The Connection, Inc Blog

Humankind has always adapted and improved technology to make life easier, starting all the way back at fire and the wheel. Nowadays, our approach to making life easier through technology is centered around productivity and security - if we can accomplish more than before in the same amount of time, without worrying that it will be stolen, we’re happy.

This, in addition to the growing assortment of threats there are to business networks, is why network security is projected to continue its growth and development in the near future. Here, we’ve compiled a few predictions for how this growth and development will take shape.

Prediction 1: Penetration testing will happen more often than ever, thanks to A.I. and automation.
Penetration testing is an invaluable process, as it allows you to identify weak points in your network security that your staff may have missed. By hiring an external third party, you make it much more likely that errors and oversights made by your internal staff are noticed. The trade-offs: not only is it a time-intensive process, it can be expensive enough that it can only be justifiably run once a year, if that.

However, this may no longer be the case for much longer. The integration of new technologies like artificial intelligence and automation have made it so that both of these trade-offs have less and less effect on the frequency of penetration testing. This is a good thing, because the rate at which new technology is being integrated into the office is rising, so penetration testing would need to be run more often to ensure network security.

Prediction 2: Unified policies will appear that bridge between public and private clouds.
Cloud technology has been advancing, with both private cloud solutions and public cloud solutions proving useful for so many applications. This has led to a widespread move to leverage both to accomplish different aspects of a business’ goals and strategies in adopting what is called a hybrid cloud solution. However, one shortcoming that hybrid clouds have always presented is that there wasn’t any real means of consolidating their security policies to simplify their management as a part of a larger system.

Once again, this may soon change. It is anticipated that multi-cloud management platforms will be able to synchronize private clouds and those provided to the public through a single control panel, greatly simplifying the cloud management process.

Prediction 3: Endpoint security will be more on point.
It should come as no surprise that the greatest internal threat to your security is your own team and their devices. Using social engineering and leveraging the notoriously unreliable security of consumer devices, cybercriminals are often able to access your network through the employees who use it. While many companies have taken steps to minimize the efficacy of these methods, there hasn’t really been a single, unified solution, making security measures extra time-consuming to manage.

This last point is most likely to change in the near future, as businesses will want a security solution that is leaner, more efficient, and is only one thing that they have to manage. It is likely that we’ll see these kinds of network security solutions start to take shape and be put to use.

In order to remain secure, you need to adapt to meet the threats that are constantly developing. The Connection, Inc can help. Reach out to us at (732) 291-5938 for more information.

Children are the future, as the saying goes, so do we really want the future to be taught using tools from the past? While some schools are still using technology that better belongs in the 20th century, others are embracing innovation and teaching in ways that better translate to the “real world.” Let’s take a look at how our evolving technology is transforming the classroom and explore some ways to get it to more students.

At every turn, it seems as though there’s another best practice or upcoming trend to learn and implement in the realm of business technology. Are you doing all you can to keep your company up to date, relevant, and competitive? Below, we review some of 2018’s biggest IT revolutions so far.

Nowadays, most of us use smartphones; and, yes, probably most of us use them more than is healthy. There are those, however, that have come to depend on their mobile device so much that it completely dominates their lives. As people become even more attached to their phone, the impact this behavior has on their lives becomes more and more detrimental. 

If your business is one that depends on transportation, you know that coordination is extremely important. With consumers’ reliance on a company’s distribution arm, today’s companies are turning old practices on their heads and utilizing a more technology-driven approach to effectively manage their company’s transportation initiatives. This technology is innovating quickly and could mean a major transformation for businesses before too long. Today, we’ll go through three innovations that are working to change how transportation-dependent companies do things.

We hope we aren’t dating ourselves too much by mentioning computer punch cards, but they were once the means of inputting data into a computing device… at least, until the now-ubiquitous mouse and keyboard came into the scene. This variety of interfacing with our devices now seems to be one of the few ways to practically use them. However, other interfaces have emerged - do any of them stand a chance of unseating the keyboard and mouse?

Without a doubt, the Internet is one of humanity's most impressive inventions. 50 years ago, the predecessor to the Internet that most of the world depends on, called ARPANET, was launched. Today, we will talk about how that innovation turned into the Internet, and reorganized the way people interacted with computing systems. 

Development of ARPANET

In the mid-1960s the United States was firmly in the throes of the Cold War. The U.S. Department of Defense was attempting to find a way to communicate clandestinely. For this purpose they created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). A scientist named Joseph Lickliter convinced the DoD to fund a network of connected computers through the country so that engineers and intellectuals from several colleges could collaborate on projects together, effectively making progress a priority. This network was finished in 1969 and was called ARPANET. It is the precursor of the modern-day Internet.

Over the next couple of decades there were major innovations to this network, many of which are the basis for much of the shared computing we have today. One of those innovations is called packet-switching. Packet-switching allows the computer you are using to connect to several other computers at once by sending individual packets of information through the wires. This provides users the ability to quickly get information that would be impossible through circuit switching, the technology that was used prior to the development of ARPANET.

As the network got bigger, the ARPANET engineers had to scrap the system because with packet-switching, each user would have to keep an updated address list in order to properly send and receive messages. This was not feasible with the technology at the time so they decided that Stanford University (who was a founding member of ARPANET) would be the safekeeper for all of the updated addresses on ARPANET in 1973.

By 1977, ARPANET had over 100 computers connected to it; and, with the age of personal computing right around the corner, major changes were on the horizon. Other computing networks started to pop up, but with no continuity between them, communications became a headache for users. This was remedied early in the 1980s with the standardization of sending packets through the TCP/IP protocol.  TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is where the modern term Internet first comes up. We still use this protocol today, making the Internet possible. 

ARPANET, realizing that by connecting networks together using TCP/IP they would soon have a problem with too many users to manage. This problem was solved with the establishment of the Domain Name System (DNS). They split the system into domains. The top-level domains (.com, .edu, etc.) established what type of organization you were sending the packet to. Within these domains a second-level domain, provided the organization’s host (such as gmail.com, ucla.edu, etc.) so computers would tell where to specifically send messages. The establishment of the DNS Server would change computing more than any other for decades. 

The Modern Day Internet

In the late 1980s the U.S. Department of Defense was looking to shut down ARPANET as they believed they it had served its purpose. It was handed off to NSFNET in 1990, shortly after the first Internet Service Provider, The World, opened in Boston, Massachusetts, effectively introducing the general public to the Internet. It wasn’t until 1992, when congress passed a law allowing commercial traffic on the Internet when, the boom really started. 

As we all know now, the Internet, which was developed for research and messaging, was soon being used by individuals for those purposes and more. Companies started to look into the applications of selling and advertising products online. Since access was limited at first, the Internet was not looked at as a major commercial hub for companies. This soon changed, however; and, today, every business has some sort of Internet profile. 

Today, the United Nations looks on Internet service as a fundamental human right, which is a long way from four connected computers on a single network in 1969. Would you like to read more stories about the history of technology? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below or call us today at (732) 291-5938 with your recommendations. 

We typically use this blog to share information about the technology that a business should be leveraging - but in this blog, we’ve decided to focus on a different group that is increasingly reliant on technology: students. As these pupils will someday make up the workforce and almost certainly utilize technology on a daily basis, it is important that their education reflects this increase in their curriculums. Here, we’ll consider some of the effects (good and bad) that this has had.

How Has Education Benefited from Technology Use?

Frankly, it would take too long to really get into all of the different ways that technology has given the classroom a boost. From those devices that have replaced (if you’ll pardon the expression) old-school solutions to the near-ubiquitous access that students have to tools that could be used for learning thanks to their mobile devices, technology has taken a leading role in education. Smart displays are replacing chalkboards, and students are more and more frequently supplied with laptops to support their learning.

Teachers have used their access to this technology to enrich their students’ learning experience, connecting with classrooms around the world to allow their students some time to interact with other cultures. These students have been shown to overcome language barriers to share what makes them similar to one another. This is just one way that cooperation and collaboration have helped to generate educational breakthroughs.

More examples of technology’s benefits to the educational process were shared on an episode of the EdSurge on Air Podcast, delivered through anecdotes and classroom stories. Mimi Kasner was one educator who shared a few stories. One was about a young girl who was having a considerably difficult time learning to read and write through the traditional approach. However, when she was introduced to a website that taught the alphabet, she excelled - much to her delight. When Kasner was made a principal of a school, she experienced another inspirational moment. During a fire drill, a few teachers approached her and informed her that the students wanted the time that the fire drill took up back, so they could continue to work on their self-managed projects that the drill interrupted.

The 'overcoming language barriers' example we referenced earlier wasn't hypothetical! According to education technology coordinator Sam Jordan of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Skype was used in the classroom to connect Alaskan students with Sri Lankan students, where the two groups were able to communicate and teach one another about themselves and how they were similar - again, with nothing to remedy the language barrier between them.

By nurturing a thirst for knowledge and an openness to educational experiences, a school can live up to businessman Richard Livingstone’s criteria for educational success:

“If the school sends out children with a desire for knowledge and some idea of how to acquire and use it, it will have done its work.”

Another benefit that technology offers is how interactive lessons can now become through a “gamification” approach. Look at it through the eyes of an energetic 10-year-old… would you rather sit and listen politely as the teacher reads at you from a book (probably published when your parents were still in school), or play a game where you pretend to be an important historical figure and role-play the events your character had a part in? Today’s technology makes these kinds of activities easier to manage - and since technology can be updated, it is much easier to keep up on the latest lessons.

Of course, today’s technology also benefits the person standing at the head of the class. Teachers have found that the advanced solutions available to them can greatly simplify things in the classroom, allowing for more assistance to be given to students. Take Jill Watson, a teacher’s assistant who can answer questions students have about classroom policies, and who just so happens to be an artificial intelligence. Think about how much time could be better spent actually teaching students and assisting them in processing the lessons, if educators weren’t constantly being interrupted by bathroom requests and “Where can I find…?” inquiries. Much like a real teacher’s assistant, Jill Watson would also know to pass along any questions that were beyond her scope to the teacher.

Whether you consider the improvements to the learning process that can be made, or how much more accessible alternative styles of educating can become, it only becomes more clear that technology could quickly become as ubiquitous to the learning process as a blackboard, or a textbook, or a homework assignment have been for decades. That being said, there are some concerns that have come up regarding how technology might also hinder actual learning.

How Technology Can Be an Educational Detriment

Unfortunately, we aren’t talking about a few hypothetical situations. Actual events have also proven that technology could do some damage to the educational process.

Most obvious among the potential issues of bringing technology into the classroom is the clear risk of it serving more as a distraction than an educational supplement. A survey of 500 people affiliated with the University of Waterloo indicated that almost half of this group found technology to be a distraction, 68 percent of teachers surveyed expressing their frustration at the use of cell phones in class. Another study showed a link between lower test scores and the use of technology.

It gets worse than just being a distraction. Naturally, students have come up with some very clever ways of using technology to help them cheat. Smartphones have been deemed responsible for instances of cheating in the United Kingdom going up, as they did by 25 percent in 2017 and 26 percent in 2018. For another example of “CheatTech”, some schools in the UK have suggested banning watches - not even just smartwatches, but all watches - from examination rooms. Why? Simple - it has become too hard to tell the difference between the two.

Across the pond, students in the United States have adopted the use of hidden earbuds to listen to information stored in their phones (which are “safely” stowed away during the test). Students from Thailand and Singapore would use a combination of gadgets to cheat. One would walk into the exam wearing a pair of honest-to-goodness spy glasses, transmitting the exam questions to an accomplice on the outside. This accomplice would look up the answer and message it to the test-taker, whose smartwatch would display the message. In China, students have been caught trying to cheat college entrance exams by using false fingerprints. Someone could be hired to take the test on their behalf, “their” identity confirmed by their fingerprints.

Examples like these beg the question: could the ingenuity that these cheats require be a better indicator of a student’s intelligence than a written exam could ever be?

Whether you’re for or against the use of technology as an educational tool, it seems to be the way that things are done - just as in most industries today. However, we’d still like to know what you think about all this… is technology something that schools and educational systems should embrace, or is it all just a way to make the same lessons more expensive to teach? Does a child using technology to learn today really help prepare them for when they will need to use technology to work?

We have a comments section waiting for your input! Please feel free to start a few discussions.

For most businesses, technology has a major role in what they do. They use it in all manners of ways, but there is no question that it has become a driving force for business. As the calendar flips to a new decade, we thought that it would be good to take a look at what the 2010s brought us, and what to expect in the 2020s. 

2010: A Decade of Innovation

The 2010s saw the expansion and innovation of technologies and devices that came about after the turn of the century, as well as the new technologies that will see improvements themselves moving forward. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest technologies that came to market in the 2010s:

4G

Technically released in 2009 but deployed over the first few years of the past decade, 4G wireless changed what was capable for wireless data transmission. This had a hand in changing several technologies and forced innovations with others. Companies that depended on app deployment and real-time technologies suddenly became much more viable. The 2010s saw the launch of some of the biggest names in mobile computing: Spotify, Uber, Instagram, Snapchat, and many more. None of these companies would have been able to take the world by storm without 4G wireless. 

Apple iPad

It’s hard to believe that it has only been 10 years since the introduction of the iPad.  The first--and for the first couple of years, only--true mass-produced consumer tablet computer, it was quickly emulated by a number of manufacturers. Having a large display, and working on Apple’s iOS, the iPad ushered in the tablet boom. After initial sales of tablet computers were through the roof, the touchscreen technology has settled into a useful device for both individuals and businesses.

IPv6

The sixth version of the networking standard went live in June of 2012, upgrading wireless networking that had been in place for years. The new standard improved networking for a new era of connectivity as well as the rapid growth of the number of devices that soon would need to be connected to the Internet. 

Chromecast

Google released their first Chromecast in 2013 and it changed the way people were able to view all the new streaming content that was being unleashed. The technology is now integrated into a lot of televisions that you find on the market today, but at the time, it was a revolutionary technology. Businesses can use it to share presentations in conference rooms without a massive expense.

The Virtual Assistant

Apple has Siri. Amazon has Alexa. Microsoft has Cortana. Samsung has Bixby. Google has Google Assistant. The virtual assistant not only is an increasingly useful software, it also got many of the biggest players in tech competing against one another to develop the most useful features. This invention has improved machine learning exponentially and continues to push the innovation that has come to define these iconic brands.

USB-C

If you want one technology that is never mentioned as essential but has been a complete game changer it is USB type C connector. It is now the industry standard (except on Apple devices) for data transmission and power and can be found on a majority of devices manufactured after 2015. 

Windows 10

With Microsoft’s mobile division fledgling, and their “metro” Windows 8.1 OS not replacing the aging Windows 7 OS, Microsoft developed Windows 10 to modernize and standardize the Windows experience. Now, firmly in place, it currently runs on over 64 percent of all PCs in the world and is sure to grow as Microsoft retires Windows 7.

2020: The Decade of Things

Many people might consider the 2010s the decade of things, but rest assured, the 2020s will be the first decade where all these Internet-connected devices have the functionality, integrations, and most importantly the security needed to actually be viable tools. This is for the same reason mobile technology took off this decade: improvements to wireless networks.

The truth is that we’ve just scratched the surface of what is possible. The immediate future is going to introduce us to things that seemed like science fiction just 20 or 30 years ago. Let’s take a look at some of the technologies that we will see developed over the next 10 years:

5G

The new wireless standard, 5G, will be rolling out over the next few years and it's going to signal a major shift in the way that people use technology. Today, the data demands on networks are massive and rising fast. With 5G there is a legitimate hope that it will bring ubiquitous wireless connectivity that is no longer broadcast from macrocell sites that cover neighborhoods, but smaller more mobile broadcast sites that bring high speed, synchronized connectivity to each user. With the limited amount of 5G users already seeing gigabit speeds, 5G is sure to revolutionize the way we use technology. 

Artificial Intelligence

While you shouldn’t expect sentient androids, the deployment of artificial intelligence will increase substantially over the next decade. Neural networks that are already being used to recognize patterns in data to automate simple processes will benefit exponentially from the huge amount of data they will be exposed to. This will allow them to solve more complex problems and be used in more dynamic applications.

The Internet of Things

As was stated above, the 2020s will be the decade of things. All those things that now connect to the Internet will finally have the wireless capabilities to be a massive benefit to society. You will begin to see smart cities developed that use AI to run essential services efficiently and cut down waste. You will see driverless cars make the roadways safer and give more people better opportunities. The things will improve crucial systems in healthcare, infrastructure, and finance. 

Mixed Reality

The future will be filled with immersive experiences fueled by mixed reality. Eventually, MR is viewed as an eventual replacement to the mobile platforms we all have come to depend on. MR will reduce data strains by providing interactive and real-time overlays for all types of applications. Entertainment, social interaction, and education could be completely revolutionized as this technology is developed. 

The technology that fuels the world is sure to change in the next decade as it did in the previous one. What technology would you like to see developed in the immediate future? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Augmented reality has been one of the most cited emerging technologies for the past few years. It was the technology that was supposed to fuel Google Glass, the failed attempt at creating a pair of revolutionary smart glasses. Since then, there hasn’t been much press about AR in the mainstream media and not much is known about major tech companies’ attempts to improve AR technology. 

As much as we hate to admit it, the first thing that many people still think of when they hear the term “tech support” is the experience that comes with an antiquated approach to technology services: the break/fix method. Fortunately for us, we are seeing many businesses make the better decision, and turn to the clearly superior option, managed IT.

Therefore, as a managed service provider, we know that all we have to do is wait.

The Inherent Issues with Break/Fix Services

When business computing really took off in the 1970s, break/fix IT made sense. Businesses were able to deploy standalone microcomputers or distributed mid-range server systems that operated through remote terminals. Then, in the ‘80s, the personal computer combined the benefits of the two, and really highlighted the benefits that computers could offer a business. When Windows 3.1 was introduced to business users in the 1990s, the computer’s place in business was cemented in forever.

For all this time, computers would have their issues… but it just didn’t make sense to call in for repairs or put an internal IT team on it. If it could still operate somewhat, that was good enough. Should the computer break down completely, IT was brought in to fix it.

So, Were Break-Fix Services Once Okay?

Yes and no. Of course, this situation has always presented all the issues that have led many businesses away from the break/fix strategy today. For instance:

• IT costs could quickly stack up (and up, and up, and up) for a few reasons.
  • Recurring issues mean return visits, which mean additional costs.
  • Recurring issues can occasionally motivate insufficient repairs, to ensure repeat business.
  • Longer visits mean more billable time, and more money spent by companies.
• Final IT costs are only clear on the final invoice, preventing accurate IT budgeting.
• It discourages providers from upgrading technology or considering future needs. 

So, break-fix services were unpredictably expensive, and generally prevented any innovation or future planning for the client’s benefit, so issues had the tendency to repeatedly return. However, it wasn’t as though there was another option to compare it to at the time, either.

That option came around in the mid ‘90s, when the amount of technology in the office and its overall complexity increased greatly, with the introduction of fax machines, printers, and other hardware. Computers took much longer to repair when broken. The Internet exploded in popularity, adding an additional element of complexity.

A New Paradigm Emerges: Managed IT

This all meant that break/fix services soon became too inefficient to support businesses properly. Computers were no longer a convenience, but a legitimate necessity in the office, not to mention the other tools and devices that became key components to their processes. Downtime had evolved into something potentially devastating for operations, and expenses ran rampant.

As the new millennium came along, the modern managed service model was brought to the fore. This was thanks to an assortment of developments in information technology, including improved Internet, cloud technology, and automation. Using these tools, some IT providers saw a new opportunity and shifted how their services were delivered.

Gone were the days of waiting for operations to be in jeopardy before doing something about it. 

Now, IT providers have the capability to remotely access and monitor a client’s network from afar, allowing them to more efficiently identify potential issues and mitigate them at effectively all hours—often, before a client ever encounters an issue. The biggest change, however, was how this approach was able to impact the way that managed service providers were able to charge for their services.

Rather than charging at an hourly rate, the nature of the service allowed it to be billed at a very inclusive monthly rate. This simplified matters for the client, as a set-rate service is far easier to budget for. As an added benefit, this also motivated those providers who made the switch from the flawed break/fix approach to deliver a better service to those who signed on to their services.

Service Options Today

With managed services having been around and innovated upon for about two decades, there are even more opportunities for businesses to improve their processes and achieve greater goals. Break/fix is still around, too, but more and more businesses are seeing the comparative benefits of the managed service model and making the decision to switch. Managed services are a source of confidence. You no longer need to be concerned that your technology will bring issues into your business, because someone is there to take care of it for you.

Every so often, a new method is introduced that changes a foundational paradigm. Despite the relatively short time frame that business IT has been around for, managed services did just that… and therefore, break/fix services will eventually be—for all intents and purposes—phased out.

If you want to keep up with all the methods that will improve your business’ operations, reach out to The Connection, Inc at (732) 291-5938 today!

Technology innovation in the workplace is something that is constantly shifting and changing, depending on what’s hot at any specific time. These days, it might seem like office technology innovation is stagnating, but we assure you that it’s still constantly improving. We’ll walk you through some of our favorites to improve data accessibility and workplace productivity as a whole.

When it comes to innovation, you’d be surprised at what you might be capable of with the right solution. Collaboration in particular opens the floodgates to productivity, and with the right kind of collaborative and innovative technology, you’ll be able to unlock a whole new level of progress for your business. We’ll discuss some of the most important aspects of innovative collaboration and how your business can start taking advantage of it.

If your business uses technology to be more productive and efficient, you know that as soon as you buy a piece of new technology, there is another one right behind it that has more power, or better features. This is true for consumers as well. This constant innovation is what has made technology a viable option for many small businesses. After all, if computers hadn’t been innovated on constantly, they’d still be the size of a room (or wouldn’t exist at all).

For those who don’t know, the term information technology is an encompassment of the technology used in the facilitation of rendering, sharing, and storing data. Any piece of technology that is used to process, keep, send, and secure digital information, is considered IT. Today, we will look at some of the emerging technologies presenting solutions for businesses and individuals, alike, heading into 2019.

Information technology has always been a hotbed for future predictions. Whether it was Marconi’s grand plans for wireless communications or the bold prediction that every person would be carrying around a computer that fits in the palm of their hand, the future always looks bright when new technologies are considered. But, what does the immediate future of information technology hold?

You might see 3G and 4G on your mobile devices and wonder what it all means. If so, we have an answer for you, and just in time for a brand-new iteration: 5G. With this new technology on its way, it’s time to take a look at what exactly 5G should be capable of, and how it can differentiate itself from its predecessors.

New technology paves the way for businesses to leverage their resources in exciting ways. Of course, it’s impossible to take advantage of these benefits if you don’t even know these new technologies exist. Therefore, to help you achieve an edge over your competition, consider how these four new technologies can enhance your business model.

Smart Virtual Personal Assistants (SVPAs)
Think of SVPAs as virtual executive assistants. These "predictive intelligence" apps use voice recognition to sort through personal data from email messages, address books, calendars, and task lists in order to anticipate the next logical step and drastically boost daily efficiency. Apple, Google, and Yahoo all recently acquired SVPA apps to integrate into predictive products, from mobile apps to smart speakers, helping users get tasks done even before they would remember to do it otherwise.

Security and Privacy Solutions
A perennial on Webbmedia's list, privacy concerns remain top-of-mind for wired Americans. According to a Pew Internet and Society poll, 91 percent agree that consumers have lost control of their personal data. Adobe, Dropbox, and Snapchat have experienced major password breaches, and Target and Home Depot had credit card data from millions of customers stolen by hackers. To address these system breaches and reduce the widespread public mistrust, companies are looking to spend more resources on password security and encryption management. To assist with this, Twitter released Digits, a two-way authentication service that sends one-time confirmation codes via texts, which will be offered to mobile apps.

Internet of Things
Thanks to the Internet of Things, the world we live in is now surrounded by an unprecedented number of devices with the ability to communicate directly with one another, similar to how the Nike FuelBand connects to the coffee maker. These devices will become a vital part of our day-to-day home, work, travel, and shopping experience. The implications on how IoT devices can enhance the productivity and connectivity of businesses as only limited by imagination and the ways that these vast networks can be secured.

Collaborative Software
Looking to make the workday more efficient, a new slew of services combine the best of email, instant messaging, social media, and cloud storage into one platform for collaborating with co-workers. Salesforce's Chatter and Microsoft's Yammer are currently two top players in this space, and with the launch of apps like Facebook for Work, the race to further socialize the office is far from over.

If you can see ways that any of these four technologies can enhance the operations of your business, then The Connection, Inc can walk you through what it takes to implement these solutions. Or, there may be additional new technologies available that you don’t yet know about, simply because you’ve not been introduced to them. To get your business caught up with the latest and greatest technologies, have a conversation with The Connection, Inc today by calling us at (732) 291-5938.

Technology can be a constant pain point for businesses of all kinds. Due to the ever-evolving nature of technology solutions, it’s tempting to cave in and purchase the latest and greatest innovations in the industry. Yet, does your business have the time to do so, let alone the budget? Progress can be stymied by a lack of funds and personnel, but it doesn’t have to be.

More often than not, businesses are stuck in two situations. Depending on the state of your IT environment, you either have plenty of time to implement new and innovative solutions, or you have, quite literally, no time to even consider new technology. Both situations come with side-effects that could negatively affect your organization’s operations. For example, you might have time to implement new technology, but are you ignoring the day-to-day maintenance of your internal systems?

The latter can also be a major problem. If you’re spending all of your time responding to emergencies, when can you implement new technologies that can potentially improve the functionality of your business? When you can’t even handle the solutions you already have, what’s the point in implementing new technologies? Unless you can find a way to strike a balance between the two, any efforts will be both fruitless and wasteful.

One of the best ways that your business can innovate without sacrificing functionality is by taking advantage of outsourced IT solutions from The Connection, Inc. Whether you’re in desperate need of a new workstation or server, or need to implement a solution on a large scale, like cloud computing or virtualization, our trusted technicians can help. If your team can’t keep up with maintenance, we can take over this responsibility while they innovate and create new solutions for your organization.

Better yet, you can rest assured knowing that you’re getting top-of-the-line technology assistance for your organization’s systems. More often than not, businesses have to cut corners in order to make ends meet with their technology maintenance, which could include allowing end-users to service their own workstations. This is a hazardous practice, as having inexperienced users performing in-depth maintenance could be both time-consuming and risky.

You can save time and money by allowing an outsourced team of technology professionals to work with your critical systems. Not only will you see a return on your investment in the form of better-functioning technology, but you’ll also be able to rest easy, knowing that your systems are being maintained by qualified professionals who want to see you succeed.

If your business would rather implement its own solutions, that’s fine too. We can sit on the sidelines and handle maintenance for you so that you don’t fall behind. Regardless of what the internal status of your IT is, we are sure to have a service that’s a perfect fit for your business.