Congratulations on your new business! Start-up costs can easily escalate, and tech is often one of the bigger expenses. It’s not that everything is high priced, but the sheer number of technologies available can overwhelm smart decision making. The latest tech is dangled in front of you with amazing features you didn’t know you needed, and suddenly your budget has gone boom!
Here’s how to get the tech right for your business, without the headache and drama.

1. Check If You Actually Need It
In a lot of cases, using a cloud application means you can skip the big server purchase, along with the on-site technician to manage it. Many of your business programs will have a cloud option that allows you to get all the benefits without the big expense. Before you make the tech purchase, work out which applications you’ll be running and whether a local installation or cloud access is preferred. As part of this stage, think about how you’d like to use the applications - perhaps remote access is a priority, or perhaps collaboration will underpin your business culture. This level of clarity is often overlooked and the number 1 reason why tech expenses spiral.

2. Get Expert Advice
It’s easy to ask friends and family what to buy, but there are many more factors to consider than just their personal preference. You trust their opinion, of course, but they may be speaking from a consumer perspective or basing their recommendation on brand loyalty. Every business is different and pairing the correct technology with the business will save you a lot of money in the long run.

3. Buy Business Grade
Unfortunately, the computers and laptops you see in department stores aren’t up to business standard. They’re designed for home users to perform quick tasks, not run a full 8 hour (or more) workload. Business grade systems have additional features that your business needs, plus longer warranties and better support. Even the attached devices like networking or printers are built to a higher standard, to last longer and perform better. Considering the cyber climate we live in, taking a special interest in the security offered by the business grade technology is a wise decision.

4. Prioritize Flexibility
Businesses evolve rapidly during their first few years and the last thing you want to do is go out and buy new tech, playing catch-up with your vision and smushing together an assorted mismatch of devices. Your new technology should be as scalable as your business, which means making purchase decisions based on strategy, not price. Perhaps this means instead of workstations for employees, you only need tablets. Rather than having a fixed point of sale system, you might choose mobile checkout devices so your staff can assist customers on the go. These examples highlight how easy it is to commit to certain tech because it’s ‘what you do’ but later discover you’re locked into a certain way of doing business. Trying to change your processes down the line impacts productivity, efficiency and culture in a big way, so we recommend buying with your future success in mind.

5. Choose an IT Partner
During your set up and moving ahead through growth, you’ll need an IT partner who can not only help with your purchase strategy but support you through any tech problems as they arise. That’s the difference between a partner and a supplier, they’re committed to driving long-term business success.
You’ll be able to call on your partner and know they’re immediately up to speed with your business, they know how IT can help leverage your competitive advantage and which critical systems they should focus on. Getting good tech in place shouldn’t be seen as just an expense. It improves productivity and allows you to serve your customers better while enjoying consistent growth.
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If you need an IT partner to help your business grow, give us a call at 715-255-0325.

When was the last time you used a fax machine? Once as ubiquitous as the telephone, the fax machine has largely been relegated to the dustbin of history. I myself often chuckle when someone wants to send me a fax. It’s the 21st century after all, right? These days, email and other Internet-based forms of communication have largely replaced the humble fax machine, though you can still find them in certain industries such as banks. Why, you may ask? Well it has nothing to do with security or even reliability. No, the main reason the fax is still in use 175 years later is because some current laws do not recognize electronic signatures. When sent via fax, a signature is received as a direct, legal copy.

Wait, the fax machine has been around for nearly 200 years? Surely, I have my dates wrong, right? Well, if you’ve read some of my previous What’s Old Is New Again articles, you’ll know that I love to find the ancient roots of our modern life. Yes friends, the fax machine, wonder that it is, was invented by the Scotsman Alexander Bain and patented in 1843 as the “Electric Printing Telegraph.” To put the timeline in perspective, the United States was only about 67 years old at the time and John Tyler was our tenth president (succeeding William Henry Harrison, who died after his first month in office).

Ok, enough US history, back to the fax machine. Early analog fax machines used electricity and paper soaked in potassium ferricyanide to produce images. When current is applied to the paper via a stylus, the paper turns black. By pulsing the current, you can create lines and with enough lines, a two-dimensional image. The tricky part here, is to get both the sending and receiving machines in sync. While this is fairly easy to do when in the same room, transmitting across a vast distance was more difficult. Bain’s solution was to utilize a pendulum attached to an electric clock (which he also developed) on both ends. This kept the units in sync, no matter the distance between them. Despite his early success, Bain did little to develop his invention further and eventually the patent expired, allowing others to expand upon his work.  

Giovanni Caselli (among others) followed Bain’s work and presented his Pantelegraph (essentially a combination of a pantograph and a telegraph) to Napolean II in 1860 and his device saw some limited commercial use during this period. Yep, European businesses were using fax machines while our nation was fighting the Civil War. However, the Pantelegraph was too far ahead of it’s time. The pace of business life was so slow at the time that there was little demand for it, and the Pantelegraph soon failed largely due to lack of customers.

Development of wired facsimile transmission would continue through the 1800s and into the early 1920s.  In 1924, Richard Ranger of RCA invented the wireless Photoradiogram, the forerunner of our current fax machines. The first photograph transmitted by transoceanic radio facsimile was a picture of President Calvin Coolidge on November 29th, 1924.

In the late 1930s, a curious new business soon sprang up, that of the “radio newspaper,” in which an abbreviated newspaper would be transmitted on AM radio frequencies to ordinary radios with a special printer attached. The radio set would receive the signal and print the newspaper directly in your home. Despite the amazing business potential and multiple competitors, this exciting way of receiving news proved too expensive, and the technical limitations too great to effectively compete with traditional daily newspapers, and “flash” bulletins broadcast over standard radio.

Jumping ahead again to 1966, the Xerox Corporation released the Magnafax Telecopier, a small (46lb) device that connected to a standard telephone line and could transmit a letter-sized document in six minutes. This was a great improvement over Xerox’s LDX system of 1964, which came in two pieces (one to send, another to receive), weighed 1,100lbs combined and could be leased for $800 a month. For comparison, modern fax machines only weigh a few pounds and cost less than $100.

These and other advancements led to the device we are familiar with today. And although the electronic components are much smaller now, the basic principles are still the same. Small and fast, for a few decades faxing something was one of the fastest ways to send documentation around the world. Alas, the fax machine eventually became a victim of its own success. The advances in telecommunications that the fax machine helped usher in proved to be its undoing. The fax machine’s advantages were soon eclipsed by things like email and instant messaging. In addition to being easier and faster to use, email was also cheaper, especially when being sent long distance.
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So the next time you need to use a fax machine, and someone makes fun of you about how email is better, you can blow their minds by telling them the history of this humble little machine, and the role it played in the advent of modern communications.

New computers are whisper quiet, seeming to run on pure magic, but after a while computers can start making some pretty weird noises. Clicks, clunks, and about-to-take-off jet noises are the most common, but when should you worry? Your computer has a number of moving parts and even some stationary parts that can make noises. If you’re listening, your computer might be telling you about its current health and how you can help it run smoother, for longer.

When You Hear A Clicking Noise: This could be normal if it’s more like a soft tick. Mechanical hard drives work a bit like a record player with a needle and platter, so you might simply be hearing it spin up and move the needle around. When it starts sounding like a loud click it’s usually the needle hitting the platter too hard or bouncing around. If your hard drive has started making alarming noises, you should bring it in as soon as possible. Just like a record player, scratches that ruin your data are possible, and if ignored for long enough, it doesn’t just skip and have trouble reading the drive, the whole thing can become unusable.
Our technicians can copy the files onto a new drive before it gets to that point, but retrieving data from a destroyed hard drive is rarely achieved without CSI-level expenses. It’s easier and much cheaper to replace the hard drive at the first sign of failure.

When You Hear A Clunking Noise: Unsurprisingly, this one causes certain alarm. Computers aren’t meant to go clunk!  It may be a simple matter of a cable having shifted into the path of a fan and getting clipped during the spin. Remember when you pegged a card between your bicycle spokes? It might sound a little like that, skipping every now and then as it’s pushed away and drops back again. If that’s the case, our technicians will quickly secure the cable back where it belongs.

When You Hear A Jet-Engine Noise: Most computers and laptops have fans to keep them cool. The fans have to spin to move the air around, and the faster they’re spinning, the more noise they make. We start to worry when the jet-engine noise gets out of hand and it’s not just while you’re playing a resource-intensive game or doing some video editing. Constant jet-engine noise indicates your computer is struggling to cool itself down, perhaps because the fan vents are clogged with dust, your computer is in a poorly ventilated space, or the fan itself is worn. Each fan has ball bearings inside that wear out over time, making extra noise while it does the best it can. Our technicians can replace individual fans quickly and give your system a checkup to make sure nothing else has been affected.

When It’s Beep City: Your computer’s friendly beep as you switch it on actually has multiple meanings. It’s not just saying hello. The single beep you normally hear indicates that it’s run a self-test and everything is fine. When your computer is very unwell, you might hear more beeps than usual. This is because each beep combination is a code to technicians, letting us know what’s gone wrong.

Certain beep combinations mean the memory is loose or damaged, others that the video adapter has a problem, etc. If your computer has started beeping differently, let our technicians know so we can decode it and repair the problem for you.

Some noises your computer makes will be normal, others a sign of deeper issues. Even if your computer seems to be operating correctly, a sudden onset of weird noises could mean failure is just around the corner. Taking early action ensures problems don’t escalate, costs are kept low, and your files remain where they belong.
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Got some weird noises coming from your computer? Give us a call today at 715-255-0325.

Travelling soon? For most people, this also means making sure your tech is packed and ready for the adventure. Smartphones, eBook readers, tablets, laptops and smart watches are now so light and portable that you’d never think of leaving them behind, plus they can add a ton of value your experience.
Here are a few tips to consider before you hit the road.

1.  Backup to The Cloud
While you’re jet setting around, relaxing on a beach or hiking your way to freedom, your tech is always going to be exposed to a level of risk. This might range from accidentally leaving your laptop at a cafe to having it stolen from your bag, but either way the problem is the same - your data is now gone. If you’ve backed up your devices to the cloud (e.g. Evernote, Microsoft OneNote or Google Drive) you’ll be able to access your files easily and securely from anywhere.
Hot tip: Scan or save important documents like itineraries and passports to the cloud.

2. Pack the Right Cables
Begging random strangers for a loan of their cable isn’t much fun, so remember to bring the exact cables and chargers you’ll need. Most smartphones and tablets use universal plugs like Micro USB, USB C or Apple Lightning, so you can get away with only packing one cable. Many locations now offer powered USB ports but be sure to also pack the right charger as well, it’s a convenience you’ll appreciate. If you’re travelling overseas and the socket is different, remember to pack a plug converter, and depending on your destination, you might even find the voltage is different. It’s a good idea to check whether you also need a voltage converter before you try and charge.

3. Download Offline Data
It’s no secret that global roaming can give nasty bill shocks. The easy access data you normally use over Wi-Fi or get included in your cell plan has us all accustomed to being connected. While travelling, you might find yourself in a location where data costs a fortune or it’s not available at all. Download any files you might need, including important documents like itineraries and bookings, so that you can access them even without a connection.

4. Update and Scan
Just like you’d make sure you’ve got the right vaccinations and travel gear, make sure your tech is ready to travel too. Set aside a few minutes to run updates for your operating systems and apps, as well as your anti-virus. Go one step further and run a manual anti-virus scan too. The last thing you want to deal with one your trip is a cyber attack!  While you’re doing your pro-active thing, turn on password protection for all devices so that only you can unlock them.
Hot tip: Use a complex password that is hard for thieves to guess.

5. Mark Your Territory
Almost exactly the way it sounds, let everyone know this tech belongs to you. Write your cell number on portable devices in case you get separated so whoever finds it can give you a quick call and save the day.  Don’t want to use permanent marker on your shiny tech? Grab some sticky labels you can peel off when you get home.

You can also get little Bluetooth tracking tags to stick to your gear, so that if you ever lose something you can chase it down. Similarly, you might like to consider enabling the ‘find my device’ feature on your mobile devices. Having this feature switched on also means you can disable your device remotely, an excellent security option if it’s been stolen.

Need help preparing your tech for travel? Give us a call at 715-255-0325.