Below is a story regarding a local soldier with the last name of Stone that has served in the United States Military whom the team at Expetec Technology Services is seeking to help, along with his entire family.  We encourage you to share this with those who you know and trust in an effort to support a member of our community who has supported all of us.

Background

Please note, that due to security reasons, the full identity of our military personnel cannot be revealed sometimes.  If you would like to validate any of these details prior to your donation, please call us at 248-218-5018.

Reserve soldier Stone is only 23 years old.  He is married and him and his wife have a daughter Karly who is almost 2 years old.  In the last year his wife has had to have brain surgery and is now only able to work part-time.  He was just recently laid off from his employer. To compound his situation he was diagnosed with cancer that required immediate surgery to have one testicle removed.  During surgery, two more areas of his abdomen were discovered to have cancer that now also requires chemotherapy.

Right now the income for the Stone family depends upon his wife’s part time employment and his Reserve once-a-month pay.  While undergoing chemotherapy he will be unable to work and the treatment will take a tremendous toll on his physical health.

Imagine having to endure this journey at such a young age.  This family needs your help.

What Is Needed

Expetec is looking to fill up vans with non-perishable food, size 5 and 6 diapers, baby wipes and hygiene/household necessities, and will also take monetary donations on behalf of the Stone family.

Where You Can Donate

Expetec will be making its first delivery of donations to the family next week.  You can make donations and drop off items at the following locations during their available business hours:

Expetec Technology Services, Inc., 6966 Crooks Road, Suite 26, Troy, MI 48098.  248-218-5018.

Flint Armory (HHC 1-125th IN), 1101 South Chavez Drive, Flint, MI 48503.

Feb 21th and 22nd from 1300-1700

Feb 24th from 1230-1500

Feb 25th, 26th, and 27th from 1300-1700

One of the challenges of building and maintaining a high speed network, is knowing when to take it off line and when not to interrupting the least amount of people as possible without pulling all-nighters or paying an IT company approximately $190 to do it for you.

1: Perform a Comprehensive Back and then do a complete restore from that Back up
During your holiday break look into doing a comprehensive back up for the year, but then recover from that back up. Many organizations invest thousands in back up services but have never done a run through of recovering from their back up ensuring it works. Your back up unlike your insurance policy can be tested before you have to file a claim then find out you aren’t covered.

2: Schedule Server Consolidation, Server Replacement or any major maintenance
This can be a time of year to look into consolidating any servers that you may be ready to take out of service or installing a new server. Other things to review are hard drive space being used and if they need to be upgraded to take on expected growth for the upcoming year. If you have been getting complaints the server is running slow, this would be a good time to upgrade the RAM. Remove any past users who may no longer be with the company whose managers may still be accessing their files and emails.

3: Evaluate new products
As a busy business owner this can be a time of year to test new products that you have wanted to explore. Setting up a test environment would be the best way to achieve this. I would suggest having the people who are impacted most test it then give some feedback. In addition, you and your Network Administrator can verify your current set up has enough horsepower to handle whatever the product is you chose to test.

4: Review your security and usage policies
In today’s world of “Bring Your Own Device”, it is important to ensure that when your employees are using these devices your security policies are protecting that data and protecting your proprietary information. Equally important, they should be protecting your customer’s information. The rules governing PCI Compliance and HIPAA are forever changing, so this is a good time to update these policies.

5: Plan and Budget your Life Cycle for the year.
Take a look at your inventory of switches, firewalls, servers, computers, software and devices that run on your network. This is a good time to budget for the replacement of any of these devices or software so that there are no surprises throughout the year. In addition, take a look at what devices and software have had reoccurring issues that are costing you more in repairs than it would to replace that product.

I Can’t access the internet:
Check all connections to router and that they are correctly plugged in

Check to ensure none of the cables are damaged

Restart computer

Check for red lights on the router (indicates there is a problem with the router)

Check with service provider that your service is not disrupted for Expetec clients call us 248-218-5018 we will call your provider for you.

I can’t make phone calls:
Check all connections to the phone and that they are correctly plugged in

Check to ensure none of the cables are damaged

Restart Phone

Call into your office to ensure you can receive calls

Check with service provider that your service is not disrupted for Expetec clients call us 248-218-5018 we will call your provider for you.

My Computer is running slow
Shut down any programs you are not using but have open

lose webpages you are not using
Turn off internet radio

check to see if your antivirus is running a scan

run your antivirus to check for viruses

run malware software to check for spyware

I can’t print?

Check to ensure everything is powered on and plugged in from your computer to the printer to include any usb cables or network cables

Verify you have chosen the correct printer to print to

Check the printer to make sure it doesn’t have a paper jam

Check the Print queue to ensure there are no jobs that are stuck

I need my Outlook, email, calender, and exchange to sync with my Iphone, Android Phone, and Blackberry? Here is a direct link to the Outlook website:

Sync my cell phone

When choosing what you want to do when you go to the cloud there are many options but you must be careful how you arrange your support before you make the transition. In our experience while interviewing Data Centers and Cloud providers we have discovered that many providers stop at a certain point leaving the customer on their own to find someone to help them when things go wrong but that’s where someone like Expetec can fill in the gap. For example, not all software is Cloud ready, not being able to connect to your Cloud, they only support the infrastructure, and so on. So before you depart with your IT vendor, or parts of your staff get a clear understanding from your potential Cloud provider what is covered under their scope of work.
Things you will want to ask:
Who do I contact when a user can’t connect to my Cloud Platform?
That problem alone can have you calling multiple people. You may be experiencing an internet outage, something as simple as your wireless adapter is not turned on or you are not plugged in to the local network could be the problem, or malware could be causing the problem just to name a few.
Who will verify my software is Cloud ready and it is compatible with the operating system provided by the Cloud provider?
Some industry Specific Software takes a little longer to build a platform that will work with Microsoft Server 2012, Windows 8, and other types of software you may be using.
What is my commitment?
If you decide that it is just not working for you or certain software doesn’t work in the cloud what will you be committed to if you want to make changes.
Another important question maybe the most important is how will this help me serve my customers better or how will it improve the way I am doing business?
Jumping on the cloud bandwagon without a reason can cause many headaches you just don’t need as a business so have a predetermined objective in mind and measure it.

These are just a few things you need to consider for a move to the cloud some that we feel are very important it does not cover everything like backups, redundancy, security but a few things that can cause some headaches.
Author,

Michael St. John
VP of Sales and Marketing
Expetec Technology Servcies

I will go into what being a professional in the military means and by professional I am talking about at our trade not the sirs, ma’ams and at one time polished boots. While training it is always engrained in us to become a professional at our trade regardless of what it is. Basic training was exactly that basic info to teach you the ways of the Army but not really prepare you for your career as a soldier. What I believe makes us the best Army in the world is how we become professionals and that is constantly training to perfect our trade. Using all resources available to include Published doctrine, unit standard operating procedures, mentoring from Senior Leaders(normally NCO’s), and sharing ideas with fellow soldiers then work to implement the best practices across all personnel to the lowest level.

I’m sure most of you have felt like we at Expetec have at times where we are constantly putting out fires taking care of the day to day business as usual. But as we made time to become a professional at running our business from a more strategic level we have seen larger improvements to how we do things, have grown our business in what is considered one fo the worst markets in the whole country. Every year we make an effort to take some sort of strategic planning course, daily we collaborate with each other on little things, we subscribe to resources that can give us little bits of information to make us better and we talk with other business owners to get their input on how they do things. There are many resources out there take what you think serves you best, think it out, and run with it. Share your strategic vision with all levels of your organization get them to contribute buy in and reward them when they help you achieve it.

Lastly, is the team concept working together to accomplish the mission and taking care of your subordinates. As leaders in the Military you are the last person to do everything so how can this translate to business. Well you as the owner or manager need to understand that everyone you serve your staff and your customers needs to have their needs met before yours. By taking care of them first you will get everything you could ever imagine because you will earn their trust and loyalty. They will do just about anything for you and more importantly they will respect your decisions.

Author : Michael St. John VP of Sales and Marketing at Expetec Technology Services of Rochester Hills if you have any questions feel free to email me at mstjohn@expetecrochester.com

This is only a guide to help you make the decision on why choosing an outsourced IT Department is the best fit for your organization. There are many options for choosing the right type of support for your computer network. Ie. outsourcing it to a local computer repair company, having an internal staff, and using a contracted company that puts someone onsite for a normal work week.

We will begin with your onsite staff and onsite personnel through a contracted agency. Some of the benefits that go with onsite personnel are always having someone on hand to handle day to day issues and them becoming familiar with your network. But there are also some draw backs to this, one of them being in many cases they spend more time putting out fires of day to day issues vs. tackling some of the larger projects like moving your network to a new office, upgrading the network, and keeping up on different trends affecting the network. This doesn’t include getting sick or going on vacations leaving no one to attend to your network in case of an outage and time lost operating your business. Other factors to think about are what are they proficient in, is it just computer networks, computer repair, software applications or in some cases your telecommunications network depending on the size of your organization. Another factor to think about is compensation, healthcare benefits, retirement and them leaving for another position.

Choosing to outsource computer network support opens up many options for you as there are many types of computer repair companies out there for example break fix also known as hourly support, block of hours are a prepaid set of hours to be used to support you then you pay again when that block of time is up and, managed services normally a monthly fee with a defined contract as to what they will support.

The break fix model can be inexpensive at first but cost more in the long run due to lack of productivity during outages and scheduling issues. Generally this type of support is never called until there is a problem then a scheduled time frame is set to come in to start working the issue. However, because of their experience with so many different organizations and their networks, they may be able to resolve the problem faster than someone who works for you and has limited experience on trouble shooting problems with in a network. In addition, they can also schedule the right expert for a specific issue to be on site instead of relying on someone who may have never dealt with the issue at hand. You can and will lose countless hours of productivity during a major outage waiting for them to get there. In my experience with new clients that is their number one complaint is waiting for someone to get onsite to tackle the issue. But if you don’t experience many issues then this would be a good way to go.

Blocks of hours scenarios tend to get you a quicker response time because you have already paid them so you should take precedence over the companies non prepay clients. In your block of hours you may also have negotiated in a certain amount of times they should be coming in to do some routine maintenance or work on projects. In most cases if you call them you are getting dinged for support hours. There benefits here are the same when it comes to scheduling the right expert for the job as long as it is more than a one person company.

Going to a Managed services contract can be one of the most beneficial things you do and get you the fastest response times. You get an entire staff of people working on your network 24/7 with many different experiences so that you always have the best fit for whatever the situation is. In addition, you now have a person who can aid in the management of bigger projects for you allowing you to focus on your business. The managed service provider should have many tools to assist your organizations network stay healthy like monitoring tools to maximize network up time, standard software updates for windows products and antivirus software and remote access to all users. In addition, while one person on their team is rebuilding a workstation another could be out shopping for a new server for you instead of one person trying to handle this on their own in some cases. Many things you may want, need or don’t want can be negotiated in the contract. Your provider should be able to provide reports for all that is happening in your network on a month to month basis. They can help you develop a plan for life cycle management of your equipment. Many of them will sell equipment therefore you can work with them to get you your equipment when you need it without having to do tons of research. Due to them having multiple people working on your network you never have to worry about them being gone on vacation, getting sick, military leave or family emergencies. Using a Managed services provider is like having your own enterprise IT department at a fraction of the cost and in some of our experiences less than the cost of a one person IT department.

On a dollars and cents basis we have seen a $30,000/year savings on going managed services Vs. having one onsite person to manage a 130 user network. With the transition the client was able to get many projects completed that were being put off because of day to day problems for example getting their new server installed that had been purchased 5 months prior to switching. They also completed the transition of upgrading their internet bandwidth and telephone service within the first month of switching after having made the decision to upgrade 6 months prior normally a 30 day turn around.

From a quality managed services firm it is always going to be in their best interest to ensure your network is always running at optimal conditions. So they may also be able to help in other areas by making recommendations or creating standard procedures for you to ensure human error has as little effect on your network as possible. And as long as they have the right tools they will be able to save you thousands if not millions of dollars and countless hours of productivity for any major outages they prevent before they happen or get alerted on as they happen when no one is in the office.

Author Michael St. John
VP of Sales and Marketing

The landscape of communication all over the world has changed with the invention of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. We can have access to the what, who, when, where and how people are doing, what they are thinking, what they are into.  We can also have access to where they are at any given time via their use of computers, smart phones and tablets. Soldiers, long lost friends, customers, and suppliers are able to communicate more efficiently to their followers versus older mediums such as letters, print advertising, television and radio.

Personally I use social media for multiple reasons – here are four that immediately come to mind.  As a deployed Soldier with limited access to the internet, I use it to let many of my friends and family know how I am doing without having to write multiple letters and emails. As a business owner I use our page to give valuable information regarding technology to followers for business and personal life. Also, as a business owner I use it to market to very specific people based on their demographics. As a volunteer with many types of organizations, I use it to spread the word about upcoming events and significant news.

The question you may be asking is how you as a business owner or manager can use it to your advantage.  Like any other medium you will need to figure out who, what, where, when and why for the page.   Some mediums like mailers are designed to get prospects to call in or show up to buy something. Too many mailers to the same prospect may not be a good thing.  The same is true here.  Hammering your followers with advertising and specials may not have the results you are looking for.  With social media it’s free to post but posting relevant information will get you better results. This relevant information can be shared by your followers with their friends getting you more free advertising.  Some sites will track how much of your info is shared with others and who is commenting on your information. On the flip side of that, treat a customer poorly and then your name gets blasted to all of their friends regardless if you have a page or not. Internally you will have to ensure your people are providing the best experience possible because in seconds some form of word of mouth advertising can be created – good or bad.

Want some quick, free advertising?  You can recommend that your walk in customers share with their friends by checking in via Facebook and Foursquare. Simply post at your location entrance and at the counter “don’t forget to check in with your friends.”  To entice them, offer them a discount or a free gift – such as a pen with your name on it. If the average user has about 200 friends and you have approximately 30 people walking in your location daily with one third of them checking in, you just received exposure to 2000 people.  Do the math for the number of days you are open and now you have a number for the potential amount of exposure you get on a yearly basis. Some social media websites will track how many people checked in to your location. Depending on your type of business, your employees can check in as well.  Things they can talk about while checking in range from customer solutions they are working on that day to clients they are seeing that day.  All this helps spread the word for current and potential clients to your followers.

The question you have to ask your self is “what is preventing me from jumping on the free advertising engine?”  There is time and effort put into it and we all know time is money but with a well written plan and proper execution the time spent creating it will pay for itself.

If you’re expecting a package from FedEx, or even if you’re not, be alert for fraudulent emails claiming to be from FedEx regarding a package that could not be delivered. The email will ask the recipient to open an attachment in order to obtain the airbill or invoice for picking up the package. The attachment is a virus. Do not open it! Instead, delete it immediately.

These fraudulent emails are from third parties, not associated with FedEx. When FedEx sends emails with tracking updates for undeliverable packages they do not include attachments.

FedEx does not request payment or personal information in return for goods in transit or in FexEx custody. If you have received a fraudulent email that claims to be from FedEx, you can report it by forwarding it to abuse@fedex.com.

With all the talk about Cloud Computing, this is the question a lot of businesses are facing. To make an educated decision on this, you’ll want explore the reasons why businesses are embracing the cloud, and think through the concerns about capabilities, security, reliability, and integration.

There’s probably a good chance you’ve already used some form of cloud computing. If you have an e-mail account with a Web-based e-mail service like Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail, then you’ve had some experience with cloud computing. Instead of running an e-mail program on your computer, you log in to a Web e-mail account remotely. The software and storage for your account doesn’t exist on your computer — it’s on the service’s computer cloud.
Cloud computing is perfect for small businesses; the biggest reason being that it can save you money on equipment and software. Instead of installing software for each computer, you’d only have to load one application. This would allow workers to log into a Web-based service which hosts all the programs they need for their job, and local computers no longer have to do all the heavy lifting. Also, servers and digital storage devices take up space. Some companies rent physical space to store servers and databases because they don’t have it available on site. Cloud computing removes the need for physical space on the front end.

Another plus to converting to the “Cloud” is the ability to access your applications and data from anywhere at any time. Data wouldn’t be confined to a hard drive on one user’s computer, or even a corporation’s internal network.
Now let’s talk about the common concerns some companies may have, perhaps the biggest is security and privacy. Companies might hesitate to take advantage of this system because they can’t keep their information under lock and key. The counterargument to this is that the companies offering cloud computing services live and die by their reputations. It benefits them to have reliable security measures in place. Otherwise, the service would lose all its clients. Privacy is another matter. If a client can log in from any location to access data and applications, it’s possible their privacy could be compromised. One way to protect it is to use authentication techniques such as user names and passwords. Another is to employ an authorization format — each user can access only the data and applications relevant to his or her job.

Thinking all of this through should help your decision on “To Cloud, or Not to Cloud”.

Have you been doing your Christmas shopping online this year? New technology makes it so much easier, especially with free shipping most of the time. And everything gets delivered right to your door so you don’t have to worry about the hassle of transporting big boxes around, or even leaving your house for that matter.

 However, there are some things you need to be aware of when doing your shopping online. First, is your anti-virus up to date? If not, don’t even think about entering your financial data! There are so many viruses out there that will take over you operating system and steal your data.   

A friend of mine just discovered that his computer had been attacked with a Trojan horse. AVG calls this virus a Generic 26.ohm, and once you’re infected it waits for you to go to a website and then takes over that page and steals any information you enter. The technical term for this is Pharming. It doesn’t show in your task bar, and it looks like an official page.  So it’s good enough to get even someone who is aware of these dangers (my friend knows IT and Managed Services like the back of his hand).

So here’s what happened: He goes to PayPal and logs into his account like normal, when a window pops up (which looks like an official PayPal page) asking him to enter his credit card number, social security number, and date of birth. Well, he entered his credit card number but like most, was very leery of entering his social security number so he tried to submit it without. But it wouldn’t go through; this pop up was requiring him to enter his SSN (which most legit sites don’t do). This is when he realized something wasn’t right. So immediately, he got on the phone with Pay Pal and explained to them what was going on. They assured him that they would never ask for this type of information and told him that his account had been compromised. And, since he had already entered his credit card numbers, he had to immediately call the credit card company and cancel that card (yet another hassle).

These viruses have the ability to take over your entire operating system, requiring your computer to be wiped out and everything reinstalled. Luckily, this didn’t happen to him.  He was able to fix the issue by running several scans with multiple anti-virus tools.

Moral of the story – Keep your systems, anti-virus, firewalls, etc. up to date. Think of the internet like a big city. You wouldn’t take your car to Detroit or any other big city and leave it unlocked with all of your valuables inside, would you?