• 22
  Apr

Go Green This Spring!

It’s finally spring! The flowers are blooming, the grass is growing and suddenly the trees have leaves again. Everything around you is going green… so why not make your office green as well! Here are a few simple tips to make your office not only more cost-efficient, but energy and resource efficient as well!

Optimize the Energy Settings on Your Computer. Make sure you set your computers settings so that the screen is not on when you take a break from your work space. Also don’t leave your electronics on overnight! By plugging everything into one power strip that can be turned on and off, you save energy and a hassle!

Pass on the Paper. It is time to go digital! By digitizing all your office documents, not only do you make your important documents safe from coffee spills, you save on money and wasted paper. And if you upload your documents to a cloud service, you never have to worry about things getting lost, deleted, or destroyed!

Let the Light In! Open those blinds and let natural sunlight light your office. Not only does a dose of vitamin D help improve your attitude and work productivity, but turning off the office lights once and a while will help your energy bills. Your office plants will thank you too! A fresh breeze from outside helps clear the air as well, especially as the warmer months follow.

Looking for more Green Solutions? Let us help you make your office green for spring!

• 8
  Apr

Don’t Let Your Hard Drive Drag You Down

So that old computer in your office has been sitting around for some time now.  The system is obsolete, it is gathering dust, and maybe it has crashed once too often.  It’s time to throw it in the trash, right?

Not so fast!

Even an old computer may still contain vital information about your company and clients on its hard drive.  Even if the computer may not be of much use to you, it may still be of use to someone who wants to steal your or your company’s information.  Information thieves can easily retrieve private data off of improperly disposed hard drives.  Information stolen this way can be then used for everything from identity theft to corporate espionage.  This is why it is vital that you dispose of your old computer correctly.

It is not enough to simply delete files or reformat the hard drive.  These methods only prevent the drive from locating a file, and may not actually eliminate the information from that drive.  Clever thieves can still recover data such as PIN numbers, bank records and information, client-sensitive material and more from drives that are not wiped and destroyed the correct way.

Advanced Office Systems is here to help you keep your business safe.  Our hard drive destruction service will make sure that your data does not fall into the wrong hands and that you remain compliant and above board.

Your clients, your employees, and your company depend on you to keep their information safe.  So don’t take short cuts.  Let the professionals dispose of your hard drive the right way, and save yourself a big headache down the line!

• 7
  Apr

6 Tips for Managed Print Services Success

The following was written by Louella Fernandes of Quocirca

Many enterprises are turning to a managed print service (MPS) to minimize the headache of managing an often complex and costly print environment. Through device consolidation, optimization of hardware and software and continuous monitoring, MPS is helping to reduce costs – both financial and environmental, lower the IT print management burden and improve user productivity.

MPS is extending beyond the enterprise print environment to address requirements of mobile and remote workers, as well as encompass IT infrastructure and business process automation needs. While some enterprises may be at the early stages of their MPS journey, many are now entering their second or third generation MPS contracts.

Although cost control remains a top priority, enterprises are also looking to drive wider productivity and business process improvements. Consequently enterprises are looking for next generation MPS providers to become true innovation partners with industry-specific business insight and services that will deliver new cost savings.

Below are some recommendations on how to maximise the benefit from MPS, and ensure it can help drive greater business value and sustained long term performance.

1. Think big, start small

MPS engagements vary widely in scope depending on business needs. New opportunities exist to not only extend the scope of MPS engagements to encompass all aspects of enterprise printing (office, mobile, production and commercial), but also improve performance by outsourcing higher-value services such as IT operations and business processes. Consider how well the scope of services matches your business needs. Can you start with a limited engagement and add services as business requirements evolve and/or you relationship with your MPS provider beds in?

2. Conduct a full evaluation of the print infrastructure

A detailed assessment is the foundation of an effective MPS engagement and should take a holistic view of all print-related processes. Things to check include: is an established methodology used? What scalability is offered in terms of depth and cost of assessments? At the minimum, this should include a full document analysis that analyses print usage across the enterprise. Additional assessment services to consider include environmental and document security. Some vendors also offer document workflow assessment services, which identify potential for business process improvements. A comprehensive assessment will ensure the greatest opportunities for cost savings and productivity improvements over the long term of a contract.

3. Evaluate the flexibility to add new services

As a business continually adapts to the marketplace, MPS agreements should be adaptable as well – in terms of the commercial offering, contract arrangements, staffing and delivery location etc. When agreeing on the service offering, negotiate for the flexibility to incorporate new capabilities. For example, next generation MPS may look to take advantage of evolving technologies such cloud, mobility, business intelligence and ITIL-based process methodologies to ensure that business objectives continue to be met throughout the duration of the contract.

4. Leverage MFP sophistication

Multifunction peripherals (MFPs) are often underutilized in the office environment, yet have powerful document workflow capabilities that can be integrated with key business processes such as HR, legal, and finance and accounting. Look for seamless integration of MFPs, either via the cloud or on-premise, with enterprise content management (ECM) systems which can optimize paper to digital workflows and improve productivity.

5. Ensure mature service level quality

SLAs are critical to the success of any MPS engagement. SLAs have to be flexible, and the MPS provider must use analytics to be able to advise on past performance and future requirements. Are service levels matched to your business needs (hours of services, problem resolution times, end-user productivity)? How does the provider handle service events in multivendor environment? Is a pre-emptive service and automated supplies management used to reduce response times and solve device problems? Is onsite or off-site support available?

6. Continuous improvement.

Monitoring and ongoing management is critical to ensure that the MPS adapts to changing business needs. This requires governance throughout the contract which should place a high emphasis on service analytics, reporting and communication. A governance program allows the parties to evaluate, address, and resolve service issues as and when they arise.

• 25
  Mar

24 Hour Help Desk Support

One of the beautiful things about a 9-5 job is the end time. Unfortunately many small-businesses can’t afford the luxury of clocking out right at 5pm. Unforeseen problems often arise and they need to be dealt with immediately. That’s when it’s great to have an IT service provider you can count on.

Advanced Office Systems offers 24 Hour Help Desk Support to make sure your business’ IT experiences little to no downtime. Our Help Desk offers a wide range of supportive solutions in the areas of network design and monitoring, maintenance, remote backup, software updates, and more.

Outsourcing your managed IT solutions is much more cost effective than staffing a full time IT team of your own. This low cost solution frees up your company’s funds to put towards other important business needs.

Finding resolutions for short to moderate length issues is what 24 Hour Help Desk Support was designed to do. If however, a larger problem does arise that requires a more strategic approach, you may want to speak directly to a Help Desk Technician. They will be able to provide support and walk you through the problem.

Call Advanced Office Systems today to learn more about 24 Hour Help Desk Support and how it can assist your business!

• 25
  Feb

Windows XP Support is Ending Soon

If you still have Windows XP, you need to act soon before your computer and data are at risk!

On April 8, 2014, Microsoft is discontinuing support for Windows XP.

What does that mean to you?

It is a battle out there!  Hackers are continuously trying to find new ways to circumvent the security features of XP and other Microsoft operating systems, by creating viruses, and other and other bad programs, which can harm your computer, or steal your private information.  Microsoft regularly provides updates which help to protect your computer against these attacks.  Without these updates, even the best anti-virus programs cannot protect your computer or your data.

After April 8, 2014, Microsoft will stop providing these updates for Windows XP, and you need to be prepared.  Contact us and we will ensure that your computers, and your valuable data are protected.

 

• 4
  Dec

Document Management Can Help Green Your Business

• 16
  Jul

Choosing the Right MPS Provider

As is the case with about every new product or service entry, the evolution of managed print services, or MPS, has been a work in progress. However, there are three aspects about MPS everyone can – and probably should – agree upon. Foremost, life is significantly easier for those managing offices who receive this vital service.

Secondly, once an organization decides to move forward to implement an MPS program, it must be tailored to meet their specific needs. The other element of paramount importance – certainly – is selecting the right vendor.

Whether implementing a mid-size or enterprise-level account, an MPS provider needs to have strong implementation processes and support infrastructures to be successful. The deliverables should be documented and agreed upon by both parties before the actual implementation, normally in the form of a Statement of Work (SOW). The SOW needs to clearly define each party’s roles and responsibilities, setting proper goals and expectations.

Part of making a customer value proposition is recognizing what one is capable of offering. When it comes to supplies management, many customers believe the process is uncontrollable from both an administrative and cost standpoint. The value that an MPS provider brings to a customer is simplicity and cost certainty.

Billing encapsulates all the services provided to an account. Since MPS is such a fluid engagement, there is an inherent risk for a vendor to not understand their true profitability. Cost control drivers such as an entitlement list, auto toner replenishment and advance inspection help control cost.  To maintain and understand true profitability, it is important for the vendor to establish a reconciliation process or system to consistently monitor billing accuracy.

• 20
  Jun

Secure Your Files In The Cloud

Mobile devices and the use of cloud collaboration services are growing rapidly. This is true for sharing information between business partners, customers and even internal users. It’s very easy to drag files on your PC into a folder and access them from a smartphone, tablet or another computer. It’s also easy to sync information between multiple devices quickly.

Using cloud-based collaboration tools like Dropbox or Google Drive makes it easy to share documents with anyone, but can be risky if you put confidential information into them. It’s great to pull up a customer contract on your iPad, but if you accidentally share it with the wrong person, you could have legal and financial troubles.

Many organizations are locking down access to mobile devices, but this doesn’t protect the information on them if someone syncs files to the cloud. Local encryption is important, but when the file moves to the cloud, you lose control of it. A colleague or customer could send that file anywhere. It’s like locking your front door, but giving your neighbor a key.

You need to focus on protecting the files themselves. By applying a persistent security policy to your files, you maintain control of them. You decide who can view, edit or print your files. It doesn’t matter where they are. You have the same control whether the files are on your laptop, mobile device or in the cloud. If you want to remove access to them, you can do it with a few clicks.

Sharing documents through cloud services is convenient. Before you copy a file to the cloud, lock it down. It’s the best cloud security there is.

• 14
  May

Printing Money: Cutting Costs in Your Print Environment

Even in a booming economy, businesses small and large are constantly looking for ways to tighten their financial belts. An often untapped area for savings is the print environment, and in the modern office, that can add up to a significant amount of money. Here are some ways your company can spend less money on ink, toner, and paper.

Print less – With a little effort, you can easily cut down on unnecessary printing. Before printing, take a moment to decide whether or not it actually NEEDS to be printed. Be conscientious about what you print, and encourage your employees to do the same. Distribute documents for review digitally rather than printing out hard copies.

Get the most out of your paper – Besides reducing the amount of printing in your office, another smart way to use less paper is by utilizing both sides of the paper you do use. Duplex printing enables you to print on half the amount paper!

Print only what you need – Printing from a website can produce an awful lot of waste, such as graphics, banner ads, footers, etc. Freeware such as PrintWhatYouLike enables to you to print only what you need from a URL, and preventing ink and paper from being wasted on content and images that you don’t.

Utilize your settings – Using ‘economy’ or ‘draft’ as the default setting for your printer will reduce the amount of ink used, and can be overridden whenever you need to print something in high-quality. Color ink is more expensive than black ink, so print in black and white or grayscale whenever possible. And many programs offer a ‘shrink to fit’ option that will print what you need on less paper.

Choose the right font – Use lighter, ink-saving fonts that require less ink, such as Century Gothic instead of Arial or Times New Roman, or even invest in an “ecofont,” which significantly cuts down ink usage. And reducing the font size of your documents will also reduce the amount of ink you use.

Proof your work – Before printing a document you are working on, perform a spelling and grammar check, and review it for errors. This can save both ink and paper by reducing the amount of times you print materials.

Cutting down on the amount of ink, toner, and paper your business uses will lead to cost savings, and might just make it seem like you are printing money!