XFER Blog

Technology management is one of the major issues that challenge small businesses. Do you know the various strengths and weaknesses of having an in-house IT department versus an outsourced IT provider? As a managed service provider ourselves, we’re in a unique position to help your business make an educated decision about the future of its IT management.

There are over 83 million millennials in the United States. That is one out of every four Americans; and, now the most populous generation of people in the U.S. are all of working age. It is not a surprise, then, to find out that there are more workers who were born between 1981 and 1997 in the United States than any other generation. Millions of new workers for the modern economy that continues to grow.

As one of the most famous head coaches in NFL history, Vince Lombardi has several quotes that can be applied to success. One particular statement to note is “If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late.” As it turns out, this quote inadvertently refers to technology. The technology industry moves a mile-a-minute and businesses are always looking for ways to innovate and make significant improvements to technology.

As you design your business’ IT infrastructure, it is important that you look months and years into the future, rather than just what you need in the moment. A good managed service provider will understand that--which makes it your job to find a good one. The following questions will help to more quickly narrow down your search to find the best provider for your needs.

How much time is wasted in your workplace just trying to communicate about potential projects? The notable difference between productivity and stagnation is that one is making you money, while the other is costing you money. Employees spend about 80 percent of their time in meetings, on the phone, or responding to emails, so it falls on the business owner to ensure that communications are as easy as possible so minimal time is wasted.

Downtime is something that no business wants to imagine, but it’s something that is practically inevitable if you don’t prepare for it. You’ll be forced to wonder how long it will take to get back in business, but how this problem occurred is also important to discuss. Understanding how IT downtime occurs within your organization is the first step toward making sure that it can’t happen again.

It’s only natural that new and improved technologies will be challenging for employees to embrace and become accustomed to using. These challenges tend to shape how businesses will make their decisions as time passes. A few industry research firms have released their projections as to what challenges businesses will face in the coming months of 2017.

Entrepreneurs are the heroes of today, making great strides in the business world by introducing new ideas to their industries. However, the intrapreneur is a bit more of an enigma; they create commendable ideas within their own organization. In fact, your organization probably has its own intrapreneurs. How do you take advantage of their skills to your business’s benefit?

In today’s business world, having a reliable way to access your data is key to your company’s success. Everything you do depends on the data you have at your disposal--so what would you do if that data was no longer available to you?

Unless you have the good fortune to be running a large, well-funded business, you’ll always want to find ways to cut out unnecessary costs and improve the way your organization functions. When you’re cracking down on your budget, you might notice that even making a small change to your spending could yield quite a large return in the form of savings. We’ve compiled four ways that your business can start making more for less.

Keeping your workers as productive as possible is a challenge for every employer. According to a recent study by the Harvard Business Review, there is one easy way that you can increase productivity: By keeping a productive worker in close proximity to other workers.

An internal IT department serves two primary purposes for businesses. The first is to keep an eye on your technology problems and resolve them. The second is to plan for the future and implement new strategies that will help your organization function more effectively. The problem for the average small business is that their IT department often doesn’t have the luxury of performing both of these tasks.

When you’re emotionally invested in something, there’s a better chance that you will enjoy it and find reason to do it. This is why marketers always attempt to use a good old tug-at-the-heartstrings tactic, as they know that if they can get their audience invested on an emotional level, they’ll be more willing to take the dive and try something new. The same tactic can be used to turn good employees into great employees.

Who manages the relationships that your organization has with its various vendors? Do you have someone who specifically handles this role, or is it pushed onto your already-full schedule? If this is something that takes up a significant portion of your day, vendor management (though necessary) can become a detriment. Thankfully, there is a better way to handle your vendor relationships, and it doesn’t involve stretching yourself thin.

Millennials are entering the workforce at a considerable rate. In fact, some experts claim that millennials will soon make up at least one-third of the entire workforce. Thus, it’s important for both employers and workers from previous generations to understand how this generation thinks, acts, feels, and most important of all, works.

The endgame for most businesses is to improve what they do and increase their profitability. While this might mean selling more products, getting more customers or clients, or a myriad of other metrics, the driving force behind your business’s operations--your employees--are crucial toward this goal.

Most modern businesses rely on specific technology solutions to ensure operations can work as intended. This includes servers for data storage, networks for data distribution, and workstations for employee productivity. Of course, you have to wonder if this is wise; after all, what happens when this technology fails?

Of all the potential causes for a deficit within the office environment, the physical office itself isn’t likely to first come to mind. Even so, the value of establishing certain practical design and organization strategies have shown to improve employee morale, collaboration, and productivity. While these solutions may not be for every office, if your company is experiencing hindrances in productivity, these tactics may be beneficial implementations to incorporate within your business.

Smartwatch enthusiasts now have one less brand from which to select, as rival Fitbit has successfully taken over the former Kickstarter project Pebble’s business. For companies that rely on software for their mission-critical tasks, lessons learned from the end of Pebble reminds business owners that, when it comes to innovative technology purchases, there is always a bit of risk.

With the use of portable personal music players and streaming services like Spotify, Google Play Music, and Pandora, unobtrusively listening to music in the workplace has become much easier--but has it also made it easier for employees to be more distracted from their tasks? Additionally, assuming that music does create a boost in productivity, why does it do so?