Blog

Launching a startup needs lots of vigilance – from seeking the highest quality in services and products to ensuring client satisfaction and more. Though there are different aspects you need to look at, one area that requires even more attention is – accounting. No idea......

Let’s face it – invoicing is a crucial part if you want your business to maintain proper cash flow. Every business owner knows the importance and struggle of dealing with invoices. This is the core feature of any company, and no business owner wants to......

Are you planning to launch your own business? Great! Despite this creative spirit, studies represent that 90% of all startups fail to be successful within the first five years. For many of these startups, the reason behind their failure is not the ideas and services......

Having a dedicated system for your finances can help you make informed decisions related to your brand. Whether you’re an accountant, bookkeeper, or a small-medium enterprise owner, you need to have a reliable solution that can assist you in managing your accounting responsibilities. For instance,......

Accounting is one of the top necessities of any eCommerce business to keep it running successfully. Though bookkeeping is complicated and annoying, you cannot afford to ignore it as a business owner. It plays a crucial role in making your business successful in the marketplace.......

Whether you’re a seasoned business person or a new entrepreneur, having accounting software that you can rely on is a must. The job of choosing the right accounting system for your business can be an intimidating job as there are so many options available in......

No matter what’s the nature and size of a business, keeping an accurate record of all the tasks that happen in a brand is critical to make it successful in the industry. Whether you’re an owner of a startup or an accountant in a small......

In this digital age, hosting apps in the cloud is quickly becoming a standard among different enterprises across the globe. Cloud hosting has made things simple and easy for businesses to a great extent. It enables you to access all your systems and applications through......

When it comes to establishing or growing your business, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the collection of resources available on the market – especially those associated with financial-related practices. Fortunately, there are several types of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and financial software options......

Regardless of the type and size of an organization, accounting is an essential activity of every business. Optimizing track of bills, expenses, payments, balance sheets, invoices, and profits is an intimidating job, and needs a lot of effort for accomplishment. This is where QuickBooks (QB)......

QuickBooks is the most reliable and trusted accounting software throughout the world. With over 11 million users, this accounting software is used by a lot of businesses. QuickBooks hosting is something that gives a significant boost to the overall functions of your accounting software. It......

Accounting is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of effort and resources – more as compared to other business-related processes. In this modern era, the term accountancy is not just limited to accounting and bookkeeping. As a business owner, you require to make use......

If no one is too big to fail, it’s also true that you are never too small to be hacked. In 2017 an Australian insurance broker Fenton Green had 17 claims from small and medium-sized accounting practices (SMPs) for cyber-security breaches. Green doesn’t insure all......

Accountancy Europe recently published an information paper, Moving to the Cloud. The paper examines the what, why, and how of cloud computing for accountants working in small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs). It addresses potential benefits and pitfalls of cloud computing to help SMPs remain relevant......

A new malware allegedly created by Russian programmers is generating spam content comprised of affiliate links on infected WordPress sites, according to a report by WordPress security firm WordFence. The malware, BabyYaga creates thin or purposeless content on the host’s website solely for the purpose......

There is a lot of value to be gained from being around other entrepreneurs.  Often times when when a person decides to abandon the 9-5 to become an entrepreneur, they don’t won’t have a large circle of others who are doing the same thing or......

There are many reasons why individuals or companies want to change to a new web hosting company. It could be as simple as not enough storage space or bandwidth, or it could be due to its customer service, or lack thereof. Easier said than done?......

So, you made it back home from the show. You’re exhausted and work has backed up in your absence. Here is where the entire investment in the show can go down the drain. Follow-up is critical. Every one of those prospects need to have follow-up. Lots of it. One contact isn’t going to be enough. […]...

We’re back. In the last post, we talked about building momentum toward a trade show exhibition. Today, let’s look at your efforts during the show itself. You already should have sent out a reminder the morning of the show in posts on all your social media accounts, an article on your website blog, and a […]...

Going to a tradeshow for the first time? Don’t make the mistake of viewing this as a 1-2 day discreet marketing event. Instead, view your exhibit at a tradeshow as the central feature of a much longer and holistic marketing plan that builds to the event, and then culminates in the successful post­show follow up […]...

Smaller firms often struggle just to keep up with maintaining a website. Worrying about a scaled­ down version for mobile users seems like just too much trouble. Today’s blog is all about why this matters to you and why should you bother with a mobile version. A bit of background: Mobile sites are versions of […]...

You can have all the locks on your data center and have all the network security available, but nothing will keep your data safe if your employees are sloppy with passwords. There are many ways data can be breached, and opening some link they shouldn’t is one of the most serious security sins employees can […]...

“You’re FIRED!” ( now give me your password) Losing an employee is not usually a good experience. If they leave voluntarily, you lose a valuable asset. If they have to be fired, you have the arduous task of the progressive discipline process and the final termination meeting. But there are other concerns that arise when […]...

Defense in Depth Part II In our last blog we started talking about the different layers of security necessary to fully defend your data and business integrity. Today we will look at the human aspect of it, and network defenses. The human layer refers to the activities that your employees perform. 95% of security incidences […]...

In the 1930s, France built a trench network called the Maginot Line to rebuff any invasion. Thephilosophy was simple: if you map out all the places an enemy can attack, and lay down a lot ofmen and fortifications at those places, you can rebuff any attack. The problem is, you can’t mapevery possible avenue for […]...

Phishing Scams – A People Problem There are some things that only people can fix. There are many security risks to which your data is susceptible, but there is one method that remains a wonderfully effective hacking tool.That is the phishing scam. This is a legitimate looking email that asks the reader to click on […]...

This cyberattack scheme hasn’t garnered nearly as much attention as the usual “break-in-and-steal-data-to-sell-on-the-Internet version,” but it can be even more debilitating. Ransomware attacks have begun appearing in the last few years and its practitioners are so polished that in few cases they even have mini­call centers to handle your payments and questions. So what is […]...

You hear on the news all of the time about big cyber attacks on large corporations, and evengovernment agencies.The trouble with this news coverage is that is suggests a distorted view ofwhere cyber attacks are taking place. These attacks are not solely hitting large organizations.Small firms represent a significant portion of those who face cyber […]...

Hearing “all of your confidential information is extremely vulnerable, we know this because…” isbad news, but whatever follows the ellipses determines just how bad. Consider two scenarios. “All of your confidential information is extremely vulnerable… we know this because ahacker took all of your customers’ credit card info and locked all of your files behind […]...

Stay Secure My Friend… More Hackers Targeting SMBs Many SMBs don’t realize it, but the path to some grand cybercrime score of a lifetime may go right through their backdoor.  SMBs are commonly vendors, suppliers, or service providers who work with much larger enterprises. Unfortunately, they may be unaware that this makes them a prime […]...

Cloud Monitoring Can Be the Difference Maker for SMBs It’s a fast-paced world. Not only do people want things, they want things right now. This sometimes-unnerving need for instant satisfaction has only intensified now that we have Wi-Fi and mobile devices that keep us connected regardless of where we are, what we’re doing, or the […]...

Why Hybrid Clouds are More Than Just Another Trend It should come as no surprise that many small to midsize business owners take pride in overseeing every aspect of their startup business. Naturally, many are apprehensive when it comes to surrendering control of their servers, their data, and their applications. The downside of this need […]...

Why More SMBs are Turning to the Cloud to Reduce TCO More small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) seem to be taking the initiative to learn more about the benefits of the cloud.   Determining why SMBs have this sudden keen interest in the cloud isn’t all that tricky. If you shouted, “Cost Savings!” in a room […]...

How SMBs Can Utilize the Cloud To Build Their Business There has been a lot of talk lately about the cloud and its ability to put small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and startups on a level playing field with large global enterprises. Can this be substantiated or is it a load of trendy hype to […]...

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of Mobility and BYOD There are a lot of advantages to mobility in today’s workforce, but the Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) movement has also brought its share of headaches as well. We live in a society where everyone must have the newest technology. We are inundated with ads reminding us […]...

Why SMBs Must Proactively Address the Threat of Mobile Hacks More cyber criminals are targeting small-to-medium sized businesses. One reason for this is too many workplaces have insufficient bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies in place. Some have none at all. Although firms are generally more knowledgeable about network security risks than in years past, they still woefully […]...

3 Things to Consider Before Jumping Into BYOD You’ve read it time and time again. “Bring Your Own Device” isn’t a trend, it’s the future. Workplaces where companies let workers use their own devices for work purposes are the new normal. BYOD attracts new hires and lifts employee morale and productivity. But this doesn’t mean […]...

A Smarter Approach to Mobile Device Management More people today use personal mobile devices like smartphones and tablets for business purposes. Such devices, coupled with greater Wi-Fi accessibility and cloud services, have empowered us with the ability to access data and do business from practically anywhere at anytime. Needless to say, many small-to-medium sized business […]...

4 Essential Pieces to Any Small Business BYOD Strategy Believe it or not, once upon a time, kids at the bus stop didn’t have cell phones and the mobile device strategy of many businesses was typically you’ll take what you’re given, refrain from using it for any personal use, and the data may be scrubbed […]...

Keep Your IT Guy and Outsource IT Services, Too Everyone in the office loves Eric. Sporting a different ironic t-shirt everyday, Eric is the one we call when technology spits in our face. Whether it’s a slow system, a bug that needs to be squashed, a website issue, or a crash that results in unexpected […]...

How to Trim the Fat From Data Center Costs When smaller businesses look to cut costs, they commonly take shortcuts that are risky to their bottom line. They may go out of their way to avoid upgrading dated hardware, buying software licenses, or increasing bandwidth. In some instances, they layoff in-house IT support, or avoid […]...

Click, Click, BOOM – You’re in Business But Is Your Technology Ready? It’s a fast business world. Brilliant business ideas can be conjured up at some hipster-filled vegan coffeehouse, a website is thrown together, and poof… in no time at all there is a living, breathing, small business venture accessible from anywhere in the world. […]...

Three Steps To Fix IT Management for SMBs Small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) tend to have a more difficult time managing IT than larger enterprises. Despite being as technology dependent as larger enterprises, SMBs have tighter budgets and fewer resources to devote to IT management. This leads to a more reactive “break-fix” approach to their technology that […]...

Inquiring SMBs Want to Know… What’s the Difference Between a Help Desk and NOC? It’s no secret that any growing small-to-medium sized business must monitor and manage its business technology in the most cost-efficient way. The tricky part is figuring out how to do this without sacrificing the overall experience of the end-user. End-users can […]...

Understanding Managed Services and How They Benefit SMBs Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) receive a lot of calls each day from slick sales people peddling the next technology trend that’s going to save them money and revolutionize how they do business. They’re all too quick to caution that if you don’t listen to them, […]...

6 Reasons You Should Worry About the IT Management of Your Medical Practice When you were in residence, the thought of 20-hour shifts probably gave you nightmares. At that time you never thought that managing a part of your business would trigger similar anxieties. Of the many things you learned in medical school, managing a […]...

Are Managed IT Services Right For You? A Few Things to Consider How do you get a small business to recognize the value of manages IT services? In the start-up environment, we encounter an eclectic bunch of personality types. There is a reason people become entrepreneurs or C-level execs. When we meet the owners or […]...

Breaking News: Downtime Kills Small Businesses Downtime is bad news for any business whether big or small. A recent two-hour New York Times’ downtime occurrence sent Twitter ablaze and their stock price plummeting. Google going down for one to five hours resulted in lost revenue up to $500,000 and decreased overall web traffic by 40%. […]...

What You Can Learn From U.S. Regulator’s Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Recommendations U.S regulators have recommended that all futures and securities firms review and update their current data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions. Prompted by closures in the equities and options market in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Regulators including the SEC, […]...

Is That a Business Continuity Plan in Your Pocket or a Bunch of Jargon? Technology is full of difficult jargon. To further complicate things, certain terms are often used in a different context between one publication or service provider and the next. An example of this is the usage of backup, disaster recovery, and business […]...

Reconciling Health Care and Cloud Technology New regulations being imposed by HIPAA on health care entities have created a new compliance burden, because all record keeping must be converted to electronic filing by Oct 2015. This means that these entities, small and large, must invest significant additional resources on equipment, software and IT-trained personnel. With […]...

8 Cold Hard Truths for SMBs Not Worried About Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity The foundation of any successful business continuity solution is the ability to retrieve data from any point in time from anywhere. When the topic of data recovery and business continuity comes up, you get the feeling that many decision makers at […]...

The Sky’s the Limit for SMBs Taking to the Cloud There has been a lot of hype about cloud computing transforming the way small-to-medium sized businesses do business. Proponents of the cloud say that cloud computing has leveled the playing field, allowing SMBs to finally compete with bigger companies despite their limited financial resources and […]...

A recent article by The Guardian (UK) states that the cloud industry is set to see a growth of around 30% soon. But many small and medium business owners are still struggling to make sense of the cloud and how it can benefit them. If you are one of them, then here’s what’s in store […]...

Small business owners are often worried about data loss. Rightly so, because data loss has the potential to wipe out a business. We have identified the most common forms of data loss so you can see how they fit into your business and assess the risks related to each of these pitfalls. 1. Human Error […]...

Health Care Providers and Managed IT Services: Why are They Inseparable? In healthcare, there is absolutely no escape from the mandatory utilization of technology. From the simple task of setting an appointment to billing and procedure codes, everything requires an intensive use of protocols that can be implemented only through the use of technology. HHS […]...

Managed Service Providers – or MSPs – are often recommended as a cost effective IT solution for small businesses. For a minimal monthly fee, MSPs provide a reasonably priced solution to the complex technology pains of small businesses. Here’s a look at the various benefits an MSP can offer your business… Freed-Up Resources and a […]...

Think Quicker Recovery Time, Not Quicker Backup – While incremental backups are much faster than executing a full-backup, they also prolong recovery time. In the event of data loss, a full restore will require loading the most recent full backup and then each incremental backup tape. Having too many incremental backup tapes not only adds […]...

Your website represents your business and so building and maintaining it need to be of primary concern to you as a business owner. We often find business owners struggling with their websites saying things like: “My website looks great, but I am not able to convert” or “I invested so much into creating my website, […]...

Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) is one new approach being used by many companies like yours. Experienced MSPs have access to newer tools that reduce costs by automating many routine in-house labor intensive processes. Break-fix is labor intensive, and labor is one of the most expensive operating costs within your IT infrastructure. The […]...

Did you know that 50% of small business owners think their businesses are too small to be targeted by the thieves of the virtual world? Contrary to popular belief, 72% of hacker attacks often happen to smaller firms – firms with less than 100 employees! So how prepared is your SMB? Here’s a checklist to […]...

Research has revealed that over half of all users end up opening fraudulent emails and often even fall for them. Phishing is done with the aim of gathering personal information about you, generally related to your finances. The most common reason for the large number of people falling for fraudulent emails is that the phishing […]...

Many SMB owners think IT downtime only costs them a few productive hours, but there’s a lot more at stake when your systems go down. Customer satisfaction and loss of brand integrity are just two of the key losses apart from the more evident costs such as lost productivity and a temporary dip in sales. […]...

Did you know that by 2014 there will be more mobile web surfers than stationary ones? That means more prospects are accessing your business website more through their smart phones, tablets or other mobile devices than with a laptop or PC. If you thought you had time to make the switch closer to 2014, you […]...

In an age where most business happens online, not showing up in Google search results can really hurt you. While there’s no real shortcut to showing up consistently on web searches, there are a few quick fixes to get your site to show up on your potential customer’s search results… 1. HTML tags – Important […]...

As compelling as the case for the cloud may be, many experts contend that there is no need for an organization to rush into it. Just as any other business decision that is carefully considered, moving to the cloud is a prospect that must be......

What is the Cloud? If you have done any prior research, you may already know that there are numerous definitions for the cloud. Like any high level concept that has multiple definitions floating around the Internet and print publications, the cloud can be confusing to......

1. Backup Files Every Day – As catastrophic as data loss is, the number of businesses that still are not backing up their network is unbelievable. According to the Symantec Small to Medium Size Businesses (SMB) data, only 23% of SMBs are backing up their data on a daily basis and fewer than 50% are […]...

Small and medium sized businesses today are relying more than ever on IT systems to efficiently run their business, support customers and optimize productivity. These systems house sensitive digital data ranging from employee and customer information, to internal emails, documents and financial records, sales orders and transaction histories. This is in addition to applications and […]...

According to Symantec SMB, 50% of SMBs admit to having no backup and disaster recovery plan in place. 41% of those surveyed confessed that they had never even given much thought to implementing a disaster recovery or business continuity plan. If you are one of them, then you really need to think about whether you […]...

Be Proactive: How to Avoid Potential Network Failures For small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), an IT network failure can be devastating because they don’t have the resources of large corporations to bounce back from such disasters. Preparation against such devastation may be the only course for them to avoid failure and survive with the least […]...

Fun Cloud Computing History J.C.R. Licklider: The Johnny Appleseed of Cloud Computing It started in 1962, when computer science pioneer J.C.R. Licklider enabled the development of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, or ARPANET – the packet switching method of digital communications that has been......

Cloud has the ability to become the foundation of a business, especially small businesses. In this digital age no matter the size of your business, one just can’t survive without an online presence. Cloud is cost effective for small businesses and requires little to no investment. The entire idea of having an off site infrastructure […]...