2020 has been a difficult year for both humans and businesses. The main reason is that many things have changed that need adaptation. We’ve seen huge shifts in a working environment – a lot of offices are locked and people are starting to adapt to working from home.

We are all beginning to master working digitally and seek support from various apps such as Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc.

In 2021 it’s important to prepare ourselves and our businesses for a new era of technology.

It’s important to take some time and look from a different angle – the COVID19 pandemic has fastened cloud-based data implementation for every business and therefore raised the demand for a remote workforce. A lot of businesses start to find solutions to have a fruitful 2021. Companies tend to increase technology budgets and invest in third-party managed services. MSP now is needed more than ever.

 

What is a Managed IT Service?

Managed IT services include every kind of technological service and support handled by an outside company through a cloud-based platform. Those information technological solutions provide 24 hours of monitoring, support, and on-time troubleshooting.

For instance, managed IT service may include: remote monitoring; management of your network; managing live video conferences; server maintenance; cloud-based storage, and taking cybersecurity measures.

 

What can MSP do for modern businesses?

You would have already noticed that the vast majority of businesses are moving to the cloud. There are some reliable service providers, such as Microsoft – Office 365 and Google – G Suite – both of them are on the cloud.

There was a time when managing services was harder because there was only one way to deal with technical issues and find solutions for an everyday task in the office. During that time, if a server had a malfunction the only solution was to call a professional, explain the problem and find solutions afterward.

In the 21st century, people try to save time and be more productive so that waiting for problems to arise and solve them afterward by yourself isn’t an effective option. Dependency on technology, automated systems, and digital databases has increased so companies tend to seek reliable solutions for their business. If a network goes down or an e-mail server is out of function, you’ll encounter a loss in productivity and revenue which could be disastrous.

Due to the higher risks, there’s a need for security and managed IT support to prevent failures and develop your company.

 

When there’s a need for technical support there are two options:   

Physically – Calling a technician to your location for diagnosing and fixing the problem afterward, charging an hourly rate.

Managed IT Services – which gives you all-around monitoring and consistent relationship between you and service provider, charging you a monthly service fee.

Physically service solutions might not sound good considering that the harder is the issue the more money your company has to pay; you can’t trust technician because they get paid every time you call them which means they would love to be called more often; the hourly rate may mean prolonged repair time.

 

Why managed IT support is good for small companies?

Operational efficiency plays a major part in every company, but not all businesses are equally equipped to maintain this efficiency. Small businesses have limited IT resources because they can’t invest a lot of money in which means they can be lagged easily in the latest IT trends, updates, network management, cybersecurity.

For many small companies’ ideal solution is managed IT support which is offered by Far Out Solutions.

The future is now!

 

The earlier you adapt to new technologies more competitive your business will be. With early adoption comes the need to learn and acquire all essential skills quickly.  You’ll need a lot of time to develop all the necessary skills or money to train or hire staff. The easier and most reliable solution is to use a managed IT provider.

 

If you’re still unsure whether managed IT solutions are right for your business you can contact the Far Out Solutions team, which offers the best support service for a good value.

Your network is an easily overlooked aspect of almost all businesses. Who can blame them? It is not something that even people check at their own homes. However, it is a crucial part of every business and one that you cannot afford to lose. Not for a single moment. Imagine you are riding a bullet train at speeds that can literally peel your face off, and one of the rails that the train is running on suddenly collapsed or better yet went missing. In this scenario what do you think about the outcome? It’s a disaster waiting to happen, to prevent that you have to get an expert to take care of the rails and every aspect of the train to ensure a smooth and safe ride. Much like the train, your network should always be in tip-top shape. That is when a Network Assessment is an absolute must.

 

Why is a Network Assessment Necessary?

That is almost the same question as to why do humans need to breathe. Your network can be considered the veins that run through the entire business. From your printers, lobby display, and every single computer is connected to the network, that much is pretty obvious to most people. However, the maintenance aspect of it is not very common knowledge. Now imagine the server to be the brain, the hubs, and network switches to be the heart and the network cables to be the veins.

Now just like doctors that would diagnose a sick person, in a business scenario, it would take a whole team to ensure that everything is running smoothly. IT engineers, field technicians, network analysts, and IT Help Desks work hand in hand to isolate a single issue in your network. It takes a whole team of professionals to get things done. This is simply because each task has to be handled by a different expert in that field. Again much like doctors that have specialties like Cardiologists, Neurologists, and Podiatrists, your network has so many experts as well to keep everything running and continuously, then monitoring it to prevent or even prepare for future updates and upgrades when needed. These are just the tip of the iceberg, getting into details can take a whole year to probably explain.

 

Far Our Solutions leading experts in the field of Network Assessment have been trusted and been by fortune 500 companies across the country. Celebrities and Politicians alike have trusted us to this day. Our comprehensive package includes:

● Technology Management: planning, support, and documentation
● Network Topology: design, cable plant, and Internet connectivity
● Network Security: firewall, perimeter, physical and wireless security
● Server Infrastructure: hardware, operating systems, and storage
● Network Services: directory services, administrative policies, remote access, and redundancy
● Network Applications: communication, collaboration, and financial management
● Cloud Services
● PC Fleet

 

Things to Consider to Have a Successful Network Assessment

● Identify and visualize your network

Easier said than done. To be able to have a mental image of how and what your network is like to see areas of improvement and better delegate tasks to your field team so that their work will not only be efficient and effective but also precise and accurate.

● Prepare the necessary tools and personnel

Once you are able to identify the issue you’d want your team to be able to resolve the issue with the right kind of equipment and the right kind of field expert for that particular issue. This will not only save you time and money to perform but also a form of prevention to a major equipment failure.

● Consider your business technical capacity

You have to be honest with yourselves in order to confirm whether or not your business has the technical capability to process it. If not you can rely on 3rd party providers that offer a comprehensive package in Network Assessment.

● Safety and Security

When considering the idea of hiring a 3rd party to take care of your network you have to do your research in order to ensure the safety of the entirety of your business.

The dawn of a new era is finally here, the advancement and development of emerging technology are going to skyrocket. Hold on to your seats! Get ready to be blown away. Right now, there’ll be no excuse for your home not to have an internet connection. It has now been a commodity consumed side by side with electricity, water, and gas for your home. Now that your device such as your Smartphone, laptop, PC, and other systems can connect to your home network. What if we could take things further, say your coffee maker turns on at a specific time. Your light dims, on your preferred mood with a touch of a button. The laundry starts spinning on your way home from a busy day, then the music starts playing as you walk through your door. Sounds like a dream? Well, it is all possible today.

 

What You Need For Your Smart Home Setup

Aside from getting your piggy bank out of your closet, there are numerous items to start with. Even before you think about the other upgrades to the latest and the best type of automated coffee maker out there, you might want to consider your home security first. After all, with the money, you’ll spend on your upgrade, you want to be safe in the comfort of your own home. Let us discuss the specifics.

• Smart Home Hubs and Controllers
• Lighting
• Entertainment
• Room Climate Management / Energy Efficiency

Smart Home Hubs and Controllers are where you will interact with your smart home system. Most of the things that you can do with it can also be done on your phone, but the hubs and controllers are dedicated devices that works best for its purpose. Needless to say, your Smart Home setup would not have been complete without a functioning light that sets up the mood in every room in your home. It should match your entertainment system that has been placed in your room or dedicated home cinema. Then to top it all off, your room should always be at the temperature that you prefer. This will also allow you to save on electricity consumption.

 

Completing the Setup for Your Smart Home

Assessing your home by providing you with a thorough and in-depth rundown of every nook and cranny of your home is no easy task, as tedious and time-consuming as it may sound, Far Out Solutions leading Smart Home assessment is trusted even by celebrities to set up their Smart Home. Our team of IT and Engineers have the perfect solution for your every need.

 

Get in touch with us to see where we can improve or start your Smart Home today.

Today’s technology is so fast and advances that any normal individual or even a company can easily be left behind. Here’s a great example, go buy any brand of smartphones that you can think of, the most popular ones are of course iPhone series, the Samsung S series and so much more. I can literally fill up a whole page with just the name of the manufacturer alone. Now after you’ve bought it, wait a couple of months and I guarantee it, there’s going to be a new model of that “new” smartphone that you’ve just purchased. Most tech-savvy or tech enthusiasts would call this nowadays as “tech year”. In between each new release or every quarter they consider this as a tech year. If you’ve held on to a device for 12 months that’s already considered as 4 tech years. It is both quite fascinating and a little bit scary at the same time.

 

Do Not Get Left Behind

Now that I’ve at least broaden your understanding about how you have to keep up, let me now introduce one of the most vital components of any technology, the Video, and Audio hardware. The peripherals alone are enough to overwhelm the average joe, trying to discern among the audio cables such as XLR male, XLR female, TRS, RCA cables, to the digital ones, firewire, thunderbolt, MIDI Cables, there’s also the optical cable, which is a whole new category. All of these are just the tip of the iceberg, we haven’t even discussed the video components yet and the amount of information that I’ve hurled at you so far is enough to make you open up a new tab on your browser to check these types of cables.

 

Allow us, at Far Out Solutions to take care of that soon-to-be surefire headache of an upgrade to your existing audio and video equipment. We’re not talking about an installation that a quick youtube search can fix, it is an installation that will require a professional to assess, plan, and finally execute as a project.

 

Solutions Designs and Implementation

Designing an upgrade to any infrastructure would take a considerable about of time and effort to do. Taking into consideration all the existing components that can still be integrated with the upgrade is a tedious task, that requires years of experience and expertise. Luckily we have both, let us take care of all that for you. Our highly trained employees, composed of engineers and IT professionals have with them decades of practical knowledge that sets them apart from most. We want every single project that we take on to be as personal as possible, we care about your growth and we’ll grow along with you.

It is no secret that smart home security systems are on the rise throughout the United States. Countless security companies advertise their ease of smart systems. Here are a list of four reasons why homeowners are choosing smart security systems:

 

Lower Your Energy Bills

One of the biggest reasons why homeowners enjoy these security systems is because they save on energy costs. By using these security systems in your home, you do not need to worry that your air conditioning or heating will turn on while you are out. Instead, you simply program the cooling or heating systems to turn on at certain times or according to the weather.

 

Keep You In Control

Another reason why home security systems are popular is because of the increased control they give homeowners. With the ability to have cameras around the praminidar of your home, you can keep an eye on your home and property. They take security a step further by offering the feature of using cameras indoors. You can even make sure your kids or your pet are not getting into the pantry to sneak a treat.

 

Up To Date With Technology

They do not call these security systems smart for anything. These systems seamlessly connect with your computer, laptop, iPad, or even your phone. That way, you can always be aware of things around your home whether that is seeing the children playing outside or keeping you and your loved ones safe from a break-in. Not only can you view a live feed of the happenings from your home on your living room couch, but also from anywhere in the United States. That’s right, you can be 2,000 miles away and still access many of the features smart systems have to offer.

 

There to Protect You

Most importantly, the smart system will keep you and your loved ones safe with door locks, smoke detectors, and other alarm systems. With smart security systems, you can rest easy knowing you truly are safe.

 

Contact Far Out Solutions to secure your first smart home security system. They have many customizable features to let you live more comfortably. Just a few of the things they offer are door locks, smart lights, smart climate controls, smart access control for garages, smoke detectors, and alarm systems. Do not wait, contact Far Out Solutions, they are the best solution to upgrading your home.

Our businesses and homes are places we feel secure in. Building security is a preventative measure taken to avoid loss or damage sustained during an attack or breach. Oftentimes, however, we fail to place a strong emphasis on protecting not only the physical structures but also the people who are in the dwellings, the equipment, and the data contained therein. A few simple measures can protect your assets from theft, damage, or compromise.

 

Physical Access Controls

Access control is the process of restricting access to a particular location within a building or dwelling. Items that can be controlled include, but are not limited to, doors, safes, gates or turnstiles. Some ways to gain access to these areas are through the use of PINs, fingerprints, badges, facial scans and key fobs.

 

Network Access Controls

In addition to securing access to physical areas in your location, you can also secure network access. Some examples of network access include fire alarms, intruder alarms, lighting, and CCTV. Network access can be unique to each user, which is beneficial in businesses. Network access in homes can be also be allocated according to the user.

 

Video Surveillance

Video surveillance enables users to monitor activity and conditions in and around a building from a remote location. The activity is recorded in real-time and can be collected and stored if desired. Surveillance not only protects buildings from potential break-ins but can also protect against vandalism as well. Surveillance is popular among homeowners as they can view their homes from their mobile devices when on vacation.

Perimeter Security

Perimeter security is another component of security systems that protect locations from intruders. Some examples of perimeter security include fences, railings, walls, and gates. These structures deter potential intruders from attempting to gain unauthorized access to the property. For heightened security, detection systems and sensors can determine if a person is physically present on a property. Locations needing protection for operations find great benefit to detection systems. Examples of these types of companies would be correctional institutions, government buildings, transportation facilities, and utility buildings.

 

Insurance Benefits

The addition of security systems can help you earn discounts on your insurance. Whether for a business or a home, many insurance companies provide policy discounts when additional security measures are established. It is felt that these systems reduce risk and are less likely to originate an insurance claim. You should ask your insurance advisor how a security system could help reduce your premiums. This is just one additional way that preventative measures can benefit your home or office.

As the world increasingly gets digitized, technologies become more entrenched in our daily lives – even in our homes. Today, it is challenging to come home to a house that does not have WiFi connectivity, a new basic requirement for quality of life. Our children will be the first to tell you this, as they are growing up in an age where connectivity is now a must, and access to everything that they could want is at their fingertips. If you are yet to scale up to meet all these new demands for your home, getting a package for services by a residential managed provider is recommended.

 

First things first, though: what exactly is a residential managed IT services provider? A managed services provider, in simple terms, takes care of all the technologies that you would like to have in your residential property for maximum convenience, consistent connectivity, and support for issues and emergencies. Getting a package from such a business will equip your home for a lot of advantages, the best three of which will be discussed below.

 

Comfortable Management of Necessary Technologies

According to industry forecasts, the average person will have 6.58 connected devices by 2020, which translates to nearly 50 billion network-connected devices around the world. That’s only 6 months away. And as early as now, we are seeing why that prediction won’t be far off. In our homes, we typically have at least more than two devices that connect to the Internet, such as our smartphones and our laptops. If you have children who are age-eligible to use gadgets, that number will only increase. A residential managed IT services provider can help you make better sense of all the technologies that your house will need for connectivity, including your WiFi, phone and intercom systems, and even security and surveillance. Your provider will take care of all these suites and make sure that your residential property stays connected to the technologies that make life better.

 

More Functionality and Less Stress

If you are not well-versed in the ways by which all these new technologies work, chances are you will have a tough time making them work when they don’t want to. Printing, for instance, is a very important function that needs to be managed properly; the problem is, setting up a wireless printer so that anybody in the house can successfully print anything that they want to is not going to be that easy. A managed IT services provider will install, implement, and maintain all your connectivity systems to drive smooth functionality in your home, while also saving you from the hassles of fixing technical issues or, just as bad, requiring unhelpful customer support.

 

Cost-Efficient Service Inclusions

Finally, a residential managed provider can offer savings in cost and time that you would otherwise not have access to if you were winging it on your own. Far Out Solutions, for instance, offers a package that starts with first understanding your specific needs, as well as the current setup in your home, so that you can make the most out of the service. For a fixed monthly price, your audio/video devices will be updated to their latest firmware versions whenever they are available, you won’t need to deal with separate bills from technology vendors, and you are treated to the peace of mind that only comes with knowing that whatever it is that you may need, you can depend on your provider to deliver that for you.

Although technology has been able to bring the world together and advance virtually all aspects of modern society, there is one area that hasn’t quite been able to keep up with demand: cybersecurity.

Unfortunately, as the world becomes more and more dependent on technology, the chances of businesses and organizations being attacked also increases. As a small or medium-sized business owner, what can you do to protect your company?

Fortunately, managed service providers (MSPs) like Far Out Solutions are here to help. Let’s look at how MSPs can help mitigate the problems you face online and how they can protect your business from a worst-case scenario.

 

By the Numbers: the Cybersecurity Threat

It seems that every few months or so, there’s a headline about a major corporation getting attacked by hackers or malware. While these attacks can be devastating for the companies involved since most of them are massive entities, it’s easy to assume that only enterprise-level organizations are being hit, right?

 

According to recent data, up to 61 percent of small and medium businesses were attacked, and over half of them experienced a data breach. The cost of these attacks can range from a few thousand to over a million dollars, so prevention is always the best approach.

 

How Managed Service Providers Can Help?

When looking at the reasons why small and medium businesses are attacked, we can notice a couple of trends. Fifty-four percent of companies said that employee negligence or misconduct led directly to the breach. Seventy-three percent of respondents said that insufficient personnel and budgeting for IT solutions contributed to the lack of cybersecurity.

 

Fortunately, when you utilize a managed service provider, you can get access to qualified and trained cybersecurity experts, as well as better infrastructure to both prevent and remove threats that occur.

 

Here are a few benefits that you can expect:

Full-Time Monitoring

Chances are, you don’t have employees who can monitor your network for threats at three in the morning. MSPs like Far Out Solutions have round-the-clock cybersecurity professionals watching out for threats.

 

Updated Cybersecurity Systems

As protective software and technology improve, hackers, become more sophisticated. Malware and ransomware of today could easily overrun the cybersecurity programs of yesteryear, meaning that you have to make sure your network is updated consistently. While that may be an issue for you, it’s not a problem for MSPs.

 

Faster Performance

Managed service providers are designed to help businesses and organizations maintain a high-quality and high-speed network. Thus, using these services ensures that your company can operate at a competitive level, all without having to worry about things like updates, patches, and other routine maintenance.

 

Contact Far Out Solutions Today

Your business can’t afford to be the victim of a cyber attack. Contact us today to find out more about our cybersecurity solutions so that you can get the peace of mind you deserve.

Today’s businesses know that success cannot simply be measured by bottom-line profit. Smart entrepreneurs are aware that the game has changed, and those who want to keep up with it have to adapt and adopt the necessary technologies that are fundamentally critical to successful business operations. Perhaps the most critical component is the implementation and maintenance of an effective data and voice network design that will support all of the current and future Information Technology (IT) infrastructure requirements.

 

The best managed IT service providers know that effective network design should aim at the successful evaluation, understanding, and scoping of the requirements of a secure, resilient, and scalable data and voice network. It often involves the creation of a network diagram to be used as a blueprint for the physical design of the network, and it typically includes:

• A logical map of the network
• Cabling structure
• Quantity, type, and location of network devices (router, switches, etc.)
• Wireless network design and access point (AP) locations with associated Heat Map
• IP addressing structure
• Network security architecture and overall network security processes

 

If it is your first time designing one, make sure that you focus on these major areas for consideration to help streamline the process for maximum efficiency.

 

Data Security

Data security should be among the most significant priorities for any business that needs to work on their network design. Connectivity is the end goal of the system, yes, but it should not lose sight of protecting all the data generated by that connectivity, whether internal or external. Your IT team should have solid security protocols in place for data storage, data access, and data protection.

 

Redundancy and Backing Up

Since we’re already discussing data security, it is necessary to make redundancy and backing up a part of the conversation. Why? Even the most secure network can fall prey to major risks that can damage the integrity of their data through unauthorized access or other major security mishaps. Redundancy makes sure that you have the right backup devices that can take over mission-critical components if one of them fails or inoperable. For instance, having two servers means that one can take over for the other if it requires maintenance, gets attacked, or otherwise becomes lost to the network. Similarly, if connectivity to the Internet is a must for your company at all times, you should look at having more than one connection set up to minimize downtime during unfortunate situations.

 

Disaster Recovery

Finally, design measures for data recovery. These may cover provisions for backup power, data backup mechanics, and standardization of protocols and procedures for network or server crashes. And they should include all types of potential disasters, ranging from those that happen in the office to the entire metropolitan.

As one of your trusted managed IT, service providers, Far Out Solutions offers a whole suite of services to help businesses create, implement, and maintain the best possible network. Talk to us today!

It’s true that there’s never a wrong time to buy new technology, but what’s the best time? The beginning of a new year, of course! With every new year comes new technology innovating the way you get business done. Your goals are fresh in your mind with a strategic plan to achieve them, and now you have a stronger infrastructure to support you along the way.

Last month’s 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas, attracting over 170,000 attendees and showcasing thousands of new technologies, and these five CES products are going to skyrocket your productivity:

 

Asus Lyra Trio

Think of all the spots in your office that your Wi-Fi signal doesn’t reach. Now, imagine all the tasks you could cross off your to-do list if those dead spots didn’t exist. Asus announced the release of the Lyra Trio and the end of your dead spots. The Lyra Trio is a dual-band, tri-hub mesh Wi-Fi system with unique antenna placement that delivers Wi-Fi to every corner of your office, so you can check off all of your online tasks with no interruptions.

 

Lenovo Miix Tablet 630

Who wants to lug around a laptop while traveling? But on the other hand, some tablets just don’t offer the functionalities you need to get work done. The new Lenovo Miix Tablet 630 brings working on the go to a whole new level. The tablet provides the power and productivity of a laptop with the always-on and connected mobility of a smartphone while weighing less than three pounds. You can even get up to 20 hours of work done before needing to find an outlet.

The Pup Pocket Scanner

Doesn’t it seem like you only ever need a scanner when you don’t have access to one? Well, say goodbye to low-quality images of documents taken on your phone, and hello to high quality and easily stored images. The Pup Pocket Scanner, dubbed the world’s fastest pocket scanner, is a powerful tool that allows you to scan, store and share all of your important documents with just one click.

 

Aura

Among the hundreds of CES products unveiled last month, smart home security systems were a hot topic. And, among those products, Aura was by far the most popular. With this new security system, you no longer need a camera or infrared sensors to track unusual activity in your home or office. Just plug Aura into an outlet and she’ll monitor the WiFi radio waves that fill your office. When these patterns are interrupted, Aura knows that motion is occurring, so you can keep track of who comes in and out of your home and when someone’s in there who shouldn’t be.

 

Dell XPS 15 2-in-1

Old machines slow you down and hold your productivity hostage. You need a laptop with functionality that makes your workday easier. The Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is all that and more. Fold it back to form a tablet with its 360-degree hinge and utilize its 15-hour battery life while enjoying its portability.

We understand that finding and implementing new technologies to your infrastructure that help achieve your goals can be challenging and overwhelming. We’re here to make it easier for you and help you succeed. Get in touch with us today and schedule your free consultation.