Computer Experts Blog

Windows XP has been the preferred operating system for small businesses around the country for several years. While there have been other versions of Windows released, businesses have not upgraded as quickly as Microsoft may have liked. Outsourced IT companies are encouraging small business owners to understand the ramifications of not upgrading to a newer version of Windows.

End of Support

Microsoft will no longer support Windows XP after April 8, 2014. While this may seem like a far-off date, it can take many months for companies to upgrade all of their machines to a new operating system. Keep this in mind as you inch closer to this important April 2014 date. An outsourced IT company can help you determine the best way to upgrade your machines with the least amount of issues for you and your company.

Security Issues

When a company stops supporting an operating system or software package it opens up the opportunity for hackers to target these systems because of the outdated software. After April of 2014, Microsoft will no longer offer patches and security updates, which means that your company could be vulnerable to all sorts of online attacks.

Software Compatibility

If you and your company decide to continue to use Windows XP after Microsoft no longer supports the platform, you may run into software compatibility issues with other products that you use in your business. Software companies will follow Microsoft’s lead and stop offering Windows XP versions of their software soon after Microsoft ends support for Windows XP. You may miss out on important features of your favorite software packages because of the fact that you will not be upgrading to a newer version of Windows.

Whatever you do in terms of an operating system it is important to consult an outsourced IT company to determine the best options for your business. They can give you an honest opinion of whether you should upgrade from Windows XP to a newer, more robust operating system.

With the increased speeds online, companies are looking at ways to ensure that their networks are performing at peak efficiency. To ensure high speed data transfer, cat6 cables are often used as opposed to cat 5e cables. When comparing cat5e vs cat6 cables there are several things to keep in mind:

Increased Speed

Cat6 cable, due to how it is constructed, is twice as fast as cat5e cable. This is due to separators within the cable that ensure that none of the pairs of wire touch which helps to increase the speed of the cat6 cable. This is just one of the differences of cat5e versus cat6 cable. Cat6 cable is capable of speeds up to 1 gigibit, which is much faster than standard cat5e cable.

Scalability

With cat6 cable, you can rest easy knowing that your network infrastructure will be scalable as your company grows. To fully utilize the benefits of cat6 cable, all of your network devices will need to be upgraded. You can do this over time, but it all starts with upgrading your existing cabling to cat6.

Compatibility

When comparing cat5e versus cat6 cabling, it is important to realize that cat6 cable is completely backwards compatible with cat5e cabling. This means that anywhere that you can use cat5e cable you can also use cat6 cabling. Obviously if there is any existing cat5e cabling, you will not get the full speed benefits of cat6 cabling, but you should not run into any compatibility issues when using both cat5e and cat6 cabling.

There are many benefits of using cat6 cabling as opposed to cat5e. If you are moving to a new office or completely upgrading your networking infrastructure, it would be wise to invest in cat6 cables instead of cat5e. Even if all of your peripherals will not be able to utilize the increased speeds of cat6 cables, you will appreciate these capabilities when you decide to upgrade your equipment in the future.

If your computer is starting to slow down and is not behaving in the way that it used to, you may need to contact one of the local IT support companies to help with your computer problems. You do not have to be frustrated every time your computer boots. If you contact a professional they can help you restore your computer to like-new condition. There are several things to keep in mind before fixing your computer.

Is It Worth It?

How old is your computer? If your computer is several years old and it will cost more than it is worth to fix it then it may be time for a new computer. Honest IT support companies will advise you to replace your computer as opposed to repair it if the computer is over 3 or 4 years old.

Backup, Backup

Before dropping your computer off at an IT support company, it is important to backup your data if at all possible. This way, no matter what, you will still have your important data if something were to happen to your computer. With cloud based backup solutions, keeping a backup of all of your computer data is easier than ever.

Hire an Accredited IT Professional

When you contact one of the local IT support companies to repair your computer, make sure that the company is properly licensed and accredited. For computer repair you should ensure that the company has a technician with an A+ certification. The A+ certification covers general computer repair techniques that are vital for a computer repair company.

If you keep these tips in mind when hiring a computer repair company you should be able to find a professional that can repair your computer in a short amount of time for a reasonable price. Make sure to get several quotes before deciding on an IT support company for your ailing computer

As a growing company, you may be trying to determine if it is better to lease or buy computers for your business. It can sometimes be difficult to know what the right move will be to ensure that your company will be poised for growth. Computer leasing can offer your business several benefits over purchasing computers for all of your employees.

Keeps Equipment Current

With leasing, you have an agreement with an outsourced IT or leasing company to provide you with state of the art computers every few years. Depending on the terms of your agreement, your company may receive new computers as often as every year. This allows you to always have the latest technology as opposed to if you purchase the computers you will likely use them for longer and therefore they will be much more outdated.

Easier to Budget

With computer leasing, you are able to budget much easier than if you purchase your new computers all at once. This allows for you to have a set amount that you allocate each month for computers as opposed to a lump sum payment all at once. This can allow you to improve your cash flow significantly, which can help in other aspects of your business.

No Money Down

With many computer leasing programs, you do not have to put any money down towards the computers when you sign your agreement with an outsourced IT or leasing company. This allows you to only have to worry about the monthly payment, which is a benefit when cash is low for your business.

Leasing versus buying computers comes down to personal preference for a business owner. Even after looking at the benefits of leasing, some business owners prefer to purchase all of their equipment. This is fine, but it is important to have all of the information before making a large financial decision such as replacing your computers.

Many companies are afraid of Linux because of the aged user interfaces that most people think about when they refer to this operating system. What people do not realize is that the user interfaces of many Linux distributions have been completely redesigned and offer a feature set similar to Microsoft Windows. There are several reasons that companies should choose Linux for their IT solutions in San Jose.

Free, Free, Free

One of the greatest advantages of Linux is that it is completely free. Linux was built by a community of developers who are committed to providing a high quality operating system for no cost to the end users. Not only is Linux free, but also it is a full-featured operating system fit to handle any company’s needs.

Complete Customization

Because Linux is completely open source, companies are able to modify the operating system to meet their needs. Many companies have taken the standard Linux distributions and modified them to suit their needs. Companies offering IT solutions in San Jose can help you and your business choose a Linux platform that works for you.

Built On Unix

All Linux distributions are built on Unix, a powerful operating system that is used to power some of the largest companies in the world. Unix is a rock solid platform that will prove both reliable and cost effective for any company looking to take their business to the next level.

Incredible Community

IT companies will tell you that the Linux community is simply amazing. Should you run into any problems installing Linux or have a question about various features, there are hundreds of web sites that can help you. There are also online forums where you can interact with other Linux users to help you unearth all of the wonderful features of this reliable operating system.

While many outsourced IT support companies may offer virtualization services, few companies actually understand the benefits of this growing technology. Virtualization is often overlooked by small businesses, but if implemented correctly can save companies big money. There are several advantages to virtualization which are listed below:

Energy Savings

Virtualization allows you and your company to operate more efficiently, whichmean significant savings for your company. Virtualization allows outsourced IT support companies to setup multiple servers using a single machine, which is both cost effective and energy efficient.

Easy Provisioning of New Servers

Many companies are including virtualization in their computer services in San Jose because of the easy scalability. As your business grows, it is easy to add new servers through virtualization. This can be done with very little added cost which is much different than in the past where it was both expensive and labor intensive to add additional servers to your business network.

Backups Made Easy

Most of the virtualization solutions offered allow for companies to quickly restore data that has been lost due to server failure. This makes it much easier for companies to recover from a data disaster. Data recovery in San Jose is a serious business and more and more companies are adding virtualization to their suite of services to help with data loss.

Less Downtime

One of the most detrimental things that can happen to a company is downtime. As servers age, they usually crash and can cause significant downtime for a growing company. Virtualization allows companies to grow quickly and efficiently reducing downtime significantly. With virtual servers, outsourced IT support companies can quickly provision new servers before hardware issues occur. In the event of hardware failure, virtual servers can be launched in minutes as opposed to the hours that it could take to configure physical servers.

It is hard to pick up a computer magazine these days without reading an article about how computing is moving to the cloud. One of the newest cloud services on the computer scene is Office 365 from Microsoft. This software suite offers many advantages over the desktop alternative. Companies offering computer services in San Jose are excited about all of the wonderful features of this cloud based software product.

No Need For Backups

Because Office 365 exists completely in the cloud, you do not have to worry about backing up your data. With the backing of Microsoft, you can be confident that your data will always be protected. No longer do you have to worry about if you actually saved that important document – with Office 365 you know that it is saved and will exist even if your entire computer crashes. This brings a sense of relief to companies offering who try to stress the importance of backups to their clients.

Subscription based Fees

The traditional Microsoft Office can cost you hundreds of dollars for each license. With Office 365 you pay a small monthly fee for each user at your company. This can spread the cost of ownership over a longer period of time, which can help with a company’s cash flow.

Email Hosting Included

Not only do you get the full suite of Office products, but you also get free email hosting included with your Office 365 subscription. Setting up a Microsoft Exchange email server can be quite expensive for a company, so Office 365 is a great way to reduce your costs.

Free Updates

Office 365 offers free updates at all times. No longer do you have to pay hefty fees for upgrades. With Office 365, upgrades are done in the background completely for free!

Computer repair in San Jose is no longer needed only when your computer is acting up.  There are several different things which, when you see them happen, indicate that you should begin to think about taking your computer in to a local computer repair shop.

Watch out for Viruses

Viruses can cause damage to your computer, which can be devastating. Viruses can cause your computer to slow down and eventually completely shutdown. There are several free virus protection options such as Avast and AVG that can help prevent your computer from becoming infected. If you have already fallen victim to a virus, it is important to enlist the services of a company offering computer repair in San Jose.

Computer Slowdown

If your computer is starting to become sluggish, it may be time to take your computer in for repair. Computer specialists can look over your computer to determine what is causing the slowdown. You may need to upgrade your hard disk space or RAM, which can help speed up your computer significantly.

Upgrades, Upgrades, Upgrades

If your computer is starting to act up, it may be time for an upgrade.  You may think that you need a new computer but if you upgrade your processor as well as your RAM you can significantly increase the speed of your computer.  This can sometimes be more economical than buying a new computer.  Ask a company offering computer repair in San Jose whether or not it makes sense to upgrade your computer or buy a brand new one.

Laptop Repair in San Jose

If your laptop is in need of repair, you should be very careful as to which company you choose to fix your machine. Certain companies may not have the expertise needed to fix your laptop. Common problems, which can usually be fixed, include a broken screen, broken keyboard as well as a laptop that no longer holds a charge.

Preparing for data recovery in San Jose begins with investigating what puts resources at risk in the first place. Hazards result from two primary categories, natural disasters and human-induced disasters.

The next step is protection, to minimize the impact that a disaster could have on operations. Look at the data assets and how various components impact the ability of a company to operate. For example, the risk of computer services in San Jose under attack from hackers would be addressed much differently than structural integrity issues during a severe earthquake in Santa Clara County. Likewise, some data is vital to run the company, while other files are rarely accessed and can be handled in different ways.

This protection phase includes proactive steps to guard computer services in San Jose against natural and human risks. A multi-pronged approach is needed to ensure important data is never lost to a disaster brought on by mother nature or humans.

Create a contingency plan should the worst occur. Who will handle your computer services in San Jose if small or large events occur? Is the crisis team available 24/7? If the IT Director is in Hawaii who gets the call? The process of restoring a deleted file is not the same as one to operate from a Silicon Valley hotel room if the whole building is inaccessible.

We understand the unique challenges of data recovery in San Jose, California. There is more than we can share on one page, but security is achievable. Contact us for best practices and professional computer services and data recovery in the California area.

Unfortunately change is a necessary evil. It’s the reaction to change that sets a person apart from the crowd. If a change of office space is on the horizon, then IT solutions in San Jose are on the agenda. Companies of all sizes need to be wired to the world these days, and the center of Silicon Valley is certainly no exception.

There is enough normal work to do to keep the gears of business moving, but when a facility relocation is on the radar then locally outsourced IT support can be a lifesaver. Our project management professionals and computer technicians understand how stressful this can be to a growing company. We take the burden from those challenges to the degree that optimizes each move and those involved. There is a lot to think about, and suffice it to say, this is not our first rodeo.

We dream happy thoughts of thousand port wiring diagrams and the irony of CAT-5 cable having eight wires. We are the best choice for IT solutions in San Jose. As the tip of the iceberg, we can help with a decision on wireless connectivity; be certain that component security is in place before, during, and after the move; plan for data backups and even printer mapping. There a thousand challenges in moving a Santa Clara County business. This does not have to be one of them with outsourced IT support.

Our dream team can support internal information technology staff, take care of everything, or something in between. We are here to help maximize the success of your company. Some clients rave about us so much that they keep us on as full-time outsourced IT support in their new environment. No matter if you are looking to save money by outsourcing or growing rapidly, outsourced IT solutions in San Jose can be a huge help during a large transition such as an office move.

Going out on a limb, we are going to say that most businesses in Silicon Valley were not created merely to generate employment for a highly educated, highly compensated help desk engineer to drink coffee so an occasional email password can be recovered. Likewise, your highly educated, highly compensated team of Stanford grads should be changing the world instead of looking at a blue screen and hours of lost productivity. Help desk outsourcing overseas can’t help when a cable is loose. How can a growing business get ahead in these challenging times? Local help desk support in San Jose can solve all of these problems.

Local help desk outsourcing is the answer to growing pains for both smart entrepreneurs and established firms in California. Lean management principles encourage the elimination of waste, and focus on adding value to the end user – so do we. This means focusing on business targets instead of busy work.

Help desk support in San Jose makes good business sense. When a company adds up the expense for wages, taxes, medical and other benefits, hardware, software, tools, furniture, twice the hours spent with supervisors or human resources it is clear to see that outsourcing certain tasks greatly benefits most companies.

When smart companies choose professional help desk outsourcing services, they can expect to have problems solved in a much faster way than if they were relying on an in house IT resource. Most IT support companies have hardware experts, software gurus, and project management wizards. Common services of these companies include backing up critical data, managing important security updates, monitor antivirus protection, and much more.

Local help desk support in San Jose can take your company to the next level by giving you the edge that the competition has overlooked. After all, isn’t the ability to see things differently why you do what you do in the first place?

Many retail, professional, and corporate computer services in San Jose use wireless networks because of the convenience. There is a meaningful cost savings in both labor and products when working without wires. A wireless installation looks cleaner without miles of wires. Fewer wires is a benefit to the environment at the beginning and end of a life cycle. Freedom from wires, ports, and static installations can really impact how space is used in a facility. Employees are more efficient when they can simply pick up a laptop and plug it into a projector for a meeting down the hall.

With this rosy report, decision makers planning company IT solutions in San Jose surely must put a new or expanded wireless networking on it’s short list of important projects – or is there more to consider?

Security must be the crux of the conversation when discussing wireless computer services in San Jose. The password for an average wireless network in a residential neighborhood can be hacked within five seconds from up to four miles away. If the same setup process is used for a commercial application, the dangers of a wireless network in the workplace are greatly multiplied.

IT solutions in San Jose must take into account the high technical aptitude across the Silicon Valley. Some hackers are malicious and want to cause harm and others just do it to prove they can. Data can be read, saved, changed, monitored, or distributed. Approximately 5% of networks that have been hacked never even found out about it.

Fortunately, we plan and implement secure professional IT solutions in San Jose. Avoid an operational, financial, and public relations nightmare. Let us introduce some new networking friends: WPA-2, VPN, and MAC. Secure wireless computer services in San Jose start with a call to us, and end with a smile.

Outsourcing is all the rage, fueled by the popularity of books like The 4-Hour Work Week and the increasing need for business to become more “nimble” and efficient. You may have already instituted some form of outsourcing, perhaps for your HR or building management needs. But don’t forget about the very real benefits of outsourcing your current and/or future IT operations as well. These benefits include:

Professional expertise. Keeping a company’s IT systems and services running smoothly and securely is a full-time job in itself, and not an easy one. Today’s business world demands rock-solid networks, servers, security, connectivity, software and hardware performance. The level of consistency required can make internal IT a devilish sapper of time, effort and productivity. By handing those tasks over to a third party who specializes in them, you ensure top-quality attention to detail, regular updates and maintenance, and quick response to any challenges that may come up. You also slash the risk of security threats when you let us take the reigns on your network firewalls, proxies and protocols.

Controllable costs. Is IT outsourcing automatically “cheaper” than in-house IT? Not necessarily — but it can give you much greater value for your technology dollar. For one thing, our experts can advise you on systems planning and component purchasing, thus making sure you get the products and services most likely to earn their keep in terms of efficiency and reliability. Also, an in-house IT budget may have to contend with multiple subcontractors and providers, which means that actual costs may bob up and down wildly. When you do everything through CEC, you get the services you’re contracted for at the price you expect — and at the same time, you keep your internal IT payroll from mushrooming out of control.

“Physician, health thyself.” Many doctors, dentists and other medical providers across the U.S. are guilty of neglecting a very sick patient on their own premises — their own clinic’s record-keeping and billing systems. This is a serious problem that needs correcting, and soon. Going without proper electronic medical billing and electronic medical records (EMRs) will not only end up costing you money sooner than you may realize, but it also leaves you vulnerable to security breaches that may threaten patient confidentiality.

It’s understandable that many medical facilities have fallen behind in their conversion to electronic records and updates to whatever industry-specific software they already have. The recent economic meltdown has added to the already heavy burden of running practically any kind of medical business, on top of the heavy malpractice insurance and other expenses practitioners must budget for just to stay in the game. That means there are a lot of offices out there that are still either running on paper files or using electronic systems so antiquated that aren’t even compatible with modern software. But time is running out. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 states that medical providers must adopt an EMR system by 2015 or sacrifice a percentage of their incoming Medicare payments. So while investing in a modern record-keeping system costs money, not investing could cost a lot more.

Updating your network’s security, if it hasn’t been done recently, is also a must for ensuring HIPAA compliance. Insecure networks can be hacked, and the resulting loss of patient confidentiality could put your facility at risk for lawsuits and financial penalties. Again, you can’t afford not to upgrade your systems — now! But don’t panic; just contact CEC and let us help your business achieve a clean bill of health.

If your business was hit hard by the economic roller-coaster of the past few years, you’re not alone. Here at Computer Experts Corporation we’ve seen many companies cut back on expenses — including those allocated for critical operations such as information technologies — in reaction to an uncertain economic climate. Unfortunately, this creates a huge problem in the long term, because the further your IT lags behind the times, the less productive, and profitable, your business becomes.

Of course, the economy itself doesn’t “make” any company’s IT systems and software fall behind the curve; that’s the result of either a conscious choice or unconscious neglect on the part of management. But when revenues dive and business looks bleak, something’s got to give, and in many cases that something has included allowing IT systems to skip much-needed maintenance and upgrades. As a result, we’re seeing lots of companies struggling with the fact that their current setup is incompatible with the latest hardware or software required by their industries, including accounting and legal firms, construction companies, and even NASDAQ. Well, the economy’s bound to snap back — but are you ready to catch it on the rebound?

Fortunately, getting your IT capability back up to current industry standards doesn’t require creating a whole new department or hiring your own tech staff. Nor do you have to spend huge chunks of valuable managerial time devising and implementing the necessary changes to hardware and software. CEC can evaluate your current systems, recommend the upgrades you need to make, make sure they’re done correctly, and then continue to manage and monitor them as needed. And we can do all this as an outsourced service for the utmost in cost-effectiveness and time management. We make it easy for companies just like yours to get themselves back in business!

Cloud computing has proven a boon to businesses—especially small businesses, for which it hits a particularly sweet spot. With cloud services, small businesses reap the benefits of not having to deploy physical infrastructure like file and e-mail servers, storage systems or shrink-wrapped software. Plus, the “anywhere, anytime” availability of these solutions, means hassle-free collaboration among business partners and employees using the ubiquitous browser. Cloud services also provide entrepreneurs, SOHOs, and mom-and-pop outfits access to sophisticated technology without the need of an IT consultant or tech worker on the payroll.

In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that aside from a locally installed desktop operating system and browser (or increasingly, from a single mobile device) a lot of today’s small business technology needs can be fulfilled almost completely with cloud-based offerings.

What’s cloud computing?

Many complain that the concept of cloud computing is merely a marketing term to define centralized, mainframe computing. However, the model of today’s cloud computing differs from that of mainframes of the past.

First, the sheer amount of resources available makes today’s cloud computing incomparable to mainframe/terminal host computing. It’s nothing for cloud storage providers to quickly add another GB of storage for a customer simply at the customer’s request thanks to scalable and flexible cloud-computing resources hosted by the likes of Amazon, Rackspace and other providers. The efficiency of delivering cloud computing resources is also credited to faster networking and Internet connectivity at a relatively low price.

Second, cloud computing is a broad umbrella under which many sub-divisions fall. Cloud computing can include Software-as-a-Service where a specific application or service is offered to a customer as a subscription. Dropbox, Salesforce.com, and QuickBooks are all examples of SaaS. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) allows businesses a platform on which they can create and deploy custom apps, databases and line-of-business services integrated into one platform. Examples of PaaS include Windows Azure and Google App Engine.

With Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), businesses can purchase infrastructure from providers as virtual resources. Components include servers, memory, firewalls and more. IaaS providers include Amazon EC2, Rackspace, and Google Compute Engine.

Most small businesses will more than likely only need to use SaaS services. For these businesses, SaaS provides a way of delivering a host of software and technical services that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive and difficult to manage as on-premise, local solutions.