Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a cybersecurity team’s best defense against hackers, reports suggest. Moreover, as we continue to progress with technology, the dependency on AI to help protect our personal and business technology is increasing. More and more businesses and cybersecurity companies are turning to artificial intelligence as a means of bolstering their defenses against cyber-attacks, and with ever-increasing positive results. According to Capgemini’s article, Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence, artificial intelligence is becoming a necessary factor in a business cybersecurity defense. As much as 66% of cybersecurity firms believe that they would be unable to detect cyber-attacks without the assistance of their AI. As much as 75% of cybersecurity firms are beginning to test artificial intelligence. 60% believe that artificial intelligence has dramatically improved the accuracy and efficiency of cybersecurity technicians and analysists. With over half of all cybersecurity firms and businesses opting for AI for their cyber defense, artificial intelligence is not only becoming more sought after but also more dependable. With the globe becoming more dependent on technology each day, it should be no surprise that criminals would turn to technology as a means of exploiting and stealing from others. To protect your data, money, and sensitive information from criminals, ensure that your cybersecurity partner is using only the most advanced and up-to-date standards and practices. Hammett Technologies is well-versed in cybersecurity and can guarantee your information’s safety from hackers and criminals.
So, you have finally decided that the days of turning on your appliances yourself are ancestral! “I am no longer a caveman!”, you say to yourself as you yell at your Alexa to play that one song you haven’t been able to get out of your head all day. However, what you may not know is that those who have “home automation” have taken numerous hours planning, configuring, and testing to have everything work correctly and reliably. Home automation is the future, but if you want to take part, you must have a carefully laid out plan, as well as the tools and knowledge to do so correctly. What makes having a “smart home” so wonderful is that at any given point you can decide to add or remove smart devices at your leisure! The possibilities are only limited to how far we have come technologically speaking! Many of the devices you find in a home today are made with the idea of setting up a “smart home”. Regardless if you have an iPhone and Android device, you can take part in having a “smart home”. Even Amazon has their device, Alexa, that has been designed to be used with home automation. However, these devices are not plug and play. Time must be set aside in order to properly prepare your home. If you are still reading, it probably means you are interested in learning about what you will need in order to take your lame home to “Smart Home”! Well, I have good news and some bad news. The good news is that today you will learn exactly what you need in order to do so; the bad is that it doesn’t come cheap (if you want it done correctly). The following is what you’ll need: A Plan: First come up with a plan. What do you want to be automated? Do you want all the light in your home automated or just the ones in the living room? Do you want parts of your home left out, such as the garage, but have the rest automated? Figure out what you want to be automated and where before purchasing anything! Chose a Controller / Hub: Decide what you are going to use to control all your smart devices! You have many choices so make sure you pick one you are most comfortable with. Do you enjoy Amazon? Perhaps Alexa is the choice for you. Do you favor Google? Google assistant is a great way to have your Android Device as a controller! Maybe you fancy iPhone; Apple is another great way to use your phone with your “smart home”. Perhaps you want to use a different brand not associated with a major corporation; then you should look at Wink! Are you loyal to Samsung? Well, have I got news for you! Even Samsung has its smart hub controller for you to utilize: SmartThings. Make sure you take your time when decided on which controller you want to use! After all, this is how you will interact with your “smart home” once it is set up; make sure it is the product you are most comfortable with! Wifi-Network: You don’t need the $500 router that has 17 antennas and allows for the NASA quality download and upload speeds, but you will need quality! With quality comes a stronger, more stable connection with a wider range. Consider investing in a nice router from Asus or TPlink! We guarantee you will have a better experience if you do! Schedule: As we said earlier, setting up “smart home” takes numerous hours of planning, configuring, and testing to have everything work correctly and reliably. There is no easy road when it comes to home automation. If you want it done correctly, set aside time so that you can ensure it works! If you don’t have time, consider higher someone who can do it for you! I hear Hammett Technologies is good at setting up smart devices and networks! What You Can Do with a Smart Home Now that we have all a plan set in place, have decided which controller we want to use, have purchased a reliable router for our network, and have time on our hands, we can begin to play around with smart devices! There are countless devices out there today that can be used with a smart home. Everything from lights to those cute robot vacuum cleaners, just about anything can be set up for use in a “smart home.” Below are some of the possibilities, and this is just scratching the surface! Possibly the most popular smart device to buy is the lights! Philips Hue lights are a great example of this, although there are cheaper options out there that do the same thing. Hue bulbs allow the user to set timers for when they come on and even have RGB capabilities; perfect for those “set the mood” moments. Next, we have the thermostats! These are great for those who are often away from home for long hours and wish to keep the gas & electric bill low! You can have the thermostat lower the temperature while you are away and raise it while you are on your way home! This way, during those cold winter nights, you can come home to a warm house, without having to keep it warm all day! Or perhaps you are cold in bed and don’t want to get up! You can raise the temperature right from your bed and eliminate that chill in the house from under the covers! Last but not least are Smart Locks! Do you worry about packages getting stolen? Do you want to see what happens to your home while you are away? Get a Smart Lock! You can feel confident with one of these installed on your door. Many come with cameras nowadays and allow you to create virtual keys for family and friends! No more trying to find your keys in the dark, hold your
Understanding how your business is spending money is essential if you want to be able to save money. In our previous blog post, we discussed how important it is to review both OPEX and CAPEX costs. Now we will go over the importance of reviewing discretionary and non-discretionary costs. Both discretionary and non-discretionary costs are vital to look over if you wish to help your company save money. Furthermore, understand how your company spends these expenditures will help your business in the future as well. Discretionary and Non-discretionary Costs When it comes to saving money, it is important that you review all expenditures your business has. Usually, discretionary costs are the first ones to get cut, however, we encourage you to dig deeper when cutting costs. Looking at non-discretionary costs, such as infrastructure. Looking towards usage, service, and consumption levels is vital to making sure you are able to save money and cut spending on your IT department. Therefore, when cutting costs, make sure you inspect all your expenditures. It is vital to leave no stone unturned if you wish to truly cut costs. However, we understand that this can be quite difficult at times. Especially if you are unsure as to what is vital to the department on not. How Hammett Technologies Can Help We understand the difficulties many business owners face when dealing with their IT departments. It can be extremely difficult to determine where to cut costs and what to leave alone. However, with our help, you will never have to worry about that again. Hammett Technologies works with you to make sure you never have to worry about whether or not your business is wasting money on non-important items. Hammett Technologies walks with you to ensure that you understand all the ins and outs of how we are building your IT department.
Microsoft Teams, a platform by which you can propel your company into the 21st century. Microsoft Teams is a platform consisting of channels that your team can use to work together on projects, hold meetings, and or just chat with one another. Teams can also be used to help organize your company, through its countless features such as the ability to create folders, and its utilization of other Office 365 applications. To learn more, we recommend clicking here to learn everything Microsoft Teams has to offer! It includes a free sign up, goes over the basics, and has a neat video!
When it comes to saving money, it is important that you focus your attention on the right areas. Last time, we spoke about how taking a holistic approach, covering both operational and capital expenditures were essential to making sure your business is efficiently saving money. However, at times, it can be difficult to decide where one’s attention should be focused when downsizing. Focusing on Rapid – Reductions Rapid reduction implies the idea of rapidly reducing the spending and cost of your IT department. In order to do this, one must refocus their attention away from already spent money. Instead, focus your attention towards areas that can be immediately downsized, such as hardware or software licenses. Downsizing hardware and software can result in immediate savings, allowing your company more breathing room. However, while it is important to focus on rapid reductions areas, this does not mean to ignore sunk costs completely. As we said earlier, taking a holistic approach to saving money is the best course of action. When reviewing the IT department, do not leave any stone unturned and review all possible avenues to save money. Therefore, even those the money has already been spent, ensure that you still review these sunk costs, inspecting them for possible termination in the future. Hammett Technologies Helps Your Business Reduce and Reuse Hammett Technologies understand how to help your business save money. We reuse your old hardware, upgrading and fixing issues to bring them up to date. We review and revise how we work with your company, ensuring you know exactly what you are paying for, and work with you to make sure you get the most cost-efficient payment plans. Through this, we strive to ensure that your company is able to stay up to date and secure, without breaking the bank.
When cutting costs in your IT department it is important to review all avenues of expenditures. If you begin overlooking certain areas of your IT department, you will be unable to accurately determine total expenses and possible savings. Having a holistic approach will ensure that you are able to properly and efficiently determine what best areas to cut back on and which to leave alone. Reviewing all Operating Costs When it comes to an IT department, there are two umbrellas of operating costs that one must review to ensure optimal savings. Operating expenditures (OPEX) such as Office 365 subscriptions, and capital expenditures (CAPEX) such as Servers and owned computers. Both areas, OPEX, and CAPEX need to be reviewed and understood if you wish to be able to efficiently cut costs in your IT department. Furthermore, it is important that you do not focus on one over the other. If you are to ensure that your IT department can maintain functionality without compromising security to your business, combing through both operating expenditures and capital expenditures is necessary. How Hammett Technologies Assists in Cutting Costs Hammett Technologies is not just your IT department, but also your business partner. All of our services are operating expenditures, ensuring that you are not holding onto depreciating hardware, losing money in the process. Furthermore, as your business partner, Hammett Technologies will work diligently with you to ensure that you are maximizing your profits while maintaining a secure network. We work with your business and budget to ensure you are receiving the best possible service that your money can buy, without hidden fees. When you choose Hammett Technologies you are not only choosing a top-tier IT department, but you are choosing a business partner who wants to see you and your company succeed.
No one ever said that cutting costs would be easy. In fact, it may be one of the most difficult things you will have to do when owning a business. Cutting costs means reduction, and reduction means people are sometimes let go. All of these can lead you to feel regretful, disappointed, and upset at yourself. However, as with any business, it is important that you maintain it so that it can remain healthy and sturdy, and that unfortunately means that costs must be cut at times. However, there is one useful tip to making cutting costs easier. On the First Try When it comes to cutting costs, attempt to do it all on the first try. Many, because of the negative feelings, do not go in as aggressive as they should when cutting costs, resulting in them having to do it repeatedly. Going about it this way ensures that you will never truly get to the root causes of monetary losses in your company, and will also force you to experience troubling, negative emotions more often. Therefore, going in as seriously as you can is vital to ensuring that not only are you saving money, but also avoiding future negative emotions surrounding the topic. Cutting costs is difficult. It is the harsh reality of the business world, but a necessary reality if businesses are to maintain their bottom-line. Do not be afraid of confronting and dealing with these harsh realities in your business. Hammett Technologies as a Partner Hammett Technologies understands that cutting costs can be difficult. As a small, family-owned business, we have had to deal with these harsh realities ourselves. However, through perseverance and patience, we have maintained our status and have proved that we can accomplish any tasks set out before us. We promise, as your business partner, to bring this same perseverance and patience to the table, ensuring that you not only understand our tactics to secure your cyber presence but also trust that we will have your back when you need us most. Hammett Technologies is your partner first, your IT Department second.
Hammett Technologies understands how important it is for businesses to save money, especially during a global pandemic. Remember that when it comes to cutting costs, it is vital to remove expenses that will not only permanently bring down the company expenses, but also ensure money is being saved. Hammett Technologies hopes to be able to, as a partner to your company and as a reliable source of information, guide you and your business on the road to saving money when it comes to your cybersecurity, efficiency, and accessibility. Cash Reigns Saving money and cutting costs can be difficult. It is hard to find areas where you can remove expenditures from your company without compromising departments and their ability to provide services to your company and your customers. However, in order to ensure that your company is able to save money where it can, it is necessary to remove expenses that are either no longer needed or seem unnecessary. While most businesses focus on removing hardware expenses, when it comes to cutting costs around the IT department, focus your attention to software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IasS). SaaS and IasS are expected to grow 17% in the coming year, up from 227.8$ billion in 2019, according to Gartner. Therefore, if you are expecting to make a dent in your business’s expenses and begin to cut costs. How Hammett Technologies can Help When it comes to saving money, Hammett Technologies is the king. We understand how expensive it is to run a business, and on top of that, run an IT department. Therefore, with both business experience and IT experience, we perfectly grasp how much it takes to run a secure, efficient, and accessible IT department. We never cut corners but always ensure that your company never feels a heavy hit when the bill comes. Hammett Technologies ensures that your company’s IT department runs smoothly, discussing and explaining every potential purchase with you to make sure that you fully understand and know you are not wasting money.
As we have stated multiple times before, when it comes to saving money, it is important to look over all expenditures. This “review of business expenses” should include both variable and fixed costs. We understand that it can be difficult to determine which expenses should be cut, especially when it comes to cutting fixed costs. However, in order to save money, it is important that you consider all your options. Cutting Variable and Fixed Costs Most businesses, when trying to save money, only consider variable costs, such as contractor labor. This is not to say that there is no money to be saved by cutting your variable expenses. Your business could recover much of its lost revenue by reducing its variable expenses. Cutting variable expenses also tends to be easier to cut, since they include utility costs and communication costs. However, in order to save the most amount of money, you and your organization cannot be afraid of inquiring about your fixed expenses, such as payroll or rent. Addressing fixed costs is, understandably, more difficult, since it can result in possible relocation of your business headquarters or termination of an employee. Nevertheless, while cutting fixed costs is more difficult, it is necessary to consider. In fact, it is possible to reduce your variable expenses by cutting fixed expenses, making it even more important to address when discussing cutting costs. How Hammett Technologies Can Assist Hammett Technologies understands how important for businesses to save money, especially during a global pandemic. That is why we walk you through our processes and ensure you are getting the top-tier quality, without breaking the bank. Hammett Technologies has experience in providing professional IT support without the professional cost, making us an asset to your company’s future development and cybersecurity. When you choose Hammett Technologies, you are choosing a business partner who will help guide your business through cyberspace safely and securely, without hurting you financially.
As an MSP, Hammett Technologies understands how important it is to save money without degrading the quality of service. However, when it comes to saving money, businesses often aim to “freeze” current subscriptions for a short while, going without services for a short time in order to save money. What is often overlooked is that this is a short-term money-saving strategy and will ultimately do nothing to help your business. Instead of “freezing” assets, look for areas in your IT department that can be reduced and cut back on permanently. Similar to our last post discussing how your business should target immediate impact areas, it is important to assess the importance of anything you are “reducing” from your business. Don’t Freeze, Reduce When it comes to saving money, it can be easy to cut back on some subscriptions and licenses that are not immediately necessary. However, this tactic often overlooks that that money-saving strategy only solves your business’s monetary concerns for a short time. You are not removing those subscriptions from your docket, rather you are “freezing” them. This means that, unless you are able to increase your business’s monetary income substantially, by the time it comes to renew those subscriptions and licenses, your business will be seeing red again. Hammett Technologies recommends that you begin to look for areas in your IT department that can be reduced and removed completely. This strategy, while more difficult, will result in your business being better able to track its profits and losses without worrying about “frozen items”. We understand that it can be difficult to track down and eliminate areas your IT department may not need any longer, but in order to ensure the safety of your business and those who are working for you, you must be able and willing to reduce, not only freeze assets. A Business Partner You Can Trust Ensuring that your business can stay afloat through pandemics, economic crises, and other serious situations is not only important to you, the business owner but to Hammett Technologies as well. As a family-owned, self-started business, we understand the lows and highs of the business world. We want your business to succeed, and we believe that by following these tips, it will not only succeed but thrive.