Common Misconceptions About MPS
How many times have you heard the term “managed print services?” What images does it bring to mind? Many people write off MPS because they do not fully understand how it works and how it could scale for their business. A few common misconceptions about Managed Print Services: Managed Print Services refers to large-scale production. When you hear the term “Managed Print Service” or MPS, does the image of a large printer press come to mind? Are you thinking about letterhead, business cards and brochures? Don’t worry, it’s a common misconception, so let’s clearly define what MPS is and how a Managed Print Services environment can improve your office’s everyday printing, copying and faxing tasks. MPS is all about what and how your office prints on the printers that reside in your office(s). (Source: MPS Made Simple) You have to have new printers to use MPS. Whether the printers are old or brand new, you can definitely benefit from a MPS program. Supplies costs can be managed through a contract, and there is peace of mind that all support and services are being handled. Insight into your overall print and copy infrastructure is also something that anyone can benefit from. You need a lot of print and copy devices for MPS to be worthwhile. Although companies with bigger device infrastructures can most definitely take advantage of MPS, smaller companies may be able to, as well. In some cases, it may depend on whether your organization currently has paper intensive processes (e.g., small law firms, insurance agencies, or real estate sites) where output may need to be managed more effectively. The only way to find out if MPS is right for you is to ask an MPS service provider, like Boring. You can only have one brand of printer in order to use MPS. As a multi-line vendor, Boring’s Managed Print Services can incorporate any number of different products. Our priority is to create an optimally efficient print environment for our customers, regardless of brand. We sell and service printers and imaging systems from HP, Lexmark, Canon, and Konica Minolta. MPS is too expensive. Another common myth, this often puts companies off seeking managed print services. The reality is that MPS has been shown to actually save companies money. In comparison to traditional break it support, managed print solutions work on a monthly set rate, and with a great deal of saved resources through effective print management, companies can see a significant effect on their bottom line. Cost-savings is actually one of the primary reasons that companies consider MPS. The upfront costs of MPS are too high. In some cases, there are little or no upfront costs to get into a MPS program. In most cases, you will end up saving money that you were originally going to spend on your print and copy environments. (Source: What to Expect When Engaging in Managed Print Services) Equipment resellers or dealers can’t compete with equipment manufacturers on MPS. Resellers and dealers, like Boring, can provide competitive MPS programs similar to equipment manufacturers. Because we are not limited to one brand, Boring can create customized print environments that may satisfy your requirements better than single-line equipment manufacturers. Contact a Boring MPS Specialist for a personalized assessment to learn more. Working with multiple vendors keeps prices low. One of the benefits of MPS is to organize your fractured infrastructure under a single contract so that there are fewer vendors to manage. In addition, a single vendor can look at your entire infrastructure holistically to insure the most cost efficient environment. You can manage your own print resources without professional help. As another myth intended to try to save money, this route is never going to get results. Just as you wouldn’t try a DIY job to fix your broken tooth, you should not be trying to manage your printing yourself – unless you have the software, skills and experience possessed by professional MPS providers. Even if your printing is reduced, you will not be able to enjoy solutions such as print audit or print management software. You would also be forced to take time from your primary job role to deal with printer issues, which defeats the whole point in the long run. Rather than trying to manage your print fleet on your own, it would make much more sense to hire a managed print services provider, such as Boring, who can help you make the most of your printing practices, saving you money and time. (Source: Common Managed Print Services Myths) Would you like to learn more about Managed Print Services? Click here. To speak with aManaged Print Services Specialist863-686-3167or Contact Us
The Benefits of Managed Print Services
Your business could be one of millions benefiting from Managed Print Services (MPS). Here at Boring, we take care of all our clients printing needs so that they can focus on running their businesses. MPS can save you money and time, solve location and communication issues, as well as aid in teaching employees better printing habits. MPS can slow the escalating costs of print. By optimizing how your devices are being used, MPS can also reduce depreciation on your machines giving them a longer lifespan. The costs of Boring’s Managed Print Services are balanced out by long-term savings in operating costs. In addition, MPS gives you a predictable monthly bill with no surprise expenses, helping you manage your finances and cash flow. We can also track the amount of toner used and pages printed through direct reports. By doing so, MPS can create savings opportunities for your company. Do you know how much you’re spending on print? If you do not already have a MPS provider then most likely your business has no way of knowing whether you are using your print devices optimally or what your annual printing costs are. With Boring’s MPS, we can manage a large population of printers and output devices at one time. Also, by reducing paper and energy usage, MPS can help your business meet its sustainability goals. MPS can help businesses of any size. For large companies, Boring can help integrate systems during mergers, acquisitions or consolidation. Also, if your offices are spread out around multiple locations MPS can help connect them by consolidating all your printing costs into one bill. MPS can also unite autonomous departments that generally make their own purchasing decisions. In this increasing mobile and technologically-advanced business environment, Managed Print Services can help you keep track of all your employees and their printing expenses, while also meeting their complex printing needs from any device or location. MPS can reduce your business’s dependency on paper while also facilitating smooth communication with clients, coworkers and collaborators. By better understanding and automating your document workflow, Boring’s Managed Print Services can save you time and resources. Click here to contact one of our Managed Print Specialists today or call us at 863-686-3167 to learn more and find out if MPS is right for your business.
10 Tips to Secure Your Small Business Network
By David Strom for ComputerWorld.Com Maintaining a secure small business or home network isn’t easy, and even for an old hand in IT, it still takes time and energy to keep things locked down. Here are 10 of the most critical steps you can take to keep your data from ending up elsewhere, and none of them take much time or effort to accomplish.LEARN MORE 1. Use encryption on your wireless access points (AP). Many site surveys have found half or more of all wireless networks are wide open, ripe for anyone to gather all the traffic and perhaps record your sensitive information by sitting in a nearby parked car. Some people mess around with locking down MAC addresses, but that gets unwieldy and a better solution would be to use WPA2 encryption. WPA2 is far better than other encryption methods that are more easily broken into. 2. If you have a wireless network, make sure to hide your SSID (service set identifier), or at least change its name to something common. All wireless routers should have obscure IDs when they announce themselves to the world. Rather than put in any real information that can make it clear who owns the router or that can divulge your location or business name, such as “Acme Systems, here on the 4th floor” or the product name like “Netgear,” use something innocuous like “wireless” or “router1” that doesn’t give away anything really critical. In my last apartment, I had neighbors who used their apartment numbers for their IDs, making it real easy to figure out who’s router was where. 3. If your router (wired or wireless) has a Web management interface, disable access from the outside network. And change the admin default password now. Most routers have the ability to do both quite easily. You don’t want anyone else coming in and changing your settings or reading your log files. 4. Make sure all of your PCs use antivirus software and if you’re using Windows, add antispyware protection. This seems obvious, but it bears restatiing. And while you are at it, check to make sure that all of your antivirus subscriptions are current. Anything out of date isn’t doing you any good. In my support travels, I’ve found that this is a very common lapse among my neighbors. 5. If you are running a Web server on your LAN, put it on a DMZ. If your router doesn’t have a DMZ, get a new router. Better yet, move to a collocation facility where someone who knows what he is doing can manage it. Having your own local Web server sounds like a good idea, but is a real security sinkhole, and many cable networks have made it harder to host your own from your home network anyway. So why worry? 6. Speaking of Web servers on the Internet, if you have them, you should scan regularly for exploits. There are many sites that can do this, two of my favorites are SPIdynamics.com and Qualys.com. Also, make sure to keep track of your domain registry and change all of your access passwords regularly. If you update your Web content, don’t use FTP or Microsoft’s Web page creation tool, FrontPage; instead, find more-secure methods that don’t send your access passwords in the clear. You can learn about other ways to protect your Web site at OWASP.org. 7. If your ISP offers such an option, use a VPN (virtual private network) for access back to your local LAN or your remote Web server. There are many to choose from, ranging from the free OpenVPN.net to inexpensive but capable ones from SonicWall and Fortinet, which are designed for small business owners. 8. Disable file/print sharing on everything other than your file server. You don’t need it on each desktop, and that just causes more vulnerabilities. This is particularly important for laptop users: You don’t want to be broadcasting your entire file system to everyone around you at the airport or hotel, which is something that I often see when I travel and check for open network shares. 9. Use whole disk encryption on all laptops that will ever leave home. You never know when someone will steal your data or break into your car or hotel room and lift the laptop. I like PGP Disk, but there are others that cost next to nothing and provide plenty of protection. If you are in the habit of carrying around USB thumb drives with your data, then use one of the more modern U3 drives that work with Windows and are at least password-protected to keep your data away from others. 10. Start doing regular off-site backups now. At least start with making copies of your key customer and business data, and then make sure you cover your personal files, such as family photos and the like. Now is the time to cook up something simple. Burn DVDs and take them home, or make use of one of the online storage vendors such as eVault and Amazon.com’s S3. They cost less than $100 a year (Amazon’s less than $10 a year) and can save your data in case of fire, theft or just carelessness. If you have two PCs in two different locations, sign up for Microsoft’s Foldershare.com free service to synchronize your data. Now, there are plenty of other security options that will buy you peace of mind and make it harder for hackers, but these 10 items are easy to implement, don’t cost much in terms of your time and money, and will have big security payoffs. Try to attempt one item each week and you’ll sleep better at night. David Strom is a writer, editor, public speaker, blogging coach and consultant. He is a former editor in chief of Network Computing and Tom’s Hardware and has his own blog at http://strominator.com. He can be reached at david@strom.com. Source: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2547589/networking/10-tips-to-secure-your-small-business-network.html
Top security mistakes and how to avoid them
From HP’s September 2014 Technology at Work Newsletter In the movies, hackers are easy to identify. The screen’s green glow reflects on their grizzled faces as they type furiously at their keyboards in the murky shadows. Of course, real-life hackers aren’t nearly so easy to spot. And they’re also likely not the biggest source of risk for your business. The truth is that most security breaches—over 80 percent—are crimes of opportunity [1]. The largest security threat many businesses face comes not from criminal masterminds, but their own employees. To help you keep your data and networks safe, we’ve compiled five common IT security mistakes, and what you can do to avoid them. Mistake 1: Not performing updatesSolution: Installing regular upgrades and software patches is one of the most important things you can do to keep your network and data secure, but 40 percent of users don’t always upgrade software when prompted to. In fact, about a quarter admit they need to be prompted at least twice before upgrading [2]. Don’t wait to make your network secure. Upgrade as soon as patches are available and conduct audits regularly. Mistake 2: Not disposing of data correctlySolution: Donating old equipment can be a great idea, as long as you’re making sure you’re not donating your company’s sensitive data as well. Merely deleting files doesn’t necessarily get rid of the information. To be sure it’s permanently deleted, the data needs to be actively overwritten with programs like Eraser. And HP Disk Sanitizer and File Sanitizer, available on select business PCs and notebooks, can help you erase hard drives and securely remove files, history, and data from a computer, and bleach the blank file space [3, 4]. Mistake 3: Not using encryptionSolution: Encryption isn’t just for databases stored securely in your network. Over half of all data harvesting by hackers was done not on stored data, but on data in transit [5] between systems, through a network, or to employees working remotely. Consistently employing secure, encrypted connections for employees accessing information outside the office is a key step in keeping your data protected. Mistake 4: Not using secure servicesSolution: When employees need to work late on a big project or access a file on the road, all too often what they end up doing is emailing the file to themselves, or putting it on an unsecured public website or notebook. If your employees are circumventing your security because they need more flexibility, one great alternative can be a service like HP Helion public cloud that can provide remote access while maintaining leading security practices. Mistake 5: Not educating employeesSolution: Having secure systems does little good if your employees give up sensitive information and credentials voluntarily. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting employees in phishing attacks to get past firewalls and other security measures. These attacks use emails, fake websites, Trojan downloads, and social media to solicit the information they need to infiltrate your network. To avoid becoming victims, employees need to be educated on how to recognize—and avoid—suspicious websites, friend requests, and other risky clicks. The average cyber-attack can cost a business nearly $9,000—not including the impact of lost sales due to a damaged reputation [6]. And if you think your business data isn’t a target, you should think again. In 2013, more than half of all of the small businesses surveyed had experienced a security breach at some point [7]. But by taking a few simple steps, you can go a long way towards minimizing your risk. [1] Verizon, Data Breach Investigation Report, 2011[2] Skype, International Technology Upgrade Week, 2012[3] HP Disk Sanitizer is for the use cases outlined in the DOD 5220.22-M Supplement. Does not support Solid State Drives (SSDs). Requires Disk Sanitizer, External Edition for Business Desktops from hp.com. Requires Windows on business desktops and notebooks.[4] HP File Sanitizer is for the use cases outlined in the DOD 5220.22-M Supplement. Does not support Solid State Drives (SSDs). Initial setup required. Web history deleted only in Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers and must be user enabled. With Windows 8.1, user must turn off Enhanced Protection Mode in IE11 for shred on browser close feature.[5] Trustwave, Global Security Report, 2013[6] NSBA, Small Business Technology Survey, 2013[7] Ponemon Institute, Poll for HSB, 2013 Source: http://h30458.www3.hp.com/us/us/smb/Top-security-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them_1421521.html?jumpid=em_taw_US_aug14_pps-bps_2256652_hpgl_us_1421521_9701&DIMID=EMID_1005225296&DICID=taw_Sep14&OID=11097710&mrm=1-4BVUP
