Put Your Money Where It Counts

Posted on: April 30th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

Technology in a business for the sake of technology is not an effective strategy. Technology should be used for only two things:

1)      Improve efficiency and other revenue generating tasks

2)      Reduce risks and other expense lowering tasks

Businesses can be more profitable only in these two manners – either increasing revenue or decreasing costs.  A lot of technology advertising is focused on the first point and perhaps rightfully so.  Improvements in technology do bring efficiencies and opportunities for revenue generation.  The second point is perhaps of greater value.  A dollar saved has a greater impact on your bottom line because there is no assosciated cost to generating that dollar, consider savings a “force multiplier.” We will spend time talking about how thinking about your technology  differently can lower your expenses, so you can put your money where it counts!

Hardware and software expenses are a necessary evil in many cases.  Although you can mitigate some expenses with cloud computing, there still needs to be end points for users to work on.  One way to reduce costs is to buy in bulk.  If you are a small business, perhaps you do not have the opportunity to do so. In that scenario partnering with Colden Company Inc. can benefit your business.  Colden Company does larger volumes of equipment purchasing and is eligible for discounted pricing on desktops, laptops, network equipment, and software. Why not save on your next purchase?

Another method of saving is through the use of automation. Colden Company customers benefit from automated task to keep their technology environment running at peak efficiency and also reducing support costs. Colden Company uses technology to automate as much as practically possible on our clients’ networks with the idea of working toward networks that not only detect problems, but are programmed to respond and repair, thus lowering support costs. One common example is PCs that experience decreased performance over time due to file build up that require a support call to fix with other vendors. The use of automation to prune that file build up can improve the performance, reduce the frequency of support calls, freeing up money so you can put your money where it counts!

A third way to reduce costs is by planning.  Colden Company distinguishes itself from the competition by providing a variety of planning services such as our life cycle planning process. This process allows our customers to plan ahead and budget for expenses while making qualified decisions about their infrastructure.  For example, a business may have a policy to renew the hardware maintenance on the office desktops and laptops. That seems like a noble and well considered policy. At Colden Company Inc., our approach is different.  We do not advocate for such blanket policies.  Our advice is to determine which workstations (laptops and desktops) are deemed important and critical and which ones are unimportant.  The unimportant PCs do not need extended hardware maintenance agreements as long as there is a backup or spare PC that could fill its role without needing too much time and expense to transition it into a production role. The exercise of planning can yield savings in an example like this. Put your money where it counts!

Finally, as previously mentioned, cloud services can offer savings for businesses.  The use of hosted solutions can not only eliminate the upfront costs of server hardware but also pay dividend down the road with reduced maintenance, reduced power consumption, and reduced risk.  For example, Colden Company Inc is a supporter of email in the cloud. The stability of guaranteed uptime for such a critical communication method is just one of several reasons why email is the perfect application for the cloud. But did you also know that many Hosted Exchange solutions like the one offered by Colden Company include Microsoft Outlook licensing? As Microsoft releases new versions, your software licenses upgrade along with it without having to repurchase.  In addition, in a cloud model, software is often delivered as a service, meaning if you have ten users in January you pay for ten users.  If you have five users in February, you pay for five users. In a traditional model, you would buy ten licenses in January and then have five unproductive copies around in February that you paid for but are now not being used.  The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model can generate savings particularly if your business has fluctuations in staffing levels.  Isn’t that right, accounting and construction firms? Why put money into licenses that you are using?  Put your money where it counts!

Contact Colden Company today at (888) 600-4560 or at info@coldencomany.com, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter and see how we can help your business put your money where it counts!







The Sunset of Windows XP and Office 2003

Posted on: March 28th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

The sun is setting on our old friends Windows XP and Office 2003. Alas, life does go on and sunrise brings new opportunities with a new day. Microsoft will no longer provide extended support past April 8, 2014.  That means no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates.

What are your plans to phase out Windows XP and Office 2003 in your business?  If you do not have a plan, you are late.   Based on historical customer deployment data, the average enterprise deployment can take 18 to 32 months from start to finish.

Continuing to use Windows XP and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

  • Security & Compliance Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
  • Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Hardware Manufacturers support: An industry report from Gartner suggested “many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become common.” And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner further notes that as of 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers would stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models. [1]

It is important for every business to plan for the day when Windows XP and Office 2003 will no longer be a secure or supported choices to run your business applications. Microsoft’s release of Windows 8 may be a tempting replacement, but before you run out and upgrade all of your PCs and laptops to Windows 8, there are considerations that must be carefully examined. For example, we strongly encourage the creation of a master list of software that is necessary to run the business.  These software packages should be classified as critical, important, or non-critical.  Next, each software package will need investigation to see what operating platforms they support and what their development life cycle will support in the coming months and years.  Knowing this information is critical to making a smart business decision. Based on the data provided from your software audit, a determination can be made as to which operating platform is best for your business (Windows 8, Windows 7, Mac, 32-bit versus 64-bit, etc).

Once the next generation platform has been decided upon, a timeline can be established for bringing your business infrastructure up to date. Do not wait until the last minute or you may find yourself riding off into the sunset with our old friends Windows XP and Office 2003.  Creating the timeline can help with cash flow and reduce long-term expenses by avoiding the problems that come from last minute replacements, not to mention the increased productivity that comes with newer operating systems and business software.

Call us at (888) 600-4560 or email us at info@coldencompany.com and let us help your business plan the migration from older Microsoft technologies to a more secure and long-term platform for your PC infrastructure. Sure, we will miss the familiarity of Windows XP and Office 2003, but let’s enjoy the sunset from the secure vantage point of an upgraded and supported infrastructure.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

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[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/endofsupport.aspx







Are Your Backups Working?

Posted on: February 27th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

In the simplest terms, a successful data recovery from a backup system requires two conditions.

  • Is the data you need on the backup?
  • Is it restorable?

At Colden Company Inc. we are Certified Business Continuity Specialists and we have assisted in many recoveries and, just as critically, we have been involved in helping many businesses plan to avoid a disaster.  The best way to avoid a situation where you cannot recover from a disaster is to avoid the disaster in the first place. It is not possible, of course, to prevent every disaster. External natural disasters like Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina are obvious ones, and cyber security threats – which we are seeing in ever increasing numbers – are another. Even though we cannot prevent the hurricane or prevent the hacking attempt, we can mitigate the risk by taking measures to secure our critical data and assets.

These points seem like common sense to most of us.  There are things we can do to protect our businesses. The fact is, however, that many businesses do not take the necessary precautions. Take the very basic two conditions for a successful recovery. When is the last time your business evaluated its critical data to ensure the data it needs is indeed being backed up?  Is there a regular mechanism in place to account for changes and new data?

Looking at the second condition, when is the last time your business tested its backups to ensure that recovery is even possible?  These are very basic steps every business should take, yet surprisingly many do not.

At Colden Company Inc. we believe the reason for this is twofold: responsibility and a sense of urgency. Every organization should have someone in charge of these tasks. Bear in mind that the IT professional may not know what the business leaders deem as critical data.  You may want to appoint someone from your business unit as the responsible party.  If there is a responsible party, the simple tasks of testing backups and reviewing the critical data may still go unfinished. If your business knew a disaster was coming, the effort would be there to prepare.  Unfortunately, we don’t always know when a disaster will strike.  This underscores the importance of putting forth the effort and creating that sense of urgency to get the necessary tasks done.

According to Microsoft, 42% of tape based restores failed.  If you are not periodically testing your restore process, are you one of the 42%? There are myriads scary statistics about the percentage of businesses that fail as a result of being unable to recover critical data. Why take the chance when there are simple, repeatable processes that can ensure your business avoids those pitfalls? 

Have we helped to create that sense of urgency?  Call Colden Company Inc. today and let us help ensure that your business is not one of the 42%. We can be reached at (888) 600-4560, at info@coldencompany.com, see us on Facebook (and like us!) or on Twitter (@coldenco).







Colden Company Partners with ProCon Solutions

Posted on: February 23rd, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

Colden Company is proud to announce our partnership with ProCon Solutions. At Colden Company Inc. we have a saying that we focus on our customers IT needs so they can focus on running their business.  ProCon Solutions can help those businesses that may need some assistance in areas such as business process, business improvement and more.  Please see the information below  from ProCon Solutions including a special offer for our customers:

_______________________________________________________________

Is Your Business Looking for Improvement Opportunities?

Ask yourself 3 Simple Questions:

  • Are you considering making an Accounting System Change?
  • Does your team struggle with time constraints each month?
  • Do your employees often suggest that “there must be an easier way to get things done”?

If you answered yes to any question above – ProCon Solutions can help!

ProCon Solutions provides businesses with the expertise needed to elevate internal communication and initiate a plan of action.  Our team has over 20 years of experience in improving operational efficiencies, productivity and accounting procedures – ProCon Solutions saves YOUR business time, money and the headaches associated with business growth.

 

**New Promotional   Offer**

For NEW clients ProCon Solutions is  now offering one FREE* assessment from the list below. 

 

Your FREE assessment includes   40 hours of Consulting to include

(a site visit and phone follow up to review the chosen assessment)

 *Travel Expenses to be   reimbursed by the client

 

1.            Accounting System Assessment (A.S.A):

Are you thinking about making accounting system improvements to your business?  This assessment is a Module by Module review of your current Accounting System functions and capabilities. We analyze and present available opportunities for improvement.

2.            Workflow Procedure Assessment (W.P.A):

Is your team looking for the ability to streamline processes and perform daily/monthly transactions in a timely manner?  This assessment is a review of current Workflow used in processing transactions in your Account System and a time/resource measurement of where recommended changes may be applied.

3.            User Experience Assessment (U.E.A.):

Do your employees often express frustration with your current system? This assessment consists of a    “sit down” with your employee’s to monitor, document and suggest areas for enhancing their user experience.

Each assessment includes  an Executive Summary.

The Executive Summary  outlines a detailed breakdown of strengths and weaknesses, providing insight  for improvement opportunities.

For clients wishing to choose more than one assessment – discounted pricing will be made available during the quoting process

 To Learn More Visit our website at http://www.ProCon-Solutions.com or Call Us @ (518) 209-7567

 

Colden Company Hires Gerry Freedman

Posted on: February 14th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

Ballston Spa, NY.- February 14, 2013- Colden Company Inc., a Business Technology and IT support company, announced today that it has hired Gerry Freedman to the position of Senior Sales Associate.

Mr. Freedman has over 25 years of experience in the areas of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Freedman’s role will be to grow Colden’s business in the Capital Region.

Located in Colden’s Ballston Spa office, he reports to company president Jim Lapointe. “Gerry’s experience in creating new business and relationships is a great fit for our customer service driven way of doing business” said Mr. Lapointe.

About Colden Company: Founded in 2003, the company provides network and computer infrastructure support for local businesses as well as businesses around the country and internationally. Colden supports companies as diverse as law practices, dental offices, small business, and construction and building trades.

Your Voice in the Cloud

Posted on: January 30th, 2013 by jiml | No Comments

There has been much talk about the migration to the cloud and how cloud technology will reshape the technology sector.  In fact, our very own blog posting last month spoke to the benefits of the cloud.  Like anything else, no one solution is a perfect fit for every business and certainly the cloud is not a ubiquitous solution to all businesses’ IT issues.  The cloud has a place.

The real question is “what is that place for your business?” In our past postings we spoke to the advantages of email in the cloud.  Colden Company offers several options ranging from Google Apps to Hosted Exchange to Office 365.  Email is a natural fit and a good place for the cloud to benefit most businesses. We have also spoken about Line of Business (LoB) applications and file data and considerations for both of those when contemplating the cloud.

The cloud can also have a place in your business for areas like hosted phone service.  In today’s business climate, having a reliable and broadly functional phone system is a real advantage. Missed calls mean missed opportunities.  There is so much functionality available from hunt groups, to cell phone integration, to voice and fax messages in your email inbox that businesses can and should be taking advantage of.  Integration with instant messaging (IM) tools like Microsoft Lync can really improve internal communication as well as communication with partners and vendors. Hosted PBX should be considered as a place where the cloud can benefit your business, not just because of the feature rich options, but also because often times the solution leads to a reduction in monthly recurring costs and a dramatic reduction in capital costs for the business.

Are you happy with the functionality of your phone system?  Is it integrated with your IT systems the way you would like?  Do you have your remote offices linked into your phone system seamlessly? Are you paying too much per month for phone service? These are considerations your business should be thinking about.

As we like to say at Colden Company “If your business is running the same way it was a few years ago, you are not staying the same, you are falling behind.”   Contact us today to find the right place for the cloud in your business.  We can be reached at (888) 600-4560 (which is in the cloud), at info@coldencompany.com (which is in the cloud), or on Facebook and Twitter (@coldenco) (all cloud!).

(BTW, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for more informative posts!)







The Year of the Cloud

Posted on: December 30th, 2012 by jiml | No Comments

We have a saying at Colden Company Inc. which is “If you are running your business the same way you were two or three years ago, you are not staying the same – you are falling behind.”.  Your competition is not standing still, and unless your business is progressing as well, it is not keeping up.

Technology is one of the variables that can help make your business successful or cause it to fall behind. At Colden Company Inc., we specialize in bringing pertinent technology into businesses to help keep their competitive edge. It is important to realize that all the technology in the world will not make your business successful on its own.  Technology is a piece that compliments business directives.  It is important that the business directives are the drivers – not the other way around.

One of the reasons we often hear from businesses for maintaining the status quo is uncertainty. The business environment is uncertain and the rapid change in technology can also lead to uncertainty about which direction to take.  We have seen many businesses hold off on upgrades because of financial uncertainty and the byproduct of that is risk to the business because of older or more frequently unstable technology.  This increases short term maintenance costs but saves the larger investment dollars.

Businesses are longing for certainty. Cloud technology can help bring more certainty to monthly costs and also reduce the large upfront costs that accompany traditional on-premise upgrades.  According to research at Gartner, 80% of businesses are already using some type of cloud-based service.  If you are a regular reader of our blog postings, you already know that we feel email is a great application to migrate to the cloud. In today’s world of mobile devices, there are many ways to send and receive email, leaving your business not dependent on the office Internet connection for availability. From a technical perspective, email does not require as much of a persistent connection as line of business (LOB) applications, making it a natural fit for the cloud.  In addition, the consistent monthly recurring cost (MRC) brings that certainty that businesses need. Many cloud services include license upgrades as newer products are released, further reducing the periodic large expenditures that on-premise solutions are prone to.

If your business is looking for certainty and you have found yourself standing still over the last couple years, then 2013 is the Year of the Cloud! Colden Company has successfully assisted customer in this type of migration and we would be happy to provide our expertise to your business.  Call us at (888) 600-4560, or via email at info@coldencompany.com.  Find us on Facebook and Twitter (@coldenco) as well.







Microsoft Security Essentials Fails

Posted on: December 7th, 2012 by billp | No Comments

Colden Company used to recommend Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) to our smaller customers. It was a good product, was free for smaller business use, and was effective in protecting Windows PCs from viruses and other malware. Unfortunately, this former favorite doesn’t seem to be as effective as it once was.

According to AV-TEST GmbH, a German security firm that specializes in evaluating endpoint security software, MSE is no longer effective and has lost AV-TEST’s seal of approval. As reported by Redmondmag.com, “Security Essentials was only able to spot 64 percent of zero-day malware attacks during September and October. This is down from the previous testing period in which Microsoft’s antivirus was able to spot 69 percent of zero-day threats. Still, this is well below the industry average detection  rate of 89 percent. As for vulnerabilities that have been out in the open for a few months, Security Essentials did a bit better — it was able to halt 90 percent of known attacks. Still, this is below the industry-average 97 percent.” Read the full report for more information.

Why risk your business data and security to sub-par software? Colden Company offers Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) with Managed Anti-Virus (MAV) for Windows PCs. Not only will your business be protected by award-winning security technology, your business PCs will be monitored for any of a number of hardware and software problems, will be automatically maintained, and your business be backed by Colden’s team of customer service-minded engineers who are ready to deal with any problems before they can cause damage or risk. Contact us for more information today, and start protecting your business today.







BYOD Invading Like a Mobile Monster!

Posted on: December 7th, 2012 by billp | No Comments

You’ve probably heard about businesses adopting “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies that allow employees to bring their own mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to the workplace for use with business systems. Businesses benefit by saving money on purchasing devices and employees benefit by not being required to carry multiple devices. Of course, there are always risks. We even wrote about the importance of developing a mobile security policy earlier this year.

Rapid7 has created an infographic that shows how businesses need to learn to contol the “monster” that is BYOD. Here are just some of the risks:

  • 71% of businesses surveyed said mobile devices caused an increase in security incidents
  • 71% of devices contain high severity operating system and application vulnerabilities
  • 51% of organizations experienced data loss from employee use of unsecured mobile devices
  • 26% of authenticated devices inactive for >30 days, possibly lost or stolen

You need to control the mobile monster in your business! Mobile device management (MDM) is a very real and complex problem for businesses of all sizes. In 2013, Colden Company will offer MDM to customers of our Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solution. Why wait? RMM provides many benefits today, and MDM will just add to its top-tier feature set. Contact us for more information today.







Business Continuity Planning

Posted on: November 28th, 2012 by jiml | No Comments

Business Continuity Planning is unfortunately brought to the forefront of our minds when tragedies like Hurricane Sandy strike. Most importantly, our best wishes go out to all of the people affected by the storm. Once the immediate urgency of the disaster has subsided, the conversation inevitably turns to analysis of how to be better prepared.

Instead of focusing on the “what ifs”, we will focus on the “why” in this posting.  Steve Covey noted in his best seller “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” that human nature is to concentrate on activities that are both important and urgent.  Certainly recovering from a disaster falls into that category but in our day to day activities these urgent and important activities can come from a variety of areas and may include tasks like getting that RFP out by the deadline or getting payroll out the door. These types of activities are called Quadrant I activities by Covey as is described in the illustration below.

Covey goes on to point out that truly effective people spend the bulk of their time working in Quadrant II, not Quadrant I or III as most people do.  These are important but not yet urgent activities. Spending time on these types of issues often prevent those issues from becoming urgent by addressing them proactively.  Business Continuity planning falls into this category. Covey laments that too many of us allow human nature to dictate our actions and we do not act as effectively as we could.

If you have been affected by a disaster, you already know the importance of preparation.  According to a study done by the Insurance Information Institute 40% of businesses that suffer a major disaster will fail. That figure is 25% according to a similar study by the Small Business Administration.  It is unfortunate that often times a disastrous event is what triggers preparation for the next event. Disasters can come in many shapes and sizes, not just natural disasters. Our reliance on the power grid has been underscored recently but alternatively perhaps your business relies on a specific person too heavily.  The loss of that critical person could constitute a disaster for your business. (consider Key Person insurance) The point we are making is that every business has risks and the preparedness of a business correlates directly to the amount of forethought provided by the company management. (not just the IT staff)

At Colden Company Inc. we are Certified Business Continuity Planners and we can advise on a number of issues including helping develop contingency plans for your business. The process begins not with technical conversations but by developing the mindset and ultimately developing the effective habits inside your business to focus on the important and necessary (although not yet urgent) work. Many of you will read this and agree that business continuity planning is important.  The question is “Where will you spend your time today?”. Will you work on Quadrant II activities like planning or on Quadrant I or III activities? Be an effective leader and reach out to us at (888) 600-4560, at info@coldencompany.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter (@coldenco).