Go Paperless – Save Money and Help the Environment

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It’s difficult to remember the days when all correspondence was either done through the mail or perhaps with a phone call. Of course, now it’s easy to send an unwanted message to the trash bin along with saving the important ones in a file folder, but that was not always the case. Although there have been significant increases in the use of electronic documentation rather than using paper, there is still room for improvement in many instances. Many organizations are capable of moving to the next level and going paperless in the office even more.

Paperless Offers Access On-The-Go

If some of your employees are still printing out documents so they can have them when they are on the go, it’s definitely time to consider using technologies such as Microsoft’s OneDrive or Google Drive so they can have access to important information anytime, anywhere.

Double-Side as Default

Sometimes documents do need to be printed, however, in many (most?) cases, it’s perfectly fine to have the documents printed on both sides of the paper. By setting all office printers to double-sided printing as the default, companies can likely decrease their paper usage by close to 50%.

Promote Paperless Awareness

Send an email to all your employees letting them know about the company-wide goal of reducing paper use. In addition, post a sign above the community printers asking employees to consider whether they truly need to print that email, or print all 10 copies of a document when 9 copies would suffice.

Make Recycling Easy

Invest in a paper shredder and encourage employees to use it. Shredding confidential documents as soon as possible reduces the chance of wandering eyes seeing information they shouldn’t, while quickly removing other excess paper makes it easier to keep office spaces clean and organized. When it comes time to remove the bags of shredded paper, most cleaning and garbage removal companies easily accommodate shredded paper designated for recycling.

Ask Your Paper Supplier

Ask your current office supply vendor if they offer recycled paper for office use. If they don’t, shop around until you find one that sells recycled paper at a reasonable cost.

If you would like more helpful tips on how to reduce paper waste in your organization, please contact us.

Why IT Support For Small Businesses is Beneficial

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Owning a small business is a dream for many people. While being an entrepreneur can be very profitable and a great career path, being successful does require you to deal with a number of different challenges.  One challenge that a small business owner will need to have to deal with on a regular basis is building and managing an appropriate IT and network infrastructure.  There are several reasons why small businesses should consider outsourcing their IT services to a third-party provider.

Build and Establish Network

The first service that an IT company can provide is the establishment of a network. They will be able to develop a cloud-based network that is accessible to you from anywhere in the world. This will allow small businesses to stay connected and organized at all times.

Provide Network Security

Due to the continued increased risk of hacks and other data theft, making sure your network is properly secured is very important. A third-party IT service will be able to build a network to ensure that it is secure using the top firewall protections. They will also be able to verify that it has not been compromised and will be able to upgrade the security system when necessary.

Help Desk

Finally, having a third-party provider for IT services is helpful because it can act as a help desk. Computers and networks are very efficient and reliable today. However, there are situations in which they will break down and not work correctly. If this happens to your network or equipment, the IT service will be able to troubleshoot the problem. Then, have it fixed immediately. This can get you back up and running quickly and make you more efficient overall.

If you are in need of IT services, contact us to learn about the services and benefits that we can provide to your company.

How IT Slips Through the Cracks in Most Small Businesses

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Large corporations often have entire departments dedicated to IT, network security, and compliance, but small businesses can’t afford that luxury. But if you don’t have a dedicated IT staff or support through another company, some IT concerns can slip through the cracks and end up causing your small business time and money later on. Here are some of the top concerns a small business can face without an IT plan in place:

Small Businesses

Poor network security.

When you have your customers’ and your employees’ personal information on your computer, malware is your biggest threat. Whether it’s through an everyday virus, a dedicated attack, or even just a systemic bug that comes in through your business software, you need more than just an anti-virus program in order to secure your data.

Cyclical problems.

If you own a personal computer, you’ve probably noticed an occasional blue screen and a message that your computer has to reboot, and most of us just let that happen instead of rooting out the underlying cause. But when it comes to your business hardware, signs of some technological slowdowns and forced reboots are now signs of a coming crash later. Without an IT support team, those and even less visible errors could lead to slower processing, an occasional day or two with the system down, or, worst of all, a complete loss of information.

Having small businesses lets you innovate and change courses faster than with a larger corporation, but a small staff means IT can slip through the cracks. If you’re looking for an affordable solution, try an IT support team that can find those bugs and systemic errors before they block up your business. If you want to learn more about different types of IT services to see what best fits your business and what Bluwater Technologies can do for your company, browse our site here.

IT support for small businesses can help protect you from cyber security fatigue

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With the frequent news of data breaches, and with the multitude of cyber security warnings issued on a regular basis, some people are reporting “security fatigue”. Recent research from the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that when people get overloaded with security concerns, there’s a stronger tendency to respond with apathy. IT support for small businesses can help protect you from cyber security fatigue.

This apathy may stem from a sense of futility and an inability to keep up with all the latest threats. Some people may also conclude that hackers won’t even notice them, given all the available targets out there.

IT support for small businesses

Small business owners often fall into this way of thinking. They struggle to keep up with the latest cyber dangers, doubt their ability to respond effectively to attacks, but also assume that their business won’t attract attention anyway.

Fighting off security fatigue with IT support for small businesses

Even though constant cyber security warnings can wear people out, the threats themselves remain real – including for small businesses. As reported in a recent article from Tech.Co, most cyber attacks affect small or medium-sized businesses. Not the larger companies that make the news.

Making use of IT support for small businesses is one of the best ways to keep from succumbing to fatigue. Small business owners and employees are less likely to experience fatigue if they don’t have to handle cyber security entirely on their own.

IT personnel can monitor for threats, implement various protections, and stay up-to-date on emerging dangers. They can make cyber security more simple and straightforward. It will be broken down into a relatively small number of policies for employees to follow. No one will feel bombarded by enormous quantities of cyber security information (some of it confusing and contradictory).

Small businesses can’t afford security fatigue. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on how we can help strengthen cyber security for your company.