Several months go by, and at this point, the number of major issues has dropped to only five per month. Clearly, you need to get the rest of these issues resolved, so you commit another $1000 to your IT budget.

Again, several months go by, but instead of zero major issues (as you might have expected), you still experience two major issues per month. So what happened?

Conventional wisdom and basic mathematics tells us that if $1000 can resolve half of the issues, then another $1000 should resolve the other half. The law of diminishing returns, however, tells us otherwise.

As you allocate more of your budget toward resolving your IT issues, the cost to resolve them becomes exponentially larger. In this example, the first five issues may have been the easiest to resolve, whereas the next three required the same amount of resources as the first five. The last two issues may be next to impossible to resolve without allocating even more resources than were needed to deal with the first eight issues combined.

So what should a business do? The most important thing is to determine what issues are critical to your business. Then, carefully consider how much time and money you can commit to resolving these issues. Creating an accurate and realistic budget is difficult, but absolutely necessary, and addressing the critical issues first will pay off in the long run.

First, let’s look at some of the immediate benefits:

• Eliminate up-front software costs – Google Apps are all web based.  There is no software to purchase because everything runs in your Internet browser.
• Eliminate recurring licensing fees – The basic version of Google Apps provides the same benefits as Google’s premium services, absolutely free.
• Reduce maintenance costs – Get rid of your in-house mail server, and let Gmail filter spam and viruses for you.

Now let’s take a look at some of the ways that Google Apps can transform your business environment.  The following video demonstrates how easily any organization can increase efficiency and productivity by integrating Google Apps into their daily business routine.

So what can you do when it happens?

The following video demonstrates the basic procedures for removing a persistent virus from an infected PC using an AVG boot disk or removable USB drive.  You will need a licensed copy of AVG to perform this procedure.

Now you can minimize these risks and prevent users from wasting valuable time and resources without expensive hardware or software.

PROTECT YOUR NETWORK from websites that spread viruses and malware.

PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES from phishing websites that steal personal information like bank and credit card logins.

INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY by reducing web surfing on company time.  You can even pick specific websites you want blocked.*

REDUCE POTENTIAL LEGAL LIABILITY by preventing employees from accessing adult websites and file sharing services on company computers.

CIPA Compliant – Unlimited Users – No individual license fees – No Hardware to buy

Setup includes automated content filtering by category and on demand filtering for up to twenty five additional websites selected by the client.  No hardware or software purchase is required for these services.  Conditions apply.  Call Pixelwerx for more information.

Stage 1

With a brand new administrative staff and no record of the existing infrastructure, Benavides ISD needed immediate and accurate network documentation of their High School and Elementary/Jr. High campuses as well as their administrative offices and support facilities.

Pixelwerx engineers first conducted a thorough walkthrough of each location capturing digital images of important devices and key infrastructure components.

Next a Layer 3 discovery was performed to identify all of the IP devices attached to the network and any immediate security risks.

Finally, the captured data was analyzed and meticulously documented in electronic format for rapid distribution to district support personnel, and future reference.

Stage 2

Armed with accurate data, Pixelwerx developed a network migration strategy designed to centralize user management, extend remote access and server management, expand inter-campus communication, and improve security.  Although the projected schedule called for five business days to reconfigure 2 Cisco Routers and deploy Microsoft Active Directory on six servers and over two hundred workstations, the project was completed in only three days with a single engineer and two technicians.

Relying heavily on our experience with Microsoft Sharepoint Team Services, Pixelwerx developed an intranet portal site with the ability to upload and download well data through a drag-and-drop interface using nothing more than a web browser.  Combined with bi-directional satellite Internet service, the Parchman Report Site allowed oilfield technicians to record well data into multiple spreadsheets and upload the completed reports directly from the field.

And because the Parchman Report Site utilizes existing Microsoft Active Directory users and permissions, it provides convenient user and group management as well as instant documentation and accountability.

Parchman’s clients can now access and analyze well data within a matter of minutes, rather than the hours or even days that were previously required.  The oil industry is competitive, and access to information is mission critical.  And when it comes to well data, anyone in the oil industry will tell you, faster is better.