Cyberattack Risks for SMBs

Businesses around the world are increasingly falling victim to cyberattacks, costing millions of dollars in lost data and time. Many small and medium sized businesses feel like they’re too small to be targeted, but nearly half of all attacks are aimed at these companies. Taking steps to protect your company is vital to your survival in this ever-changing digital landscape.
Common Types of Cyberattacks

Most cyberattacks fall into one of these categories:

Denial of service (DoS)
Password attack
Malware

In a DoS attack, hackers flood a network with information and requests, causing a “traffic jam” that doesn’t allow legitimate business to get through. If your system becomes too overloaded, it can crash and shut down. It can take hours or days to recover from a denial of service attack, during which your company and clients are at a stand-still.

Password attacks seek to gain access to your system by stealing login data. Sometimes this is done by trying various password combinations until one works, while other times thieves install cameras or software to log key strokes.

Malware attacks are perhaps the best known. This category encompasses viruses, worms, ransomware, and Trojan horse software. Malware can be installed on your system in a variety of ways, but the most common is through email attachments or malicious links in emails or advertisements.
Preventing Attacks

Though cyberattacks can be devastating to your business, simple precautions can dramatically reduce your risk of being victimized. Experts recommend taking these steps:

Install a robust anti-virus program to scan emails, files, and webpages. Be sure you update it regularly.
Install all security patches from your software and operating system manufacturers.
Use and update a firewall.
Tracking software can help detect and stop a DoS attack.
Passwords should be […]

By |December 20th, 2017|blog|

The Importance of a Data Backup and Recovery Plan

If your business suddenly lost everything, digital records, data and paper documents, what would happen? It would most likely come to a standstill. Data management and the cloud have made business more secure and easier, but disasters can and do happen. Is your business ready?
Dealing With Technology Failure
You know how hard your day is when your smartphone or tablet isn’t working properly. Now imagine you’ve lost everything, data, email, your office phone system, paper documents, orders, billing, customer support….all GONE!

How much would your business suffer every hour? What would your losses be for every day you were down? How would this affect your business reputation? This is the key function of a disaster recovery plan. How do you get started? Prioritize:

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) – What information do you need to get up and running quickly? While it’s not good to lose archival data, it may not be necessary for daily operations.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) – How fast do you need to be up and running? One day? One hour? Maybe faster?

Protecting Paper Records
Recently IDC conducted a study and found that 58% of businesses still rely heavily on paper documents. The best backup and recovery plan can’t restore paper documents. The problem with paper is that the processes that rely on it the heaviest are often most affected by it’s loss. In order to be truly effective, any recovery strategy must take this into account. Fortunately, today it’s easier than ever before to digitize paper documents.

Along with your IT strategy and paper strategy, you must consider non-digital backup and recovery:

Do you keep critical email addresses and phone numbers off site?
Do you have a method for notifying customers and staff when they […]

By |November 15th, 2017|blog|

7 Tips for Working Smarter and Increasing Productivity in the Workplace

One of the biggest challenges in the workplace is finding the time to check off all of the items on your to-do list. If you can relate to the time management struggle, here are several productivity tips to help you work smarter and avoid working longer hours:
1. Give each task a deadline.
While you’ll be given a number of assignments that have defined deadlines, other projects may be more open-ended. If a deadline is not specified, create your own deadline. This will hold you accountable to completing the task in a timely manner. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish when you’re watching the clock.
2. Schedule brief breaks throughout the workday.
Even though breaks may sound counterintuitive, stepping away from an assignment for a few moments will help to improve your concentration and allow you to complete tasks at your peak performance.
3. Implement a two-minute rule.
Throughout the workday you’ll be faced with a number of small tasks that can be completed quickly. Implement the two-minute rule and commit to immediately taking care of tasks that can be completed within two minutes. This will prevent you from having to back-track later in the day to complete these tasks.
4. Limit the amount of meetings on your calendar.
Most employees would agree that meetings are the biggest productivity drainers in the workplace. Only attend meetings if it’s imperative that you be there. Before accepting an invitation to a meeting, determine if it’s something that can be accomplished via a conference call or web-based meeting.
5. Stop multitasking.
You won’t be able to do a quality job if you take on too many tasks at once. Instead, complete a single task well before moving on to the next one.
6. Make the […]

By |October 17th, 2017|blog|

How to Protect Documents at Your Multifunction Printer

When you hear the term data breach, chances are thoughts turn to any one of the numerous examples over the last five years, of large scale breaches involving major corporations. In cases such as these, hackers obtained customer and client information, resulting in losses of upwards of one billion dollars collectively, and unmeasurable losses to the reputations of those affected.

If anything positive has come from these attacks, it’s been an increased awareness in security and vigilance among the public and private sectors, including areas that have been overlooked, such as multifunction printers (MFPs). The biggest risk factor used to be human error, where printed documents or originals were left behind after printing, but the MFPs of today have sophisticated network capabilities and components, making them vulnerable to attacks from outside, as well as inside, the confines of the firewall. Fortunately, there are a number of solutions to keep your MFP, and your data, safe.

Start at the Multifunction Printer

Effective policies and procedures can help significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized use or distribution of sensitive data. User authentication through the use of swipe cards, passwords, or other identifier ensures users are physically present at the MFP at the time of printing. Access can be further defined by levels, preventing guests or employees from utilizing certain features, or blocking them from sensitive materials.

Go Mobile

BYOD, and mobile printing are here to stay, but with convenience, comes risk. Deciding who can print, and on which devices is the biggest challenge, and user authentication techniques must be employed to ensure integrity.

Secure the Hard Drive

The internal storage device located inside your MFP is at risk during it’s useful lifetime, and long after. User authentication and disk encryption techniques can help prevent unauthorized access to […]

By |August 30th, 2017|blog|

Considering Document Automation? Ask Yourself These Key Questions

Today, technology has evolved to where we can better organize the workplace and businesses processes than ever before. Document workflows are just one area that can benefit from automation. As you begin the automation process, here are some key questions to ask and answer to help define your business needs.

Automating Process

Process automation is defined as: “the digitization of any manual business process that centralizes and compiles information within a business enterprise.”

This can include everything from streamlining workflows to creating electronic filing systems. Process automation can:

Minimize human error and eliminate the related costs
Speed job completion, freeing employees to focus on core business tasks
Track, monitor and report on documents workflows and processes
Improve regulatory compliance, information reliability and corporate governance

There are many benefits of process automation that can be shared enterprise wide from marketing to the mailroom! The consulting group McKinsey found that process automation can reduce the costs of document management by up to 90 percent.

Identifying Document Automation Opportunities, What’s Next?

Once you’ve identified areas ripe for automation, it’s time to dig into the process to capture more data to then create your automation strategy. Ask and answer these questions:

What type of documents do you create? Invoice, proposals, time sheets, forms
How and where do your store these documents? Filing cabinets, storage boxes, digital file formats
What is the volume of documents you produce company-wide? Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly
What formats do you typically use? PDFs, word documents, emails, etc.
How many team members require access? At one time, in total
Do you currently have workflow systems in place? What methods, equipment and applications do you currently use
Is data manually input, or automatically […]

By |July 19th, 2017|blog|

7 Steps for Choosing the Right Managed Print Services Provider

Making the decision to partner with a Managed Print Services (MPS) provider can not only offer significant cost savings, but can also increase productivity in the workplace and reduce the amount of downtime related to printing issues.

To get the most out of your investment in MPS, you’ll want to choose a partner that understands your business and proactively offers solutions to streamline document processes.

Here are several steps to take that will help you choose the best MPS partner for your business:

Begin with analysis. Considering that MPS is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution, you’ll want to choose a provider that uses analytical tools to give you a fact-based report about what the actual costs of your existing printing environment are.

Consider the MPS provider’s track record. Is the MPS provider experienced in working with businesses such as yours to create an optimized print environment?

Find an MPS provider that offers solutions for both hardcopy and digital workflows. While many business processes still rely heavily on paper, the trend in the future is to move towards optimized digital workflows. The right MPS provider can help your business to transition to more efficient digital workflows.

Ask about integration. Will the MPS provider’s proposed solutions be able to integrate with your existing IT infrastructure? Will you be offered features such as the ability to connect seamlessly to cloud applications and/or the ability to print from mobile devices?

Choose an MPS partner that will grow with your business. When selecting an MPS partner, it’s important that you consider how the relationship will benefit you in the long run. Will the provider be able to meet your needs a year down the road?

Ask about security. Security breaches are on […]

By |May 4th, 2017|blog|

3 Ways Document Management Can Help Your Business

Paper is still essential for many businesses to function. Invoices, forms and other documents must be filled out, processed, filed and stored and retrieved. In fact, the average piece of paper is handled 10 times during its lifespan. By adopting an electronic document management system, you can gain control over the paper in your office and save time and money in the process.
3 Reasons You Need Document Management
1. Increase Productivity
Paperwork eats up more of your time than you may realize. From filling out forms and contracts to filing receipts; interacting with paper can be a time-consuming process. Time spent searching through filing cabinets for documents or tracking down a misplaced hardcopy can be extremely costly to your business.
With an electronic document management system the risk of human error is reduced and finding the document you need can be as fast as typing a few keystrokes. With digital management, managers can easily get an overview of the performance of each department, so you can focus your efforts where they’re needed most.
2. Business Continuity
Paper is a fragile medium, and no time is that more apparent than when disaster strikes. A fire, flood or theft could destroy your valuable documents forever. However, with electronic document management, this does not have to be the case. Your documents can be safely secured behind multiple layers of digital security, preventing the theft of valuable materials. Documents can be automatically backed up, both locally and to an off-site location, ensuring easy recovery when a loss occurs.
3. Employee Collaboration
When documents are stored electronically, updated versions can be accessed instantly, and changes can be easily traced. Documents can also be accessed from mobile devices, allowing employees to work on documents anywhere.
Electronic document management can change your business. No longer tied to paperwork, your business can be […]

By |March 9th, 2017|blog|

SMBs are Ready to Embrace MPS

Small and medium businesses (SMBs) make up a significant portion of Canada’s economy. Despite having limited budgets and resources, SMBs are expected to produce the same level of service and products as their larger counterparts. This leads to SMBs having to find solutions to help keep costs under control. For many SMBs, using Managed Print Services helps them achieve this goal.
SMB Printing
Printing is a key task for many businesses, with as many as 75% of SMBs stating that print is one of the most-used business tools. Printing is also a tremendous strain on budgets and IT resources, often requiring frequent service, supplies and attention. With so much depending on printing, if a device goes down, it can have serious ramifications for the productivity of the office.

Rather than try to work within these strict limitations and setbacks, more SMBs are turning to Managed Print Services (MPS) for the management of their printers. This frees up money, IT resources, and staff to focus on more important revenue-generating tasks.
Managed Print Services
Whatever services you choose, you can expect to see simplified print management, reduced print costs and increased efficiency. Some common tasks performed by an MPS provider include:

Analysis of your print environment.
Modifications made to print environment to reduce costs and boost productivity.
Automatic supply refills.
Device management and maintenance.
Automated digital workflow solutions.

Through a combination of these services, you can achieve predictable expenses, increased printer uptime, and a decreased waste of resources.
More Services; Greater Satisfaction
More and more SMBs are realizing the benefits of outsourcing print to an MPS provider. Studies have shown that SMBs using basic Managed Print Services have a significant increase in satisfaction in the print environment. These businesses often then expand their services […]

By |January 17th, 2017|blog|

Common Printer Problems May Be Helped by Printer Driver Updates

When your printer begins to lose jobs, becomes unresponsive, or displays other problems, you may start thinking that it’s time to buy a new printer. However, sometimes the answer is as easy as updating the print driver.
Print Drivers
A print driver is the software that links your computer to your printer. It takes the information you are trying to print and translates it into instructions that the printer can understand, allowing your documents to print. Print drivers are specific to the make and model of your printer, allowing each printer to communicate effectively with a variety of computers and devices. Signs that your print driver may need an update include:

Lack of responsiveness
Lost printing jobs
Inconsistent printer connections
Declining print quality

Updating Your Drivers
Updating your drivers is a simple procedure. For networked printers, often your IT department will want to do the updates to ensure consistency across the network. If you are doing it yourself, these simple steps can guide you through the process:

Find the make and model of your printer. This information is essential, as the driver will be specific to your printer.
Check on the manufacturer’s website and search for the driver update. The most recent update available may not be the best one to remedy your printer’s problems; be sure to look through the updates to find the best one to suit your needs.
Download the recommended driver and install it on your computer, following the prompts on the screen.
Test your printer using various applications to ensure the updates were successful. Try to perform print tasks that were problematic before.

While it may seem like updating your print drivers regularly is a good idea, this may not be the case. It’s best […]

By |December 20th, 2016|blog|

Everything You Need To Know About Trading In Your Office Equipment

Office equipment isn’t built to last forever, and once it starts to breakdown, you can get caught in a never ending cycle of repairs, inefficiency, and loss of productivity. Rather than learning to live with the frustration of aging or inadequate equipment, why not explore the option of a trade in? Here are the answers to some of the more commonly asked questions about the process to get you on your way.

What’s the first step?
An assessment of your existing inventory and an in-depth analysis of the needs and requirements of your business are the best way to ensure your satisfaction with your new equipment.

Which machines can I trade in, and what are they worth?
As part of your initial assessment, your current equipment will be analyzed for overall condition, quality of output, and number of impressions. These factors help to determine the device’s value. Office equipment that could be considered for trade-in include:

• Copiers
• Fax machines
• Multifunction printers
• Printers
• Scanners

What if no one wants my old equipment?
Aging print equipment that is no longer desirable for resale may either be recycled in accordance with industry regulations, or if it still has some usability, may be donated to a non-profit organization.

Are others doing this?
Trading in older, inefficient office equipment is common practice in the industry. In fact, more than 80 percent of copiers, faxes, printers and scanners are traded in for newer, more energy efficient office equipment. Business owners are often left wondering why they didn’t trade in their equipment sooner once they start to enjoy the benefits of lower costs, improved efficiency, and a reduction in energy usage.

What about my lease?
Examine your current lease agreement to determine if there are any provisions for early termination. Most allow for a […]

By |November 23rd, 2016|blog|