SMART Blog

Smart Services has been providing independent agents with proactive, fast, and expert technology services since 1991.

Turn to Us for Better Vendor Management

Turn to Us for Better Vendor Management

Many businesses need to deal with a lot of vendors in order to keep their doors open - enough that, at times, it might seem that the most time and energy is spent juggling these vendors. That doesn’t have to be the case, however, at least where your technology solutions are concerned. 

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VoIP’s Benefits are Numerous

VoIP’s Benefits are Numerous

Business owners and managers are always looking to save a buck. Since the cost of doing business continues to climb, looking to the cloud for their business-critical applications is one way to extend operational capital. The cloud offers several solutions to help the modern business keep their costs down, and one service that can be very valuable is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP, specifically hosted VoIP, can help you reduce your communications costs in many ways, including:

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Set a Mobile Policy for Your Own Good

Set a Mobile Policy for Your Own Good

Mobile devices (as their name would suggest) go everywhere, including the modern office. As such, it is likely that your employees will want to take advantage of their capabilities to accomplish more of their responsibilities and tasks. This can be advantageous to your business, assuming that you have a well-thought-out mobile device policy in place.

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Who Fixes Broken Technology with Managed Services?

Who Fixes Broken Technology with Managed Services?

About a decade ago--when managed IT services were just starting to gain traction--one of the major selling points was that break/fix was expensive, because not only was the machine you needed fixed, broken, your business had to eat the cost of downtime. Now that many businesses have benefited from the proactive approach to IT management, and managed IT services are a big part of business for a lot of companies, one question is left unanswered: What happens when technology breaks under a managed IT services agreement? This month, we’ll answer that question.

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Try SSD If You Need More Speed

Try SSD If You Need More Speed

Few things are more frustrating and annoying than a slow computer. There are a lot of things that can slow a computer down, too: viruses and malware, excess applications running in the background, even time can seem to turn a relatively fast computer into a slow-as-molasses impediment to productivity.

If your computer is overall healthy but starting to slow down, there is one simple upgrade that can make a whole world of difference.

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Your Options Once Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 are Gone

Your Options Once Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 are Gone

By the time you read this, Microsoft is shortly going to retire both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems - assuming that you are reading this before January 14. If you still are utilizing these software in your business at this point, you need to upgrade, or else deal with the security consequences of dealing with unsupported software. Here, we’ll review your options.

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Effective Data Management Brings Big Benefits

Effective Data Management Brings Big Benefits

We all use computers to run our businesses every day, and data has become a key factor in what most businesses do. Even smaller businesses have begun to use their data for strategic purposes, and in doing so have started a trend that has taken the world by storm. Let’s take a look at the data services that are designed to inform business owners and decision makers on how their business is actually working and how to improve operational effectiveness.

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The Importance of Operational Backup

The Importance of Operational Backup

There are numerous backup strategies. Some are attractive for their affordability, some for their comprehensiveness, but regardless of the strategy you use, it will need to fit the kind of work that you do. Some businesses need to make considerations for the amount of data that is created, and what would happen if it were lost. This is where an operational backup strategy comes into play. Let’s take a look at what that means.

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Windows 7 Support is Coming to an End

Windows 7 Support is Coming to an End

Here’s something that may surprise you, Windows 7 is still one of the more popular operating systems. This is troubling since Microsoft is shutting off support for the OS on January 14, 2020. 

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Where is Your Data and Who Can See It?

Where is Your Data and Who Can See It?

We are all in the cloud. The concept of cloud computing and cloud storage has revolutionized the way businesses handle data storage and software distribution. We have helped many of our clients utilize cloud-based services, and these days, most of us are connected to this entity labeled as “the cloud” in one way or another. The question is, how can we tell if our data is safe?

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Basic Cybersecurity Practices to Minimize Risk

Basic Cybersecurity Practices to Minimize Risk

With cybersecurity talent at such a critical shortage, data breaches that expose millions of people’s sensitive information are routine occurrences. It is one of the biggest problems that the modern business faces. Since shortages have businesses of all types scrambling for cybersecurity personnel we thought we’d put together a list of five things that every person should know about how to keep systems secure. 

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Chatbots and Other Simple Artificial Intelligence

Chatbots and Other Simple Artificial Intelligence

There are plenty of technologies that come to define the point of time in which they were developed. The printing press, the light bulb, the automobile, etc. Today, we live in a time where new, and potentially transcendent technologies seem to be a dime a dozen. In the past twenty years we’ve seen the development of the mobile device, broadband technology (both wired and wireless), social media, blockchain and cryptocurrency, all the way to self-driving cars. None of these technologies (even YouTube) has the promise that Artificial Intelligence has, however. Let’s take a look at how businesses are using AI to improve their business right now.

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Current Small Business IT Trends

Current Small Business IT Trends

Technology is trending, there’s no doubt about that, but if you are a decision maker at a small business, technology solutions aren’t typically developed for your business in mind. As a result, it can often be difficult for the SMB to get tools that are scalable enough to make sense for them, while also getting powerful options that will actually work to improve some part of the business. This month, we’ll take a look at three trending technologies that small businesses are starting to use regularly. 

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Understanding Disaster Recovery: RTO and RPO

Understanding Disaster Recovery: RTO and RPO

In business, having contingencies for potential problems tends to be advantageous for the business that wants to stave off ruin. When you are dealing with information technology--specifically data--ensuring that it is protected against loss in the face of the litany of threats out there is an undertaking in itself. A disaster recovery strategy is created to govern the processes a business develops to recover to restore operations in a manner that will keep the business in business. This month we take a look at two of the core variables of a disaster recovery strategy: RPO and RTO.

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Ways to Be Smarter About Your Data

Ways to Be Smarter About Your Data

Here’s a fact that you’ve heard before: data loss is a nightmare for your business, and ransomware is the boogeyman. Once your data has been breached, your company’s reputation is damaged in perpetuity. That’s why it is important to confront these fears and start prioritizing data security. 

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Have You Considered the Cloud for Your Business?

Have You Considered the Cloud for Your Business?

If you asked the layman on the street about cloud computing, you may get some surprising answers. Some people may actually believe that the computing resources are stored in the clouds in the sky. Obviously, that isn’t the case, but one thing is certain: not all cloud strategies are understood by the people that use them. This month we will take a look at the different types of cloud computing and how they can actually work for business.

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The Uses of Document Management in Manufacturing

The Uses of Document Management in Manufacturing

Companies are always looking for a better way to manage their data. For the modern manufacturer, there is a lot of data to manage. For some time, the best process was to fill up clanky file cabinets and pay people to oversee the process. This is no longer the case. With much of an organization’s groundwork being done on computers, storing transactional and clerical data on digital systems only makes sense.

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Cybersecurity Awareness for Manufacturing

Cybersecurity Awareness for Manufacturing

Manufacturers are interesting businesses. Not only do they depend on manpower and technology to produce goods, they also rely on IT to power processes, manage their supply chain, and enhance organizational efficiency. With October being Cybersecurity Awareness month, we thought we’d take a look at what a manufacturer’s cybersecurity efforts look like. 

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Line of Business Software Is Improving Business

Line of Business Software Is Improving Business

It’s true that today’s businesses rely on software to help them fill in the gaps. For certain businesses, however, not just any piece of software will do. If your business is reliant on specific software to properly run your business, or if your business functions in an industry rife with regulations, you might be looking for a line of business software.

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Managed Services and Manufacturer’s Information Systems

Managed Services and Manufacturer’s Information Systems

The business that manufactures products is first and foremost interested in efficiency. They need their processes to turn out product, be cost effective, and be repeatable. The aim of IT services for manufacturers is to help facilitate efficient and effective processes starting with procurement of resources through to the support of the goods. 

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