The Thurston, Pierce, Lewis, and Mason Counties IT Experts

Here are ten of the most important responsibilities of all employees utilizing business technology.

Take Advantage of the Network
Saving to the network is much more beneficial than saving locally on your PC. This is simply due to the fact that the network is likely better equipped with the necessary redundancy to handle data loss disasters. It is also better for sharing information with others in your organization. If you store data on the network, you’ll be more likely to avoid a data loss incident, as it will be secured even if your workstation itself breaks down.

Be Mindful of Your Email
If you receive a lot of email messages throughout the day, it’s tempting to just quickly go through them without actually absorbing what they contain. Worse yet, it’s sometimes difficult to judge how secure a message is, as it could be nothing but a vessel for malware or viruses. You should always be aware of who is sending you messages and why, so be sure to keep an eye out for unfamiliar senders or unexpected attachments.

Keep Data In-House and Backed Up
You want to ensure that your data is being kept on your network and not spread out across multiple devices, like mobile devices or portable media storage. Without the necessary protections and security protocol, your data could be at unnecessary risk--especially on unsecured devices that are outside your network.

Use the Cloud
If there is a reason to access data while outside the security of your network, you should be using a proper cloud solution that does all it can to protect your data. It’s also important to consider the use of a virtual private network so as to minimize the risk of your data being compromised while in transit.

Implement Strong Passwords
Secure passwords are trickier to implement than you might think, and that’s because secure passwords are difficult to remember. With letters, numbers, and symbols, you might be hard-pressed to figure out what you made your password in the first place. Thankfully, password managers make this easier to do, as you’ll only need to remember one major passphrase compared to remembering multiple complex passwords.

Don’t Share Passwords
You shouldn’t be sharing your passwords with anyone in your organization. You know what they say; the more users of a password or account, the more likely it is to become compromised. You never know just how careful someone will be with credentials that aren’t their own. Think of your passwords like you would your Social Security number or credit card number. You wouldn’t share those with someone, would you?

Lock Down Your Workstation
If you have to step away from your computer for any reason, be sure to lock it, even if you’re in the office. You never know if someone will feel feisty enough to steal data from your computer, be it a stranger or an employee on his or her way out. Plus, you never want to go through your settings undoing the pranks of your coworkers.

Report Any and All Issues
You can take all of the preventative measures in the world and still encounter problems with your technology. If you suffer from an issue, you need to take note of it and inform IT of it immediately. This gives them the opportunity to resolve it before it grows out of hand, including addressing the underlying issue. In instances like these, screenshots can be exceptionally helpful.

Leave it to IT
Your technology will naturally have to be replaced as time goes on, but you don’t want to take this task into your own hands. It’s best to leave this task to IT, as they are the professionals--and, well, it’s their job.

While these tips will be a great way to help you make the most of your technology, you’ll still want a professional IT department on-hand to help. To learn more, reach out to PC Technologies at 360-491-2227.

At its roots, virtualization takes a service or solution that your business relies on and abstracts it so that it can be accessed through the cloud or some other location. For examples of virtualization, examine what are called digitized servers and workstations. Virtualization can keep your business from relying so much on expensive hardware. Other opportunities lie in placing your applications or entire data infrastructure in the cloud, allowing for near constant, and ubiquitous access. We want to help your business take full advantage of virtualization to empower your operations.

Here are some of the best ways you can use virtualization to your business’s benefit.

Virtual Cloud Hardware
It’s not out of the ordinary to virtualize servers. This is due to the virtual server not needing the same maintenance or management required of a physical server unit. You can further augment these benefits by virtualizing your hardware through a service provider like PC Technologies. This lets your business essentially store your servers on an infrastructure that’s hosted and maintained by seasoned professionals. We can deliver the maintenance needed without the need for an on-site visit. Furthermore, you’ll reduce the costs of operations thanks to removing hardware from your workplace. For example, you won’t need as much air conditioning or electricity to keep your infrastructure intact, which is an advantage in its own right.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
Similar to your servers, you can host your desktop infrastructure in a virtual cloud environment where it can be accessed through the Internet. Thin clients allow for this convenience. These are basically desktops that allow you to access resources and applications through the cloud--since they use fewer resources, they are easier on the energy bill. Plus, since they are overall cheaper than a full-blown workstation, they are easier on the budget. Since you’ll be accessing your infrastructure through the cloud, you can access your virtual desktop through any connected computer or laptop, allowing for a more dynamic (and highly customizable) work experience.

Virtual Software
If you store software in the cloud, you can improve how much value you get out of it. This presents a unique opportunity that allows you to access data and applications through the cloud via a mobile app or web browser. This keeps your employees productive regardless of their circumstances, whether they are out of the office or across the country on a business trip.

If you can think it, you can virtualize it. Where does your business want to start? To find out, reach out to PC Technologies at 360-491-2227.

Hardware as a Service, or HaaS, allows your organization to reap the benefits of multiple hardware refreshes on a consistent basis, without the incredibly high costs of replacing hardware so often. After all, hardware doesn’t last forever, and any organization that thinks it does should know that all good things must eventually come to an end--whether it was predicted or not.

More often than not, small businesses don’t upgrade their hardware as often as they should. The reasoning for this is that their technology budget is limited, and therefore keeps them from investing in new solutions when they need them. Furthermore, since it’s difficult to figure hardware refreshes into your budget due to their up-front costs, it’s even more troublesome when a hardware failure strikes and throws your organization for a loop. Therefore, you’re paying not just to replace your hardware, but for the downtime that it’s causing while your employees can’t perform their daily duties.

Hardware as a Service addresses these issues by offering businesses a way to replace hardware without breaking the budget. It does this through offering monthly payments according to a service level agreement, which lets your organization acquire new hardware within a certain budget. Here are some of the other benefits that HaaS delivers:

• An IT roadmap: One of the most valuable assets offered by HaaS is a plan for the future. We can help you build a plan for how you want to replace your hardware in the future, ensuring that you don’t go too long without a hardware upgrade.
• Lower upfront costs: You’ll only be paying a flat monthly rate for the acquisition of new hardware, which is a considerable improvement over outright purchasing it. Most HaaS providers will budget in future upgrades and management to keep your equipment running smoothly as time goes on.
• The latest hardware, now: Since you’re taking full advantage of hardware refreshes, you’ll be more likely to use the most up-to-date hardware solutions on the market. This means that you’ll be less prone to security issues, and you might even improve productivity with new features and functionality that weren’t available when you first signed on.

Does your organization want to take full advantage of the latest hardware without the tricky-to-manage price tag? If so, reach out to PC Technologies. We can discuss your organization’s specific needs and create a service level agreement that helps your business do what it does best, without the trouble of worrying about technology maintenance or replacement. To learn more, reach out to us at 360-491-2227.