor authentication for any and all of your online accounts. Not only is it easy, but the benefits greatly outweigh the costs, if any. The prominent security threats and vulnerabilities that are prevalent throughout the business world should speak for themselves. Without two-factor authentication, you’re missing out on a vital, albeit basic, way of keeping your sensitive data safe.

How to Set Up Google’s 2-Step Verification
In order to set up your Google 2-Step verification, all you need to do to get started is log into your Google account, then go to this URL.

Click on Start setup >> and Google can walk you through the rest. You’ll have to provide Google with your phone number so they can send you text messages when you attempt to log in. This means that you should probably have your phone on you, or at least nearby, when you begin the setup procedure.

Google’s 2-Step Verification can do a lot more than simple text messages, too. For instance, it allows you to use your landline phone system (if you still have one of those in your office) and receive automated voice calls from Google which contain your verification code. You can even print off a set of one-time codes for later use, if you’re planning on traveling a lot.

Again, most online accounts allow for two-factor authentication, so remember that it’s important and necessary to take all of the security precautions you can in the hostile environment that is online computing. You want only the best security to keep your data and your business safe from hackers, thieves, and scam artists. If you need help setting up two-factor authentication, NuTech Services can help your business integrate the best solutions possible. Just give us a call at 810.230.9455 to learn more.

4
Mar, 2015
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Tip of the Week: 7 Common Methods to Protect Your Smartphone

b2ap3_thumbnail_smartphone_security_400.jpgThose who believe that smartphones are secure from threats are in for a rude awakening. Modern businesses need to apply adequate security practices to maximize the protection of mobile devices, or risk everything.

If a hacker were to somehow access a corporate mobile device, they could potentially compromise sensitive information. Would your business be able to recover from such an attack? You want to keep this situation from happening in the first place, instead of just hoping it doesn’t happen. Here are some ways you can keep your business’s sensitive data away from those who might try to steal it from your smartphone.

Integrate a Lock Code
Naturally, the best way to keep strangers from accessing information on your phone is to set up a lock screen. There are a number of different lock screen options that you can select from, including entering a PIN number, dragging a specific pattern across the screen, and entering a full-fledged password. The type of authentication techniques available vary according to the device.

Try Data Encryption
Most of the time, you can encrypt your smartphone or tablet pretty easily. This means that the device’s data will be inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t have the decryption key, or password. This is a surefire way to make stealing your data more difficult than it’s worth to most amateur hackers.

Disable Website Tracking in Your Browser
Websites are known to collect information from you while you browse, and they use this information to deliver advertisements to you based on what you look at. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility to leak confidential information to the Internet. Your mobile browser should give you the Do Not Track option, which leaves it up to the website whether or not they will collect information from you. Most websites will listen to your preference, but this doesn’t always work.

If the Caller is Unknown, Don’t Answer the Call
We’ve all experienced the irritation of answering calls from unknown numbers and listening to automated messages. However, in the rare moment that there’s actually someone else on the other end of the line, they are probably one of two things: A cold-caller trying to sell you something you don’t need, or a hacker who’s trying to trick you. These hackers often pose as representatives from organizations (like banks, charities, etc) and try to convince you to give up information regarding your account. Naturally, it’s best to avoid answering the phone if you don’t know the identity of whoever is on the other end. Besides, if it’s really important, they’ll leave a message or callback information, which you can cross-reference with information you find on the Internet.

Use GPS Tracking to Locate Your Lost Device
Most modern smartphones, like those made by Android and Apple, come equipped with GPS tracking features that can be accessed online if you have misplaced your device. This can be helpful if someone has located your device, or if it’s simply inside the sofa. If someone has found it and hasn’t found a way to contact you, you can locate it with GPS. Problem solved. Although, it should be mentioned that the GPS tracking only really works if the device is turned on, so it’s not without its limits.

Keep Just Enough Contact Information in Your Device
Once in a blue moon, you’ll meet a genuinely good person who wants to return devices that they’ve found lying around. If this is the case, they won’t know how to return it to you if you don’t give them a way to do so. Often, a simple name and alternative telephone number will be enough to help them get ahold of you. It’s important to not leave too much information in the device, or you could risk giving hackers everything they need to steal your identity.

Keep Your Device within Arms-Reach
Finally, the easiest way to keep your device safe is to keep it on your person at all times (or at least within sight). This is especially important if you often work remotely from public places, like coffee shops, diners, etc. This is the best way to keep the common thief from gaining access to your device.

For those who don’t want to take any risks, a mobile device management solution from NuTech Services is the most comprehensive solution out there to keep your business’s mobile device safe and secure. We can whitelist and blacklist applications to let only specific ones gain access to confidential corporate information, and we can even integrate content filtering and spam blocking to help your team stay as safe as possible, even while out of the office. Last but not least, we can remotely wipe devices in a worst-case scenario.

For more information about how NuTech Services can keep your mobile devices secure from hackers, give us a call at 810.230.9455.

25
Feb, 2015
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Tip of the Week: 5 Ways to Prevent Getting Burned By Your Job

b2ap3_thumbnail_do_not_succumb_to_stress_400.jpgOccupational burnout is a real risk for the busy business owner. Wikipedia defines it as, “Characterized by short-term exhaustion, lack of enthusiasm and motivation, feeling drained, and also may have the dimension of frustration and/or negative emotion and cynical behavior, and as a result reduced professional efficacy.” Can you relate? How can you prevent occupational burnout?

You might pride yourself on how many extra hours you put in each week, but pride can quickly take you to the burnout line. Before you know it, you’ve crossed that line and you’re terrorizing your workers. Okay, maybe it won’t get that bad around the office, but occupational burnout does negatively affect relationships and can unknowingly take you to some ugly places if left unchecked.

More than hurting your relationships, occupational burnout can negatively affect your company’s bottom line. This is ironic because the whole reason you may be working all those extra hours is to make more money. When you’re working so much that you’re essentially running on empty, you’re no longer doing yourself or anybody else any favors, so you might as well stop, take a break, and recharge.

Occupational burnout is similar to an illness that gets worse over time. Like an illness, it can be prevented if you notice the signs early on and take action. Here are five actions you can take to prevent occupational burnout.

  • Take frequent breaks.
  • Be physically active.
  • Get plenty of rest.
  • Foster a friendly work environment.
  • Shorten your commute.

Take Frequent Breaks
It’s recommended by Inc. that workers take a break every twenty minutes. This may sound a little ridiculous, but that’s only if you’re defining a break to be an extended period of time, like twenty minutes-to-an-hour. Instead, a break can be just a step away from your computer and a lap around the room. A mini-break like this should be enough to reset your mind so you can better focus on your project and not get bogged down by being locked in on the same project for hours on end.

Be Physically Active
You don’t have to become a bodybuilder or run a marathon to avoid office burnout, just some light physical activity will do the trick. It could be doing stretches, simple exercises like jumping jacks, brisk walking, anything that gets your heart pumping so you’re not sedentary at your desk all day long. Even making a switch to a standing desk can significantly boost your energy levels and help stave off occupational burnout. Remember, if you feel good, you’ll work well.

Get Plenty of Rest
No matter how much caffeine you pump yourself full of, you have to succumb to sleep sometime. It may seem like you’re getting a lot done by forsaking sleep, but the reality of running on too little rest is that the quality of your work suffers (as well as your immune system). Additionally, not having enough sleep means you will crash hard and have a night or a weekend where you oversleep, which totally cancels out your marathon effort of not sleeping. It’s better to discipline your schedule and get regular sleep every night.

Foster a Friendly Work Environment
A burned out worker is irritable and more susceptible to lash out at co-workers. This causes a chain reaction where everybody is on each other’s nerves, creating a toxic work environment. As the business owner, you set the culture for your company. If you’re emotionally healthy and not at risk of burnout, you’ll find it much easier to treat your employees well and the quality of their work will improve.

Shorten Your Commute
Studies show that shorter commutes equate to a happier work experience. One reason for this is because of the stress that accompanies the commuting experience. Fighting traffic (not to mention the weather) and pushing yourself not to be late can really chip away at your positive outlook and lead to occupational burnout. Taking steps to shorten your commute and spend less time on the road will reduce your chance of burning out and doing something extreme, like road rage. Remember, the shortest commute is no commute; working from home is a great way to prevent office burnout.

While it’s normal to have a bad day and experience stress, it’s another thing entirely to reach the point of occupational burnout. Taking these five proactive measures will be good for your physical and emotional health, which will help keep things cool, calm, collected, and productive around the office.

What are some preventative measures you take to avoid occupational burnout? Share them with us in the comments.