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The Best Tech Outsourcing Options for Your Small Business

Author: Poppy Williams <poppy@techbizguide.com>

TechBizGuide.com  

At Keystone Business Brokers, we know your small business runs on your ideas, so it’s only natural that you want to do everything possible to maintain it. However, this can lead some entrepreneurs to take on more than they need to for their company.

Technology offers an extensive range of benefits for businesses, but are you over-investing in technology? Instead of spending time and money handling every aspect in-house, consider hiring a professional agency to manage your IT services, social media accounts, or network security.

Managed IT Services

Technology is the backbone of every successful business. With networks, software, and hardware all inter-reliant on each other, it’s easy to see how a minor IT issue could escalate into something serious very quickly.

Rather than trying to manage this yourself or hire an in-house employee to oversee the daily upkeep of your network, consider outsourcing your IT to a reputable agency. Your company will get the benefits of an in-house IT department without the burdens.

Social Media Management

It’s no secret that social media is a vital tool for businesses of any size. Well-managed Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social accounts help boost your company’s visibility with your target audience; however, the time commitment associated with managing social media for a business is enormous. Consider hiring a social media company to manage your accounts instead of losing precious time engaging with your audience on all fronts.

Network Security

Every company is a potential target for hackers due to the valuable information contained on its servers. Security should be one of your top priorities as a business owner, but you have more important things to do than monitor your network 24/7 for breaches or suspicious activity that could compromise your data. With managed services from a cybersecurity company, you can rest assured your network is monitored around the clock.

Website and Graphic Design Services

Since your website is one of the first things potential customers see when researching your company, you need to invest in its design. Instead of managing this task in-house or hiring a graphic designer to create a custom banner for your business website, you could use an online banner template such as Adobe Spark to create it yourself and save money.

Benefits of Outsourcing IT Solutions

When your small business needs help with its technology services or IT department, don’t hire an in-house employee or handle it yourself. Find a professional company to manage all your tech-related tasks so you can concentrate on what matters most: your business. 

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Website Developers: Accularis Marketing Solutions     

https://www.accularis.com               856-793-9440

Host Platform: BlueHost.com

We have a guest writer Poppy Williams who is a blog writer for Realtyspace

Keystone Business Brokers can help you find the perfect business or commercial property for your needs. Contact us at (866) 744-0720.

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Critical Data Protection Tips to Keep Your Customers Safe

Is your business at risk of a data breach? Small businesses are more vulnerable to security breaches than their bigger counterparts. Because small businesses often lack the resources to combat security issues, hackers and identity thieves get away with these crimes far too often. Sadly, a customer data breach could spell the end of your small business. 

Whether your business is the victim of a major cyberattack or a few sensitive documents are stolen out of your recycling bins, a data breach can destroy your reputation, provoke lawsuits, and generate punitive fines. But fear not — here are some great tips from Keystone Business Brokers to keep your customer data safe!

Don’t Neglect Physical Document Security

In the digital age, people have become preoccupied with digital security — and rightly so! Every smartphone, tablet, computer, server, and Wi-Fi connection can give hackers a point-of-entry into your business. But Accusoft notes that it’s easy to overlook the physical security of sensitive data, like those paper records you keep in a filing cabinet in the corner of your office. 

There are a number of steps you can take to ensure your physical documents are kept secure. First, restrict access to paper files with locked cabinets and storerooms. When printing sensitive documents, retrieve your papers immediately and clear the printer archives regularly. It’s also a good idea to establish a policy for how long your documents are kept.

Shredding documents you no longer need is one of the best ways to reduce the risk that someone will mistakenly or deliberately come across them. It’s best practice to destroy all paper documents as soon as they become unnecessary. Instead of wasting valuable time tackling this mundane task yourself, consider outsourcing. 

Secure Your Digital Presence

Your business’ online security is just as important as your offline security. However, protecting your digital presence is a lot more complicated than securing and shredding physical documents. This is why many business owners solicit help from cybersecurity professionals. Whether you’re looking for someone to assess your digital security strategy or you need help complying with legal data protection regulations, talking to a professional is your best bet. 

Beyond this, make sure you take the basic steps to secure your business online. Avast recommends creating strong, unique passwords for each and every account you own and enabling multi-factor authentication whenever possible. It’s also important to encrypt your customer data, especially when it comes to payment information.

Safeguard Your Devices

All of your personal and business devices can offer hackers a doorway into your sensitive data. Be sure to protect all of your devices — smartphones and Wi-Fi routers included — to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorized access. Lifewire suggests that one way to do this is to enable the firewall on your Wi-Fi router and computer. Next, install antivirus software on all of your devices to continuously scan for and stop real-time threats, and keep it updated. Hackers can also gain access to your devices through phishing emails, so make sure you and your employees know how to spot and avoid these.

Get Schooled

As a leader you know the importance of getting as much information as possible when it comes to securing data and business systems. To understand the nuts and bolts of cybersecurity and other areas of IT, consider taking online courses from a reputable and accredited school like Western Governors University, which offers IT degrees. Areas of study include data analytics and cybersecurity, and some programs offer specialized degrees such as cloud computing, as well as cross-discipline degrees such as an MBA in IT management. The great thing about learning online is that you can do so at your own pace and at your own place, allowing you to continue working your own schedule.

Protecting your customer data should be your top priority. After all, data is an incredibly valuable asset that can help you improve your products, maximize your profits, and boost your customer satisfaction. If that data is compromised in any way, you could be facing some serious consequences. Stay on top of data security to protect the longevity of your business. 

Merging Your iPhone and Windows PC

Most of us have a Microsoft Windows PC and an Apple iPhone that operate in two different ecosystems.  There are several features that we use on both devices that up until recently were incompatible such as the contacts, calendar,  photos, and email.  You probably have some programs which you prefer to use.

Both Apple and Microsoft have clouds that allow users to access their information remotely and store their data as a back-up drive.  It is estimated that by 2025, 80% of data will be in the cloud.  The two largest clouds are Microsoft One Drive and Apple’s iCloud.

Microsoft OneDrive
1. Save your files and photos to OneDrive and access them from any device, anywhere.
2. Back up and protect files and photos.

3. Stay connected, share your documents and photos with friends, and family, collaborate in real-time with Office apps.

There is a Microsoft OneDrive app available in the Apple app store that can be downloaded to your iPhone or iPad. This will give you access to your OneDrive programs on your iPhone.

Apple iCloud
You can access your apple tools on your Windows PC by downloading the iCloud app from the Microsoft app store
< https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/windows >.
In addition to the office and photo apps, iCloud also has reminders, find my phone and find my friends.

I am writing this article in iCloud on a Chromebook which will be loaded into the WordPress blog from a Windows computer.  This article will give you some ideas on how these incompatible systems can work together.

A decision you should make is which programs do you prefer to use from these operating systems.  Like many of us, I have several email accounts that have become tedious.  I have forwarded all my emails to one account that makes it easier to control.  If you prefer Microsoft Outlook for your email, contacts, and calendar you can download the app on your iPhone.  After you log-on to the Outlook app it will sync with your existing account.

My advice is to find the programs you are most comfortable using and phase out the others (if possible) and streamline your selection for efficiency.

iPhone or iPad Apps alongside Windows 10 on Your PC and Chromebook

The one complaint that I’ve heard from various individuals who use their computers for business is the various incompatible operating systems, the Mac OS/IOS, Windows 10, and Chrome. Fortunately, the producers of these different operating systems are working on ways for users to access them on various platforms.

The biggest problem seems to be that most business users have MS windows in their offices, they carry Apple iPhones and iPads with them. Unfortunately, you have different programs on your computers and mobile devices.   In a previous blog post, I explained how to download Microsoft products to your various Apple devises. It seems that Microsoft has reciprocated and now has apps for iCloud, which gives you access Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Notes, Reminders, iCloud Drive, as well as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.  You now have the ability to use Apple Apps on your PC and Chromebook and as I mentioned a month ago you can download OneDrive and MS365 which are cloud-based programs on your iPhone and iPad.  

Set up iCloud for Windows  

(Instructions downloaded from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201391) 

1. Download iCloud for Windows on your PC.

Windows 10: Go to the Microsoft Store to download iCloud for Windows.

Earlier versions of Windows*: Download iCloud for Windows from apple.com.

If it doesn’t install automatically, go to File Explorer and open iCloud Setup.

2. Restart your computer.

3. Make sure iCloud for Windows is open. If it doesn’t open automatically, go to Start, open Apps or Programs, and open iCloud for Windows.

4. Enter your Apple ID to sign in to iCloud.

5. Choose the features and content that you want to keep up to date across your devices.

How to make your cheap Chromebook look and feel like a high-priced MacBook

Last week while searching the internet I found an interesting article on Macworld titled “How to make your cheap Chromebook look and feel like a high-priced MacBook.” I was able to take my $250.00 Chromebook and with adjustments such as creating an iCloud app on the Dock which is called a shelf on a Chromebook, and get direct access to all my Apple programs and files  . Also, to make it feel like a MacBook the trackpad scrolling can be reversed to match IOS used on Apple mobile devices.

It may not be a MacBook, but in addition to all the apps already mentioned in this article, you can access Apple Music and Apple TV subscriptions.  

If you would like more information about accessing iCloud, MS OneDrive, or Google Chrome from all your devices, please send me an email, and I will help you. nick@kbizbrokers.com.

Recently, I’ve been perturbed by the different computer ecosystems that I own. I have an iMac (MOS), iPhone/iPad (IOS), ChromeBook (Android) and at work, we use Windows 7 & 10. Twelve years ago when I was in academia teaching marketing, I switched from a PC to a Mac which suited my needs at that time, and as the iPod, iPhone and iPad became popular the advantage was that all of my devices were compatible.

About three years ago I purchased a Chromebook because it was light easy to carry, inexpensive. This is a net-computer which stores all the files in the cloud. Another reason for acquiring this device was to learn more about cloud computing which is predicated by 2025 to store 80% of all business files.

Last fall, I joined Keystone Business Brokers which have Windows 7 & 10 in their offices, another non-compatible system which I’ve had to re-familiarize myself using.

Before I go further let me say that I love my Mac and mobile devices. The operating system is smooth, intuitive, and creative apps such as Photos, iMovie, GarageBand are perfect for creating marketing projects.

For business, I need compatibility for all devices and I found it with Microsoft 365. The six main programs that I’ll be using are Word, Excel. PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service with prices starting at $6.99 a month and higher depending on the additional services and apps added. MS 365 will allow me to collaborate online with my colleagues which is an essential feature during the “new normal.”

In summary, Microsoft has the most widely used line of office programs that can be accessed from any operating system. It allows individuals at different locations to work jointly on projects.

Now is the Time to Implement Web Conferencing

With the recent spike in COVID-19, the states are regressing into the stricter quarantine. Business owners need to adapt to the so-called new normal by adopting and using the technology available. Communication with stakeholders which include employees, customers, and suppliers is imperative.

Web conferencing offers the ability for internal teams to work together and discuss strategy face-to-face in real-time regardless of their locations. Businesses no longer have to be encumbered by different geographical locations necessitating travel time and expenses. Web conferencing can best be described as an online tool for parties from varied locations to collaborate. The cloud-based software can be used for mass communications reaching large audiences by using the platforms hosting features such as webinars (seminars) and webcasts (broadcasts).

If you’re new to web conferencing I suggest you consider starting with either Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Zoom is very popular at this time and I just installed it on both my iMac and Chromebook. Most businesses use the Microsoft Office suite (MS 365) may find MS Teams compatible with your software making the learning curve easier.

Zoom Meetings (zoom.com) (descriptions from Zoom website)
Some of the most exciting features of Zoom meetings include:

Easy adoption with WebRTC technology
Join from anywhere on any device
Access robust security solutions throughout
Built-in tools for screen sharing
HD video and audio calls
Support for up to 1,000 video participants and 49 videos
Meet securely with role-based user permissions
Streamlined calendaring services with Outlook and Google
Built-in recording and transcripts
Team chat both for groups and one-on-one messaging
Access to extra features like webinars, chat, and phone

Microsoft Teams (teams.microsoft.com) (descriptions from Microsoft website)
Work remotely and securely with online meetings.

Online meetings

Host audio, video, and web conferences with anyone. Get features such as scheduling assistance, meeting note-taking, screen sharing, meeting recording, and instant messaging.
Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/6-ways-to-make-virtual-meetings-more-efficient.

Live events

Hold any meeting live—large meetings, webinars, company-wide events, and presentations with up to 10,000 attendees inside or outside your organization—with Teams live events.

Live events link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/live-on-demand-event-solutions

Large meetings link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/are-you-ready-to-host-large-scale-virtual-presentations

Audio conferencing

Let people join meetings on the go with a global dial-in number or contact each other directly. All they need is a mobile device and Teams.

Plans and pricing link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/online-meeting#customerstoryregion2

Meeting devices

Start Teams meetings with one-touch join on Microsoft Teams Rooms devices from our certified partners Logitech, Xrestron, Polycom, Lenovo, HP, Yealink.

Devices link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/across-devices

If you have any questions or comments about this post please send me an email at nick@kbizbrokers.com

Revolutionizing Entrepreneurial Technology in the Cloud

The current pandemic has accelerated the transition of small businesses to online cloud computing. Microsoft reported that due to the surge in usage of their cloud service that they have focused their efforts on meeting the demand. Other software producers are emphasizing publishing cloud-based programs which they believe to be the future of technology.

There are many benefits to cloud computing. Cloud-based servers, storage, and software can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. Your team can collaborate from their devices at various locations.

Salesforce.com a cloud service provider of customer resource management (CRM) software lists 12 advantages of cloud computing.

1. Cost Savings: Easy access to your data will save time and money. It’s a pay-as-you-go system, paying for only the services and storage you use. These factors lower costs and increase ROI.

2. Security: Users have said that the powerful encryption used by cloud services makes it very difficult for hackers to access.

3. Flexibility: Cloud services can quickly meet the demands of your business without spending money on expensive and complex updates to your computer system.

4. Mobility: Staff, freelancers, and customers can access information from various locations which are updated immediately.

5. Insight: Data is money, cloud-based storage offers analytics helping you to produce customized reports thus allowing you to create strategic plans.

6. Increased Collaboration: Team members can view information and work jointly on projects.

7. Quality Control: Single format for documents and single location storage. Data will be consistent with explicit details of corrections and amendments.

8. Disaster Recovery: “Cloud-based servers provide quick data recovery for all kinds of emergency scenarios.”

9. Loss Prevention: Data on PCs can be permanently lost through malfunctions, aging hardware, errors, or theft of a laptop.

10. Automatic Software Updates: No need to take time to update software patches or to pay for the new version. Cloud storage is safe and easily accessible.

11. Competitive Edge: “A Verizon study showed that 77% of businesses feel that cloud technology gives them a competitive advantage.”

12. Sustainability: Cuts town on paper waste, improved energy efficiency due to a reduction in commuting.

If you’re planning to transition to the cloud you should do it incrementally and I suggest you start with Microsoft Cloud 368. This is a compressive package offering all the basic programs. It’s estimated that over 90% of businesses use MS office software making the transformation easy.

Microsoft 365 is the productivity cloud that brings together best-in-class Office apps with powerful cloud services, device management, and advanced security.
The MS 365 package includes all of the following Cloud versions of the MS Office suite.

Word, a full-featured writing tool including spell and grammar check.

Excel, a spreadsheet program that is used for data storage, organizing, and extrapolating data.

Powerpoint, designed to create electronic presentations consisting of a series of separate pages or slides.

OneNote is a program for free-form information gathering and multi-user collaboration. It gathers users’ notes, drawings, screen clippings, and audio commentaries.

OneDrive is a file hosting service and synchronization service.

Outlook is a personal information manager web app from Microsoft consisting of webmail, calendar, contacts, and tasks services.

Teams, allow you to access, share, and edit Word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel files in real-time.

While researching the information for this blog post I signed-up for this suite of office software and I will be using it to interact with my colleagues.

If you have any questions or comments about this post please send me an email at

Unlock the Advantages of Cloud Computing for Small Business

Before I go any further I want to say that I’m not an IT professional.  My background is in sales, marketing, and supply chain management, but my point of view on this topic is as a user of the software.

We have all experienced the evolution of computer technology during the past several decades. My first computer in the 1980s was a Zenith, the operating system was DOS 3.1, and there was no hard-drive. This computer was primarily a word processing tool. Next came the various incarnations of Windows and Macs, followed by mobile devices.  During this evolution, these tools have dramatically changed the way we use our business tools.

The newest trend in technology is cloud-based platforms which include storage, online office programs, and communications.  In this segment, I will cover the storage use of the cloud and in future posts, we will discuss office programs and communications.

Cloud Storage
The advantage of using Cloud storage is the economies of scale which spread the cost of equipment, improvements, and maintenance to thousands of subscribers. Cloud storage eliminates the need for expensive high powered computers, servers, and security.

There are many cloud storage providers which you can find on Google. In this post, I will cover the Cloud sources that I have personally used.

Dropbox brings your cloud content and traditional files together with the tools you love—so you can be organized, stay focused, and get in sync with your team. With all your files organized in one central place, you can safely sync them across all your devices and access them anytime, anywhere.

iCloud is an Apple product that offers a free plan and very reasonable pricing for larger storage. The best benefit is that you can have every document on your Mac automatically uploaded to iCloud. All of your files can be accessed from Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Google Drive (15GB Free) easy storage and accessible from your devices. The big advantage is that you can purchase a Chromebook computer for as low as $300.00 and keep all your files in the cloud. Unfortunately, there is almost no storage on the laptop.

Amazon Drive is free with a Prime membership account. Like the others, it provides storage for your files. There is an unlimited amount of storage for photos. I store several thousand photos on this cloud.

If you have any comments or questions please email me at nick@kbizbrokers.com