Coleman Technologies Blog

The entire purpose of modern IT is to improve the processes that work requires us to do. Today, we wanted to address a few business priorities—productivity, cybersecurity, and accessibility—that the right tech can help you accomplish, explicitly exploring how different tools can contribute to your success.

Technology Can Kickstart Productivity

Of all business metrics, productivity is arguably the most focused on nowadays. Fortunately, implementing modern tools can significantly improve your chances of running a productive business. For instance…

Automation

How many tasks must be completed but consistently take considerable time without offering your business much practical value? The fact that such tasks interfere with your profit-generating activities puts them in direct opposition to your productivity. However, implementing automation and allowing these labor-intensive but straightforward tasks to run independently in the background can give your team members a lot of time to commit to profit-generating or business-advancing efforts.

Collaboration

There’s a reason that people say “let’s put our heads together” or that “many hands make light work.” Collaborating on any goal can very easily reduce the time it takes, and many modern technology platforms are designed with this in mind. Microsoft and Google each offer entire suites of software built with collaboration as a priority, which means embracing these capabilities is simpler and more accessible than ever.

Data Management and Analytics

Collecting and analyzing the data your business generates throughout its operations empowers you to make better and wiser decisions for your company. Modern IT tools can collect and process this immense amount of information, identifying promising patterns and highlighting what you can accomplish much more quickly than you could otherwise.

Cybersecurity is Simpler with Modern Protections

Security, as the past few decades of near-constant cyberthreats and data breaches should have taught us all, is critical for businesses of all sizes to get right. While this is far from an inclusive list, the following are vital elements of proper cybersecurity preparedness.

Advanced Threat Protection

As a blanket term encompassing various security tools, advanced threat protection requires a business to adopt safeguards like antivirus, firewalls, and threat-detection systems. Doing so will help eliminate a vast majority of the threats that you would otherwise face, significantly lowering the likelihood of your team encountering an issue nearly as often.

Data Encryption

With data being so readily targeted by threats, the safe option is to take precautions to mitigate the damage that stolen data can cause. Encryption is one such precaution.

By scrambling the data to anyone that doesn’t have the proper credentials to access it, encryption helps preserve the privacy of any data that might be breached and limits the damage done. While the breach is still not acceptable and needs to be addressed, encryption allows you to focus your energy on resolving the problem.

Employee Training and Awareness

One of the most persistent cybersecurity threats comes from inside the house in the form of your employees because they can very easily serve as a vulnerability. This makes it crucial that your team is aware of the threats they’ll face and are ready to spot them, which investing in employee training will help. Be sure you also run simulated attacks to evaluate how well this training works and to catch potential weaknesses in your defenses.

Today’s Tools Offer Enhanced Accessibility

While the workplace was once firmly defined as the office where business took place, modern technologies allow work to be done effectively anywhere someone can access the Internet. The following technologies are instrumental for this to happen productively and securely.

Cloud

The cloud can support a wide range of business needs, from storage space to software delivery and many others, simply because it’s just borrowed (or, more accurately, rented) computing hardware that someone else maintains on your behalf. That, paired with the relative affordability and accessibility the cloud provides, makes it a no-brainer for businesses to use the cloud, especially to support remote work.

Virtual Private Networks

When considering remote work, however, you need to take security even more seriously. It’s one thing for your team to access sensitive data from within your protected and secured network, and it’s quite another for them to do so from some airport, coffee shop, or even home network with a password like “locationnameWificode.”

One way you can work around this is by implementing a tool called a virtual private network, or VPN. You may have heard of them in ads or YouTube sponsorships as a means of accessing geo-protected streaming content from the comfort of your home. In the business world, their utility is far greater. Business-grade VPNs allow remote workers to securely access data you have stored on-site, as the VPN creates an encrypted bridge between their device and your storage hardware.

Remote Troubleshooting

We must also address the ever-present fact that IT issues happen constantly, regardless of whether someone works in an office or outside its walls. This makes it essential for modern businesses to have some form of remote support available to perform remote monitoring and maintenance on their IT infrastructure and help employees efficiently address any issues they encounter. Today’s technology makes this kind of support-from-a-distance possible, whether it is performed by an in-house IT department or an outsourced provider.

We Can Be the Outsourced Provider to Assist With All of This…

…and, frankly, a lot more. Reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to inquire about any or all of the above and learn more about what we can do for your business.

Let’s go over a few solutions that can assist your business’ continuity in these testing times.

The Fear of Infection

The primary concern that comes from this specific variety of disaster is generally one of widespread infection, which makes it an uncomfortable prospect for people to congregate anywhere. This is especially true of the workplace, where papers and files were traditionally distributed (and redistributed) as work was done.

Naturally, this is the perfect storm for any illness to spread: materials being passed around, with many people together in a relatively enclosed space. With COVID-19, this is especially problematic, as the CDC believes that it is spread through respiratory droplets and close proximity to others. As a result, it is better to avoid this situation… but how could your business possibly cope with its entire staff being absent, due to either illness or preventative “social distancing?”

Fortunately, the technology exists today that allows you to see the best of both worlds.

Securely and Safely Working Remotely

Many common technologies today can be used to enable your employees to do the same tasks they would do in the office from the relative comfort and security of their own home. Let’s go through some of these technologies and applications and review why they are valuable to a remote work policy.

• Mobile devices - If your employees are going to work productively from home, they’re going to need access to the proper tools to do it. Supply your staff with laptops or thin clients that permit them to bring their tools out of the office if need be.
• VPN (Virtual Private Networking) - Of course, once your technology has been taken out of the security of the office, the data that it accesses can be put at risk. Utilizing a virtual private network can help decrease that risk greatly by shielding the data that is in transit.
• Cloud solutions - Of course, in order to effectively work remotely, your data and applications need to be accessible to your team as they need them. Hosting these resources in the cloud enables your team to access them from wherever an Internet connection can be established on many different types of devices.
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - Communication is absolutely critical to business productivity, especially when it comes to remote resources. Without communication, you can’t expect to accomplish much at all. Certain solutions, like VoIP, allow you and your team, to maintain this communication--again, from wherever an Internet connection can be maintained.

While productivity is crucial to your business’ success, so is the well-being of your employees. Giving them the option to work remotely can help attend to both needs. For assistance with implementing the needed solutions, reach out to Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.

For the longest time, smartphone manufacturers looked to develop devices that came with unique features in all different manners of form factors. Nowadays, however, there are very few phone manufacturers and those that are left have pretty much decided, for now, what the smartphone would look like. Even the ones that fold in half look and function pretty much the same. In this week’s blog, we will take a look at the declining innovation in the smartphone market and why it may not be a bad thing.

The Smartphone

The smartphone is the most important computer ever developed. Users are so connected to their smartphones today that there is an official phobia explaining the fear of going without their phone, called nomophobia. People depend on their smartphone more than many of the people in their lives.   

In many cases, smartphones hold people’s personal and professional lives together. They allow people to interact with their friends and family at the touch of a button and they provide an outlet for people to do more than they would otherwise be able to do. With so much at stake, it would stand to reason that smartphone manufacturers would be pushing the proverbial envelope when it comes to innovating the features on their devices. 

They just haven’t, and there are a few reasons why. Let’s take a look at a few:

We Already Have the Basics

For years, companies added tons of new stuff—like better cameras, faster processors, and brighter screens. Now, most phones already do everything we need really well, so there’s not much new to add.

Small Changes Don’t Feel Big

Each year, phones do get a little better, but the improvements are so small that most people don’t notice a big difference. For example, a camera that goes from 40 to 50 megapixels sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t make photos that much better to our eyes.

Almost Everyone Has One

Nearly everyone who wants a smartphone already has one. So instead of trying to make brand-new phones every year, companies focus more on making their apps and services (marginally) better, which doesn’t feel as exciting as a new gadget.

Tech Limits and Costs

Some new ideas—like foldable screens or cameras that hide under the screen—are still super expensive or hard to make strong enough. Since these are tricky to build, not everyone can afford them yet.

Better Software and Services 

Now that the hardware (like screens and cameras) is pretty good, companies are putting more energy into making software better. They add new features through apps, like cool photo editing or ways to connect your phone to other devices.

Are smartphones smart enough? Do they do everything you need them to do? What else of value do you think they could do that would get you to immediately upgrade? One thing is for certain, they aren’t going away anytime soon. For more great technology content, stop back to our blog on the regular.

Agriculture

Farms often cover miles and miles of real estate. Traditionally, this makes it more difficult to keep track of everything that is going on around the property. Drones can make monitoring the status of the farm much simpler. With specialized sensors that collect important data, farmers are able to successfully manage irrigation levels, fertilization, and crop spacing, leading to higher agriculture output. Using drones, farmers can also manage livestock much simpler.

Conservation and Environmental Protection

Drones have also been a big benefit to conservationists by expanding the ability to collect crucial data in situations that they weren’t previously able to track. They can help track animal and environmental patterns and report information that is crucial in modern conservation efforts. Drone technology can also help Department of Environmental Conservation officers and park rangers find compliance infractions. 

Construction and Site Surveying

Engineers and construction workers now use drones to not only get a lay of the land, but also inspecting hard to reach places. Using drones in this capacity cuts down on the dangerous situations that human workers are exposed to, mitigating risk. 

Fire Fighting, Policing, and Search and Rescue

One of the most important uses of drone technology today is in emergency situations. It can assist all types of first responders by being able to get an aerial view of the situation. Firefighters are beginning to use drones to fight fires, while still using them in support capacity as well.  

Police have started to use drones for crash investigations as well as to keep officers out of potentially risky situations. 

Law enforcement has also used drones to simplify many of their activities, including crash investigations and search and rescue efforts.

Search and rescue teams have used drones to deliver equipment quickly into situations where people could be at serious risk of bodily harm. 

Insurance

Drones can be of use to insurance companies when they do assessments of claims. Instead of putting people into potentially serious situations, flying a drone keeps risk down and allows people to get the resources they need to rebuild quickly. 

Have you used a drone? How do you think the drone will affect life going forward? Leave your thoughts below in the comments and be sure to return to our blog again next week.

As necessary as technology is in modern business operations, a variety of common IT-related obstacles must be overcome for your efforts to succeed. Fortunately, partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) can make these obstacles less “mountain” and more “molehill.” Let’s examine some of the most often seen business technology challenges and discuss how a relationship with an MSP helps alleviate them.

Your Users Aren’t Properly Trained

It’s one thing to have the right tools at your business’ disposal… it’s another entirely for your workforce to understand how to use them fully. As with any business process, your team must be familiar with the tools they are expected to use to do so effectively.

Partnering with an MSP like Coleman Technologies, however, gives you access to subject matter experts who will help you lead your team along the right path and teach them the best practices for being as productive as possible while upholding the stringent security standards modern operations require. Investing the time to focus on your employees’ skills and expertise—while also giving them a resource to turn to—will provide you with some significant benefits in the long term. 

For That Matter, Your Users Aren’t Properly Supported

On a related note, your workforce will need somewhere to turn if (and when) they encounter a problem with their tech. While you may have an internal IT team for this exact purpose, that shouldn’t be their only concern. Every moment this team spends dealing with an IT issue is one less to invest in your organization’s future IT, and vice versa. If you don’t have an internal team (as many small businesses don’t), this exacerbates the problem, as many external providers charge exorbitant fees per call.

This is not the case when working with us. We’ll be there for your staff to contact if they ever have a question about their technology or need assistance with some aspect of their IT. Alternatively, we could work in the background to plan your business’ future technology implementations on your behalf.

Your Business IT Doesn’t Meet Necessary Compliance

Governing bodies and industry groups have been known to set standards that businesses must meet, benefiting their clients and society in general. Failure to meet these standards is often met with some consequence, often in the form of lost privileges or fines.

These consequences are often severe and should be avoided, as they could significantly impact your business’ capabilities in the long term.

Working with us means that you are working with a resource that is likely very familiar with the regulatory standards your business must meet (after all, they’ve likely dealt with it before) and can work on your behalf to ensure that all the “t”s are crossed and all the “i”s are dotted in terms of your compliance. We will be there to keep your business secure and productive and do so in a way that keeps those governing bodies and industry groups happy.

Your Business Isn’t Properly Secured

Security is not something that any business can—or should—take for granted. There is an obscene volume of cyberthreats, most of them gunning for easy targets.

Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do to protect yourself and your business from the threats that are so prevalent today—largely through no fault of your own. After all, you have a business to run, a commitment that almost certainly takes most of your energy and attention. That said, you might not have that business to run without the protections necessary to protect your operations from today’s threats.

We can help you manage and maintain these protections, providing monitoring services to help catch issues of all kinds (including cybersecurity incidents) and respond to them with the appropriate measures. Furthermore, we will help advise and guide you in protecting your business correctly, recommending different tools and measures to ensure your business' defense.

You Have No Plan for Your Technology’s Future

Finally, every small business should strive for growth, whether that growth is in size, scale, or capability. This goal will require some form of business development, which means that the organization’s IT needs will also change.

We can be there from the very start to help businesses design a strategy to help sustainably guide these changes, ensuring that the technology an organization relies on is prepared to scale as it does in a way that the business can support. Consider what you want your own business to look like in a year, five years, or ten years from now. Working with an MSP sets you up to reach that, in terms of your technology’s role.

We Can Be Your MSP

Reach out to Coleman Technologies today to get started. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428.

As conditions within your business change, it’s likely that your plans might need to change before their end results come to fruition. The decisions you made last fiscal year, or even last quarter, might no longer be relevant due to the rapid pace of evolution that happens with business technology. Let’s go over how you can get the appropriate technology solutions for your business without falling behind.

Considering Your Options

It can be overwhelming at times to run a business, as you have so many choices and options at your disposal that it can almost paralyze you into inaction. While it’s important to know what technology you need and when to implement the solutions, it’s not always clear how to proceed. Of course, the technology you choose to implement will shape the trajectory of your company and its operations, so weighing all of your options carefully will be of vital importance.

Transforming with Technology

Modern businesses have their hands full with digital transformation and the struggles that come with moving analog operations to more technologically advanced ones. Technology offers more opportunities for businesses to streamline operations, improve the customer experience, and optimize for efficiency. Small businesses can leverage powerful tools that were once previously exclusive to enterprises, and with options like high-quality customer relationship management software, project management tools, and online collaboration suites, SMBs can compete, in a sense, with large organizations. Automation in particular can be transformative and free up lots of time for your team to spend on more important parts of your business.

Adopting the Cloud

The cloud is an amazing opportunity for small businesses that want to gain access to more dynamic solutions for data storage and application hosting. Essentially, your business can host all of this in the cloud rather than on your local servers, allowing for greater flexibility, scalability, and cost savings. All you have to do is pay for the resources you use, and you can adjust your services in accordance with your needs. You save time, energy, and resources by foregoing the traditional on-site infrastructure.

Your business has many chances to improve the way it functions in the new year, so get started today by contacting Coleman Technologies. You can reach us at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.

Generally speaking, microchips in computers are made out of a variety of materials, but the most common is silicon. These microchips are responsible for acting as semiconductors and give your devices the ability to perform various tasks. We’ll get into the details about a couple of them here.

Memory
One of the more notable uses of microchips in devices includes temporarily storing data. These kinds of chips have a familiar name that you’ve probably heard before--Random Access Memory, or RAM. As long as the chip is receiving power, it can store data on the device. Once the device is turned off and the chips are no longer receiving power, this temporary data is wiped. Depending on what the device is used for, the computer might have many RAM chips installed on it; otherwise, the device will be slowed down considerably by resource-intensive tasks.

Microprocessors
Microprocessors have a lot to do with your device’s CPU, or central processing unit. You’ll often hear the comparison of a CPU to the brain of the human body. The CPU is responsible for processing all of the programmable commands on the device. Microprocessors generally rely on logic to function as intended. Of course, depending on the kind of device, various strength microprocessors will need to be used, as the same kind of microprocessor won’t work for every single kind of device out there.

Other Kinds of Chips
Depending on the device used, you might find various device-specific chips in use. For example, some devices that have cameras might have chips specifically designed for use with video recording or picture taking. Others that have networking abilities might have chips designed for use with those. Basically, chips are responsible for both the everyday functionality of your devices, as well as some of the specific, more advanced features that not everyone will be using.

For more information about technology or devices, stay subscribed to our blog.

We talk about Business Continuity a lot. Usually when we discuss it, we’re talking about backing up your data or having a plan in place to bounce back after a major disaster were to happen.

For example, if a fire were to take out your server room, what steps have you taken to prepare for it, and how quickly can you be back up and running?

The answer should be something like this:
We have our data backed up to an internal device in the server room. We can always rely on that, provided that the backup device remains operational. In the event that the backup device suffers from the disaster, we also back up our data in the cloud. The restore is a little more complicated, but we can manage for a few days from the cloud-based backup while new infrastructure is installed onsite.

That’s a really solid answer, and that is something that we specialize in helping British Columbia businesses achieve. However, that’s your backup strategy. That’s just a small part of your overall business continuity. That data backup is a real lifesaver when it comes to a physical disaster, but what happens when the disaster is a loss of life, or incapacitation, or even just a key individual suddenly walking out the door?

Let’s Look at a Scenario

Let’s say Bob is the business owner. He makes all of the decisions, he signs the contracts, he pays the bills. If Bob gets sick or suffers a stroke and becomes incapacitated, who takes over until he recovers? If Bob’s son works for the company, does the son have legal authority to take over?

We’re covering a lot of ground here, but technically, only the courts can intercede and make these types of decisions if it isn’t properly prepared for. You might run into a scenario where the court will choose someone to run the business temporarily while it is decided what to do next. This process can be slow, and the outcome might not be ideal.

If Bob establishes an Estate Plan, he can pick a successor to have legal authority to run the business. The Estate Plan should include a Revocable Living Trust and Powers of Attorney.

Let’s take a moment here to admit that we are not lawyers, and not offering professional legal advice, and that you should consult your lawyer before making any legal decisions. 

On top of all of this, you’ll want the family of the incapacitated business owner to maintain its lifestyle while keeping the business chugging along.

Business Continuity is About Smooth Recovery

Just like how we always recommend a backup device that can restore data quickly without a lot of overhead, the rest of your business continuity plan should cover a broad enough range of emergencies to enable the business to stay afloat during the toughest tides.

That plan should include taking a significant person or role out of the loop and continuing to operate normally. That may require thorough documentation and training for other capable employees before something bad happens.

Does your business continuity plan, or Emergency Action Plan (EAP) clearly cover this? If you would like to have a deeper conversation about business continuity, please reach out to us at Coleman Technologies to set up a call.

Today, IT is important for many things. It's not just a small part of a company… but how deeply is IT woven into modern workplace culture? Let's delve into how technology and culture coalesce in today's businesses.

Workplace IT Reliance Intertwines with Company Culture

The symbiotic relationship between workplace culture and IT is impossible to deny. Nowadays, most businesses heavily rely on IT in the workplace.

A company's culture affects how it uses technology. Technology can also impact a company's culture.

IT solutions help people communicate, work together, and get more done, which is important for a successful and happy work environment.

Communication and Collaboration

Nowadays, more people are working from home or traveling while working. As a result, teams need to use technology to stay connected. Video conferencing, instant messaging, project management tools, and cloud-based collaboration platforms have become normal workday processes. This technology helps companies improve their operations, even when employees are in different locations.

Similarly, workplace culture has changed due to how connected everything is now. Smart companies focus more on being flexible, responding quickly, and using technology to its fullest degree. This is especially true in terms of keeping coworkers more connected.

Productivity and Efficiency

Technology helps people communicate better and work faster. For businesses striving to remain competitive, the appropriate tools are crucial. 

IT solutions can do the boring work for businesses, so your team can spend more time on new ideas and planning. This breeds a culture that rewards creativity and problem-solving rather than one that is bogged down by repetitive work.

The Role of IT in Employee Engagement

A strong workplace culture engages and motivates its employees. Using technology to make work more fun and interesting can help employees become more involved and happy. 

Employees can become more engaged and improve the organization's culture by participating in games, using customized training programs, and receiving rewards. All of this can be done using technology.

Challenges and Considerations

Using IT has benefits, but making it a natural part of how people work can also be hard.

Security, privacy, and access issues can impact a company's use of technology. Businesses must address these concerns thoughtfully to maintain a positive culture.

Balancing Tech and Human Touch

IT is necessary in today's workplaces, but combining technology with human interaction is also important. Relying too much on technology at work can make people feel lonely and hurt their personal relationships. Companies must ensure that their technology helps people work together and support each other.

After all, technology is necessary for work. It helps us talk with each other and work together. It also keeps employees interested and involved. Businesses need to use IT to support their employees and create a culture that values technology and personal growth.

Coleman Technologies is here to help. Our managed IT services are designed to minimize the friction that IT issues cause and support your team’s collaboration capabilities. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 to learn more.

Here, we’ve put together a list of suggestions for the different kinds of coworker you might have to provide a present for.

The Health-Conscious

Let’s face facts - the desk jobs that are typical of the office aren’t exactly the healthiest ones in the world, so there are plenty of gifts that are intended for the office worker who wants to fight the battle of the bulge.

From numerous standing desk and converter options, to chairs that require active sitting (like those big inflatable balls you sit on) or are specially designed with ergonomics in mind, to elliptical machines that fit under a desk, you have your choice of means to help decrease sedentary behavior in the naturally-sedentary office environment, or at least minimize its impact.

Want to take the more affordable route? Look into posters with yoga positions or rolled up yoga mats that can be stowed away. If your office has an outdoor space, a few outside gifts like frisbees, jump ropes, and hackysacks might be a big hit.

While you may not be able to give your coworker the ability to avoid the snacks in the break room, or the extra cupcakes that Susie from Human Resources brought in from her daughter’s 7th birthday party, you can at least help them fight off their effects.

The Productivity-Minded

We all have that coworker who likes to keep themselves as organized as possible, as the more organized they are, the more productive they can be. There are many gifts that may be perfect for such a person, especially with the new year following so closely behind the holidays. For instance, a personal calendar or planner is a popular tool that many people use, especially those who prefer to find it easier to remember their responsibilities if they record them in analog, rather than digital format.

Alternatively, you might consider getting such a person a means of keeping their space uncluttered and organized, such as an attachable storage shelf for their desk, or a case to help them keep their various peripherals, dongles, and doodads organized and easily portable.

Of course, one of the most common ways to boost productivity is to add an additional display, so you always have the option to invest in any of a variety of products that can accomplish this. There are additional monitors for both desktops and laptops, of course, but there are also docks that can turn a mobile device into an additional, interactive display. Of course, these can be pricier than a gift for a coworker should perhaps be, but there are also options with a much less considerable price tag - like a wireless phone charger or similar device.

The Fidgeter

We all have that coworker who tends to think with their hands - that person who needs something tactile to help organize their thoughts. This is a fairly easy person to buy a gift for, as there are plenty of “desk toys” out there that you can find - fidget spinners, levitating tops, and magnetic balls just being the start.

One word of warning - unless your coworkers are always listening to music while they work, or are exceptionally patient, you will probably want to make sure whatever tchotchke you decide to give someone is minimally disruptive. Otherwise, your gift may result in issues down the line.

Of course, you don’t necessarily need to give gifts that are just for the office. It’s always fun to get a more personalized gift for someone to use in their personal life, as it means that you have really gotten to know your coworkers.

What was the best gift you ever got from an office gift exchange? What would you hope to receive now? Share it in the comments - you never know, someone might see it and give it to you!

With technology playing such a massive role in modern business processes, having someone in the higher ranks to oversee it is a huge advantage. This is the role of the Chief Information Officer—the CIO—which makes them an integral part of the modern C-suite.

So, what kind of thing does the CIO (or your business’ equivalent of it) need to know and consider in order to fulfill their role? 

Let’s go over a few of the priorities the CIO will need to have in the coming year and years, and what skills they’ll need to have.

What Does Your IT Leadership Need to Focus On?

There are a few key areas that the person taking the lead on your business’ IT should devote their attention to in the coming year.

• Budget Defensibility - With the signals we’ve been seeing as far as the economy is concerned, budgets are bound to be pretty tight for businesses. This puts the often resource-intensive IT department in the crosshairs for cuts...even though these cuts could negatively impact the business as a whole.
  
  As such, it will be important that a company’s IT leadership has a good handle on how much return the department is seeing on the company’s investment into it, and that they have empirical data to support these conclusions. Focusing on value will help you to communicate this more effectively.
  
  
• Data Security and Protection - The unpleasant reality is that cyberattacks aren’t going to go away. Why would they? Economic and geopolitical struggles often go hand in hand with cyberthreats—many of which can and will target businesses of any size—which only adds to the current need for improved cybersecurity across the board.
  
  
• Adaptability - The world learned the hard way how effective remote (or “distributed”) work can be just a few years ago, despite many resisting it for as long as they could. Despite distributed work quite literally keeping many companies from going under, a considerable number of these companies have been quick to pull their employees back into the office. For many of these employees, it has been an unhappy return.
  
  Today’s CIOs need to understand and embrace remote work as the net benefit that it is, creating a strategy that allows the business to take full advantage of its employees’ skills, wherever they happen to be working.

We Can Help Your Business, Supporting Your CIO (or Even Stepping Into the Role)

As a managed service provider, we have the capability to work alongside your Chief Information Officer to ensure that their plan for your business’ IT is properly implemented in a way that is both effective and fiscally responsible for your business’ situation. Don’t have a CIO? No problem—we can also serve as a virtual CIO for you, taking the lead on your business technology strategy.

Learn more about the options you have with Coleman Technologies by giving us a call at (604) 513-9428!

Think about running a small or medium-sized business. It's like trying to juggle a million things at once. You're super focused on keeping your customers happy, making sure your team is doing well, and, of course, making money. Among all of that, there is something that often gets overlooked: the technology that makes all of your efforts possible.

It's easy to forget about it, but your IT setup is way more than just the computers you see on desks. It's this whole complicated network of stuff. This includes all of the networking equipment, the software you pay for (even subscriptions), other cloud services, and even those smartphones and tablets that employees use for work. For many smaller businesses, keeping all of this running smoothly and, more importantly, securely, is a huge headache.

Why Ignoring IT is a Bad Idea

It might seem like you're saving time or money by not constantly worrying about IT maintenance, but that is definitely short-sighted. If you let your systems get old and don't manage your devices properly, you're basically handing an open invitation to hackers and scammers; groups that are consistently targeting smaller businesses. This puts all your important business data and your customers' information at serious risk. What’s more, if your hardware fails or your software crashes, you could be looking at a total standstill. That means losing a ton of money and productivity for every hour you're down.

On top of that, if your technology is slow, unreliable, or outdated, it's going to be way harder to operate efficiently, keep your customers happy, and compete with other businesses that are using the latest and greatest tools.

The Solution is to Be Proactive!

The good news is that there's a much smarter way to handle IT: be proactive.

Instead of just waiting for things to break and then scrambling to fix them, a proactive approach is all about preventing problems in the first place. This means beefing up your cybersecurity to protect your valuable data, minimizing downtime so your business runs smoothly, and having a controllable and predictable IT budget so you don't get hit with unexpected repair bills.

The best part is that it frees you and your team to concentrate on growing your business, instead of constantly putting out IT fires.

We've Got Your Back

Want to have peace of mind and turn your IT into a real advantage? Coleman Technologies is your local IT expert right here in British Columbia. We specialize in managing all the IT stuff for small and medium-sized businesses. That includes everything from keeping an eye on your network and maintaining it, to providing strong cybersecurity, managing your cloud services, and offering fast and helpful support when you need it. We totally get the challenges that local businesses face, and we provide the professional and reliable support you need.

Stop stressing about IT, give us a call today at (604) 513-9428 for a consultation.

The Internet of Things, or IoT, has grown to over 14 billion connected devices as of this year, and this number is expected to exceed 20 billion devices by the end of 2026. With such a shocking number of devices, you might wonder what types of devices are out there and what they mean for your business. Let’s look at the IoT and what you need to know to keep it at the top of your mind this upcoming year.

You Use the IoT More Than You Think

Even if you don’t have a specific plan in place to handle IoT devices, you already use them in some capacity for your operations. Employee smartphones are perhaps the most well-known IoT devices. Whether your employees use their personal devices or company-issued phones, they use these devices to perform work-related tasks both in and out of the office.

Just think about how you use your own smartphone. You might perform research into a product before buying it. Most people use their smartphones for this same purpose, looking into products before committing to them. Other uses include business communications, administration of business, and even productivity.

Other IoT devices might use your business’ network, even if you are unaware of them, like employee-owned wearable devices, smart utilities solutions for controlling HVAC systems, smart lights, and so on.

Growing Your IoT Usage

Many businesses understand that the IoT is something that can yield great benefits with a little smart investment. Some of these benefits can come from smarter systems, like inventory management, which can document additions or subtractions from your systems to ensure that you always keep an adequate supply of resources. Specialized IoT devices can do this automatically without the need to dedicate human resources to them, reducing costs.

Improvements to the Customer Experience

The IoT can bolster the customer experience, giving you more ways to represent your business in the realm of ecommerce. If you can make your customer experience operations as transparent and user-friendly as possible, you can provide a better experience as a whole, making customers more likely to stay and for new customers to jump on board.

Data Sharing

Sharing data is important to businesses of all kinds, whether they are trying to integrate IoT devices into an existing infrastructure or building an infrastructure with IoT devices in mind. Furthermore, the real-time data collection offered by IoT devices can be invaluable in making both long-term and short-term decisions regarding your operations.

The Internet of Things can be a helpful way of making meaningful changes to your operations and infrastructure. To learn more about how we can help your business use the latest and greatest technologies to your advantage, reach out to Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.

What Do You Expect from Your Wi-Fi?
Many businesses have a tendency to either deal with their Wi-Fi as-is or will haphazardly add new networking components to their infrastructure as needed. Neither of these approaches is ideal, especially in light of the fact that you’ll need your Internet connections to be reliable as you grow your network.

A much better alternative is to design your Wi-Fi network keeping a few additional factors in mind, including your office’s particular setup and any future growth plans you may have. This way, you will not only create a network that works for your current needs but is also flexible enough to shift and adapt as your business does. Whether you’re first designing your office’s floor plan or taking another look at its setup, the key is to go about it from a strategy-first perspective.

The Process
Your first order of business is to determine where the demand for a signal will be the greatest. After all, if you have a group of employees reliant on their wireless connectivity huddled together in one area of the office, you aren’t going to want to place your equipment in a way that creates a dead zone there. This will help you to identify obstacles and inform you of where you may want to consider placing additional routers to make up for their effects.

Once your Wi-Fi has been set up and your employees are settled, you should still be collecting performance data and listening to the input that employees have about their connections. Remember, wireless is still an evolving technology, so as it develops it is likely that you will need to adjust your strategy to accommodate it.

Long story short, you’ll probably need to make this an ongoing process to ensure that your Internet is as usable as possible for everyone in the office.

The professionals at Coleman Technologies are also here to assist you with any of your technology needs. If you need help with your business’ IT solutions, give us a call at (604) 513-9428.

Before we discuss what the last decade brought us, I wanted to remind everyone just how limitless innovations are. Many years ago, many of these inventions or technologies seemed unrealistic for the times.

Let’s go through the past decade’s biggest hits, as well as what we might see in years to come.

2010: When Innovation Thrived

While many technologies were introduced in the 2000s, the 2010s saw these technologies used in bigger, more innovative ways. Let’s take a brief look at the past ten years and what improvements we saw.

4G

While 4G was actually first developed in 2009, but primarily spreading in the early 2010s, 4G wireless changed the capabilities of wireless data transmission. As a result, further innovations were made, encouraging (and sometimes forcing) technologies to improve. The companies that worked in real-time and heavily depended on application deployment were suddenly given the tools they needed to really take root. Furthermore, 4G was responsible for the viability of many of today’s biggest players, including Spotify, Instagram, Uber, and Snapchat - among many others.

Apple iPad

Can you believe that the iPad has only been around for about a decade? It was the first of many mass-produced consumer tablets, and it took other companies a few years to catch up as they followed Apple’s lead. Powered by iOS, and featuring a large screen, the explosive initial sales of the iPad cemented the tablet’s reputation as a useful device, both at home and in the workplace.

IPv6

In June of 2012, the longstanding wireless networking standard was upgraded for the first time in years. This sixth standard allowed a new age of connectivity, permitting a far larger number of devices to be connected to the Internet.

Chromecast

As we suggested in the section on 4G, streaming was growing in popularity, and it is safe to say that the first Chromecast was partially responsible for that. While it may seem practically ubiquitous today, integrated casting was revolutionary upon its release… and in many ways, it changed how businesses could communicate ideas. Conference rooms everywhere are now equipped to work with this (or similar) technologies.

Virtual Assistants

Today, every major technology brand has its own take on the virtual assistant. Apple has the OG - Siri - while Microsoft has Cortana, Google has its Google Assistant, Amazon has Alexa, and Samsung has Bixby. As such, the development of this technology spurred a new competitive spirit among these rivals, to the benefit of the user. With all of these companies working to create advanced, better assistants to sway consumers, machine learning has improved exponentially through these efforts.

USB-C

Despite largely flying under the radar, one of the most impactful advancements of the decade is the development of the USB Type C connector. With the exception of Apple, it has been accepted as the industry’s standard connection for power and data transmission, and can therefore be found on most post-2015 devices.

Windows 10

As they attempted to put together a mobile OS, and their redesigned Windows 8.1 OS failing to replace the aging Windows 7, Windows 10 was developed to standardize the Windows experience and modernize it for longevity. Now, Windows 10 has been established as the standard, running on 64 percent of all PCs in existence, a number that will grow even higher as Windows 7 is finally put out to pasture.

2020: When Things Will Thrive

While there is an argument that, technically speaking, the Internet of Things is more of a 2010s development, the 2020s are poised to be the decade that Internet-connected devices are truly viable tools, with the necessary integrations, functionality, and (most critically) security finally in place. This is predicted much for the same reason that mobile technology took off last decade - the fact that wireless networks improved. 

Frankly, there’s so much more we have yet to accomplish, as the near future is poised to turn what was very recently science fiction into fact. For instance, the next 10 years will likely see the following technologies come more into the mainstream:

5G Connectivity

With certain areas currently rolling out the 5G wireless standard, and more guaranteed to follow, there is hope of a fundamental shift in how people can use their technology. As if today’s networks weren’t already burdened by our data demands, we are only increasing these demands as time passes. However, 5G potentially promises a variety of benefits - including ubiquitous access, powered by broadcast sites that focus on delivering performance to each user rather than to a given neighborhood. Today’s 5G users have experienced speeds measured in gigabits, so just imagine this capability spreading.

Artificial Intelligence

While the phrase “artificial intelligence” has been somewhat inflated by popular culture, the more practical use of artificial intelligence is slated to increase by a significant amount in the 2020s. Today, neural networks are already in use as a means to recognize data patterns, assisting in automation processes. With the amount of data increasing exponentially, these neural networks are bound to see exponential benefits, and we will be able to put AI to use in more complex and dynamic applications.

The IoT

Like we said, the Internet of Things is only going to grow as time passes, and the many technologies and solutions that are included under this umbrella term will finally have the wireless capabilities needed to make a real impact. Cities will be made smart, using AI to increase the efficiency of crucial services and eliminate waste. Driverless cars will make commuting and traveling safer, and crucial systems in finance, healthcare, and infrastructure will be improved.

Mixed Reality

There has been a notable trend toward increasing how immersive our technology is, and that will culminate in something known as mixed reality. As the predicted replacement to today’s mobile platforms, MR would provide interactive overlays in real-time for all kinds of applications, ultimately reducing data strains. As a result, we could see a variety of applications be completely revolutionized, including education, entertainment, and social interaction.

Just as it did throughout the last decade, technology is sure to transform throughout the coming one. What innovations do you hope to see? Let us know in the comments!

Businesses create and need to handle more data than ever before. In the past, this would mean that there would be a lot of wasted data. Today’s document management system can completely revolutionize your business. Let’s take a look at the steps that go into creating a comprehensive digital document management system. 

Document Capture and Creation

The first step to creating a comprehensive document management system is to get the documents into your new system.

Create New Documents

This step involves the creation of new documents, which could be anything from reports and memos to spreadsheets and presentations.

Capture Existing Documents

Capture physical documents by scanning them or collect digital documents from various sources like email, cloud storage, or file servers.

Document Classification and Indexing

Getting started classifying the data can be one of the biggest speed bumps to the creation of a comprehensive document management system.

Categorize Documents

Assign categories or metadata tags to each document to make it easy to classify and retrieve them later.

Index Documents

Create an index or catalog of documents based on metadata, keywords, or other identifiers to facilitate quick searches.

Storage and Organization

Determining the underlying technology is something that the IT professionals at Coleman Technologies can help your organization with.

Choose a Storage System

Select an appropriate storage system, whether physical file cabinets, network drives, or electronic document management software.

Organize Documents

Establish a consistent and intuitive folder structure or taxonomy to arrange documents logically.

Access Control and Permissions

Security has to be a major point of emphasis when dealing with any data, let alone the operational information of your business.

Define Access Rights

Specify who can view, edit, or delete documents. Implement user roles and permissions to protect sensitive information.

Encryption and Security

Ensure that documents are encrypted both in transit and at rest to safeguard against unauthorized access.

Document Retrieval

You would be surprised how much document retrieval can cost your business. Digital document management can mitigate these costs.

Search Capabilities

Provide robust search functionality, allowing users to find documents quickly using keywords, metadata, or full-text search.

Filters and Sorting

Enable users to filter and sort search results for better document retrieval.

Collaboration and Workflow

In today’s business, people need secure access from anywhere at any time. A document management system can deliver this flexibility. 

Collaboration Tools

Facilitate document collaboration by integrating with tools like document editing suites and communication platforms.

Workflow Automation

Implement automated approval processes, notifications, and routing to streamline document-related workflows.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Many situations can arise where data is unavailable or lost, having up-to-date copies can operate as a failsafe for many businesses. 

Regular Backups

Schedule regular backups of documents to prevent data loss in case of hardware failures or disasters.

Disaster Recovery Plan

Develop a disaster recovery plan to ensure the continuity of document access and management in adverse situations.

Compliance and Retention

Today, many businesses operate under government or industry-sponsored mandates and need to stay in compliance with these regulations for the good of the business.

Compliance Policies

Establish and enforce document retention and disposal policies to comply with legal requirements and industry regulations.

Audit Trails

Maintain audit trails to track document access and changes for compliance purposes.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Keeping a dedicated eye on your IT systems is nothing short of essential. Document management is no different. 

Regular Maintenance

Periodically review and update the document management system, including metadata, security settings, and access permissions.

Monitoring and Reporting

Implement monitoring tools to track system performance and generate reports on document management activities.

Training and User Adoption

It’s important that you train your employees quickly so that you can get the most benefit from your document management platform.

User Training

Provide training and support to ensure that users understand and effectively use the document management system.

User Feedback

Encourage user feedback to make continuous improvements to the system.

Continuous Improvement

You need to revisit your document management plan regularly, just as you revisit your other IT systems. 

Evaluate and Adapt

Continuously assess the document management process and technology, making improvements based on feedback and changing business needs.

We understand that managing your organization’s documents isn’t ever going to be cheap and easy, but with a dedicated document management platform, it can be much easier and more effective than more antiquated file management strategies. If you would like to learn more about what Coleman Technologies can do in terms of document management or any other IT-related strategy, give us a call today at (604) 513-9428.

A new year is a great chance to look at what your business is doing well and where it can get better. Your technology is one area where there’s usually room for improvement. If you’re thinking about adding new tech this year, here are four questions to help make it a success.

What Does Your Business Really Need?

It’s easy to get excited about the latest tech, but buying something just because it’s new isn’t a good idea.

Getting tools you don’t need can cause “IT sprawl,” which makes your tech harder to manage and opens you up to more cybersecurity risks. Plus, every new tool comes with extra costs—like time, money, and effort to keep it running.

Before buying anything, think about what problems your business actually needs to solve. Focus on fixing those first.

What Is Your IT Doing Well?

What do your customers love most about your business?

Figure that out and look for tech that makes those areas even stronger. For example:

• If your customer service is amazing, invest in tools to make it even easier for customers to connect with you.
• If your products are top-notch, think about how to share exciting updates with your loyal customers.

Building on your strengths could even boost your profits as the year goes on.

Is the Price Worth It?

The start of the year is a good time to review your IT budget. Are you paying for services you barely use?

Before buying new tech, ask yourself:

• Is it worth the money?
• Will it save you time or cash over the next few years?

It’s tempting to focus on short-term benefits, but if the long-term costs don’t add up, you might want to find a more affordable option. Avoid spending on tools that only help in rare situations.

What Do Your Employees Think?

While you don’t need everyone’s approval to buy new tech, it helps to hear your employees’ opinions. Your team works with the tools every day—they know what’s working and what’s not. Ask them about their challenges and how new technology might help.

Getting their feedback can reassure you that you’re making the right choice. Plus, your employees are more likely to embrace the change if they feel heard.

Start the Year Strong with Coleman Technologies

If your business needs IT help, we’re here for you. Call Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428 to learn more about how we can support your tech needs.

The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has put together a Safeguard Rule to help establish guidelines for how businesses store and interact with customer information. Enacted in 2003, this rule was recently revamped in 2021 to stay relevant with the latest technology used by businesses. Let’s look at some of the policies and procedures that your business needs to know about the FTC Safeguard Rule.

What is the FTC’s Safeguard Rule?

The Safeguard Rule is a mandate put in place to protect personal information. Those impacted by this rule include financial institutions like mortgage lenders, payday lenders, finance companies, mortgage brokers, account servicers, check cashers, wire transferors, collection agencies, credit counselors, and other financial advisors, tax preparation firms, non-federally insured credit unions, and investment advisors that aren’t required to register with the SEC.

Compliance with the FTC Safeguard Rule involves applicable financial institutions writing out their information security program and having it address specific metrics. This plan must also be appropriate for the size and scope of the business, and it must be tailored to the specific type of information that the organization is responsible for.

With the Safeguard Rule in place and governing how businesses manage sensitive information, it should technically address challenges such as the security and confidentiality of customer information, threats to the integrity of this information, and protection from unauthorized access, theft, or destruction of that data, as well as any problems it might cause for the customer.

You Can Build an FTC-Compliant Security Platform Too

When you get into the details, the reality is that there is nothing in the FTC Safeguard Rule that you shouldn’t already be doing for your customer data. Here is a quick rundown that the FTC recommends for businesses that want to make sure their networks are FTC-compliant.

1. Designate a qualified individual to oversee organizational data security.
2. Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment.
3. Design and deploy necessary safeguards outlined in the risk assessment.
4. Monitor system and regularly test it.
5. Train employees in best practices of data security and privacy.
6. Oversee any third-party’s access and control.
7. Regularly update the security program to keep it current. 
8. Create a written response plan for necessary continuity. 

Need a Hand?

Coleman Technologies knows network security and compliance laws like the back of our hands. To learn more about how we can support your business’ efforts, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

With little fanfare, the AI Wars have begun. When we say “war” we mean just that: a battle for the survival of tools designed to improve human productivity. To start we should rewind a little. Most new software platforms (and many, many established ones) have started to use “artificial intelligence” to improve their products, or at least improve the prospect of selling them. In this week’s blog we will discuss the increased prevalence of “AI” and how some of the largest names in computing have gone all in on the technology.

What You Need to Know About AI

The first thing you should understand is that there is a big difference between AI built for consumers and AI built for business purposes. The customer-driven AI is typically using the web as a dataset, while most business-related AI tools use defined data sets provided by the company in which to create responses. This is a huge difference and the specificity needed to properly function within the business relies on it. 

Beyond that, since consumers are eating up the “AI” revolution, they often don't know what they are actually buying. They end up advancing the agendas of some of the largest companies that do business on the Internet. In this week’s blog we will go through some of the major companies that are at the forefront of advancing AI.

Google

Let’s start with Google. Google has been a pioneer with its AI research arm, DeepMind, which has achieved significant milestones like AlphaGo and AlphaFold. These projects showcase AI's potential in solving complex problems. Google also integrates AI across its products, such as using machine learning to enhance search algorithms, improve language translation, and most importantly for them, improve their advertising strategies. The company's focus on ethical AI development, through initiatives like the AI Principles, aims to ensure responsible and beneficial AI deployment.

Amazon

Amazon is another major player, leveraging AI to transform its vast e-commerce and cloud computing operations. Through Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company offers AI and machine learning services to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to incorporate sophisticated AI capabilities into their operations without needing extensive in-house expertise. Amazon's AI applications are evident in its recommendation systems, which personalize shopping experiences, and in its logistics and supply chain management, where AI optimizes inventory levels and delivery routes. Additionally, Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, exemplifies how AI can enhance consumer technology, offering users voice-activated control over various smart home devices.

Microsoft

Microsoft has also made significant strides in AI, particularly through its Azure cloud platform, which provides a comprehensive suite of AI tools and services. The company emphasizes democratizing AI, making advanced technologies accessible to developers and organizations worldwide. Microsoft's AI research focuses on areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning, which are integrated into products like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 to improve productivity and business processes. Furthermore, Microsoft's acquisition of AI startups and partnerships, like its investment in OpenAI, underscores its commitment to leading AI innovation while addressing ethical considerations and ensuring AI benefits society.

Meta

Facebook, now Meta, utilizes AI to enhance user experiences across its social media platforms and advance its ambitious vision of the metaverse. AI algorithms are crucial in content moderation, detecting and removing harmful content to maintain a safer online environment. Additionally, AI powers personalized content recommendations, improving user engagement by curating feeds based on individual preferences. Meta's Reality Labs are pushing the boundaries of AI in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), developing technologies that could revolutionize how people interact digitally. The company's focus on AI ethics and transparency aims to build trust and address the challenges of bias and misinformation.

IBM

IBM continues to be a significant contributor to AI advancements through its Watson platform, which provides AI solutions tailored to industries such as healthcare, finance, and customer service. Watson's natural language processing capabilities enable businesses to analyze vast amounts of unstructured data, derive insights, and automate decision-making processes. IBM's research in AI focuses on areas like explainable AI and trustworthy AI, striving to create systems that are transparent, fair, and accountable. IBM collaborates with academic institutions and other companies to advance AI research and applications, fostering a collaborative environment that accelerates innovation and addresses global challenges.

AI is a big piece of the technology puzzle for a lot of businesses, including some of the biggest tech companies on the planet. With these companies pushing the boundaries of how AI is used, more businesses will gain access to the technology to help them improve their organizations.  If you would like to understand how you can use AI inside of your business, call us for a consultation today at (604) 513-9428.

Your customers expect not to be inconvenienced when doing business with your organization. Small businesses can use new technology to meet these expectations by offering online ordering, mobile apps, and e-commerce platforms. Such innovations not only improve the customer experience but also expand a business' reach. Let’s look at some of the ways new technology can improve your business.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Data is often seen as the most important part of a digital business. Small businesses can gather valuable insights through data analytics tools that can inform strategic decisions. This technology allows companies to better understand their customers, track trends, and identify areas for improvement. By making informed decisions based on data, small businesses can adapt to changing market conditions and make more effective choices for growth.

Cost Savings

While adopting new technology may initially require an investment, it often results in long-term cost savings. Automated processes reduce the need for manual labor which lead to reduced labor costs. Additionally, cloud-based technology can eliminate the need for expensive on-site hardware and maintenance. Over time, these cost savings can significantly impact a small business' bottom line.

Competitive Advantage

Staying ahead of the market is essential to positioning your business for success. Small businesses that embrace new technology gain a competitive edge by offering innovative products or services and providing a superior customer experience. This advantage not only helps attract new customers but also retains existing ones, fostering long-term growth.

Adaptation to Market Trends

Consumer preferences and market trends are constantly changing. Small businesses that resist adopting new technology risk falling behind as their competitors adapt and evolve. Embracing technology allows businesses to stay current and agile, enabling them to pivot and adjust their strategies in response to market shifts.

New technologies can present your business with opportunities that you simply don’t have access to with your current IT environment. If you would like to talk to one of our IT experts about doing an assessment of your business’ current IT setup, give us a call today at (604) 513-9428.