Tag: networking

Mistakes That Decrease the Longevity of Your Laptop

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Creative Programs and Systems

Purchasing a laptop isn’t a small investment and can be quite expensive if you need to repair or replace it. It is important that a laptop is kept in top shape to increases its longevity and effectiveness. Here are some tips on what to avoid in order to keep your laptop running efficiently for as long as possible.

Don’t Take the Term Laptop Too Literally

Nope, unlike the name states a laptop should never be set on top of your lap. The truth is that by putting a laptop on your lap you actually decrease the lifespan of your machine. A laptops processor, which is the brain of the PC, gets hot! The vent to release the heat is likely to be located on the bottom of the laptop where ventilation is scarce. This vent if covered by pants or blankets the laptop overheats. Another side effect of putting a laptop on your lap is that dust begins to settle. Even when this dust is then removed using canned air it is not really removed, it is just shuffled internally which can hurt the processor and internal workings of the laptop as well.

Don’t Forget to Shut Your Laptop Off Occasionally

It is so easy to simply close the laptop lid at the end of the night without shutting it down however this isn’t always what is best for the health of the laptop. Many of us fall into this trap because the next morning when we want to use it, the computer boots up within seconds. By shutting down your laptop on a regular basis, it allows the PC to install the fixes that need to run in order to update the software vulnerabilities. Laptops, like desktops, do not apply the fixes unless the computer is restarted. For the best results we recommend shutting your laptop down at least once a week (or more).

Don’t Overlook the Importance of a Surge Protector

Using a surge protector should be quite obvious however, so many people forget to use one when using their laptops. It is common to hear that you should unplug electronics during storms. If your laptop is plugged in and lighting hits and the computer is not plugged into a surge protector, you will likely fry your laptop.

Don’t Disregard the Importance of Installing an Antivirus

This too should go without saying, an antivirus is critical for the protection of your laptop. Antivirus protection is essential for both laptops and desktops as it keeps the bugs from getting into your systems. Which let’s be clear, happens all the time when you are surfing the internet. Malware and virus’s make your computer run hot and can “break” your laptop. Antivirus should be installed and regularly updated to keep your system safe.

Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, is an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a variety of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more. More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

Creative Programs and Systems

IT Consulting Company, Managed IT, networking

Basic Elements Used In Networking: What You Should Know

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

The term networking is used a lot in both IT and business a lot. Creating a successful IT network is crucial to the growth of a business. When people within an organization are able to share and merge information in real time an increase in efficiency naturally occurs. IT networking is a concept that many of us are familiar with but unsure of what it takes to create. A network is a system where computers, phones, peripherals, and even IT devices are connected. Some basic essential needed to create a manage this system include routers, switches, and wireless access points. These units connect the devices on your network and allow them to communicate with one another as well as outside networks such as the internet.

The Foundation: Switches

A network switch is the backbone of many networks within companies large and small. It acts very much like a controller and connect devices such as computers, printers, and servers to the network within a location. A switch creates a link of communication on your network, allowing devices to work with one another and outside networks, thus creating a system in which resources can be shared. When information is shared, in real time, across sources and available resources are shared businesses save time and money while increasing productivity.

There are two types of switches that IT professionals can install within your networking system: managed and unmanaged.

Managed Switches: A managed switch allows techs the ability to configure it for the needs of the network. Monitoring and adjustments can be made locally or remotely. This gives companies a greater control over the network’s traffic and accessibility.

Unmanaged Switches: An unmanaged switch is one that works right from the box however cannot be configured. This type of switch is most often not used in commercial IT but instead home networking equipment.

The Dispatcher: Routers

A router is used to join the devices on the network together. A router is also used to connect computers to the internet. Using a router in networking allows one single internet connection to be shared amongst users. Paying for individual internet connections for each computer within a company would be a huge expense without a beneficial increase in function performed.

As a dispatcher, a router examines the data that is sent across the network and pick a proper route for the data to voyage through the network to its final destination. A router is used to connect your business to the outside world while protecting the data from threats and deciding a priority over systems in the network.

There are a few types of routers to choose from including:

Routers with firewalls
Virtual private networks (VPN)
Internet Protocol (IP) communications system

Routers make basic networking functions possible while making networking easier and more secure.

Accessibility: Access Points

Access points are added to network to allow for connection without cables. This makes the process of bringing new equipment online simpler and allows for flexibility to mobile employees. An access point works in a similar fashion as an amplifier for the network. Routers provide bandwidth and the access point extends the bandwidth amongst many devices that are able to access the network from a near and far.

An access point is more than just a unit that extends the Wi-Fi signal. A network access point allows useful information about all of the devices on the network and provide proactivity security while serving other practical functions.

Creative Programs and Systems

Custom Servers, IT Consulting Company, Managed IT, networking

How Combining Professional Website Design and SEO Can Boost Your Online Business

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

When an online business launches a new website, careful consideration goes into their online image including the websites design and usability. Websites should be designed in a manner that allows visitors easy access to answers they are seeking. However, all of that is wasted if customers never visit a business’s website in the first place.

Search engine optimization, SEO is one part of a company’s marketing mix that helps to create a strong foundation for your company’s content strategy. On page content that is featured prominently in organic searches that beats out the competition for customer attention is just one goal. Good SEO design begins with the websites layout. Whether your business is currently designing your website or not, it’s important to ensure it’s getting the best search results possible.

SEO

SEO encompasses a series of activities that makes your website rank higher on various search engines. These activities include executing an SEO strategy, choosing to focus on long-tail keywords for website pages, and constantly generating new content on a blog. Search engines frequently update their search algorithm, which can be a problem for marketers and web designers. If you are running your own SEO strategy, you’ll need to monitor the changes and adjust accordingly.

Professional Website Design

Web design is the process of creating a website. This includes, layout design, graphics design, navigation, metadata, responsiveness to different resolutions, and content production. Web design also involves ensuring the website is programmed correctly and optimizing the speed. A professional website design communicates your brand messaging to the world, tells the story of your company, describes your services and products and can even sell directly online.

Combining both boost your online business, below are some aspect of SEO and website design that boost your online business.

Navigation

Navigation involves SEO and web design principles. The easier it is to navigate your site and find the information needed, the longer a visitor will stay on your site. A longer session leads to better SEO rankings. If customers cannot find what they’re looking for easily, they will abandon the site, and this affects your SEO ranking negatively. You can design an easily navigable site by using descriptive URLs, giving readers directions to find certain materials, and limiting the number of drop downs and sub-drop downs in your menus.

Engagement

Engagement on a web page depends on two things: the design and the content. To enhance the engagement on a page, you want the design to be pleasing to a reader’s eye because people make quick conclusions about a website based on appearance. Following the appearance is your content which is also a vital way of keeping a visitor on your site. Your homepage content should hook the visitor and make him want to read on. Content fall under both SEO and web design as content will help your SEO ranking and determine if a visitor stays on your page.

Speed

It is easy to focus on the visual appeal and website content over the mechanics behind how your website functions. This however often leads to a slower than average site that is bloated with useless information. If the website is slow upon loading people will abandon their effort. Many elements can come into play that can lead to a slow site; website elements including plugins, sharing buttons, and JavaScript that has not been optimized. All these are consequences of a poor website design. Search engines incorporate a variety of metrics into the algorithms they use to determine which sites are the most useful to users and therefore deserve higher organic rankings. This can include the use of keywords and long tailed keyword phrases, site links, and individual page load times. If your site loads too slow, search engines will favor other sites over it.

In conclusion, when SEO and a Professional web design come together, the result is a user-friendly, informative, and easy to find website that will maximize your sales.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com. To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

In-House or Outsourced IT Services: Which is Best for Your Business?

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Businesses of all sizes struggle with their own set of challenges. Amongst the challenges for small and mid-sized businesses, is that business owners often insist on doing everything themselves. The age-old adage, jack of all trades, master of none has not lost its meaning in 2018. Far too many business owners try to handle managed IT services on their own or in-house with employees that are not necessarily up on the latest in IT. The problem with this is that they are unaware of all that is involved in creating a successful IT solution for their business.

Properly managing IT systems for a company of any size involves:

Increasing equipment longevity
Boost system uptime
Monitor staff productivity
Secure data and systems
Patch management and updates
Oversee server reliability
Routine disaster recovery drills and tests
Hardware procurement and monitoring
Network management
Software licensing, installation, and upgrades
Filtering for spam
Server setup and management
Email maintenance
Detection and removal of spyware
Data backup systems
Disaster recovery solutions

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list but servers to point out the myriad of services that are typical within managed IT services. Most, if not all these activities require a highly specialized skillsets to perform. Business owners who skirt these issues by attempting to do all of them on their own will quickly find themselves swamped and unable to execute them effectively, not mentioning the hours that go into running their business. Even worse, many try to pass the buck onto employees who are unskilled in IT which causes several other problems, including less time to focus on their own tasks.

Outsourcing Managed IT Services

The solution, outsourcing managed IT services to an outside firm or team of professionals who specialize in IT services. There are several benefits of outsourcing your business’s IT services including:

Protection against outages and downtime
Cost-effective
Disaster recovery
Increased data security

Outsourcing IT services means that instead of relying on your own knowledge or employees that are unskilled in IT you can trust in a team of experts that are not only trained to perform IT tasks but is resourced to do so with maximum efficiency. No business owner wants to deal with downtime caused by equipment failure or server crashes. Qualified managed IT professionals have all the resources to handle your business while preventing outages.

Outsourcing your businesses IT services can be more cost-effective in the long run. Consider that salaries for technology experts are on the higher end of the scale. Recent estimates show starting salaries for technology professionals hover right above $50,000 a year. This means small to midsized businesses would be hard-pressed to afford to hire a permanent team to staff their IT department. Outsourcing IT work to an outside firm can help mitigate against the costs of hiring a permanent IT in-house team.

Professional Computer Consulting Saves Time and Money

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Nowadays businesses cannot run without technology. Business comes to a startling halt when software or program failures occur. When technology goes awry it affects day to day business. Most companies can’t afford the costs associated with downtime but also can’t absorb the expense of having an IT specialist on their payroll to fix issues with technology as they arise. A middle ground is reached through contract services in the form of managed IT.

Computer consultants are a precious commodity for businesses of all sizes. IT consultants are able to contract with a number of companies to basically be on call for a flat monthly service fee or hourly rate depending on the option that best fits your company’s IT needs. Some IT companies specializing in only one service whereas others venture into the tech world as a whole. Companies, such as Creative Programs and Systems offer clients a variety of services from website design to computer consulting which allows for an all-inclusive approach to IT services.

Hiring an IT consultant can save your company quite a bit of time and money in a variety of ways. For one there is no need for training or continued education to keep employees up to date with the latest technological advancements. There isn’t a need to pay employees overtime to work on computer issues after business hours or benefits which helps save on overhead expenses. Contracted services also don’t require paid sick time, vacation, or the expense of recruiting and training new employees when staff turns over.

Hiring IT consulting services is a win/win for business owners as well. From computer consultants, professionals can also learn how to more effectively run their business as those experts have picked up many new tricks of the trade from working with numerous companies over the years. A more efficiently run business will earn more money with less effort, which is helpful to those who are trying to find time to expand their services and grow their businesses.

Business owners who hire computer consultants will find that they are spending twenty-five to fifty percent less than they would if they hired their own on staff IT specialist. Computer consultant services are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, that is a great deal for any business. With this comes computer maintenance services, changes with websites, solving emergencies to eliminate downtime, and more.

By hiring computer consultant’s business owners and employees alike can focus more on everyday tasks rather than dealing with technological issues. Instead they can simply pick up the phone and make a call or send an email regarding the issues that are occurring, and a consultant will either remote in to your network or go on-site to ensure your problem is quickly taken care of.

Managed IT services not only save time but also money while making life simpler. Often in business the simple solution costs more, however in the case of computer consulting, it is in fact the most economical option.

Benefits of Managed IT Services Explained

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Regardless of the size of your company, you will need an IT, Information Technology, infrastructure if you are to function within the 21^st century. Qualified IT personnel are essential as the services they provide can save small, mid-sized, and large sized owners. Many times, small and mid-sized companies attempt to perform many IT tasks, roles, and functions in-house. This however can result in poor performance, systems failure, downtime, and even in some cases business failure. Below is a non-exhaustive list of services that a typical managed IT company performs for clients. These skills require

In order to save money many small to mid-sized business owner attempt to perform many IT tasks, roles and functions in-house. The result is poor performance, systems failure, downtime and even bankruptcy. Below is a non-exhaustive list of services required by a typical business and which require highly-skilled staff to complete.

Increasing the longevity and uptime of equipment
Monitoring staff productivity
Software upgrades, licensing, and installation
Spam filtering
Securing systems and data
Patch management and updates
Monitoring and ensuring server reliability
Routine disaster recovery drills and tests
Hardware procurements, monitoring, testing, and repair
Network management
Email server setup and management
Spyware detection and removal
Creating secure systems and complete system backups
Server builds, maintenance, upgrades, and installation

Each of the above tasks require highly-trained IT personnel and technical equipment in order to execute. When business owners skirt around this issue, attempting to do all these tasks in-house, will quickly find themselves facing the results that come from incompetent IT repairs.

Outsourced Managed IT Services

The solution to all most company’s IT problems is to hire the services of a managed IT company. Out sourcing professional IT consultants often saves companies time and money. It is important to have once company that is in charge of all of your IT needs. This ensures that accurate records are kept, your goals and objectives are known, and you have 24/7 access to professional IT service consultants.

Companies looking for the best IT solution will hire an outsource IT services company. Not only will it save your company money it decreases downtime and increases the longevity of your technology as maintenance and upkeep is done on a schedule unique to your needs.

Optimizing Your Blog Posts for SEO Purposes

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Blogging is one of the most effective ways of interacting with one’s audience. Regardless of niche, your fan base, prospects, or existing customers and clients need a continuous flow of refresher information about you, your products and services. Research shows businesses and organizations that are constantly engaged with their base do a better job of not only keeping those customers but of staying competitive.

When it comes to interactivity, blogging serves as one of the most effective strategies. This shows in the sheer number of blogs that go are launched every day. But with so much content and competition, how does your blog actually stand out? The answer is SEO (search engine optimization). According to information database Wikipedia, SEO “is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results is often referred to as organic results.

There are many wonderful blogs out there. An even greater number stay “undiscovered” and only get a trickle of visitors. This is because their blog posts are not optimized for SEO purposes. In other words, the blogger did a great job of writing but forgot to prep the post for their target audience and the search engines. In this article, we’ll discuss actual steps a blogger can take to optimize their blog post for SEO purposes:

Content uniqueness

This cannot be over-emphasized. Search engines reward content that is unique. Copying content from other sites or engaging in plagiarism can not only have legal repercussions, it can result in the search engines ignoring that particular post.

Keyword research

A lot of bloggers write around the topics they’re either passionate or knowledgeable about. While this is great, they forget that the search engines are scientific tools which rely on complex algorithms to locate relevant content based on targeted keywords. A great strategy would be to first conduct keyword research to determine the most trafficked keywords in that niche then preparing content around those keywords. One of the best free keyword research tools includes the Google keyword planner tool. Others such as Spyfu avail more data for a fee.

Entering correct Metadata

Once the blog post has been posted, the next step would be to ensure the search engines can find it. This step involves inputting the proper metadata to the post. Blogging platforms such as WordPress come with add-ons or plugins that allow the blogger to attach keywords to the page title, description and post itself. Additionally, bloggers can tag their posts with the relevant keywords.

Linking structure

In order to determine how well to rank a post, search engines check for inbound and outbound links. Outbound links point to other similar authority sites. Search engines also check for the internal linking structure within the site itself. This means checking whether the post links to other relevant posts within the same site. Many bloggers overlook this. Inbound links are also important. They are used by the search engines to determine the page authority of that post and thus how well it will rank.

Images and videos

According to the search engines, a good blog post will have relevant images and preferably a video. It is recommended that the blogger embed an image or video within the content. Blogging platforms such as WordPress make this relatively easy. The image should also be tagged with the relevant “alt” text. Embedding a popular video from YouTube can help give the post more authority and thus better rankings.

Social media

Search engines have also been known to check for social signals. Because of the importance they attach to social media, they check whether there are any mentions or links to the post in the popular social media and social bookmarking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Mix.

Common Problems with The Latest Windows 10 Update

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Computer consulting is a term used by someone who offers a wide range of computer services to individuals and businesses. Computer repair is one of the more common of all of the services that consultants perform. Computer repairs can be as simple as replacing or installing new hardware, but it can also include more in-depth repairs like software or OS issues.

A computer consultant may do work for both commercial businesses and also residential computer repair depending on the way they set up their business. The operating system of a computer frequently causes a number of issues that people have with their computers and Windows 10 is the most current version of Microsoft Windows that comes preloaded.

Unfortunately, like most of the Microsoft Windows operating systems over the years, Windows 10 has had its own share of problems that people have complained about. These common problems probably make up a large portion of the computer repair requests. We came up with a list of the top ten common problems with the latest Windows 10 update

Website Mobile Friendly

Every website should also look amazing on all types of platforms, which means that the custom web design that a person chooses should work well on both mobile and desktop platforms. After all, in this day and age, more and more people are browsing the internet on their mobile devices or smaller tablets. If a website is not easy to use on those platforms, a person is not going to want to stay on the site for too long. Not being mobile friendly can affect the search engine rankings of any website even more than a website that isn’t user friendly on a desktop platform.

The Correct Amount Of Information On Home Page

A custom web design is also necessary to ensure that a person has the proper amount of content on their first page, so that it ranks accordingly for search engine placement. A website that has a photograph and a few words is going to rank a lot lower than a custom designed website that has enough pertinent information available to get it higher in the search engine rankings.

Custom Website For SEO Benefits

The bottom line is that search engine rankings incorporate a lot of the smaller details and it is easier to place all those small details on a custom web design than on a website that is ready for a person to fill in the blanks with their own information.

Website Trends For 2018

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Search engine optimization was, still is, and will continue to unequivocally be one of the most effective ways that a business can use to ensure that their online marketing initiative and presence remains relevant. Search engine marketing is a growing practice that gives organic channels the proper attention that all businesses can’t afford to ignore as far as using Google or other search engines to push quality over quantity for users.

With an emphasis on a more experience-centric web, businesses are more aware of user behavior trends, which has forced them to create novel experiences through various product and content innovation. Therefore, for your website to do what you intended it for and for it to be functional, but most importantly, convert visitors, the following are website design trends that may help you accomplish this goal:

Mobile-Friendly Website Design

Mobile browsing has become more popular than desktop, therefore, minimizing the menu to fit mobile screens as well as using responsive designs, as well as including a viewport meta tag and condensing your font and button sizes will make your website more mobile-friendly.

Using Animated or Particle Backgrounds

Using eye-catching animation or movement as part of your background as opposed to the traditional photos or videos is huge this year, particle animation being the most popular choices in website design. It livens up your dull site and often static background to give it a 3D feel that provides users with an exciting experience while on your website.

Bold Typography

Your typography of choice can be an effective tool to use that will both garner attention and pull visitors in. The oversized, interactive, and visible text is the first thing that users see, and it is a simple website design that will not only provide a clear message, but also an easy navigation that leads your visitors exactly where you want them to be and see.

Bold Color Schemes

Bold colors are known to communicate with a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which has a direct influence on our mood, emotion, behavior, and user interaction. Utilizing brighter tones in web design is more likely to entice users to interact with content and respond to calls to action (CTA).

Grid-Based Web Design

Utilizing a grid-based website design allows for a clean, well-organized design and user-friendly navigation, which basically portrays balance and symmetrical layout that users are likely to interact longer with.