Info Advantage Blog

Moving your office is a difficult task. Moving furniture, personal objects, and technology can be a hassle that you don’t even want to think about. There’s nothing easy about moving your office’s technology to a new location, and we’re not going to let you do it alone!

For reference, let’s examine the technology that you’re currently using in your office. You probably have plenty of workstations; one for each employee, and some spares just in case something happens. These workstations need to be connected to your business’s network so that users can access mission-critical software, crucial information systems, and other important resources. A cabling infrastructure can quickly grow uncontrollable, especially if you’re not practicing proper cabling procedures.

Another problem that often comes up is the task of equipping your team with the right communications solutions. Setting up phone lines for each of your employees can be challenging, and you often need to consult both your budget and your organization’s floor plans in order to adjust for growth. There’s no better time to plan for the future and ensure that you can add or remove phone users as needed, than when you move to a new building.

Then, there’s the topic that you might not even want to think about; moving your physical files. Lugging around heavy and unwieldy filing cabinets can be a pain in the neck. You should be asking yourself if you’re willing to forsake physical file storage in favor of a digital file storage format. You also need to consider which files you absolutely need to keep, and which ones you can do without. It’s imperative that you perform a full assessment of your business’s current assets, paper or otherwise, and ensure that you take only what you need. Doing so can lessen the burden of moving your office. Be certain to shred any outdated files that contain sensitive information before disposing of them.

Info Advantage can assist your business with solutions specifically designed to increase mobility and communications in the workplace; many of which can make your move easier and improve operations.

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): With VoIP, your business can take advantage of telephony communication from anywhere with an Internet connection. Since the only connection you need is your network, you can avoid the complex cabling required for landline telephone systems. You just need to keep a close eye on your network resources and ensure that your bandwidth is enough to handle the quantity of calls. Info Advantage can assist you with both a network assessment and the implementation of your chosen VoIP system.
• The cloud and virtualization: Delegating information to your entire workforce can be challenging, but with cloud computing, it’s as simple as providing access to the Internet. Your employees can access software, data, and other important information through the cloud, all wirelessly without the need for intensive cabling. As long as your team has an Internet connection, they can use WiFi to connect to the cloud and access critical information. This allows for anytime, anywhere access.
• Electronic records storage: If your organization is having trouble with file storage, Info Advantage can equip your business with a solution that’s designed to help you eliminate unnecessary physical file storage systems in the office. Instead, you can store your files in a digital, compliant space, that’s optimized for your file’s security. Since your files will be stored digitally and protected with data backup and such, you’ll be able to quickly get back up to speed without the frustration of digging through bulky filing cabinets.

Moving your office is a great reason to start fresh with your technology solutions. To get started, give Info Advantage a call at (585) 254-8710.

When you mention the term 'disaster recovery,' most people think about the big ground-shattering events like earthquakes, fires, floods, tropical storms, etc. While these natural events are certainly disasters and devastating in their own right, smaller things can constitute as a disaster for your business, and they aren't seasonal.

To Info Advantage, a disaster is anything that involves a major loss of data or major downtime. When one of our clients experience a server malfunction that leaves most employees sitting idle unable to work, that is a disaster.

The Cost of a Disaster

Downtime is a very terrible expense to not try to avoid. Try this simple formula for yourself:

Number of Employees Affected by an IT Outage X Average Employee Hourly Cost (NOT WAGES)
+ Average Company Hourly Income X Percentage of Income Lost Due to the IT Outage

This simple formula will tell you about how expensive every hour of downtime is for your company. The hardest value in the formula is understanding the percentage of income lost. Not all companies might have a figure, but you will want to consider it as you do the math. This doesn't include the cost of repair, consultation, parts, or any of the remediation required to get things back up and running.

What Brings Disaster?

Disaster can strike from any direction. Hard drives can go, data can be corrupted, hardware can fail, and networks can go down, and systems can become infected with viruses and malware. User error can cause disaster, as well as theft and other malevolent activity. While companies should take precautions to safeguard themselves against threats both external and internal, and managed maintenance can prevent a lot of foreboding issues, having a solid disaster recovery plan can mean faster turnaround when there is devastating downtime.

Employing a disaster recovery plan starts with the data - your most important IT asset. Computers can be replaced, hardware can be repurchased and software can be reinstalled. Your data is the culmination of countless hours of work by all of your employees ever. It's no wonder why most businesses that suffer a major data loss go out of business within the first year. You can lose your credibility, and things go into disarray. Data needs to be backed up.

Your backed-up data should be archived regularly offsite. Most importantly, your backup solution needs to be easy to test, and tested regularly. You don't want to find out your backups are corrupted when it is too late.

The time to put together your company's disaster recovery solution is now. Contact Info Advantage at (585) 254-8710 to talk about solutions for safeguarding your data and your business in the event of a disaster, large or small.

Disasters can strike at any moment to anyone, with very little warning. While many businesses are prepared with their Business Continuity Plan (BCP,) many organizations may not take the time to fully explain their BCP to their employees, leaving them scrambling when a disaster does strike. Here are a few steps every business should take to ensure that their employees know exactly what to do in the event of a disaster.

Plan Ahead

For any plan to work, there needs to be proper preparation to ensure that everything runs smoothly. You want to give your employees a clear direction to follow in the case of a disaster, so they know exactly what to do the moment it happens. The best way to work through the execution of a BCP is to hold a meeting with all your employees to talk about what needs to be done, and who will do it. You want clearly defined roles and open lines of communication, so employees will know exactly what to do and who to contact in an emergency.

Have the Proper Tools

A plan can only work if you have the right tools to execute it. In the event that your business goes down, it can mean the inability to work and loss of important data. One way to avoid these issues is by hosting some or all of your business activities through a cloud service. These services will allow you and your employees to access important work documents from just about anywhere. This means that even if the office is down, employees will be able to set up their workstation from another location almost instantly. Investing in a cloud-based VoIP will allow any calls sent to a down phone line to be redirected to another location, such as the employee’s personal cellphone.

Practice Your Plan

When it comes to executing a BCP, practice makes perfect. Let your employees get a feel for the tools you have provided them so that they will know exactly what they are dealing with in the case of a disaster. This includes providing them training for any hardware or software they need to use, creating a sense of familiarity that will directly relate to a seamlessly executed BCP.  Take the time to review with each employee, and make sure they completely understand what needs to be done by them.

Don’t wait until a disaster hits to worry about your business continuity plan. Contact Info Advantage today at (585) 254-8710 to speak to a professional about how you can ensure your business will run smoothly even when faced with a disaster.

Most modern businesses need access to crucial parts of their infrastructure in order to keep operations moving forward. For example, your building’s electricity is necessary to power your technology, and without an Internet connection, you could be losing out on hours of potential productivity. What can you do to minimize downtime and make the best out of a bad situation?