IT Support companies in Virginia Beach

Can Virtual CIOs be the solution businesses seeking?

by Wisideeple1939 on November 26, 2018 / CIO'S Solution

It is often hard for small businesses and mid-sized enterprises to hire full-time Chief Information Officer. While companies have long realized the importance of IT, many still manage with a small team that does all the tasks including that of a CIO’s. For long these businesses have yearned for small business IT solutions that can help them control and monitor the company’s IT infrastructure more efficiently.

Having to perform multiple tasks by the limited IT team means they need to juggle with keeping the server in place, the network running and software updated all at once. This model is usually not-efficient enough.

Since the internal team is so caught up with keeping the server running, there is no time left for them to indulge in long-term processes like IT assessments and planning for IT implementation. Thus, it is essential to have CIO. But as stated above, not all businesses are capable of acquiring the services of CIO. Here is how IT services companies near me, help such enterprises. By offering Virtual CIO services, IT firms allow small companies to focus on the daily IT support issues while an IT expert takes up the task of planning strategies for the company.

Why Virtual IT Solutions Can Work For You

Outside Evaluation from an Expert:
The work of the CIO is to overlook the entire IT department. Without their overview of the state of the business’s infrastructure, the IT operations can’t be optimized. With a Virtual CIO, a company not only gets a review on the state of a business’s IT, but it also offers an insight into a business’s IT operations from an outsider’s perspective. The job role of the Virtual CIO entails network assessment, maintaining the inventory of the IT system, identifying potential security threats, and evaluation of the data backup system.

Virtual CIO helps a business draw up the line of action to keep a system running. Virtual CIO solutions allow businesses to uncover IT issues that are hard to identify by the internal team.

Technological Foresight and Experience:
CIOs assist businesses in formulating the future course of action that aligns with the goals and plans of the business. A virtual CIO does the same. They undertake complex IT assessments and determine whether the IT infrastructure needs to be replaced or repaired. They also help businesses in making important and critical technical decisions. Although they offer services as of an internal CIO, Virtual CIO services are well within reach.

In-House Benefits without the Price Tag or Hurdles:
Using the services of a Virtual CIO is like hiring a full-time CIO. A Virtual CIO works towards the success of the business just as an in-house CIO. These Virtual CIOs are not overburdened by additional tasks like that of the internal IT team. Without extra workload on their shoulder, they are able to support the over-worked IT team and improve the efficiency of IT. The Virtual CIO works within the frame of a CIO; thus they are capable of undertaking even the most critical IT task. Cost-efficiency is the most significant advantage of hiring a Virtual CIO. Besides these, since Virtual CIOs are much more capable of identifying IT issues, they help in saving the time and money of the company by resolving them before it escalates further.

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Technologies that every small business must have.

by Wisideeple1939 on October 23, 2018 / IT solutions

IT solutions

The age we live in is rapidly transforming and evolving. Thanks to technological advancements, it has enabled innovations like virtual reality, cloud computing, and automation. Owing to the unprecedented technological advancements, businesses or all shapes and sizes are incorporating these technologies in their workings. Many IT firms are providing small business IT solutions so that small enterprises can also reap the benefits of the techniques.

The technological advancements are not limited to these innovations only. In fact, each day, innovation is sprouting out change the world little by little. But since small business owners are low in resource and technology, it is hard for them to foresee the future and how it will affect their business.

So, here is a list of all the technologies that it service companies suggest a small business should know about and invest in.

Cloud computing:
There was a time when businesses extensively used bulky hardware, IT servers, and on-site software. Thanks to cloud computing, on-site resource management has become primitive. Cloud computing has small enterprises reduce the operation cost, grow more flexible and improve customer’s satisfaction level. Some readily available cloud services are Google drive and Dropbox that can be accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world. As per a report by Smith & Williamson, over one third quarter of SMBs are planning to move over cloud storage.

Specialized software:
All businesses have some of the other administrative tasks to take care. These tasks can make a significant amount of time and money. But software that is designed to perform specific specialized tasks can save a considerable amount of a business’s time and provide such small businesses a competitive edge.

Internet of things:
The devices are moving on to become smart and self-reliant in all senses. From smartphones, smart homes and intelligent lock, every aspect of over life is becoming smarter. By fitting in sensors and processors, technology has enabled any device to become an intelligent machine. These devices if efficiently used by small businesses can help them save a significant amount of money on other resources and operations. Most of the IoT devices are built to monitor stocks or energy usage that again helps businesses save money and time to make the evaluation. IoT is also being used in the health and wellness sector.

Artificial intelligence:
Artificial intelligence has to be one of the most significant technological advancement in recent years. Through AI, computers and devices are capable of analyzing data and process it with a little or no human intervention. Since, AI is apt for producing an accurate analysis of the business and predict market trends, having an AI can give businesses a competitive edge.

Automation:
By automating business operations that take a lot of business’s time, enterprises can save their time. Using machines the dependency on human workforce for repetitive and mundane work can be significantly reduced. For the survival and success of a small business, it is important to them to understand what is working for their business and what is not.

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Top 10 Facts about Comprehensive IT Assessments

by Wisideeple1939 on July 24, 2018 / IT

Making a brilliant IT assessment is always difficult due to numerous reasons related to processes. Since IT assessments are extremely important in various student related decisions; it should be precise in first go. In order to enact effective assessments, the following 8 things should be taken into consideration

Evaluation of investments in information technology is quite a difficult task, difficulties being both conceptual and functional. The fact that the investment’s performance is very much dependent on the way a certain information technology project is implemented renders the evaluation procedure even more difficult. IT assessments propose a certain methodology for evaluating investments in information technology, placing special emphasis on investments in telecommunications infrastructure.

In first place, assessment of the alternative implementations/design solutions is conducted and selection of the one best satisfying user and system requirements is selected. At second level, the selected alternative is compared with the present situation so that the expediency and feasibility of assuming the investment are determined. Evaluation is based on both economic and technical criteria. Technology projects are big undertaking for nonprofits, especially when budgeting is tight. However, any organization can perform a tech self-assessment, & better understand the shortcomings of their networks & their future technology needs & also computer storage solutions.

An assessment provides an indication around which decisions are made. Assessment is always a core part for any informative process. As a result, the making of assessments with a focus on subject planning helps in better outcomes related to learning.

Certify that learning objectives must be aligned to the assessment process. Any deviation in the same might leads to taking wrong decisions for student position on learning portfolio.

Objectivity must be relative to context through which pupilcanco-relate subjective knowledge like experimental demand so as to portray competence. Please do not mix it up with difficulty.

Headings must be commanding. If core contents in dictating genre, the students will automatically construct their road toward stop level, thereby assessing the integrated learning.

Let us take an example from the province for enduring understanding. Select from the domain by considering the durable elements that provide the evidence students have mastered the essential content and have a strong foundation for further learning. Moreover, sample a larger number of items from broader standards, and reduce the number when assessing more granular learning targets.

Carefully consider the value of distractors, and ensure that students who do not know the content well can answer something to help inform you of their level of proficiency.

Use item-level and test statistics to guide decisions about scoring. Be sure to evaluate item statistics on appropriate tests before assigning grades or making other decisions using assessment data.

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High Responsive IT Solutions for your Small and Medium Business

by Wisideeple1939 on June 23, 2018 / Responsive IT Solutions

While each business has its own exclusive work beliefs, views, and principal morals, they all require reckless, protected, and dependable knowledge. With a vast selection of sets, it has become very challenging for occupational holders to make a learned conclusion while contracting an outsourced IT maintenance provider.
Number of top IT companies got their start with a “Break-Fix Computer Networking Services” model, which entails calling IT support whenever your system breaks down. Unfortunately, this is beneficial only to the IT firm that makes money every time you experience and report issues. Today, businesses need their servers, desktop computers, laptops, or networks functioning at their peak; otherwise, employees can’t work, clients get angry, and the company loses money.

Are you tired of constant Computer Problems? Why can’t I get IT support that doesn’t cost a fortune? Or at least get the services I was promised?
Do you as a business owner or your partner constantly working on your server, network and still having problems to get thing to work the way it’s design to work?
Well, maybe you you’re going about it the wrong way. Have you considered a professional trained and skilled expert solution such as “Smart Managed-IT Solution”? – A solution based on a different approach, with measurable business result to:
• Transform and improves your business operation and processes to drive key business initiatives and objectives
• Plan and give you a technology road map with tactical action items that looks at the investment in technology over a 3 year period and align investment with solution results.
• Increase uptime, secure critical business assets, with key business policies and industry compliance matrix.
• Prevent potential disasters in computer support such as unexpected down time and data loss disasters, instead of reacting to the daily issues.
And with a flat-rate guarantee IT management fee for services giving you and your business the peace of mind and predictability needed to focus and grow your business while servicing your client with guarantee you are served with one of the best in class IT support.
Small Business IT Support
IT support is your partner in making sure your technology meets the peculiar needs of your business. Serving companies it acts as an extension of your team by providing the IT Management support and computer network maintenance that will put you in a position to grow your business practice.

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Managing your finances with these four automation ideas

by Wisideeple1939 on May 16, 2018 / IT

Today’s technologies have provided man with the capability to automate tasks and responsibilities. Studies have shown that around 45% of current operational processes can be automated.

Another study revealed that around 60% of traditional jobs can have a third of its operational processes automated using current technologies and could soon even evolve to more processes for automation in the near and not-too-distant future.

With advancements in artificial intelligence and machine-learning processes, it’s not a surprise to find that IT consulting services in VA not only provide computer storage solutions but could also enhance features from business process systems to managing financial automation.

What could have been thought difficult at first could now be highly feasible today and here are four ideas how automation can help you save time and money.

Never be afraid to automate your finances
There are a lot of methods to help you streamline your financial obligations and other related processes that deal with your income and expenses. With all the current advancements, you can count on financial technology to help you get started.

Automating your finances means you start laying down all your fixed regular spending and automate it using smartphone or software applications that help you manage your finances without all the fuss. Simply check online and search for applications that you suitable for your financial management needs.

Online banking, on the other hand, can also help you take control of your financial resources better and more conveniently. Update your passwords regularly and make ones that are not easily recognizable or linked to any of your personal information or effects.

Increased productivity by automating your income and expenses
Around half of the companies around the world have been using marketing automation and 55% of business-to-business (B2B) companies have adopted automation technologies to streamline operations. According to 91% of companies, they agree that marketing automation is vital to overall marketing success.

An increase in sales productivity has been seen at 14.5% as a result of marketing automation and a 12.2% reduction in overhead marketing costs. This is looking at it in the large –scale, but imagine how it could also benefit you as an individual.

Automate marketing processes
There are tons of benefits of automation marketing, especially in business. It puts together all the necessary functions of human tasks in a software platform. With most companies taking advantage of marketing automation, it does make one consider its benefits as mentioned earlier.

Automate repetitive and regular tasks
Incorporating AI and machine-learning capabilities aside from autonomy, allows the system to adapt and adjust as it “learns “and considers all factors encountered to make for better improvements to processes.

Automation has brought a lot of promise to businesses and organizations and has clearly demonstrated the impacts to costs and productivity in any organizational system or process, saving time and money at every turn.

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Computer Virus

by Wisideeple1939 on May 16, 2018 / IT

A computer virus is a computer program that creates copies of itself (self-replication) and spreads to other computers. Viruses can be transmitted via email, instant messaging, file sharing systems, or even by an infected CD or floppy disk. Often a virus will pick up all the addresses in your email address book and send a copy of the virus to your friends and family.

Webroot Antivirus: The best protection against viruses, spyware data theft, and hackers.

Sometimes the consequences of a virus are not serious – the time needed to scan all incoming email attachments, for example, or the increased traffic on a network. Sometimes the consequences of a virus are more sinister. Your could lose all the files on your computer. The virus could contain a Trojan Horse that opens a backdoor on your computer, leaving you vulnerable to a hacker ready to take control of your PC (as was the case with the W32/MYDOOM virus).

How can you tell if your computer has been infected by a virus? Here are a few signs and symptoms:

Your computer is running very slowly.
Strange or unexpected error messages appear on your screen.
Your computer shuts down without warning or crashes frequently.
Programs are not running properly.
Strange files or directories appear on your PC.
Your computer runs out of space or experiences problems with memory.

The good news is most anti-virus software companies provide fixes or instructions for removal of specific computer viruses. However, it’s a lot quicker and easier to prevent a computer virus infection than to try and fix a computer that’s been infected. Here are a few suggestions for protecting yourself from computer viruses:

Use a good anti-virus program. Make sure the virus definitions are current. The easiest way to do this is to follow the software company’s instructions for setting up automatic updates. Run a full system virus scan on a regular (weekly) basis.
Don’t open email attachments from people you don’t know, and be careful when opening attachments from people you do know. They might be infected with a virus and not know it, so always perform a virus scan on attached files before opening.
Keep your Microsoft Windows updates and security patches current. Once again you can follow Microsoft’s instructions for turning on automatic updates.
A personal firewall can give you additional protection from unwanted computer virus infections.
Use the most recent version of your instant messaging software. Don’t open files from people you don’t know, and exercise caution when opening files from people you do know.
Regularly back up the information on your computer so you won’t lose important files if your computer does become infected with a virus.

The best advice for protecting yourself and your computer from viruses is to exercise common sense. Most definitely in the case of computer viruses an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Virus Protection

by Wisideeple1939 on February 22, 2006 / IT

Virus protection is important because even with all the media attention and awareness of the problem, computer viruses are still an issue that needs to be addressed when it comes to safe computing. One statistic on the internet reports that approximately 24% of the computers in the USA on that date (2/22/06) were infected with a computer virus.

The best way to protect yourself and your computer is with virus protection software. It doesn’t matter if you use your computer for business or personal reasons (or both) – virus protection is a key component of your internet safety and security strategy.

Virus Protection Software Works in Several Ways

Good virus protection software can protect your computer in several ways. First, it can scan all the files on your computer to see if you are infected with a virus. If you are, virus protection software can either remove the virus from your computer or quarantine it so it doesn’t cause any further harm.

Next, virus protection software can scan incoming and outgoing emails and attachments for viruses. Virus protection can stop an infection before it even starts on your PC. Most computer viruses are spread via email – even from people you know. It’s interesting to note that a computer virus is self-replicating. What this means is that the virus is capable of creating copies of itself and spreading it to other computers on your network, or to the people in your email address book. Virus protection software scans all your outgoing emails. In the unlikely event that your computer is infected with a virus, virus protection software will stop infected attachments from being sent to all your friends and family.

Virus Protection Needs to be Kept Current

There are hundreds of thousands of known computer viruses. You can take a look at our computer virus database to see what they are. Virus protection software will protect you against all known viruses. Good virus protection software will also distribute updates to all users as new computer viruses are discovered.

Virus Protection Key to Safe Computing

Virus protection software is a key component in your computer security plan. Along with a personal firewall and anti-spyware software, virus protection programs can give you the peace of mind you need while surfing the internet.

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Should you build your own PC?

by Wisideeple1939 on February 22, 2006 / IT

Ah, the big debate when it comes to personal home computers: Should you build your own or just buy one?

When looking inside a computer one might immediately have the feeling of just quitting while you’re ahead. All those wires and circuit boards can scare some people as to even touching the computer for fear they might destroy it.

However, don’t get discouraged.

Assembling your own computer is like assembling a child’s toy. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of learning to build your own PC.

PROS: If you are more concerned about the budget of your computer and not so worried about the additional components of a PC, just buying a package may be the right answer for you. However, if you want to add some specs that are right for your demand, assembling your own PC may be the best option.

Building your own PC will allow you to pick and choose the components thus allowing you to match more exactly your needs and desires in a home computer.

Those cheap PC packages at many stores more than likely have the bare minimum components and will not have those extras you really want. If you really want the best and still be reasonably priced, upgrading your PC components piece by piece works a lot better.

Building your own computer is a great experience as well and a chance to learn what makes your computer tick thus making future repair and troubleshooting much easier. You will have a better understanding as to how each component works with each other. The knowledge you gain will be very useful when you’re computer breaks down. And we all know that is a “when” and not “if”, right?

Troubleshooting knowledge is very useful and can save you a ton of money in technician costs. You will be able to find the problem on your own PC and repair it by yourself. The cost of getting it repaired by someone else is expensive. Plus, with this new skill set, you have an added bonus to repair the computers of other people and you can possibly earn from that knowledge as well.

When you build your own system, you can guarantee that your computer is the best as you know exactly what is inside it. Retailers will often use cheap Original Equipment Manufacturer to cut down the cost of the computer. Cheaper cost equals bigger profits. The performance of your computer will be compromised when cheap parts are used. Brand name components may be costly but are worth the cost.

In the world of PCs it often is ‘you get what you pay for’!

CONS: A disadvantage in building your own PC is not getting a warranty for the whole system. You will only get warranty component by component as you buy them so if the motherboard fries the chips you will only have warranty for the board but and not the chips.

However, if you buy all your components from the same retailer, you may possibly get some compensation.

Bottom line building your own PC is really priceless. It may take a lot of your time but the time spent will be valuable for future endeavors. It’s not that intimidating to build your own PC, just consider it as a challenge.

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Email Spam

by Wisideeple1939 on February 6, 2006 / IT

Anyone who uses email on a regular basis (whether for personal or business reasons) most likely has experienced the nuisance of email spam. You know the messages we mean – anything from herbal drugs, to low-interest mortgage loans, or even single people in your town looking for company. The people that send out these types of messages are called email spammers.

What is Email Spam?

Email spam is any unwanted, unsolicited email message, sent out in bulk. More often than not the messages are commercial in nature, but chain letters are also considered spam.

Email Spam is a Growing Problem

Things are getting worse rather than better in terms of the number of email spam messages sent out daily. One leading internet service provider reports that 30% of the 30 million email messages processed by them are considered spam. A report issued by the Radicati Group estimates that by 2007 70% of the email messages sent daily will be email spam.

Where do Email Spammers Get the Addresses?

Email addresses are collected (or “harvested”) from websites, Usenet postings, newsgroups, chat rooms, and the like. The email spammers either go out and get the addresses themselves to build their distribution lists or will purchase the addresses from a list broker that provides this service. Sometimes the spammers will use popular email extensions and guess at the names using familiar names and variations of them.

Is Email Spam Bad?

Yes. The major problem with email spam is that it consumes resources, both on the internet and your computer specifically. There’s the possibility of identity theft with Phishing messages (which are considered email spam). But most of all email spam is a nuisance. It gets very annoying and tiresome to deal with these messages every time you open your email program.

What Can You Do to Avoid Email Spam?

First, do not reply to an email spam message. If a product is advertised, don’t buy it via the email message. If the email spammers can’t make money from the messages they send out they’ll stop sending them. Also, don’t reply to the message to remove your email address. That specific advertiser will remove you from their list but will go ahead and sell your email address as a valid address to a list broker.

Second, consider using a “junk” email address to use when prompted on the internet to provide an email address. Create a second email address for personal use, using a variety of letters and numbers to make it difficult for email spammers to “guess” your email address.

Don’t provide your email address unless you know how it will be used. Reputable firms and websites will tell you in their privacy policy how they use your personal information and that includes your email address. On these reputable websites, you’ll be given the opportunity to “opt-in” or “opt-out” of receiving email messages.

Finally, use a good anti-spam program to get rid of email spam messages before they even arrive in your inbox.

Following these suggestions won’t rid the world of email spam. They will, however, help you avoid the nuisance of email spam in your personal and business email usage.

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Email Scams

by Wisideeple1939 on January 28, 2006 / IT

Every time you open your email program chances are you’ll find a message that contains an email scam. When you think of the word scam you might automatically think of a criminal trying to steal your money. Email scams, either directly or indirectly, are designed to cheat you out of your money one way or another.

Email scams can come in all shapes and sizes. This article will provide some examples of the types of email scams you might find on the internet today.

Employment Scams

One of the more popular types of email scam you might encounter is the employment scams, usually dealing with foreign or overseas employment. These scams are often targeted towards people in Asian and other countries with high unemployment rates. There are a few ways in which the unsuspecting recipient could be scammed:

An offer of guaranteed employment within a certain period of time, for a fee.
The criminal claims to be working on behalf of a real company overseas. After a telephone interview or a face to face interview, the victim is told they got the job but need to pay a certain amount of money to cover administrative fees, work permits, visas and so on.

Get Rich Quick Scams

These are emails that offer the recipient a chance to earn money effortlessly and quickly. An example of this type of scam would be the Advance Fee Fraud, also known as the “Nigerian 419” scam. In these scams, you get an email from a government “official” asking for your assistance in transferring money from a bank in their country to another one. The victim is asked to provide letterhead and other information from their current bank (including bank account numbers) to expedite the transaction. Of course, there is no money coming from that foreign government. The only money changing hands is the money the criminals take from your bank account.

Other examples of getting rich quick email scams include:

The Foreign Cashier’s Check Scam
Work at Home scams
Investment opportunity scams
Foreign lottery scams

Credit Card / Loan Scams

The victim receives an email stating they’ve been pre-approved for a credit card or a personal loan. The victim is asked to pay a fee to guarantee the loan or credit card. The criminal keeps the money, and the victim receives nothing.

Credit Repair Scams

An email is sent out that guarantees the recipient can “fix” their bad credit or bankruptcy for a fee. No company can fix someone’s credit – it’s just the con artists preying on the desperate yet again.

Product Scams

Whether it’s herbal male enhancement pills or weight loss drugs, the products sent out don’t live up to the claims made in the original email messages. The victims are just throwing away good money on products that don’t work.

Protect Yourself from Email Scams

Don’t respond to unsolicited emails you receive that promise you a windfall. Chances are they are a scam or a Phishing email. Be skeptical of any claims made in these emails you receive. You can always go to your favorite search engine to determine the legitimacy of the email.

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