There are various characteristics that indicate a successful relationship between two businesses, and usually it is a bit more complex than simply liking the owner or representative one deals with. Often there is an exchange of goods or services for currency, which essentially is simply a mutual benefit that is exchanged. Finding a company that sell the widgets one’s company needs to operate is one thing, and relatively easy; finding a company that sells those widgets well—and well-enough to match ...

Most businesses succeed in understanding the importance of IT in our ever more interconnected world. Many would agree this is a “no-brainer”—computers touch most portions of most businesses in some way. However, taking a slightly deeper look reveals more difficult questions for a business’s decision-maker(s). Who maintains this technology? How should we budget for IT solutions? How can IT make my employees and current business structure more productive? What future IT decisions should I be considering?

(Quick aside: while I will ...

As we close out the craziness that 2020 has been for many businesses and individuals, we’d like to take a minute and look over the horizon. There are some obvious items that transcend IT and business—not the least of which include COVID-19 vaccines and, with them, a hopeful return to normal life in the not-too-distant future.

But what awaits businesses when it comes to IT?

1. Increased Expansion of Work-from-home and Remote Technologies

A very visible effect of COVID-19 on many businesses was (and ...

For many small- and medium-sized businesses, IT planning is a major area that could be improved. There are many ways that a large corporation would handle these planning needs, but the primary individual responsible for effective future planning in this case is a Chief Information Officer – or CIO.

What is a CIO?

Wikipedia defines CIO as “the most senior executive in an enterprise who works with information technology and computer systems, in order to support enterprise goals”. Essentially, this is a person ...

My intention with this post is to remind of expectations and address concerns as we all continue to deal with the ramifications of COVID-19.  This pandemic has been going on longer than we had previously hoped and we would like to reframe our stance and lower the probabilities for miscommunication. With these plans and procedures, we continue to strive for increased safety and well–being of our staff and customers Continue Reading →

Many of us take extra effort both at work and personally to guard ourselves against malicious actors and unwanted intrusion. This takes many forms—spam guards in our mail, training to not click bad links, etc. But how often do we think about the items we voluntarily make public? And how those items may be used?

Many of us are frightened to learn the nature of personal data collection and sales thereof. One popular documentary, The Social Dilemma, explores the darker ...

There are many aspects to licensing with regards to Microsoft…Microsoft 365, Azure Cloud Solutions, Operating Systems, and others. But today we I would like to focus on Windows Server and related licenses and demystify some of the verbiage that you are likely to see in your server licensing purchases.

At its core, a Windows server must be licensed in a similar way to any Windows-based workstation. It uses an operating system which must be purchased in order to legally use it. ...

On Tuesday, Nov. 17th Certified CIO and 3CX teamed up to present to our customers and selected prospective customers the 3CX phone system model—disruptive pricing, competitive features, and value that can’t be beat! 

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend! If you missed it, please check out how you are leaving money and value on the table with your business/organization’s phone system! 

Certified CIO is teaming up with 3CX to show you how to save money on your phones!

Please join us for the webinar on 11/17 at 2pm. Please register at: https://www.certifiedcio.com/3cx-live-event-registration/ ! We would love to have you there…and also help you to cut down your recurring phone costs!

As we continue dealing with the effects of COVID-19, we remain hopeful that the economy is recovering and will remain steadfast against any further turmoil. Still, as caretakers of our businesses we must always be looking to make sure we are getting the best value from our investments and services.

When is the last time you performed a valuation on your phone systems? Did you know you could cut your phone bill significantly and quickly? By switching from traditional providers to ...