Black Friday Deals – Wal-Mart

by Felicien | Nov 20, 2017 | Education

How Technology Helps Businesses Do Their Part for the Environment  

by Felicien | Nov 20, 2017 | Education

Thanksgiving is almost here and like every year, the holiday serves as the perfect time to reflect on the people and the things we’re grateful to have in our life. Though we often take it for granted, something that everyone can be thankful for is the planet itself, and all the resources it provides. With a new season upon us, it’s the perfect time to remember just how grateful we should be for the environment.

However, in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace, the impact of modern business on the environment takes its toll. More and more, business owners are looking for ways to decrease their carbon footprint and take better care of the planet. Luckily, many business owners look to technology to help them ‘go green’ and reduce environmental impact. And as it turns out, going green does not have to negatively impact business budgets.
The Planet Will Thank You: How Businesses are Using Technology to Go Green
Taking care of the environment is critical, but many business owners understandably worry about the costs associated with reducing their carbon footprint. However, tech innovation is making it easier than ever for professionals to make decisions that are smart for business and the environment. Modern technology means that profitability and environmental sustainability need not be mutually exclusive.
Whether a business is looking to go paperless, cut power usage or reduce business travel, technology offers an increasingly wide range of solutions that can help business owners play their part when it comes to environmental sustainability –  while also staying within or below budget. Budget-friendly and environmentally-friendly? What’s not to be thankful for?
Let’s look at the top 3 strategies for going green with business technology:
Environmentally Friendly Tech Strategy #1 – Go Paperless
This one is straightforward. The less you need paper in your office, the fewer trees will be cut down to supply it. More trees in the forest mean more oxygen for the planet and so on. Most businesses have already made the switch to digital, but if you’ve been putting it off, the time is now.
Switching from hardcopy documentation systems to digital or cloud-based platforms isn’t just about saving the trees either. Making the switch poses huge business benefits as well. Sick of that chaotic desk full of paperwork? Wondering where you put that important invoice? Shocked at how much you’re paying for ink? In addition to helping the environment, going paperless saves time, sanity and capital.
Environmentally Friendly Tech Strategy #2 – Cut Power Usage
Safe to say most business owners would agree that a reduced hydro bill would be nothing to complain about. Technology is great for business, but many business owners realize that the more devices used onsite, the higher the electricity bill.
However, as technology continues to evolve, devices are being designed with power-usage in mind. Proper recycling of old servers, computers, and printers to make way for new, power-friendly replacements may seem like a big investment, but in the long run, the planet – and your wallet – will thank you.
Environmentally Friendly Tech Strategy #3 – Reduce Business Travel
One of the greatest things about the modern business world is that businesses can operate across the globe. No matter the industry, a growing number of businesses are expanding into international markets or working with vendors from across the globe.
Worldwide business is great, but getting face-to-face with international clients or service providers can result in a lot of cross-country flights and air pollution. Not to mention the cost of roundtrip business flights, plus accommodations. Luckily, technology has an answer for that too. Expanding communication capabilities like Skype and remote access solutions minimize the need for unnecessary travel and make global collaboration a breeze.
We live in a fast-paced and increasingly tech-based business environment. Technology is transforming everything about modern commerce. It’s a no-brainer that we should be using tech developments to improve our relationship with the environment as well. That’s why, as your counting your blessings this Thanksgiving, be sure to reflect on how lucky we are to be able to breathe the air and think about how your business can reduce its environmental impact.
There is nothing more important than protecting the habitat we all share, and technology can empower business owners to do just that. The best part? Between savings on paper, power and travel, going green is defined by cost-reduction. For business owners looking to stay competitive in a modern business market, staying environmentally friendly is just good business sense.
If your business is looking to reduce your carbon footprint, take a look at your technology infrastructure. Find out areas for improvement and make sure your network is set up to help you and the environment.
If you need a hand implementing some environmentally friendly tech strategies, reach out to a local technology firm for a consultation. Doing your part for the planet doesn’t have to mean a hit to your bottom line.

Black Friday Deals – Best Buy

by Felicien | Nov 17, 2017 | Education

Microsoft Outlook:  Is It HIPAA Compliant?  

by Felicien | Nov 17, 2017 | Education

Discover how to use Microsoft Outlook to ensure HIPAA compliance and avoid costly fines. It’s a complex process, and you need to know the ins and outs.

Is Microsoft Outlook HIPAA compliant?  The straightforward answer is “no.”  Companies do not achieve HIPAA compliance by using it on its own.  Steps must be taken to ensure compliance with HIPPA and HITECH’s Act.  Keep in mind that there isn’t any email platforms or software that can be fully compliant.  It’s more about how the technology is used.  It also depends on which version of Outlook is used.  In general, for an email service to be HIPPA compliant, it must have security features to ensure that the interception of sensitive data cannot take place.  In addition, platform providers must sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with HIPPA-covered organizations.  This agreement covers security, privacy, and breach notification regulations. While Microsoft has already taken action to make its services suitable for healthcare providers by using a BAA, it doesn’t cover all of the company’s services and software.
A Close Look at Outlook and Office 365
The Outlook email platform and Office 365 are two different products.  This email platform should not be used by healthcare entities.  Office 365 is appropriate for healthcare organizations and has the BAA.  However, it must be the right version – Enterprise E or E5.  These versions can be HIPAA compliant because they have the ability to wipe data on mobile devices, have data loss prevention and offer encryption.  At the same time, these versions must incorporate :

Maintained audit logs
Configured properly
Sign on and factor authorization enabled
Data backups
Employee training

It is these features and controls that make it HIPAA compliant.  It’s important to note that signing a BAA doesn’t equal HIPAA compliance.  According to Microsoft, “Your organization is responsible for ensuring that you have an adequate compliance program and internal processes in place and that your particular use of Microsoft services aligns with HIPAA and the HITECH Act.”
What Is HIPAA and the HITECH Act
Both of these acts are US federal laws.  These acts are designed for healthcare organizations and companies, such as hospitals and physician offices.  They focus on the requirements for the safeguarding and disclosure of individual health data.  Plus, they also require signed BAAs, which focus on security and patient privacy.
Healthcare organizations can use the Exchange Online Protection (EOP) to configure Outlook 365.  It’s a cloud-based email filtering service that wards against malware and spam.  There are also additional features to safeguard against messaging-policy violations.  All around, being HIPAA compliant can be achieved with the proper configuration.
Healthcare organizations can create HIPAA DLP policies right in Office 365.  “The default HIPAA rules scan emails and use ‘U.S. Social Security Number (SSN)’ or ‘Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Number’ as triggers.  Additionally, U.S. Passport Number, U.S. Bank Account Number, U.S. Driver’s License Number, U.S. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) can be added to the checklist from available templates.”
Ensuring HIPAA compliance requires proactive strategies and using the right technology.  HIPAA violations and compliance issues are costly.  The cost of not preventing these incidents can tally up to $1,000 for each breach.  As more and more healthcare organizations are electronically transmitting patient records to medical facilities and specialists, it’s important to ensure that all of that information is secure.
HIPAA Compliance and the Cloud:  It’s Complex
Today, more and more healthcare organizations are moving their electronic communications to the cloud to save money.  This transition allows for a cutback in storage expenses and hardware. At the same time, it expands the scope of HIPPA regulations.  Healthcare organizations must also ensure that their vendors are HIPAA compliant.  This makes it more difficult than ever to maintain compliance.  “When a covered entity enlists a cloud service like Microsoft Office 365, Gmail, or Google Apps for Work for email and file sharing, that entity’s digital information must be stored on and shared across that vendor’s servers.”  Clearly, one can see why it’s so difficult to stay compliant.
Vendors must complete preventative tasks and stay HIPAA compliant also, such as:

Establishing procedures for a security breach
Implementing procedures for audit logs, access reports, and security tracking
Assigning unique indicators for identifying employees
Training employees

Tips for Staying HIPAA Compliant
It’s always smart to get a HIPAA compliance scan once a year.  This type of scan is designed to pick up on everything. You also need to get a domain.  It’s centrally managed and included security features.  Add encryption to all of your mobile devices.  It’s just one more strategy to keep your data safe and secure.  Manage passwords and automatic log off.  It’s the easiest way to meet HIPAA standards.  Keep in mind that HIPAA standards also require a business-level email with end-to-end security.  Use a business-grade firewall.  These firewalls are equipped with extra security features to ward off a security attack.  In addition, use an outsourced IT company or have an in-house professional IT staff.  This will help ensure that security updates are well-monitored and consistently implemented.  While becoming and staying HIPAA compliant is a complex process, you can close the security gap with the right steps and strategies. Do it right, and you can avoid those costly and unnecessary fines.  If your healthcare organization needs help with becoming and staying HIPAA compliant, contact a third-party IT management company to learn more about the process.

TAX BREAK ALERT: Exclusive Info for Business Owners

by Felicien | Nov 16, 2017 | Education

Strategic Deductions: How the Section 179 Tax Code Saves Business Dollars

Cutting overhead costs is critical to remaining strategic in a fast-moving, highly competitive business environment. However, no business wants to make cuts to critical business resources. More and more, business owners are looking for the small and strategic ways to reduce cost without having a negative impact on overall operations in the name of pinching pennies.
Luckily, tax breaks for businesses offer the perfect opportunity to cut costs without sacrificing any elements of core business strategy. However, most business owners would agree, these tax breaks are often few and far between. However, Section 179 is a nationwide, annual tax code that every American business owner should be aware of and take advantage of.
Breaking Down the Tax Code: Why was Section 179 Created?
Section 179 is an IRS tax code specifically designed to help business owners cut overhead costs. Specifically, the code allows for increased savings for business owners come tax season. Section 179 allows business owners to deduct the full amount of business equipment purchases within a calendar year.
The IRS Section 179 deduction was enacted to help small businesses take a depreciation deduction for certain assets in one year, rather than depreciating them over a longer period of time (typically over a 5 to 6 years).
Why You Should Care: Understanding the Strategic Benefits of Section 179 for Business Owners
The benefits of Section 179 for SMBs are twofold. First, and most obviously, the tax break allows business owners to save valuable dollars at tax time. This positively affects your bottom line. It allows business owners to make an outright deduction, equal to the full purchase price of a qualifying piece of equipment. This helps businesses reduce taxable income, and ultimately alleviate business tax burdens.
Second, it offers a great incentive for business owners to finance or invest in a wide variety of business equipment and resources. With the ability to deduct the full purchase price, businesses are able to more strategically implement company equipment and resources to address needs.
Defining Business Equipment: What Equipment Qualifies and What Doesn’t under Section 179
Before business owners hop on the Section 179 bandwagon, it’s critical to have a baseline knowledge of what’s deductible and what’s not. The last thing any business owner wants is to make a huge investment only to find out it’s not deductible under Section 179.
Let’s look at what business equipment is deductible and what’s not covered:
QUALIFIES:   

Servers
Networking Equipment / Switches
Phone Systems
Routers & Firewalls
Computers
Laptops
Monitors
Wireless Internet
Copiers
Printers
Scanners
Storage Devices
Battery Backups
Non-customized, off-the-shelf software

DOESN’T QUALIFY:

Real Estate
Permanent Structures / Buildings
International Property
Gifted or inherited equipment
Used equipment

Basically, qualified equipment is any tangible, depreciable, personal property which is acquired for use in the active conduct of a trade or business. However, because business owners acquire equipment in a variety of ways, it’s important to note the specific coverage for different types of equipment purchase.
Here’s the kind of purchases that are covered:

Qualified equipment purchased using cash, debit or credit.
Qualified equipment acquired through $1 buy out leases.

And here’s the kind that isn’t covered:
Fair Market Value (FMV) leases aren’t deductible, generally due to shorter terms and lower monthly payments than a Capital Lease or bank loan. For business owners, FMV lease payments are 100% tax deductible as an operating expense but not a capital expense since the equipment is not seen as a purchase. Also, important to note that equipment rental agreements don’t qualify either as ownership doesn’t rest with the business.
Tax Code Limitations: Understanding Section 179 Parameters for Deduction
In addition to qualification considerations, there are some other Section 179 mandates that business owners should know. Check out some of the key limitations of Section 179 below:

A deduction cap of $500,000
A 50% bonus deduction after $500,000 is reached
Deductions can’t reduce the taxable income below $0.

Also, equipment must be purchased and put into service in the year in which deduction claims are made. Putting equipment into service means it must be set up, working, and in use. Buying equipment and then letting it sit around to gather dust doesn’t count.
Doing the Math: How Section 179 Saves Taxable Income for Business Owners
Here’s how the traditional Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) works:

Say a business with a gross income of $100,000, buys out a $1 phone system valued at $20,000.
The MACRS method of depreciation only allows you to deduct 20% in the first year ($100,000 x 20% = $20,000 in depreciation).
This reduces a company’s taxable income to $80,000.

However, under the Section 179 Depreciation:

Say a business has a gross income of $100,000, and you buy out a $1 phone system valued at $100,000.
The Section 179 Deduction depreciation method allows businesses to depreciate the full amount in one year ($100,000).
This reduces a company’s taxable income to $0.

Not Just About Savings: How Section 179 Can Also Help Businesses Optimize Operations
Imagine a business employs 20 people who are currently working on an old, slow server. If management invests in a new server under Section 179, it translates to huge time savings for all employees, boosting productivity and morale. In fact, a new server can save an average of 15 minutes of business time per employee, per day. That translates to 1300 saved business hours every year.
Now, let’s imagine that impact across different industries:

If a physician saves 15 minutes per day they can see 130 more patients per year at 30 minutes per visit.
If an attorney saves 15 minutes per day, they can do an additional annual billing at $300 per hour which equals $20,000.
If a real estate broker or sales agent saves 15 minutes per day, they can make more appointments, more calls, and more commission.

That amounts to big changes. Depending on the equipment purchases your company has made this year or has planned, there are huge benefits to be taken advantage of in Section 179. Getting to know the code is the first step. Also, it’s important to remember that for 2017 Section 179 deductions, equipment must be purchased and in place by midnight on December 31st, 2017.
That leaves LESS THAN TWO MONTHS to take advantage of equipment deductions in the upcoming tax season. If you have questions about Section 179 or want guidance on choosing and implementing new equipment, reach out to a local technology firm for a consultation. Tech experts can ensure you make the most of your equipment and software investments.