One thing I see with surprising frequency is a business that does not understand the importance of maintaining valid and current backup data.  On occasion we see backup drives that have been left unplugged, are filled to capacity, or software that has been improperly configured and does not run as scheduled.  When we discover issues such as this during a new client assessment, the business owner will often admit knowledge of the situation or appear unconcerned.

To date, I have only had to assist one company with data loss coupled with a failed backup device.  The amount of time, frustration, and manpower that this requires cannot be understated--- it is staggering.  Any company that loses financial data can encounter further financial and time loss penalties when that information is needed by the IRS or similar organizations.  For those businesses that are in any way involved with medical practices, HIPAA violations also become a serious concern.  Recently we have seen the first instances of financial penalties from HIPAA for data loss:

          - In February 2011 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services fined Massachusetts General Hospital $1 million for losing   the medical records of 192 patients.

          - Around the same time, Cignet Health of Maryland was fined $4.3 million for failing to provide patients a copy of their medical records upon request.

The danger of data loss and/or theft is very real and we are seeing practices suffering massive penalties as the associated agencies attempt to impose the full reach of their regulations.  Some additional repercussions of sensitive data loss can include mandatory public announcements of the incident, requirements to directly contact all potentially affected persons and explain the situation to them, and increased audit scrutiny for several years thereafter.

Storage solutions today are far more reliable and far less expensive than ever in the history of electronic data storage.  The related software to manage and monitor your data backups has become much more advanced as well.  Not to sound cliche, but if you're wondering if you can afford a good backup solution the better question to ask is "Can I afford not to?"

IRIS Solutions offers several forms of data backup and monitoring services.  Please take a moment to contact us with your questions and concerns on this very important topic!

You're planning a cookout at your house: do you visit Dean & Deluca for meat, Earth Fare for produce, and, if you have the energy and time, Harris Teeter for condiments, or do you like to get all items from one reliable source?  Not everyone has the time or money to shop around at specialty venues for various items so why should you have to do the same for your IT services?

IRIS Solutions prides itself as being a "one stop shop" for all of your IT needs.  Whether you're building a new office from the ground up or simply need assistance in selecting a new telecom provider or practice management software, we have the experience and expertise to guide you through the entire process.

As a managed services provider we do just that; "manage" our clients and their IT infrastructure to take the guesswork out of a sometimes scary and unsure element of your office.  We work with countless vendors and local reps to ensure any transition is as seamless as possible.  We also act as a liason between you and the third party provider to be sure you are getting the best solution for your environment.

Please contact us to see how we can better manage your IT services and solutions under one umbrella, and if you prefer to get your "meat and veggies" from different sources, we can provide assistance in those areas too.

While we recommend and resell PCs that run Windows to our clients, we have had occasional interest in Apple-brand products and have purchased a few Macs for clients as well.  Generally speaking, especially in the dental and medical fields, Windows-based computers are the standard.  The software and other peripheral equipment that run dental and medical practices are a bit "behind" the technology curve and have not quite advanced to a level to be supported by a Mac operating system just yet.  Because of this, and the die-hard standard being a Windows machine, we have typically shied away from Macs in our office, though we do have a few employees with Apple equipment they use personally; iPhones, iPads, iPods, MacBooks, etc.

One of our technicians has always been a PC guy and recently jumped on the Apple bandwagon to see what it was all about.  We recently asked him to share his thoughts on his new purchase, a MacBook Pro, and the new features he has discovered while working on it thus far:

"My laptop from college was getting pretty old and me being who I am, I wanted something new.  I decided to try a MacBook just to see if I would like it.  Everybody these days seems to want an iPod touch, an iPhone, and now an iPad, so to me it seems like Apple really knows what it is doing for it to be the hot brand.  After comparing for a couple of weeks I finally took the plunge and ordered my new MacBook.  I remember all of my friends laughing at me for buying one when when I could have gotten a regular laptop for cheaper.  My new laptop arrived after about a week and I haven't been disappointed since.

I am on my MacBook every single day.  I may be doing some work from home or just sitting around surfing the internet, but every time I am on it it seems like I find a new feature.  Apple has put so much attention into every detail on its MacBook that I could go on forever; from the awesome display, the thousands of apps, to how many different things you can control just by using the touchpad.  It amazes me how they can design something that can tell if I'm using 2, 3, of 4 fingers on the touchpad and each one has a different feature.  I have probably only utilized 10% of what it is capable of doing but that only excites me.  I still use a Windows PC at work everyday and think they are just as good, but I love trying something different.  When it comes down to it, both PCs and Macs can do the same thing, it is just what you prefer and enjoy using."

Have questions or need clarification after reading this?  Please contact us and we will be glad to recommend a proper solution for you or your office.