Why You Need Managed IT Services

Why You Need Managed IT Services

If you are a business owner, you have probably heard about Managed IT Services already. In case you haven’t, or you would like to learn more, we decided to dive a little further into what exactly this entails, and how your business can benefit from it. 

What is Managed IT?

The majority of businesses operating in today’s day and age utilize some form of technology. Whether you have a POS system for your retail shop, are running a multi-line phone system for your customer service center, or you have dedicated work laptops that you provide to your employees, you will likely need IT support at some point. While many large-scale businesses typically have their own IT team, most small to midsize businesses do not. This is where Managed IT Services come into play. 

Managed IT Services essentially means that a business outsources their IT and tech support needs to a third-party company, a Managed Service Provider (MSP). This company specializes in business technology, and exists to provide reliable support to their client companies. Every company’s IT needs look different, and an MSP has the capability of juggling multiple functions, from maintaining tech equipment to setting up networks and providing support to more. Approximately 64% of businesses utilize Managed IT Services, and most small to midsize businesses can benefit from an MSP. 

Why Does Your Business Need It? 

Speaking of benefits, let’s take a look why you should consider Managed IT Services for your business. 

Less to Manage

We know you have a lot on your plate. Worrying about your IT problems shouldn’t add to that stress. Managed IT Services allow you to focus on getting your job done, and letting an MSP take care of the tech. 

More Knowledge

Technology moves fast. It can be hard to keep up with if it isn’t your speciality. Managed IT Services allow you to have access to a team of experts in the field, who take care of staying up-to-date for you. 

Less to Hire

With Managed IT Services, you won’t be burdened with the task of hiring, firing, training, and maintaining an IT support team. An MSP takes care of all their own staffing, and you reap the benefits of having qualified, knowledgeable techs take care of your IT needs. 

Why ANAX?

As you can see, there are multiple benefits to having Managed IT Services. You’re convinced that this is something you want for your business, but now you’re wondering what MSP to go with. We know your options are vast for this, so we wanted to highlight why ANAX is the right choice. ANAX is locally-owned, Las Vegas based. That means our team is dedicated to the community, and wants to see your business succeed and thrive. We have years in the business, over a decade to be exact, and we put that experience and knowledge to good use for your company. We are well-rounded in our offered services, and pride ourselves on being able to take care of all your tech needs. 

ANAX is committed to building relationships with our customers. We have developed an extremely loyal client base over the years and thanks to them, the bulk of our growth is the result of the referrals from many of our satisfied clients. Our consistent accountability has given our customers the peace of mind they need for their business, especially when it comes to IT management and services. If you are interested in learning more about Managed IT Services, or want to schedule a consultation, contact our team today! 

Why Paperless Offices Are Few and Far Between

Why Paperless Offices Are Few and Far Between

Regardless of just how digitized your company has become over the past decade, the chances of your office being completely paperless are pretty slim. While digital workspaces have become increasingly popular, with online calendars, time tracking software, direct deposit paychecks, and digital paperwork signing, eliminating the need for printers completely is nearly impossible. In an effort to remain as economically mindful as possible, many companies are cutting down on their printing tremendously, which is commendable, but for the printing that still exists, there may be better ways to manage

Tracking Costs

Printing is often an expense that gets overlooked, while there are, in fact, many costs that are associated with it. Paper prices, ink replacement, and the outright cost of the printing equipment all must be considered. This doesn’t even take into account if something happens to go wrong with the printers, then more money will need to be spent outsourcing equipment repair or maintenance. These costs add up quickly, and can be eating away at your business budget without you even realizing it. 

Partnering with ANAX is a great solution to tracking your print-related costs, as well as keeping everything simple. We provide office equipment, and we keep in maintained and repaired, so everything that you need can be sourced through us. This not only saves you money, but it saves you time, which is just as valuable. 

Connection and Configuration

Another struggle that many companies run into with printing is the connection of all office devices to the available printers. New employees, new system upgrades, new equipment, all require being connected to the printer setup. In addition, configuring commercial printers can be tricky business. With many settings to choose from, wifi capabilities available, and more, having a professional handle this process from the beginning can save you time and money, and prevent headaches! 

While the digital world is a wonderful place, often connection issues can present themselves in the most inconvenient times. A paperless office may be the ideal, but the reliance on a not-always-reliable digital office functionality can lead to frustrations. When you run into digital errors in your office space, especially when it comes to connecting to printers or other devices, ANAX is here to help. Regardless of how far into your transition to a paperless option you are, we can offer solutions

Keeping Up With Trends

Whether you are pursuing a paperless office, or have simply cut down on your business printing, there are always trends to keep up with. Constantly-evolving digital solutions require upgrades and updates and maintenance and repair and more. Managing the flow of these changes within your office can be a full-time job within itself. Outsourcing this to ANAX saves you time, and our experts will ensure that your office has everything it needs to be successful. 

While paperless offers may not be possible for every office, ANAX offers solutions to help stay in control of your printing costs, your economic effect, and more. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

New Year, New Equipment

New Year, New Equipment

How ANAX Can Help Get Your Devices Up and Running

When operating a business, you often utilize several different devices, all of which should be connected on the same network, all completing various tasks that keep your business running. Sometimes it comes time for these devices to be updated. These devices can aid in productivity and efficiency, as long as they are set up correctly, and they themselves are up to date. Initial configuration and connection of these devices can be overwhelming, especially for less tech-savvy business owners. At ANAX, we offer assistance with the setup of various devices, as well as making sure they all communicate with each other properly, and in some cases, can even perform regular maintenance on them as necessary. 

Laptops

Some companies provide laptops to their employees. In some circumstances, certain programs and privileges need to be set up and established. It can be a hassle ensuring that all laptops are set up correctly, and the same way. In addition, firewalls and other malware protection may need to be put in place. ANAX can help with everything you need to do to get your employees’ laptops ready for distribution.

Cellular Devices

Likewise to employee laptops, companies sometimes allot work phones to their employees, so as to not require them to use their personal phones for their jobs. Setting these cell phones up to the same standards across the board, as well as within company guidelines, is something that ANAX can assist with, whether they are Android or Apple products. 

Tablets

In many scenarios, tablets are replacing laptops, especially with the additional mobility that they provide. In other scenarios, tablets have been replacing POS systems, which has become increasingly popular for small businesses, as it is less of an initial investment than purchasing a more robust POS set up. ANAX can help set up your company tablets for how you are looking to use them, whether they are Android or Apple products. 

Phone Systems

In a cloud-enabled, always-connected world, you can’t afford communication solutions that don’t keep up. At ANAX, we’ve built a reputation on delivering the best cloud solutions and onsite VoIP services to businesses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and all over Southern Nevada. Regardless of business type or industry, existing infrastructure or budget, we’ll find the right fit for your phone needs. We can help get these phone systems set up, configured, and we can perform maintenance on them as necessary. 

And More!

There are many devices that can be used in businesses, and each one comes with a unique set up process. Contact ANAX to see how we can help.

Updating Your Business Phone System

Updating Your Business Phone System

At ANAX, we offer several solutions for your business and office needs. We do the hard work of keeping up with the times so that you don’t have to. Technology is a constantly changing field, and it is not just limited to computers and software. Another piece of technology that has encountered many changes over the past decades is the business phone system. 

One of the services that we provide is cloud-hosted VoIP phone systems. This term has become more familiar to those in office spaces over the past couple of years, however, if you’re not as current with the phone trends, we’ll go over what exactly a VoIP is before we get into why you need it. 

What is VoIP? 

Traditional phones require direct connection via copper wires in order to make and receive calls. VoIP phones do not need this wire connectivity, and instead, function via internet connection. Because of the lack of need for wires, the mobility, interoperability, and connectivity of VoIP phones is nearly limitless. 

Outdated, copper-wired, stationary phones are hardwired into a PBX (Private Branch Exchange) machine. This PBX device routes calls in and out, serving as the operator and connector between phones. With VoIP phones, the PBX is no longer necessary, since calls are made via the internet, and not through the wires. Talk about eliminating the middleman, right? 

Why do you need VoIP? 

In addition to simply staying relevant with the ever-changing technology, there are several reasons that your business would benefit from a VoIP phone system. As mentioned previously, traditional phone systems are wired into a PBX machine. Switching to VoIP phones eliminates the need for this, which can clear up office space for more important things. 

VoIP phones operate via the internet, and only require access to the existing computer network cabling or the WiFi in order to complete calls. This eliminates the need for copper wiring, and means that no additional wiring needs to be installed should you decide to switch. Bonus, your phone number stays the same, so there are no additional fees to update that either (not to mention, no need to go through the headache of updating your phone number everywhere too!).

Additional VoIP Features

VoIP phones have many, many features that are simply impossible on a traditional phone. As we have already discussed, they are unchained from the copper cords, and operate on your existing internet connection. VoIP phone systems allow for users to link to their own accounts, instead of being tied to a singular phone number. With this feature, you can jump between multiple phone calls on an account at the same time. 

VoIP allows for voicemails just as traditional phones do, however, they are more easily accessible, and often have advanced features. This new wave of phones has also experienced updates in audio quality and range, allowing you to listen further and understand more. Finally, VoIP phones can be set up for PoE. PoE stands for power over Ethernet, meaning that VoIP phones are able to be powered via a network cable, as opposed to being plugged into a traditional power socket. 

If your business operates several phones simultaneously, or requires operators to switch between various calls seamlessly, switching to a VoIP system may be a smart move to make. As you can see, the benefits of VoIP are numerous, and making the change is quite simple. Contact us today to see how we can bring the benefits of VoIP to your business!

Avoiding Viruses

Avoiding Viruses

IT Management & Staying Virus-Free

With all this talk of viruses lately, we figured it might be a time to circle around to touch on the ones that can affect your technology. Let’s face it: with the widespread and rapid pace at which technology is growing, the days of needing employees on your staff to handle your I.T. needs are long gone. Today, almost all support can be handled remotely on a cloud and being face to face is a just call away. The benefits of outsourcing I.T. are pretty significant when you consider the value and efficiency that it adds to any business.

Outsourcing IT

Having a third party company to handle the computer viruses and malware/spyware removal is important for protecting your business’ and client’s information. A common hiccup that businesses can often run into though, despite whether they are Star-Ups or well established companies, is not coming to the realisation that outsourcing this work is a valuable and often necessary part of operating efficiently. This is especially the case when it comes to areas of operation such as a business’ I.T. problems and solutions because keeping a dedicated I.T. department on your payroll isn’t always the most cost effective or streamline way to go.

When you are making the decision of whether or not to let another business handle your I.T. needs, you should consider the value that having one adds to your business. First, unless your I.T. department adds value to your company, it can and should be outsourced. Many I.T. problems like computer viruses, malware, and spyware can be handled remotely by a company that can offer you around-the-clock support at a better rate than hiring your own tech-support department.

Additionally, having a company that handles all of your I.T. needs is great for scaling up. A good time for outsourcing you I.T. needs, could be when you’re considering expansion and your I.T. operations cannot keep up with the pace of growth. As mentioned, businesses should always consider their value and this includes their overhead as well. Outsourcing to a company that specializes in these services is great for your business to take advantage of their expertise so you can scale up without worrying about the logistics of your network. Instead of wasting time and money on experimenting, you can leverage a cheaper, more efficient service. If you’re interested in outsourcing your IT and virus protection and prevention, contact our team of experts!

On-Site Support & How it Benefits You

On-Site Support & How it Benefits You

Let’s say you have a big presentation at work. You get everything all set up and ready to go, aaand nothing happens. No presentation shows up on the screens and there’s no fix in sight. Time to call in the backup. Most network support is done virtually, as some tech companies only offer troubleshooting over the phone, or via an online chat session. On top of being frustrated with your presentation falling through, you now have to figure out how to explain your problem to someone who might not even reside in the same time zone as you. 

Maybe you don’t know the terminology, or you don’t know quite how to put the issue you’re experiencing into words. Regardless, it can be excruciating trying to work through solutions with someone who isn’t even there. Often this kind of troubleshooting requires you to fix the problem yourself as well. At ANAX, we believe in providing hands-on support directly on site, and we believe in the many benefits that come along with it. 

Saving You Time

Whether it is via chat session or phone call, virtual support can be time consuming. It can take a while to even establish what the issue is, since the technician is unable to see what is going on and get their hands on the source of the problem. 

After initially figuring out what is causing your troubles, the technician then has to spend even more time working through a solution, all while explaining to you various things to look for or try. This step can take time as well, as you are most likely unfamiliar with your office equipment and network servers, etc. 

There is always the possibility of the solution not working as well. If this is the case, then it has to be determined if it didn’t work because it wasn’t the right solution, or if there was a misstep along the way. After all, you are only receiving directions virtually and it is to be expected that you are not as familiar with the process as the tech is. If all else fails, then these virtual troubleshooters will send finally send out an on-site technician. 

We like to avoid all of this going back and forth and potential problems that come with it. From the very beginning, we send out a hands-on tech to assess the problems you are having. The allows for less communication errors and also doesn’t require you to fix it yourself! 

Saving You Stress

Since you no longer have to try to figure out the issue and fix it yourself with the “help” of a virtual troubleshooter, you end up having less on your plate. Go give that presentation a few more practice run throughs while we sort everything out. When everything is up and running again, you’ll definitely nail it this time around. Our goal is to make the process as stress free as possible for you. 

Saving You Money

Since less time is required, chances are, it’ll cost you less too. On top of that, if you are in charge of fixing it yourself, and a mistake gets made, it may cost you even more to fix that additional issue. However, if you aren’t in charge of fixing it, and have experienced techs handling the problem from the beginning, you won’t have to pay to fix it again. 

Overall, at ANAX we believe in helping your business run as smoothly as possible, and we provide the quality service to get you there. When problems arise, our experienced technicians are ready and willing to show up on site and get the job done. Want network and office equipment support that’s actually supportive? Contact us!