Stratocent Technologies

04/10/2024

The Federal Tax Deadline is this coming Monday, April 15.
You may not have all your papers together, procrastinated sitting down and doing the deed, or maybe you have outstanding infield returns from past tax years.
To avoid interest and penalties, make sure you’ve submitted tax payments at least equal to what you’ll owe for 2023, and make certain you indicate on the payment which tax year you’re paying for.
You can file an extension for 2023 by Monday the 15th, and your final return will be due by October 15.
If you have no idea where to start, need assistance in determining how much to pay, or help with catching up returns from past years without any judgement, Clear Profit 365, Inc. is happy to assist you.
Ellie Bachaud James or Simone Bachaud
(206) 529-4955

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03/25/2024

Pack your bags and let's wander together! 🌍✈️ Visit my new website for adventure! 🌟 Check it out: mywanderlust.travel

My wife and I have finally managed to un-tether ourselves from our work. As long as we have a decent Internet connection, we can pretty much work from anywhere.

12/01/2021

There's an inherent advantage to having your IT services managed by a professional vendor - it provides you with an enforceable performance contract - something this hospital didn't have last week. Don't be like this business...

So for some context, I work(ed) at a small community hospital in Ohio. We have a 5-member IT team that takes care of almost everything in the building. Top to bottom, from fixing phones and fax machines to making sure the medical software works correctly.

Anyway, we had a situation where a physician wasn't happy that an issue couldn't be resolved instantly (Data loss, said Doc was storing patient data on their personal laptop HD and it died. We couldn't recover it and so she called the hospital admin to make sure the tech in question was instantly terminated).

Management complied and terminated.

Two others walked out on the spot without alerting anyone, they just picked up their things and left.

I attempted to finish the shift (was only a couple of hours) but called up after and said that I’d be seeking alternate employment effective immediately.

The final team member we were down anyway; we’d been having trouble sourcing staff recently.

Anyway, this all happened immediately prior to thanksgiving. I get the call this morning from my manager saying the hospital intends to have me sued if I didn’t return to work. The hospital stated that they are willing to “drop criminal charges for endangering patient safety” if I return to work. I still have some contacts and friends inside the hospital, and it seems that the rubber band and glue solutions that ran the place managed to completely collapse in two days and the ED was forced to start turning away patients. I know they had some temperamental servers that required someone to push a button and hard reset after every power blip (like a daily event it seemed) so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve lost several systems already.

I gave my statement, I have written by version of what happened including all names and times best I can remember, but ultimately told them it’s something I’d need to consider and talk over with a lawyer.

There was no involvement from us or sabotage or anything like that, it’s just all ageing hardware and software that requires intense and quite specific familiarity. It’s very possible that all our accounts still work because… there’s no one left to administrate IT systems otherwise. Even if they did get a team in I'm not sure they'd even know how to get in anything without our personal account passwords.

So, question is… what should I expect? Can they legit force me back to work or otherwise impact my ability to get employment elsewhere? (I’m seeking remote positions and already have a phone screening queued up, I was considering jumping anyway and this has accelerated plans.)

10/02/2021

Cytracom is our exclusive choice for Voice over IP telephone systems. Why? Because it works.

You get what your pay for.

Getting complaints from your VoIP customers this week? Here’s why it happened and how to avoid getting burned when—not if—this kind of incident happens again.

09/14/2021

Stratocent Technologies uses Deep Instinct for all of our protected computers.

In this eBook you'll learn about a multi-layered approach to ransomware that prevents attacks 10x faster than real-time, yet complements and enhances existing security investments.

09/01/2021

Shifting Your Workplace – What have we learned so far?

In our latest series of blogs, we’ve talked about how the Covid-19 pandemic provided us with an ideal opportunity for shifting the workforce. Let’s take a look at what we’ve learned!

Back to work supplies
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we run our businesses. There have been some advances that perhaps wouldn’t have happened for decades without it, if at all. IT equipment and software is the first thing that springs to mind when we think of advancements in the workspace. Thanks to the need for remote working, we’ve now got a whole host of collaborative conference room technology to help us in this new working world. Conference room webcams, interactive whiteboards, and noise-canceling headsets are all things that have developed in the last year or so. For businesses returning to the office or a hybrid working scenario, these items are now necessities.

It’s not just technology that employers are considering. Many employees have relished the chance to work from home in comfort, so many employers are now attempting to mimic the home environment with soft furnishings, plants, and refreshments. Also, relaxing the dress codes is a great way to shift the workforce back to the office. After all, it’s likely that employees have been just as productive in their sweats and t-shirts.

Overcoming workplace distractions
Our second blog in the series focused on avoiding distractions in the workplace. Whether an employee works remotely, in the office, or a mixture of the two, they will likely experience many distractions. There are ways employers can prevent workplace distractions, and it's a great idea to look at working environments. Are they clutter-free, organized, and quiet? If not, employers have lots of ways they can make them so. Providing employees with noise-canceling headsets is a good idea for both the office worker and the remote worker.

Distractions online can also be a problem. There are many programs now that block these popular sites during working hours. However, one vital step is to ensure that there is mutual trust and respect with colleagues. Never underestimate the power of a strong working relationship.

Workplace culture reboot
The post-Covid-19 return to the office provides the ideal opportunity for employers to shift their workforce towards a culture reboot. It's a great time to introduce new concepts and practices and engrain them into the day-to-day life of the business. Our third blog post in the series looked at what employers might consider about their company culture and the importance of creating a positive workspace. Some ideas included having a healthy snack bar, incorporating daily team huddles, investing in team building, and empowering the staff.

Final thoughts
While there have been so many negatives over the past months, having something positive to focus on, like shifting your workforce culture, can do wonders for your business and employees alike. We hope you try to make things more positive for everyone.

We hope these tips are helping you run your office more efficiently. And, as always, if there is ever anything you need help with, contact us, and let's discuss some solutions. We're here to help.

09/01/2021

When our clients call our help desk for a password reset, we ask them to verify their identity first.

Does your IT guy do that, or do they just reset the password?

The 20 MSP

Security extends to more than software and hardware. A perfect lock is useless if someone just leaves the door open. ID 20/20 is a patent pending, agentless process to verify callers are who they say they are.

What are you doing to protect your users and clients from social engineering?

08/26/2021

Workplace Culture Reboot in the Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Era

With the many changes that have occurred since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent crisis, employers are facing crucial decisions on how to shift their workforce into a new workplace culture reboot. This is the ideal time for looking at what we’ve learned over the past year. It's an opportunity to focus on inclusion and diversity, and to create a positive workspace.

Creating a positive workspace with a cultural reboot
When talking about an organization, we often think of the company ‘culture’ as the ways in which things are done. The culture embodies the company’s values, vision, habits, and norms that drive workers’ behavior during their daily tasks. Lots of work habits have shifted since the first quarter of 2020. Some companies have now made a great workplace culture reboot. As we all move towards a new definition of what constitutes a workplace – office, and home – it’s the perfect opportunity to look at what employees need to get their jobs done.

Workplace culture reboot element considerations
When you make the decision to reset your company culture, there are many things you can consider:

Organizational purpose and strategy – re-confirm your company's vision and mission post-Covid-19. Is there anything that needs to change? Do the behaviors and values pre-pandemic still serve their purpose or do they need adjusting?

Behaviors and values – what do you want your working environment to look like? How will you measure and define it? Is there anything that needs to be changed in this new environment and time?

Core systems and processes – with remote working, how have your processes and operations changed? Are there any systems or structures that can be improved to help embrace the differences between employees? How could your financial, operational and HR procedures be adjusted to meet your employees’ needs better? Is there a need for greater flexibility in working hours or places?

Recognition and motivation – Have you learned anything about the motivation and needs of your employees since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic? How can employees’ needs be dealt with by managers and supervisors to open a relationship built on trust?

Employee input and engagement – how can your employees provide input into your company operations? Are there adequate ways they can give feedback? Recently, The Grossman Group ran a survey that found almost half of people who are working from home want to continue doing so after the pandemic. Not all people enjoy remote working, though, and many seek a flexible working arrangement. Being flexible can help employees be more engaged and committed in their work.

Cultural resilience – when deciding on a reboot, think about how much resilience you can build into the team. A more resilient team will be able to adapt easily whenever changes arise. According to a report by Gallup, to be resilient when the going gets tough, businesses need to make sure their employees have everything they need to work as best they can. It’s also vital to show them how their work is part of the bigger picture.

Simple ways of creating a positive workplace
As well as looking at the wider organizational structures and processes, there are some really simple ways of creating a positive workplace for a cultural reboot. Here are some ideas:

Have a healthy snack bar – Many people have suffered from their eating habits during the Covid-19 pandemic and are keen to get back on track. Having a healthy snack bar will not only be appreciated by colleagues but will mean they are ready to tackle their work with adequate nutrition behind them.

Team huddles – having a short morning meeting that is no longer than 15 minutes is a great way of starting the day. It’s simple and repetitive and gets people motivated and on task ready to start their day.

Team building – when your teams have a great relationship, everything else will fall into place. Consider investing in team-building sessions to ensure there are positive working relationships with team members of all levels. When you get on with people and respect them, you’re more likely to work harder!

Staff empowerment – employees will work better with less micromanagement. Hand tasks and responsibilities over and see how they turn out! Another way to empower staff is to give them the opportunity to contribute. Creating an open forum for suggestions is a great way of ensuring employees feel heard.

Use lunch & learns – these are perfect opportunities for voluntary, informal conversations and learning opportunities amongst employees. They bring people together in a casual, low-stakes way.

Company-wide games – don’t forget to have fun! Create a positive workplace by having regularly scheduled company-wide games or quizzes.

Whatever the reasons behind your cultural reboot, the post-Covid-19 pandemic return to work is the ideal opportunity to embrace new practices. If you have any questions about getting a workplace culture reboot, contact us today. We are here to help.

08/19/2021

The Future gets closer every day….

Parkour is the perfect sandbox for the Atlas team at Boston Dynamics to experiment with new behaviors. In this video our humanoid robots demonstrate their wh...

08/19/2021

Being aware that even your best workers get distracted is key to maximizing everyone's potential. It’s a great idea to evaluate possible workplace distractions that exist in your workplace (or in people's homes for remote workers), so you can work toward minimizing the harmful impact. We often think that employees who work from home are more easily distracted than those who work in an office environment. At home, they have their pets, their refrigerators full of food, and possibly their family just in the next room. However, studies show that remote workers are more productive than their office-based counterparts.

Our latest blog discusses potential distractions both for remote workers and office workers. It provides helpful solutions to combat the possible issues. As always, though, the best way to keep up productivity might be as simple as embracing an open, honest and trustworthy working environment without micromanagement from above. Enjoy our latest blog for some helpful tips and ideas.

We're all doing our best to make the "old" normal the new normal again. But, hopefully, better!

Overcoming workplace distractions is never an easy task, remote or working in the office. Here are tips for preventing workplace distractions.