Why Every Small Business Needs IT Support

why every small business needs it support

Group of Engineers Fixing Computer Circuit Board. Macro photo

Congratulations! You are the owner of a small business that you started up yourself. That is an accomplishment not to be taken lightly. Now where do you go from here?

Did you know, of 28.2 million businesses, most are “self-employed” – making up about 3/4 of the U.S.’s total businesses. Meanwhile, approximately half of small businesses survive five years or more, many of which make up your local LOCM +% coffee shops, favorite local boutiques, preferred chiropractor or local pet shop.

You wouldn’t drive a car without insurance, right? You may be “driver of the year” with a clean record, but the spontaneity of life always puts you at risk. The same concept applies to your business. No matter what size, a business is not fully equipped without IT support.

According to a case study by Ripple It, there are three major reasons why every business needs professional IT Support:

  1. Staying Productive
  2. Professional Consultation
  3. Security

Regardless if your small business is in its startup years, you can always benefit from the experts giving your organization the best online and technical support to keep your company protected and productive. I know IT support is low on the totem pole in comparison to the hundreds of other concerns running through your head, but it won’t profit you to have your employees fiddling with the computer motherboards after a system crash. Your business’s goal is obvious – to grow,  having a fully managed service provider is literally half the battle.

So if you are a small business with a big vision, let 4 Corner IT help you maximize your potential with our state-of-the-art IT support.

Feel free to call in to anyone of our East coast offices for a free network evaluation or consultation. Also, for information on our IT support plans, please contact us.

Pointers to Remove Unwanted Programs from Windows

pointers to remove unwanted programs from windows

how to remove unwanted programs

 

Removing unwanted programs and software in Windows can be more complicated than expected. According to this article, you can speed up Windows by stripping it down. Disabling a program is not the same thing as uninstalling it completely (however, disabling something that you do not need presently but may need again, is one option).

A few ways to disable or remove software in Windows:

Disabling

This leaves the program installed on your hard disk, but causes it not to load when the system starts up. This can recover resources the program would normally require while leaving the program ultimately available. To configure which programs start up with Windows, you can either remove the icon for the program from the Startup folder, or from the start menu, type msconfig. Msconfig lets the user selectively disable which programs start automatically.

Removing shortcuts from the desktop does not remove the program

It may clean up your desktop, but it has no practical impact on the program itself other than making it more difficult to access. Similarly, removing an icon from any menu except the Startup folder will have no practical effect except to make it more difficult to access your program later on.

The Control Panel has a tool to remove many programs

Under Programs and Features, a user can remove many previously installed programs. Access to this function may depend on permissions if you are running a Professional version of Windows. This function may also depend on the existence of uninstaller files which came with your application. These uninstallers should not be manually deleted unless instructed.

In the early days of Windows, programs tended to be contained in a single folder or sub-folder

For example, all of the program items associated with Microsoft Word might be contained in “C:\ProgramFiles\Microsoft\Office\Word” or equivalent. Today that is no longer the case. Programs set themselves to start with Windows, go online for updates, and edit the registry. Deleting a folder which contains a program is not necessarily the same thing as a ‘clean uninstall’ and is considered an advanced concept.

On the subject of the registry and advanced concepts, any uninstall procedure which includes manually editing the registry is to be viewed with extreme trepidation

Editing the Windows registry is an expert concept. Remember the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey with the astronaut unplugging the computer’s brain one circuit at a time? That’s the Windows registry. The wrong adjustment to the registry can render your computer unbootable.

For more information on installation and removal of software, please contact us.

What to Consider When Running a Virtual Machine

A virtual machine (VM) is software which permits the user to run an independent operating system as an application, essentially creating a computer inside of a computer. The same way that your computer would run a word processor or a browser, it can run an entire operating system as a large application.

According to this article, a virtual machine (VM) is an operating system OS or application environment that is installed on software which imitates dedicated hardware. The end user has the same experience on a virtual machine as they would have on dedicated hardware.

If you think of VM operation along these lines, the setup and operation is more sensible and less intimidating. As with any application, running a VM has a couple of systems requirements.

Things to Consider When Running a Virtual Machine

Disk space

Just like any application software, a VM has its own requirements. You will want enough storage available to install an entire operating system and the applications software which will be running on it. While it is possible to resize a VM after it has been created, such a prospect is considered highly advanced, and if possible should be avoided. Allocate enough disk space and then some to avoid running out of space.

Memory requirement. A host computer with a virtual machine requires enough memory to run both operating systems simultaneously. The prefered approach is not to rely on swap space since the actual operation of the VM is slowed down considerably without enough memory.

Clone storage

One of the first things you need to do after creating your VM and performing the basic installation of the operating system and applications software which will run in the virtual machine, is to back it up, normally called cloning. Cloning the VM means that you can restore it to the point at which the clone was made at any time. This is useful if you are test driving software which has security or stability concerns.

License keys for the virtual machine’s operating system and applications. If you install an operating system and applications in virtual machines, it is the same thing as installing them natively on a new computer. If you are going to use the operating system and applications software you need to have license keys and enter them the normal way when prompted during installation.

For more information on the finer points of virtual machines, please contact us.

 

Guess What? You Already Know How to Use Office 365, (and You Probably Already Love it Too!)

guess what you already know how to use office 365 and you probably already love it too
how to use office 365

Because Office 365 is new to some people, they picture:

  • A program that’s hard to set up,
  • A program that’s only for Mac computers,
  • Some new app that’s only for mobile devices, or
  • Some confusing, new-fangled version of Microsoft products geared toward people who think the old platforms are useless or outdated.

However, Office 365 is essentially the best of the traditional Microsoft Office platform, combined with the simplest and most convenient upgrades that modern cloud computing has to offer. Though many products can easily lose their initial fan base when they upgrade or make changes to keep up with the times, by the time people most comfortable with Microsoft products understand what Office 365 actually is, everyone will realize it’s a genuinely perfect fit for most smb’s.

Why?

With 365, Microsoft gives users subscription-based access to its suite of office products. If you buy it for yourself, it’s less than $10 a month. However, many companies choose to buy it for their staff for several reasons:

Everyone in the office can collaborate on one secure system with ease.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the office, or in another country; once you’ve connected your devices through the platform, you can quickly share documents and data through One Drive as if you were in the same office. This enables you to complete projects faster. In addition, since 365 is also integrated with Skype Lync, you can easily conduct business conferences and make free/cheap VoIP calls as well, without paying a separate company and without downloading special software.

Microsoft gives users 1 terabyte of cloud storage for each user, and each user is able to use the software on one laptop/desktop, one tablet and one phone.

Users also get full downloads of every standard Microsoft program including Outlook, Word, Excel, Sharepoint, Lync, Exchange, Power Point, One Note, Access and Publisher.

Lastly, let’s face it. The Microsoft product suite has always been notoriously expensive.

365 is basically the cheapest way anyone’s ever got a suite of Microsoft products directly from the manufacturer.

How to Use Office 365

Using Office 365 is as easy as using a website like Facebook or a software program like Skype.

  1. You simply log into your account at portal.office.com, with the information in the email you received after you signed up.
  2. Next, you change your password.
  3. Then, when you’re ready to download your software, you download and install your software suite just like any other program. You just go through all the standard install prompts and options.
  4. Once you’ve downloaded the software and your online access is up and running, you’re good to go. If you’ve ever used Microsoft Office before, you already know how to use Office 365.

However, if you have any questions or need any guidance at all — or find a program that’s new to you, because you’re mainly used to the standard programs; just contact us.

As your Managed Services Provider, 4 Corner IT offers you and your staff full installation and support for Office 365!

Top 5 Benefits of SaaS for Small Businesses

top 5 benefits of saas for small businesses

benefits of saas
Small businesses often struggle with the demands of improving their marketplace position while maintaining a solid infrastructure. A weakened economy adds to the issue, forcing small businesses to re-think their budgetary requirements and cut costs across the board.

If you find your business in this position, it may be time to consider the benefits of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

What can SaaS options do for you? Here are some of the many benefits you can reap:

  1. The most appealing initial benefit may be the cost savings for your business. Enterprises using a Cloud-based service considerably lower the cost of investing in hardware and purchase of software licenses. Rather than paying hefty fees up-front, SaaS is offered for a low monthly subscription fee, helping you budget appropriately. And as there is limited hardware to maintain, you also save the cost of upkeep and maintenance of equipment. Additionally, this reduces energy consumption and expense for your business in the long-term, making SaaS attractive to any business looking for ways of cutting costs.
  2. Another immediate benefit of SaaS solutions is the ability to use the service quickly. Unlike purchase of software which sometimes requires lengthy download times, SaaS solutions require very little start-up time, allowing you to get to work right away with the software you need.
  3. Speaking of the software you need, another benefit of SaaS is its configurability. Highly scalable to the specific needs of your business, it allows you to access just what you will actually use and eliminate unnecessary software clutter. This is a time- and money-saving feature. And when you need more, SaaS is easily expandable. It grows with your business, all while helping you keep an eye on the bottom line.
  4. SaaS also reduces your need for IT support in-house, as your Cloud-based software is maintained by your provider. This lets your IT staff work on other issues, making your business run more efficiently.
  5. Saas also provides a comprehensive security strategy. Automatic software updates and patch management take the hassle out of maintaining cyber safety of your business. SaaS often provides a more comprehensive backup system than small businesses can manage on their own. Knowing that your data is secure in the Cloud allows you to concentrate on the all-important goal of making your business a success.

If you would like more information about SaaS solutions, please contact us. We can customize a plan that fits seamlessly with your business processes and maximizes your efficiency today.