Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Corporate Giving: The MOM Way - Jump START Your Nonprofit

At MOM, we believe in giving back to our community and because of that belief, we started a nonprofit contest called Jump START Your Nonprofit in 2010. Each year we give away 3 - $10,000 office technology makeovers to a local nonprofit in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus, OH. We are currently accepting applications for Jump START, so if you know of a nonprofit in need of new technology, tell them to register at www.momnet.com

Registration ends Wednesday, September 14, so hurry and get your applications in today!

While they might not teach this in business school, giving back to your community is actually a moral responsibility of any business or corporation. Besides being the right thing to do, philanthropy just makes good business sense. It is difficult for a company to be successful if the community in which it operates is not successful. Help improve the climate in which you do business, and you will naturally help improve your business. 

In addition to positively impacting and strengthening your community, corporate giving reinforces a positive company image and reputation with clients, vendors, investors, and most importantly, the community. It has been well documented that consumers prefer to buy from businesses that give to charities and support worthy social causes. Recruitment is another area that is affected by corporate philanthropy, as your organization will be more favorable to potential employees.

Corporate giving also inherently improves staff morale, promoting a sense of overall company pride and loyalty. Employees who feel that their business supports a good cause are more likely to think highly of their employer, take pride in their work and organization, and remain working there longer. Another benefit is improved teamwork -- team building occurs when people set rewarding goals and work together to achieve them. And skills such as leadership, planning, and marketing are all enhanced as a result of philanthropy.

Here are some tips to maximize the impact of your corporate philanthropy projects:
  • Involve your employees in the planning process. Getting their input will help you identify the causes and charities that are most important to your staff and let them know that you respect and support their efforts. 
  • Offer a matching program for your employees’ donations. If they are donating their hard-earned money to charity, you should be, too. Consider a 2:1 program in which you contribute $2 for every $1 they donate. 
  • Publicly recognize and praise employees who donate their time or money to causes. This will encourage more giving by your staff and make those who give feel even more appreciated. 
  • Give to IRS-sanctioned charities so you can deduct your donations. Be sure to save your receipts in case of an audit. 
  • Donate to causes that align with your company’s mission. 
  • Plan your monetary giving strategy in advance with your accounting department to ensure you don’t run into any conflicts with your budget. 

Corporate giving is an endeavor that is both cost-effective and value-enhancing. Besides improving your community, a company that gives back will witness benefits in many different respects, including employee relations, customer loyalty, business performance, and marketing efforts. At MOM, we have been fortunate enough to see all of these benefits from our community involvement and that is why it has become a staple in our culture and is here to stay. 

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Top 4 Ways Invoice Scanning Saves Staff Time

For most businesses, staff time is by far a company's most valuable resource. Consider the following ways that business invoice scanning can make your invoice input, payment, filing, and searching faster than ever, saving you time and money.

1. Automated input - Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software extracts critical document information—like vendor name, date, purchase order, amount due, etc.—and makes it instantly available in digital format.

2. Accounts payable integration - Once business invoice information is digitized, it is ready for use in automated accounts payable processes. With rules you establish, your software can match invoices to their related purchase orders and automatically approve and send payment.

3. Virtual filing - You can save an unlimited number of business invoices easily when they are in digital format. Without having to make copies or file by hand, staff time is freed to focus on value-adding work, instead of moving pieces of paper around.

4. Lightning-fast search - A simple search by vendor or invoice number is as easy as typing in the name you seek, while advanced search capabilities can filter out similar but unwanted documents to return the exact invoice you need.

Check out our Scanning Solutions and contact us for more information on how to improve your business processes.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Avoiding the IT Money Pit

Though many businesses still require an in-house IT manager, it might be more efficient and cost effective to outsource some of your IT functions, so that in-house IT staff can focus on critical projects.

But, choosing the right IT solution and service provider can be challenging, especially when you’re not sure what your business needs. Companies around the world pump $2 trillion into IT each year—billions of which is actually wasted on unnecessary or ineffective IT “solutions.” So, how do you know if you need state-of-the-art IT, or just the basics?

To help you keep your IT spending under control, here are some indicators that “good enough" IT might be right for your business:

 If you have a smaller budget.  Knowing how much to spend on IT can be difficult for many decision makers. So, just recognize that IT costs can get very expensive — especially if you’re paying for all the bells and whistles that many IT vendors offer. If you don’t need cutting-edge equipment or 24/7 monitoring and service, don’t pay for it.

 If IT isn’t a critical function of your business.  Could your business survive for an afternoon if your system crashed? If brief downtime won’t significantly hinder your business, you probably don’t need to pay for IT services that guarantee repairs within a few hours. Determine what your business absolutely needs in terms of reliability and responsiveness, and select an IT solution in line with your critical needs.

 If you have fewer than ten employees.  When you’re running a very small business, you have less equipment and hardware to worry about. With very few employees, you probably only need basic IT support and hardware controls to effectively and affordably manage your team. You will still need reactive on-call service to support your network if you have a problem, but proactive maintenance tracking programs might be overkill.

Let Modern Office Methods IT Service Group help you to focus on your end user’s business continuity by keeping your employees working and productive with our Managed IT Services. Check out all of our Managed Network Services and contact us for more information at info@momnet.com.

Monday, July 25, 2016

Cool Printing Trends You'll Want to Know About

When it comes to printing technologies, innovation never stops. The casual observer might not think much has changed in the printing industry in recent years, but many new print technologies have emerged that will soon revolutionize the way documents—and even objects—are produced. 




Being in the know about upcoming and transformative printing technologies gives you a competitive advantage and ensures you’ll have access to the latest advancements when the timing is right for your business.

Here are some of the emerging printing trends to look out for:

Diversity of Media Types
 

Many industries and companies need to print specialized items, such as product packaging or on-demand banners. By expanding the various media types and paper weight (gsm) that printers can accommodate, businesses have more flexibility to produce the documents and printed materials they need. 

Ricoh Pro C7110X: Media Handling Video


 White & Clear Toner 
This is cool stuff! White and clear toner gives you the ability to really add value and flare to your printed documents. With clear ink, you can flood coat a document to enhance its appearance, or you can spot coat only the headline text, so the words seem to jump off the page. Using white or clear toner also allows businesses to produce eye-catching effects—such as creating metallic designs, applying custom clear-coat watermarks, or highlighting photos or objects on marketing collateral. More and more print manufacturers are offering white or clear toner options, expanding this new technology across many different industries and applications. 

Ricoh Pro C7110X: WHITE & CLEAR Toner Video

3D Printing 
You’ve probably heard about 3D printing already, but the technology itself is quickly becoming more advanced and more attainable at the same time. The latest 3D printers are now smaller, faster, and cheaper than previous versions, which means this technology will likely find its way into more industries and businesses sooner than many experts previously thought. 3D printers will likely be integrated into many healthcare and manufacturing settings in the very near future, but with nearly endless applications, the technology will soon expand to many other industries.

The print industry is constantly changing and evolving to meet consumer needs and demands. Contact us today to learn more about these emerging printing trends and check out the Production Print page on our website for more videos and information!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Common IT Mistakes Small Businesses Should Avoid

In the modern business world everyone depends on technology in the office, no matter how small your business is. As such, the decisions you make regarding the technology you depend on to do business are more important than you may think. Not being smart when it comes to your company’s IT situation can create pitfalls that prevent you from being as successful as you could be.

Knowing which IT missteps are commonly made by small businesses can help you avoid making these same blunders. Here are some of the most frequently made IT mistakes to avoid:

• Failing to Protect Your Data – Your company’s data is invaluable, so there is no excuse for not keeping that information safe and sound. Is your confidential data safeguarded against potential security breaches? Are you prepared for an emergency, such as theft, fire, flood, or server failure? Are your files and records backed up for disaster recovery purposes? Adequately protecting your data includes physical security (a firewall), network security (anti-virus/spyware), and backing up your information. In addition, regularly educate and update your employees about Internet and mobile security and safety.

• Not Changing with the Times – Technology is always changing, and businesses must keep up on the latest innovations and products to stay ahead of the competition. Keeping current with the latest technologies can help prevent your company from ending up with outdated, inefficient equipment and software.

• Choosing the Wrong IT Provider – The right IT provider doesn’t just sell you equipment; they manage that equipment, as well. They have the goals of your company in mind and proactively provide solutions to help you achieve those goals.

• Employing Unreasonable Password Requirements – Passwords are essential, but your password policy must be reasonable to be effective. While weak or non-existent passwords are unacceptable, making your requirements so strict that employees must resort to writing passwords on sticky notes undermines your policy.

• Leaving Everything in One Employee’s Hands – You might be impressed that a single person in your office knows all of your passwords and how everything works, but you could be setting yourself up for an enormous problem. What would you do if that employee decided to leave, or became incapacitated due to illness or injury? As the saying goes, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Don’t fall into the same traps that many small businesses do when it comes to managing their IT. Avoid these common mistakes to help keep your company up and running as efficiently as possible. For more information about MOM's IT Services, visit our website at www.momnet.com/Managed-Network-Services.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Avoiding Threats in the Cloud

The cloud’s potential for storage and service options has created countless opportunities for businesses to expand or improve their offerings, without requiring costly changes to local networks. But, the cloud is not perfect, and it poses some security challenges.

Cloud-based applications can be very convenient, especially for accessing or sharing information when working remotely. However, precautions must be taken to protect sensitive information.

Here are a few steps you can take to protect your cloud assets:

Educate the masses. Cloud services are often adopted at the top levels of a business or within specific workgroups, without consulting individual department managers or IT staff. But, it’s critical that end-users understand how to safely use cloud applications before they are adopted to avoid any potential threats. Proper employee training and frequent email reminders regarding secure use of cloud-based applications or files helps to ensure the safety and security of your network and your business.

Know your cloud use. Many companies are unaware of the cloud services their employees are using. According to cloud security firm Netskope, 90 percent of all cloud applications are not sanctioned by IT. This opens the door for data breaches, data loss, and account hijacking—which, are generally regarded as the top three threats to cloud computing. Organizations and employees should be aware that simple Internet registration systems, phishing, and fraud schemes can allow a hacker to take control of your account. Thankfully, keeping firewalls updated and teaching employees about best practices regarding cloud usage can easily prevent most of these threats.

Protect your files, wherever they are. You can lock down access on mobile devices, but this won’t protect your information if it’s synced to the cloud. Instead, focus on protecting the files themselves with consistent security encryption policies to ensure control. You decide who can view, modify, or print your files, whether they are on a laptop, mobile device, or desktop computer.

As hackers continue to experiment with new ways to attack, it's important for all businesses to mitigate the risks associated with cloud computing by educating stakeholders, investing in data protection, and using encryption safeguards when possible. Cloud security is serious business, so make sure you take the time to get it right.

Contact us today at info@momnet.com to learn about cloud-based applications that can help grow your business, and the security solutions that can keep them secure.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Are Your Passwords Strong Enough?


Modern technology has made many aspects of life more

convenient. However, as with anything else, along with the pros there are inevitably cons. With so much of our lives conducted online, hackers are waging a non-stop war in attempt to gain access to your personal information. Strong passwords are your first line of defense against troublemakers, so make sure yours are up to par.

Strong passwords include:
• At least eight characters
• Both uppercase and lowercase letters
• One or more special characters (such as $, *, !)


To create a strong password, be sure to leave out:
• Names of any kind (your name, your pet’s name, your child’s name)
• Accessible personal information like your date of birth, social security number, etc.
• Numerical sequences, such as 12345
• Words that exist in dictionaries
• The word ‘password’

Finally, protect yourself even further by changing your passwords periodically, and by creating strong login names, as well. For more information regarding IT Security visit MOM at 
www.momnet.com/Managed-Network-Services.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Are You Protected Against Hackers?

With so much of our personal data out there thanks to ecommerce and social networking, it’s no wonder hackers and cyber criminals are able to help themselves to our information, which can have catastrophic results. Hacking can lead to such quagmires as identity theft, scams, theft, and file destruction. Is your personal and business data safe?


What can you do to protect your personal and company data against hackers and cyber crime?


Make it Strong – The first step to protect your data is having strong passwords. Use as many characters as possible, both capital and lowercase letters, and at least one number and one symbol. Leave out obvious details such as your name or date of birth. Avoid easy-to-answer security questions, ones to which the answer can be easily found online (your high school, pet’s name, favorite team, etc.). Also, don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. Having unique passwords will limit the potential damage if one of your accounts is compromised.

Back it Up – Regularly back up your files locally, making multiple copies of them to prevent against hard drive failure. This is especially important for your business, because lost business data usually adds up to lost time and money. So, make sure your backup system is fail-proof. Or, get even more backup protection by utilizing Managed IT Services, offered by many business solution providers, which will securely backup and store your data to protect against hackers and other disasters.

Secure Your Network Devices - An often overlooked area that’s vulnerable to hacking is your printing and imaging hardware. Threats aren’t just limited to outside attacks from cyberspace. People both inside and outside your organization can actually hack your devices and steal information from document images that are saved on the hard drives of your imaging devices. Your office equipment provider can help you take measures to secure these devices.

Browse Facebook Securely – Facebook accounts are frequent targets of hackers, so if you use Facebook, take advantage of the security measures provided to you. In your account settings enable ‘secure browsing’ to use an encrypted connection (https://) instead of a standard connection (http://).

Watch Where You Click – Never, ever click on a link in an e-mail from someone you don’t know. Phishing creates bogus e-mails attempting to lure you to a phony website and have you enter your username and password.

In the information age your personal data is out there; however, employing these methods will make it more difficult for hackers to get their hands on it.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

How Secure is Your Data?

Your Confidential Data Could be at Risk


Think confidential information and documents are protected by your company’s IT security policies? Think again.


A recent survey by Harris Interactive revealed that 51 percent of survey respondents said they process confidential information through printers, copiers, and multi-function devices.

Additionally, 39 percent of employees who print, scan, or copy confidential information at work are concerned whether the information on their printing and imaging devices will remain secure.

These are valid concerns considering there is a very close link between the security of your business and your printing environments. Copiers, printers, fax machines, scanners, and multi-function devices pose a serious risk to your business’ overall security. These devices retain latent document images and text, leaving sensitive information and proprietary data extremely vulnerable to a security breach.

But, securing your print environment is easy with a Managed Print Services (MPS) Program that’s designed to assess all of your devices, provide a detailed security report, and develop a highly secure strategy for your future. Your customized plan can also include usage controls that ensure private information is only accessed by authorized users, and will also help you achieve regulatory compliance. Shrewd business owners know that security breaches damage your brand and can result in heavy fines, so this is protection that pays dividends in the long run. 



Here’s the bottom line:


An MPS solution will not only optimize your output fleet to cut costs and increase efficiency, but will also provide you with the peace of mind that your entire printing and imaging environment is safe and secure.

Contact us today, and you’ll understand why we place the highest priority on your company’s data and are committed to helping you protect your valuable information. 

To learn more about how MOM can help you with your managed print services needs, visit our website at http://www.momnet.com/Managed-Print-Services1 or click here try out our FREE PRINT SAVINGS CALCULATOR.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: Jump START Your Nonprofit 2016



As summer approaches, so does our 7th year of our Jump START Your Nonprofit contest! We are pleased to announce the Contest Timeline for this year. Please mark your calendars and pass this along to all of your nonprofit friends!

 Monday, July 11 - 
 Wednesday, September 14, 2016 

Registration begins on Monday, July 11, 2016. Nonprofit organizations have approximately 10 weeks to register to win an office technology makeover. Go to www.momnet.com to register online.

Online registration ends at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.

 Week of September 19, 2016 

Finalists announced. MOM’s contest review committee will select 10 finalists from each market (Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton) to compete in Jump START Your Nonprofit. Finalists will be posted online at www.momnet.com.

Marketing materials distributed. MOM will send jump drives of downloadable marketing material to each finalist to assist in spreading the word to encourage supporters to vote.

 Monday, September 26 - Friday, October 7, 2016 
Online voting opens. Voting will begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, September 26, 2016, and close at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 7, 2016. Nonprofit employees and their friends, families and supporters are encouraged to vote once a day at www.momnet.com.

 Week of October 10, 2016 

Winners announced. The top vote-getter in each market (Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton) will be named a Jump START Your Nonprofit winner. The top vote-getter in each market will receive $10,000 and will be presented with their check on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at The Rusty Ball in Cincinnati, OH.