The 3 Biggest Problems San Antonio CEOs Have With Most IT Firms

Computer Problems Most San Antonio CEO’s Face When Dealing With A Technology Company

If you are a highly successful, results-oriented CEO who wants to focus your time, energy and money on growing your company, but find yourself constantly distracted and slowed down by chronic computer problems and incompetent IT support, then you probably don’t need us to tell you how frustrating that is.

Our research shows that most successful San Antonio CEOs have 3 big problems when dealing with most IT support companies. See if you agree…

Problem #1: You Have Constant Technical Problems.

Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself: you hire a so-called IT expert to support your computer network, but every time they “solve” a computer problem, two more crop up. Or the problem they were supposed to have solved keeps coming back again and again. Then, to add insult to injury, they don’t check their work, they keep charging you to come back and repair the same issues or they waste your time trying to explain why the problem is happening instead of just taking care of it.

Problem #2: They Don’t Understand How Critically Important Your Time Is.

If you’re like most busy executives we work with, you’re the most important player on the team, with multiple time-sensitive projects and critical deadlines that can NOT be missed, yet most computer guys don’t seem to understand this. When you call their office, you get voice mail. When they finally get around to calling you back, they waste your time with a million dumb questions and walking you through a number of mind-numbing tasks (like rebooting), wasting even MORE of your time while they try to get a clue. If they can’t fix your computer problems that way, then you have to wait around for them to show up, take it back to their office, fix it and bring it back – a process that could take days. Meanwhile, your blood pressure is going through the roof because you need to get back to work.

You shouldn’t have to tolerate this type of poor service. Our stance is that you shouldn’t be having those kinds of issues in the first place. Second, when you DO have a problem, it should be addressed IMMEDIATELY – not hours or days later.

Problem #3: Poor Communication And Service.

From arrogant technicians who talk over your head to zero communication on the status of your requests and projects, another BIG problem many business owners have with their IT person is poor communication skills. On top of that, NONE of them seem to understand basic business concepts and want to have a conversation about the technical details rather than just getting it done.

Imagine being able to just tell your consultant what you’re trying to achieve in your business and they make it happen – and provide REAL value by advising you on how to make those outcomes happen faster, cheaper and with less effort.

Areas Covered

We provide a wide range of complete cloud services, computer IT support, network services and data backup plans to get rid of computer problems to businesses throughout San Antonio, Schertz, Seguin, Boerne, Canyon Lake, Stone Oak, Universal City, Pleasanton, Castle Hills, Leon Valley, Converse, Shavano Park, Cibolo, Olmos Park, Live Oak, Timberwood Park, New Braunfels and throughout Southern Texas.

Local experts who can help and visit your business on-site to resolve computer problems: Cloud services, IT Support San Antonio, Stone Oak IT Consulting, Leon Valley Network Services, San Antonio Data Backup Plan and Disaster Recovery, Stone Oak Information Technology Consulting and San Antonio Anti-Virus and Security.

Is Your IT Guy Holding You Prisoner?

November 18, 2013
by jguerra

Is Your IT Guy Holding You Prisoner? – IT Services

Here’s a question you’ve probably never thought about: If your IT guy went away, would you know where all the passwords, data, software licenses and disks, key codes, and other important information were stored? Do you know how to log into your server? Do you know the passwords to all your employee’s workstations? Do you know where your offsite data is stored and how to access it? Is your network documented so that another IT services person could come in and pickup where they left off? If not, your IT guy is holding you prisoner.

If he’s doing a good job, you might not mind too much; however, you should STILL have him or her document your network in case they didn’t show up one day for work. And if you AREN’T really happy with their work and aren’t sure if they are doing a good job, that’s all the more you should have this done.

Occasionally I’ve run across potential new clients who aren’t really happy with their IT services guy’s work, but stay with them out of fear. As one business owner to another, this is NEVER a good reason to stay with your current provider.

If you can’t trust the person with the most access and power over your computer network – the core of your business – you need to find someone you CAN trust. A truly professional person or provider would NEVER hold their client hostage or do any harm in handing over the “keys to the kingdom” to another company. And any good IT services firm should be able to walk you through the transition to prevent that person from doing any damage.

How To Know If Your IT Guy Is Doing A Good Job

Another reason business owners stay with their current IT person is simply because they don’t know what good IT service really IS, and therefore lowered their expectations. Over and over again I’m absolutely HORRIFIED by the incompetence and irresponsibility I discover when I audit most business networks. In 98% of the computer networks I review, I find faulty or non-existent backups, security loopholes, shoddy reporting, and flawed systems that simply cost more to maintain and don’t align with the operations of the business.

Plus, not a week goes by where we don’t get a ‘911 crisis call’ from a business owner with a major technical disaster that COULD have been prevented. Why do so many businesses pay for substandard computer support? Simply because they don’t know how to truly verify that their network IS secure and end up having to take someone at their word.

[box] Here’s a quick quiz to know if your IT guy IS doing a good job. If your technician does not score a “yes” on every point, you could be paying for substandard support:

YES/NO Do they answer their phones “live” and respond to support issues in one hour or less?

YES/NO Are they remotely monitoring your network 24-7-365 to keep critical security settings, virus definitions, and security patches up to date?

YES/NO Do they INSIST on monitoring an offsite as well as an onsite backup, or are they letting you rely on outdated tape backups?

YES/NO Do they INSIST on doing periodic test restores of your backups to make sure the data is not corrupt and could be restored in the event of a disaster?

YES/NO Have they provided you with written, network documentation detailing what software licenses you have, critical network passwords, and hardware information, or are they the only person with the “keys to the kingdom?”

YES/NO Do they consistently (and proactively) offer new ways to improve your network’s performance, or do they wait until you have a problem to make recommendations?

YES/NO Do they provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what you are paying for?

YES/NO Do they explain what they are doing and answer your questions in terms that you can understand (not geek-speak)?

YES/NO Do they complete projects on time and on budget, or does every project end up taking longer and costing more than you expected?

YES/NO Do they offer any guarantees on their services?

YES/NO Do they have other technicians on staff who are familiar with your network in case your regular technician goes on vacation or gets sick?

YES/NO Do their technicians maintain current vendor certifications and participate in ongoing training, or do you feel as though they are learning on your dime?

YES/NO Do they take calls from other clients while working on your network (and on your dime)?

YES/NO Do you have to manage their progress on projects, or do they provide frequent updates, status reports, and follow-up calls and e-mails?

YES/NO Do they offer flat-rate or fixed-fee project quotes, or do they give themselves a wide open playing field with “time and materials?”

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If Your Current IT Services Guy Failed This Test, Sign Up For A FREE Network Health Check To Make Things “Right”

If you’re NOT happy with your IT services person and have a sneaking suspicion that they aren’t doing the best job possible, then call us in at 210-263-3810 for a second opinion. At no cost or obligation to you, we’ll come to your office and conduct a network health check to look for problems with your backup, security, speed, and any other problems that could lead to data loss, downtime, and high repair fees.

[button link=”https://www.123onit.com/it-consulting-san-antonio-free-computer-stuff/free-network-audit/” type=”icon” icon=”refresh” newwindow=”yes”] Activate Your No-Obligation Problem Prevention Technology Health Check[/button][/box]

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IT Services San Antonio – You Just Discovered One Of Your Employees Had Their Laptop Stolen…

November 5, 2013
by jguerra

IT Services San Antonio

Pop Quiz: You Just Discovered One Of Your Employees Had Their Laptop Stolen…

Quick, What Do You Do?

Over the last couple of months, I’ve come across some alarming statistics that you should know. There are 12,000 or so laptops found in US airports each week and 62,000 lost electronic devices recovered from New York’s metropolitan buses, taxis, trains, and stations each year! The bottom line is no matter how careful you are with your laptop, mistakes occur and losing a laptop (or having one stolen) is likely to happen to you or your employees at some point in time.
In the hands of a relatively unsophisticated hacker, all of your laptop information can be siphoned off, allowing an open back door into your network. This is akin to giving a thief the key to your office and the code to deactivate the alarm. Imagine the embarrassment of having to contact all of your customers to let them know THEIR confidential information may be compromised because one of YOUR unsecured laptops is in the hands of a criminal!
Asking employees to be more careful about where they keep their laptop IS a good step in the right direction, but accidents happen and thieves are always on the prowl. That’s why it’s so important to take measures to lock down and secure any mobile devices you and your staff use to access your company’s network. Here are just a few things:

Encrypt All Information – Drive encryption software such as BitLocker (which is included in some versions of Microsoft Windows Vista) can secure all the data on your hard drive. Also, check your computer to see if it has a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip which is generally more secure than those without TPM.
Multi-Level Access Security – Don’t rely only on passwords to keep your laptop safe. Hackers can usually break most passwords in a few hours. We recommend adding a second way for people to prove that they are who they say they are BEFORE they are able to log in. Some people use smart cards to do this, but fingerprint pads are gaining in popularity.
Log / Back-Up Information – It’s critical to log and back-up all information on business laptops to ensure smooth operations in the event of loss or destruction. We can automate the backups so they are done ON SCHEDULE and in a way that won’t interfere with the use of the laptop.
The Right Response – What happens when an employee loses a laptop? Do you have a next step action plan in place? If not, we suggest calling us immediately to report the loss (Note: clients on our Managed Services Plan will get after hours support for situations like this). The sooner we know, the sooner we can take preventative actions to lock that laptop out of the network. A blame culture where people are afraid to report losses is actually much worse for security.
Take the time NOW to secure your laptop and limit the damage to your business if it happens. We specialize in securing business data like yours, and making sure it is available whenever you need it, so give us a call at 210-263-3810 to discuss encryption options and how to make your business network more secure.

Areas Covered

IT Services San Antonio – We provide a wide range of complete computer IT support, network services and IT consulting to businesses throughout San Antonio, Schertz, Seguin, Boerne, Canyon Lake, Stone Oak, Universal City, Pleasanton, Castle Hills, Leon Valley, Converse, Shavano Park, Cibolo, Olmos Park, Live Oak, Timberwood Park, New Braunfels and throughout Southern Texas.

Local experts who can help and visit your business on-site: IT Services San Antonio, Stone Oak IT Consulting, Leon Valley Network Services, San Antonio Backup and Disaster Recovery, Stone Oak Information Technology Consulting and San Antonio Anti-Virus and Security.