Recently, an area manufacturer came to us because it seemed like there was always something disrupting access to their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software which meant everyone from frontline production and logistics to accounting and administration was unable to get the job done. This manufacturer was repeatedly calling their IT provider to come and fix something. Since they were using hourly break-fix IT support, costs were high and unpredictable. Unstable technology, cyber-attacks, natural disasters and even mistakes by employees can bring your operations to a halt. No matter the reason, this downtime disrupts operations and reduces your profit. Even if your systems are up 99.99% of the time, that’s still more than a full day’s work over the course of a year. Technology should not dictate your productivity. Take control of the situation with a more proactive management of your IT systems. This means monitoring, maintenance and preventing problems before they occur. Not only will disruptions be eliminated but you’ll also be able to avoid unpleasant surprises to your budget. Managed IT services can resolve technology issues with fixed, cost-effective monthly fees. Advantages of Managed IT Services Providers (MSP) A managed IT provider like ProviDyn takes responsibility for your IT systems with strategic network planning and system design. Using repeatable processes and the best tools, you typically keep your networks running for less than you pay for break-fix IT. Initially, we assess your technology to identify the most vulnerable areas that need to be addressed. Maybe your servers have low disk space and are on the verge of failing, or your backup procedures are outdated and ineffective, which means you could lose important data if your systems crash. A redundant virtual server with failover capabilities would help eliminate your downtime. A properly configured data backup solution can run in the background with no adverse effect on daily network speeds, so your employees can be at their most efficient during work hours. After ensuring you have a robust, high-performance network, a reputable Managed IT Services provider like ProviDyn implements 24/7 remote monitoring and maintenance to prevent major issues. Cross-trained IT professionals who have expertise working with businesses in different industries can prevent, diagnose and solve technology issues proactively so you’re not saddled with downtime. An MSP can afford enterprise-quality technology and tools that mitigate your risk through cutting-edge hardware and the best diagnostic software. Most small and mid-sized businesses don’t have the expertise or budget for these advanced tools which reduce downtime and risk of data loss. MSPs give you economies of scale, so you can afford the best technology for your business, often at a fraction of the cost. Why an MSP is Best for Your Business Information technology differentiates your business from competitors Minimized costly downtime Predictable IT expenses Reduced risk to your critical data Valuable employee time isn’t wasted on IT issues The bottom line is, when your IT infrastructure is properly managed, costs are reduced, productivity is increased, and customers are better served. How much are you spending to have your systems go down again and again? Contact Multi IT online or  call us on 011 435 0450 for a real solution.

There are countless platforms that showcase, review and link to small businesses, but few have as much impact as Google does. Although business owners can’t choose where their site ranks in the search results, they can edit information that is displayed and insert some flashy new features. How to edit your business’s Google listing When someone types your business’s name and location into Google.com, a “Knowledge Panel” is displayed on the righthand side of the search results with information about your office. If your business doesn’t have a Knowledge Panel, you can change that by opening a free Google My Business (GMB) account. The GMB platform lets you link to your website, update office information (address, hours, phone number, etc.) and choose which photos Google associates with your company. GMB also gives you data about how many people: Saw your business’s Knowledge Panel in search results Visited your website by clicking somewhere in the Knowledge Panel Asked for directions via the Knowledge Panel What’s new with GMB? In the summer of 2017, Google announced that business owners could customize “Posts” in their Knowledge Panel. Posts are made up of a 100-300 word caption, an image and a call-to-action button, such as Learn More, Sign Up, Buy, etc. Posts automatically expire after seven days, which makes them perfect for sales, events and content marketing. More recently, Google added another exciting feature: the ability to schedule appointments from inside the Knowledge Panel. If your website uses one of the 22 accepted plugins, you can connect it with GMB to make it easier for searchers to book a reservation at your location. Google is in the process of rolling out this feature to gyms, beauty salons and restaurants, but a wider release is on the way. How do I enable Bookings? Adding this feature to your GMB page is an easy four-step process: Log in to Google My Business Click on the Sign Up For Bookings icon below your business’s profile Choose your booking provider from the list of approved vendors and sign up on its site Check back in a few days and start tracking your appointments with GMB! If your business accepts reservations, this feature will be an indispensable tool for improving your customers’ experiences. For more information on low-cost technology solutions that add value to your business -- give Multi IT a call on 011 435 0450 today.

If you wished Microsoft would streamline its Office 365 ProPlus update schedule, your prayers have been answered. The cloud solution, which includes the Enterprise E3 and E5 plans, will be updated twice a year, rather than three times a year. Here’s everything you need to know about the new ProPlus update schedule. Why the new schedule? Feedback has almost always been Microsoft’s impetus to make changes of any kind, and this is no exception. The software giant wanted to simplify the update process and improve coordination between Office 365 and Windows, and the new schedule should handle both of those aims. This is particularly helpful for those using Secure Productive Enterprise (SPE). SPE was bundled with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus, meaning subscribers had to deal with two separate upgrades prior to the new schedule. Moving forward, things will be simplified as a single update twice a year will suffice. What else changed? Microsoft is extending support for ProPlus from 12 months per update to 18 months. This means you can technically update once or twice a year, which we’ll discuss in more detail below. They’ve also changed the following terminology used in their updates: Current Channel → Monthly Channel First Release for Deferred Channel → Semi-annual Channel (Pilot) Deferred Channel → Semi-annual Channel (Broad) The Semi-annual Channel (Pilot) and Semi-annual Channel (Broad) describe the twice-a-year feature updates and how they will be deployed: the former to be used as deployment testing and the latter for actual deployment to an organization’s users. When will the first ProPlus upgrade be released under the new schedule? The first Pilot channel will be available on September 12, 2017, the same day as that month’s Patch Tuesday. The first Broad channel will be available four months later on January 9, 2018, also on a Patch Tuesday. The second release will bring a new Pilot on March 13, 2018 and a new Broad on July 10, 2018. Can you skip a ProPlus features upgrade? While you can in fact choose only to upgrade once a year, you will eventually have to conduct a second upgrade to get the most up-to-date support. Microsoft is giving you two months of overlap in the next update to do this. So, say your firm deploys the Broad channel in January 2018, but skips the July 2018 upgrade, you would have to upgrade within the two-month span between January 2019 and March 2019 to be eligible for the latest support. What happened to the ProPlus upgrade for June 2017? Microsoft released new Deferred Channel and First Release for Deferred Channel upgrades on June 13, 2017. Users had three months to conduct enterprise pilots and validate applications with this upgrade before the final Deferred Channel release on September 12, 2017. The last Deferred Channel will be supported until July 10, 2018. Changes to the support life cycle of Office 365 ProPlus will ultimately save you time and reduce the hassles of conducting upgrades. That said, it might take some time getting used to the new schedule and nomenclature, so if you have any questions about Office 365 or the new schedule, just give Multi IT a call on 011 435 0450 or visit our website.