Q: Is there a simple way to protect my computer against all the viruses and spyware that is out there? There seems to be too many option for ad-blockers and spyware blockers.

A: Be very wary before installing any programs onto your computer, especially from the Internet. Sometimes those programs actually install spyware on your computer, only to try and sell you a solution. Norton and McAfee are two of the most popular and used services; they charge a flat rate per year for the security. Also, our Blue Steel product does a great job of protecting your computer from outside intruders.

The truth is that removing spam is not an exact science but there are products and services that can help.

Please contact a Now IT Works account manager if you are in need of these services for your small business. Visit www.nowitworks.com/contact us

Implementing technology in your business can create many different points of failure that can cost you money on any given day. One of your goals should be to minimize these points of failure so that your business and employees can have 100% up time with nothing affecting your work flows.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. When you have problems, is your IT support quick to respond?
2. Have you capitalized on your initial investment that you have made into the technology for your business?
3. How much did you spend last year on technology for your business?
4. Did you have lots of down time because your ‘computer/network/server’ wasn’t working properly?
5. Did you lose business during this down time?

As a small business owner, you must make relationships with other businesses in order for your business to be successful. Creating a path to an IT resource is key. A small business needs a support avenue when something runs amok. Who do you call? If you call the freelance IT guy Larry, is he going to call you back? How long does it take for him to call you back? We find that in too many cases, Larry probably could have prevented the issue from happening in the first place if he had the proper tools to do his job. Since he didn’t and you chose him to implement your new email server, your company is now paying the consequences because you can’t get your email and Larry hasn’t answered your phone calls all day long.

Now, Let’s meet Larry. He is probably a small business owner himself, consulting other small businesses on technology and making a good living. Larry is also busy. He really doesn’t have ample time to manage that nice shiny new ‘computer/network/server’ he implemented for you last month. Unfortunately that leaves you, the small business owner, not capitalizing on the huge investment that you just made with Larry. Does it feel like Larry is just solving problems for you that he created himself?

The decision you have to make now as a small business owner is clear, you must find someone or something that can help. What you want is Large Business infrastructure in your ten man shop so that you and your crew can be as efficient as possible all the time, meanwhile making you and the business tons of money. Companies like us at Now IT Works are bringing corporate IT infrastructure to small businesses and essentially creating a technology department for your small business. Why pay Larry when you can gain a team of professionals to run your IT department for the same price, if not lower than what you pay for Larry? Did Larry check your company’s data backup from last night? Hmm…see where I am going with this?

Now you might be thinking, “What if I just hire Larry and he works for me?” Sure, you can do that if you have $60-80k to shell out to a network engineer every year. If you are that ten person shop, I doubt it’s a good idea. If your business is thirty employees strong, we have a different scenario on our hands. You can afford to hire Larry, but will all your problems go away now because Larry is dedicated to you? My guess is most likely not. Why hire Larry when you can have a team of people in different places at the same time working on new projects and helping your business to succeed? You can have a CTO, helpdesk technician, field technician, account manager, and network engineer all for the same price as Larry’s chunky new salary.

I can go on and on to prove my point that technology is essential in small business and that same technology needs to be constantly managed. So we here at Now IT Works decided a long time ago not to be like Larry and to join a team of professionals designed specifically to become the outsourced IT department for small businesses.

A few years back, the team here at Now IT Works was trying to come up with some sort of name that we could use to describe all of the above and more. Besides from being a famous Derek Zoolander modeling pose, Blue Steel has a few additional meanings. When working with steel and stainless steel parts, ‘blueing the steel’ is said to help from corrosion and rust. Technology and steel share similar qualities. Steel is known today for being cheap, easily recycled, strong and highly adaptable. Becoming a NIW Blue Steel customer is the only way to ensure the safety and well being of your steel.

To learn more about becoming a Blue Steel customer, please Contact Us

In most cases, software fixes and patches can be sent to your computer network remotely. For small businesses, many IT support firms offer a basic performance and monitoring package for network servers. Remote IT support services offer you cost effectiveness and help you to focus on your core business, which is serving your customers. You can’t do that if you are waiting for the IT guy to show up all the time.

Fast and accurate problem resolution augments customer satisfaction; that in turn increases customer loyalty, which ultimately impacts your company’s bottom line.

If you are not receiving remote support services from your IT company, contact Now IT Works and find out we can help you save time and money.

Visit our website at www.nowitworks.com

For example:

12 employees x $38.40 per hour cost x 2 hours of down time = $921.16. This is a good estimate as to the actual cost to your business during those two hours.

While two hours might not seem like a lot of time, the associated costs could add up quickly. In addition to monetary losses, think about new customers you might lose because your technology isn’t working properly, orders that cannot be taken via phone or website and the additional issues that could arise because you weren’t available to your customers.

Don’t Wait! Prevent down time from costing your business by contacting Now IT Works for a Blue Steel support agreement, including free daily backup checks.

* source: http://directory.leadmaverick.com