Value from Managed Services

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Giving responsibility for your IT operations to a managed services provider is a big step, and you want to get the most value out of it. If you make the right choices when setting up management and in the ongoing relationship, you can get the most effective use of your equipment and software, whether you keep them on site or use remote systems.

Step 1

The first step is to choose a provider that understands your technology. Select one with a proven record of reliability, one whose expertise includes the machines, operating systems, and software that you use. Whatever your application is, it’s vital to have an MSP that understands security issues and doesn’t neglect them for the sake of convenience.

Make sure to understand the scope of your agreement. How much is the provider promising to do? Are you getting 24-hour support? Is there a guaranteed turnaround time for getting systems back up? Whether you need the highest support level or a more economical option, you need to know what to expect.

Step 2

Once the arrangement is in place, ongoing communication is important. Let the provider know when your needs change. If you learn about new tech that might help your business, ask what they think about it and whether they can support it. You’ll learn something about it, even if you end up choosing a different option.

Even when you use an MSP, you’ve probably got employees whose expertise and responsibilities include IT. As a senior manager, you need to know what the MSP is doing, but you shouldn’t let your in-house people feel they’re in an adversarial position. Let them communicate freely with the provider so that they’re on top of all the issues and can make useful recommendations to you.

At Bluwater Technologies, we can provide managed IT services that will meet all your business’s goals. Please contact us for more information.

How To Optimize Your WiFi

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These days portability is king. WiFi has allowed devices to be truly mobile while connected to the internet. It also brings several headaches when it doesn’t work or when the signal strength is weak. Luckily, there is something you can do to make that spotty WiFi connection stronger without spending a penny.

Router Placement

Your router broadcasts WiFi signals in a spherical range. To get the most coverage place your router closest to the center of the area. Avoid direct signal passage through walls and floors as this will weaken signal. Thick layers of concrete, metal, or stone will block WiFi signals in their tracks.

Update Drivers and Firmware

Download and install firmware for your routers from the router manufacturer’s website or through the control panel for your router. This will ensure that your router has all the latest software and is free of all known bugs and performance issues. Likewise, be sure your wireless card drivers are up to date.

Choose the Right Channels

Other networks communicating on the same channel can slow down WiFi. Your computer “hears” noise from all networks on the same channel and has to filter for the one it’s connected to. Most WiFi operates on a 2.4GHz band. Within this frequency, there are three available channels to operate on (1, 6, 11). You’ll want to choose the band with the least amount of traffic from other networks. You can use an app like WiFi Analyzer for Android to scan networks and determine what channel they are operating on.

Performing these steps will ensure that you have the best possible WiFi with your current setup. Upgrading your network infrastructure can be as simple as adding a single range extender, and you will soon see performance increases that are leaps and bounds ahead of what you are used to.

Contact us today to see how we make your WiFi perform it’s best.

Computer Tip of the Day: How to Find the Right CPU for Your Computing Needs

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The world of computer hardware–both for personal needs and enterprise solutions–is a vast and often overwhelming topic of discussion. This often necessitates discussing hardware possibilities one component at a time. Therefore, in today’s computer tip of the day, let’s talk about the beating heart of any computer: the CPU, or Central Processing Unit. We’ll mainly be discussing how to determine the best type of CPU for your needs.

Specifications

There are two main specifications to keep in mind when determining a processor’s performance: the clock speed (usually measured in gigahertz, or GHz, these days), and the number of cores it contains. There are other factors, but let’s keep things simple for now. To put it simply, the clock speed will determine how quickly a CPU can perform a single task, while the number of cores a processor has will primarily determine how many tasks it can handle at once.

Personal computers usually contain processors with only a few (2-4) processing cores that run at a high frequency. These are great for highly paralleled tasks an average computer user might perform: web browsing, document/presentation creating, gaming, media consumption, etc. This is because these tasks mainly involve performing only one or two tasks at a time, with the need to perform them quickly.

Servers

Servers and workstation computers, on the other hand, often necessitate processors with many cores–anywhere from four or six in a basic workstation to 16, 18, or even 22 (thanks to this new processor) in a heavily multi-threaded server. In fact, many servers take advantage of motherboards that feature multiple CPU sockets, when 22 cores still isn’t enough. Due to heat output and power consumption constraints, these processors tend to run at slower clock speeds. Especially compared to their more mainstream, consumer-oriented counterparts. However, this fits well with the kinds of workloads these processors are designed for. Including 3D animation, Computer Aided Design, virtual machines, and multi-client server applications.

If you have any questions or concerns about finding the hardware that’s right for you, please contact us. Bluwater Technologies is dedicated to making sure our clients receive the best in IT and hardware service.

 

Three Ways to Secure Your Data and Network

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Most of us know and understand the convenience and power of a personal or business computer.  Computers enable us to convert information into a standardized format and back up data to avoid the permanent loss of information.  Further, data computing creates efficiency and streamlines processes to save time and money. Data collection is also important as it can be used for banking, billing, insurance and storing of confidential or personal information.  In fact, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were 656 known data breaches that exposed nearly 35.7 million records last year. These breaches occurred at businesses, financial institutions, medical facilities, educational institutions and government agencies.

You can minimize data and network breaches by implementing three simple methods: securing computer data, wireless security, and using a network professional.

 1)        Computer data security

Good data security measures begin with strong encryption practices.  Strong encryption protects data  and passwords and includes two primary methods for WiFi computer networks:

  • Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

WPA is a security technology which provides stronger encryption than Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) through the use of protocols or advanced encryption.

  •  Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).

WEP is a security technology which transmits data over radio waves, thereby data is not secure without encryption.

2)         Wireless network security

A wireless network involves connecting a cable or DSL modem to a wireless router to access the Internet. To prevent unauthorized use of a wireless network, you should use encryption methods to protect data, as indicated above.

There are a few easy steps to secure a wireless network:

  • Limit the specific devices which access your wireless network

Configure your wireless routers to only allow specific devices to access the network.

  •  Safeguard your network router

Develop a unique name for your router to guard against unauthorized access.

  •  Never use the manufacturer’s pre-set password

Develop your own router password containing at least 12 characters and a mix of symbols, numbers and upper case letters.  Keep your router software current by periodically downloading updates.

3)         Hire a data and network security professional

Network and data security is a serious matter. If there are no good management practices to protect and store data, sensitive and confidential information may become compromised. At Bluwater, specially trained professionals with expertise in threat detection (on-line threats, hackers), susceptibility testing and anti-virus protection can help secure your system and data.  So, contact Bluwater today to schedule a consultation and safeguard your network and information.

The 3 Top Advantages of Managed Services

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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.