kinetik IT blog spot

If you don’t have a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) plan in place for your technology, you could be closer to a major IT crisis than you know. That’s because “disasters” are everywhere. Along with the kinds of tragedies you see on the news, everyday calamities like power outages, electrical surges, hard drive failures, and simple employee mistakes can all shut your business down in seconds.

In some cases, though, having an inadequate BDR plan can be worse than having none at all, as it might leave you with a false sense of security. That’s because good BDR involves many overlapping layers of protection, each of which is necessary to keep your company covered.

To show you why this is so important, let’s take a look at a few things every business owner should think about…

Hope is Not a Plan

To start with the obvious, simply hoping that nothing happens to your technology isn’t a very good plan. Everyday mishaps get their name because they happen every single day. If you just hope that everything is going to work the way it’s supposed to when you press the power button on your computer, you’re going to be shocked someday when it doesn’t. Anticipate that you’re going to have some kind of IT problem sooner or later, and prepare for the eventuality.

The Right Equipment and Location Matter

A lot of business owners keep extra hard drives, or even tape backup drives, inside their offices with copies of important files as a hedge against disaster. That’s better than nothing, but it won’t do you much good if the disaster affects your entire facility. To get real protection from IT emergencies, you need backups that are encrypted and stored in a remote location that won’t be affected if something happens to your location.

Timing is Everything

The best BDR systems work on an almost continual basis. That means new backups are being run daily, if not hourly. In some companies, losing a day’s worth of data, or several, could be disastrous. Things like new invoices, sales receipts, and financial records could all be lost. You need to know that your saved files will be current and up-to-date if you ever need to rely on them in a pinch.

Testing, Testing

Regular testing is an often-overlooked part of the backup and recovery process. If you aren’t sure your emergency files can be recovered and put into place when you actually need them, then how valuable are they as an insurance policy? Your plan should include lots of tests so you’ll have the peace of mind to know that your data will be there waiting once the recovery process starts.

Don’t Forget the Plan Part

Good BDR isn’t just about having extra copies of your files – you also need a written plan to restore them and get your company up-and-running in the event of an IT emergency. Your plan should be detailed enough so you know exactly who to call and what to say when you’re facing a crisis. And, it should be printed out, with a hard copy stored in your IT vendor’s office, for obvious reasons.

If you don’t have a solid data backup and recovery plan in place already, now is the time to think about getting the protection you need. Call our office today, and let us put together a quote that includes a comprehensive BDR plan for your business!

More and more, businesses are starting to realize that managing IT in-house isn’t the best way to get premium service or save money.

There are a lot of reasons for this, but most of them come down to scale and expertise – business owners and managers don’t know enough about IT to hire the right personnel and make the right investments, and even if they did, it would be cost prohibitive to get what they really wanted.

 It’s not surprising, then, that more and more new clients are coming to us for outsourced IT management. You might be considering the same. By using a specialized vendor as your “IT department,” you give your business a few important advantages:

Things Just Work

 This is simple, but it’s more important than a lot of business people realize. When you have the right vendor managing and monitoring your systems, you can stop worrying about the little issues (and accompanying workaround fixes) that suck so much time out of your daily schedule. When things just work the way they’re supposed to, you can get more done without having to worry about issues of hardware and software.

You Stay Ahead of Customers and Competitors

When you have someone who knows technology looking out for your business, they can help spot new hardware, practices, and apps that can help your business grow or save money. That saves you the time you would’ve spent doing the same, of course, but it also gives you the opportunity to anticipate what your customers may ask you for in the future and stay one step ahead of your competitors.

Your IT Partner Fixes Problems Before They Become Problems

With IT management, your vendor can stay on the lookout for potential problems or issues, identifying and correcting them before they affect your business. If you’ve ever lost access to telephones, email, or something else that’s crucial to the day-to-day operation of your company, you know how important it is to prevent these sorts of outages.

You Get to Stop Worrying About IT Staffing

Finding the right technology personnel is hard enough. Keeping them – and keeping them trained – is a whole other challenge, and one that can put a huge dent in your bottom line. With an IT management agreement in place, you can stop worrying about hiring technology staff, paying their bonuses and continuing education costs, or keeping things covered when they are away from the office.

IT management can be a constant headache, or it can be a competitive advantage. Which would you prefer?

Wondering what good outsourced IT management could do for your company? Contact the Kinetik team today and let us walk you through plans and options that might make sense for your business.

At Kinetik I.T., we’ve been in the business of helping people and businesses, and making great things happen for almost 25 years. Basically, we love what we do, and it shows. And in all those years of perfecting our Digital Superhero status, we’ve learned a few things about the (IT or technical) problems our clients face. Here’s a run-down of the problems we see most often. 

Common Problem #1: Lacking (IT or technical) Support

It should come as no surprise that the level of support you have in your office will ultimately determine how well you can function—and no, we’re not talking about the 800-number that’s printed in the printer brochure. Most commonly, businesses either don’t have any technical support in the office or they don’t have enough. And having a catch-all solitary “I.T. guy/gal” doesn’t cut it. Your business is a sophisticated, well-oiled machine—don’t assume that the small town gas-station mechanic can take care of it all alone. 

Common Problem #2: Outdated Technology (& Infrastructure)


Most software and hardware solutions will eventually reach an age where they’ve outlived their usefulness. And while it’s tempting, and seemingly easier, to keep using them despite their dated status, once your machines hit the age of five years old, they’re likely to start needing increased tech support. Dated technology also typically require updates, which can be costly—sometimes more costly long-term than simply replacing the units outright. 

Common Problem #3: Lacking Protection


We buy insurance for everything these days—do you have protection in place for your technology and information? Do you have a G.O.K. (goodness only knows!) protection plan? Whether it’s a disaster plan to deal with a flooded server or having the right equipment to deal with power outages in the office, it’s imperative to protect your equipment and your data. This is your livelihood, after all! 

Common Problem #4: Inadequate Training

Each and every employee can be a Digital Superhero in their own right, with the proper training. Every single person in your office needs to know how to use both the hardware and the software you use on a daily basis. Ensuring that your employees are well trained can prevent many common technology problems. 

Common Problem #5: Poor Security 


U.S. businesses spend billions on the fallout from IT security issues every year, including data theft, client security issues, or hacker attack that renders your equipment completely unusable. Better security means customer trust and higher productivity, but you won’t get there with off-the-shelf solutions designed to protect home computer users—custom commercial applications can defend you against the problems you’re likely to face in this digital age.

The Solution 
Fortunately, we’ve got the solution you’re looking for. Choosing the right IT partner is the first step in safeguarding your business, allowing it to grow and prosper. You want your business to be as efficient as possible, and often that means great technology that performs well. From custom database solutions to meeting your security and storage needs, we can ensure you get the IT assistance you need at every turn.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

In her book, The Give-Back Solution: Create a Better World with Your Time, Talents and Travel, author Susan Skog outlines several ways that volunteering is beneficial not only to the recipients of the service, but also to those who perform it. The benefits include an overall boost in feelings of joy and happiness, a heightened clarity regarding one’s own calling, sharpened skills and improved job performance, an increased ability to maintain a hopeful and optimistic attitude, and gaining an appreciation for other people and places. As a company, and as individuals, Kinetik I.T. and its employees are dedicated to helping others in the community and around the world.

In addition to operating in an as eco-friendly manner as possible and regularly making charitable donations to hand-picked causes, Kinetik I.T.’s employees also volunteer on their own time—sometimes finding ways to involve co-workers and partners. Kinetik I.T. Web Designer & Content Specialist Vickie Florschuetz has been a Big Sister volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters since last year.

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country, by developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.

On June 7, 2014, Vickie, along with co-workers and partner organization IMP of Central Phoenix participated in a nation-wide fundraising event for BB/BS at the AMF Tempe Village Lanes, as part of a fundraiser for the national organization. With bowling tournaments happening simultaneously across the country, the annual event raises approximately $20 million a year, with 100% dedicated to benefiting program services. Kinetik I.T. with IMP owner, Jim McPhetres, and Manager, Tim Earick  supported the local division BB/BS of Arizona. With a bit of friendly competition between Team Kinetik I.T. and Team Sparks (named in honor of Vickie’s little sister), a total of 17 people attended and raised over $1000.

Kinetik I.T. is especially grateful for the support of IMP of Central Phoenix, who, when it comes to business communications services, can do it all. With a complete range of products and services available, IMP helps customers deliver their message to customers, employees and vendors alike. Using the latest printing and document management technology, IMP handles projects from start to finish, with an energetic and experienced staff, all dedicated to delivering the best products and services.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.