Business Technology

Have you recently completed a form or answered questions from your cyber insurance carrier? There was likely something in there about multi-factor authentication. And you probably agreed to ensure multi-factor authentication (MFA) is in place for certain types of users and network access.

You have no problem setting up a new computer at home. It’s not difficult and doesn’t take very long. So why is your IT company adding hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars for labor to install new computers in your business? This is the number one most common question we get when we install new or replacement computers. So, let’s break down exactly what goes into installing a new computer in a business environment and what you can expect to pay for that service.

Today was what we call a big, freaking deal at Innovative. And for all the RIGHT reasons. First off, it was our very first, post-COVID in-person, all-hands company meeting. 🙌That means real-life friends and company-sponsored breakfast goodies 🍩 that tasted way better than whatever day-old muffins we’ve scrounged up in our kitchens the past year and a half. Secondly, our chief Innovator, Jason, announced not one, not two, but FIVE internal staff promotions! ❗ That’s right – this little two-person computer shop that started 20 years ago now how as a full-fledged management team of home-grown leaders. Pretty cool, huh? 😎

Innovative, The Community Foundation of Washington County and Family Healthcare of Hagerstown partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County (BGCWC) on a $122,355 technology overhaul at the BGCWC's four locations. The project will give the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County the necessary tools to work from home and more efficiently share digital information between locations; give the kids they serve reliable access to online learning and virtual activities; and maintain network security, information privacy, and children's online safety. 

Copiers. You don’t want to think about what a headache they can be. They’re big. They’re expensive. And you don’t have to tell me how finicky they can be – I once worked in a basement where the copier jammed when it rained.

Working from home, some people love it, some people hate it, most of us have a love-hate relationship with it. On the one hand, you can roll out of bed and start your day. You can focus on your actual job without the distractions of your boss peering over your shoulder, that new employee’s constant questions, or Joe in accounting’s yacht rock playlist. No hard feelings, Joe – I too have the emergency Hall & Oates helpline on speed dial (call 719-26-OATES – you won’t regret it).

It feels like the list of potential cyberthreats to your business are never-ending. You put the basic safeguards in place: firewalls, password policies, anti-virus protections, and so on. Beyond that, your cyber risks are in the hands of fate. Sure, anything is possible, but other priorities need your time and attention. We get it. You're inundated with requests for resources. IT requests, specifically cybersecurity requests, always seem to play on your fears and come with a worst-case scenario story of a business just like yours that lost it all in an attack. As a leader, you're focused on growth and moving forward. You can't get hung up in every what-if scenario, or you'd never get anywhere. Making fear-based decisions makes you feel stagnant, like you're investing in maintaining the status quo when you'd prefer to invest in moving forward. You know cybersecurity is important, but so is everything that comes across your desk, and there are only so many resources to go around.

Family, education, and community are the primary themes of the legacy the Mellott family is building through their 100-year-old family business. But what exactly is Mellott Company? Mellott Company crushes it. No, really. That's what they do. Headquartered in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, Mellott builds, sells, and services rock crushing equipment worldwide. So...what does that mean? Look at your concrete sidewalk. That concrete started as giant rocks mined from a quarry and crushed down into gravel. That gravel, when mixed with some other ingredients, turns into your concrete sidewalk. In a nutshell, Mellott Company engineers, builds, repairs, and maintains the equipment that turns rocks into gravel. Cool, right? Even cooler, when you talk to Mellott Company employees, you're likely to hear more about training, education, and personal and professional development than you are about concrete and rocks. That's precisely what happened when I sat down to chat with Mellott's Chief Financial Officer, Mike Sappenfield.

If the last 25 years in the IT industry taught me one thing, it’s that people hate surprises, especially when it comes to ever-increasing technology spending. Yet it seems like your IT team always has their hand out to upgrade this or replace that. You’re left asking the same questions every time they ask to fund a new project: Why does this cost so much? How did we not see this coming? What do I need to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again? There isn’t necessarily a one size fits all answer to these questions. The ever-changing nature of technology means there will always be some surprises, especially when it comes to spending. But you can minimize surprises with effective IT planning and budgeting.

It seems like some company is always trying to push you toward a new cybersecurity solution that your business just has to have to protect against data breaches and cyberattacks. You’ve already invested in cyber liability insurance, backup and disaster recovery solutions, anti-virus programs, and firewalls. At this point, it feels like new security products serve no other purpose than to profit from your worst fears of a cyberattack or data breach destroying your business. You’re right to avoid the snake oil salesman claiming his latest and greatest cybersecurity solution is everything you’ll ever need to protect your business from [ransomware, virus, or insert cyberthreat flavor of the month here]. That doesn’t change the fact that cyberthreats are very real and can cause severe damage to your business.