The Benefits Of Managed IT

October 27, 2015

Michael Menor is Vice President of Support Services for Tech Experts.

It can’t be denied that cost drives business. When the technology your business relies on fails, you have to get it repaired or replaced quickly in order to keep the resulting downtime from damaging your business.

The traditional method of computer repair is much like when your car is in disrepair: when your technology isn’t working properly, your organization reacts to the problem by calling your friendly, neighborhood computer repair guy.

The technician will come to your office and try to fix the technology that is broken. When they figure out they can’t fix the problem on the spot, they will give you a quote.

The time and materials of summoning these technicians to the office will cost you money, so will the replacement technology, and most notably, the downtime you accrue.

Add that to the variable cost of fixing the malfunctioning technology… and your business has a real problem.

At Tech Experts, we offer a proactive IT support platform that utilizes remote monitoring and management software to ensure that the technology that’s attached to your network – and your network itself – is up and working properly. Additionally, our whole IT services platform is billed in one monthly payment.

If you add it up, you are saving money in every aspect of your business.

You not only remove the variable costs of keeping your IT running smoothly, but you also get proactive support that, in many cases, gives you the time to replace hardware before it fails, saving you from the doldrums of companywide downtime.

The fact is that small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) need to cut their technology support costs if they want to compete with larger organizations.

There are a myriad of benefits that come from a managed services provider like Tech Experts handling the administration and support of your technology. Besides the obvious cost savings, four other huge benefits include:

Comprehensive Support
A major speedbump SMBs have when shopping for any service that claims to help their business is the quality of that service.

For those that worry that our managed services are too good to be true, we employ certified and trustworthy technicians that are proficient in finding solutions for today’s most challenging business technology problems.

Single Point of Contact
As an alternative from having to manage several vendors, our IT service provides you with a single point of contact for all of your technology needs. Since we understand the intricacies of your network, we can get issues resolved faster.

Faster Support
Through the use of remote support that we offer to all managed clients, we can more quickly address issues you might be having.

Many problems can be solved without an on-site visit. Additionally, annoying obstacles like forgotten passwords and account lock-outs can be resolved in a few minutes when we already have account configurations on file.

HIPAA Compliance
While it may not apply to all businesses, doctors’ offices and other related medical facilities can maintain HIPAA compliance when using our services. By collaborating with us on your organization’s policies, you can avoid costly government fines in the event of a medical breach or network inspection.

Managed IT services can provide you with many other benefits. For more information about how our managed IT services can benefit your organization, call us at (734) 457-5000 today.

Filed Under: HIPAA, Maintenance, Managed Services, Monitoring, Remote Support Tagged With: ,

Beware The Fake Microsoft Cold Calls

October 27, 2015

Scott Blake is a Senior Network Engineer with Tech Experts.

The phone rings and you don’t recognize the number or name on the caller ID. You pick up anyway and the caller tells you that they work for Windows Support or Windows Service Center and they are a Microsoft Certified Technician.

They go on to say they have received log files or have determined that your computer is infected and causing corruption throughout your Windows operating system.

They ask if you’re at your computer now and, if not, to go there. Once there, they walk you through how to open your Event Viewer and show you the Administrative Events under the Custom Views folder.

They are quick to point out all of the red circles labeled “Error” are all Malware infections. They then ask you to look at the number of events listed and they go on to advise this is the total number of infections currently on your computer.

The caller then says they can clean your system of all infections, but they will need to have remote access to the computer.

At this point in the call, most people have been thoroughly convinced by the voice on the other end of the phone that their system is indeed infected and needs to be cleaned. After all, the caller knew where to look for the so-called infections and they do sound like they truly want to help.

The Microsoft “employee” will even tell you that if you don’t let them remove the infections, the “hackers” that placed the malware on your system will have complete access to all of your information.

They warn that your identity is in jeopardy of being stolen. You must give them remote access to your computer. They are your only hope and you must trust them. After all, they say they work for Microsoft.

The fact of the matter is that the caller does not work for Microsoft in any capacity. They don’t work for any of their third party vendors nor any security firm that has been retained by Microsoft.

They are in fact the “hackers” attempting to convince you to give them access to your computer to infect your system and steal your data.

If you allow them remote access, they will start to install malicious programs on your computer. They’ll copy all of your information and, in some cases, encrypt your data.

They will tell you that that the infection is too severe for a “standardized” cleaning and you will need to pay money to have them install removal programs to clean the system.

In mid-2013, NBC News Technology reporter Frank Catalano, reported on receiving one such phone call himself.

After his ordeal with the fake Microsoft, Mr. Catalano contacted the real Microsoft. He received the following reply:

“In 2010, Microsoft began receiving reports of scammers making phone calls or sending emails to people,” replied a spokesperson for Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit. They advised that they had referred the cases to the Federal Trade Commission.

One very important thing to remember is that Microsoft (or any of its partners) will never cold call you. They will never ask for remote assistance. They will never ask for usernames and passwords.

If you have fallen victim to such a scam, disconnect your network cable and take your computer to a trusted service center or repair facility and explain in detail what happened as soon as possible.

For questions or advice on what to do about cold call scammers, contact Tech Experts at (734) 457-5000, or by email at info@mytechexperts.com.

Filed Under: Online Security, Remote Support, Security, Tips, Viruses Tagged With: , , , ,

Benefits Of Remote Monitoring And Management

September 23, 2015

Michael Menor is Vice President of Support Services for Tech Experts.

Remote technology is so efficient and popular that it’s infiltrating many industries that you’d be surprised to hear about. One such sector is the healthcare department.

Some doctors are taking advantage of the leaps and bounds made by technology to help their patients get back on their feet as easily as possible.

As managed service providers, our primary goal is to use remote technology to help users solve their IT crises. Similarly, doctors can use remote technology to diagnose and treat patients, much like how we do with our own systems.

United Healthcare, one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, supports what WIRED magazine calls “telemedicine,” a video visit from a doctor who offers consultation services rather than an in-person appointment. As reported by WIRED:

United says it will cover virtual doctor visits offered through NowClinic, Doctor on Demand, and American Well. These platforms connect patients with thousands of doctors—albeit not the patient’s usual doctor—via video chat. These consultations typically cost $40 to $50 a pop, but now that United is covering these visits, members will only have to pay their usual co-pay, making virtual medicine much more affordable for more people. For now, these virtual visits will be available only to UnitedHealth’s self-funded customers, but the feature will expand to most members by next year.

Remote technology is helping more people stay healthy simply by allowing them to access a doctor’s consultation whenever they need to.

This makes it more convenient for not only the patient, but the doctor as well. They don’t have to arrange for an on-site diagnosis and they can avoid contagious sicknesses more easily.

It’s simply a much more efficient way of doing things and allows for more affordable healthcare in general.

In fact, remote technology is such a great tool that any industry can take advantage of its uses, from teaching or training to communicating between other locations to customer service.

Personally, we at Tech Experts perform most of our maintenance remotely. Managed IT companies use remote technology to ensure that a business’s operations continue to run smoothly.

With the assistance of remote technology, Tech Experts can monitor your business’s systems for critical security flaws and administer patches accordingly. This helps us prevent damage that cannot be undone, like a loss of business data or personal information.

The primary reason remote technology is so useful for managed IT service providers is that your business avoids most on-site visits, eliminating the costs associated with them.

This frees up a significant amount from your budget and allows for more effective use of your IT expenses. Every time you opt for remote management and maintenance, you’re saving your business money.

In fact, most issues can be resolved without an on-site visit. Granted, some hardware problems cannot be resolved remotely, so you can’t completely eliminate the costs of on-site visits; however, being able to mitigate them is often more than enough to make a difference.

Here at Tech Experts, we’re happy to see that remote support is breaking free of the stigma of only being used by hackers to control your PC.

It’s finally being embraced as a useful, beneficial tool that all businesses can use to save time and money.

If you have any questions about remote possibilities, give us a call!

Filed Under: Remote Support, Remote Work Tagged With:

Configure Free Remote Access With DynDNS

September 30, 2010

With today’s work force relying more and more on information technology, services that allow us to connect to systems remotely is becoming  widely used and very popular.

Granted, not all of us are tech gurus. So, setting up a remote connection to a computer can become a real pain in the neck.

There is a free service called “DynDNS,” which stands for dynamic DNS. This makes setting up your remote connection very easy.

What Is DNS?
DNS is a key part of the World Wide Web.  Think of it as the phonebook of the Internet.  DNS converts a hostname (www.yahoo.com) into a readable machine name or IP address (69.147.125.65).

Think if everytime you wanted to visit your favorite web site, you had to type the IP address instead of the name.  You’d probably not be able to remember too many and it could become very frustrating and time consuming.

With DNS, all that is handled for you. All you have to do is simply tell your web browser I want to go to www.facebook.com and DNS handles the rest.

Getting Started
First, visit http://www.dyndns.com. From there, you will need to create an account with them by registering a username, password, and valid email address.

Be sure to use a real email as you will need to activate your account via a link that will be mailed to that provided address.

There are three options to choose from: 1 (Free) 2 (Pro) 3 (Custom).  You can choose a free account and if you like what you see, you can always upgrade later.

Once you’re registered and signed up, it’s time to log in and setup your device for remote access.

First you will choose your hostname. This is the name you’ll use when connecting to the machine.  For example, you can use (myhomepc.dnydns.org).

Service type for this will be “Host with IP address,” which is selected by default.

Next you’ll need to provide the IP address of your machine which can automatically be done by clicking on the link below the empty field.  It will automatically detect your system’s IP and add it for you.

Dynamic Updater
Most home users have an IP address that is provided by their ISP (Internet Service Provider) and this address changes frequently.

In order to keep your machine’s IP address updated with your DynDNS account, you’ll need to install the DynDNS Updater Tool which can be found at: http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/windows.html.

Once installed, the updater tool simply asks for your DynDNS username and password.  Then, it automatically will do its job as you never have to touch it again.

The last step is to choose what services you want to include with your free account.

You can add things like VPN, remote file access, remote desktop (always choose this), mail server, web server, chat server, ftp backup, VoIP, bog, ecommerce, webpage, and many more.

Voilà!  You’re all set and ready to remotely access your machine.  Simply open Remote Desktop Connection. It can be found under Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications.

Enter in the hostname you setup with your account, click connect, enter your username/password for the machine, and you’ll be instantly connected.

Connect World Wide
You’re now able to connect to that machine from anywhere in the world as long as you have an active internet connection.

A  little bit of advice: you should be sure you’re using a broadband or DSL connection. A dial up connection will cause issues with your access.

If you need more information, the website http://www.dyndns.org has plenty of video tutorials, step by step setups with screenshots, as well as several other resources you can use to get an account setup.

Remember, you can call Tech Experts at (734) 457-5000 for assistance setting up your remote access via DynDNS.

Filed Under: DNS, Remote Support Tagged With: ,

Sit Back And Relax. We’ll Do The Driving

December 8, 2009

Remote support software put a technician at your desk, without ever leaving the office
It goes without saying that nearly everyone has a computer not only in their office, but also in their home. Just about everyone has experienced a problem at one time or another, and many times, the problem can be pretty simple to  resolve once a technician starts working on it.

Larger companies have IT staff that can address and fix most problems in person because they are in the same building as the system with the problem.

Small to medium size businesses, however, generally can’t justify having someone on staff to resolve PC issues when they come up. Home computer users often have to carry their machines in for service.

In the past, clients would call us with a problem, perhaps an error message that pops up when they try to open a document. The technician would try to ask the right questions, and try to visualize what the client was experiencing so we could resolve the problem.

Home users would have to disconnect their system (taking care to remember exactly where the cords plug in) and bring the machine into our office for service. It isn’t very convenient, and trying to remember how everything plugs back together can be a real problem.

Well, all of that has changed now! You can sit back at let us drive your computer using remote control.

We’ve invested in software that lets our technician view and operate your computer remotely, without you ever having to bring it in for service, or have a technician come on site. Nearly everyone has high speed Internet now, so the software runs very quickly and efficiently.

This remote management software makes diagnosing a problem a lot easier and quicker than before. Our remote control software is encrypted for security (your data is never sent over the Internet unprotected) and requires that you give permission in order for it to work. It’s very safe and secure.

Once connected to your computer, the technician can view your desktop and take control of your system. He sees the same screens you do, including any error messages. It is just like having one of our highly trained technicians sitting right there with you.

Our clients have found this remote support software to be one of the most time saving and useful tools in our technology toolbox.

Unfortunately, for problems that are more in-depth, or hardware related, remote control doesn’t work. For simple error messages or software issues, sit back and let our technicians help you remotely.

 

Filed Under: Remote Support Tagged With: ,