IT Support Helps Your Business Run Smoother

There are a lot of ways that IT support can help your business run smoother. You cannot be expected to do everything on your own. Especially if you are the "be all" for your business, you need to focus on other aspects including marketing and sales. By focusing on the areas that directly affect your profits, you can ensure that your business is thriving. Someone else can provide you with the support you need for IT.

You may not be aware of all of the technology out there that can assist your business. Each and every year, new strides are being made that make it easier for businesses to run. IT support is able to tap into this technology more to provide you with more. This includes more assistance where you need it the most. For example, did you know that there are hosted phone systems that you can get where you can eliminate the need for a receptionist at the front desk?

An IT support person can walk through your business and tell you about all of the areas that can be enhanced through the addition of technology. This may cost you a little bit of money initially, but it is a wise investment. Eventually the help on your IT will allow you to enhance various aspects of your business which can save you labor and increase your profits. Both of these are good for business and will affect your bottom line in a positive way.

By having support from a third party, you get documentation and communication where you need it the most. This includes guarantees in terms of what you need to hear - such as reduced downtime on your website and that help is a phone call away so you never have to worry about IT issues that linger. Even if you are fortunate to have an IT department, they may be limited in their knowledge - and this is where your business may be at a point where it cannot grow because of their limitations.

IT support can help you with your website, your cloud server, your email, your website design and virtually anything else that you need assistance with. When you have someone who makes it their business to give you what you need in terms of IT, your business runs smoother. This is because you have dedicated people who are always looking out for you. They ensure you don't have downtime and have access to all that you need.

In today's day and age, you can't be without IT support in one capacity or another. The more support you have, the smoother everything runs. The good news is that you don't have to do it all by yourself. All it takes is raising your hand and asking for some assistance. Finding a third party company that anticipates your needs is out there - and can make a world of a difference on your business.

Formed in 1997 and located in Houston, Dallas and Austin Texas and in Dubai, ERGOS is an IT solutions provider that stays ahead of the curve, providing innovative IT services. We provide our clients the kind of service that we would want. ERGOS provides managed IT services, IT infrastructure, Cloud IT and business solutions that Power Your Business and empower your work force. Our three technology divisions, Managed IT Services, Cloud IT Solutions and Business Solutions (Web Hosting and Development, Search Engine Optimization, Business Process Analysis) will address all your IT needs.

By Jeff Weigang

Scrum Transformation: How Transparency Is Offered

I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine over "transparency" and the effect of Social Media. It amazes me how the new generation so easily communicate their day to day activities and how they feel with no fear. With the help of technology they are a generation of openness.

Yet organizations have not caught on to this. To transition to scrum you need a dedication and commitment to transparency. It is not only one of the five scrum values, it is crucial to the success of any transformation. With openness there is trust. Without trust your project is doomed to chaos and potentially fail. In scrum, transparency is offered through the scrum ceremonies. Let's walk through these.

Sprint Planning:

In sprint planning the team and product owner work together in determining what work will get pulled into the sprint. The team should openly communicate when a story is too large or not ready to pull into the sprint. Design approach is established, tasks are openly defined. The team communicates what they plan to deliver. They also communicate what criteria defines done for them.

Daily Stand Up:

The stand up is yet another opportunity for transparency. It is all about sharing information and identifying dependencies. The team should discuss how and what they plan on doing that day. This is all about communicating the plan of the day and what blockers or impediments the team has crossed. The power of the stand up is often under estimated. Many new teams feel it is unnecessary, not really understanding the value it offers.

Demo (Review):

The demo is held at the end of each sprint and facilitated by the product owner or scrum master. It is all about showing the product owner, stakeholders, and or sponsors the work that was completed. The team shares the work that was committed, the challenges over come and listens for feed back. Sponsors, stakeholders, and or product owners provide open feed back to the team. It is important to understand this ceremony is an exchange, and not an opportunity to thrash the team or hide behind requirements. It should have a cooperative and friendly feel.

Retrospective:

The retrospective is an opportunity for the team to openly discuss what went wrong, and how they can improve. It is a tool to review and improve the dynamics and processes of the team. This is another ceremony not used properly and sometimes not performed. If used correctly it should motivate and help solidify the team.

By Leonor Urena

The Top 10 Reasons to Pay for IT Support

IT support may not be something that you WANT to pay for, but there are lots of reasons why you should. You may be trying to do it on your own. Or you may have individuals on staff that is providing it for you. Either way, it can be advantageous to outsource your IT so that you can enjoy better IT services.
Here are 10 good reasons why you want to pay for your IT support.

1. It's more affordable. You may not want to believe it, but by working with a third party, you can actually spend less on your IT than paying someone on your staff to focus on it 40 hours a week. And if you pay more than one individual, that's even more money.
2. You get more. With IT support from a third party, you get to tap into all of the services that they have. You may currently be limited by what your employees (or you) can do. As soon as you reach out for support, you can do more for your company.
3. Offer a better product to your customers. When your customers go to your website, they want a service. If your website is lacking, they may not be able to pay online or order online. As soon as you get support, you begin offering a better product.
4. Eliminate downtime. With IT support, you can eliminate or dramatically reduce downtime. If your IT department doesn't know what they are doing, you may have downtime when upgrades are being made. If they take too long, you may lose a lot of money.
5. Eliminate staff. You can eliminate a lot of unnecessary staff because of learning how to use technology to your advantage. This includes your receptionist thanks to hosted phone solutions.
6. Help is a phone call away. There are going to be times when you need to know how to do something. If you have IT support, you can pick up the phone and get answers.
7. Issues won't linger. The moment you need help, help is dispatched to you. This is simply because you are paying to get your problems fixed.
8. Get the documentation you need. It's important to get a guarantee on your downtime and everything else. If you aren't paying a third party, you don't get this guarantee.
9. Use technology more efficiently. Technology is everywhere you look, but it may not be in use where you need it the most. Let IT support tell you how to enhance your business with all of the latest software and all of the latest process management that is currently out on the market.
10. Utilize your time better. You don't have time to focus on every aspect of IT, which means you should hand it off to someone else. The money that you spend in IT services will come back to because of being able to work on more projects - and even enhance your sales so that you can increase profits.

Formed in 1997 and located in Houston, Dallas and Austin Texas and in Dubai, ERGOS is an IT solutions provider that stays ahead of the curve, providing innovative IT services. We provide our clients the kind of service that we would want. ERGOS provides managed IT services, IT infrastructure, Cloud IT and business solutions that Power Your Business and empower your work force. Our three technology divisions, Managed IT Services, Cloud IT Solutions and Business Solutions (Web Hosting and Development, Search Engine Optimization, Business Process Analysis) will address all your IT needs.

By Jeff Weigang

Why Saleslogix CRM Is the Way to Go

Everyone needs a way of taking care of their customers. When you want to be sure you have a step above the competition, you have to remember all of the details to your customers. This includes the important things like what they bought and when they bought it as well as some of the more intimate details, like their spouse's name and their birthday.

When you use Saleslogix CRM, you have the ability to have better interactions with your staff. There are applications built to remember the details - and even to work in the mobile environment.

The truth of the matter is more people are outside of the office than ever before. You have salesmen out on the roads more often than they are in their office. As they interact with customers, you need to be sure they have the details in front of them. Saleslogix CRM ensures this happens because they will have access to an extensive database.

You need to have a lot of flexibility. If an application is incapable of providing you with the information you need, it isn't doing its job. You could lose customers by not having the details in front of you. For example, if a customer has to repeat the same information to you each time they see you, how long do you think that is going to last?

There are too many companies using CRM programs to not use one on your own. You need to interact on a higher level with your customers and this is where Saleslogix CRM can help you. A significant amount of information will feed into the database and can meet both your IT and business needs. You will have a powerful platform that works in the cloud.

Anytime someone updates the database, your people in the field will have access to the changes. As a result, when they go to pull information about a customer, they will see all of the most up to date information - and customers will appreciate the knowledge shown by those within your company. They will remember that you were able to go the extra mile.

If you can't go the extra mile, customers are eventually going to look for someone else to do business with. In today's day and age, customers know they can have anything they want. Customer service is at the top of the list in terms of what customers want and you have to be able to deliver.

Saleslogix CRM can provide a number of reports. You can learn about individual customers, determine what other products and services they want, and even determine what your overall demographic is based upon who is in your current database of employees.

You don't have to do everything manually. You don't have to send your sales staff into the field without critical information. The moment you employ Saleslogix CRM is the moment you decide to do things differently. Information is at your fingertips thanks to the cloud and much of the reporting is automated.

Houston-based CRMatic allows you to take control of your customers with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software system! CRMatic is Houston's premier CRM software provider because we offer a wide variety of CRM software solutions and provide the necessary consulting services to customize any system to match the way your company does business.

By Jeff Weigang

Benefits of a Premium VZ Server

Companies around the world are turning to premium vz servers to help them manage their website, emails and more. These servers are an ideal solution because they reduce the need for managing a number of dedicated servers, offering an easy to use system which can be accessed with ease from every computer in the office.

The premium vz servers enable you to host a number of different domain names and email addresses in one place, this offers a cost effective solution for any company. It also reduces the amount of technical maintenance needed, reducing your software maintenance costs dramatically.

One of the main advantages to choosing this type of server is that you have less downtime, which is exceptionally important if you're hosting your website. You want your customers to have access to your site twenty four hours a day, if your site is down more than it's up, your customers will start looking elsewhere for the products and services that they require.

For companies that are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, then the premium vz server is the ideal solution. Because it doesn't require a host of dedicated servers, it dramatically reduces energy consumption. This not only lowers your monthly energy bill, but also enables you to control your carbon footprint effectively.

Many business owners are a little concerned about using this type of method to store their information, emails and site, but these are safe and secure, they are also easy to update, often with a software package which is designed to make this process easy and secure at all times.

The aim of every company around the world is to grow, so you can get a premium vz server which can accommodate you as you start your new business venture and grow with you, accommodating your requirements and growth along the way. This is such a huge benefit for many companies, as it won't require you change providers, but rather that your provider has taken steps to ensure your server will grow with you.

Another of the major benefits to this option is speed. You want your customers to enjoy fast access to your website, you want to be able to access the server quickly and you want fast speeds at all times. These products can provide this on every computer you use to access the server. They come in different package options, enabling you to determine the size and bandwidth you need for the fastest speeds available.

One of the biggest problems companies face these days is loss of data. You have your website developed, put it online and then something goes wrong and you lose everything. This isn't only frustrating, but can cost you time, energy and money. The premium vz servers are quick and easy to backup, ensuring that should you lose relevant information or accidentally delete something you weren't meant to, you can restore it within minutes without losing anything.

Finally, a very important note and benefit about premium vz servers is that they come with customer support. If you are stuck at any stage, whether you're making changes or trying to access your server, there is always someone on hand that can help you through the process.

Knowing you have customer support behind you at all times can make a huge difference to which company you use when making your purchase. Always ensure they offer outstanding customer support at all times, this way you will always have peace of mind that you have your own on-call technician who can talk you through the process and ensure your server is running perfectly all the time.

By Ihtisham Mohammed

Champion 2000W Inverter Generator

The Champion 2000W inverter generator, along with the rest of the range, represents excellent value for money. They are reliable, well built and extremely quiet. They definitely give the big two manufacturers a run for their money. Champion seem to have decided that the only way for them to achieve their aims is to be reliable, give good customer service and provide value for money. They appear to have achieved their aims. If you read through the many reviews given by owners of these machines you will find that the vast majority of buyers love their little Champion.

A serious consideration, given the quality of the reviews received, has got to be the price. For the price of a 2000 watt unit from the market leader you could almost buy two Champion 2000W Inverter Generators. Now this is actually a very good idea. The generators are stackable and if connected together with the optional cable you can double the output. By reading the reviews of the Champion 2000W inverter generator you will see that even with two of these generators running, normal conversation is not affected at all.

Just like the 'big two' market leaders generators, the stated wattage, in this case 2000 watts, is a maximum output. No generators are happy to be run flat out all the time. A more sensible running output would be around 1500 to 1600 watts at 120 volts. This is where dual connected generators score big time. If you're using the generator for just a few lights plus TV and battery charging etc you can run just a single unit, saving money on gas. However, if you are holidaying in a RV you may wish to run the air conditioning. This will require the second generator to be hooked up.

It is a fact that if you choose to buy the market leaders 3000 watt unit, you are going to have to spend around $2000. If, on the other hand you were to buy two Champion 2000W inverter generators you could get change from $1200! An added benefit is that the well known brand is extremely heavy at 130 pounds, not easy for a single person to lift. The Champion 2000W on the other hand weighs less than 55 pounds, easy to lift and move.

Key features of the Champion 2000W Inverter Generator.

• True sine wave inverter generator.
• Save fuel by using economy mode.
• Overload protection.
• Up to 9.5 hours run time at 25% load.
• Weighs just under 50lbs.
• Emissions: CARB compliant- 50 State.
• Easy pull recoil start.
• Automatic low oil shut-off sensor.
• USDA approved spark arrestor.
• Stackable design.
• Parallel capability. Connect two units together for double output.
• Very quiet in operation, around 53 decibels.
• Separate 12 volt connection for battery charging.
• Two year guarantee

You'll notice that these features are typical of much more expensive models than the Champion. Another thing that Champion has in common with the two market leaders is the quality of the reviews provided by real people that have purchased this model. The only thing that Champion does not have in common with the two big boys, is the price.

If you are looking into the pro's and con's of the different makes of generator, you need to look at the Champion range. Their prices are extremely competitive and you can have confidence in the reviews left by customers who actually own one. Tailgating, camping, RV, sports pitchers, motorcycle sport? You name it, you can only benefit if you have your own independent power.

By Stewart Haynes 

Troubleshooting Outlook Issues Smartly: Helpful Tips

In the world of desktop email clients, Microsoft Outlook has definitely left a trademark. Starting with a normal emailing application to being the choice of business professionals, its improvements have given a hard time to its competitors in the market like IBM, Mozilla, or Apple. By far, different versions of this messaging platform are introduced to users and its qualities have grabbed a large share of market towards it.

Configuration:

1) IMAP/POP3: MS Outlook can be configured with any POP3 or IMAP email account and the mailbox database can be accessed through PST file that gets saved on hard disk. Location of this data file varies according to version of Outlook and Windows used.

2) Exchange Server: The biggest advantage of this application for businesses is its configuration with Exchange Server that gives an in-house messaging platform. While the database on Server gets saved in EDB file, an OST file in Outlook acts as a medium to open, access, and manage a user-account on Server.

Data Files:

As mentioned in the above section, there are two types of data files that get created in Outlook depending upon their configuration: PST and OST. Further, these two files are categorized as ANSI and Unicode PST/OST files.

• While the ANSI type of file gives source to store around 2GB database, the Unicode file has the advantage of holding up to data in terabytes (according to size limits).

• ANSI Outlook files were created in Outlook 2002 and lower editions while Unicode type files get created in Outlook 2003 and above editions.

Troubles and Reasons:

Nothing on this space is perfect and so does this emailing application. It undergoes different types of troubles which could be due to human mistakes, application fault, or mishandling of data files. For example:

• Email Send/Receive Problem: If a user is unable to send or receive an email, there could be reasons like Outlook message stuck in Outbox, improper SMTP authentication, add-ins causing hindrance, incorrect configuration of application (especially when done manually) etc.


• Incorrect Settings of Outlook: Incorrect settings can lead to issues like duplicate emails (multiple rules set for incoming emails), authentication errors (wrong Server port number), Outlook in offline mode etc.


• Corruption of Data Files: Oversized PST or OST file results in corruption of data files. In addition to this, just like any normal file on hard disk, this file has threat of getting corrupted due to reasons like virus attack, improper exit from application, changes in file structure (example: processing it with hex editor) etc makes data files corrupt.


• Deletion of Emails or Other Items: Accidental or intentional deletion of items can cause a loss to users and when items are permanently deleted, they give a hard time at restoration. However, when it is about recovering permanently deleted Outlook emails, it is possible by making some efforts until PST file is compacted.

Free Tools to Troubleshoot:

• Scapst.exe/Inbox Repair Tool: Different approaches can be made for troubleshooting Outlook issues and errors. There is a built in free solution called Inbox Repair tool by Microsoft that helps to fix problems related to PST file structure and rebuilds it.


• Scanost.exe/OST Integrity Checker: This tool helps to check OST file synchronization issues with Exchange Server. To run the tool, connection with client and Server should be healthy.

By Archna Oberoi 

Transform Your Work Force in to Salesforce

Customer is the king for every business. A happy customer means returning revenues and profitable business. However, to keep the customer happy the workforce needs to be in harmony. If the employees are not satisfied with what they are doing, then how can you expect them to keep the customers happy?

So, the question arises how can the employee's work stress be minimized that will lead to profitable business? The answer to that lies in creating a bespoke CRM that goes along with its Implementation and Training; an impeccable way to help in streamlining workflow at an office. By getting a bespoke CRM devised for your work, you can eventually restructure the work policies and get the best out of the employees.

How does Salesforce implementation work? Let's take a look -

• Business review - the first step involves getting to know about the various facets of your business. Once that is done, the requirements of business become clear and it becomes easy to structure the CRM

• Bespoke Design - once the business process becomes clear, the next step involves designing a platform that goes well with the business requirements. This involves thorough planning of each and every step, and gathering the data that needs to be inserted in the software designed

• Refining Process - after the creation of initial platform, it becomes imperative to check if there are any flaws in it or not? Or, is there something that can be refined according to the business requirements. This refining is highly significant for the entire process, as it will lead to the creation of final product

• Training - when all the processes mentioned above have been completed, the final step becomes implementation of the CRM, to transform your workforce in to Salesforce, and its training. This involves making the administrators, as well as workers, equipped with sufficient information to handle the CRM and help the new people who join the team in future

Isn't that great?

With the help of a CRM consulting company, you can eventually get it all done, be it salesforce platform designing and implementation or the training part. This can virtually prove to be the most inspiring and beneficial thing for your business. After all, when the employees are satisfied with their work they are definitely going to think well for the organization and put more effort towards its success. This is what every business wants.

So, don't you want to give your business the boost? If yes, then get in touch with a consulting firm today!

By Jessi Shumway

Are You Being Tracked?

The answer to that question is yes. If you use a computer or a cell phone you are being tracked. For this article when I say "tracked" I mean your internet surfing habits, what site you visit, how long you stay on that site and what pages you look at and if you make a purchase. I will discuss location tracking in another article.

All of the major search engines track your movements on the internet. Some do this directly and some will contract with third party companies that specialize in internet tracking. Did you ever wonder why you just received an email from an on-line merchant offering you a deal on a pair of shorts, when yesterday you were on-line looking at a different site for a pair of shorts? Or maybe a deal on a pair of shoes or shirt that will go with those shorts. Without getting too technical, the tracking companies track your habits, then they sell that information to the search companies that will generate advertising that you will get either by email or the next time you are on the web you will see that ad for shorts.

So can you stop the search engines from tracking you? I think the short answer is NO, you can't stop all tracking. But you can do things that will dramatically cut down the tracking.

To stop companies and search engines from tracking, you can try either of the below companies:

• Ghostery - Their web site says that they will educate you as to who is tracking you, then you can make the decision to stop them or not.
• Abine's Do Not Track Me - They say that will stop all known trackers and show you who they are. They also have another program that will mask your email.

Most tracking happens when you use search engines to search for something. To stop that tracking try these search engines:

• DuckDuckGo - This search engine will not track or log any of your internet searches, they use a proxy that gathers search results from multiple search engines then displays them to you.
• Ixquick - This also is a non-tracking search engine who will not track or log your web searching.

Big internet Companies like Google®, Yahoo® and Microsoft® have to make money to stay in business so that they can provide you with a rich internet experience and help you find what you are looking for. Selling ads is one way they do this.

By George Uliano

The Importance of CRM Support

Customer relationship management software has the ability to revolutionize the way you run your business. With the right program, you will be able to access customer information from anywhere you are because crucial data will be stored on the cloud. Additionally, you will be able to analyze data in a way that you were never able to do. CRM support can ensure you are maximizing your software.

When you purchase CRM software, you want to be sure you are installing it properly. The slightest error in the install can lead to double entry and all sorts of other problems. Since the goal is to be as productive as possible, you need to have CRM support available to you 24/7.

Regardless of whether you need help with installation, usage, or run into a data error, it's important to have a number that you can call. While some of the software providers offer customer support, you may need more individualized support than what they can provide. When you need onsite support or training, you should be able to turn to an expert in your community.

CRM support can help with:

• Installation
• Client communication
• Productivity
• Data analysis

Imagine if you could cut hours off the time you spend analyzing data and you can provide your customers with a higher level of service. This can have a positive impact to your bottom line - and this should always be a priority with your business.

If you are going to spend the money on CRM software, it's important to have the support. Otherwise you may be missing out on a lot of the features. More companies than ever before are managing customer relations with software and if you plan on being up with what your competition has to offer, you need to stay ahead of the learning curve.

CRM support can help you with upgrading your software, providing you with various plug-ins, and more. If you were to buy CRM software right out of the box, you may only tap into 10 or 20% of what the software is capable of doing. If, however, you work with a support company that can help you select the CRM software and support your business, you can tap into 100% of what the software is capable of doing - and this ensures you get what you pay for.

The support will help you get the most of your software and this is of the utmost importance. CRM, ERP, and other programs are designed to provide you with more data analysis and give you the upper hand in the market. However, if you do not utilize the programs to the best of their abilities, you miss out. If you are going to go through the expense of buying CRM software, then you have to be sure you get the CRM support so you can always benefit from all of the features provided in the program - and know when it is time to make an upgrade.

Houston-based CRMatic allows you to take control of your customers with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software system! CRMatic is Houston's premier CRM software provider because we offer a wide variety of CRM software solutions and provide the necessary consulting services to customize any system to match the way your company does business.

By Jeff Weigang