imsBlog - IT Consulting, computer network support, managed services for ND, MN, SD.

Do You Know What Your Employees Are Doing Online?

2010-09-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

If You Don’t, You’re At Risk!

The Internet and e-mail have become indispensible tools for business, but many companies are finding employees are using these tools as much or more for personal activities than job-related tasks. In fact, many business owners have recognized that unrestricted use of the Internet by employees has the potential to drain, rather than enhance productivity and, at worst, can even have dire legal consequences.

To reduce the risk and minimize non-productive activities, business owners are utilizing a two pronged approach: (1) Implementing an Internet Acceptable Use Policy (IAUP) and (2) installing a monitoring system to restrict and police employees’ online activities.
An AUP is nothing more than a written agreement that sets out the permissible workplace uses of the Internet and e-mail. In addition to describing permissible uses, an AUP should specifically set out prohibited uses, rules of online behavior, and access privileges with penalties for violations of the policy spelled out, including security violations and vandalism of the system.

Some common rules that should be included with most AUPs are:

· All sensitive or confidential data must be encrypted before sending across the web. For example, many doctors’ offices use instant messaging (IM) to communicate from the front desk to the back office. However, many don’t realize that this is a violation of HIPAA because IM is not a secure way to transmit information about a patient or their health conditions.

· A restriction on sharing confidential information about the company, its clients or the people working there. With social media as popular as it is, you don’t want an employee writing all about the latest company scandal on their MySpace page; it’s just not good for business!

· Prohibition against visiting web sites that contain pornography, racism, sexism, gambling, or e-mail with any such content sent from your business. Remember, even “innocent” jokes with racist content can leave a huge black mark on your company’s reputation.

Absolutely no downloading of music files or other programs that are not approved by management. “Innocent” screen saver programs and jokes often contain nasty viruses that could bring down your entire system or invite a hacker into your network.

Not only does an IAUP reduce wasted hours on the net, it can reduce bandwidth and equipment needs, as well as shield you, the business owner, from possible sexual harassment and other lawsuits arising from your employee’s inappropriate use of the web.

An AUP Is A Good First Step,
But It’s Only Half The Battle Won

Unfortunately, not everyone follows policies, and some accidentally will violate your AUP. To ensure company policies are being followed, businesses are choosing to monitor all Internet activity initiated by their employees using a web content filtering software.

Tools available today, like Cymphonics and Surf Control, make monitoring of employee Internet usage simple and easy. Most companies choose to regularly monitor summary level activity like hours connected to the web, number of sites visited, and illegal or banned sites visited by the company while leaving detailed transaction reviews as necessary on a case-by-case basis.

And if someone complains that this is a violation of their privacy, rest assured that nothing could be further from the truth. It’s not only legal but good business. After all, they are using your company assets and if employees are focused on productive work and minimize personal use of the Internet, you’re likely to never need to address their Internet usage. Just be sure to include a clause about Internet monitoring in your AUP and have your employees sign the agreement.

If you’d like a FREE comprehensive Internet Acceptable Use Policy template or would like to discuss the simple options available to monitor your employee’s Internet usage, contact us today via phone at 701-364-2718 or via email at info@imsnetworking.com. Don’t wait until it’s too late to put the tools in place.

Like a trusty dentist for small businesses Information Management Systems’ team takes the anxiety out of IT consulting, maintenance, upgrades, and support

2010-08-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

Maintaining complex computer networks at small companies is easier with the help of Information Management Systems. The team at Information Management Systems specializes in taking care of small businesses in the Red River Valley.

We understand that small businesses often need the same kind of systems as large businesses without the financial means to hire full-time IT staff. Many small businesses have a “go to” person to keep an eye on their computer networks. Many times this person has other responsibilities in the company. When they have a chance, they will back up their data or change out the tapes. What if that person is out of town for a week; how is the data being backed up? Who is routinely checking their server and computers for viruses and making sure the security patches are up to date? As a result of not having the technical expertise on staff, many companies often let this maintenance lapse. Are you really going to trust that your company is in good hands without a stable and secure network? All of your data could be lost in a matter of minutes. Count on Information Management Systems to ease the anxiety.

Information Management Systems work is compared to the routine maintenance of the dentist.

When a person goes to the dentist, they have yearly maintenance cleanings and checkups. A person will still have their teeth without going to the dentist, but in the long run this will cause cavities, rotten teeth, and gum disorders. If they would have had their simple checkups and cleanings, this could have been prevented. We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Information Management Systems is like a dentist for small businesses, protecting their systems from spyware, spam, and data loss on a daily basis. We fix the little things that prevent the big things from happening. We offer a simple plan to provide routine IT support to small to medium businesses.

When businesses hire Information Management Systems, the company not only gets suggestions on how to improve their system, we will teach them how to properly back up their files, check the backups, and will know how crucial it is to have an off-site copy of the backups.

Information Management Systems tailors their service plans to exactly what the company needs. Each company is different and a one-size fits all plan does not work. Call Information Management Systems today to have a peace of mind knowing your network is running properly and your network is safe and secure. We take care of all your computer network support needs.

How much time do you spend looking for documents?

2010-08-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

US companies spend approximately $20 on labor costs in order to file a document, $120 on the labor required to find a misfiled document and $220 to reproduce a lost document.
Information worker spend between 20-40% of their time searching for documents manually.
For lost documents, companies pay a cost of searching that is 6 times the value of the original document.
Companies that need to redo documents pay 11 times more than the cost of the original document.
The average paper document is copied 19 times.
70% of today’s businesses would fail within three weeks if they suffered a catastrophic loss of paper-based records due to fire or flood.
Paper files are doubling every 3.5 years. -Coopers & Lybrand
Information workers take 18 minutes on average to locate a paper document - Gartner Research

15% to 20% of paper documents are lost.
-ARMA International, Delphi Group
Over its life, a single document can cost an average of $30.
Companies on average spend $25,000 to fill a typical four-drawer file cabinet, $2,000 to maintain it annually. -Delphi Group
The average American office worker is estimated to use a sheet of paper every 12 minutes.-Hawken, Lovins & Lovins. Natural Capitalis

Call IMS today and let us show you significant savings in your document management. A powerful document management system to capture, manage, and share paper, email, and digital documents. Improve the bottom-line with increased efficiency and collaboration, and reduce risk by meeting higher standards of compliance and business continuity.

IMS at Business After Hours April 22, 2010

2010-04-22T13:53:00.001-05:00

Information Management Systems is leading the way with document management systems

Looking for a way to save your company $625,000 per year on searching for documents? Having the information you need at your finger tips is crucial!

Research has shown that, on average, one-half of information workers spend as much as 2 hours a day searching for the information they need. That amounts to $625,000 per year spent on “searching” in a company with 100 employees at an average cost $50,000 each. Reducing the time it takes to search and find information means that a portion of that $625,000 in time will instead be spent doing other more productive things that have a higher return on investment than thumbing through filing cabinets.

IMS is partners with Document Locator, a leading provider of document management solutions. We would like to have the opportunity to help your business save money and also have your employees be more efficient.

IMS will be at the Fargo Moorhead “Business After Hours” event today, Thursday, April 22 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at the Ramada Plaza Suites. Stop by and visit with us, and we can explain how to add more productivity to your business.

ims Testimonial - Tax Law Office

2009-11-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

As an established law office that specializes in tax and succession planning, it is essential that our tax law office can stay connected through an information system that won’t let us down.

From the very beginning, Information Management Systems has established and maintained the network that we use. They have taken care of everything from the base network and file server to the integrated software that we use every day to efficiently complete our work done. By using numerous Microsoft software programs, Amicus Attorney, Quick Books and Time Slips, IMS helps our business organize our database systems, correctly bill our clients and keep our accounts accurate. They maintain and work with all of our systems so we can remain productive.

Not only does IMS keep our filing and document preparation systems working correctly, but they also integrate our communications systems. IMS has even gone so far as to consolidate our voice mail into our e-mail. It is very important that our company can also communicate through our cell phones, and IMS makes sure we can do this by integrating them through our exchange server and land phones.

When we first started our business, we utilized another company’s services. One of the problems we had with this company always having someone different arrive to work with us when we had a problem. Since these ever-changing workers were never familiar with our business and systems, they always ended up wasting our time and energy.

With IMS, however, we don’t have that problem. If we ever have issues, or if our File server goes down, they have someone onsite or working for us remotely almost immediately. One phone call from us is all it takes. IMS is always available within a matter of minutes, and rather than having 14-15 people in our office sitting around and wondering what to do, the problem is solved as quickly as possible. Lost productivity means lost revenue, and through the timely responses we get with IMS, we are getting the quality service that our company needs.

ims Testimonial - Lutheran Sunset Home

2009-11-19T19:39:00.000-06:00

Lutheran Sunset Home is a long-term assisted living and long-term care facility in Grafton, North Dakota. Over the past 10 years we have worked closely with Rick Johnston and the team at IMS Networking to develop systems and support for the unique needs of our healthcare facility.

Our first engagement with IMS was initiated out of a need to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Through Rick’s guidance we were able to select programs and server solutions that would aid in compliance and at the same time better serve our patients.

At Lutheran Sunset Home we utilize several technologies. Our server systems and email utilize Windows server 2003 and 2008, a Terminal server 2008 and Exchange 2007. The IMS team has also implemented technologies to secure our IT infrastructure and facility information from GFI MailEssentials anti-spam and MailSecutity email threat protection to Symantec Backup Exec, Backup Exec System Recovery disk imaging and a SonicWall firewall.

The various software needs of our organization are unique from programs designed to aid in nursing care, nurse call systems, dietary programs and ordering of dietary products online. Rick and the team at IMS have been instrumental in helping us research the latest programs, ensuring that migrations and upgrades are seamless and that the implemented products are ideally fit for our organization’s needs.

Rick has always been the go-to guy for our large server conversions over the years, while running backups during these larger conversions to ensure data security and integrity. Rick’s ability to explain technology and help us conceptualize what we need has aided in our technology improvement decisions that can sometimes consume a great deal of time.

As a team leader, Rick’s primary focus is problem solving and staying ahead of the game. We’ve noticed a high degree of time management skills, which ensure us that we are getting the best value for our dollar.

The IMS team is integral to our technological success and a valued business partner in the care we offer.

ims Testimonial - Centre, Inc.

2009-11-19T19:36:00.000-06:00

Centre, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides rehabilitation services for individuals to achieve social re-integration. We are always balancing a number of organizational operations within four types of transitional living facilities in Fargo and additional agency locations in Grand Forks and Mandan. It is critical that our company remain consistent and cohesive. IMS has always been reliable and dependable, assisting us in every way they can.

Since we started working with IMS they have been available whenever we have required assistance. Our company needs to be online all the time, and since we have many criminal justice clients, we can’t afford down-time. If something happens IMS is here immediately to fix the problem. If they can’t be here right away, their remote access feature allows for immediate response. Our company has many confidential records and IMS does a great job of maintaining the confidentiality we need. They also keep us up-to-date with technology improvements and virus protection. We feel confident that our company will always be protected from any electronic intrusion because of the quality service that IMS supplies.

Centre just built two new facilities. IMS assisted in ensuring proper wiring to allow us to keep all of our new electronic services updated. They assisted in securing our electronic connection with the North Dakota Department of Corrections.

The personal care that we have received from IMS makes them stand out as a company that truly cares about the efficiency in our organization. They helped with vendor referrals when we were searching for an electronic surveillance system for our small placement homes. IMS was excellent at acquiring a number of bids to ensure pricing remained competitive. We are currently exploring the possibility of doing electronic client records and IMS representatives have been working on this project with us.

When our company first started using IT firms, our first provider wasn’t able to meet our needs. IMS has been able to provide everything that we’ve needed. We are confident they are in a position to handle whatever the future holds for our business. Their maintenance and service is phenomenal, and their reasonable prices make it possible for non-profit organizations like ours to remain competitive and thriving.

Let Our Total Care Services Program Remove ALL of Your IT Worries!

2009-11-19T18:41:00.000-06:00

For the past several months we have been talking to many of our clients about our new Total Care Services program. This service is designed to dramatically reduce or eliminate computer problems in your business while maximizing your network’s speed, performance, and stability, without the expense of a full-time IT staff.

Unlike other computer consultants who profit from the failures in your IT environment, our purpose is to PREVENT computer problems from escalating into unexpected downtime, data loss, interruptions in business, and financial loss. In fact, our Total Care Services do not allow us to profit from your technology troubles in any way.

This program is ideal for business owners who:

Need to have their computer network, e-mail, database, and Internet access up and running 24/7/365 without problems.
Value the security of their data, and want to do everything possible to prevent loss, corruption, or theft.
Want to maximize the speed, availability, and performance of their net-work.
Hate dealing with--or thinking about--computer problems and other complexities of operating a computer network.
Don’t have the time or staff to deal with computer network maintenance and want to let their staff go back to what they were hired for.

The Benefits Are Obvious

You'll avoid expensive repairs and recovery costs. Our network monitoring and maintenance will save you money by preventing expensive network disasters from ever happening in the first place. As a matter of fact, we guarantee it.

You'll experience faster performance, fewer glitches, and practically zero downtime. Some parts of your system will degrade in performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash. Our preventative maintenance and network monitoring will detect these problems early and prevent them from escalating into more expensive repairs and downtime.

You'll feel as though you have an in-house IT department--without the costs. As a network maintenance customer, you’ll have access to a knowledgeable support staff that can be reached immediately should you have any kind of problem or question.

You'll receive substantial discounts on IT services that you are already buying. Most IT firms will nickel and dime you over every little thing they do. Under this program, you’ll pay one flat, affordable rate and get all of the technical support you need. No hidden charges, caveats, or disclaimers.

You'll minimize trip fees and receive faster response to your problems. Thanks to our remote monitoring and maintenance software, we will have the ability to remotely access and repair most network problems right from our offices. If we cannot fix it remotely, we will dispatch a technician to your office; usually the same day.

You'll be able to budget for network support just like rent or insurance. Wouldn’t it be nice to avoid unexpected costs for fixing or restoring your network? Now you can.

You'll sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” are being watched. Cyber criminals never sleep! But thanks to our 24/7/365 monitoring and on-going maintenance, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.

You'll safeguard your data. The data on the hard disk is always more important than the hard-ware that houses it. If you rely on your computer systems for daily operations, it’s time to get serious about protecting your critical, irreplaceable electronic information.

You'll stop annoying spam, pop-ups, and spyware from taking over your computer and your network. Not only are these intruders annoying, but they can introduce viruses and jeopardize the security of your network.

You'll gain incredible peace of mind. As a business owner, you already have enough to worry about. We’ll make sure everything pertaining to your network security and reliability is han-dled so you don’t have to worry about it.

Plus, you will be covered under our 100% No-Hassle Guarantee:
We are so confident in our Total Care Services program that we are willing to back it up with a powerful guarantee that no other IT firm or consultant would dare to make:
We guarantee that we will be able to detect, diagnose, and PREVENT any type of network problem from escalating into downtime. If by some odd chance your network goes down, if you get a virus, a hacker invasion, or any other problem that requires clean up and fixing, we will do all of the work necessary to restore your network back to full speed with no additional ser-vice fees to you.

Contact us at info@imsnetworking.com or call (701) 364-2718 to discuss how our Total Care Services program can remove ALL of your IT worries!

How Do You Protect Your Business?

2009-11-19T18:06:00.000-06:00

IMS Total Care Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions

If a disaster occurred in your business, would you be able to recover your data and continue operating your business? If your answer is no or maybe, we can help you. Information Management Systems will meet with you to analyze your needs and tailor a reliable, highly scalable service that meets your budget. With no upfront fees or license purchases, we’ll help you im-plement a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery program quickly and economically.

The benefits of our system are:

Quick standby server using Instant Virtualization Technology
Flexible recovery options including Exchange e-mail boxes and messages
Bare-metal restore—even to other hardware—for a speedy and complete restore
Low-cost, full off-site encrypted data storage
All in a turn-key, fully managed appliance with on-going updates.

Backed Up Data
Your data will be backed up frequently, as little as every 15 minutes. There are multiple versions of your backed up files, so you have multiple points to restore your data. You now have an ability to function after a disastrous event without deploying redundant hardware and software or needing to invest in costly systems. With our solution, you get solid, frequent backups and a well-developed recovery strategy to seamlessly continue with your business.

Quick File Recovery
If a disaster should happen, we make recovering your files and folders a simple process. We overnight your remotely backed-up data to you, so you don’t rent a server or spend hours downloading files to get up and running. Instead, when the back-up equipment arrives, all you need to do is plug in a cable, boot from a CD, and you’re up and running.

Specific Backup and Recovery Model Solutions
We’ll help you select the backup model that is right for your business. Here are three items we will consider:

Number of servers to be backed up
The volume of data to be backed up
The anticipated annual data growth

Peace of Mind
We want you to rest assured that your business has the protection it needs. As a business owner, you have enough to worry abut. We’ll make sure everything pertaining to your network security and reliability is handled, so you don’t have to worry about it.

To receive a free white paper on the IMS Total Care Backup and Disaster Recovery Solutions or for more information, contact Brenda at 701-364-2718.

Information Management Systems Introduces New Service IMS Business Continuity Solution

2009-11-18T16:46:00.002-06:00

Fargo, ND - A new service is being offered for businesses that currently use tape backup systems to backup their data. Information Management Systems is introducing the IMS Business Continuity Solution (BCS) for businesses to safely backup their financial data, client information, and files several times a day and then upload the summary data backup to a secure, offsite data center at the end of the day. Tapes have to be manually rotated and all tape drives will fail at some point. Most companies won’t realize their tape drives have failed until it’s too late.

Here is how the Business Continuity Solution works:

The first backup of your data is transferred to a base unit hard drive and sent offsite.
All of your backups after the initial backup are incremental which means that only changes to your data need to be backed up. This allows for quick and easy snapshots of your data to be backed up several times per day, which only takes minutes and can be done while your staff is working on their computers.
Your data is safe from fire, floods, storms, viruses, hackers, hardware malfunctions, and human error. Your data is protected by not only one offsite facility, but by two offsite facilities for even more peace of mind that your data will be there when you need it.
You can back up ALL of your data and not be limited to the size of your tape drive.
In the event that you need to restore your data, the process is very user friendly. You just copy the files you need from the local backed up environment to your local system. You don’t need help desk support to retrieve the files you need.
If you experience a failed server, you can instantly recover the files. You don’t even need the same type of server you had as your replacement.