Despite what detractors say, regulations are in place for good reason. They typically protect individuals from organizational malfeasance. Many of these regulations are actual laws passed by a governing body and cover the entire spectrum of the issue, not just the data involved. The ones that have data protection regulations written into them mostly deal with the handling and protection of sensitive information. For organizations that work in industries covered by these regulations there are very visible costs that go into compliance. Today, we look at the costs incurred by these organizations as a result of these regulations, and how to ascertain how they affect your business.
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There is no question that a small business can benefit from technology, as has been proven time and time again. However, an issue can arise if a business bites off more than it can chew, so to speak, and ultimately creates a spike in costs. A responsible business owner will resist this temptation and prioritize the solutions they need over the ones they want - building profitability and generating capital needed to make other improvements.
In this blog, we’ll examine some of the implementations that can deliver a good return on investment to a small business.
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How much does your business rely on technology to keep your organization running forward? As business technology becomes more complex, it’s becoming increasingly popular for organizations to have their own internal IT departments to manage and maintain it. Yet, small businesses don’t often have the necessary funds for such a feat. How can your company afford quality IT service? You can start by pursuing managed IT solutions from a managed service provider.
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Profitability is less the measure of being able to turn a profit, and more the measure of how much profit you can make. For the successful small business, the integration of technology can dictate what kind of annual margins you are looking at. For the new company, however, it can be something even more critical: the difference between setting a course for success, or wallowing in failure. Today we analyze the cost difference between hosting your IT in-house, or choosing to host it in the cloud.
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Do you have a certain computer replacement strategy in place at your company? Or do you just replace PC’s as they become impossible to use any longer?
It can be difficult to know exactly when you should replace business computers because they may seem fine and have not had a hard drive crash. However, that does not necessarily mean that they are not costing you money.
Lost productivity due to older computers slowing down and increased data security risk can mean bigger costs for your business than the price of a new PC.
A study by Microsoft found that holding onto older PC’s longer than they should will cost businesses approximately $2,736 per year.
Are you finding that your Connecticut business is always dealing with one PC problem or another? Computer repairs, downtime and security breaches all keep companies from reaching their full potential.
Many companies hold on to computers for five years or longer before replacing them. However, there are several statistics that show that this is too long.
Optimum Business PC Replacement Cycle: 3 years
The optimum business computer replacement cycle is three years. There are several factors that go into this:
- productivity losses
- costs of data loss
- downtime
Here are some surprising statistics from a computer longevity study by Intel to find the best replacement cycle for businesses. They all point at replacing computers after they reach 3 years old.
Total Cost of Ownership Curve Rises Sharply After 3 Years
There is a sharp increase between years 3 and 4 when looking at three factors for the total cost of ownership and TCO curve.
Factors include:
- Acquisition costs
- Maintenance costs
- Training costs
The rise in maintenance costs between years 3 and 4 is the main factor that makes it much more expensive to keep older computers in operation.
Downtime
Computers that are older than 4 years are twice as likely to have downtime than computers that are 3 years old.
Downtime can be costly. This is especially true when it creeps up on a business a few minutes here and there at a time.
The typical cost of downtime for a small or mid-sized business is as follows:
- Under $10,000/hour (27%)
- $10,000 – $20,000/hour (26%)
- $20,001 – $40,000/hour (25%)
- $40,001 – $50,000/hour (13%)
- Over $50,000/hour (10%)
Number of and Duration of Tech Support Calls
Computers older than 4 years means nearly twice as many tech support calls as computers less than 3 years old and the calls are also significantly longer.
Support calls average 36 minutes for computers between 3 to 4 years old. Once computers are older than 4 years, support calls average 56 minutes each (about 55% longer).
An individual calling tech support and being on the phone for nearly an hour eats into productivity and can completely disrupt a person’s normal workday.
Data Breaches
Computers older than 4 years have three times as many data breaches as those younger than 3 years.
Older computers represent more of a security threat for a number of reasons. They may be running older operating systems that no longer get vital security updates. Another problem is the inability to upgrade to newer and more secure versions of software applications.
Data Loss
Computers older than 4 years have three times as many data loss incidents as those younger than 3 years.
Data loss can be very costly to a company and can cost an average of $150 per lost file. Older PC’s have more potential for hard drive crashes due to parts wearing out. This is especially true if they are not being monitored through a remote support plan.
What To Look For When Buying a New Business Computer
When choosing a new business computer to replace an older one that has reached the 3+ year mark, there are several things you want to consider:
You May Not Need as Much Space
One of the first things people usually look for when choosing a new computer is storage space. However, you might not need as much as you think.
Many companies now use cloud storage to keep all files centrally located and accessible. This means you may be able to buy a business PC with less hard drive storage space which lowers the overall cost.
Look for a PC with a Solid-State Drive (SSD)
SSD’s are a newer type of computer drive that is significantly faster than traditional hard drives when it comes to read/write speeds. The drives use flash memory to write to the disk and don’t have any moving parts.
This equates to better performance, faster reboots and faster application launches.
Get Enough Memory (RAM)
Memory is not something you want to skimp on when choosing a business PC. If you go with 4GB of memory, then you are asking for performance problems right off the bat because you have handicapped the system.
You want at least 8GB or more of memory for a business computer and look for the ability for memory to be upgradable in the future in case you need to add more.
Get Help Choosing the Best Computers for Your Business
Sound Computers can guide your Connecticut business when it comes to smart and cost-effective business PC purchases.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.
The cloud has proven to be an extremely useful tool for the modern business. Not only does it provide anywhere-anytime access to applications, processing, storage, et al; it also delivers those products as a service, allowing you to budget for recurring costs rather than major upfront ones. This provides your organization with functional, supported, and secure computing environments that eliminate a lot of the support costs that traditional computing environments require. It sounds like a perfect scenario for small and large businesses alike, but things aren’t always what they seem, as a lot of cloud users have found that they have incurred several hidden costs by using cloud platforms. Today, we take a look at these hidden costs.
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In April 2020, about 50% of surveyed businesses had 81% or more of their employees working remotely. That meant buildings were sitting empty while companies were being run completely remotely.
Now that re-openings are occurring around the US, many small and large business owners in Connecticut and the rest of the country are contemplating what it would take to keep their business remote and close their physical office to save money on overhead.
Technology solutions have made things possible that most companies would not have considered in the past. One of these is the ability to eliminate a physical office and put that money saved back into their business.
Even before the pandemic began, companies like Apple and U-Haul were running their customer support departments through at-home workers. Many organizations are considering a permanent switch to a virtual office now that the initial shut down from the pandemic has started to lift because they realize that it CAN be done.
One big reason is the cost savings. It is estimated that for each remote worker a business will save approximately $22,000 per year.
Where do those savings come from? A number of areas contribute to the savings:
- Improved productivity
- Office space savings
- Savings on utilities and other physical office costs
- Travel/commuting costs
- Improved employee retention
- Reduced absenteeism
- Ability to hire Independent Contractors for Virtual Help which potentially reduces the cost of benefits and wasted downtime by paying for only what they need
- Business continuity improvements.
If you have been thinking about the boost in bottom line from lowering your overhead by closing your physical office, read on for the things you need in place to make that happen.
How to Successfully Transition from a Physical to Virtual Office
There are some core things you need to have in place to ensure your business can run virtually just as well (or better) than it did with a physical office location.
Virtual Office Address Service
One thing you lose when you close your physical office is your business address. You want to keep a professional address and also have a level of separation between your home and work life which is why using your home address for your business is not a good idea.
There are many virtual office address services you can use that give you a little more legitimacy than just a P.O. box. A virtual address typically will be to a physical office building that provides conference room rental, office rental and more.
It gives you a physical address so that if someone were to look you up on Google street view, it would be to an office park or office building that allows you to have mail handling services for your company. This also keeps your Google My Business listing as an effective tool.
Team Collaboration Tool with Video & Chat
Your employees need to have the ability to virtually “stop by each other’s office” and this can be facilitated with a tool like Microsoft Teams. It makes it easy to chat, share files, use team channeled messaging and video/audio chat.
Encouraging the use of short video chats and team video meetings keeps everyone feeling connected and like part of the team even though they are all working in different locations.
Cloud Productivity & Storage Apps
The cloud is what is powering the ability for companies to work remotely. You want to put in a streamlined cloud productivity suite that includes cloud storage.
Utilizing less app platforms will be better for integration, automation and the user learning curve. Platforms like Microsoft 365 and G Suite give you cloud storage and several productivity tools that all integrate and make co-authoring and online collaboration easy.
Device & Network Security
Even though the computers accessing your business data are now located in employee homes instead of an office, you still need to ensure they have protection to keep your data safe.
The best way to do this is through a managed IT services plan that provides multiple security and user benefits, including:
- PC health monitoring
- Managed updates
- Managed antivirus/anti-malware
- Web protection
- Helpdesk support
- Remote support
When it comes to network security, the best way to secure data transmissions on so many different home networks is to use a business virtual private network (VPN).
A VPN will encrypt all online sessions no matter how unsecure the Wi-Fi network might be and can be used on computers and mobile devices.
VoIP Phone System
Virtual company phone lines is a must for a business without a physical office. VoIP allows your phone lines to be answered from anywhere and gives a professional sounding experience to the caller.
VoIP also costs much less than a traditional landline phone system and you can easily add or remove users whenever you need to.
Clear Virtual Work Policies
It is important to have policies in place so employees will know what is expected of them now that you operate from a virtual office.
For example, set up work hours, break times, etc. just as you would at a physical office.
Also, create policies for communications that might not have been necessary when everyone worked at the same location. For instance, instruct employees to set a “status message” in your office communications app when they are away from their desk or on the phone.
Get Help Transitioning to a Fully Virtual Office
If you have been considering making the switch to a virtual office, Sound Computers can help you put the technology pieces in place to ensure a successful transition.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.
As computers age, they inevitably begin to have problems. They slow down, cause more downtime and can begin to have strange issues like programs getting stuck and requiring a reboot.
Longevity studies of business computers show that PC’s that are older than four years have twice the downtime of three-year old computers.
If you are finding your Connecticut business continually having to pay for computer repairs on slow or problematic machines but you are not ready to completely replace them, some smart upgrades could make a big difference.
Upgrading the right areas of a computer can make it seem like you have an entirely new machine. This is especially true if certain components, like memory, were not particularly robust to begin with.
Renew Your Computer With Upgrades that Pack a Punch
One of the biggest costs of not upgrading an underperforming PC is the productivity loss. Technology is designed to improve productivity. However, it can also hold it back if it is slow or problematic.
If you have a PC that is slowing an employee down just 40 minutes per day, that adds up to over 13 hours per month in lost productivity! That means an employee making $20/hour will equate to a loss of $260 each month or over $3,000 per year. That money saved could be put to better use in your business.
The right computer upgrade can be the best of both worlds for a budget-conscious business owner. It can improve PC performance and productivity while only being a fraction of the cost of a full computer replacement.
Here are some of the best computer upgrades for your money:
Memory Upgrade
If you have a PC with just 4GB of memory, you are going to have problems with running certain programs (like Photoshop) and with multi-tasking or having too many browser windows open at the same time.
Low memory often leads to stuck programs, crashes and other frustrating slowdowns.
Most PC’s will have the ability to upgrade the memory. Increasing your computer’s memory (aka RAM) is a low-cost upgrade that can significantly improve performance and make it seem like you have a whole new computer.
Upgrade Your HDD to an SSD
Hard disk drives (HDD) have been used on computers since the beginning to store all the data and run programs but there is now a faster and more efficient replacement called a solid-state drive (SSD).
SSD’s have come down in cost in the past few years which makes them an affordable upgrade that can significantly improve stability and speed.
SSD’s do not have any moving parts (unlike HDD’s) which makes them more durable. They also use flash memory to write information which makes them much faster when it comes to booting, opening programs and retrieving files.
SSD read/write speeds are about 4x faster than HDD.
Fan/Cooling System Replacement
Cooling systems can begin to deteriorate as computers age and heat will cause a PC to run slower or have other problems.
Are you noticing that your computer or laptop seems to get hotter than it used to? Then a fan or cooling system replacement could be the upgrade you need to give your computer more years of usable life and stop heat-related performance issues.
Upgrade to a Larger Monitor
Limited screen real estate can make multi-tasking more challenging and make tasks take longer. If you have to continually switch between apps instead of being able to have them on screen side-by-side, it can seriously degrade productivity.
Employees switch between apps approximately 1,100 times per day and that activity takes a toll.
A larger monitor for your desktop computer, a second monitor for your desktop or a monitor to use with a laptop can make a big difference in your workflow by giving you more screen space.
Graphics Card Upgrade
The creation of drag-and-drop video and photo editors have made it easier for novices to create graphics and enriching marketing content. However, these programs often require a decent video card or they can slow your system down when you try to use them.
A graphics card upgrade can stop problems and slowdowns that happen in graphic-rich applications and are a fairly easy upgrade to make.
Add More USB Ports
One thing that can be frustrating is when you have fewer USB ports than you need on your PC. Another problem is if you have two ports so close together that if you have one device with a larger USB plugin being used, you can’t access the other port.
You can easily add more USB port capability by using a port hub. The port hub is like when you plug a power strip into an outlet. It will expand your USB capability and allow you to plug more devices into your PC at the same time.
Improve Your PC Performance with a Cost-Saving Upgrade
Sound Computers can help your company get better performance out of your business PC’s without needing to completely replace them.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.
The popularity of TikTok has exploded during the pandemic. The social media app that launched in 2016 has people addicted to watching short user video clips edited with effects and music.
The average user spends 52 minutes a day on the app and it is not just kids. Adults have been drawn to the app as well. Even some small businesses have discovered that they can use it for marketing to find new customers.
However, the app has not only been in the news because of its recent growth. It has been banned by the U.S. military and companies like Wells Fargo. There is also a potential ban looming for TikTok in the U.S.
The controversy stems from the fact that the company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, is based in China.
There are worries that because of all the data the app collects, it could be a serious threat to online safety for millions of Americans and the app could actually be used for spying by the Chinese government.
Currently, Microsoft is in talks to possibly purchase the app to help prevent the ban. In the meantime, people are still posting, messaging and watching videos on the app. During that time, a lot of data is being collected and it is likely a lot more than they realize.
How Much Data Are You Giving Up to TikTok?
In this day and age, people are used to having their movements tracked online using cookies and typically understand the tradeoff of using a free app that shares data with advertisers.
But what about having your keystroke patterns tracked? That is just one of the pieces of data users may not realize is being collected when they use TikTok.
A virus removal can be done to help prevent adware. However, when it comes to an app you install and then activate by agreeing to its policies, data is collected with your permission even if you are not fully aware of how much data they have collected.
We have reviewed the application’s privacy policy and here are the types of data that the app is collecting from you and your device:
Standard Registration Information
This includes the information you provide when you sign up and includes things like your username, password, email address, phone number and age.
Profile Information
The app will also collect the data you set up in your profile such as your profile image, your name and your other social media accounts. When you connect accounts like Twitter or Facebook to TikTok, that means the app will collect more data from those other social accounts.
Your Generated Content
Any content that you add to the platform is also being collected. This would include videos or photos you post and the comments you make on videos.
Your Social and Phone Contacts
When you give the app permission, it can also collect contact information that you may have in your phone book/contact application and in any connected social media accounts.
Data on your contacts that the app collects includes names, phone numbers and public profiles on social accounts.
Device Information
Here is where data sharing can get a little scarier due to the details the app collects from your mobile device automatically. This includes:
- Your IP address
- Model of your device
- Mobile carrier
- Time zone setting
- Operating system
- App and file names and types
That last one is very concerning because it means that TikTok is collecting information on the file names and types that are on your mobile device as well as all the apps you have installed.
Keystroke Patterns
TikTok’s privacy policy also states that it collects “keystroke patterns or rhythms.” This should be the most worrisome piece of data collection of all because this can be extrapolated to mean that every keystroke you type is being recorded by the app.
That would include when you input passwords and your credit card numbers. While the app maker may be more interested in analyzing how fast you move from one key to another, the fact that they have your keystroke data does not stop it from being used for more nefarious purposes.
Location Information
The app collects your location information from your SIM card and/or IP address. With your permission, it can also collect your GPS tracking data. You can stop that by turning GPS location off on your phone or specifically for the app.
Message Content
If you are using TikTok for direct messaging with someone, the app is also collecting, scanning and analyzing the information in any messages you send and receive through the app.
Who Does TikTok Share Your Data With?
That is quite a lot of invasive data that the app collects on its users! It also does not keep all that data to itself so it can share it with any number of entities including:
- Service providers and business partners
- Advertisers
- Within the corporate group
- In connection with a sale, merger or other business transfer
- For legal reasons (including “government inquiries”)
How Safe is Your Mobile Device?
Invasive apps are just one potential security issue when it comes to smartphones. Mobile malware is also on the rise. Sound Computers can help you ensure your personal or company’s mobile devices are protected.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.
Anyone dealing with protected health information (PHI) has to comply with HIPAA including doctor offices or nursing homes.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was designed to ensure personal health information is protected from unauthorized disclosure and ensure that patients have access to their own health information.
It has multiple technology guidelines that apply to anyone that generates, transmits or stores patient health records.
Unfortunately, these regulations can be difficult for many small and mid-sized businesses to get their heads around which leaves many Connecticut business owners at risk of a HIPAA violation. There is always the question of “Have we thought of everything?”
HIPAA violation penalties range from $100 to $50,000 per incident or per health record.
If technology and network systems are not set up with the proper protections, it can lead to a data breach or data leakage incident due to the inadvertent exposure of PHI. HIPAA fines can be levied for anything from failing to properly secure a patient records database to leaving a laptop unattended with a patient record in plain sight on the screen.
Be Aware of These HIPAA Mistakes to Avoid
There are some common HIPAA mistakes that businesses tend to make which get them into trouble.
Being aware of these pitfalls and how to avoid them can help you prevent a costly data breach and result in fines and loss of business.
Not Having Adequate Data Encryption on Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are often outside a company’s on-premises firewall or other security protocols but they are being used much more often by on-the-go medical staff to review patient information.
One of the mistakes companies make is not properly securing or encrypting data being transmitted to and from staff mobile devices which can lead to it being compromised.
Putting in place a business virtual private network (VPN) can help you avoid this problem. It encrypts all internet traffic and can be used on both computer and mobile devices.
Lost Laptop or Mobile Device Containing PHI
Another common HIPAA violation can happen when someone loses a laptop or mobile device that contains PHI.
Once a device is lost or stolen, anyone can access anything on it if you don’t have protections in place which means you could be facing fines for each patient record exposed.
An endpoint device manager, such as Microsoft Intune, can help you secure lost devices immediately. This type of tool allows you to remotely lock or wipe a device as well as detect any activity.
Not Using HIPAA-Compliant Business Associate Agreements
Companies that are subject to HIPAA are also responsible to ensure any vendors they work with and share sensitive information with also follow HIPAA guidelines.
The HIPAA rules dictate the need to create and use business associate agreements that confirm this HIPAA compliance. Business associates can include IT professionals, payment processors or anyone else that may have access to patient information.
Many IT professionals can help you with vendor management when it comes to HIPAA compliance to ensure each of them signs a HIPAA-compliant Business Associate Agreement.
Not Notifying Impacted Parties of a Breach Within 60-Days
When a data breach happens, all that is usually on a company’s mind is securing their data and immediately addressing the reason for the breach. In the aftermath of returning to normal business operations, 60-days can go by pretty quickly. Some companies may not even realize they need to make all notifications within that time.
HIPAA requires that anyone impacted by the data breach, including any clients that may have had their information exposed, need to be notified within 60 days of breach discovery (not containment).
HIPAA regulations can seem overwhelming if you are trying to navigate them on your own and things like the 60-day notification rule can easily fall between the cracks. This is another reason to work with a trusted IT partner like Sound Computers for HIPAA compliance help.
Human Error – Lack of Data Handling Procedures
A patient health record left out in a common area, an unattended computer without a screen lock and a clicked phishing email link are all examples of human-caused reasons for HIPAA violations.
If an organization doesn’t have clear data handling policies that employees are regularly trained on, human errors are much more likely to cost you in HIPAA compliance penalties.
It is important to conduct ongoing cybersecurity and HIPAA compliance training so procedures stay fresh in an employee’s mind. Some of the things you should cover are the following:
- How to identify a phishing email
- Password security
- Data handling procedures
- Physical device security
- The cost of HIPAA violations
- Examples of unintended HIPAA violations
- Mobile device security
Get the Help You Need with HIPAA Compliance
Sound Computers can help your company avoid making common HIPAA mistakes by ensuring you have the network and technology protections in place you need.
Contact us today and we can customize a protection plan that fits your unique needs. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.