The 3 Top Advantages of Managed Services

a man sitting in front of a computer monitor

In the world of small business, your main leverage comes from your ability to cost effectively outsource. If you do not have an in-house IT staff, then managed services add to your security and stability while leaving room in the budget for doing actual business. Here are the three top advantages of hiring managed services.

A Team for the Price of One

You can hire one in-house general IT staff member or an entire team of third-party specialists for the same price. Actually, you pay less for the team, because you are not paying overtime, health insurance or administration costs. Which do you choose?

Paying for Off Hours

Hiring full-time staff means eating some downtime that you will have to pay for. People on salary slack off from time to time; this is just par for the course. Why pay for expensive IT services that you do not need? Emergencies do not occur every day, and outsourcing managed IT services ensures that you only pay for what you use.

Focused Efforts

Outsourcing your IT to a specialized team of managers ensures that you can focus your in-house staff on the tasks at hand. Contrary to what many people believe, wearing five hats is not always the best business strategy for small business owners and employees. There is something in specialization, and outsourcing IT allows more of it to occur in-house.

Please contact us for the managed IT services that you can trust. We pride ourselves on changing the way that you think about technology.

Computer Tip of the Day: GPUs vs CPUs

a laptop computer sitting on top of a wooden table

The current generation of computer technology gives you the ability to upgrade your graphics technology through the GPU as well as your computer speed through the CPU. In the computer tip of the day, we will go through why you might want to look at a GPU upgrade.

GPU Computing is CPU-Plus

Some GPUs have the ability to improve the performance of a computer system by 100 times the rate of a CPU. You might think that you would pay more for this power, but GPU upgrades are actually cheaper than CPU upgrades. If you are looking for green solutions, GPU upgrades are also more power efficient.

Integrating GPUs into Your System

Both PCs and Apple computers have the operating systems to implement GPU upgrades directly. PCs have DirectCompute and Apple computers have OpenCL. The new operating systems make incorporating a new GPU as easy as installing a new card into the computer.

The Uses of GPU

As 3D functionality and virtual reality become an actual reality to the mainstream computer user, GPU speeds will become just as important, if not more important than CPU speeds. Much of the computational rigor of these new technologies is encapsulated in the graphical output, and this is exactly what GPUs were set up to handle.

Once you have your hardware in order, please contact us when you are ready to take your computer maintenance to the next level. Bluwatertech is the company ready with managed IT services to make sure that your systems continue running well into the future.

3 Common Office Wiring Mistakes to Avoid When Running Network Cable

a group of multicolored ethernet cables sitting next to each other

Wiring your office for a new network cable is an expensive task. It can also be a frustrating experience if not done correctly the first time.

These are three of the most common mistakes companies make when installing their office wiring.

  1. Skimping on Wire Maintenance – Wire maintenance devices such as a ladder rack or wire rack system are often seen as added, unnecessary expenses when a small business is setting up a network. Yes, these systems are a bit more pricey. However, they will save you headaches down the road should you ever need to upgrade your system or troubleshoot a problem.
  2. Running data cable parallel to electrical wiring – If you are building a new office or remodeling an existing space, it may be tempting to run your data cable along with the electrical cables in the walls. After all, the holes are already drilled, right? Wrong. Data cable is an unshielded cable. The magnetic field in the data cable is disrupted by the current in the electrical lines. If you must cross the two, intersect at a perpendicular angle.
  3. Not preparing for the future – Most of the cost involved in having a company come in and set up a network for your office lies in the labor. As opposed to the materials. Take a good look at your business plan. Then, have the company wire your office for where you will be ten years from now. Doing the extra wiring now will cost a bit more. However, it will be a lot less expensive than having a company come back in ten years. Then, try to tap into your existing system and fish new wires.

To talk more about network cable installation in your office, or anything else related to office networking, please contact Bluwater Technologies. Thanks.

Benefits of VoIP for Small Businesses

a person using a phone at a desk

What is VoIP?

VoIP Stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is a technology that allows you to make voice telephone calls over your broadband internet connection. The technology has only been around for about 20 years, but it has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1995.

The first products were wrought with sound quality and technical issues. As the technology developed from computer-to-computer calls to computer-to-phone to phone-to-computer and eventually phone-to-phone, telephone companies began to take notice and installed internet protocol capabilities to their switches.

The reliability and quality of the calls grew to a point that VoIP was accepted as a viable option to replace traditional phone lines. As broadband internet connections became readily available, usage skyrocketed.

Benefits of VoIP for the Office

Installing a VoIP system in your office is a great idea. Utilizing the technology in an office setting just makes sense. Here are some of the benefits of VoIP for small businesses.

  1. If you currently have a broadband connection in your office, you are able to use your existing network for the phone system. There is no need to run new phone or electrical cords for a secondary system.
  2. A VoIP system will save on labor costs and increase productivity. By using a virtual PBX (Private Branch Exchange) you can skip the receptionist. Allowing the automated software to direct calls, provide information and take messages. The mobility of many systems allows you to plug your phone into any broadband connection. Then, receive  calls on the same number even when you are at home or out-of-town on business.
  3. VoIP systems scale easily. As your business grows, your phone system will grow with you. Through allowing you to easily add lines and features to fit your needs.

If you have any questions about VoIP systems or how installing one in your office would benefit your business, please contact Bluewater Technologies. Our expert staff is ready with the answers you need to make an informed decision for your business communications needs.

Planning Ahead for Disaster Recovery

bluwaterDR

Successful disaster recovery depends on having a plan in place before things go wrong. A reliable managed service provider (MSP) can greatly improve your chances of avoiding data loss.

Disaster scenarios include physical damage, such as fire, flood, or burglary, as well as malware and hardware failure. The best preparation for these situations is ongoing offsite backup, saving all your information on a daily or hourly basis to a remote location.

If you do lose data, you want to get back up and running as fast as possible. Downtime equals lost business. Your MSP should not only have a good backup but be ready to restore your systems rapidly.

Local backup to a disk drive offers some protection, but it’s not enough by itself. Anything that damages your computer can also damage the backup drive sitting nearby. You need to have backup at a safe distance from your place of business.

A tested recovery plan gives the greatest confidence. Conducting tests requires extra time and hardware, but if you need to bring risk to the lowest possible level, regular tests are worth it.

You need to choose a provider that will safeguard your data’s confidentiality. It needs to offer secure transmission and secure storage. You need a trustworthy provider with high availability. If a storm does serious damage to your office, you want to be confident that it hasn’t also taken your backup offline.

Regular review of the recovery plan is necessary to make sure it covers all systems. Hardware changes frequently even in small operations, and it’s important to make sure that you’ve protected every machine that holds essential data.

To learn about our disaster recovery services, please contact us.