What Are Managed Services And Why Do I Need Them?

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As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate. From sales to marketing, nearly every aspect of your company will need your involvement at some level or another. That doesn’t mean you should take on everything yourself, as your IT functions require more expertise than the average person has. Therefore, you need managed services to provide you with a level of support that will keep you competitive-here’s why.

Managed Services

What are Managed Services?

Generally speaking, managed services refer to specific IT operations that are performed by a third-party service provider such as Bluwater Technologies. These services are overseen by our professional staff members, who take on the responsibility of monitoring and troubleshooting them on your behalf. This frees you up to manage your other day-to-day operations and guarantees you will have someone available to take care of problems when and where they arise.

What is Included?

Managed services are customized for each business and are provided on a subscription basis. Thus, you only pay for the services you need. Managed services can include things such as:

  • Running backups
  • Security patches
  • Software updates
  • Data recovery
  • Network maintenance
  • Network and server support

Benefits

In addition to cost savings, there are a few other benefits:

  • More time to focus on growing your business
  • No need to learn new IT skills
  • Continuous, ongoing support 24/7
  • Ensuring continuity for your business in case of a disaster
  • You maintain full visibility and control and will never have to wonder what your managed services provider is up to

The success of your business largely depends on your ability to remain functional at all times. A managed services provider is the most cost-effective way to maintain the continuity of operations, which is why we invite you to contact us today to get started.

IT Consulting: Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

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As a small business owner, whether or not you consider yourself or members of your staff to be tech-savvy, determining what specific technology your business requires can be difficult without IT consulting. Seeking out professional advice in order to optimize the productivity of your business will have a positive effect on your profits, time management, and peace of mind. Bluwater Technologies can customize solutions for you in order to remedy numerous common IT problems that face small businesses.

IT Consulting Is Always A Good Idea For Small Businesses

  • IT Analysis. A team of qualified experts will evaluate the IT system your business currently has in place. They will take note of any weaknesses it may have. They will also have design suggestions for a more appropriate IT system to meet your needs.
  • IT Installation. After the initial analysis and creation of your tailored IT system, trusted vendor partnerships are utilized for its installation. Only the finest quality of work and professionalism are displayed during your IT installation. Thus, putting your mind at ease and ensuring your full confidence in this branch of your business.
  • Technology Direction. Security threats are a serious threat to small business technology. Once any such threats are diagnosed, we will make recommendations. These will eliminate any dangers that could potentially threaten the livelihood of your business.

When such an integral portion of a business is left to chance it can cause many headaches for small business owners on a daily basis. Enlisting Bluwater’s services will allow you to get back to running your business in a more efficient and productive manner. To learn more about how the variety of IT consulting services we have available can increase your business’s likelihood of success contact us today.

Computer Tip of the Day: Hard Drive Defragmentation

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Defragmenting your hard drive is a bit like changing the oil in your car. It’s not something you do everyday but it keeps your system running smoothly and efficiently. It also takes time and is an annoying part of maintaining a well optimized PC.

When files are stored on your traditional mechanical hard drive (HHD), the file data is written on spinning platters of silicon in a near linear fashion.

This means that as you download and install programs on your drive those programs are stored sequentially on the drive.

However, if you delete a file or uninstall a program, that space is now free to be written to and your operating system will break new files up and write them in whatever free space is available. This is called file fragmentation.

Since your hard drive has to physically spin to each sector to read the fragmented file, this causes huge performance issues, causing programs to start slowly and sometimes resulting in freezing and crashing.

Defragmenting your HDD effectively combines fragmented files and programs into one continuous block. Then, combines all the free space on the drive to one area.

If you have a newer laptop or high-end PC, you may have an SSD instead of an HHD. Solid state drives do not have spinning platters and therefore do not benefit from defragmentation. Attempting to defragment an SSD can actually harm the drive. This is because SSD cells can only be written to a limited number of times.

Contact us to learn how we can manage your IT infrastructure.

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

a person sitting on a couch using a laptop computer

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.