Author Archives: infotechblogger
Keep your System running smoothly with Windows Remote Support
There’s nothing worse than something going wrong on your computer and not having anybody around to fix it. Disaster can strike when you least expect it. It could be while you’re doing some online shopping or when you’re working on really important documents for work. By running windows remote support you’re more likely to recover even if the worst happens, here’s why you should use it: Read the rest of this entry
What is Hosted Exchange and why do I need it for my business?
When it comes to IT it is easy to be caught under a landslide of jargon and technology that you simply do not understand. Some of these things are relatively common in the industry, so it makes sense to educate yourself and gain a better understanding of how things work. This quest for knowledge has brought you here, so what is Hosted Exchange?
Hosted Exchange
Quite simply, Hosted Exchange is a service where you are provided with an email box and storage space is made available to you on a server. Generally this is done through Microsoft Exchange, as it is used by the majority of businesses in the world.
The purpose of this is so that you can access emails, documents and other data via a server rather than having it all on your computer. Another major benefit is that with Hosted Exchange you can access you emails and documents from anywhere by routing it to a mobile phone or laptop.
What does Hosted Exchange really do?
Still unsure of what this really means? Let’s put it this way: with Hosted Exchange, your business has a centralised email server, so that everyone in the company has the same @Yourbusiness.net email address. But it isn’t just the email that you gain through exchange, it’s also all your contacts, personalised email folders, calendar appointments and tasks that are synchronised across the server.
You’re also able to direct push data and set it to a wide range of mobile devices, allowing you to access everything you need for business from wherever you are. This means that you don’t have to remember to log on and refresh your emails and calendar appointments, as they will automatically pop up on your mobile phone.
Why not use a dedicated Exchange?
Unless you are a large business, having a dedicated Exchange server is unnecessary as it provides far more capacity than you require. It also comes at a larger cost, as you will have to pay for a full server licence, obtain the appropriate hardware and take care of all maintenance tasks. With Hosted Exchange you pay for the IT company to take care of this, taking on the task yourself is a job in itself.
Why use Hosted Exchange?
There are several factors that make hosting the best option, a few of these include:
- More cost effective – you don’t have to pay for the full server cost or any maintenance.
- Easier – no need to learn how to set up or operate Hosted Exchange.
- Get what you need – only pay for the amount of space you need.
- Trouble free – if anything goes wrong, the hosting company will be responsible for setting it straight.
- Mobile – direct push allows you to access everything you need for business from your phone.
All of these reasons make hosting the perfect solution for small to medium sized businesses and individuals. There are many more benefits to Hosted Exchange that help to ensure that your business runs professionally and seamlessly, but this will come down to your company and the way in which you work.
How to keep Staff up to date with IT Training Solutions
The IT industry is worth billions of pounds so it’s no wonder that new, more advanced products are released onto the market at breakneck speed. And whilst yes, those new products might be more productive, have better features and more applications than their predecessors, it doesn’t mean your staff will be able to pick up the intricacies of their use by themselves. Unless your staff are complete tech junkies, chances are you’re gonna have a bad time.
Using Windows 8.1 as an example, you’ve probably would imagine it is far superior to Windows 7, with a simpler interface and touch screen navigation. But for many it is a paradigm shift – if your staff don’t have one of the latest laptops with touch-screen capabilities then Windows 8.1 can appear very awkward to use at first when compared to previous versions of the software.
So how do you make sure your staff are using the software you provide them with effectively and efficiently?
IT Training
The obvious answer is to make sure they partake in regular IT training sessions, especially when you introduce new IT products to your business. There are several IT training solutions available so you just need to consider which will be best for your staff.
External Training
With external training you send your staff to an IT training centre where they can spend from a day to a week learning exactly how to use the new software you’re planning to introduce. So for example, if you’re thinking of upgrading Office 2007 to Office 365 Professional or something similar you can send your staff to an IT training centre where they can learn the ins and outs of the new product and how it differs from the version they currently use.
In-house Training
If you want your staff to be more proficient with your in-house IT systems though then obviously in-house training will be a better option. Maybe you have accounting processes that are done every day and you want your staff to learn a more efficient way of completing them. Or perhaps you’ve had an application developed specifically for your business and you need to get your staff trained up and confident in using it.
Regardless of what type of IT training you require there will be plenty of ways you can get help. Remember, one of the most common reasons for underproduction by staff is poor training, and this is certainly true when it comes to IT software and applications.
If you’re still unsure, ask yourself this question – how can you expect your staff to carry on work efficiently and improving your business if they don’t know the most efficient and smart ways of working? It’s like giving a child a Lego set and asking them to build something but not giving them the instructions. They will get there eventually but it will take a lot longer than it should.
IT training doesn’t cost as much as you’d think and anything you do invest will be repaid through increased productivity before you know it.
Don’t keep your head in the Clouds – Keep your files there!
Backing up your files is an essential insurance for any successful business or even individuals with precious sentimental images. The thing is though, when an emergency strikes, can you really remember where you put that spare hard drive or SD Card amongst all your other stuff? What better concept to keep things safe than using Online Backup Services on the Cloud instead?
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/
What Cloud Computing can do for Small Businesses
Small businesses forever have to juggle their priorities: staff, products, marketing, and customer satisfaction, not to mention their IT infrastructure – it’s a lot for a small company to manage. Whilst it may not be the answer to all of your business problems, cloud computing could certainly be a great solution for lightening your technological load, leaving you free to focus on the other aspects of running your business.
Image courtesy of http://www.amadeusconsulting.com/
What is VoIP? How can it help my Small Business?
Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/
Have you heard of VoIP? This seemingly oblique technical term has become very popular with small business owners across the country and even the World! Nowadays, it’s seen as a genuine rival to the humble telephone line and is actually helping hundreds of SMEs to shave lots of money from their yearly accounts.
So what exactly is VoIP? How has it become so popular? How can it help a small business? These are all very good questions but let’s start right at the beginning… Read the rest of this entry
Getting your staff up to speed with the latest IT software
Business owners – if we asked you to name the most important aspect of your business, what would you say? Well, some of you would say your customers are the top priority, while others might say the assets and specialised equipment you own is. However, we suspect the vast majority of business owners say that their staff members are the most important part. After all, if you didn’t have your staff to rely on, you wouldn’t have a business, right?
How IT Support can keep your business ahead of the Competition
Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/pargon/
Technology: We can’t live with it, we can’t live without it; when it works, it’s wonderful, but when it all goes pear-shaped…well, we all know that feeling! That’s part of the reason why we started this blog, because it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in nowadays, there will always be some kind of IT system involved somewhere. These can heavily influence your day-to-day tasks – so ensuring the system works to what you actually require is key when it comes to the smooth running of your business. Read the rest of this entry
informationtechblogogy 