Month: January 2020

2020 Is the Year of Technology: Be Prepared with IT Support

Industry Week predicts 2020 will be the year technology sees more gains than ever. Is your business up to date? Take a look at why you need managed IT support.  

Technology is an ever-evolving thing, and businesses rely on technology for so many of their daily practices. Industry Week recently stated that recent predictions are already deeming 2020 as the year that technology will gain impressive mass. If your business is not yet working with an information technology company in Coppell, TX, it may be time to start. Here is a look at some of the upcoming technology changes to expect in 2020 and how IT services for business can help.

Be Prepared for IoT Advances

About 81 percent of industrial manufacturers have begun using IoT to boost productivity in their operations, and IoT is etching its way into just about every type of business, from medical to professional services. IoT (Internet of Things) involves technologically evolved devices that connect to the network to improve operational happenings. If your business is not yet grasping at IoT, your business could be missing out. With the help of IT services for business, implementing IoT devices is not such an overwhelming thought. If your business is using IoT, it means you have to be even more vigilant about securing everything because each new device poses another way for data to be at risk. Therefore, managed IT support is important for this reason as well.

Get Ready for 5G Network Technology

The greater demand for bandwidth means the latest 4G cannot always cater to the higher demands, but 5G technology, which is far more capable of supporting numerous devices, is rapidly taking 4Gs place. If your business is still utilizing 4G, but lacking speeds and bandwidth are causing limitations, 5G upgrades are probably going to be the answer. It is estimated that 5G is as much as 100 times faster than 4G. A managed IT service provider may be able to help you source 5G services and help you make the needed system upgrades to take advantage of.

Expect New Reliance On Automated Technology

Automated technology, including AI (artificial technology), has been a major topic of discussion in the world of IT and a major benefit for modern-day businesses. With AI and automation, business owners are capable of handling more consumer requests, more stringent production processes, and more. With the direct assistance of an IT support company in Coppell, TX, business owners can implement the necessary infrastructure to take advantage of these program availabilities for their own businesses. Whether it is setting up a help desk for the website that utilizes AI or implementing new automation software to help with logistics, IT pros have the skills and insight to get the most out of these revolutionary ideas.

Contact Data Magic Inc. for IT Services That Support 2020 Technology

Data Magic Inc. provides IT services and IT support for large and small companies in Coppell, Texas, and surrounding areas. If you are a business owner who has not yet made the decision to bring in third-party IT support, 2020 is obviously a good time to make the change. Contact Data Magic Inc. for more information about our services and how we can help your business stay in-tune with the technology of the modern era.

Dallas IT Services For Your Manufacturing Firm

Manufacturing is a complicated line of work, and it’s only getting more so as it evolves with technology. It comes with a number of fundamental challenges:

• Complicated supply chains
• Rising costs of labor
• Local and offshore competition
• Multi-faceted inventory management considerations

That’s just to name a few.

Many firms like yours have a combination of up to date software programs running side by side with core legacy programs. Your core program is essential but it’s harder to find effective support.

This is in addition to complex supply chains, rising costs and of course, local and offshore competition. One thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is your IT systems – managed IT services takes care of them for you.

What Do Managed Dallas IT Services Offer Manufacturing Firms?

1. Simplify IT Budgeting
Traditionally, IT expenses get categorized as capital expenses or CapEx. With managed services, you can move away from a CapEx model to operational expenses or OpEx model, as you are paying month by month and seeing the return right away. Your costs for these services are considered monthly operating expenses like the electric or water bill.

2. Enhance Your Cybersecurity
Your cybersecurity may not be up to snuff. Not because you don’t think it’s important, but because you have other things on your mind.

While technology evolves and data expands, the number of ways your IT network can be compromised increases. A Dallas IT services company can provide security services, advise you on the credentials of vendors, and conduct ongoing risk assessments to identify network vulnerabilities and help keep your network secure.

Furthermore, the expertise and resources you access through your Dallas IT services company will also help with your sales efforts. The larger the business you work with, the more likely it is that they’ll need assurances of your cybersecurity capabilities. As a part of their supply chain, you’ll no doubt have to enter into business associate agreements where client data is concerned. Your Dallas IT services company offers process, experience, and confidence in this relationship. They can help you demonstrate your security standards and best practices through documentation and testing.

3. Manage Your Compliance
In the past few years, compliance requirements for firms like yours that do business with the government have become more demanding. The DoD relies on external contractors and suppliers like you to carry out a wide range of tasks. Sensitive data is shared with you must be protected. The fact is that inadequate safeguards for this sensitive data may threaten America’s National Security and potentially put military members at risk.

The DoD has implemented a basic set of cybersecurity controls through DoD policies and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). The DFARS rules and clauses apply to the safeguarding of contractor/supplier information systems that process, store or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). These security controls must be implemented at both the contractor and subcontractor levels based on information security guidance developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171 “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Non-federal Information Systems and Organizations.”

Compliance is yet another complicated and time-consuming task involved with your IT. Like the rest of it, you could try to manage it on your own, at potentially great risk and expense. On the other hand, you can outsource it to your Dallas IT services company. In doing so, you let them manage your compliance, putting their experience and expertise to work for you.

4. Strategize Your IT
As your firm grows, your IT needs grow as well. If you’re “flying by the seat of your pants”, then do you really think that your IT will keep up with your firm?

It all starts with a plan. Your firm, and the technical infrastructure it relies on have to be ready to grow when needed. This means software, hardware, and anything else you use to get work done.

Keep in mind that new service offerings often come with significant upgrades or new software. Your Dallas IT services can provide the flexibility you need to change your products/services or add new ones when required.

5. Eliminate Old Software
Are you still using the same old line of business software that you’ve been using for years and years?

As dependable as it may be (and let’s be honest, mileage varies) software like this has a core flaw – it only works for those who are fluent in it. After all, it’s not that accessible if you’re not familiar with it. Your IT company should be able to help you find a better way. New technologies, such as the cloud, can help you get past old line of business software.

6. Enhance Your Business Continuity
Unless you can quickly recover your data after a power outage or any other type of disaster, your manufacturing firm will face backlogs, missed deadlines and un-loyal customers. To recover your data today means backing it up to a secure, offsite location in the cloud.

The right Dallas IT services company will provide this service so you can retrieve your data from any location where you have an internet connection so your company will be back in operation faster.

Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan needs to be customized to your environment, making sure that integrated security policies and procedures are in accordance with your industry standards. This includes training sessions to ensure your employees are comfortable with procedures and that they are communicated to the appropriate personnel.

Don’t put off managed IT services any longer – partner with the right IT company in order to gain each and every advantage explored in this article.

Reliable Information Systems Management

Finding the right partner for your technology support doesn’t have to be painful.

Are you tired of struggling through the workday, jumping back and forth between projects and listening to user complaints about how long it takes to make changes to your technology stack or get resolution on network slowdowns? If so, you’re not alone as IT downtime and slow business networks impact companies to the tune of up to $10,000 per hour — a productivity drain that is often hidden within projects. The costly consequences associated with ineffective networks, slow access to technical professionals to solve routine problems and a lack of high-level security can mean the difference between posting strong results and struggling to make ends meet at the end of the year. See how reliable information systems management in Dallas can help your corporation keep moving even during challenging times.

Highly Responsive Information Systems Management in Dallas

One of the key complaints that business users share with their counterparts in IT is the time required to get updates, make changes to systems or launch new programs. It is not surprising that everything takes so long in technology, especially when you consider that most IT professionals are effectively doing 2-3 jobs on a daily basis. Between handling everyday problems that crop up such as lost passwords, trying to maintain a secure environment and moving projects forward to their logical next step, most technicians have days when they are unable to complete all of their tasks. Offloading some of this task-based work can free internal IT professionals up to add strategic value to the organization through research into new platforms, operational improvements, process management and more.

Services Offered by Dallas IT Management Firms

Information systems management in Dallas can consist of multiple components based on the needs of your organization:

• Cloud services from Microsoft such as Office 365, Microsoft Cloud and more
• Onsite and remote IT help desk support
• Wired and WiFi network administration
• Advanced cybersecurity strategies, training and support
• Active network monitoring and AI or machine learning-based notifications
• Strategic IT consulting
• Proactive software patching and monitoring
• Management of email, productivity suites and network access
• Antivirus and antimalware software support

Working with a top-notch IT services provider in Dallas allows your internal IT team to focus on growing your business, while still ensuring that business professionals receive service and support within the parameters defined in your service level agreement (SLA).

Finding secure information systems management in Dallas shouldn’t feel like hunting unicorns — all you need is the right partner for your business. The team at Data Magic Computer Services has been serving corporations in the Dallas area since 1994, providing exceptional service and technology that works like magic. Contact our team of wizards today at (469) 635-5500 or fill out our quick online form to schedule your free initial consultation. As the most trusted IT consultants in the Dallas and Fort Worth area, we focus on ensuring your software and hardware are running efficiently and securely at all times, guaranteed.

How to Safely and Completely Destroy Old Hard Drives

You can set your hard drive on fire, magnetize it or cut it with a saw, but are you confident that all of the data has been rendered inaccessible?  

Computers are amazing storage devices, managing to hold onto personal and business information even if they are dropped, frozen, scratched or magnetized. While these are all great features when you are still using your computers and servers, it makes it a bit more challenging to completely remove the information stored within your hard drive. There are plenty of software tools on the market that claims to “completely” remove the information, but hackers are quite crafty when it comes to piecing together personal information from abandoned hard drives. Studies show that over 78% of hard drives that have been discarded still contain personal data. This is particularly important for businesses that may be storing sensitive customer information, protected health data or financial details — which is why some laws such as HIPAA require that hard drives are certified as being destroyed. These tips will help ensure you have fully cleared the sensitive information from your solid-state drives or hard drives.

Safely Discarding Old Electronics

Decommissioning your electronics also includes safely disposing of the materials, as they can’t be simply sent through standard waste disposal solutions. There are several hazardous materials that are found in electronics waste, all of which can harm the environment. The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) is a non-profit organization that helps monitor and certify the destruction and recycling of electronics. If you are working with a partner to completely eradicate your hard drives, be sure they are AAA Certified as this means that they are following best-practices for the chain of custody and materials handling.

Managing Regulatory Requirements

You can render a hard drive inoperable by yourself by destroying the magnetic platter inside the hard drive, but this isn’t a reasonable option when you’re managing multiple computers. Try lightly hitting the hard drive with a hammer, until you are able to get to the platter inside. It’s best to wear eye protection and protect yourself from flying parts, as there are many small plastic, metal and potentially even some glass pieces that could go zooming around the room. Once you’ve broken through the hard drive casing, you’ll need to extract the platter, which looks quite similar to a CD-ROM. Using a screwdriver or the hammer, ding and dent this platter . . . a lot. Once you have all of the pieces broken up, you can then deliver the component parts to your local electronics recycling location for safe disposal.

Anytime you are updating your current hardware you will likely have elderly electronics that need to be safely destroyed so no one can retrieve the information that was stored within. While there are some pretty creative options for rendering the contents of your hard drive inaccessible, sometimes the easiest options are the best! The wizards at Data Magic Computer Services will destroy and certify your old hard drives and storage devices so you can confidently move on with your upgrades. Contact us at (469) 635-5500 to schedule your free initial consultation or set a time to drop by and personally take out some aggression on your old hard drives.

You may not realize it, but your company could be a single click away from disaster. See how to protect against emerging threats such as ransomware and phishing scams.  

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks are a growing problem for corporations, especially those that are working with part-time staff or contractors that may not be fully indoctrinated into the company’s cybersecurity standards. With phishing attacks, your corporate email has suddenly become a battleground where hackers are constantly looking for opportunities to advance inside your business systems. If you think that these attacks are only hitting larger companies or those in a different vertical you are sorely mistaken — 83% of 15,000 surveyed IT leaders reported that their organization was phished in 2019. If that isn’t frightening enough, these cybercriminals are going high-tech with approximately half of the attacks are using HTTPS encryption, a marker that was previously used as a determining factor for safety. With all the dangers floating around in the digital world, are you sure that your organization is fully protected from these evolving attacks?

Active Monitoring and Aggressive Threat Protection

It’s time for IT teams to get aggressive with their defense tactics, but this can be dicey if you’re utilizing off-the-shelf solutions from a range of vendors. You might end up creating a Frankenstein’s monster of systems that leave unexpected vulnerabilities open for a hostile takeover of your systems. This is one of the reasons that many organizations are choosing to outsource their cybersecurity support to local professionals that have a holistic, enterprise-scale solution that offers transparent reporting and full visibility into system activity with robust dashboards and active monitoring.

User Training and Ongoing Education

Unfortunately, your internal business users are not the only individuals that will need to receive training to protect your corporation. Anyone interacting with your systems — from temporary workers who will be checking a business email account to external contractors who are sending information your way should all be part of your training initiatives. This helps counteract the “I didn’t know!” mentality that you’re likely to experience, as people are quickly multitasking and accidentally click on a phishing email. Staying protected means staying vigilant, and that means everyone from your front desk temporary worker to your executives and technology team should be receiving regular reminders of the dangers associated with clicking on questionable emails. Email is one of the biggest threats to your company, with hackers gaining access to billions of individual records each year.

Protecting your business is our prime directive at Data Magic Computer Services. We are the #1 IT services and support company in Dallas, and we work with organizations of all sizes and types to ensure that your systems stay fully protected and secure. See how our wizards can help provide you with IT support that works like magic, so you can focus on growing your business instead of acting as technical support for your teams. Contact the Data Magic team at (469) 635-5500 to schedule your free initial consultation, or you can always reach us online anytime through our convenient contact form.

IT Enables Advances In Manufacturing Technology

Manufacturing technology advances help businesses compete. IT provides the infrastructure that lets technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence work  

What’s behind the growth in manufacturing output and employment? One factor is the advance of manufacturing technology. This enables productivity growth that lowers costs and lets US-based manufacturers out-compete those overseas. Historically, manufacturing technology meant machines, processes and equipment. Today, advances in manufacturing technology are linked to the emergence of new information technology (IT) capabilities.

Tools for Making Things

Picture the blacksmith’s anvil and the spinning wheel. These are examples of early manufacturing technologies. Metals were cast, forged and milled or turned to their final shape. Threads were spun into yarns for weaving into cloth. Mechanization and stronger materials increased speeds and boosted productivity. And then automation arrived.

Considered the third industrial revolution, computerization led to PLCs, robots and automated processes. Controllers and software ran manufacturing equipment. Humans moved to supervisory roles and those not amenable to automation like jobs needing dexterous manipulation. Productivity continued to climb, but where was the next advance?

21^st Century Manufacturing Technology

The last two decades have seen an explosion in manufacturing innovation. Novel fabrication methods, enhanced sensor capabilities, new communication technologies and advanced data analysis capabilities promise another era of rising productivity.

In truth, many of these first appeared towards the end of the 20^th Century, but were held back by limited IT capabilities. Today computers run orders of magnitude faster and data storage is fast and cheap. Ethernet, wireless and cellular networks are everywhere and artificial intelligence is moving onto the factory floor.

So what are these new manufacturing technologies? Here’s a partial list.

Additive manufacturing

Colloquially, “3D printing,” although that’s just a subset of additive. This is about making parts by putting things together rather than machining away. Early systems used only polymers but today metal additive is growing rapidly, with the promise of making actual production parts.

Vision systems

These are proliferating rapidly across every industry and in every factory. They find inspect products more consistently than any human, they measure and control processes, and they provide the “eyes” that let robots pick and place parts in unstructured environments.

Digital manufacturing

Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Aided Manufacturing, virtual and augmented reality: just some of the tools that take design concepts to reality faster than before. There’s less need for physical prototyping and testing because much is done in software, and the end product delivers higher performance than previously.

Collaborative robots (“cobots”)

These have sensor and safety systems that can eliminate the need for guarding. Less expensive and easier to use than traditional robots, cobot numbers are growing rapidly in manufacturing as well as test labs and R&D.

Enlist Expert Help

Manufacturing is a competitive business and it’s vital to stay ahead. By utilizing advanced manufacturing technology, businesses small and large can increase productivity and cut costs.

Today’s manufacturing technologies rely on IT support. IT provides the infrastructure and capabilities that are enabling these step changes. Data Magic Computer Services understands what’s needed and can help you move forward. Contact us at (469) 635-5500.