NEXT Generation Technology Support
June 2018
IT NOW MEANS ‘INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY’ AND YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO STEP UP TECH GLOSSARY
DISCONNECT VS LOGGING OFF HEALTH TIPS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY CLIENT SHOWCASE: CATCHING UP WITH BLACKWING MEATS
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IT NOW MEANS ‘INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY’ AND YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS TO STEP UP In a Fortune article, the CEO of Insight Enterprises, an Arizona based IT company, has a warning for American business leaders. The world, he says, is shifting from old “information technology” to cutting edge “intelligent technology” and if you don’t embrace the changes you will lose. There’s an urgency to Lamneck’s warning about the fast-pace growth of intelligent technology. “It’s the source of how companies innovate. It’s the source of how companies collaborate,” he says, “and very importantly, how companies differentiate themselves from their competition.” What is the downside risk for companies that wait? “They’ll be disintermediated,” Lamneck tells Fortune. “We’ve seen so many industries where companies missed the wave because they’re not embracing technology to really take them to that next frontier.”
SO, WHAT DO WE PROPOSE YOU DO AS A BUSINESS LEADER? 1) Look at your current IT support and ask yourself “is this working?” Whether you have a department, a guy, or a third-party company outsourced you need to answer HECK YES, because a lukewarm “yeah sort-of” does not work. 2) Allocate a tech budget because Lamneck is right. If you are not up to speed with technology or feel its ease of use, your clients will not want to work with you and look elsewhere. 3) Think of tech as an investment because times are changing! With cybercrime on the rise, your data and its’ safety should be top priority. Investing in proper cybersecurity software and hiring a trustworthy tech support company like LeadingIT is an investment for your company’s future success. 4) Choose monthly all-inclusive. LeadingIT does this flawlessly, taking the headache out of ala carte pricing, upcharges, and hourly costs. There are no surprises, but just one consistent price a month.
TECH GLOSSARY At LeadingIT we strive to keep moving forward and we’re constantly evolving. I asked our technicians "What do you wish our customers knew? What would help them better troubleshoot?" The Tech Glossary was born. This glossary is just the beginning and will be added to as terms come up. This month were sharing a concept we wish all of our clients knew.
LOG OFF VS. DISCONNECT Disconnecting Think of disconnecting from the server as locking your workstation. While no one can access your folders or files, all your programs are still running in the background. In much the same way, when you disconnect from the server with programs open, those same programs are still running on the server, even though you are not connected. Any open programs take system resources that could go to other staff, therefore creating an adverse impact on performance. Logging Off When you log off the server, Windows properly closes all your programs, which frees up the system resources for the other staff. *Tip for connecting to an office computer from home, Remote server, or Cloud server*
LeadingIT Culture: Anniversaries Jeff Combs June 15th 1st Anniversary
Contact LeadingIT for a free tech review stephen@goleadingit.com | (815) 799-4368
Contributions from Fortune.com
HEALTH TIPS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY One of our core values here at LeadingIT is promoting health. Science proves physical and mental health greatly affect productivity. We believe healthy client networks and staff = success. The following are ideas we’ve implemented around our office to promote health.
PROVIDE YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH HEALTHY OFFICE SNACKS Healthy snacks aid in weight control, improve mood, and boost energy, making it a no brainer to provide for your office. If you’re already providing snacks to your employees, consider making the switch to healthier alternatives by becoming a member of a healthy snack delivery service. We have fresh fruit and organic alternatives stocked in our kitchen. Consider adding milk alternatives, tea, and natural energy drinks to your fridge. We also make and eat breakfast as a team the last Friday of the month.
CREATE STANDING DESKS Varidesk and other companies offer adjustable-height standing desks that allow users to easily switch between standing and sitting while working. We have adjustable desks AND buoy desk chairs courtesy of Turnstone Furniture.
SUBSIDIZE WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY THAT HELPS EMPLOYEES TRACK THEIR ACTIVITY Wearable technologies like FitBit can help people monitor their fitness levels, track their sleep, and challenge friends who also have the device. We provided our staff with the fitness band of their choice. We track our step totals weekly with a goal of 40,000 steps, but most employees clock DOUBLE that!
INCORPORATE PLANTS AROUND THE OFFICE A study conducted in 2010 determined that just one plant per workspace can provide a significant lift in a person’s emotional state. We have plants in almost every room courtesy Mayfield Flowers in Crystal Lake.
MORNING HUDDLES FOR EACH DEPARTMENT Schedule a daily huddle with all department team members to verbalize everyone’s main goals for the day and let others know if they are needed. We have daily “Stand Up” meetings for our tech team to get their blood flowing!
IMPLEMENT A “TEAM BUCKS” SYSTEM Make a fake currency where people can reward each other with “Team Bucks”. Allow people to collect and trade their “Team Bucks” in for real-world prizes like gift certificates. We use Bonusly to award each other points.
CLIENT SHOWCASE: CATCHING UP WITH BLACKWING MEATS From molding plastic furniture, to ostrich farms, Roger Gerber has one eclectic resume. Roger and his wife Beth are the owners of Blackwing Meats in Antioch, IL. Blackwing is one of North America's leading providers of healthy red and poultry meats to consumers, retailers, and food service industries. Their inventory includes specialty and exotic meats like bison, elk, boar, and ostrich. Blackwing Meats switched IT services to LeadingIT at the beginning of this year. With 53 years as an inventor and entrepreneur under his belt, Gerber had quite a story to tell. I sat down with him to learn more about his vision for Blackwing and how LeadingIT will play a role. How did you get into the rare and exotic meat business? My daughter approached me wanting to live on a farm. At the time I was in the manufacturing business. I thought to myself “What new food could we bring to the US?” Originally, I wanted to sell ostrich eggs to bakeries. They were so large bakers wouldn’t need to break 20 chicken eggs but just a few ostrich eggs for pastries. I researched it and miraculously found a presence in the Southwest. The “Meat, Leather, and Feather” industry, as it was coined, was booming in the 80s’. There was even a magazine. It was difficult to find a pair (male and female), as con-artists often sold pairs of males. The industry was so new there was a learning curve. I went to Africa. I learned how to properly raise and kill ostriches from the locals. Then, I brought back my knowledge to the US. Eventually, I had ostrich farms in Florida and Ohio. I sold them in 1996 to focus on Blackwing. What is Blackwing’s mission? Our mission is to be able to ship our product in three days or less within the US. We have some interesting places we’ve supplied…including the Signature Room in Chicago. We ship internationally as well. We also want to provide our area local, healthy food, more reasonably priced than big box stores like Whole Foods. Is it hard to compete with places like Whole Foods? No it’s not. (Roger grabs honey from a nearby display) The man who makes this honey came to me to sell it here in the store. I asked him “Why should I buy this?” and he said it was the best honey. Welleveryone has the best honey. He then started to talk about the wildflower fields his bees pollinate and then produce the honey. I looked at him and said, “That’s your story: talk about those fields.” Blackwing wants to be a business that promotes other’s passions. That’s why we have so many local vendors in our store. What’s the most challenging part of your business? Sourcing! The organic and specialty meat industry grows 20% a yearthe supply line doesn’t. Demand is so great for these animals, especially bison, a bidding war breaks out. What product are customers resilient to buy? Believe it or not…ostrich! I sell less of it now. What type of technology does Blackwing use daily? We have an office in the back that works as Blackwing’s communication hub with several workstations. We have POS systems in the front for our store. We also have several programs we use including QuickBooks. How does technology affect your business? If our tech isn’t working, it makes it hard for us to. We are reliant on it. The only thing we do by hand is inventory. Soon, with the help of LeadingIT, that will be changing. We are very self sufficient here. We cut our own meat, pack, ship, and even sell our product right out front in our store. We even make our own refrigerated boxes to ship. We made a machine to help make that process quicker. We are a totally vertically integrated company. We wanted to team up with an IT company that makes us feel independent and eliminate issues, so we can increase productivity. Is it safe to say you’re happy with LeadingIT? Yes, you guys are awesome! We’re blown away by how quickly things get done. Before it would take our old provider days, sometimes weeks to complete a project. It takes LeadingIT hours if not less!