Business

3 Most Common IT Support Costs for Small Businesses

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Find out Which IT Support System Works for Your Business

Starting a new business will involve lots of hidden costs along the way, you often wouldn’t think about the need for IT support. Understanding the potential information technology costs that may arise for your business will help you to plan as you build your brand. Knowing the potential foreshadowed costs allows you to strategically budget and allocate funds to start preparing for your IT needs to come. 

Where Will You Need IT Support?

As your business increases, there will be a greater need to expand. This could look like new software development, increasing data-saving outlets, or integrating technology with your business strategy. You may not have all the answers to achieving these solutions - this is where IT support comes into play. You need to think about if you want an IT department on standby within your company, or if you would prefer to have IT support brought in whenever needed. 

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Three Different Cost Streams

IT costs often come in three different cost streams; you can have a one-time need for support, and a consistent support team on hand for your company, or create an internal company system. 

1.One-time Support

2.Consistent Support System 

3.Use your Company Resources

One-Time Support 

Sometimes an out-of-the-blue need for information technology will arise for your company. This is an unpredictable cost that truly depends on the IT situation that occurs. Ultimately, you do not have to do last-minute research in an attempt to find a trustworthy company. Instead, as you are starting up your small business, this is the time to begin determining what IT support software company will be great to mitigate your future problems. 

Having one-time on-call support is best for situations when you need to perhaps install software, and it would be best done by a professional IT specialist. Needing a specific task done one time will likely be far more cost-efficient for your company, rather than having an IT support team on standby or as its own department. 

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Consistent Support System 

Using an outside company to help ensure your IT needs are being met will be a relatively easy cost for your company to budget off. The company will likely have a clear-cut monthly fee or salary that needs to be paid for the employee to be on standby. As your business expands and becomes more medium-sized, there will be a greater need to expand from potentially one to maybe three workers. 

Outsourcing support from an expert means any unexpected troubles you run into - they are there and ready to help. Thinking about adding in more people to your team, even outsourced, could be a daunting idea for your newer business. Though we need to recognize, compared to outsourcing standby support, implementing internal company resources will likely dramatically increase that cost. 

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Use Your Company Resources 

Having an in-house IT team will likely be the most costly compared to the other IT support methods. Ideally, we can see how having expert support implemented within every facet and department of your company is advantageous. As technology becomes a driving avenue of expansion for companies, it is clear how in-house support is a remarkable tool. 

This method is best to be utilized by a larger company. The bigger the company, the more everyday technological problems may occur throughout the entire business - this ensures your IT department is in use and constantly helping to progress your business. While this can be an asset for a larger business, we would recommend small to medium-sized businesses steer away from this path because it can create unnecessary costs for your company. In a small business, creating an IT department early on - means those workers may not be strategically utilized as often as they should be to really be worthwhile. 

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In Conclusion: Identify The Right Method For You

Knowing the IT setup you want within your business now can help to clear up future concerns. Fusion Computing has a great article detailing these different IT costs for businesses and includes what a potential cost breakdown could look like for companies at https://fusioncomputing.ca/cost-of-it-support-for-small-business/.

Having a reliable company you know can provide you with a strong software support system is key to growing your business. What cost stream works best for your company?

Find out how ISU Software can help propel your company towards success, contact us!

 
 
 

How OSHA Deals with Ladders and Scaffolding Incidents

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There is always a danger of falling when a worker is working on an elevated surface. OSHA’s statistics have demonstrated time and time again that one of the most common causes of serious injury or death is falling. In fact, four of OSHA’s top 10 most cited standards were directly related to the prevention of falls, including the rules for ladder safety and scaffolds. 

As of 2017, “workers must always be protected from falling when they are using portable or fixed ladders, as well as mobile ladder stands and platforms.”

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Ladder Requirements: 

  • The ladder must be capable of supporting the maximum load in which they claim to be able to support. Also, a mobile ladder stand/platform needs to have the capability of supporting four times its intended load. 

  • The ladders and scaffolds must be inspected daily before each work shift. Doing this is an effort to identify any defects which could result in injury.  

For the sake of clarification, a portable ladder is a ladder that one could have at home: straight ladders, extendable ladders, and folding stepladders. 

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Requirements for Portable Ladders: 

  • Secured and stabilized when in use on a slippery surface

  • Are not moved in any way, shape, or form whilst a worker is on one

  • Have slip-resistant floor pads and steps

  • Are not attached to another portable ladder for an extension

  • Cannot be placed on a moveable object

  • The top step or shelf cannot be used to support the weight of a person

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Scaffolds

By definition, a scaffold is an elevated, temporary work platform. Scaffolds can be classified into two categories:

  • Supported scaffolds - are supported by rigid supports

  • Suspended scaffolds - are suspended by non-rigid means, like ropes from a structure overhead. 

Under these two categories, there are a wide array of different forms of scaffolds, each bringing to the table a set of different hazards that need to be considered. Understanding how to properly construct and dismantle scaffolding is another task on its own that can add risk to the already hazardous situation. 

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Scaffolds must be: 

  • Designed by someone who is properly qualified

  • Able to support 4 times the maximum intended load

  • Equipped with safe entry and exit points

  • Fully planked, leaving no gaps greater than one inch between the planks and the uprights. 

  • 18 inches wide as a whole

  • Come equipped with guardrails 

Conclusion

Ladders and scaffolds are often crucial to the completion of a project and can be incredibly safe when all of the rules and regulations are met. Safety of the worker is priority number one and no steps should be skipped in the use of either ladders or scaffolding.

For the latest business and tech-related news, contact us!

 
 
 

Network Cabling - Types and Specifications

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Network cabling, while commonly used, is often misunderstood. Network cabling is generally a set of interconnected computers. 

Network Administrator

Supervised by a network administrator, the administrator also takes on the responsibility of connecting two or more of the computers in a safe manner. The administrator is also responsible for connecting the various network cables which allow for each computer system to operate in conjunction with one another. 

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Network Cabling

Network cabling is a medium of interconnection between various pieces of computing power. The cabling allows pieces of information to be easily and efficiently transferred from one platform to another in a minimal amount of time. 

Types and Specifications

Network cable types can be classified into the three following categories:

1.Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cables are used in the connection of two or more desktops. Coaxial cables primarily consist of a conductor, an insulator, a braiding, and a sheath in that particular order. Furthermore, coaxial cables can come in either a single-core or a multi-core form. 

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2.Fiber Optic Cable

Built from a core, cladding, buffer, and jacket in that order. Obviously, the core is used in the process of moving data. The core in a fiber optic cable transfers information in the form of light, meaning that this is one of, if not the fastest method of transferring information. 

3.Twisted Pair Cable

Often referred to as an ethernet cable, this type of cable is widely used in organizations and businesses worldwide as an efficient way of giving Internet access to a computer. The cables are commonly used in homes as well. Ethernet cables consist of four colored wire pairs. 

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Conclusion

A network administrator has the three cable forms listed above at their disposal. Given their qualifications, the administrator should be able to make the correct choice of cable for the system in which they are setting up. 

For more on the latest in business and tech-related news, contact us!