The post Coffee Shops Maximize Profits with IT Upgrades appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

Benefits of Outsourcing your Business’ IT:

Stronger expertise in your business segment and its needs;

ThomDigital Group has worked in all business realms. This ranges from SAAS to real estate, to fashion, to finance, and more.  Our team is highly experienced in designing, opening and managing over 5,000,000 square feet of office space globally.

Available 24/7 for questions and help;

Unlike your internal hire who will take vacations and days off, we’re always here to help. With outsourcing, you can trust you have an entire team of experienced IT professionals only a call away, rather than relying on just one person.

Not wasting resources on recruiting;

In order to find your internal hire, your company will most likely involve an external recruiter, agent, or a paid ad. Post-pandemic as offices begin to flourish again, the employment market is suffering from a shortage of IT professionals. Therefore, there will be a tough search to find the right hire to fit your needs with proper experience. Once hired, this new employee will require onboarding, training, a desk set-up, and other sorts of HR needs. After this is done, this new hire will still need time off, and perhaps another team member to manage the workload.

Aligned with your business goals;

Like you and your team, we only want the best for your company. Our team can properly assess the scale and needs of your business, and provide proper solutions. No business is alike, so we ensure that your new IT setup is perfectly customized for you.

Supports growth and adapts to changing needs and services;

The post Why your Business Should Outsource their IT Partner appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

But, before your employees fully return, the office will need a touch-up from when it was last left. To ensure the technology in your office is ready for a workload, your team should check the systems in place for any troubleshoots, connectivity problems, or old equipment. A lot has changed in tech in the past year, especially video conferencing, A/V solutions, and cybersecurity.

Follow our Back to Office Checklist to prepare for your team’s grand arrival!

Is your in-office network ready to go?

• • Does your network still have the proper bandwidth to support the size and needs of your returning team?
  • Ensure that your IT closet is properly ventilated and cooled.
  • Wires are still in place / nothing is loose

Hybrid Work Environment

With the likelihood that some of your employees will continue to stay home, you’ll need a setup that supports all employees.

• • VPN: Allows employees to access company network and files from anywhere there’s an internet connection, but also protect themselves and the company network from cybersecurity threats.
  • Dropbox or cloud space to share files: materials need to be sent back and forth, so ensuring that there’s a proper cloud system in place to safely store files is crucial
  • Proper video conferencing infrastructure in conference rooms: When everyone can’t be in the same room, you need the next best thing!

Do an Equipment Check

With technology being unused for nearly 18 months, there will need to be some upgrades made, and potentially some hardware to be replaced.

• Are the phones working?
• Do the printers have ink, toner, and paper?
• Are the kitchen appliances clean and stocked?

Check & Reinforce Security measures

Protect your business from the inside and outside by taking cybersecurity measures as well as physical security on your space.

• • Upgrade your firewall to prevent malware and blocked sites
  • Have employees trained on current cybersecurity attacks
  • Get new employee badges, ensure doors lock properly

Devices are Connected and Updated

At each desk, be sure to do a thorough sweep of all the devices’ software, battery health, and compatibility with any new devices you might’ve gotten.

• • Make sure each device has latest software
  • If something is becoming obsolete, replace it
  • Finally, make sure everything is connected to the network again if passwords are changed / became disconnected

Could your team use a hand? If making sure your office’s IT setup is running smoothly is a little out of your wheelhouse, we’re here to help. ThomDigital Group’s managed IT services provides peace of mind as your business makes the transition back to in-office life. So, we can have your office polished and ready for action in under a week!

We’d love to help! Request a consultation at info@thomdigital.com

The post Your Business Back to Office Checklist appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

By labor day, over half of NYC offices will return to full capacity(link article). Lately, many corporations are making critical decisions on what their shape their workforce will take. This may be fully back to in-person or fully WFH. However, the easiest resolution in order for firms not to lose valuable employees is to create a flexible(article) work environment. This model can support employees working some days from home, and some days in the office. 

Now, your office may be looking to set up smaller satellite offices close to employees to forgo the tragic commute to Manhattan. 

Setting up a new and smaller office away from Headquarters will require a fresh and new IT setup.

In order to get employees back to work, here’s how to get the new satellite office internet up and running in under a week:

Step 1: Determine the needs / capacity of your new space

Before starting, determining the number of desks, desktops, laptops, and smart devices in your space. This will determine your overall bandwidth, to make sure everyone’s devices have fast internet speeds for video calls, and large application usage. Also, determine if your business will be storing files locally or in the cloud. Finally, be prepared with a VPN for any employees who continue to stay remote as this allow them to connect virtually through a protected gateway.

Step 2: Find the Internet Service Provider in your building

You’ll need to confirm what internet service provider has fiber-optic wiring within your office building. From there, chose the amount of bandwidth you’ll need in a service package for wireless connections (WiFi).

Step 3: Acquire proper hardware

Your new office will need 2 critical pieces of hardware to get the network up and running.

First, a router / firewall. These may be separate devices or a single device. Both play the role of directing “traffic” within the network, and getting the information you need from a bigger network, into your device. A firewall is crucial for protecting your business from security threats like malware.

Secondly, your network will require a switch. This will allow communication between multiple devices on your network. This includes your printers, desktops, access control, and any other “smart” device. A switch is crucial for your network to connect devices together via ethernet.

Diagram of router, firewall, and switches creating your network.

Step 4: We’re here to help!

If the thought of building out a network for a small office sounds incredibly intimidating, that’s what we’re here for! At ThomDigital Group, we are your outsourced in-house IT partner. From determining bandwidth to installing hardware, our experts are here to make your move into a new office as easy and quick as possible. If your office is looking to make a transition come the fall, contact us at info@thomdigital.com to learn more about how we can help!

The post How to Set Up Office Internet In Under A Week appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

When your business is moving extremely quickly with many moving parts, there is no room for error in network management.

Meraki is a cloud-based network solution. This means that it installs in your office, but managed from anywhere in the world from the administrator’s laptop.

The Meraki system will include everything your office needs for WiFi, routing, and security.

Why we love it:

1. Firstly, the Meraki dashboard displays all your networks, bandwidth usage, and users. This dashboard identifies and solves any connectivity issues your office might have remotely.
2. Cisco cameras connect to the dashboard as well, so administrators can review footage in the event of a security issue.
3. Meraki is a family of products, so we easily equip your office with products that are sure to communicate and co-operate.

Meraki dashboard is accessible on desktop or mobile

Why your business needs a Meraki Upgrade:

1. Your business benefits from a state of the art firewall, which provides content filtration and malware protection.
2. Forward-looking technology allows new products to seamlessly connect to older ones.
3. Upgrading your IT infrastructure to match the growing demand in business for productivity.
4. As your business expands in physical size, more Meraki products (cameras, WiFi extenders) can simply be added to your existing solutions.

Think it’s time to give your business the Cisco Meraki facelift it deserves? We can help. Request a consultation at info@thomdigital.com!

The post The Power of Cisco Meraki WiFi Network Systems appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

What’s not so high on their priorities? Managing IT systems. That’s where coffee shops look to us at ThomDigital to manage your coffee shop’s IT systems, and let you do what you do best: make a great cup of coffee. 

In a fast paced, on-the-go business such as a cafe, there is not a moment to waste in getting customers their caffeine. Therefore, It’s a strong requirement that internet service is strong and reliable 24/7. 

ThomDigital aided a local NYC coffee shop in doing just that: never wasting a moment due to unreliable internet, and maximizing profit with strong inventory and POS systems.

Scope of work:

1. Upgrading the POS system: Allows for ease of use for customer, limiting touch & contact, clear sales analytics
2. Establishing tiered wifi networks – Customer, Staff, Admin – decreases overall downtime and can easily identify when a network goes down
3. Refined inventory management: integrated in the POS, minimizing both shortages and surpluses creates tighter profit margin
4. Allow for high automation within staffing and marketing

Results:

Our coffee shop partner is happy to report that their network had less than 1% downtime in the upgrading process. By switching to ThomDigital’s solutions, rather than individual vendors, the client happily saved significant costs per month. Customers of the business are far more satisfied with the ease of using the guest wifi network, and the simplicity in paying for their drink.

A coffee shop owner does not want to waste their time on IT management – Our services let you run your business without worry – If you are interested in seeking an upgrade to make your coffee shop run as smooth as your coffee tastes, reach out for a consultation at info@thomdigital.com. 

The post How Coffee Shop IT Upgrades can Maximize Profits appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

ThomDigital recently completed an IT upgrade project for Westbay Development. Westbay is a residential and commercial real estate developer located on Cape Cod, MA. Their expertise is in development, general contracting and landscaping.

Cape Cod Bay

In this project, Westbay was looking to consolidate their IT infrastructure across all of their assets and business functions. Because they have operational needs across several properties, they were looking for a symbiotic IT workflow to support their overall business. The business currently works out of two offices and one garden center. Therefore, it was imperative that “downtime” during the work was reduced to keep productivity at a max.

So, with the launch of their new garden center in Cape May, Cape Shore Gardens, ThomDigital put together a “big picture” communications and IT scope. This plan was built keeping in mind both short term and long term goals of the company, and the variance of their assets. In addition, Westbay manages several million dollars worth of assets and inventory. Because of this,  we only utilized equipment and installations that could grow as the company did.

Firstly, the assets contained in the design were;

• Headquarters
• Satellite Office
• Garden Center (Retail)
• Property Management

Secondly, the scope of work that was implemented;

• Inventory System
• POS system
• Security 
• Wifi 
• Internal & Vendor Communications
• Backup support systems

Finally, in regards to working with ThomDigital, Westbay Development had this to say:

“We have high expectations around customer service. We needed the vendor that we chose to be providing that. That’s why we chose Mike”.

Businesses that are multi-asset cannot afford downtime to ensuring that all of their IT systems can work together. ThomDigital’s expertise in making all of these products seamless: Wifi, POS, and security, will ensure that your business can continue to grow with no delay due to outdated IT.

The post Commercial Assets and the IT that Supports Them appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

At the time, ThomDigital was completing work at the home of Pamela Heilner. As Pamela’s WFH situation became more relevant for her daily life, she asked that we upgrade the internet, security systems and wifi. She expressed that the local vendors on the island weren’t meeting her needs. We successfully improved the whole house, connected with one dashboard. This allows for stronger connectivity and simpler management. Pamela is a local on Berry Island in the Bahamas, a small island just north of the capital Nassau. She enjoys being an active member of her community, and wants to tackle a major problem within Berry Island, their only school.

Therefore, when the all age school in the Bahamas called and asked for help, ThomDigital was more than happy to gift their time and expertise to the community. The school supports over 150 local students, yet a lack of technology prohibited extended learning online. 

Exterior of R.N. Gomez all-age school

Pamela expressed that there is computer class in the school’s curriculum, yet had no computers. The school’s wifi and overall IT infrastructure had poor design and did not support the students and staff appropriately. As the only public school on this island, it was unexpected that the local government could not provide financial nor IT assistance. As a supporter for accessibility in public education, ThomDigital calculated the needs and stepped in to get the school up to speed.  

The scope of work was as follows: 

• Although there was fiber optic capability at the school, they couldn’t access it. In order to resolve this, we conducted troubleshooting with the vendor issues here.
• Low Voltage layout and the supporting hardware was poor and needed upgrading. 
• Students required laptops in the computer classroom to complete classwork. 
• Implement a new Google Education communication platform which hadn’t existed on the island before.

Network stack installed by ThomDigital

Thankfully, donors in the community such as Southbar Club contributed to the project. ThomDigital completed the scope at no-cost to the school and delivered a presentation to the school community afterwards. 

Pamela remarks on the success of ThomDigital’s services:

“Mike is really generous with his time. And he’s a really good IT person. Everything was good, and solved any issues remotely…Whenever [Mike] was needed to help, he came in and helped.”

Overall success of remote learning:

“Once the pandemic happened, it was a godsend that Google Education was in place because these kids were working from home with computers. An absolute lifesaver! We were able to graduate the class which would have never happened before our new IT setup from Mike. Whenever Mike heads back to the Caribbean he is sure to stop and check up on the school. The Principal and Vice Principal love him and speak with him on a first name basis.”

If you’re looking to improve your local school’s technology solutions to allow for 21st-century learning, reach out to info@thomdigital.com and we’d be happy to create a plan!

The post Bahamas School Upgrades IT for Remote Learning appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

ThomDigital recently aided a NYC based photographer, Terry Gruber.

Gruber’s office, formerly in the Chelsea area of Manhattan of 10 years needed the switch to a WFH model. Gruber previously had an office of two employees with studio space to conduct his photography sessions. Though he had been considering the downsize for some time now, the pandemic was just the opportunity to  begin the WFH journey. Having the normal concerns around business functionality and its success, ThomDigital was happy to explain what the new work life would look like.

Together our team and Gruber planned to move out of the studio taking only relevant IT hardware needed to mimic the existing functionality at his home uptown. Now, all the servers, WAP’s, printers, and phones would be at his home. For instance, in this project there was a one day turnaround with minimal downtime. In the end, the cost of work was reduced further by selling back unnecessary equipment. 

Scope of Work:

• Adding infrastructure in the home. 
• Switch from trunk lines via AT&T to digital voice over IP (VOIP).
• Troubleshooting hardware costs
• Reduce overall fixed costs for the business

Benefits:

• “By switching we saved an excess of $100,000 in rent for the year. This is money back in my pocket. It’s given me a lot more breaths per day”
• No longer in deals with unhelpful landlords
• By adding amplifier units for the wifi, everyone in the household has stronger connectivity and signal in every corner of the home. (No more teenage complaints!)
• Leveraging local vendors versus costly Internet Service Providers (like AT&T), time, frustration, and money are saved for the client.

Results:

Overwhelmingly satisfied with his results, Terry contributed some thoughtful words:

“What was nice about working with Michael, he was always very helpful and gave me good advice. I’m someone who has to trust someone else to make these decisions. Not many of us know how to navigate the digital world and he was very easy to talk to about it. He laid out  clear step-by-step logic on why someone would want to do this, what equipment is needed, and how to get things done that wouldn’t be crazy expensive.”

In addition, to summarize his experience with ThomDigital, “I saved money and improved quality of my work and personal life. It’s what you want.”

In the end, switching to a WFH model for Gruber provided rewarding cost savings across the board for business security. But, the value that provides a happy family, and health and safety for the photographers has no price tag.

Image Credit: https://www.microbizmag.co.uk

The post Taking Your Office to Working From Home appeared first on ThomDigital Group.

Consider these three aspects of being a renter or landlord when determining the value-added of IT:

The first upgrade landlords are considering is their ISP provider.

For years, tenants were at the will of the provider. Tenants are restricted to using only the vendor that services that building or area and are stuck with the pricing they offered. In this system, when the wifi was slow or the internet went down, there was no one to call but the provider.  With new vendors such as Skywire Networks and Starry Internet, tenants now have significantly more control who their internet provider is, and with it an overall better service.

The second upgrade landlords are considering is their security and the cameras that protect their assets and ensure safety for their tenants.

Owning a multifamily home is one of the most expensive investments a property owner will ever make. Therefore, protecting assets with advanced solutions is at the top priority for a landlord looking to increase value. Protecting assets with easy to use, cloud managed security cameras are the way to go.

Lastly, the third upgrade landlords are making to manage security. 

This includes protecting tenants from intruders, but also protecting your building. Landlords can now read who, when, and where tenants access doors. In the time of increased liability, lawsuits, any documentation of access is crucial. Tenants have the  ease of program for unlocking and locking from the comfort of your phone.

When it comes to upgrading the IT capabilities of a property, landlords looking to increase value and rent seek optimal ISP providers, camera equipment and security systems.

The post The New Way Landlords are Increasing Value with IT appeared first on ThomDigital Group.