eSudo's IT Services Blog

In a worldwide marketplace, there may be times when it’s difficult to compete in the area of labor costs, and in some cases, even material costs.  At these times, your customer service skills can put you ahead of the game when competing with companies both at home and abroad. Quality customer service should be a top consideration for every team member.

That means not only listening to customers and providing good service, but identifying unmet needs that can result in new revenue opportunities or even referrals. A successful customer experience often requires collaboration with others in the organization and communication with your own suppliers.

Customers must feel important and appreciated. They are very sensitive to whether we care about them. Be sincere and thank them every time you get a chance. You can’t be too kind! Look for ways to say “yes.” Comply with any reasonable request and make sure that everything you promise is done. Follow through and follow up to ensure your client sees you care.

Don’t be afraid to apologize for something that has gone wrong. If you made a mistake, fess up. Show your customers that you are human, but be sure to tell them what you are going to do to avoid such an issue in the future. Don’t just sweep it under the rug or try to buy their loyalty. Customers must always feel that they are appreciated and their business is important to you.

“Whenever there is a technology problem, we call eSudo. They provide instant response and great customer service so that our business can continue to operate efficiently and without interruption. We highly recommend eSudo to any company that relies heavily on e-mail and the Internet to run their business.” — Joseph Lam, CEO, World Children’s Fund

Contact eSudo at 408-404-6960 for your IT Services, San Jose, CA to experience first class customer services. 

Comments or questions are welcome.

Name:*

E-Mail Address:*

Subject:*

Message:*

CAPTCHA Code:*

Powered by Fast and Secure Contact Form

No, we’re not talking about the Post Office or the brown truck.  A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, is a battery backup power source for computers, servers, and network equipment.  When the power goes out, a UPS will keep your equipment going long enough to save any documents and shut down the machine properly.  Why should you care?

Because, if you are actively working on a document when the power goes out, 1 of 3 things could happen.

1.  Your document could be gone forever.  The auto-save feature in Windows often stops working when the computer is unexpected shut off.  Unless you manually saved the document multiple times while working on it, it’s not likely to be there after a power outage.

2.  The file is there, but it’s useless.  A power outage can corrupt any open files, even if you’ve saved them.  The document opens back up on start-up, but it’s garbled characters make it look like a really long ransom note.  To get it back, you have to re-create it all over again.

3.  You get really, really lucky.  The average business will experience 15 power outages a year.  If you are fortunate enough to recover your document after a power outage, count your lucky stars; you probably won’t be so lucky next time.

While many home PCs or non-critical workstations can live without a UPS, a server cannot.  Servers run 24-7 providing files and servises to a number of other machines.  A sudden shutdown can corrupt files on the server causing more widespread damage.

We recommend all our clients get a UPS device for the servers in their office at a minimum and, for additional protection, for all the workstations.  Contact eSudo Technology Solutions for more information or recommendations on a battery backup power source for computers, servers, and network equipment.

Can’t afford to be down for days?  Then take heed of these three easy, but critical steps you must have in place now to guarantee that your business could be back up and running fast in the event of a data-erasing disaster.

Keep an on-site and off-site copy of your data.  You never want to rely solely on an on-site backup.  If a fire, flood, natural disaster or burglary happens, you’re out of luck.  Plus, it’s smart to have a backup of your backup – especially when it comes to your business’s data.

Throw your old tape-drive backups out the window!  If you’re still using tape drive backups, you could be in for a HUGE surprise when you try to pull the data off of them.  Tapes are highly volatile and have a failure rate of 100%.  ALL tape drives fail at some point, and often without warning.  Plus swapping tapes is a major pain.  There are far easier and more reliable  ways to back-up your data.  If you want some suggestions, please call our office.

Image your server and workstations.  Imaging your server and workstations is similar to taking a “snapshot” or “picture” of your hard drive.  Not only does it make a copy of the information (data) that is stored on them, but it also makes a copy of all the software programs, personal settings, printer configurations and everything exactly as it is in your current computer.  This will enable you to be back up and running in 90 minutes versus days because rebuilding a server that has crashed, burned or been otherwise incapacitated takes time.

Don’t let disaster result in a total loss for your business! We can assist you in implementing a proactive disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Contact us to speak with a California technical support specialist from our San Jose, San Francisco Bay Area office.

APWG Phishing Activity Trends Report provides surprising insight into the startling facts about Internet threats. Implement policies to protect your company’s confidential information before it is too late.

Did you know …  48% of 22 million users scanned, had malware and the financial industry seemed to be the most targeted sector. 48% works when you are splitting a burrito with a coworker, but these odds are not favorable for business decisions. Sneaky criminals can easily hide Trojans, malware and viruses in your computer if you visit websites online or if you click on links in e-mails.

Prepare yourself and your business against the very real dangers of the Internet. Know what to look for and implement safe surfing practices to promote your network security and the overall health of your organization. 

You wouldn’t fish with a spoon, right? 
No. So, don’t expect everyone in your company to know how to safely use the Internet. Give them the facts and tools they need to succeed and keep your business safe. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you concerned about your environmental impact on our planet? Take a moment to implement these three changes to conserve energy in your office today.

1. Set your computers power management settings on your computer.  According to Climate Savers Computing, using the power management features on your computer can save nearly half a ton of CO₂ and more than $60 annually on energy costs. This is as simple as setting your computer to automatically go to “sleep” when it is not in use.

2. Order and use a smart power strip. 
The ultimate way to avoid idle electronics from drawing unnecessary standby electricity is to unplug them. However, many of us don’t have time to run around the office everyday and unplug everything that is not in use. This is where a smart strip can help. While there are many designs available for roughly $40-$50, you can purchase a smart strip that prevents your equipment from drawing idle current when it is not in use and even turn off your devices based on a programmable schedule you set.  

Read the rest of this entry »

Cyber criminals have flooded the Internet with “Banking Trojans” that attach to and manipulate online accounts. Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments and transfers seem to be the primary target. These common transactions are used by businesses to deposit compensation checks, collect payments for purchases or even process payments to suppliers. In some cases, wire transfers are used to move larger sums of money for bigger purchases, but even these transactions are now at risk.

Small businesses, governments and school districts are said to be the target. Typically, the organization under fire first receives a “spear phishing” email that contains an infected attachment or website to visit. From there, unsuspecting users are infected with a tiny malware or spyware program that includes a keylogger. Once the program is in place, this program creates a log of all keystrokes recording every activity completed on the computer. Unfortunately, these keylogger programs can be hidden so your antivirus software will not detect it running in the background.

The only incontestable way to ensure your business transactions are safe is to dedicate a computer for your financials and having a proper security solution in place to protect  your company’s network, such as email spam and virus filtering, and unified threat management (UTM) firewall with content filtering to block phishing websites. The intent is to separate email and web browsing from the financial transactions so you always have an uncompromised terminal to work with.

If you are concern and want to know how secure your company computers and network, contact eSudo for a FREE network assessment.

Not interested in “The finest Rolex watch replica!” or “The new Live Lean Smoothie!”?  Don’t worry, we know you don’t go looking for these types of scams!  Spammers are just getting more aggressive with their approach.

Protect your company today with a spam filtering system that really works.  Our e-mail filtering system sifts through your inbox and blocks unsolicited e-mails as well as possible infectious messages.

What to look for in a filtering service.  Be sure to get the features you need.  Even if you are not ready to jump on board with us, we want to share a few major points to review when looking for a filtering solution for your business:

1. Use the Free Trial version first.  Be sure to try the software you intend to buy.  You don’t want to end up with software that hounds senders to validate their address over and over.
2. Support and security are a must!  Test the phone number to be sure you can get a live support technician.  Be sure to check the company’s background too, look for reviews online, and research the technology they use for the software you are purchasing.
3. Compatibility and customization.  Don’t forget to check if the software will work with your current e-mail solution and look for customization options like an editable list of approved or denied addresses.  That way you can avoid missing messages from influential senders and block those who seem to flood your inbox.
4. Be sure you can retrieve a filtered message . . . Just in case a new client or contact gets caught in the filter.

If you want to learn more, contact an IT solution provider, like eSudo Technology Solutions a call today at (408) 404-6960 to explore an e-mail filtering solution for your business.

Did you know that a Wi-Fi connection uses a radio link to connect to the Internet or other computers and the connection is not guaranteed to be secure?

What it boils down to is luck. If you are lucky, the Wi-Fi connection you find in a hotel or airport will be safe. If you are lucky, no hackers will be sitting around waiting for easy prey to pop on the Wi-Fi connection you found. Are you willing to risk the safety of your company and the data on your computer just to check in online while you are on the go?

Don’t compromise the security of your data for FREE Internet!  It is all too easy to find a wireless hotspot these days. Coffee shops and restaurants even post signs in their front windows to advertise FREE Internet connections. Follow these 4 Wi-Fi safety tips and protect yourself against clever thieves.

1. Disable your wireless card’s ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) mode now! If you don’t know what an ad-hoc connection is, you probably don’t use it. Ad-hoc sometimes called computer-to-computer networking, allows two computers to be linked together. This type of connection may be used during a meeting to share documents or an Internet connection. Turning off this feature on your laptop will prevent hackers from connecting directly to your computer to steal data.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many people who use computers — whether it’s for their home or business — are moving toward a “paperless” office. Simply, they are tired and overwhelmed by scraps of paper, clunky old file folders, envelopes — and they want to reduce the clutter. Don’t believe me? Take a look at how many messages are stored in your e-mail’s in-basket. Now imagine how much paper would have been generated if they hadn’t come to you from cyberspace.

Many folks have made at least a partial move to a paperless office. They’re doing so this way: by using scanners instead of copying machines, sending electronic faxes instead of paper faxes, storing information electronically instead of in filing cabinets, giving friends, clients or vendors information on CDs or through Internet attachments instead of in bound folders. In short, they’re getting greater return on their hardware, software and technology investments.

Want to join the anti-paper campaign? Save a few trees along the way? Here are six things to keep in mind as you move toward a paperless home or business office.

1. Without paper, make sure you’re backing up files.

In the traditional backup system, you would make a photocopy of a document and put it in a properly-labeled folder that can later be retrieved from a filing cabinet. Many people and businesses develop electronic filing systems that mimic the old paper systems, using Microsoft Word or customized programs for storing documents by type of document, client, project or other prioritization. But those files can’t just be created — they have to be backed up as well. Backup solutions can include backing up to second hard drives, to removable drives or to Internet and off-site locations to minimize the risk of loss of data from a computer failure. So, the message here is to have a system in place for regular and consistent backing up of your information.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing.  This means, all of the shared resources like software and information your company uses every day, would be provided to office computers and other devices as it is needed.  By renting usage from a third-party provider, your business can cut costs by eliminating the need for a full physical infrastructure.

Cloud computing terms to remember . . .Cloud computing has two bases, Software as a Service (Saas) and Platform as a Service (PaaS)  Think of SaaS as a software rental car company:  In business, you use software as a vehicle to travel through transactions and communicate with others.  Whether you are creating a contract for a new client, or processing a regular monthly payment, the software you use costs money.  SaaS offers the software you need for a fixed monthly fee.

Meanwhile, PaaS is similar to a package deal you purchase from your travel agent that includes all of your travel arrangements.  Instead of just renting the vehicle (software), you rent the hotel room (desktop computer) and your agent throws in coffee and breakfast at a buffet, too (a support contract).

Blah, blah . . . cloud computing . . . blah blah . . . platform, what?  If the last few paragraphs didn’t make much sense, this might help:  Cloud computing can be described as a public utility.  Your business pays for the specific Read the rest of this entry »