by Felicien | May 29, 2019 | Education
Remember when your parents told you that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” Well… they were right – at least when it comes to IT service. If you ask most IT professionals, they’ll tell you the same. Managed IT Services are more cost-effective than using a time-and-materials approach with Break/Fix IT Services. With Break/Fix you’ll ultimately be paying for a “pound of cure” for the problems that you could have prevented with Managed IT Services. In this respect, Managed Services cost much less.
What Do IT Managed Services Cost?
6 Popular Managed Service Pricing Models
When you call IT service companies trying to find out what they charge for Managed Services, you’ll probably discover that pricing isn’t uniform. The answers you receive may vary and can go from confusing to outright frustrating. Quite honestly, there’s no online catalogue to pick and choose from or one-price-fits-all formula. However, there are six popular IT Managed Service Pricing Models that you can use as a guide.
First, let’s talk about the benefits of Managed Services…
The goal of managed services it to lower your IT costs and keep your technology running at peak performance. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) monitor the health of your IT system proactively. This prevents downtime. Plus, they can fix issues remotely and quickly before you even notice there’s an issue.
Because your IT system is monitored proactively, your IT professional is familiar with it. If there’s a problem, they can usually get you back up and running quickly.
You have a Service Level Agreement with your MSP that includes all the services and support needed to keep your technology running reliably and securely.
You can easily budget for IT services because your costs are predictable.
With Remote Monitoring & Management, IT interruptions, downtime and breaches are prevented.
You’ll have 24/7 service and access to a help desk that’s staffed by experienced IT professionals. This means you’ll always have immediate, expert-level support.
With IT solutions that run as they should, your staff will remain productive. Plus, they won’t have to worry about IT problems and can focus on their work.
What Are The Six IT Managed Service Pricing Models?
Monitoring Only
Per Device
Per User
Tiered
All You Can Eat
A La Carte
What Is The Monitoring-Only Model?
The monitoring-only model provides network monitoring and alerting services. Your Managed Service Provider offers this model to companies of all sizes. Midsized or enterprise companies with in-house IT technicians can also use this service and be alerted when something goes amiss. With this model, there are several service levels offered.
What Is The Per-Device Model?
The per-device model is a flat fee for each device that’s supported in your IT environment. For instance, a basic per-device pricing model might designate a flat price: per desktop/per server/per network printer/per managed network.
The pricing is straightforward to quote, and the monthly service fee gets adjusted when you add or delete devices.
What Is The Per-User Model?
The per-user model closely resembles the per-device model. But instead of being billed per device, you’re invoiced per user, per month, which covers support for the hardware used by each user. The support typically covers commonly used equipment:
Office Equipment: PC, laptop, tablet, and connectivity
Home Equipment: home PC, laptop, tablet, and smartphone
Communication Equipment: hotels and kiosks when travelling
What Is The Tiered Model?
The tiered model is designed to provide bundled packages. With each package, “X” amount of services are included. And as a tiered model, there are three or more bundled package levels, with three or more pricing levels. They usually get labelled as “Gold, Silver, and Bronze” or “Basic, Standard, and Premium.” The premise with this model is simple–when you pay more, additional services are available that aren’t offered with a lower-level bundled package.
What Is The All You Can Eat Model?
The all-you-can-eat model gives you flexibility. Budgeting your IT expenses in this manner enables you to gauge what’s taken place over the past year, and then make calculated IT cost forecasts for the coming year. Typically you’ll have access to:
Remote support / On-site support
Lab or Bench time / 24/7 year-round support
Services during specific hours of the day/particular days of the month
The all-you-can-eat model gives you the ability to genuinely budget your IT support costs over a year’s time with no hidden or surprise fees.
What Is The A La Carte Model?
The a la carte model is unique. With this model where you’re getting individual services. Maybe there’s a specific problem that came up and needs addressing. This is when you pay for the services you need. You can also create a customized IT managed services bundled package that’s tailored to your company’s specific needs or requirements. That’s what makes this model different from an all-inclusive, IT Managed Services model or pre-bundled package.
What About Actual Pricing Ranges?
Actual pricing ranges vary from one jurisdiction to another. But to give you a brief overview of what pricing ranges look like, here’s the breakdown. Just remember that these aren’t actual prices, only pricing ranges.
Flat-Based Range: Monthly, quarterly, or annual fee depending on needs
Per-User Range: 166–399 CAD per month
Per Device Range: 6–133 CAD per month
(approximate costs)
NOTE: An important plus is that with Managed IT Services you can predictably budget for your services because they are fixed per month.
What Do Break/Fix IT Services Cost?
You’ll Find That The True Costs Are Very High
Break/Fix services are reactive. Techs only show up when something goes wrong. This means that your technology isn’t monitored for reliability and security. This sets you up for downtime, and just a few days of downtime can cost you in productivity and revenue.
Not only are you paying for hourly service that you can’t control, but you’re also losing money from IT interruptions and downtime. As a result, many companies end up spending the same amount in a few months for break/fix services than they would for an entire year of Managed IT Services.
Break-fix companies make more money when your technology continues to break. And because they charge by the hour, they have no incentive to fix things quickly. A technician comes and charges you by the hour to make repairs. You might think that this is the most affordable way to go, but it’s not.
It can be like putting on a Band-Aid on problems rather than dealing with the cures. We’ve seen Technology Band-Aids when companies use Break/Fix IT Service, and when we do, the typical result is always the same… wasted time and money.
Break Fix IT is when you use an hourly support service without Service Level Agreements that provide guarantees for problem resolution and uptime — And you can end up with Technology Band-Aids that cost you more in the end.
Issues reoccur when they aren’t monitored and prevented. The problem with this type of service is that you can experience the same issue again. And when you do, your Break/Fix company will come back and charge you again. It’s actually in the Break/Fix company’s best interest not to get to the root of the problem and fix it completely because the more often they return, the more money they’ll make.
When IT isn’t monitored, you’re more likely to end up with security issues. While Break/Fix service might solve the immediate issue, they’re bad for your overall security because your system isn’t monitored 24/7 for threats. If you experience a serious data breach, you could end up out of business due to penalties, litigation and lost customers.
What About Pricing For Break/Fix IT Service?
Here in Canada, a Break/Fix Service will charge anywhere from $75 to $100 an hour, plus travel time from their facility to your office. Plus, keep in mind that not all repairs and service can be handled by just one technician.
Depending on what you require, you may need another tech to help or one who is more experienced and specialized in the IT solutions you use. Now you’re looking at closer to $266 an hour for a team and up to $200 an hour for a specialist.
Remember again, these aren’t actual prices, only pricing ranges.
One tech: 75-100 CAD an hour plus travel time
Two techs: 199-266 CAD an hour plus travel time
IT Specialist: 200 CAD an hour plus travel time
(approximate costs)
NOTE: With Break/Fix Service you can’t predict what you’ll have to pay for. Your costs could constantly change according to what needs to be done.
We hope this helps you make your decision about whether Managed or Break/Fix IT Service is best for your business. Remember, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
by Felicien | May 29, 2019 | Education
Excel is a powerful application, but because it can do so much it can be easy to miss certain features that could make your life much simpler. Today’s quick tech blog shows you one of these features. We’ll look at how to copy cell formatting in Microsoft Excel without disturbing the contents of the cells you want to format.
Learn how to copy cell formatting in Excel. Click Here or watch the video below.
Step 1: Format One Cell How You Want It
(Note: If your Excel sheet has already been formatted or if you’re working from a template, you may be able to skip directly to Step 2.)
Before you can use the format painter to copy cell formatting, you need to have at least one cell formatted the way you want. Select a cell and begin formatting. The easiest way to format a cell is to apply a style using the Styles tool. If you don’t see a style that works for you, you can manually adjust the elements in the cell using the buttons in the Font and Alignment tools. Change the font or font size, add color to the cell, or add borders to the cell.
Step 2: Select the Model Cell
Select the cell that looks the way you want others to look. You’ll see a green border around it. Now click the Format Painter button in the Clipboard area (upper left). Your selected cell will now have a rotating box surrounding it. As long as the box is rotating, you know the format painter is using this cell as your model.
Step 3: Click (or Click and Drag) Other Cells
If you want to apply the style to just one cell, click on that cell. It should instantly take on the formatting of the model box. If you want to apply the style to multiple cells in a row, column, or region, then click and drag until you’ve selected all the cells you want to format. When you release your mouse click, all those cells will take on the formatting of the model cell.
Note that using this method won’t affect the contents of the cells or the formulas associated with them. As long as you’re using the format painter, only formatting and styles are affected.
This Method Works Everywhere
Another great thing about using Format Painter to apply formatting and styles is that it works on any content in Excel. It doesn’t matter if you’re using Excel mostly to organize text or if you have pages upon pages of financial data. The Format Painter doesn’t care about any of that. You can use this method to apply number styles to rows or columns of numeric content and general styles to text.
by Felicien | May 29, 2019 | Education
Productivity is huge, but it’s elusive in our digital, always-on, social world. Productivity apps can help you focus better.
We live in a serially distracted world. The internet is everywhere—and this is great, really! It allows many of us to work from anywhere we want. Entire industries have sprung to life thanks to the ubiquity of the internet. Along with the benefits, though, come some serious drawbacks. Information comes easily, perhaps too easily. We’re inundated with social media, device notifications, and targeted advertising.
To be our best, we need focus and productivity. Ironically, many people are solving this technology-induced productivity crisis by turning to more technology.
Here are our top 4 productivity app recommendations.
Focus Booster
Built on the principles of the Pomodoro technique, Focus Booster is a powerful productivity app that’s available just about anywhere: web-based, Mac, PC, and mobile. The Pomodoro technique encourages uninterrupted 25-minute periods of focused work, followed by a short (5 minute) distraction break. These shorter periods of focused work are grouped together. Once practitioners reach their set goal of focused work sessions, they take a longer (say, an hour) break. Focus Booster uses exactly these principles, and it gives you access to a depth of data as well.
With Focus Booster, your time is automatically logged, giving you the ability to create instant timesheets for employers or clients. Focus Booster also provides easy-to-read charts and graphs documenting how you spent your time. Use these tools to fine-tune your productivity by learning where you’re consistently losing time.
Though a free “starter” plan is available, Focus Booster describes itself as a subscription service that starts at $2.99 per month. That subscription allows you to track time and gain focus from any device in any location.
Focus Keeper
Focus Keeper is, in a way, the mirror image of Focus Booster, in that it’s mostly free with an optional paid Pro version. It’s a streamlined focus tool that also uses the Pomodoro technique. It covers all the basic functions that Focus Booster has, but it doesn’t go quite as far in depth. Set and use 25-minute timers and your usage goals, and Focus Keeper will gently remind you when your sessions (and breaks) are over. One nice additional feature is a “prevent lock screen” toggle, enabling you to use your iPhone like a persistent desk timer.
Like Focus Booster, you can view time graphs and charts in Focus Keeper, though they aren’t as comprehensive. If you want to access this data long-term, you’ll need to purchase Focus Keeper Pro, a separate app with a one-time $1.99 purchase price.
Both Focus Keeper and Focus Keeper Pro are iOS exclusives.
Flora
If the above options are a little too serious for your style, then Flora for iOS might be right for you. This app is yet another in the Pomodoro camp, but with an added layer of gamification, including collaboration. The idea here is that each 25-minute timer is “planting a tree.” If anyone involved with planting a tree exits their app before the 25-minute timer finishes, the tree dies. It sounds silly, perhaps, but killing trees is no fun!
Flora is a free app, but there are a handful of creative ways to spend money in it. Is the threat of killing a virtual tree not quite (pardon the pun) cutting it? Set a Price before planting a tree (that is, starting a timer), and if you kill your digital tree, you pay that price (in real money) to fund the planting of a real live wooden tree. You can also reverse the incentive by activating Flora Care. Now, each time you reach your larger productivity goal, you fund a real tree being planted.
If you’re an Android user that loves the idea of Flora, check out Forest, a similar but less polished “gamified productivity” app.
Fabulous
Fabulous is an exceedingly valuable tool that’s available for both iOS and Android. It’s not cheap: a monthly subscription is $9.99. The old saying “You get what you pay for” holds true here, though, as Fabulous is insanely powerful and deep.
Productivity is just one small part of Fabulous. You won’t find any Pomodoro-style timers here. Instead, you’ll start on a series of Journeys based on the information you give the app. Some call it self care, but the app creators (working at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University) prefer to call it behavioral science. That’s right—the science behind this app is backed up by research.
Use Fabulous to go on Journeys to make small changes that add up to big gains. Whether you need to lose weight, exercise more, focus better, or all of the above, Fabulous will help you get there through small changes. The Journeys available cover all sorts of areas, from sleep quality to learning Stoicism to eliminating specific bad habits.
by Felicien | May 28, 2019 | Education
Tips for HIPAA Compliance (Questions/Answers)
Need a little insight into strengthening up your HIPAA compliance efforts? Check out these 6 simple steps you can take to become more compliant and secure.
No one said HIPAA compliance was easy. It’s a higher level of security and data governance that healthcare organizations have to follow – if you’re looking for help with your compliance, check out the 6 tips below.
Working in the healthcare industry means more than treating patients. In addition to patient care, your practice’s staff also has to maintain compliance with complicated, regularly updated HIPAA regulations.
However, that’s easier said than done…
What’s the state of HIPAA Compliance and healthcare security?
To be honest – it doesn’t look good.
17,000 patient records are breached every day on average (HHS.gov)
The healthcare sector accounts for 31% of all reported data breaches (EMC/RSA whitepaper, 2013)
While 91% of healthcare organizations use the cloud, 47% of those are not confident in their ability to keep that data secure (Ponemon survey, 2012).
So what can you do?
If you’re even a little unsure about your HIPAA compliance, or the level of security you offer your patients and their data, what steps can you take to do better?
Try these tips…
6 tips to help with HIPAA Compliance
Check for vulnerabilities in your IT network. You may need to replace aging technology and update your hardware and software. If you don’t, you may be weakening the effectivity your IT security and endangering your ePHI. We can conduct regular vulnerability assessments to detect weaknesses in your defense.
Make use of the right IT security solutions. In addition to implementing a Remote Management and Monitoring and Data Intrusion Solution to detect unauthorized attempts and block them. Our healthcare IT professionals can deploy a range of vital security solutions, including:
Data encryption so your ePHI and EHRs are secure both in transit and storage.
Multi-factor authentication where your users must use two or more forms of electronic identification to access data.
Routine patches and updates for your software programs to mitigate any security gaps.
Maintain necessary visibility into storage of ePHI and EHRs. Monitor all access and record all login attempts to respond immediately to unauthorized attempts. Our healthcare IT team set this up for you and enhance your visibility over and control of sensitive medical information.
Keep records on access to your ePHI and EHRs. It’s important to keep track of any data access in order to make sure it is in line with users’ duties and responsibilities. You should only allow access to those who need the information and no one else. Your HR department will have a role to play in this respect to advise and notify you when new employees are brought onboard, changes are made in personnel descriptions, and when employees leave your organization.
Develop and implement a HIPAA policy organization-wide. This should include all aspects of the “HIPAA Security Rule” and your policies and procedures around it. For the record, the Security Rule sets standards for the handling of ePHI, which is the specific type of data the HIPAA Privacy Rule covers. This rule establishes national standards for properly securing patient data that is stored or transmitted electronically. Also, include an Incident Response Plan that designates a person or team to respond, their roles, and the steps they should take if a data breach occurs – i.e. who should be notified, including individuals and government agencies as required.
Undergo a HIPAA Assessment. {company} will assess your business’ practices to determine that the following crucial guidelines are being followed:
if your business is compliant with HIPAA Omnibus laws
if your business will meet the upcoming HITECH Stage 3 proposals
if your business is prepared for an audit by the Office of Civil Rights
how your business deals with ePHI to maintain a compliance posture
if your business is secure against cyber risks such as hackers, viruses and other digital attacks
if your business meets Meaningful Use guidelines laid out by HITECH stages 1-3, as to any technical, administrative and physical risks and vulnerabilities concerning ePHI that is maintained by certified HER
if your staff is properly trained to communicate, proceed and act in accordance with compliance guidelines
The healthcare industry deals with the issue of privacy by continually working to guarantee all information is kept within the intended barriers.
As new technology comes into play and makes practicing medicine easier, it has the side effect of making protecting patient information that much harder. Hence the seemingly endless rules and standards meant to reassure patients that they are protected by their provider and that their personal information is kept confidential.
Neglect and carelessness lead to these standards being created, which makes implementing the best practices like these listed above a critical part of achieving and maintaining compliance.
by Felicien | May 28, 2019 | Education
CFOs & Technology
The CFO role continues to evolve. CFOs used to be considered fairly powerless scorekeepers or merely chief bean counters, but today the role has taken on more responsibility as well as prominence.
Of course, any CFO will tell you that the old role is not unimportant, and it has not gone away. The expansion of the CFO into strategy, decision-making, and even IT oversight creates a capacity problem. How can the CFO meet all the new responsibilities without neglecting the old? Technology can assist in a number of ways.
Before we dive into how technology can assist CFOs in their expanding job functions, let’s look at what some of those expanding job functions are. Depending on where your organization is in its digital transformation, you may have already taken on some of these. If not, this overview will give you insight into what may be added to your plate in the coming months and years.
New CFO and Finance Responsibilities
The CFO has traditionally focused on finance and accounting, and these responsibilities remain both significant and important. New areas of responsibility are developing, though, including these.
Technology
The CFO role has an increasing responsibility for overseeing technology decisions and spend, along with the CIO. The entirety of the business is dependent on technology, and good choices in this area lead to dynamic transformation. Bad choices can have catastrophic results.
Future Focus
CFO and finance responsibilities are evolving from sole focus on the past (compliance and reporting) to include a future focus. CFOs are partnering with managers around the company to improve operations, and they often work with the CEO and the board to help plan company strategy.
Financial data and analytics have helped in this aspect of transformation. Another team may be responsible for analytics, but when it comes to the financial aspect of analysis, the CFO and finance team are an essential part.
Partnering with CEO
Today, CFOs partner with CEOs to develop strategy more frequently than they did in years past. While the roles remain distinct, the line is more blurry than it used to be, and the level of partnership and collaboration is much greater.
Partnering with Division Leaders
It’s more frequent than it’s ever been for the CFO to partner with division leaders or line-of-business leaders. These leaders necessarily have other focuses than finance, and they may need or seek guidance from the CFO. This guidance is sometimes finance-related and other times more generally related to business vision. The CFO also plays a role in teaching division leaders to accept financial guidance from the finance group.
How Technology Can Assist Today’s CFOs
Savvy CFOs will leverage technology to assist them in their expanding capacities. Here are a few technologies empowering CFOs and finance teams.
Big Data and Analytics
Data is more powerful than it’s ever been, and CFOs will benefit from technology solutions in this area. Powerful customer data can drive major insights into financial trends as well as business trends. Use analytics to make better-informed predictions on the future of sales. You can often get a better picture of what the customer wants by analytics than you can by traditional means like focus groups or customer surveys. These are powerful tools that can solve many problems and speed up many tasks for the CFO and the finance team.
Embrace the Cloud
Cloud-based apps can lower IT infrastructure spend as well as the need for maintenance. Many if not all the major IT applications needed by the finance team are available in cloud format, including ERP and CRM systems as well as planning and reporting systems.
Using cloud-based applications and systems allows your company to expand without having to consider infrastructure improvement. With the cloud, you’ve outsourced the infrastructure completely.
Finance leaders and CFOs are sometimes wary of the cloud, and this is understandable. Cloud-based services have had their fair share of highly publicized leaks and breaches. These have led some to question whether the cloud is really the right solution for sensitive data, whether financial or privacy-related.
The answer to this concern is twofold. First, the track record of these cloud apps is astoundingly good. Second, take a step back and review the landscape. Do you really trust that your in-house IT or infosec team is as skilled in protecting you from an internal breach as the team at a cloud service is? Your business is broad, and IT infosec is only one small component. For the cloud service, it’s nearly everything. One breach and they’d be out of business.
Mobile Technologies
While mobile technologies are most visible on the sales force and other customer-facing services (like your website), mobile can improve the quality of life for the CFO and finance teams, too. Selecting cloud apps that allow for mobile access gives additional flexibility to where and how work is done and data is displayed.
Need A Great IT Company Who Works With Top CFOs
This is just the surface of what technology can do to empower CFOs in their expanding roles. For more, or for help implementing solutions, contact us today.
