Network downtime can be a costly issue that many tend to overlook. With many businesses ignoring moments of network failure or how often their network fails, the silent killer of network downtime can go undetected until it’s too late. Thankfully, there’s a few things one can do visualize the costs of network downtime and avoid the pitfalls of such circumstances.

Network Downtime & Your Financial Gain

In total, network downtime easily costs companies a total of $26.5 billion annually. Large businesses tend to lose $1,000,000 during network downtime, as medium-sized businesses lose $91,000 and small businesses lose around $55,000 every year. Considering the time lost during network downtime is rarely retrieved, ill-prepared sites rarely have a chance to bounce back given the significant losses.

Network Downtime & Your Reputation

In addition to the money your business loses, network downtime can also destroy your reputation. For example, let’s say your business is a brick and mortar business that regularly takes breaks during the busiest time of the day. When a customer comes your the service to find out it’s closed, it annoys the customer and makes them want to visit a different service that can cater to them.

It wasn’t too long ago when The New York Times website went down for two hours and their competitors took advantage of the situation. Their stocks dropped and the competitors dropped the prices of their service to soak up the subscribers the New York Times had lost. Although some businesses are prepared for such situations during network downtime, many don’t have the extra funds to recover from a major setback.

Network Downtime & Your Search Results

In addition to destroying your reputation and profits, network downtime can also ruin your ranking in search engines. If network downtime is a regular issue for your service, Google could drop your business from the search index altogether if the service isn’t reliable. Even if your service is successful in search engines, it’s possible that your business could see a drop in how it shows up in general searches.

So now that the damage of network downtime has been put into perspective, it’s important that your business avoids such issues at all costs. Thankfully, {company} is here to make sure that network downtime isn’t a problem your business adapts to. So if you happen to live in the {city} area, feel free to contact us by email at {email} or by phone at {phone} so we can make your network downtime issues a thing of the past.

When you are in the insurance business, adaptability matters. When systems are antiquated, it’s impossible to remain competitive in a tight business climate. Insurers who can offer customers diversified products to meet their needs come out on top. With the desire to grow in the forefront of most businesses, keeping customers happy is the number one way to grow. Insurers that adapt new strategies can provide policies that give customers only what they need and nothing extra. With the ability to pick and choose what the policy covers, the insurer can now create unique packages for the clients they serve.

Data Migration is Necessary to Create an Electronic Policy Administration System

Migrating data from paper files and inputting policies into an electronic policy administration system is fraught with potential problems. This is why so many companies have continued to rely on old ways, even though the methods are completely old and just about obsolete. The process is time consuming, and during this time it can be difficult to address the needs of both current customers and new ones looking for policies for protection. It’s important to remember that it’s a process, mistakes are going to happen, and vigilance is essential when migrating data from one system to another. This is one area where you can’t try to save money on employee costs, as it’s imperative that a system is set up correctly from the beginning and all of the checks and balances have been laid out.

Optimal Insurance Requires Flexibility for Insurers and Policy Holders

Once an automated process for handling insurance has been established within an agency, this brings many advantages to both customers and insurers. Data is always available, and there’s no need to go looking through old paper copies of policies to determine what a policy holder is entitled to when trying to make a claim. With the flexibility of a searchable database, insurance companies can process claims much faster. It’s possible to gather data on claims, and to look for ways to reduce costs over time. Once the system is in place, the insurer can look over the offerings carefully and make sure that they are cost-effective by analyzing data. Policy holders will get what they want, and nothing else. This saves money and time for everyone involved.

Old Systems are Going to Eventually Stop Working

The gap between old systems to provide insurance coverage and new, electronic systems is widening, so much in fact that businesses relying on these old systems are simply going to go out of business. Businesses that embrace technology and systematically create a platform that works for the broker and policy holder will see growth, while those still trying to hang on to the old ways are going to decline until they are completely gone. Customers want action, they want diversity, and they want transparence when it comes to choosing the right policies for their needs. An electronic platform is the only way to provide optimal insurance options to customers.

AI is becoming part of our daily lives without us even knowing it. Here’s what’s going on with AI now, and what’s coming.

One of the big topics in technology today is artificial intelligence (AI). You have probably seen examples of AI in television shows and movies, where robots that look similar to (or sometimes exactly like) humans do all of our work for us, leaving us to pursue our leisure activities freely; in these imagined worlds, robots are our mechanical, unpaid servants, who are programmed to only want to do our bidding. There have been some exhibits of imaginings of this kind of future at world and national fairs, and there was even one at the Disney World theme parks for a long time called The Carousel of Progress.

While we may not be at the point of having a class of robot servants at our disposal just yet in our society, we are getting close. AI is already used in many everyday applications. If you have ever used SIRI or an Amazon Echo, where you talk to a machine, usually asking it questions, and it responds with the information you were seeking, you have used AI. Much of modern AI is data-based, with machines known as “bots” looking up information for us. The bots are trained to learn based on how we speak to them, so after we have had them for a while, we can ask them the vaguest of questions, and they can give us back incredibly accurate information. They may even find information we didn’t know we were seeking, or an amazing deal on something like a flight or a retail object we didn’t know about at the time. The bots are even programmed to ask you to provide more information if they need it in order to answer your initial question.

This type of AI is becoming a common part of our lives, so much so we often don’t even think about it. Only a few decades ago, it would have seemed strange to ask a robot to find what local store was selling that must-have Christmas toy at the cheapest price, or to ask it to use your pre-programmed credit card information to book a flight for you. Now, it just seems normal, like this is how the world works now. And, it’s true. The world does work like this now, and the AI we are currently using is going to seem primitive in comparison to the AI we will be using in the future. The world of AI is becoming more sophisticated, and is being gradually integrated into our lives without us even knowing it.

There are already machines that are being programmed to send information about their mechanics and electronics back to monitoring companies, so the health of those machines can be examined in real time from afar. This allows maintenance crews to be sent out to fix things before a problem actually occurs. There is already a company called ThyssenKrupp that is doing exactly this with elevators across entire cities. With ThyssenKrupp’s AI, elevators in public buildings, and private ones that subscribe to the service, will always be safe for anyone to ride, because any potential issues with their service or reliability will have been handled long before anyone boards them.

More AI is being developed to do similar things, and it is being designed to be intelligent like the bots of today. AI will continue to be programmed to learn, and it will soon be learning new things on its own, much as humans and animals do. It will be integrated into the technology you already use every day, so adopting it will be seamless for you. It won’t seem strange. Instead, it will appear like a normal part of the world, when once it was only in the realm of science fiction.

And, yes, those robots that look like humans that are supposed to do all our housework for us are already being developed in Japan. One day, even those will be a reality, and not just something you see on TV and in the movies. Better start making room for those mechanical servants now, because they’re coming.

How to increase your business collaboration and operations through smart conferencing systems and a managed IT service provider.

Skype for Business is an extremely valuable, if not indispensable, tool for many organizations. It provides an affordable option for keeping staff connected not just within a single office building or HQ, but also remote or traveling workers wherever they are located. Skype for Business is also essential to remote group meetings or conferencing, connecting multiple rooms and people. Without this technology, business would not happen with the speed and efficiency it does today.

To make corporate life even easier, Logitech recently partnered with Microsoft to launch its SmartDock meeting room console system. The SmartDock hardware is intended to make Skype for Business more efficient for secure use in conference and meeting rooms.

The SmartDock enables a Surface Pro 4 tablet to turn into a communication hub, allowing for immediate high performance, connectivity upon entering a conference room with its built in motion sensor. This transforms collaboration for all parties through the already familiar Skype for Business interface for organizers and the managed Windows 10 Skype meeting app for IT administrators. The Logitech SmartDock works seamlessly with your existing video display and camera systems, allowing you to launch a meeting with a single touch.

The SmartDock allows your organization to optimally manage collaboration while staying connected with an HDMI port for 1080p displays, along with three USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet and a headset jack for one-on-one conferences, keeping conference tables clutter-free. An Extender box allows for dual HDMI connections and USB ports. Sharing presentations, demos, videos and other content is a simple process through the HDMI input streaming directly from a laptop or other device.

Furthermore, this audio/video controlled console has a fully powered and secure table mount along with a Kensington security slot for additional safety. This ensures that the corresponding tablet can be left securely locked into the SmartDock even in unattended rooms.

The successful implementation of Logitech’s SmartDock and Skype for Business run on Windows 2016 and Citrix is best handled by a managed service provider that can provide IT services tailored on your company’s size and needs. A managed service provide can assist with professional, custom services that are properly implemented into high level IT and network engineering systems. Hiring a provider offers your business focused solutions that are customized for your own bespoke implementation.

Utilizing an IT service provider also future proofs your business, encapsulating the use of the latest technology and equipment in your business at no additional cost or great financial investment for you. It eliminates the need for vast investments in specialist software, through fixed monthly or annual payments that ensure you are receiving the right solutions as they are needed with full transparency for your business.

You also have an edge on specialist skills and knowledge without the hefty price tag of retaining specialist on staff. Often times you only need this expertise once or twice, so it makes smarter business sense to utilize the knowledge of your managed IT service provider and their infrastructure to problem solve.

Many companies are looking for ways they can better protect their business and their confidential information. A firewall appliance is a great way to block out any attackers and there are other benefits you can enjoy from it as well.

Cyber security is a major concern for many companies and individuals all over the world. More and more attacks are happening every day. There are many ways you can add protection to your network. Using multiple security measures adds layers of protection. One of those methods is by using a firewall appliance.

What is a Firewall Appliance?

Just like you can install physical firewalls in a home or business to block fires from spreading, a firewall appliance is put into place to block potential threats from entering into your system. If an attacker or a virus does get into your system, it can prevent it from spreading further and help give you more time to remove it. A firewall is designed to inspect everything that comes through the network. Things that are suspicious are stopped. It uses a set of rules to help determine what should be allowed through and what should not be allowed through. A firewall, in this instance, is not an actual wall but it acts like one. It is a system of software and hardware designed to add protection.

What are Benefits of Using a Firewall

Besides the obvious benefit of a safer network, there are many other benefits you can enjoy by having one in place. These benefits are the direct result of having a safer network. These are just some of the benefits of having a firewall appliance for your business:

Better Security for Confidential Information

Most businesses have some type of confidential information. Whether this is confidential information of their customers or confidential information about the employees and the business, it should be protected well. This kind of information in the wrong hands can be disastrous. When a firewall is monitoring all incoming and outgoing traffic, there is added security for all information, including confidential information. If an attacker were able to get in without a firewall in place, they would have access to all of this information and can use it however they see fit.

Added Employee Productivity

Without a firewall in place, who knows what kind of nonsense can get into the system and emails. Additionally, who knows what your employees are really doing with their time. A firewall is designed to monitor websites and block permissions. This added bonus can allow you to block the usage of websites such as Facebook and Pinterest that may be taking up valuable time in the work day. Your employees may not like this security change but you will soon find that productivity will go up because they are able to focus more on their work.

A firewall is not the only form of protection you should utilize for your network and business but it is a great place to start. Not only does it add extra protection to your business but you also get to enjoy some other added benefits. You should consider other forms of protection, however, so you can create multiple layers that can block potential attacks and hackers. The more protection you have, the better. Cyber attacks are not slowing down. if anything, they are happening more often. You should not rely on one form of protection for your business. For more information, be sure to contact {company} in {city} via {phone} or {email}.