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Many small business owners believe that they are not as vulnerable to cyber security breeches as large corporations. However many cyber criminals pray on small to medium companies because of their out of date security systems.

Many times budgets don’t allow for extra IT personnel to keep your security measures to where they ought to be.  Here is an article outlining some great techniques to keep your data in a more safe environment.

If you lack the time or resources to implement these necessary strategies, consider a hosted desktop and let the professionals keep up with the necessary upgrades, updates and maintenance to keep your Data in the right hands.

For more information on Virtual Desktop Hosting email support@cloudtopoffice.com or call  866-710-4228.

Our Platform – We use the Citrix platform which has advantages over Remote Desktop in terms of Security, Local Printing, Local Drives, and low bandwidth performance.

No Outsourcing – We have total control of the servers and don’t farm out our work.

US Based – All support is English as a first language and our servers are in Dallas.

Personal Touch – We use and are familiar with the programs we host. We will know your name, which means you will get help quickly and easily.

Authorized Intuit Host – Legally-authorized application hosting services to QuickBooks end-users is provided.

Don’t leave your old electronics collecting dust in the closet.  There are tons of materials inside that can be recycled to conserve resources and keep materials out of trash heaps.  The EPA states that, “For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered.”

Please help do your part, here are a few tips to get you on track:

Check out the EPA’s Chart to search where to recycle by product type.

Best Buy is a good place to get started, they accept a wide variety of electronics and make it simple for you to drop off.

If you want to Get Something Back…

Amazon offers gift cards for recycling material through them.
Sprint offers a program to buy phones, even from other carriers.
Goodwill is a great place to drop off most electronic devices through their Dell Reconnect Program.  After just filing your taxes, you might want to donate somewhere that you can get a receipt for tax deductions.

Remeber that Reusing is even more efficient than recycling, make sure there isn’t someone out there that desperately wants your electronic device.  Of course remember to take out any batteries and remove all of your personal information before you depart with your once loved item.

Provide Effective Training – Hire someone to properly train your staff rather than making them learn as they go.  Make sure that the new users learn the basics, so they can start implementing necessary steps immediately. They will learn to use the bells and whistles as they gain experience. Look into training sessions over a period of time so that it works alongside their learning curve. If you push too much on them too soon, they will get overwhelmed and are less likely to adopt the new system.

Simplify Required Fields – Keep the necessary fields to be filled out as simple as possible. Your sales team is busy and they need to be able to get their information down as quickly as possible without getting frustrated. You should have no more than five main fields that need to be completed.

Supply Knowledge Base – Make sure that you have access to simple how-to questions, so that customers don’t feel a need to call someone and wait to get support. The less frustrating the transition is, the more assured that they will use the new CRM properly.

High Level Execs Included – Everyone needs to use the new system. Employees need to know that the adjustment to a new procedure is shared by everyone in the company. If they receive a message from their boss, they are more likely to perk up with interest so they can get on board with everyone else.

Gamification – One of the best ways to keep everyone’s attention focused on the new process is to make it rewarding by applying gamification. You can be as elaborate as you want, but most people enjoy a little competition and it engages their mind, so that they aren’t just following a mundane procedure.

Central Information Hub – The CRM should be the central place for information, so they don’t have to go to multiple places to find pertinent information.

Mobile Device Access – Users should be able to use their system on mobile devices with cloud access so that the process is as seamless as possible. If you need to go somewhere for an emergency, or just a break, you can bring your work with you.

Integrate Programs – Your CRM should work across other applications like MS Outlook so that it integrates with other programs that they are already using and they can see the benefit of the new process.

For more information about Act!, Act! Training, and Virtual Desktop Hosting email support@cloudtopoffice.com or call 866-710-4228.