Infinet, Author at Infinet Solutions

BreakFix Vs Managed IT Services What You Need To Know When Selecting IT Services

Is Your Break/Fix IT Company Costing You Too Much? You Need Affordable Managed IT Services in Omaha, Nebraska

Managed IT Services are the most cost-effective way to keep your computers and network up to speed. It’s a predictable way to ensure your technology will run at peak performance. For a monthly, fixed, and easy-to-budget-for fee, you’ll have today’s latest IT technology.

Without Managed IT Services, your system is vulnerable to crashes, viruses, and downtime. You can’t be sure that it’s properly maintained. Regular monitoring and patching is essential these days.

Downtime due to IT issues? This can really slow the work flow, plus everyone’s attention is focused on the network problems instead of their jobs. It’s hard to even figure the cost of downtime due to network failures. For instance, a system failure at Virgin Blue in 2010 went on for 11 days, finally affecting over 50,000 passengers. Yes, Virgin Blue suffered financially, but the real damage was to their brand name.

IT Security

With all the malicious IT threats circulating today, avoiding them can be challenging. All types of viruses, malware, and ransomware are being released today to unsuspecting users. These viruses can work their way through all your connected devices, shutting them down. In a ransomware attack, cyber thieves hold your data hostage until you pay the ransom. Sometimes, even after paying, you still don’t get full access to your records.

If your data is breached, and you operate under stringent regulatory guidelines, you can expect to pay hefty fines and possibly face litigation from your customers!

All it takes is one link in a phishing email that an employee clicks on. When this happens, who are you going to call? The break-fix company might get there today, but it often requires them several days to respond to a call.

You’re left without your data, and your business operations cease. You can’t bill your customers. You can’t provide services for them. Customers may get upset and take their business to your competition. Your profit margins can suffer significantly.

With Managed IT Services from InfiNet Solutions, this whole scenario can be prevented. For a reasonable monthly fee, we’ll monitor your network and block cyber-attacks before they occur. We also train your employees to recognize phishing emails. We’ll teach your staff what they need to know in order to avoid cyber-breaches.

Remote Monitoring and Management

One of the best things about IT Managed Services is that problems can be detected and repaired before they can negatively affect your business – and in most cases, before you even know there was a problem.

With proactive remote network monitoring, patch management, upgrades, and computer optimization, your technology will run as it should. You can come to the office in the morning without worrying that your server went down during the night.

Managed Services provide remote monitoring of your system 24/7, so you’ll reap the benefits of optimal-functioning technology. And, you won’t have to worry about hackers and viruses. Remote monitoring management (RMM) detects these too and stops them in their tracks.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Included in that affordable monthly fee, you’ll have a reliable backup and disaster recovery plan in place. Onsite backups aren’t enough. Your data will be stored in a secure cloud solution that you can access whenever and from wherever you need to.

In this day and time, business owners are realizing that they’re just as vulnerable as anyone else when it comes to natural disasters, fires, power outages, and that sort of thing. We’ll ensure that your data stays high and dry in a secure data center. As long as you have a mobile computer or device, it will be there for you and your designated users.

24/7 Help Desk Support

If you require support, service, or just have a question about the software you’re using, you won’t be alone. A trained technician will answer your call. If they can’t help you, they’ll find someone who can. That’s part of our Managed IT Service. The peace of mind you’ll have is priceless.

Mobile Device Management

Many businesses in Omaha allow their employees to use their own devices at work. But, are they using them securely? How do you know they are? An MDM solution ensures they will.

And if a device is lost or stolen, we can remotely clear your business data from the device. If a disgruntled employee leaves with your confidential information, wouldn’t you want to do this?

There’s so much more we can share. The best thing for you to do is to schedule a no-obligation consultation with us. We can come to your office at your convenience, and answer all of your questions. Once we do, you’ll be convinced that InfiNet can save you money in too many ways to mention with our Managed IT Services.

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All-New Surface Go (Insights/Information)

The All-New Surface Go: What You Need To Know

There’s no shortage of gizmos and gadgets to choose from in today’s tech world, but not all are created equal, and some are exceptionally unique, like the new Microsoft Surface Go. The Surface Go is the tech giant’s way of combining the Surface Pro’s premium features with affordability and portability – two of the most sought-after features for laptop and tablet owners, understandably. Touted as the “smallest and most affordable Surface yet,” the Go is one of Microsoft’s most exciting new ventures, and with its August debut fast approaching, there’s plenty to know about this trailblazing 2-in-1.

Microsoft Surface Go

Those familiar with the Microsoft Surface line may have a solid idea of what’s to come in the Go. Here are a few of the most interesting aspects of the Microsoft Surface Go, including specs, price, and all the things you can do with this piece of gadgetry in tow.

What Does It Look Like?

One of the Go’s most endearing qualities is certainly its tiny size. Like its predecessor, the Go is a tablet that attaches firmly to Microsoft’s Type Cover keyboard. Measuring at 9.6 by 6.9 inches, it’s just 8.3 mm thin and weighs only 1.15 pounds. About the size of a composite notebook, with a 10-inch diagonal display that’s sufficient for everything from business to entertainment, the Go is primed for accessibility, above all.

With a gadget made for accessibility comes a need for durability. The Surface Go boasts a magnesium enclosure and an ultra-bright, high-resolution touchscreen bonded with durable Gorilla Glass. And with respect to the design of the Go, convenience is key. It comes complete with a kickstand that extends to 165 degrees, as well as support for a stylus pen, which can magnetically attach to the tablet.

There are also plenty of ports to keep you productive all day. There is, of course, the charging port, but in addition, you’ll find a USB-C 3.1 for data and video, as well as a MicroSD card reader and a headphone jack.

What Can The Surface Go Do?

When designing the Go, in addition to portability and affordability, Microsoft aimed for productivity. They sought to create a device that would be sufficient for both work and play. From Office apps for business and school to Netflix and Hulu for entertainment, Microsoft’s team kept a wide variety of users and uses in mind to create a gadget that checks all the boxes.

When it comes to display, the Surface Go doesn’t skimp. Its high-resolution PixelSense Display is custom-built and can support the Surface Pen with exceptional pressure sensitivity, low latency, low pen parallax and precision. All of this results in near-perfect note taking, design, and drawing.

Easy on the eyes but bold enough for vibrant videos, art, and photos, the Surface Go isn’t short on aesthetics in the least. Even the Surface Pro’s screen capabilities are unique. When in portrait mode, the screen is designed to fit the scale of school textbooks. While in landscape mode, pages will appear side by side, mimicking a paperback in your hand.

Power-wise, despite its small size, the Surface Go is nothing to scoff at. It gets its power from a 7th Generation Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y, which allows for up to nine hours of battery. Other features include Windows’ Hello face recognition camera, which will be used for bio-authentication, plus two front-facing speakers and a sufficient 8-megapixel rear camera to capture high-quality photos.

How Much Does The Surface Pro Cost?

Compared to the Surface Pro, the Go is a steal, and the most affordable Surface ever. When it ships in early August, it will cost $399. With this, users will receive 64 gigabytes of internal storage, plus 4 gigabytes of RAM. More costly options include one with 256 gigabytes of storage and an impressive 8 gigabytes of RAM, as well as an LTE version, which will be available later in 2018.

If you’re looking for add-ons, you’ve got options in a Type Cover keyboard and stylus pen. The Surface Go has the option of a signature Type Cover, custom-made with design features that make for a superb typing experience. Ergonomic key pitch, excellent key travel, and high precision tuning are a few other details you’ll find in the Type Cover. There is also the option to connect your device to the Surface Mobile Mouse for further convenience.

Wrap Up

With an ever-growing number of laptops, tablets, and other tech gadgets to choose from, Microsoft’s taken big steps in creating something more affordable. Hot off the heels of the success of the Surface Pro, the Surface Go is the answer for those who want an inexpensive, but tech-heavy tablet computer. If you’re among the crowd looking for a sleek combination of looks, function, and savings, the Surface Go may be right up your alley.

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Microsoft Workplace Analytics (Research/Insight)

Microsoft Workplace Analytics For Empowering The Time Management Of Teams

Microsoft Workplace Analytics is a relatively new tool from Microsoft that can give managers and company owners better insights into how their teams are working. It can be used to identify patterns that might be affecting productivity. It works to highlight those teams and employees who are doing a superior job, as well as those who are performing poorly. And, it works in the background so that workflows are unaffected and employees are not aware that performance is being measured.

The Corporate Strategy

Most corporate strategies aimed at developing growth and platforms to support sustainability consider time as a resource. Human resource management departments take account of resources such as time utilization as well. Today’s employers require more sophisticated time management systems to ensure that optimal production is recorded. This has led to organizations applying a variety of technical inputs to ensure that time management and employee engagement are integrated to ensure the highest productivity.

Critical Gap

The critical gap that exists between organizations and their sustainability objectives includes poor employee participation. Many employees come to work each day just to get a paycheck; they aren’t invested in the company or its long-term goals.

To fill this gap, technical tools such as Microsoft Workplace Analytics provide reliable solutions to organizations in the area of their time management needs. However, one of the most important questions is whether these technical inputs are correctly measured in terms of the impact to the business.

Additionally, it is also essential to identify whether competing products provide the same impact on a business. This is significant because one strategy cannot fit all the needs of an organization and therefore, some amendments are called for to sustain and develop the organization’s team management.

Microsoft Workplace Analytics

Today’s Business Challenges

The critical business challenge today is comprised of the choice of technical inputs that will best suit the business model. Various solutions and other tools available, whether at subscribed rates or for free, all work differently for any organization. The type of teams found in any company will differ in terms of their adaptability, making specific time management tools better for some and not-so-good for others. Microsoft Workplace Analytics solves many of these dilemmas due to its versatility.

Technical Solution

A great technical solution to organizations seeking time management and better team management, the Microsoft Workplace Analytics solution can empower teams of all shapes and sizes. The objective of the solution is to ensure that employees can get more done at the workplace each day while expending less effort. Also, with better time management, employees can achieve a better work/life balance. This can significantly increase job satisfaction. Through the utilization of shared space, shared interests develop into agreeable decisions limiting conflicts within the organization and manifesting collaboration among colleagues.

Competing Products

Competing products to the Microsoft Workplace analytics program include MyAnalytics, which is also known as Delve Analytics. The purpose of this tool is to keep a watchful eye on productivity. It can determine whether specific employees are working hard or hardly working.

Using the same concept as Microsoft Workplace Analytics, the purpose of these products is to limit internal conflicts, while making sure employees are being productive most of the time. However, some managers will not like a style of management that monitors employee activity so closely. Employees may feel that they’re being micro-managed. This can actually hurt instead of help productivity.

Solutions Adaptability

Microsoft Workplace Analytics should be used with willing teams and cooperative management. Once everyone is on board and working toward a common goal, it’s possible to achieve the desired analytics. This can help an organization to make changes where necessary in order to inspire growth and development for the organization. Of course, the outcome can depend significantly on the interaction between conflict management and employee engagement.

Impact on Team Performance

The impact of team management solutions includes increased productivity for the organization, limited conflicts for management, shared goals for the teams, and the sustainability of the whole unit. The technical inputs of time management play a major performance appraisal role that could threaten the retention level of employees.

Companies may benefit from further research in analyzing how well different types of teams can work with technical time management programs like Microsoft Workplace Analytics. In contemporary organizational strategies, the one-size-fits-all attitude concerning organizational decisions is no longer a valid managerial perspective.

Estimating Validity

To estimate validity, organizations require performance auditing. This ensures the corporations can link the effects of a time management program to the overall sustainability of the organization. By tracking the record of performances and number of conflicts, the usefulness of a time management tool can be estimated.

Identifying those departments and teams faced with multiple problems might be a task for a different sort of program. Therefore, irrespective of the advantages associated with the innovative solutions provided by time management programs, a better understanding of the teams and people involved is recommended.

Conclusion

The Microsoft Workplace Analytics suite offers many advantages to contemporary organizations who are searching for a more reliable way to measure employee teamwork. Under the right circumstances, it can provide a number of solid solutions to employee dissatisfaction, while improving workflows and productivity.

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Network Basics: What Is SNMP and How Does It Work?

What is SNMP?

If you are a new network professional in the field of Information Technology, SNMP is an acronym you will come across often. Or you may have heard of it at some point during IT training. SNMP means “Simple Network Management Protocol.” It is an application layer protocol integrated with an internet protocol suite to help with the management of online communication protocols.

SNMP

SNMP was first used in the late 80’s, a time when companies were investing heavily in internet networks. SNMP effectively aids the monitoring of network infrastructures such as data stations, printers, servers, hubs, routers, WINS, and host configurations.

Today, it is still one of the most widely used layer protocols for simple networks. Many networking specialists love it because it offers a consistent and reliable way of monitoring many devices on a network simultaneously. It also allows for sharing of information between the components of the network even if the devices run on different operating systems.

Why is SNMP important?

Network management protocols like SNMP have made identification and management of network devices easy and convenient. The protocol keeps track of changes in the network and relays the status of all network devices in real time.

SNMP architecture

As the name hints, SNMP has a simple architecture which is based on the client’s server technology. Basically, the server is the network manager; it measures different variables and processes data relayed from different devices on the internet network. Client devices on SNMP networks are referred to as “Agents.” The agents are either computing devices or peripheral devices connected directly or indirectly to the network. They include computers, phones, printers, and network switches, among other devices.

SNMP data Hierarchy

Even though the SNMP network protocol is based on a simple architecture, its philosophy of data hierarchy is a little complicated or at least will seem complex if you are not familiar with it. Fortunately, the data hierarchy is easy to understand once you grasp the concept behind it.

The SNMP data hierarchy works on a tree-shaped format whereby the branches at different heights represent data available for managers at different management levels to collect. These branches are referred to as Management Information Bases (MIBs) and every level represent of MIBs embodies a group device or peripheral device components. Each MIB is identified using either a unique number or a string. The numbers and strings work on the same concept as hostnames or IP addresses and can be interchanged.

All the management information bases have one or multiple nodes. These nodes represent the devices or device components on the MIB. The nodes are marked using Object identifiers (or simply OIDs) which are also denoted using either numbers or strings.

Using the numbers and strings, managers can troubleshoot or run a query on an agent and to find out the status of network devices in real time. For instance, if a manager needs to know the status of an interface, he will start by querying the MIB then narrow down to the OID value which represents the operational status of the interface.

Are the OIDs important?

MIBs and OIDs are data hierarchies on SNMP systems. They may seem confusing at first but there are many advantages to them. The most outstanding advantage is that you can pull down the exact information you need without necessarily sending explicit requests to the client device to collect it. This significantly reduces pressure on network resources and ensures that all data pertaining to the status of the network is readily available to managers on request.

The architecture is also easy to understand, flexible and can incorporate many devices at different parts of the network. The simplicity makes it possible to pull up large chunks of data from the devices quickly without jamming the network system. The data is usually available in its simplest form and in real time, which makes decision making easy and fast.

Versions of SNMP

SNMP has undergone numerous developments over the years. With every new version comes more features and functionalities than the previous version. In addition, each version has different network protocols so you have to be keen on a version that will serve your network management needs best.

One remarkable attribute that makes a big difference between the versions is the security feature. Various network systems have different security requirements, so you must find a version that best serves your unique needs. Below is a highlight of the versions:

SNMPv1─The very first version of SNMP. Has very weak security properties. Still widely used today, especially by companies which have not updated their SNMPs to more recent versions.
SNMPv2- First used in 1993. It had more enhanced security features compared to SNMPv1.
SNMPv3-Released in 1998. It is the most recent version and most secure version.

SNMP Wrap Up

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) offers easier identification and management of network devices. It makes real-time monitoring of the status of your network accurate and dependable. It also makes the management of online communication protocols possible. SNMP evolves and develops with every new version to deliver better features and functionalities.

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Microsoft Azure Just Got Better

The Microsoft Inspire 2018 partner conference is now behind us, but the new dawn that it marked for the company’s cloud computing service, Azure, has just begun.

Microsoft Azure

Of course, there was a lot that transpired from this partner conference, especially the new opportunities, resources, and incentives that are now available for partners.

In this write-up however, we focus on the wide range of updates – not in all of Microsoft’s partner programs and products that span Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and other business apps, but its cloud computing service known as Azure.

Here’s a roundup of the tech giant’s biggest updates and additions to Azure from the Inspire 2018 conference.

New Cloud Apps And Technologies

The number of cloud apps and technologies that are available through Azure just multiplied. The first amazing addition to this channel is the Azure Data Box Disk, an SSD-disk based version of the Azure Data Box appliance rolled out in 2017.

With the Azure Data Box Disk, businesses can move data into Azure with much ease regardless of where the data lives. The new offering allows for the transfer of up to 35 terabytes of data from multiple remote locations such as offices or branches – whether on a recurrent basis or once.

The other interesting Azure addition from Microsoft Inspire 2018 is Azure Virtual WAN, a networking service that provides users (businesses) with automated, optimized branch-to-branch connectivity through Azure using last mile internet. It also allows businesses to build a spoke-hub network in Azure that can route traffic to virtual appliances such as Azure network security services and firewalls.

The Azure Firewall is a managed, cloud-based network security service that protects your Azure Virtual Network resources. The Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) is highly available and fully functional, with unrestricted cloud scalability.

The high availability being built-in means that there are no additional load balancers, nor anything that requires configuring. The unrestricted cloud scalability, on the other hand, means that your Azure Firewall can scale up as much as needed to accommodate fluctuating network traffic flows. Ultimately, you won’t need to budget for any peak traffic – which translates to significant cost savings.

Microsoft Is Expanding Private Offers In The Azure Marketplace

As part of Microsoft’s 2019 development plans for its partner network, the company is expanding its private offers in the Azure marketplace. This means that partners will be able to deliver a better buying experience to their customers by confidentially sharing with them solutions that meet their unique buying needs. This way, Microsoft partners are getting a new means to boost their sales with the corporation.

With the private offer feature, partners are also able to offer discounts to select customers on the Azure channel, rather than having to put up with the standard pricing approach, which can be less appealing.

Vetted & Approved By Microsoft: Azure Expert Managed Service Providers

Microsoft just took its Azure Expert Managed Service Provider program, started as a pilot program at the beginning of the year, to another level. The Azure Expert MSP program is a brand-new platform designed to help those select partners who have demonstrated the greatest level of skill and capabilities with regards to delivering consistent managed services on Azure. This helps them to stand out from the pack.

For a partner to join the new Azure MSP group, they have to be carefully vetted by Microsoft. One of the key qualifications for entering the program is to obtain references from multiple customers and pass a rigorous two-day third-party audit, which is repeated every year.

The idea, according to Microsoft, is to ensure that partners in the Azure Expert Managed Service Provider program are prepared to facilitate customer migrations to the cloud and help them with their cloud projects.

Azure IoT Central Gets New Updates

Azure IoT Central, Microsoft’s Software-as-a-Service IoT (internet of things) solution experienced nothing short of a facelift. These updates are introducing support for the business analytics service, Power BI, and task automation tool Microsoft Flow, as a way to make visualization of real-time intelligence possible.

Additionally, partners on the Cloud Solution Provider program are now able to include management and provisioning of Azure IoT Central applications in their subscription offerings.

Customers seeking to migrate their Windows Server and SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 workloads to Azure have also been assured of a time extension and free security updates even as Microsoft is winding down its support for the former.

Beyond Microsoft Gold: New Apps And Infrastructure For Azure

As part of its mission to boost profitability for partners, Microsoft is launching advanced specializations going beyond Microsoft Gold competencies to help partners with differentiation.

Apps and Infrastructure will include SAP on Azure, cloud migration, Azure Stack, Linux on Azure, backup & disaster recovery, as well as high-performance computing and networking.

Conclusion

Microsoft is clearly pushing positive outcomes on its partner network. And judging from the revelations from the Inspire 2018 conference, the company is determined to see this network prosper. They’re making the most of the opportunities that have since come to light and forging ahead for a brighter future.

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