You’re a small business, and as such, you need technology in order to

keep your opera�ons moving forward. Many organiza�ons will refer to

their services and products as “enterprise-level,” as if there’s a certain

draw to them that wouldn’t ordinarily be there. Here’s what this term

means, not just for larger businesses, but also for small to mid-size busi-

nesses.

Enterprises are generally considered large corpora�ons that employ

hundreds or even thousands of employees. These organiza�ons typically have very large

budgets that allow them to be rela�vely flexible with their technology spending. Therefore,

enterprises will usually seek out a top-shelf product that’s designed to be a comprehensive

solu�on to problems that a business might face. These types of solu�ons are generally very

knowledge-intensive.

As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dic�onary, an enterprise can be all of the following:

• a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky.

(Continued on page 2)

January 2016

TECHMinutes

This Issue:

The Value of Doing IT Right the First

Time

What We mean When We Say

“Enterprise-Level”

No�fica�ons are What’s Draining

Your Ba6ery, Not Open Apps

Scenarios That Might Require BCP

Ac�on

What’s Happening @Ground Swell

What We Mean When We Say “Enterprise-Level”

Doing something right the first �me is the most valuable way to get it done. Businesses that best understand this concept are the

ones that have experienced the folly of choosing the less-expensive route to get something fixed, only to then have it break again

which ends up cos�ng them more in the long run. Nowhere is this prac�ce more accurate than with IT support.

When it comes to IT support, you’ve got different companies to choose from. Many IT companies will try to dis�nguish themselves by

price. The least expensive IT Company will o>en be the least expensive for a reason: they cut corners. When working with something

as important as your company’s IT, you can’t afford to cut corners.

At Ground Swell we offer affordable IT services, but we’re not so concerned about price that we cut corners to be the cheapest. Since

we’re a business-to-business service, we believe that priori�zing quality over cost will resonate with business owners who don’t like

having to pay twice to get something done right.

If a business chooses not to go with us because they feel like rolling the dice in order to save a li6le bit of money, then we might not

be the best fit for them. Instead, we feel the organiza�ons that will benefit the most from our IT services are the ones that want to

invest a bit more in the right tools, technology, and infrastructure up front. By using quality products and taking the �me to make sure

the job is done right the first �me, your �me and money is spent wisely.

To be clear, Ground Swell provides several ways for you to save money on your IT expenses. Our managed IT services can save money

by turning IT repair from a capital expense into an opera�ng expense and by having your equipment properly maintained, you will

proac�vely save money because your IT network will provide predictable results and increased produc�vity. Addi�onally, we can save

you money by developing an IT budget that will help equip your business with solu�ons that best serve your company’s technology

needs.

If you’re a business that sees past cheap prac�ces and gimmicks, and because you understand the value of

doing things right the first �me, then reach out to me directly at 609.487.9100.

Happy New Year!

Jus�n Tinel

President

The Value of Doing I.T. Right the First Time

Page 2

What We Mean When We Say “Enterprise-Level”

• readiness to engage in daring or

difficult ac�on.

• a unit of economic organiza�on or

ac�vity; or a systema�c purposeful

ac�vity.

These types of businesses aren’t using

off-the-shelf consumer technology for

their IT infrastructure. They need solu-

�ons that can handle the security and

bandwidth of all of their users, but,

more importantly, their IT needs must

be centrally managed and supported. A

store-bought router or a home-based

backup solu�on might work if you run

your business out of your home, but

businesses of any size require solu�ons

that fit their needs.

Thus, what’s called an “enterprise-level”

solu�on is generally marketed as some-

thing that’s very knowledge-intensive

and a significant investment. These solu-

�ons are implemented on a large-scale

(Continued from page 1) basis and require the a6en�on of spe-

cialized IT technicians who understand

how to implement them properly. Add in

the incredible amount of risk associated

with inves�ng in new technologies and

you have a complicated process that’s

be6er le> in the hands of a qualified

professional.

At the heart of this problem is the fact

that many small and medium-sized busi-

nesses, that have limited IT budgets,

can’t afford the �me and up-front costs

associated with these enterprise-level

solu�ons. This can lead to cuIng cor-

ners on other aspects of opera�ons. For

example, day-to-day maintenances that

are crucial to the con�nued opera�on of

technology, which when ignored can

result in hardware failure, data loss, and

more.

As your dedicated IT experts Ground

Swell understands just how important

the latest technology is to maintaining

your opera�ons. We know how to inte-

grate comprehensive solu�ons without

compromising certain aspects of your

organiza�on’s IT infrastructure. Our

trusted technicians can help your organi-

za�on improve opera�ons without run-

ning into issues with your budget.

The best part of working with Ground

Swell is that your SMB can take full ad-

vantage of enterprise-level technology

without all of the high-end management

and maintenance. You get all of the ben-

efits of major technology solu�ons, with-

out dumping tons of �me into them,

adding more value to your investment.

Instead, you can use the �me and reve-

nue saved to be6er handle other aspects

of your business.

Ground Swell has invested in providing

local SMBs the enterprise-level services

they need to ensure their organiza�ons

are opera�ng at maximum efficiency.

Give us a call at 609.487.9100 for more

informa�on on how we can improve the

way you do business.

No�fica�ons are What’s Draining Your Ba!ery, Not Open Apps We’ve all run into the trouble of keep-

ing our smartphone’s ba6ery preserved

for as long as possible. Many people

think that the apps themselves are

what bogs down the ba6ery and drains

its charge, but we’re here to tell you

that this is not the case. Instead, let’s

determine what really drains your de-

vice’s ba6ery.

The concept behind this idea seems to

make sense. The app consumes power,

and if it’s running in the background, it

will con�nue to sap energy out of the

device’s ba6ery. Yet, the fact remains

that this isn’t the case, and closing your

apps does nothing to stem the flow of

energy from your ba6ery. Why is

this? When you leave an app, your

phone actually pauses it in its current

state. So, all of those apps that show up

in your task manager aren’t actually

draining your ba6ery; they’re just fro-

zen, siIng in your phone’s RAM, or

memory. That way, the next �me you

launch it, you can pick up where you le>

off. When you kill an app, you’re actually

taking it out of your phone’s memory,

which means that the next �me you

launch it, your phone will have to do the

work of puIng it back in the RAM.

In other words, con�nuously killing all of

your apps will only make more work for

your device, and consume more energy

in the long run. Leaving your apps run-

ning in the background is actually more

energy-friendly than closing out of them,

and reopening them, primarily because

leaving them open has no effect on the

ba6ery’s power itself.

Granted, there are other ways that your

apps consume ba6ery life. In order to

check where most of your Android

smartphone’s energy is being allocated,

you can go to Se*ngs > Ba!ery.

You’ll see what percentage your apps are

using. Even if they’re not ac�vely being

used by you, they’ll s�ll push no�fica-

�ons to your phone if they’re set to do

so. This is the main culprit for a drained

ba6ery, as is data usage. You can limit

which no�fica�ons show up by going to

your general no�fica�ons seIng.

The process will vary depending on

which device you’re using, but on the

Samsung Galaxy S5, you can block spe-

cific no�fica�ons by going to Se*ngs >

Sound and no�fica�ons > Applica�on

no�fica�ons. Select the no�fica�on that

you want to block, and you’ll be given

the op�on to block it. Otherwise, you

can control specific applica�on no�fica-

�ons from within the applica�on itself.

By keeping your apps open rather than

closed, you’ll be able to keep the produc-

�vity going without closing out of your

apps in an a6empt to save ba6ery life.

You might be surprised by how much

more energy your ba6ery will have!

PAGE 3

Scenarios that Might Require ‘Business Con�nuity Plan’ Ac�on

Do you know when to invoke your Business Con�nuity Plan? A lot of business owners assume they know when it will be required,

but the reality is that it can be hard to determine when a BCP is really necessary. It’s important you are able to assess what is tak-

ing place, and make an informed decision with regard to puIng your con�nuity strategy into ac�on. Here are few things you need

to consider when it comes to invoking your plan. When a disaster happens, your first thoughts will likely revolve around how it will

affect your business and the services it provides. Depending on what occurs, you might be required to call your Business Con�nuity

Plan (BCP) into ac�on to ensure your company remains opera�onal and that any Recovery Time Objec�ves are met.

Unfortunately, too many business owners fail to properly prepare themselves for taking this ac�on, by viewing disasters as two-

dimensional events. Realis�cally, a disaster has many possible outcomes and is not as black and white as you may think. For in-

stance, think about how a flood can disrupt your company. The logical conclusion for most business owners is to picture their office

underwater. While that is one possibility, several others may also exist that could require you to consider implemen�ng your BCP.

A flood may not disturb your office, but what if it strikes an off-site storage facility where you keep digital or paper data? This is

likely to have just as great an impact on your business, and necessitate your BCP coming into ac�on.

Here we’ll take a look at a few other disasters that can happen, and which factors you need to consider before implemen�ng your

BCP.

Fire

If a fire takes place at your business, invoking your BCP is a fairly obvious decision. However, what do you do if a fire occurs in the

same building as your office, or next door to you? It can be a problema�c situa�on as you may not know what, if any, damage has

occurred. Smoke travels fast and can leave behind soot, which may render your servers inoperable or highly unstable. There may

be health issues at play as well, and some�mes it is not be feasible to have your employees working in the office in the immediate

a>ermath of smoke damage.

Before invoking your BCP in this situa�on, you will want to speak with fire crews on the scene about when they will let you back

into your office and what kind of damage has been done. This should give you the necessary informa�on on how to proceed, and

enable you to decide whether your BCP needs to be put into ac�on.

Civil unrest

It can be hard to gauge what to expect in �mes of civil unrest. We have witnessed large protests that remained peaceful, but we

have also seen ones that have become unruly and destruc�ve. Several business owners had to halt or significantly reduce services

in places like Missouri and Bal�more because of the la6er. Only �me will tell if they are able to recover, or end up having to shut

their doors for good.

Due to the vola�lity of these events, it is impossible to fully prepare yourself, since you can never completely know how the situa-

�on will pan out. Instead make sure you and your staff are prepared to invoke your BCP should the situa�on deteriorate. Even if

something were to happen at your premises, if you’re diligent and paying a6en�on you should be able to act quickly and prevent a

large-scale service disrup�on.

Security threats

Most people don’t put things like viruses and security breaches in the realm of disasters, and that in and of itself can be disastrous.

Let’s use one of the fastest growing security threats to small businesses, ransomware, as an example. It could be downloaded to

your network by a decep�ve email and opened by an employee. When ransomware makes it way onto your network, it will en-

crypt or block all access to your data un�l you pay a sum of money. Because ransomware can appear suddenly, o>en business

owners get flustered and either pay the ransom or suffer a long period of down�me trying to figure out how to fix the problem.

Either way, money is lost. If ransomware or any other security breach occurs, it’s important to quickly analyze the situa�on and

determine whether you need to invoke your BCP, which should allow you to avoid both down�me and ransom payments.

It’s important to remember that a disaster can appear in many different ways, shapes and forms. If you need help on determining

when it is appropriate to ini�ate your BCP, or have any other ques�ons about how a BCP would help your business, give us a call.

PAGE 4

Ground Swell

2703 Fire Rd Bldg1

Egg Harbor Twp.

NJ 08234

609-487-9100

www.gswell.net

facebook.com/gswell

@gswelldotnet

Visit us online at:

newsle!er.gswell.net

Tech Tip

Lock the Computer If you work in a network environment you

probably have to log onto your computer

each morning and log back off each night.

And for security reasons you should never

leave your computer while it’s logged on.

This �p will provide a quick way to lock

your computer when you have to step

away for a few minutes. Simply press the

Windows bu6on and the le6er “L” on

your keyboard at the same �me.

If it works your screen will be blank ex-

cept for a message that says :This com-

puter is in use and has been locked by

(Username). To unlock press

CTRL+ALT+DEL and type your password.

This is a quick and easy way to lock your

computer.

Welcome to

Team Ground Swell

Dennis Dunleavy Jr. Service Desk Technician

We are pleased to welcome Dennis

Dunleavy Jr. as the newest addi�on

to our Service Desk team. Joining us

in November, Dennis brings with him

degrees in Computer Programing,

Computer Science, and Informa�on

Systems.

A graduate of both Atlan�c Cape

Community College and Stockton

University, Dennis is very excited to

get started and apply his years of

helpdesk, hardware and so>ware

support experience to assist our

clients and help our growing

business con�nue to thrive.

With his love for gaming and new

technology and his incredibly friendly

demeanor, Dennis makes the perfect

fit for our team. We are very excited

to have him on board!

What’s Happening @ GSwell

Gadget of the Month

Computers on a S�ck!

The Intel Compute S�ck and

Asus Chromebit are inexpensive

computers on a s�ck. Just plug

into your TV or monitor and you

are ready to go. While not the

fastest devices they are

sufficient to perform basic

computer tasks like email and

web.

Both devices are available

under $100 with the main

difference being Microso> or

Google pla?orms.

These devices are flexible and

offer affordable solu�ons for

business and home.

It is also worth no�ng that small

form factor computers are

available that u�lize these same

types of technology and come in

sizes just bigger then a deck of

cards like the Dell Micro pictured

here.

Team Ground Swell giving “Thanks” at

our Thanksgiving covered dish lunch.

Asus Chromebit

Intel Compute S�ck

Dell Micro PC