Innovative Uses of Color Printing

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With all of the competition vying for the attention of your clients and prospects, it’s imperative for businesses to stand out and be noticed. And among the glut of competitors companies face in the majority of industries today, capturing your target audience’s attention can prove to be quite a challenge. One of the tools at your disposal that often flies beneath the radar is color printing, the impact of which is vastly understated.

Utilizing color in your marketing strategy is a great way to capture attention, improve retention, and invoke a response. According to a study by The University of Loyola, Maryland, color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent. And a survey by Harris Interactive revealed 54 percent of respondents are more likely to read marketing pieces when they’re printed in color. There is no questioning the value color printing brings to your marketing efforts, and printing in color is more affordable than you think.

Using color printing to gain a competitive advantage.

Use a color to influence mood: Cool colors such as blue, green, silver, and purple tend to have a calming effect on recipients. Warm colors such as red, yellow, orange, and pink tend to stimulate recipients. It’s key to understand your target audience, and use the colors that will produce the response you want to invoke.

Mix color text into the body of your message: Even a small amount of color text in any of your literature or marketing materials will significantly improve impact and response by helping readers easily locate the information you want them to find.

Be consistent with the colors you use for your professional identity: Create guidelines for your brand that establish the colors you will use when communicating with your audience to create your own look and feel, and cultivate recognition.

Color is a powerful tool enabling businesses to stand out among the competition. Utilize it in your company’s communications to capture attention and create a long-lasting impression. Infomax Office Systems has a color printer to meet your Iowa-area business’s needs.

Maximize MPS Success with These Simple Tips

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In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, companies are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. One solution that many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) find instrumental to boosting productivity and lowering their overhead is Managed Print Services (MPS). Through MPS, a company outsources the management of their printing fleet and document output to an external managed services provider. MPS enables businesses to gain control of their printing environments, which provides them with a number of benefits, including reduced hardware and consumable costs, enhanced security, lightened load for their IT staff, and improved workflows, just to name a few.

An MPS engagement is a partnership, and there are things companies can do on their end to help ensure the success of this initiative. In this blog post, we highlight ways to help you maximize your return on your MPS investment.

Take stock of your print environment. Before your MPS provider does their own initial assessment of your print fleet, utilize introspection to take a good look at your current environment. Beyond just lowering costs, which areas of your operation need addressing? Which business processes would you like improved?

Make your objectives clear. When first meeting with your MPS provider, it’s essential that you clearly outline your goals; what do you specifically seek to realize from your partnership. Whether it’s slashing your printing costs, increasing security and compliance, or reducing your IT staff’s burden, be sure to make your goals clear to your MPS provider, supplying them with any benchmarks you may have as well.

Review your progress. Throughout your MPS engagement, monitor your company’s progress toward your stated goals. Is your provider reaching them? If not, make sure you address these shortcomings with them, and ask them to have them implement changes to help ensure they meet your expectations.

A company’s print environment plays a huge, but often unassuming, role in their success, or lack thereof. While an MPS solution can help increase a business’ chance of the former, the odds will be greater when owners and presidents do their part. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn more about why some of Iowa’s most respected companies rely on our Managed Print Services.

Protect Your Office from Cyber Attacks: A 6-Point Action Plan

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With all of the publicity garnered lately by cyber attacks on huge nationwide companies, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) may be developing a false sense of security. In reality, 43 percent of businesses attacked are SMBs, so make sure your company is protected against the threat posed. In this blog post we cover some of the ways you can mitigate the risk of a cyber attack.

● Educate Employees — When it comes to digital security, your employees are both your first line of defense and your biggest vulnerability. Use consistent training and education to develop a culture of caution. Unexpected email attachments, messages requesting login information, and unknown links are all to be avoided.
● Update Software — All of your software should stay up-to-date, because new patches and security adjustments are being constantly being developed. Keep your operating system, programs, and antivirus software current at all times.
● Tighten Security — Most cyber attacks come from inside a company, either due to malicious intent or vulnerability caused by human error. Limit access to sensitive data and make use of audit trails for your files. Require that all passwords contain at least one of each of the following: an upper case letter, a lower case letter, a number, and a special character.
● Evaluate BYOD Policies — Employee devices are the norm today, so make sure your policy addresses security issues that they present. Powerful tools include remote wiping, cloud-based business software, and anti-malware apps.
● Have a Disaster Recovery Plan — A data breach can ruin your business if you don’t have a robust backup and recovery system in place. Backup data should be current enough to be useful, but make sure you have access to clean data that dates to before a breach and has been stored at a different location.
● Get Insurance — Despite your best efforts, the worst may still happen. Protect yourself and your company from expensive litigation with insurance against cyber attacks. You may be glad you did.

Cyber attacks are a real risk for SMBs, so don’t neglect to protect your digital ecosystem. For help managing your Iowa-based business’s data security, backup, and recovery, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

Simplify the Cloud with Managed Services

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Simplify the Cloud with Managed Services

Transitioning to cloud-based software services can be a smart move for your company, but your “go-live” date is just the beginning. Going forward there will be updates, maintenance, training, integration, troubleshooting, and more. If you prefer to keep your head in the game rather than in the cloud, consider simplifying your life with a move to managed services.

The Cloud is Thriving
Technological change today is happening at a blistering pace, which is one of the reasons the cloud and SaaS are appealing to so many businesses—when software is a service instead of an asset, it can continually evolved by being updated, upgraded, and adjusted. Moreover, using cloud-based services offers a balance of business unit independence and organization-wide compatibility.

Keeping Up Can Be Costly
Cloud software uniquely empowers small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to be proactive rather than reactive, but the costs of thorough monitoring, analytics, maintenance, and staff training can add up. That’s assuming you can find (and pay) an IT staffer who can meet your needs.

Why Managed Services?
Just like printing, payroll, and other services, outsourcing the management of your cloud-based services can be a cost-effective way to stay ahead of the competition. Here’s why:
● Performance — Working with a managed services provider means having access to specialists with expertise in the cloud. Dedicated cloud technology managers can handle all the aspects for you, from end-to-end monitoring, reports, and data analytics to training, customization, and proactive guidance. Your regular IT staff can focus their energies on your core business, developing solutions that add value to your company.
● Cost — Managed services expenditures are predictable and can be lower than when those same services are managed by an in-house staff. You’ll also get more value for your IT dollar, with increased efficiency in the support, maintenance, and growth of your IT infrastructure.

The cloud is opening up new possibilities and efficiencies for SMBs, but those capabilities are wasted if you can’t keep up with them. Contact Infomax Office Systems today to learn more about managed services that can help your company thrive. 

Maintain Business Continuity with Digital Archiving

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Whether it’s an angry hurricane or a destructive fire, disasters can and will happen. Sadly, most businesses that suffer through a disaster will fail within two years. Digital archiving is one effective tool you can use to help protect your organization’s long-term health against the threat of a disaster.

What are digital archives?
Digital archives are electronic versions of your company’s historical assets. Archive content is fixed and not needed for current operations; its main purpose is long-term storage and retrieval. Archives can provide an automated mechanism for regulation-mandated records retention, and typically have extensive metadata attached to allow for search and retrieval of even the oldest records.

How are archives different from backup?
Contents in your digital archives don’t change to reflect your daily operations. Archived data is not in current use and will be kept essentially as-is over the long term. Backup for disaster recovery, however, generally involves up-to-date copies of operational information that can be restored quickly. In fact, you’ll even want to back up your archives to protect yourself in the event something should happen to the original files (a safety net not available with paper-based archives). Remember this rule for backing up: three copies, on two types of media, in one additional location.

Why are archives needed?
Digital archives go beyond operational recovery (disaster response) and organizational recovery (business continuity). Your company doesn’t want to lose regulatory records or long-term, institutional history. Corporate governance, litigation, and regulatory compliance all demand data be archived past three, seven, or even ten or more years. Digital archives also provide security and traceability, with audit trails recording who accessed what, when, and what they did.

What else should I consider?
Since digital archives are for the long term, don’t forget to address issues such as life expectancy (of the software required to read data and the storage technologies themselves), increasing capacity needs over time, and the eventual disposal of the data.

A disaster could strike at any time. If you want your business to be one that bounces back after the worst happens, it’s time to get started with digital archiving. Contact Infomax today to learn more.

Why a Comprehensive Management System Makes Sense

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Today’s office is a connected office. PCs, printers, scanners, and fax machines all communicate over the network. While this connectivity enables remarkable productivity, it also comes with costs, namely the need to manage network system components. Unless your company’s primary business is managing computer systems, consider adopting a comprehensive management system like Infomax’s ConnectPlus.

Hassle-Free Additions
Getting a new computer, printer, or other network device can throw your day into chaos, but a comprehensive management system handles the headaches for you—including system integration and connection to other devices in your network. With our basic installation and implementation package, we’ll manage the assignment of ports, defaults, and connections.

Installation & Training
With ConnectPlus, you’ll get complete assembly and testing of your new equipment, accessories, and related software. Our technicians will handle the fine-tuning of system components, loading drivers and training your staff. We make sure new devices integrate seamlessly into your network and your personnel are trained to run it.

Ongoing Support  
Once you’re up and running, we’re here for problem-solving on your output devices and we offer assistance for every application we provide. You’ll get installation of new device drivers and you can call on us for unlimited help desk phone support. We can add supplementary training in systems, administration, and software on an as-needed basis. We can also manage system reconfiguration, memory installation, and other services—just ask!

Free to Focus
Teaming up with a comprehensive management system gives you and your team something priceless: the freedom to focus. Instead of wrangling new machines, you can concentrate your resources on activities that truly add value to your bottom line. Your IT specialists can be writing custom apps that serve your clients instead of crawling under desks to connect cables.

In today’s hyper-competitive environment, working with a systems management partner can mean the difference between surviving and thriving. Programs like ConnectPlus make it possible for you to focus on your core business, so call Infomax today about getting started with ConnectPlus—and leave the tech to us.

Out of Toner? What to Keep in Mind for Your Next Purchase

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The light is blinking. Your documents aren’t printing. The screen on your machine reads “Replace Toner Cartridge.” Every office has encountered a time where toner inconveniently runs out. If you’re still mulling over Managed Print Services (where we handle toner replenishment for you), make sure you don’t overpay for toner—your highest ongoing print-related cost. Read on for important information to keep in mind when making your next toner purchase.

OEM Cartridges
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. An OEM cartridge is produced by the original company that made the printer and its accessories.
Advantages: Quality is assured, and in many cases, guaranteed.
Disadvantages: OEM cartridges are the most expensive; you’re paying for the brand’s name, experience, quality, and the peace of mind that comes with it.

Compatible Cartridges
Compatible cartridges are produced by a third party, not the original manufacturer.
Advantages: Expect similar quality and yield to OEM cartridges, but at a better price. Third-party cartridges have been tested and approved by the manufacturer.
Disadvantages: Some third parties have lower standards than others, so be sure to go with a reputable producer.

Remanufactured Cartridges
A remanufactured cartridge was originally Compatible or OEM, but has since been refilled or had components reused.
Advantages: Reusing parts makes for far cheaper cartridges and less waste.
Disadvantages: These cartridges may have lower yield and inferior performance compared to their OEM and Compatible cousins. Defective remanufactured cartridges can damage your printer and may invalidate your warranty.

Capacity Considerations
In general, high-capacity cartridges are your best bet. You pay a little more initially, but these cartridges typically produce twice the print volume at a lower per-page cost. This will save you time changing out cartridges and you can feel good about making the eco-friendly choice by using fewer raw materials.

By thinking smart and planning ahead you can be sure to get the best value and the best results from your next toner purchase. Call Infomax today to order your next toner cartridge.

The Link between Document Management and a Green Office

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It’s true that little changes add up, but reusable mugs and water bottles only take you so far. The best way to lessen your environmental impact, particularly when it comes to your company, is to go for a major business component revamp—like transitioning from paper to electronic document management. Read on to learn about the link between document management and a green office.

Paper Loses Purpose
With an electronic document management system, you no longer need to print every piece of information—in most cases, sharing and collaborating is simple and friction-free. You can share, email, review, and even sign digital documents in a centralized system. Document management eliminates the need to print separate copies for every department; you can all work from one central, up-to-date file.

Raw Material Madness
You’d be astounded at the amount of raw material you conserve when you move to digital document management. Less printing means less toner used and fewer cartridges manufactured. When you consider that manufacturing a single toner cartridge requires three liters of oil, it’s clear that curbing your printing habits can have a major impact. Your local landfill will thank you, too.

Storage Strategies
Document management can completely transform how you deal with documents once they’re out of primary circulation. It’s true that compliance regulations necessitate some hardcopy files, but it’s important to examine how much of what you’re printing and storing is actually required. Instead of dozens of cabinets filled with paper files (the vast majority of which will never be accessed again), you can store your documents on a tiny hard drive.

Poisonous Power
Until we’re running on 100 percent clean and renewable energy, more office equipment means faster draining of limited resources and the release of toxic pollutants. When you manage your documents digitally, you can cut back on the machinery required to run an office smoothly. Cut back on wattage by eliminating printers, reducing copiers, and consolidating multiple devices—like printers, scanners, copiers, and faxes—into a single machine. You will use less power to keep your office humming and will need less energy to control your climate.

Document management is a powerful way to improve your company’s green credentials and lessen your impact on the environment. To learn more about the big benefits of document management, contact Infomax today.