What to Look for in a Managed Services Provider

It’s important to work with technology partners who can manage your services efficiently and effectively. You must find a provider that is trustworthy, reliable, and able to meet your company’s specific needs. When looking for a managed services provider to partner with, here are a few important considerations for your search.

Reputation — Talk to companies similar to yours and read reviews for potential partners. Ask to speak with a current customer for a reference.
Goal Orientation — Look for a provider focused on impact, not the status quo. You want a partner that’s actively looking to improve performance, boost productivity, and lower costs.
Analysis — Your provider should be data-hungry, offering dashboards, reports, and analysis of cost and performance.
Workflow Expertise — Look for experience and expertise in managing and optimizing systems. You want a partner who can bring something extra to the table.
Growth Potential — This isn’t a one-time encounter, it’s a long-term relationship. Will your partner be able to help you grow, change, and adapt in the future?
Security — Your partner should be well-versed in encryption, access controls, role-based permissions, and monitoring.
Vendor Neutrality — Your partner should support and service any and all brands you work with. A vendor-neutral partner will look for the best solutions for your business, not just the ones they sell.
Integration — Make sure your partner supports any third-party apps, services, or tools you utilize.
Clear SLA — You should have a good understanding of your service terms and responsibilities (including performance, response time, and uptime). Make sure there’s an exit clause should things not work out.
Cost Clarity — Service partnerships are typically custom solutions designed to meet your specific needs, so your capacity, quality, services, and workload will all impact the bottom line. Understand your costs and how they change as your needs change.

When searching for a new partner in managed services, carefully consider your options and the capabilities of potential partners. You’re building a long-term relationship, so find a partner that has the skills and expertise to meet your needs and help you reach your goals. For document management, information technology, and print services, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

Are Servers Extinct? Making the Case for Dedicated Servers

As computing technology gets faster, smaller, and more affordable, companies are increasingly turning to shared or virtual servers for their business needs. While you can save money by going that route, some companies would do better to take advantage of a dedicated server’s powerful benefits. What makes dedicated servers a strategic choice?

Outstanding Performance
Security — The greatest benefit of dedicated servers is their strong security, with options for specialized security measures and better protection against malware and adware—especially important for companies dealing with sensitive data.
Reliability — Crashes on dedicated servers are less likely to occur than on shared servers, minimizing downtime and maximizing availability.
Exclusivity — A dedicated server eliminates service-slowing bandwidth competition. Companies with high traffic or large, data-heavy files like high-definition video or images will appreciate the boost in performance that comes with dedicated bandwidth.

Dedicated IP Address
No Guilt by Association — Spammy or adult sites that share your IP can damage your ranking in search engine rankings. A dedicated IP prevents you from being blacklisted as a result of others’ bad behavior.
ECommerce — The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) dictates that ecommerce sites must have SSL-enabled, dedicated IP.

Complete Control    
Customizability — Configure the CPU, RAM, disk space, and platform however suits you best: manage a database, host a website, or act as a mail server.
Growth & Scalability — For companies looking for long-term stability and growth opportunity, dedicated servers are ideal—growth doesn’t require migration to a new server.

Other Considerations
Technical considerations — Some IT knowledge is necessary to run a dedicated server, which managed hosting services can handle for you.
Cost — A dedicated server is a bigger investment than a shared server, so your company’s needs and growth plans are important as you weigh the options.

Dedicated servers can be the best choice for companies that need top notch performance along with excellent security, have ecommerce options, or need a customized system that can grow with them. If a dedicated server sounds like a good fit for your business, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

Streamline the Workflows of Your Production Printing

Modern production printing is no longer relegated to specialized print shops; in fact, many companies are finding it efficient and economical to bring production printing in house. With fast, high-quality, often high-volume capabilities, production printing can transform how you use print materials for your business. But did you also know that you have options that can streamline production printing workflows and make your team even more efficient?

Some of your options are literally right in front of you, such as the finishing options available on today’s printers. For example, a printer can not only fill in templates and print personalized materials, but also fold, stuff, and label mailings. When your equipment manages this work automatically, the amount of time needed for each step (and time between steps) is dramatically reduced. Building finishing options like this into your workflow also provides a high level of quality control that minimizes mistakes and errors. With automated decision making and improved interconnection, your staff can have fewer touchpoints for any given print process.

Infomax offers solutions from both EFI and ConnectPlus that streamline production printing workflows. ConnectPlus, for example, is a comprehensive package that keeps your office systems up-to-date and working together as seamlessly and efficiently as possible. Desktop computers, networks, and imaging systems are all optimized with ConnectPlus’ hands-off installation. EFI, meanwhile, offers the Fiery Workflow Suite, a solution that coordinates printing and production systems. From job submission to prepress, processing to color management and variable data printing, EFI streamlines workflows and speeds the timeline between job creation and complete, printed materials.

Production printing can be a powerful business tool, made even more powerful when systems are designed for maximum efficiency. By leveraging computing and equipment power to create high-quality materials, minimize mistakes, and provide quick turnaround times, workflow tools keep your company nimble and responsive. Contact Infomax Office Systems to put workflow tools like EFI and ConnectPlus to work for you.