Month: September 2018

Why Do Most Vet Clinics In Dallas/Fort Worth Fall Behind When It Comes To Information Technology Systems?

If you’re one of those veterinarians who waits until your technology breaks rather than being proactive, you could be in for trouble. Without your computers and data, you can’t see customers, record your services or accept payments. Someone will surely be in the “dog house” when this happens! Keep technology up and running. Avoid these 4 common IT mistakes veterinary practices in Dallas/Fort Worth make.

As the owner of a veterinary practice, you focus on the care of your patients. But, without an added focus on the health of your technology, you won’t be able to take care of your four-legged friends.

4 Common Errors Veterinarians Make Because They Lack Reliable IT Services & Tech Support

1. No Preventive IT Maintenance

Are you practicing what you preach? Just like you prescribe preventive care for the animals you treat, you should get the same for your technology.

We know the last thing you want is unexpected costs. But this is what you’re in for if your computers malfunction, software crashes, or data is accidentally deleted. If your system goes down for even a few days, you could lose tens of thousands of dollars in productivity and revenue.

IT service and support companies like Data Magic provide Managed IT Services that deliver proactive management and monitoring to keep tabs on the health of your technology. If a reliability or security issue is brewing, we’ll see it before it results in interruptions to your workflow.

And, just like you provide 24/7 service for your patients, you’ll benefit from the 24/7 support that Managed IT Services provide.

2. Inadequate Cybersecurity

You can no longer rely on single solutions to protect your digital files. Antivirus and antispam software aren’t enough. Without today’s defense-in-depth IT security, you might as well leave your doors open and passwords up on your computer screens.

You can’t take chances where the security of your customers’ confidential data is concerned. Once customers find out that their credit card numbers were breached, the word will get out, and they’ll take their business to the vet down the road.

Defense-in-Depth solutions provide the layered protection you need. If one level fails, another kicks in. This is necessary today because there are so many potential cyber threats and a wide variety of attack vectors.

This method is more likely to quickly catch and mitigate new viruses than using off-the-shelf security solutions. Although more expensive, having “best-of-breed” network security is much less costly than the high cost of downtime, lost productivity, lost revenue, and a bad reputation.

Also, make sure your staff undergoes Security Awareness Training so they aren’t tricked by today’s phishing emails that contain malicious and infectious computer viruses.

3. Outdated Computers & Technology

If you’re using computers and operating systems that are older than three to five years, you’re asking for trouble. Software developers are updating their solutions faster than ever. It will only be a matter of time before you’ll lose the support you need.

A great solution these days is Hardware-as-a-Service. HaaS allows you to pay a flat monthly rate for all of your computing needs. For a fixed, monthly fee, all of your PCs, laptops, cloud solutions, cloud servers, and other technology can be provided. You’ll always have the IT service and support you need because it benefits your IT company to keep them running at peak performance.

After three years, all of your technology will be upgraded at no cost, (or earlier if needed for a nominal fee). HaaS is increasingly being used by veterinary practices to save money while accessing the most up-to-date technology.

4. Unreliable Data Backups

Without both an onsite and enterprise-based cloud backup solution you could be left without your digital files. Whether due to a natural disaster like a fierce summer or winter storm, or human error where files are deleted, access to your digital files could be in jeopardy.

Ask us about a business continuity plan for your practice. This ensures you always have 24/7 access to your data, and that if lost, stolen or damaged, you can recover your digital files quickly. It’s equally important to regularly test, validate, and refresh your business continuity plan.

Contact Your Vet Clinic/Animal Hospital IT Support Experts In Dallas/Fort Worth

These are the 4 most common mistakes veterinary clinics make when it comes to technology. There are many more. Contact us, and we’ll tell you how you can avoid them all.

Why Is Updating Technology So Important?

The spinning “wheel of death” pop-ups that say you need an update, and computer freezes are all annoying. But the bigger problem with outdated technology is the huge risk it poses to your veterinary practice.

The following are just a few of the adverse effects from using outdated technology.

• Security risks,
• Data leaks and loss,
• Lack of efficiency and flexibility,
• Reduced productivity, and
• A ruined professional image.

What Are The 4 Most Common Problems From Using Outdated Computer Technology?

1. Increased Costs

Technology is evolving at an exponential rate, and the good news is that it provides increased performance.

However, new technology doesn’t have to be costly.* But using outdated technology is. It’s expensive to maintain and eats away at productivity – especially if it’s more than four years old.

*An IT company like Data Magic in Coppell, Texas can help you find solutions that fit your budget.

Did you know that it takes more power to run older equipment? New technology performs better and for a fraction of what you’re paying to run your old system.

Old technology runs more slowly, takes longer to execute processes, and requires time-eating calls to your IT company for repairs.

Running old computers, servers, and networks can quickly become a financial burden and hit you where it hurts most – in your bank account.

2. Decreased Productivity

According to a study by Robert Half Technology, Inc:

“Professionals waste 22 minutes each day, on average, dealing with IT-related issues. For someone who works five eight-hour days for 50 weeks of the year, that translates into a loss of more than 91 hours per year.”

When your employees are faced with computers that freeze, software that crashes, and slow-running equipment:

• Your costs go up due to decreased productivity,
• Staff gets frustrated because they can’t do their jobs properly, and,
• Customers have to wait for service.

Decreased productivity can cost you in lost revenue as well. The work piles up, and your employees get so frustrated that they may decide to leave.

Now you’ve got unhappy employees and unhappy customers. This is no way to run a veterinary practice.

3. Downtime

There’s no doubt that outdated software and hardware have increased rates of failure. And failed computing processes result in downtime – some veterinarians have to close their doors entirely when this happens.

Older forms of hardware don’t use today’s solid-state drives that are fast and efficient. They’re more prone to failure in this sense alone. And computer failures cost money.

In fact, an ITIC survey found that:

“98% of organizations say a single hour of downtime costs over $100,000; 81% of respondents indicated that 60 minutes of downtime costs their business over $300,000. And a record one-third or 33% of enterprises report that one hour of downtime costs their firms $1 million to over $5 million.”

If you run a small veterinary practice, these numbers are likely higher than what you would experience. But, any form of downtime is bad for business.

Not only is downtime embarrassing and costly but remember that your customers’ time is important too. They may take their pets elsewhere for care if you keep them waiting.

4. Security Breaches

If your practice accepts credit card transactions or has access to sensitive personal information, such as social security numbers, financial data, or medical records, it’s vulnerable to a data breach.

With the sophisticated and increasingly devastating impacts that security events bring, this alone should be a good reason to upgrade your technology.

Software developers are continually releasing updates to close security gaps. If you’re running old hardware and software, these patches can’t be applied.

The developers will no longer support your system. The end result is an entire network of computers that are exposed to malware and computer viruses.

The longer you use your old technology, the greater the chance that a hacker will get in and steal or corrupt your data.

Consider this scenario as described by the AAHA:

A veterinary practice owner accidentally installs malware on the practice’s point-of-sale (POS) devices. This allows unauthorized access to a customer’s name and credit card number as they swipe their card during the purchasing transaction. The practice owner starts to panic when the data breach is discovered. Now what?

The expenses begin to add up quickly with a possible lawsuit looming. The practice owner is looking at $8,500 in out-of-pocket expenses, with more for legal fees.

The hit to the practice’s reputation and subsequent loss of sales can devastate its bottom line. Here are some of the remediation costs the practice owner may face:

• Notifying customers that personal data was compromised
• Providing credit monitoring services
• Hiring security experts or IT consultants
• Potential lawsuits from customers seeking monetary damages

What Should You Do? Schedule An IT Assessment

A comprehensive IT infrastructure assessment will list what you are using now in the way of hardware and software, as well as any legacy systems or third-party applications.

It will identify weaknesses, inefficiencies and security gaps in your computing environment.

And, it will pinpoint areas that could be costing you needlessly and hindering revenue gains.

If nothing else, it will bring you some peace of mind!

When Was The Last Time You Had An IT Assessment?

Contact the team at Data Magic.

Veterinarians in Dallas/Fort Worth trust us for all their technology needs.

Data Magic Eliminates The Fear Of Your Company Being On The Dark Web With Our Dark Web Scanning Services

One of the main motivations for cyber attacks is the sale of personally-identifiable information (PII) on the dark web or deep web. The dark or deep web market is the impetus for many data breaches because the quick sale of healthcare and financial PII (primarily) offers a tempting prospect to black-hat hackers. Fortunately, Data Magic can do dark web scanning that can locate any kind of stolen data.

Due to some huge recent data breaches, a literal ton of stolen data which has either been leaked or hacked by cybercriminals has become available for sale on the dark web.

This information includes personal information like usernames and passwords, as well as financial information including bank account logins, credit and debit card numbers, email addresses, etc. The list of what kind of PII hackers and dark web patrons will buy is nearly endless.

Cybercriminals trade stolen data on the dark web like this for bitcoins and other online digital currency used on darknet markets.

Dark Web Scan Your Network Now With The Help Of Data Magic Computer Services

Data Magic, however, has the dark web scanning service that’s well equipped with well-trained staff and experts to scan the dark web for their stolen data.

Our data scanning experts maintain that it is capable to scan over 10,000 online forums and 1,000 Twitter accounts for compromised information on a daily basis.

Many big companies, financial institutions, and even dating websites are targeted by these hackers.

In September 2016, Yahoo admitted to having had at least 500 million of its users’ account information leaked in 2014.

This was only disclosed in 2016, meaning that it took roughly two years for the users and the general public to be notified of the security breach. We can be angry at entities like Yahoo as consumers and web users, but saving time and energy and resorting to a dark web scan to find where your stolen data resides cuts to the chase.

Data Magic seeks to revolutionize this trend by almost immediately alerting its subscribers in case their information is leaked on the dark web.

Dallas’ Dark Web Scanner Services

Data Magic offers its dark web scanning service at a monthly subscription rate that’s very affordable.

It gives all its subscribers who are using the Data Magic darknet scanning services a complete background check of any information the users may have online; if they find any match on the dark web, they alert the user and the relevant company immediately.

Clients of Data Magic are also assured to be notified in case any of their personal credentials are discovered.

They use a number of online programs that with the help of trained experts can scan thousands of dark websites for stolen data.

Data Magic not only scans the dark web for any form of stolen data but also gives advice to its subscribers on how to best protect their online accounts.

Victims of cyber attacks are also closely guided by Data Magic on the way forward after their accounts have been hacked.

Professor Richard Benham, who is a member of the Data Magic advisory team, stated that we are all at risk of having our personal credentials hacked.

Though accessing the dark web is not quite technically difficult, tracking down leaked information is almost impossible without the right detection tools, as it is hidden and inaccessible using standard search engines.

The Data Magic data retrieval experts established our online service, in part, to enable users to stop depending on companies which take weeks, months and even years to alert users of stolen data.

When these foot-dragging companies eventually do get around to alerting users of stolen data of their transgression, they are not even sure whether facts are true or mere allegations, leaving the public confused.

Data Magic dark web scanning services, however, are efficient, reliable and accurate.

We use a number of programs that, with the help of trained experts, can quickly scan thousands of dark websites for stolen data.

In a nutshell, the launch of Data Magic dark web data scanning services is very timely in a digital age where many companies are targeted by professional cybercriminals, who trade stolen data on the dark web and put security into question for millions.

However, with darknet scanning service providers like Data Magic, online security is assured and propriety restored to our online systems.

Data Magic can rapidly track down stolen data on the dark web and alert the users in case of any matching information they come across.

Our clients are then notified immediately through email and text messages that the users/buyers of their stolen PII have been notified.

What Else Do We Do Besides Dark Web Scanning?

Data Magic Computer Services provides advice and strategic IT consulting to help enterprises plan for the future and grow their businesses.

We will secure your network, maintain and optimize your equipment, put an effective disaster recovery/business continuity plan in place, manage your cloud solution, recover lost and stolen data, and much more.

Also, unlike the majority of IT consulting firms in Dallas, we actually know how to adjust from the server room to the boardroom.

That means we’re not going to waste your time with overly-long technical explanations or any jargon that you can’t understand and don’t need to hear. We’ve found that our clients rarely care about how technology intrinsically works: they just want to know what it can do for their business, and how it can improve their bottom line.

Our tech support strategists have mastered the confluence where the technology itself and the “data magic” is leveraged from it.

The best way to enjoy the benefits of all we do is through our cost-controlled IT managed services. Our various managed services packages at the Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond levels include:

• Whitelisted patches and security
• Asset inventory
• Antivirus management
• Enterprise-level email security solutions
• Unlimited remote support
• Unlimited remote log-in
• Trouble ticketing
• Unlimited onsite support
• A dedicated onsite technician at a discounted rate with immediate and in-depth assistance for any technical issues, and much more.

We also provide such services as software development, database development, and computer repair services that help you maximize your information/communications technology investment.

Ready to let us help you recover your stolen data-property?

Our Dark Web Scanning Services Get Results

If you’re ready to recover and prevent the use of your stolen data, then give us a call at (469) 635-5500 or send us a message at datamagic@datamagicinc.com for more information on our dark web scanning services that can recover your stolen data!

Gone are the days of hanging out a shingle and waiting for clients. With the advent of the Internet, lawyers only advertise in the yellow pages if they want to. Nearly everyone goes to their computer—or another digital device—when they are searching for anything. Looking for an attorney is no different.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), marketing has never been easier, or more complex. Just as soon as one becomes acquainted with Google’s algorithm, it changes. Aside from paying an online marketing website like LawLytics, what can you do? Fortunately, there are clear guidelines to what works and what does not, if you know where to look.

Which SEO Actions Are Generally Unsuccessful?

When online marketing, or any marketing for that matter, has been attempted and failed, it is easy to wonder, “why?”. Unfortunately, the answer is seldom clear. If you knew what you were doing wrong, you most likely would not be doing it.

One aspect that could be causing the SEO marketing strategy to flounder is if the wrong “expert” has been hired. This could mean that he or she is not qualified for the job. Perhaps their skills or experience-level were misrepresented. Maybe their expertise is in a field other than SEO for law offices. They may be using outdated techniques, breaking search engine guidelines, or even outsourcing their work.

Although this may improve their bottom line, it does nothing to forward your practice. A few of the other reasons your SEO may not be working include the following:

• Buying AdWords (pay-per-click)
• Distributing unwarranted press-releases
• Fabricating or embellishing performance reports
• You have not devoted enough time to learning proven SEO strategies
• Paying for guest blogs or links on prestigious legal publications
• Reusing content, whether yours or someone else’s
• Using a “one-size-fits-all” or and “SEO for Dummies” approach

Perhaps, your SEO efforts were paying off and suddenly, you discover your online presence has disappeared. Alternatively, your marketing strategies may have been working and then merely stopped. Often this is because of the nature of SEO and Google. In other words, Google’s algorithm has been updated and what used to work, no longer does.

What Are Easy, Successful SEO Actions?

There are several steps that a law firm can take that are easy and effective. Most of them require very little time out of your busy day. In fact, a few only need to be done once to reap the benefits.

First, make sure that your local directory listings are correct. Go to Google My Business and claim ownership of your business. Then, go to “duplicate locations” and remove any copies of your business to avoid confusing prospective clients. Do the same on YELP, etc. This makes it easier for people to find you.

Next, request and post positive online reviews. This helps you maintain existing clients and convert potential ones. It is important to manage this strategy yourself. To use powerful, SEO-friendly words, someone without a legal background may inadvertently alter the meaning. This could not only reflect poorly on your business, but may also cause trouble with Google.

Finally, you want to cultivate a proactive social media presence. This is intended to support your law firm’s high-quality website, which is the official introduction to the company. Having accounts set up in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow you to interact with potential clients. It also provides free advertising.

How Long Does It Take to See SEO Benefits?

How quickly SEO works depends on quite a few elements. Additionally, following a good SEO strategy to the letter does not guarantee success. It does, however, drastically improve one’s chances. The time it takes for a firm to see SEO benefits depends on the following:

• The amount, quality, and uniqueness of website and social media content
• The formatting of the website and social media pages
• The size of the market
• The size of the niche clientele

Another aspect that negatively affects how quickly SEO works is how complicated the website is. Generally, if the design of the website has a fancy design, it detracts from the message. Complex images and fonts make navigating the website difficult. This drives people off the website and to other more straightforward options.

What Should a Law Firm Ask Before Hiring an SEO Company?

For more complex marketing strategies, many law firms choose to hire outside experts. Unfortunately, the SEO field is rife with charlatans exaggerating their skills and experience.

Before beginning the search, Google suggests reading Webmaster Guidelines. Then, ask prospective companies the following questions:

• How long have you been in business?
• Do you have an office, or do you work from home?
• How many full-time employees do you have?
• Do you outsource any of the work?
• Do you follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines?
• What is your legal background?
• Do you understand legal ethics?

Follow up on any answer that sounds suspicious, or discard the notion of working with that company right away. Lastly, ask them for a full list of everything they intend to do or provide to your firm. They should know their business well enough to supply you with a detailed outline of a strategy tailored for your company.

In Conclusion

There are many ways of using SEO attracts clients. You can easily do the basic steps yourself. For a more comprehensive strategy, an all-in-one website system for lawyers, such as LawLytics, can be helpful. It uses cutting-edge practices and SEO-friendly pages to communicate with search engines. It showcases attorney bios, testimonials, and case results. This enables lawyers to spend their free time polishing content, and less time stressing about strategy.

Independent schools have a prime opportunity to increase enrollment right now. Trust in government agencies is mixed to low, and the importance of individualism is trending upwards past even science in some areas. While that trend might give all educators a tight feeling in pro-vaccination chests, the crisis of identity is leading more families to look for non-public school options.

You’re going to have to look for solutions, because you are independent and not as “lucrative” to edtech companies. You will also have to get creative because you may not get the big breaks that a large district can (discounts for larger orders, for example).

Competition

On the flip side, there are more options now, too. For the last two decades public schools have had to compete not only with private and parochial schools, but as the newcomer.

Moreover, there’s been a jump in homeschooling. Homeschooling was once the last resort of the fringe religious sect. It was also utilized for incapacitated students unable to thrive in a normal school setting. Today, homeschooling is quite popular with many parents.

In a recent study reported in nheri.org, the growth of homeschooling looks like a threatening storm:

Graph originally from “Homeschooling Growing: Multiple Data Points Show Increase 2012 to 2016 and Later”
April 20, 2018 by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.

With the push and pull between individual rights to choose how a child is educated and the state’s need to have well-educated, prepared future citizens, Independent schools have an opportunity. To not see the great opportunity growing out of the public’s distrust of the public school system would be a mistake. When developing a technology plan, competitiveness must be of the highest priority, just after efficacy.

Money/tuition

Obviously one of the biggest roadblocks in the era of stagnant wages and uncertain fiscal futures is the tuition barrier. As the gap between the haves and have-nots widens, independent schools must find ways to reach good students whose families can’t afford to pay out the usual tuition.

The evidence of this mistrust is clear in the rise of homeschool and online school students. The barriers to private or religious education may well only be financial. Charters and schools of choice have been a bit of a stop-gap but still have not solved the issues that parents wish to see resolved. If parents have an opportunity to get their kids into a school that they have chosen, many more would do so.

At the same time, since there is that cost issue, there is stiff competition for independent schools, as well as a leeriness of parents to trust a school that is not being monitored closely – if at all – by the government. Since the standards set up for public schools do not automatically apply to independent schools, some parents can feel wary of them, thinking that the teachers may not be as well-prepared to teach.

Along with that is the old idea of the stuffy private school a la School Ties or Dead Poets Society. The idea is that parents are somehow disloyal to their neighborhoods by not having their kids in public school. Although parents enrolling their children in religious schools ostensibly get a pass, as it is a religious matter in this case, there are still negative connotations to getting your kids into private school. As such, there are a mountain of obstacles that private schools must overcome in order to be appealing to the middle and upper class in America.

You must make yourselves competitive. Educational Technology can help, but only if it is planned wisely and thoughtfully and remains within your mission.

Accessibility

Even if you don’t think that your students need accessible websites, their parents, guardians, and other people invested in their well-being may. Someone may want to check the basketball schedule. A potential new family may want to learn more about your school. There are lots of benefits to having a great website that can be read and understood regardless of sightedness, hearing levels, or mobility.

Moreover, to not do something simply because as an independent school you are not required by law to make certain adjustments is admitting that you are willing to do the bare minimum to get by. Why would parents wish to pay out of pocket for the bare minimum? Doing the right thing here will sharpen your competitive edge. Plus, there are lots of stakeholders who need accessibility adjustments in order to read your website. It’s just good business sense.

Look for edtech that will:

• Streamline your accounting, assessment, reporting, marketing, communications, and other processes.
• Are single sign-ons so that students and employees can access all of their digital tools with a single password and username combination.
• Are relatively simple to use, learn, execute, update and (if necessary) install.
• Lean towards web-based, cloud based stuff, like Microsoft Office 365 for Education (which as an added bonus is FREE!).
• Look for free or low-cost stuff – there is so much of it.
• Research to see what others are doing with this. Places like EdShelf can help.

Questions to Ask

What do your teachers and staff think they need? Survey the troops so you can understand what’s happening on the ground plus get an idea of the time commitment that new technology training might entail.

Where is digitization CRUCIAL?

Do you need more actual space in the building? Are the paper reports that you’re using inefficient?

Is this a want or a need?

Learn to know the difference. One way to prioritize is to imagine what would happen if you didn’t upgrade or replace the technology that you currently have, or if you invested in the iPads. What happens next? Do things fall apart if you don’t improve your school’s network capabilities? Does literacy automatically improve when you buy tablets? This thought experiment also shows you what needs to accompany the new technology in order for it to be beneficial.

How does this fit in with our school’s overall mission?

Your mission is the heart and soul of your school and everything that you plan should grow out from that central philosophy. Don’t lose your identity in the rush to be competitive.

Always Remember

Empower and support educators. Don’t pick something too complicated or time-consuming to use. Also, allow some leeway. Maybe budget a bit of discretionary funding and allow departments to choose a few software programs that will be especially helpful for their area. You must remain a competitive employer, too, if you are going to be able to compete against large public districts with contracts, unions, better benefits, and higher pay.

Teachers are what make a school work properly. The best thing to do is have continuity from year-to-year by having the familiar faces of competent, happy teachers. Educators already burn out pretty quickly, but they leave independent schools more readily than public schools. Remember to treat them well and reflect on how new technology will affect them.