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Off-site Network Protection from Spyware and Malware

I.T.NOW REMOTELY PROTECTS OFFICE COMPUTER NETWORKS FROM VIRUSES AND MALWARE

Recent SEC pornography scandal prompts businesses to increase Internet security

SALT LAKE CITY--i.t.NOW, a Utah-based information technology (I.T.) company, is helping businesses protect their computer networks from spyware and malware with its Threat Management services.

“These types of computer viruses are generally used to infect networks, illegally obtain a user’s information and damage computers or hard drives, and are often found on suspicious Web sites, particularly pornography sites. Viruses and malware can disable your anti-virus program without your knowledge. Subscriptions can expire and stop updating. We remotely monitor these programs to ensure they’re working properly and install regular updates, sometimes three to four times a day,” said i.t.NOW CEO Phil Robinson.

i.t.NOW incorporates three levels of network protection: Domain Name System (DNS) filtering, resident malware software and resident anti-virus software. Clients can customize their level of Internet filtering, from blocking certain sites to complete filtering and monitoring down to what sites each user is visiting. “Web filtering is key, but we can’t block it all. New sites are created daily, and filtering services are always in catch-up mode. If any malware does get through, we use a background program that constantly monitors for threats,” says Robinson.

Robinson cited the recent story regarding pornography use at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Employees were reported to have spent many hours a day on pornography Web sites. One employee attempted to access these sites up to 16,000 times in one month. Another employee, after hundreds of attempts, used a flash drive to bypass a Google search filter to access these sites. Of the 31 employees cited, 17 were senior SEC officers.

“These SEC statistics are alarming. These sites are notorious for viruses, spyware and malware, and when they infect your computer or network, the result could be catastrophic. i.t.NOW’s Threat Management and anti-virus services help secure your office’s computer networks from spyware and malware, and filter these sites from Internet search engines. Pornography is one of the most popular Internet activities, and Utah averages the most pornography consumers per-capita. Make sure this doesn’t happen at your workplace,” said Robinson.

About i.t.NOW
i.t.NOW provides Utah with professional I.T. services for small-to-medium sized businesses. Since 1992, hundreds of Utah companies have saved thousands of dollars by partnering with i.t.NOW to increase employee productivity, reduce down time and protect computer networks. i.t.NOW allows business owners to focus on growing revenue instead of solving computer problems.

For more information on i.t.NOW call (801)562-8778, or visit www.itnow.net.

i.t.NOW Citrix Silver Partner

i.t.Now is a Citrix Silver Partner. Citrix Partner Page >>

Citrix offers a dynamic end-to-end virtualization system that transforms desktops and applications into on-demand services enabling users to work securely and productively from anywhere. Citrix virtualization revolutionizes desktop management and simplifies datacenter operations.

Don't Take I.T. for granted

Published in Utah CEO

Don’t Take I.T. for Granted

How to get back up when systems go down.

by Phil Robinson

Catching your employees watching YouTube videos or browsing non-work-related websites is frustrating. But, having employees who waste time because computer or network issues prevent them from working feels even worse because then it’s your responsibility.

Businesses rely so heavily on computers and the Internet that even the slightest disruption can bring the gears of workflow to a grinding halt. Something as simple as a bad print driver can take an employee off task for minutes or even hours. Every second an employee sits idle is money lost.

Downtime by the numbers

IT consultant Fabien Papleux estimated that if a sales executive’s computer goes down for four hours, the cost in lost productivity is $2,400. The more senior the employee, the more that number increases.

If your data isn’t sufficiently backed up, the cost may be incalculable. A recent study by Pepperdine University concluded that each incident of data loss costs a company $3,957 with 70 percent of that cost being the value of the data itself. Other companies price each incident as high as $1 million.

Other costs aren’t as easy to measure. When you self-diagnose a computer issue to avoid waiting for or paying a technician, there still is a cost. You can calculate it starting with your salary and the revenue you bring in for that time period. Then, if you fail to fix the problem, add in the cost of the professional help and potential hardware/software replacement. Chances are the number you come up with will be in the hundreds.

The bottom line is that computer problems are more than just a headache. They’re a drain on the revenue your employees are paid to bring in. They can cost thousands of dollars and in some cases, force a business to close its doors.

Beware the hourly technician

One of my clients, Qualified Associates, is a recruiting agency. Employees there constantly e-mail and communicate with candidates and clients. It previously relied on an hourly independent technician to keep its systems running. The tech often was unavailable for two or three days, and often made multiple visits to solve a particular problem. While affected employees waited for a solution, they were either unable to work or were forced to use backup equipment that was so slow as to be counterproductive.

There is a clear conflict of interest here: technicians that are paid by the hour aren’t motivated to work quickly and efficiently. They also have zero incentive to protect your assets in the long term. The more you call them in, the more money they make.

Have a Plan B

Much important data is now stored online. Even phones can be rendered useless when computers are down because of online contact books and CRM systems. To protect your business, take the following steps:

Integrate IT into your business strategy

Create a backup hardware plan

Centralize your data

Back up your data and critical applications

If you don’t have the right resources to take these steps, hiring an IT professional or an outsourced partner is a great way to keep productivity high and costs low. In weighing this decision, consider not only the cost of help, but also the cost of what could happen if no one is there to help.

To keep your business profitable, you need your employees to do what you pay them to do. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t require effort. All you need is a team of professionals who have your best interests — your employee’s productivity and your revenue — in mind.

Phil Robinson has managed and owned several IT service companies throughout the past 17 years. His career began at Diversified Computers in 1992. He eventually purchased its Utah operation and transformed the company into On-Site Computer Repair. He founded i.t.NOW, a managed IT services company, in 1992, which was acquired by OSCR in 2007. This acquisition allowed Phil to realize his vision of providing a proactive solution. Phil continues to lead i.t.NOW.

Technology No Longer a Worry for Qualified Associates

Leading Recruiting Firm Reaps Huge Saving by Moving From Hourly Techs to Managed Services

SALT LAKE CITY – November 19, 2008 – i.t.NOW™ today announced that the company will continue to provide a host of professional I.T. services to Qualified Associates. Like many small and medium-sized businesses, Qualified Associates found themselves becoming more and more frustrated by a computing infrastructure that didn’t perform well and an hourly service technician solution that wasn’t reliable. The recruiting company found an answer to their problems in i.t.NOW, a professional I.T. services provider.

Qualified Associates selected i.t.NOW in April 2008 after hindered business productivity due to unexpected downtime. With i.t.NOW’s professional I.T. services, Qualified Associates found a world class solution to manage their I.T. needs, while paying considerably less than the average salary of a single I.T. staff professional.

“It’s nice to be able to truly offload your I.T. and know it’s being handled by professionals who are constantly on the lookout for ways to make your company more efficient,” Qualified Associates’ founder Peg Newman said. “We haven’t had any downtime to speak of; and the i.t.Now team is really responsive to any situation we face.”
Qualified Associates’ twelve computers and server are managed 24 hours a day 365 days a year by i.t.NOW. i.t.NOW proactively looks for potential issues through constant diagnostic tests and anti-virus monitoring. i.t.NOW has gained a strong base in Utah due to their dedication to exceptional customer support, and individually scalable services coupled with flexible contracts.

i.t.NOW is able to uniquely customize services to each client’s specific I.T. priority. Case in point, Qualified Associates’ finance office, a one-person operation in Denver, downloads financial data on a weekly basis. On one occasion the download failed just as the employee started a well-deserved vacation. i.t.NOW provided the answer.
“We were trying to solve this company-critical situation when we remembered what a great resource and partner we had in i.t.NOW,” said Newman. “We called them, and in less than an hour, they figured out how to remotely log into our server and completed a remote download for us, with no lost time to our payroll process.” i.t.NOW also came up with a new solution to improve this system and offer an automated weekly process, saving precious time and resources.
Many of Utah’s small businesses have selected and rely on i.t.NOW because the model allows them the strength of an entire I.T. department at a reasonable value. In the past, Qualified Associates often dealt with computing problems internally, or relied on outside hourly vendors who weren’t as available as they would have liked. Now Newman is able to focus on serving her business needs, assured that her I.T. is in the right hands, managed by a company she can count on.

“i.t.NOW does great work,” adds Newman. “We intend to be a customer for a very long time.”

About i.t.NOW

i.t.NOW is the Wasatch Front’s leading provider of professional I.T. services for small businesses. Since 1992, hundreds of Utah companies have saved thousands of dollars by partnering with i.t.NOW to increase employee productivity and reduce down time. i.t.Now allows small business owners to focus on growing revenue instead of solving computer problems by proactively protecting their computers and networks against lost data, ever-changing security threats and viruses. i.t.NOW’s customers love the fact that they have the flexibility to adjust support up or down as needed. Call (801) 562-8778 for a free consultation.

About Qualified Associates

Since 1993, Qualified Associates has supported the recruiting and hiring needs of many premier employers in Utah and the Intermountain Region. The personal and dedicated approach of Qualified Associates brings exceptional value to their important clients and an impressive list of qualified professionals. The company has a proven record of service in key industries; accounting and finance, engineering, insurance, marketing and many others. For more information, please visit http://www.qualifiedassociates.com.

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