SMART Blog

93% of organizations have had a virus, worm, or trojan horse successfully infiltrate their network through email (Source: Osterman Research, Inc.) and 30 to 40% of internet browsing is non-job related (Source: IDC Research).

Spam emails are more than just a nuisance – they pose threats to your network security and contribute to lost productivity from having to manage them on a daily basis. Unauthorized employee web browsing is not only a productivity killer; it increases the chances of viruses infiltrating your network and can lead to security breaches.

Our "Managing Spam and Employee Web Browsing" webinar from May 27, 2009 discusses how to prevent spam and associated threats, as well as prevent unauthorized employee web surfing. This webinar is broken into five parts and is viewable by clicking here.

Microsoft Outlook 2007 users - our "How to Get the Most Out of Outlook 2007" webinar is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Presented on June 24, 2009, this informative webinar shows you how to automate tasks, increase productivity, and make your life a little easier with Outlook 2007.

SMART I.T. Services recently caught up with Holly Rossell of Action Insurance, winner of our 2009 Extreme Technology Makeover, to talk about SMARTweb Defense, a solution for curbing unauthorized employee web surfing and defending against threats like viruses and spyware. Check out the footage as Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services trains Holly on the in-depth reporting features of SMARTweb Defense.

Wouldn't it be nice to receive SMARTweb Defense for your business? Apply for our next Extreme Technology Makeoverand it could be yours, too!

ANN ARBOR, MI (July 14, 2009) – Kleinschmidt Insurance of Ann Arbor, Michigan, an independent insurance agency, partnered with SMART I.T. Services, Inc. of Sterling Heights, Michigan to help improve their productivity and profitability by moving their agency management system in-house. Kleinschmidt’s agency management system, Applied’s The Agency Manager (TAM), was previously hosted off-site by a third-party.

Kleinschmidt made the decision to bring their agency management system and related infrastructure back in-house to help increase speed and operability of the system, which will lead to increased employee productivity and reduced downtime.

New infrastructure for the agency includes technology such as Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 with Microsoft Exchange, SMART BDR Backup and Disaster Recovery services, and more. In addition, they opted for a proactive approach to managing their network by selecting the S.M.A.R.T. Services® Platinum program offered by SMART I.T. Services.

Since moving their agency management system back in-house, Kleinschmidt reports that their network is running faster, allowing employees to be more productive.

“Moving Kleinschmidt Insurance’s agency management system in house will provide them with a much more stable, reliable, and robust system. This will result in increased productivity and reduced costs associated with productivity loss and downtime,” commented Jerry Fetty, CEO of SMART I.T. Services. “Overall, they are investing in the future of their insurance agency by making these strategic decisions.”

About Kleinschmidt Insurance
Kleinschmidt Insurance is an independent insurance agency that has been insuring businesses and families since 1926. The agency represents more than 25 insurance companies to provide business, home, auto, life, health, and other insurance solutions. For more information, visit kleinschmidtinsurance.com.

About SMART I.T. Services, Inc.
SMART I.T. Services, Inc. is an information technology services provider that has been helping insurance agencies increase their productivity and profitability since 1991. SMART I.T. Services is the only managed services provider in Michigan certified under the Managed Service Providers Accreditation Program (MSAP) by the MSP Alliance. For more information, visit SMARTservices.com.

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In this day and age, proper retention of company data is not only important, it is critical to staying in business. With the ongoing risk of data loss and regulatory compliance concerns, there has never been a better time to make sure that your archiving, data retention, and backup practices are adequate.

Join SMART Services for our free webinar, “What You Need to Know about Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups”, and discover strategies and best practices for protecting your data and minimizing your risk of data loss.

Title:
What You Need to Know about Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups

Date:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Time:
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/315312826

Our webinar, "What You Need to Know About Archiving, Data Retention, and Backups", from August 26 is now available for viewing on our YouTube channel.

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents will be holding its annual Great Lakes Automation Day (GLAD) event on November 6, 2009 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The theme for this year's event is "Agencies in the Age of Social Media."

Do you think social media is just a fad? Come find out what the experts think about its potential benefits and the best practices to utilizing it at your insurance agency.

Speakers for GLAD 2009 include Bryant Caudill of SMART I.T. Services, Steve Anderson, and Angelyn Treautel of the IIABA's Agents Council for Technology.

Don't miss out on this great event! Visit http://www.michagent.org/more information and to register.

Check out the latest edition to the SMART Services vehicle fleet - a 2009 Chevy HHR. The car is decked-out in a colorful graphic wrap that features circuits, chips, cables, and other computer components incorporated into a classic "hot rod" look.

Click here to check it out on YouTube!

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI (February 1, 2010) – SMART I.T. Services, Inc., an information technology services provider focused on serving independent insurance agencies, recently acquired MySalesResults, a web-based sales management tool designed specifically for independent insurance agencies.

MySalesResults will join SMART I.T Services’ set of IT services and solutions for insurance agencies, including proactive network monitoring and management, data backup and standby server, electronic document management, communications solutions, and more.

MySalesResults is designed to be a simple, effective, producer prospecting and results tracking tool. It allows producers to track and manage their prospect pipeline throughout the sales process and it allows managers to review producer sales results compared to their sales goals, by individual producer, department and agency.

Jessica Stevenson, Account Executive for MySalesResults, will continue with MySalesResults providing sales and customer support to agency customers throughout the United States and Canada.

“MySalesResults is a well proven and respected tool for agencies to manage their sales team. It is a welcome compliment to the technology services we currently offer to independent insurance agencies.” stated Jerry Fetty, Founder and CEO of SMART I.T. Services, Inc.

Hetrick & Associates Insurance Agency from Marquette, Michigan, along with Jessica Stevenson and a program developer, created MySalesResults in 2006 as a solution to streamline their sales management and tracking abilities.

“We are confident that Jerry and the SMART I.T. Services team will bring MySalesResults to the next level of success in the industry. We have brought MySalesResults from an idea, to an actual service that independent insurance agencies utilize throughout the United States and Canada. Agencies find success in MySalesResults assisting them in organizing and managing their producers, sales processes, and goals. We are also looking forward to working with Jessica and continuing as a customer of MySalesResults,” said Scott White, VP & Sales Manager of Hetrick & Associates Insurance Agency.


About SMART I.T. Services, Inc.
SMART I.T. Services, Inc. is an information technology (IT) services provider that has been serving insurance agencies since 1991. Agencies have turned to SMART I.T. Services, Inc. to reduce their IT costs, increase productivity, and gain peace of mind. Additionally, SMART I.T. Services is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is certified under the Managed Service Providers Accreditation Program (MSAP) by the MSP Alliance. SMART I.T. Services is also the only endorsed and recommended technology services provider of the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA). For more information, visit SMARTservices.com.

Thank you for attending Take Your Agency to the Next Level 2010, presented by SMART I.T. Services! Check out some photos below from this seminar that took place on April 29-30, 2010.

An online threat becoming more and more problematic is fake anti-virus and anti-spyware software pop-ups. You may have run into these malicious pop-ups when you're surfing online. A seemingly legit pop-up appears saying, "Your Computer Has Been Infected!" The pop-up prompts you to click it to buy software to rid your computer of the infection.

However, clicking on the pop-up actually installs malware that it claims to be helping you protect against. The malware can compromise your personal data, make your PC extremely slow or unusable, and more. Worse yet, if you proceed to buy the software that the pop-up presents you, your credit card information falls into the hands of thieves.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself:

• Do NOT click on any pop-up that advertises anti-virus or anti-spyware software, especially a program promising to provide every feature known to mankind. In general, do not click on any pop-up advertisements, as many of them are malicious.
• Use ALT + F4 to close a pop-up window... this is the only safe method for closing one.
• If a virus alert appears on your screen, do NOT touch it. Do not use your mouse to eliminate or scan for viruses, and DON'T use your mouse to close the window. Contact SMART Services immediately. Clicking anywhere on the pop-up will allow the software to install itself.
• Never open an email attachment unless you are POSITIVE about the source.
• Do not download freeware or shareware.
• Avoid questionable websites. Some sites may automatically download malicious software onto your computer.