Our Version of Going Paperless

For the last couple of weeks, we have been addressing the issue of going paperless.  Here are some ideas, technology and tools that will help you implement paperless procedures:

1. Paperless Billing Options

Electronic billing options are an extremely easy way to keep track of and provide much more value than their paper counterparts. The benefits include being able to receive automatic reminders, paying bills on time while avoiding penalties and saving on postage. We send invoices electronically at Computer M.D., thereby saving on envelopes, postage and printing costs.

2. Online Bill Pay Services and Electronic Payments

Banks now offer online payment options and there are online bill pay services that allow a secure account to pay all your bills in one place. There are a variety of different options but the best free one is My Check Free from FiServe.  For other options, check out this article: The Best Bill Pay Services.

3. Scan Old Documents

Using a scanner with an auto-feeder can remove paper clutter by digitizing paper files, eliminating file cabinets and folders, helping you find documents faster, and easily e-mailing documents. There are tons of options out there but here are some good choices to consider based on your needs –

For small businesses, an economical light duty scanner will do the trick. A couple reasonably priced options that get the job done nicely are the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 and the NeatDesk. If you are in a high-volume office environment, you will want to go with a professional high-volume scanner.

4. Online Storage and Document Apps

Once you have your documents scanned, it is best to put them into an online storage or document application such as Drop Box or Google Docs. Once uploaded, you will be able to access your documents from anywhere, anytime and easily share them with co-workers, family or friends. You also prevent the possibility of losing all your valuable data if your hard drive should fail.

5. E-signing Documents

You might be asking, “What about all my contracts and legal documents? I still need a way to get them signed.” There are E-signing solutions like DocuSign. This tool allows you to securely send documents and acquire signatures while eliminating or reducing travel and courier expenses.  Nice, right?

6. Document Management Systems

A document management system (also known as an ECM) may be your best option. These systems capture information from a variety of sources such as your scanner or even through many office products like MS Office, account systems, etc. and create a document database that can index a whole variety of information.  On top of that, many systems include distribution controls and workflows so processes that involve documents can be visualized and tracked. Usually when you get a high volume scanner, it will have a document management system included in the package.

For more details on how these suggested ideas, technology and tools can be instrumental in assisting you in your efforts to go paperless, please feel free to contact the Computer M.D.

Warmest Regards,

David E. Wren
President
Computer M.D.
443-579-5760

Going Paperless

What is your reaction to the recommendation of “going paperless” as a way to make you more productive?  Answer this question:  How many times have you spent hours trying to find that one super-important note?  If you had stored that note somewhere on your computer, it would have taken seconds to locate it.

In this week’s blog posting, we are going to explore an aspect of going paperless:  why you need to do it. People working at big corporations might not be able to go completely paperless because companies have their own policies on the use of resources. But, I suggest reading this tip nonetheless.

So…Why Paperless?

Digital is everywhere.

Digital technology has come a long way. For instance, we are now able to store an entire movie in small devices like cell phones and iPADs.  The good thing is that there are tools and apps that can sync your information and your data remains safe and secure.

It reduces clutter.

Clutter-free workspaces or zones not only look better, they portray a positive impact on the mind of the person who will work there. Without the clutter, your mind tends to be more focused and productive.

Better data protection and security.

It can be difficult to recover information from a piece of paper once it has been destroyed.  Data, on the other hand, can be recovered if your computer goes haywire. You could also store your data on the cloud and not ever worry about data loss.

It saves money.

Once you realize how much you will save, not only in the time to find things in paper files, but in terms of the amount of money savings you will recoup when you are able to stop purchasing file folders, paper, toner, etc.

It helps you go green.

There is so much talk about going green and being conscious of what we consume, it makes sense to contribute as much as you can towards preserving natural resources.

Next week, we will talk about other aspects of going paperless, and discuss in more detail some specific tools you can utilize in order to begin (or continue) the process of going paperless.

Warmest Regards,

David E. Wren
President
Computer M.D.
443-579-5760

This is the 3^rd of 4 installments on the topic of preparing for a disaster.

The third area that a business needs with a backup solution is system redundancy in its systems or network.  Doing so puts the business in what is known as Level 2 Disaster Preparedness.  Redundancy is sometimes needed merely to keep things running or to keep computer and network downtime to a minimum. In this blog post, we will explore the different things that can be put in place in order to achieve necessary redundancy in systems or equipment. Here are some examples of redundancy that you can think about implementing for your network:

1)      Mirror your disks so information is written first to the primary drive or server/pc and then replicates the information to the secondary drive automatically, redundant array of independent disks (RAID 1) or some other redundant array of independent disks (RAID 5);

2)     Have a secondary server with a program that copies data at certain intervals; or

3)     Having an alternate location for storing your recovered data falls under a redundant solution.

If you have questions about what you need regarding the creation of redundant systems to keep your business running, please contact Computer M.D.

Next week’s topic: Disaster Preparedness for small to medium businesses (Part 4) – Relocation.

David E. Wren
President
Computer M.D.
443-579-5760

Disaster Preparedness for small to medium businesses (Part 1) –Backup Plan:

This topic is going to be covered over the next 4 weeks as it quite involved.

The first item that a business needs is a backup solution or what I call Level 1 Disaster Preparedness.  There are several solutions out there but it must be set so redundancy is built into the backup system. Computer M.D. backs up its data to an external drive and then the critical files that are determined to be vital to the business are then backed up to the cloud (internet), where we are able to retrieve or collaborate that data.

Here are some steps you should include and questions you should ask when creating a backup solution for your business:

1)      Figure out what data is critical and that your business cannot live or function without;

2)      Calculate how long can you be inoperable (computer down; work stoppage) … and you’ll need to determine this in both hours and days;

3)      Determine if you need to keep previous versions of your data so you can see various changes that were incorporated as updates were being made; and

4)      Is there an option for off-site storage of your back-up files?

If you have questions about what you need regarding the creation of a backup solution for the data that is critical to your business, please contact Computer M.D.

Next week’s topic: Disaster Preparedness for small to medium businesses (Part 2) – Recovery

Warmest Regards,

David E. Wren
President
Computer M.D.
4435795760

Don’t Panic, Copy the Popup or Write down the Code

How many times have you launched an internet browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or another browser, or installed a new update and then immediately received a POPUP for no apparent reason?  Or perhaps your Computer seems to be operating at a much slower speed than usual or worse, you get the Dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).  My advice to you — Don’t Panic!!  Write down the code or message that appears on the screen, do a screen capture — if you have a smart phone take a picture of what is on the screen — and if your computer seems extremely slow, keep reading.

Some web based installers, such as McAfee or Adobe, use a pop-up to install software. For the most part, those should be alright to click. Look at the link at the bottom of your browser to see if it is sending you to a correct website. Clicking (even accidentally) on one pop-up may lead to other pop-up ads opening and can sometimes result in Mal-ware being installed on your Computer. You may not know until something like the above happens.

Approximately two weeks ago, my client The Lighthouse Pizza and Subs said his Point of Sale system was moving much more slowly from screen to screen than it normally does and he requested my assistance. Sure enough, he had a process running in the background that was utilizing over 60% of the processor time which in turn slowed his Point of Sale system. I was able to stop the process and remove it, utilizing a program provided through Malwarebytes.org. Then I was able to take down the Point of Sale System, bringing it back up again and sure enough, it was the difference between night and day as screens were once again launching much more quickly.

So don’t panic and don’t click on any unrecognizable or questionable pop-up messages.  Instead, record the code and contact Computer M.D. to get the assistance you need to resolve your issue so that you can be up and running again as quickly as ever.

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Warmest Regards,

David E. Wren
President
Computer M.D.
4435795760