We try to minimize downtime. However, each person in your organization will have about 1 -2 hours of downtime as we make the transition. 

During this time, we will review and update your computer’s security and disk encryption status. 

We also determine if your version of Windows is supported and generally get to know your hardware and software. 

First, we collect all of your documentation (in all formats: electronic, printed, and verbal). Then we build a complete technology profile for you in our database (hardware, subscriptions, licenses, passwords, links, etc.)*
Finally, we test and validate your information to make sure all users can access the appropriate data. 

*In some cases, once we complete this process, we will create a dedicated account for Now IT Works to login while you retain your original admin passwords. 

Not at all. During the transition of information, if there is an option to create a dedicated login account for Now IT Works, we will do that. This helps with accountability. In most cases, we will know who made which change. 

That’s not necessary. While we get to know the people on your team, we’ll begin by working on the “core computers” and then work down the list. 

We follow the best security guidelines, which recommend that we restrict users from having access to their local computers. However, we will assign someone on your team access, so you can handle this in-house. 

We’re big on process! We…

1. Install our core Blue Steel software on your computers and devices for security and management.
2. Create proactive, recurring tasks that we’ll perform for you. 
3. Build out the new user activation process and begin taking support calls from you and your team. 

Automation – We need to install automation on your devices (PC or Mac). This allows us to keep your devices secure and provide no-hassle, efficient remote support when you need that. 

In addition, you’ll get access to the Blue Steel App (on your Windows PCs) which provides a streamlined way for you to interact with our helpdesk – faster than email or phone. For example, you can do things such as set up email on your phone or add a new user/hire. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you know how it works and we’re always here when you need us directly. 

Post Installation – Once we have our automation software deployed, we go through a rigorous checklist to learn what is in place now, and what changes we need to make regarding compliance, security, and productivity. Finally, together, we develop a comprehensive road map (more later on implementation of this roadmap). 

Compliance – We have a discussion with you about the compliance policies your company should and would like to employ. We’ll chat about things like password polices and management, cybersecurity, and ransomware protection. Once we begin to implement, we’ll handle any necessary “maintenance window” communications to your team.

Recurring Tasks – This covers management of your technology. We’ll build a list of recurring tasks (e.g., firewall updates, file integrity checks, license review, and vulnerability scans). As part of our Blue Steel Program, most of the time you won’t experience downtime or even realize these tasks and scans are running in the background. The couple of times per year that maintenance is required, we will schedule a convenient time for you and your team. Your high-level productivity is top of the list for us. 

Identify Roles – Before you can add a new user via the Blue Steel App, we need to define a new user with respect to your company. Ultimately, we want each user to have a great experience. That means that we begin with the end result in mind. We’ll configure/define things such as Outlook email, remote access, scanning, and file folder permissions. 

The reverse process applies when you part ways with a team member. We will want to understand, from a technology perspective, what happens to their email, data, and devices (e.g., who will receive forwarded email, and have access to the prior employee’s data?)

Help Desk – Finally, we are ready to take your help desk requests. We are proud to offer a CT-based team that follows a process and keeps your informed along the way. They also let customer service guide them before all else. Call and be greeted with a smile. Get in touch today. 

Implementation – Now it’s time to implement the checklist/road map that we mentioned earlier. The road map is made up of many specific tasks to help your company (e.g., “Make CRM load faster”, “Provide team with ability to send secure email”, “Reduce # of clicks for access to files.” It will also include reminders for subscription renewals and hardware replacements.).

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Email Migration –

Maybe haven’t migrated to Office 365 because you’ve been working on a legacy email system.  We highly recommend Office 365 for businesses. It is the most widely used email platform for good reason.  It provides more than just email, as it gives you the ability to run all Office applications on multiple devices. In addition, it can synchronize your username and password to your computer.

Maybe the new ERP or CRM that you are want to rollout has an integration into Office 365 for better email communications. 

We’d work with you to understand which mailboxes exist, clean up the distribution lists, and make the transition from your current email provider to Office 365.  We’ll make sure the integration is working for your CRM and that the people who need email on their phone will know where to click in the Blue Steel App to set it up themselves.

By default, Microsoft Office 365 Standard licenses are included in our Blue Steel program with an option to upgrade to premium as needed. 

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Server Relocation – Cloud Storage Migration – 

You’ve had servers in your office for many years, with the expectation that you always would…until more recently.  First, let’s discuss why you may want to continue having servers in your office space.

1 – You have many large files that you team need
fast and local access to

2 – You just upgraded your servers within the past 3 years and need to recover the investment

While there may be other reasons, we highly suggest that businesses consider cloud-based storage. Don’t worry. The cloud is simply a marketing term. We’ll go over the real-life benefits for your business. 

Some questions to consider…

Once your server’s vendor warranty expires, downtime comes into play.  Ask yourself, “How long can my business be down if the server is offline?”

We can help you understand the risks and map out options, but you will need to answer the following. “Is this migration better allocated as an operations expense vs. a capital expense?”

If so, we can assist you with moving your servers into a data center. The benefits are high uptime, redundancy (less chance of ever losing data), and accessibility that is superior to your local data storage. 

In some cases, we might be able to remove your servers and migrate all your data to a cloud-based file system. 

Set up your virtual consultation today. 

Email Security Implementation – 

Email is still the top form of communication for your business. That said, it’s also one of the most hacked pieces of technology when Office 365 hasn’t been configured properly. What we prioritize to keep your email online: We want to make sure you can always send and receive emails. Beyond, that we provide secure email solutions. At Now IT Works, email security goes spam filtering and virus protection, though both of those are in place. 

Email Continuity – 

Who is your email host? MS Office 365? Google Apps? GoDaddy? 

Regardless, what happened to your business last time your email went down? The worst is that you know it can and may happen again. Further, you worry during an outage, “Will every email I send be sent or received?”

Our solution: Set up email continuity. With a continuity solution we can make sure all email is sent and received. Plus, we’ll have an audit trail. 

Stop Email “Impersonization” – You’d be surprised how good hackers are at spoofing email addresses. These spoofed emails often use your name, exactly as it appears, while the email address itself is different. We can block these emails from ever appearing in your team’s inbox. 

Email Archiving – Best practice is to archive all emails for one year, whether you have to meet a compliance requirement or not. This helps protect your company in the event that an email is deleted accidentally or maliciously. 

Send Secure Email – We configure email so you can send private or sensitive information via email. 

Company Branded Signature – If you love branding, this product is for you. We will configure all email signatures to have a uniform look that you dictate. 

Contact us.

In addition, we offer over 40 services as part of our core Blue Steel product. A few more highlights are listed below. 

Other preventative security features – Security training, firewall security check, file integrity review, vulnerability scan, disaster recovery test

Other services – Cloud storage, automatic printer deployment, website form review 

Learn more in a virtual consultation.