Great Lakes Tech Services logo and contact info. Take time for at least an annual free technology review to maintain a good grasp on where you're at.
FREE, General Interest, News, Saving Money, Security, Small Business Networks, VoIP Services

Annual Free Technology Review Offer

Annual Free Technology Review

Annual Free Technology Review time!  This is an excellent time to think about the advances in technology that you’ve made over the past year and what you want to accomplish in the coming year.

Great Lakes Tech Services - Take time for at least an annual free technology review to maintain a good grasp on where you're at.
Take time for at least an annual free technology review to maintain a good grasp on where you’re at. Great Lakes Tech Services

Start by thinking about the changes you’ve made in 2022 and prior, and how you benefited.

When you take stock, you may well find that you’ve made greater strides than you realize.  Maybe you upgraded some equipment, maybe you implemented some new software.  How have these changes improved the way you work?

Next, the fun part – consider what you want to accomplish in 2023.  Think about your goals first… then consider how to accomplish those goals within your budget.

We encourage prospects and clients to do at least an annual free technology review…to take time to share their accomplishments and their goals with us so that we can help accomplish those goals securely – perhaps more fluidly and effectively – and most cost-effectively, within budget. 

If you are looking for an MSP – Managed Service Provider – we hope you’ll take a look at what we have to offer with a free SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis.  For serious prospects and clients we recommend a detailed Annual Free Technology Review.

We like to keep up-to-date on our clients’ operations, and we like to keep clients up-to-date on the latest and greatest security services, backup tools, and other technology tools and services available.

Our clients in Jefferson, Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties and outliers will be contacted soon to have just such a meeting.  

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Please contact us with questions.  We do invite you to engage with us on social media (just not for immediate needs).  Best to callemail or visit our site for the best response.  

As always, if you like, you will find us on the following social media sites, among many others:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

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Image of Intel Chips for blog about Intel Chip Shortages
General Interest, News, Small Business Networks

Two Years On, Intel Chip Shortages Continue

Two years ago, almost exactly, I wrote about the Intel chip shortages created by their manufacturing debacle. Intel was moving production from 14nm toward newer, potentially faster 10nm technology. Their manufacturing process did not go well, to say the least. This caused a chip shortage, since Intel supplies the lion’s share of Central Processing Units – CPUs, often referred to as computer chips, or just chips. Image of Intel Chips for blog about Intel Chip ShortagesNow, two years later and with a new CEO in place, Intel has stepped back to 14nm and increased production. That should be good news for availability, but demand has only increased in the meantime. 

Meanwhile, competitor AMD moved to 7nm chips manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) who uses a different process. AMD currently beats Intel for performance in its top-of-the-line chips. In spite of that, I’m rooting hard for Intel, who manufactures their chips mostly in the US and Europe. Many of our clients are manufacturers, so we prefer to support US manufacturing when possible.

In late 2020, supply improved and you could actually get your hands on a PC rather easily. It seemed the shortage was over. WRONG! In March of 2021, here we go again! Searching for a particular HP computer this morning yielded NOTHING from several suppliers including the HP Store. A few minutes of searching the Internet led me to articles and videos about global chip shortages. Here’s a video of HP’s CEO talking about component shortages for PC’s and printers.

Note that HP’s stock prices and profits are better than ever. Their numbers COULD be even better if the supply could meet the demand! HP says that demand for PC’s is 45% greater than HP’s projections from only a few months ago. As I write this, my main supplier shows my go-to PC is out of stock and 1,350 are on order with no promised date.

This chip shortage affects more than computers and laptops. According to an article on CNBC, auto makers are slowing or halting production due to chip shortages.  Auto makers are always in the news, but think about all the other devices that are now “smart.”  These chip shortages impact many, many industries.

Of course, we will survive this latest problem, but patience and flexibility will be required, just like in 2019 and 2020!

Take care and be well!

 

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Please contact us with questions.  Best to call, email or visit our site for best response.  We do invite you to engage with us on social media (just not for immediate needs).  

As always, if you like, you will find us on the following social media sites, among many others:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

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Cytracom Logo for Mullarky Business Systems Partners page and post
Geek Stuff, News, Security, Small Business Networks, VoIP Services

See the new Mullarky Business Systems Partners Page

We have a new Mullarky Business Systems Partners page.   

Find the page (much like this post) at https://www.greatlakests.com/about/great-lakes-tech-services-partners/

Mullarky business systems is proud to work with many fine global, national and Wisconsin firms – all there to help us do a better job of serving you, our clients.  Here’s a sampling of Mullarky Business Systems Partners:

Datto

Datto - Datto provides our preferred backup solution. Their big advantage is recovery time. A conventional file-based backup is fine for some businesses, but in most cases, downtime is VERY costly. Datto shrinks downtime dramatically. We have been an active Datto partner since 2014.

http://Datto.com

Cytracom

Cytracom - Mullarky Business Systems, LLC is a Cytracom partner. Eliminate your phone lines and run your phone system over your existing computer network. We are able to install Cytracom systems with no contract, and FREE phones.

https://Cytracom.com

Hewlett Packard

HP - Hewlett Packard is our preferred brand for PC's. Our standard desktop has an i5 processor and a solid-state drive. Hewlett Packard Enterprise spun off from HP in 2015. HPE is our preferred provider of servers, SAN's and related equipment.

https://HP.com

Intel

Intel - Mullarky Business Systems, LLC exclusively sells systems powered by Intel processors.

http://Intel.com

Barracuda

Barracuda - E-mail Security - Barracuda offers spam and virus filtering for e-mail domains. Barracuda charges a minimum of 50 seats. We maintain an account and sub-divide it, allowing smaller clients to take advantage of this service at a very reasonable price.

https://www.Barracuda.com

Microsoft

Microsoft - We work on Windows servers and Windows clients. Most of the PC's run Microsoft Office software. We are very familiar with Microsoft's products and have been a Microsoft partner since day one.

https://www.Microsoft.com

Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 Services - Office 365 can give a small business the advantages of an Exchange e-mail server without the expense of having one in-house. If desired, you can step-up to a plan that lets each user run Microsoft Office on their devices.

https://Products.Office.com

Sonicwall

SonicWall - This is our preferred firewall for small companies. It is capable of advanced features, but is fairly simple to program.

https://www.SonicWall.com

Web Root

Webroot - Mullarky Business Systems, LLC offers Webroot to its clients for virus/malware prevention. We've been using Webroot since 2016 and it offers a number of advantages for service providers. Most importantly, it's effective!

https://www.WebRoot.com/us/en/business

Eaton

Eaton is a leading provider of backup power UPS, or uninterruptible power systems. Eaton UPSs deliver high quality, reliable backup power for everything from network closets and server rooms to enterprise and colocation data centers.

http://www.Eaton.com/us/en-us/products/backup-power-ups-surge-it-power-distribution/backup-power-ups.html

OnYourMark

OnYourMark - Keith Klein is my "web site guy". There are a lot of "web site guys" and I could even do this myself. Keith's strength is the online marketing that accompanies the web site.

https://www.OnYourMark.com/

WisOwners

Wisconsin Business Owners - I started attending this Meetup group in 2011 and I'm still a member. In fact, I am now an organizer. We meet monthly for a Lunch and Learn. The speakers are great and the food is good. The networking has been very valuable.

https://www.WisOwners.com/

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photo of laptop - HP ProBook450G5 - part of our computer buying guide.
Geek Stuff, General Interest, News

Computer Buying Guide: Minimum Standards for Business PC Purchases

Computer Buying Guide – August 2018

My friends and relatives, as well as clients, look at us as their “computer buying guide.”  They often ask for advice when buying a new desktop or laptop/tablet.   Here are some general guidelines that I go by:

Here are the main elements to consider in a computer buying guide:  
The Processor, RAM, Storage, and Operating System

Processor: If possible, buy an i5 or i7 processor.  I do not sell lesser processors in desktops or laptops anymore. At one time, they made sense because of the price gap. As I write this, an i3 processor is $70 less than an i5 in the same computer. According to cpubenchmark.net, the i3 scores a PassMark of 5493, while the i5 scores 8038. Most people reach a level of dissatisfaction with their computer’s performance and that’s when they decide to replace it. The i5 will take longer to reach that point. If you run demanding programs, like SolidWorks for instance, go for an i7. If you can’t tell which processor is faster, go to cpubenchmark.net and enter the processor model in the search box. Look at the “price performance comparison” and you’ll see a rating for CPUMark. The higher the number the better.

HP ProDesk 400 G4 - meets solid minimum standards per our computer buying guide
HP ProDesk 400 G4 – meets solid minimum standards per our computer buying guide

Mobile:  If you’re shopping for a tablet, you will encounter different mobile versions of processors. These use less power to increase battery life and integrate more functions than a desktop processor. To compare them, again use cpubenchmark.net. As I write this, one of the Atom x5 processors scored 1001 CPUMarks. That can be fine for a tablet, depending on what you’re doing.

RAM: A basic computer often comes with 4GB RAM. I would recommend 8GB RAM, and that is currently my standard. You can add memory to any decent laptop or desktop, so if a computer you’re looking at only has 4GB, it’s not a deal-breaker. Another module can be added at the time of purchase or down the road.

Computer Buying Guide choice for solid entry lever business laptop
HP ProBook450G5

Storage (Hard Drive): My standard is now 256GB solid-state drives.   
A solid-state drive is much faster than a hard drive and can make the whole computer seem faster. Entry-level SSD systems will have a SATA SSD that connects to the motherboard using the hard drive’s interface. The SSD itself is still much faster than a hard drive, but the SATA interface limits performance. Because of this, manufacturers have introduced SSD’s that connect to a plug on the motherboard. These are M.2 devices. If your motherboard supports it, go this route. Note that I mentioned a 256GB SSD. This is 1/4 the capacity of a commonplace hard drive. Larger SSD’s are available, but the price goes up quickly. Over time, larger SSD’s will become more affordable.

Intel 660P SSD Drive - M.2 - meets solid minimum standards per our computer buying guide
Intel 660P SSD Drive – M.2 Form Factor

Operating System: For home use, Windows 10 Home is just fine. In a business environment, you need Windows 10 Professional.

What about a Mac? I do not sell or service Macs. I like them, though, in a home environment.  They can be used in a business as well, although most business software is written for PCs.

Questions?  Contact us!

By the way…consider using Mullarky Business Systems not just as a “computer buying guide” – rather, consider us for your actual computer purchases.  We can get many computers – Hewlett Packard PCs and Laptops, for example – at a competitive price.  When we get it, we can install the anti-malware and system updates you need to keep your new computer headache-free.  

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General Interest, News, Saving Money

2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

Hi everybody, and welcome to the 2018 Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday!     

Picture of common U.S. Federal Reserve Notes to illustrate blog post: Enjoy savings on personal computers with the Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday
Enjoy savings on personal computers with the Wisconsin Sales Tax Holiday

By now, you should have heard about the Wisconsin sales tax holiday.  From August 1st, 2018 through August 5th, 2018, certain sales within Wisconsin are exempt from sales tax.

  • Clothing – $75 or less per item
  • School supplies – $75 or less per item
  • Computers for personal use – $750 or less per computer
  • School computer supplies for personal use – $250 or less per item

NOTE: Desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, and tablets are included. Computers must be for personal use. Computers purchased by a business entity are not eligible.

If any clients want to purchase a computer for personal use, give me a call or contact us and take advantage of the tax savings!

Let us know the kinds of news you like seeing!  We welcome your suggestions and questions anytime!

 

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News, Small Business Networks

Microsoft to Revamp Windows 8 Interface

Windows 8 has gone over like a lead balloon. Users find the Windows 8 interface difficult to navigate and have trouble finding their applications.

Surprisingly, Microsoft made a drastic change to the operating system and didn’t give users a way to hang on to the older interface from Windows 7.   Ok, maybe that’s NOT surprising! I guess they didn’t learn much from the flop that was Windows Vista.

This article by The Independent says that Microsoft will come out with a revamped operating system that will offer the “traditional” Start Menu.  I’ll check it out, and MAYBE… I’ll sell computers with it.  So far, I have not sold a computer or laptop with the Windows 8 interface!

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News, Saving Money, Small Business Networks

Cloud Apps

No doubt you’ve heard buzz about “The Cloud” by now. If the term seems somewhat vague – well, it is. What does it mean, and why should you care?

“The cloud” refers to resources that you access over the Internet. These resources are off-site. Often, people think that “moving to the cloud” means that ALL their data is in the cloud. That may or may not be true. It’s likely that only certain data and apps are in the cloud, while other data is stored onsite.

A good example of one of the most popular cloud apps is Gmail. The consumer version of Gmail is widely used and lets you access your e-mail from anywhere. In a business setting though, the “@gmail.com” address is undesirable. You want to use your domain name. Google offers “Google Apps for Business” which lets you set up all your users, use your domain for your e-mail addresses, and store up to 25GB of data. It also has a calendar and contacts.  Cost is $5 per user per month, and many popular and powerful cloud apps are included in the cost. Don’t sign up though, without talking to me or Keith at OnYourMark.  If you’re interested, you can read more here: http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business

Another popular cloud app is Microsoft Office 365. This service lets you run an Exchange server without having to maintain an in-house e-mail server. There are several levels of service, ranging from $4 to $20 per user, per month. Don’t sign up for this without talking to me first. The implementation needs to be handled properly to avoid email downtime.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365

Other examples of cloud apps are Salesforce.com, Quickbooks Online, and Sage Act! Hosted. There are many, many others as well.

Each organization needs to determine if cloud-hosted services are right for them. I would be happy to discuss your needs and how the cloud might benefit your company. Just give me a call. 262-720-3668

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