Business Interrupted: The Disaster Your Co-Managed IT Partner Should Be Planning For

Posted on July 23, 2025 by John Neibel

Power outages. Ransomware. Server failures. Natural disasters.

These disruptions don’t wait for a convenient moment—and when they strike, your internal IT team can be quickly overwhelmed.

That’s where co-managed IT proves its value. Your co-managed partner shouldn’t just be assisting with day-to-day operations—they should be actively preparing your business to survive and thrive through the unexpected.

Backups alone aren’t enough. If your systems go down and your team can’t access tools, files, or communicate with clients, even a small disruption can turn into a serious business failure.

Co-Managed IT Is About Continuity, Not Just Support

Most internal IT teams are stretched thin. They’re great at handling tickets, managing users, and putting out fires. But what about disaster recovery planning? Cloud redundancy? Compliance audits? Off-site failovers?

That’s where your co-managed partner comes in.

A true co-managed IT provider extends your team’s capabilities by proactively helping you:

Design a business continuity plan
Implement off-site backups and cloud infrastructure
Test and simulate disaster recovery scenarios
Ensure remote work readiness
Maintain compliance with industry standards

Backup vs. Business Continuity: Don’t Confuse the Two

Too many businesses think “our data is backed up” means “we’re protected.” Not quite.

Backups restore your data.
Continuity ensures your business keeps running—even when disaster strikes.

A well-coordinated continuity plan developed between your internal IT staff and your co-managed partner answers questions like:

How fast can we recover our key systems?
Where can our employees work if the office is offline?
Which platforms and data are mission-critical?
Who leads the recovery process on both sides?

And it includes:

Verified, encrypted, off-site backups
Clearly defined RTOs and RPOs
Remote access infrastructure
Redundant hardware and cloud failover systems
Annual disaster recovery testing

If your current co-managed provider isn’t driving these conversations, they’re just a help desk—not a strategic partner.

Real Disasters. Real Impact.

These aren’t hypothetical scenarios:

Wildfires in California destroyed entire offices—some had no off-site recovery in place.
Flooding in the Southeast wiped out local servers—weeks of billing and records lost.
Ransomware hit thousands of small businesses—many discovered their backups had never been tested.

These are the exact moments your co-managed IT partnership should shine. If they aren’t ready, you’re exposed.

Questions to Ask Your Co-Managed IT Provider Now

Don’t wait until a disaster forces you to scramble. Sit down with your provider and ask:

How quickly can we recover from a ransomware attack?
Are our backups encrypted, tested, and stored off-site?
What’s our plan if a fire or flood takes down the building?
Can we stay compliant if disaster disrupts operations?
Is our remote work environment resilient enough to handle sudden disruption?

If your co-managed IT provider can’t confidently answer these, it’s time to reevaluate.

Co-Managed IT Is More Than Extra Hands—It’s Your Disaster Insurance

You can’t prevent every storm, outage, or breach. But you can make sure your business doesn’t miss a beat when they happen.

A good IT partner helps your internal team.
A great one empowers them with enterprise-grade continuity planning.

Want to see how resilient your business really is?

🛡️ Book a FREE Network & Continuity Assessment
Let’s make sure your next disaster doesn’t turn into your biggest disruption.
👉 [Insert Link]

Business Interrupted: The Disaster Your Co-Managed IT Partner Should Be Planning For

Power outages. Ransomware. Server failures. Natural disasters.

These disruptions don’t wait for a convenient moment—and when they strike, your internal IT team can be quickly overwhelmed.

Backups alone aren’t enough. If your systems go down and your team can’t access tools, files, or communicate with clients, even a small disruption can turn into a serious business failure.

Co-Managed IT Is About Continuity, Not Just Support

That’s where your co-managed partner comes in.

A true co-managed IT provider extends your team’s capabilities by proactively helping you:

Design a business continuity plan
Implement off-site backups and cloud infrastructure
Test and simulate disaster recovery scenarios
Ensure remote work readiness
Maintain compliance with industry standards

Backup vs. Business Continuity: Don’t Confuse the Two

Too many businesses think “our data is backed up” means “we’re protected.” Not quite.

Backups restore your data.
Continuity ensures your business keeps running—even when disaster strikes.

A well-coordinated continuity plan developed between your internal IT staff and your co-managed partner answers questions like:

How fast can we recover our key systems?
Where can our employees work if the office is offline?
Which platforms and data are mission-critical?
Who leads the recovery process on both sides?

And it includes:

Verified, encrypted, off-site backups
Clearly defined RTOs and RPOs
Remote access infrastructure
Redundant hardware and cloud failover systems
Annual disaster recovery testing

If your current co-managed provider isn’t driving these conversations, they’re just a help desk—not a strategic partner.

Real Disasters. Real Impact.

These aren’t hypothetical scenarios:

Wildfires in California destroyed entire offices—some had no off-site recovery in place.
Flooding in the Southeast wiped out local servers—weeks of billing and records lost.
Ransomware hit thousands of small businesses—many discovered their backups had never been tested.

These are the exact moments your co-managed IT partnership should shine. If they aren’t ready, you’re exposed.

Questions to Ask Your Co-Managed IT Provider Now

Don’t wait until a disaster forces you to scramble. Sit down with your provider and ask:

How quickly can we recover from a ransomware attack?
Are our backups encrypted, tested, and stored off-site?
What’s our plan if a fire or flood takes down the building?
Can we stay compliant if disaster disrupts operations?
Is our remote work environment resilient enough to handle sudden disruption?

If your co-managed IT provider can’t confidently answer these, it’s time to reevaluate.

Co-Managed IT Is More Than Extra Hands—It’s Your Disaster Insurance

You can’t prevent every storm, outage, or breach. But you can make sure your business doesn’t miss a beat when they happen.

A good IT partner helps your internal team.
A great one empowers them with enterprise-grade continuity planning.

Want to see how resilient your business really is?

🛡️ Book a FREE Network & Continuity Assessment
Let’s make sure your next disaster doesn’t turn into your biggest disruption.
👉 https://go.scheduleyou.in/ydgAXWJHb?cid=is:~Contact.Id~

Business Interrupted: The Disaster Your Co-Managed IT Partner Should Be Planning For

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Mirror Storage

Questions Every Business Should Be Asking Right Now

If disaster strikes tomorrow, can your business stay operational?

Power outages. Ransomware. Server failures. Natural disasters.

These disruptions don’t wait for a convenient moment—and when they strike, your internal IT team can be quickly overwhelmed.

Backups alone aren’t enough. If your systems go down and your team can’t access tools, files, or communicate with clients, even a small disruption can turn into a serious business failure.

Co-Managed IT Is About Continuity, Not Just Support

That’s where your co-managed partner comes in.

A true co-managed IT provider extends your team’s capabilities by proactively helping you:

Design a business continuity plan
Implement off-site backups and cloud infrastructure
Test and simulate disaster recovery scenarios
Ensure remote work readiness
Maintain compliance with industry standards

Backup vs. Business Continuity: Don’t Confuse the Two

Too many businesses think “our data is backed up” means “we’re protected.” Not quite.

Backups restore your data.
Continuity ensures your business keeps running—even when disaster strikes.

A well-coordinated continuity plan developed between your internal IT staff and your co-managed partner answers questions like:

How fast can we recover our key systems?
Where can our employees work if the office is offline?
Which platforms and data are mission-critical?
Who leads the recovery process on both sides?

And it includes:

Verified, encrypted, off-site backups
Clearly defined RTOs and RPOs
Remote access infrastructure
Redundant hardware and cloud failover systems
Annual disaster recovery testing

If your current co-managed provider isn’t driving these conversations, they’re just a help desk—not a strategic partner.

Real Disasters. Real Impact.

These aren’t hypothetical scenarios:

Wildfires in California destroyed entire offices—some had no off-site recovery in place.
Flooding in the Southeast wiped out local servers—weeks of billing and records lost.
Ransomware hit thousands of small businesses—many discovered their backups had never been tested.

These are the exact moments your co-managed IT partnership should shine. If they aren’t ready, you’re exposed.

Questions to Ask Your Co-Managed IT Provider Now

Don’t wait until a disaster forces you to scramble. Sit down with your provider and ask:

How quickly can we recover from a ransomware attack?
Are our backups encrypted, tested, and stored off-site?
What’s our plan if a fire or flood takes down the building?
Can we stay compliant if disaster disrupts operations?
Is our remote work environment resilient enough to handle sudden disruption?

If your co-managed IT provider can’t confidently answer these, it’s time to reevaluate.

Co-Managed IT Is More Than Extra Hands—It’s Your Disaster Insurance

You can’t prevent every storm, outage, or breach. But you can make sure your business doesn’t miss a beat when they happen.

A good IT partner helps your internal team.
A great one empowers them with enterprise-grade continuity planning.

Want to see how resilient your business really is?

🛡️ Book a FREE Network & Continuity Assessment
Let’s make sure your next disaster doesn’t turn into your biggest disruption.
👉 [Insert Link]https://go.scheduleyou.in/ydgAXWJHb?cid=is:~Contact.Id~Link

Your Phone Is Being Watched — And You Might Not Even Know It

Posted on July 16, 2025 by John Neibel

Think your phone is secure? Think again.

Your smartphone is your lifeline to clients, emails, bank accounts, passwords, and business conversations. But here’s the unsettling reality: tracking your phone—and everything on it—is shockingly easy. And it doesn’t take a sophisticated hacker to do it.

From jealous exes to disgruntled employees to cybercriminals targeting your company, anyone with the right app or phishing link can spy on your messages, monitor your location, or access sensitive data—without you ever knowing.

For business owners, that’s more than an invasion of privacy. It’s a threat to your entire operation.

📲 How Phone Tracking Actually Works

Phone tracking isn’t some Hollywood-level hack. Most of the time, it’s disturbingly simple. Here’s how it’s done:

Spyware Apps: Installed secretly to log calls, texts, GPS, and even turn on your mic or camera.
Phishing Links: One tap on a malicious email or SMS can install tracking software silently.
App Permissions: Many apps ask for way more access than they need—and run location services in the background.
Stalkerware: Disguised as system tools or utility apps, it hides in plain sight and avoids detection.

These tools are often legal to purchase, marketed as “monitoring” or “parental control” apps—but they’re commonly misused.

⚠️ Why Business Owners Should Be Seriously Concerned

Let’s face it—your phone is a mobile vault.

Think of what’s on it:

Sensitive client communications
Banking access
Stored credentials
Internal documents and photos
Employee and customer data

If someone gains access to your phone, they could walk right into your business systems—no firewall or brute force required.

📉 The average data breach costs U.S. small businesses $120,000.
(Source: Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report)

That breach could start from the phone in your pocket.

🕵️ Is Your Phone Being Tracked? Watch for These Signs:

While spyware is designed to stay hidden, there are red flags:

Rapid battery drain
High mobile data usage
Phone feels hot while idle
Strange apps or unfamiliar icons
Weird background noises during calls
Frequent crashes or freezing

One issue doesn’t confirm spyware, but if you notice multiple symptoms, it’s time to investigate.

🔐 How to Stop Phone Tracking (Before It’s Too Late)

If you suspect your phone’s been compromised, act fast:

Run a Mobile Security Scan
Use a trusted mobile antivirus or anti-spyware app to detect and remove threats.
Review App Permissions
Disable location, microphone, and camera access for apps that don’t need them.
Update Your Phone’s OS
Many security vulnerabilities are patched in routine updates. Don’t ignore them.
Do a Factory Reset (If Needed)
If spyware can’t be removed, wipe your device clean and reinstall only trusted apps.
Strengthen Access Controls
Enable biometrics and multifactor authentication for all important apps and logins.

🧠 Your Phone Is a Business Asset—Treat It Like One

As a business owner, your phone isn’t just personal—it’s your mobile command center. And that means securing it isn’t optional—it’s critical.

Cybercriminals are always looking for easy entry points. And nothing’s easier than an unsecured smartphone that’s always online, always nearby, and often overlooked.

✅ Take the First Step: Get a FREE Network Risk Assessment

We’ll help you evaluate your digital security—including mobile vulnerabilities—so you can keep your business, your team, and your clients protected.

📅 Schedule your FREE IT Risk Assessment today

8 Ways an MSP can help implement an AI solution

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Mirror Storage

8 Ways an MSP can help implement an AI solution

AI has some real attractions, and now that it has become so advanced, it has gained the attention of the public and the media. However, just because something is a fad, doesn’t mean that it is either new or something everyone needs. Before an organization, especially a small- to medium-sized business, initiates the use of AI in its business processes, it needs to understand that because the tool is so powerful, it also comes with some real risks. Although its predictive capabilities can be transformative for business, they can also be wrong or present legal and ethical issues. As a result, businesses should utilize the experience and skills of experts with a deep knowledge of AI and how it may be applied to your specific organizational goals.

Eight ways an MSP can help with an AI solution

AI, on its own, is a complex tool. It is also a tool that can be misapplied. Remember, the term artificial is key. To be used effectively and wisely, AI needs to be applied by someone with experience using it in your particular business. An MSP can offer the following to help you begin to integrate an AI solution into any aspect of your business.

Step one: Are there potential places where you might use AI? This is where your MSP can be of help. They understand your business and can help identify where it might assist your operations or marketing, for example.

Step two: Understand your KPIs and organizational goals, from the top down. It is obvious, but too often forgotten. What are your goals? What are the measures of success? What do you identify as the key strategies? AI needs to fit into that framework.

Step three: Narrow down a range of possible AI solutions. An MSP is going to have enough depth of knowledge of AI applications to steer you to the most appropriate ones. goals.

Step four: Estimate the solution’s ROI. Measurement matters. You need to understand the costs and ROI of each possible collusion. Just because it is trendy doesn’t mean AI makes sense in all cases. This will guide you to make the most effective use of your resources.

Step five: Ensure compliance: For example HIPAA, PCI. HITRUST. ISO27001, SOC1, SOC2. AI is a powerful and potentially intrusive tool. Compliance is critical.

Step six: Get it up and running. An MSP can implement the solution for you. Most business owners do not have the resources available for what can be a very time-intensive project.

Step seven: Manage risks. Post-implementation: AI is a sophisticated tool, and things can go wrong and need ongoing monitoring, an issue that most businesses do not have the in-house resources to address. Examples of ongoing tasks include password management, security patches, and updates, as well as monitoring response

Step eight: Ongoing evaluation for effectiveness and reliability. Remember, nothing is stagnant in business. Technologies change, the competitive environment changes. Your organization moves forward. Make sure you commit to ongoing reviews of the effectiveness of your chosen solution.

In the end, AI can be useful. But, as with any powerful tool, it can cause a lot of trouble if used by an organization without experience. Small-to-medium-sized businesses lack the in-house IT resources and depth of knowledge to implement and maintain an AI infrastructure. An MSP can bring that to the table.

The Compliance Blind Spot: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You

Posted on July 9, 2025 by John Neibel

Think compliance is only for big corporations? Think again.

In 2025, regulatory agencies are cracking down on all businesses—especially small and midsized ones. If you’re collecting sensitive data, processing payments, or handling customer information, you’re already in the compliance game—whether you like it or not.

And if you’re not playing by the rules? It could cost you tens—or even hundreds—of thousands of dollars.

🔍 Why Compliance Is No Longer Optional

Regulatory bodies like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are now laser-focused on data protection and consumer privacy.

And they’re not just issuing warnings anymore—they’re issuing fines, and lots of them.

⚖️ Which Regulations Apply to Your Business?

Here are three major regulations that most small businesses don’t realize apply to them—until it’s too late:

1. HIPAA – Protecting Health Information

If you handle protected health information (PHI)—even indirectly—you must comply with HIPAA.

Recent updates now require:

Encryption of all electronic PHI
Regular risk assessments
Staff training on data privacy and security
A documented breach response plan

💸 Case in point: A small healthcare clinic was hit with a $1.5 million fine in 2024 after a ransomware attack revealed inadequate data safeguards.

2. PCI DSS – Handling Credit Card Payments

If you accept credit or debit cards, you’re on the hook for PCI compliance. That means:

Secure data storage
Ongoing network monitoring
Encrypted transmissions
Tight access controls

💸 Noncompliance fines? As high as $100,000 per month, depending on the issue and how long it’s been unresolved.

3. FTC Safeguards Rule – Financial Data Protection

If you collect any kind of consumer financial data, you’re expected to:

Create a formal security plan
Appoint someone to manage your program
Conduct regular risk assessments
Use multifactor authentication (MFA)

💸 Failure to comply can cost up to $100,000 per incident—and $10,000 per person held responsible. That’s not a typo.

💣 Real-World Fallout from Compliance Failures

One small medical practice thought they were too small to be a target—until ransomware locked their files.

$250,000 fine from the HHS
Weeks of downtime
Loss of patient trust and revenue

They weren’t just out money. They were nearly out of business.

✅ 5 Steps to Stay Compliant (and Protected)

Perform Regular Risk Assessments
→ Know where your weak spots are—before hackers or regulators find them.
Strengthen Security Measures
→ Use encryption, firewalls, endpoint protection, and MFA.
Train Your Team
→ Your people are your first line of defense. Make sure they’re prepared.
Create a Response Plan
→ What happens if you get breached? Plan now, not later.
Work with Compliance Experts
→ Don’t go it alone. Partner with IT and compliance professionals who know the landscape.

🚨 Don’t Wait Until You’re Fined to Take Compliance Seriously

Compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties—it’s about protecting your reputation, your data, and your business’s future.

🎯 Ready to See Where You Stand?

We offer a FREE Network & Compliance Assessment to help uncover gaps in your current security and compliance posture.

It’s quick. It’s painless. And it could save you thousands.

👉 Click here to schedule your FREE Compliance & Security Assessment

Eight ways an MSP can help with an AI solution

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Mirror Storage

Eight ways an MSP can help with an AI solution

Step one: Assess your organization’s potential use of AI. Basically, with the holistic understanding of your business that an MSP has, they can evaluate where there is opportunity, and prioritize where to implement first

Step two: Understand your KPIs and organizational goals, from the top down. Before you do anything, it is essential to articulate your specific goals. What do you identify as the key strategies and how will you measure your success?

Step three: Propose a possible range of AI solutions. Here is an area where your MSP can be of particular value. An MSP will be knowledgeable about the variety of applications out there and lead you to select those most appropriate for your goals.

Step four: Estimate the solution’s ROI. Remember, measurement is important. And you can not do everything. So identify each potential AI solution’s ROI. This will guide you to make the most effective use of your resources.

Step five: Ensure compliance: For example HIPAA, PCI. HITRUST. ISO27001, SOC1, SOC2. AI is a powerful and potentially intrusive tool. Compliance is critical.

Step six: Implement the solution. An MSP can implement the solution for you. Most business owners do not have the resources available for what can be a time-intensive project.

Step seven : Manage tool-related risks. This is a post-implementation issue that most businesses do not have the in-house resources to maintain long term. Examples of ongoing tasks include password management, security patches, and updates, as well as monitoring response

In the end, AI can be useful. But with any powerful tool, it can cause a lot of trouble if used by an organization without experience. Small to medium sized businesses lack the in-house IT resources and depth of knowledge to implement and maintain an AI infrastructure. An MSP can bring that to the table.

AI: Marketing and other sample uses- A quick introduction

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Mirror Storage

AI: Marketing and other sample uses- A quick introduction

As you are likely very aware, Artificial Intelligence has become a real attention getter in the business world, as well as public media. One cannot be looking at the news everyday without coming across some article discussing AI. However, just because something is a fad, doesn’t mean that it is either new or something everyone needs. AI has been around for a long time. Anyone who has purchased something from a website is well aware of the “ others who bought “X”, have also been interested in …” feature. That feature has been around for decades. That feature is an example of AI. A simple but helpful understanding of AI is that it is able to attempt to find patterns and suggest predictions by sifting through enormous quantities of data. Quantities of data that would make seeing patterns an insurmountable human task.

Just to get a general understanding how AI is being used to meet organizational objectives, improve processes, marketing, recruiting, and even worker safety, let’s look at a few diverse examples.

Worker Safety: AI can sift through data to notice patterns of worker injury to identify safety problems in a manufacturing sector business. Simple aggregate statistics ( 5 injuries per day ) doesn’t help identify where the risks actually are, and certainly doesn’t identify key areas of risk) Where are things going wrong? Maybe patterns in time suggest worker fatigue. Maybe it identifies a certain activity that presents safety issues.

Demand Forecasting in Retail: Determining how much to stock of what item for a coming sales season can be as much an art as a quantifiable skill. As a result, companies can see real hits to the bottom line when they make a mistake. Just observing how much sold this month last year isn’t a sufficient predictor for the coming period. What about the weather? Bad economic news. Construction on a nearby road that is now finished this year. The endless factors that may influence buying decisions can be used to forecast demand more accurately.

Disease Screening in Healthcare: AI has the capacity to potentially use data to identify or eliminate certain diagnoses that an individual medical professional whose experience is necessarily finite, might be able to do. Like much else, there are ethical issues that can make AI a complex tool, but there is much potential.

Disease Tracking: The pandemic was practically an instructional video on the value of AI. Tools that could identify all of those who had likely contracted with someone who tested positive for Covid -19? That was AI at work.

Just in Time Inventory: Just in time inventory means that manufacturers avoid the costs associated with inventory that sit unused until needed. Identifying along a very long supply chain how inventory can be built and shipped to arrive just in time is no simple task. AI is a key component of that inventory model.

Customer Retention: Like other areas, you probably can collect more information about your customers than you can make sense of. So, why did they leave? You may have the answer, but it may actually be a calculus of many factors. AI can help identify all of the issues that may have led a customer to leave. Without AI, you may incorrectly attribute it to one single factor.

AI and Marketing: Why are marketers so interested?

AI has potential applications in the marketing end of any business, large or small. AI may offer you some new tools to more effectively market without expanding your present marketing resources. Marketers, in particular, may find AI useful in these three general categories-

Collecting Data about Prospective Customers– Even small businesses can collect a significant amount of data. AI can allow you to analyze that data. No matter how much data you collect, it is useless unless you can synthesize it, see patterns, etc. The human capacity to make sense of the massive amount of data we collect is limited.

Using Data to Market More Effectively– Even the most novice marketer knows that the more you know about each prospect the easier it will be to target them. The more you know their needs, the more you can explain how your product or service meets those needs. AI allows you to do more with the data you collect- to make sense of it so you can use it.

Generating the RIght Message– AI may be also able, to a certain degree, assist you in creating the messaging to reach your target. However, it is important to recognize that AI is not a silver bullet.

Windows 10’s End-of-Life Countdown: The Real Price Of Waiting To Upgrade

Posted on June 25, 2025 by John Neibel

Support ends October 14 , 2025—every day you delay costs more than you think.

“We’ll Handle It Later” Is A Budget Killer

Post-EOL, Microsoft stops issuing security patches and bug fixes. That leaves you footing the bill for every vulnerability, crash, and compatibility snag. The longer you stay on Windows 10, the higher the hidden costs:

Hidden Cost	Why It Hurts Now—not Just Later
Security Gaps	Unpatched systems are hacker magnets. One breach can wipe out years of profit (and your reputation).
App & Device Incompatibility	Popular CRMs, accounting suites, printers, and security tools are already dropping Windows 10 support. Lost function = lost revenue.
Productivity Drains	Slow boots, random crashes, and “hang-ups” steal 10–15 minutes per employee per day. Multiply that by payroll—ouch.
Emergency Upgrades	Rush hardware orders + after-hours IT labor = 30–50 % premium over planned projects.
Compliance Risks	HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and other mandates require supported, secure OSs. Fines and lawsuits dwarf upgrade costs.

Smart Companies Are Acting Now

Inventory & Audit – Identify which PCs can make the jump to Windows 11 and which need replacement.
Consolidate & Streamline – Retire redundant software, tighten licensing, and trim support overhead.
Strengthen Cybersecurity – Pair the OS upgrade with multi-factor auth, next-gen AV, and robust backup testing.
Plan The 2025 IT Budget – Spread hardware purchases across quarters to dodge supply-chain spikes and cash-flow stress.

Your 4-Step Action Plan

Run Compatibility Checks – Confirm CPU, TPM, and RAM meet Windows 11 requirements.
Test Critical Apps – Verify each line-of-business tool runs flawlessly in the new environment.
Order Hardware Early – Laptops and desktops still face lead-time fluctuations. Secure your stock while prices are stable.
Partner With Proven Pros – Our team handles scheduling, data migration, and user training—so you skip downtime and surprises.

Don’t Wait To Panic In October

A smooth, budget-friendly transition takes planning time that’s disappearing fast. Book your FREE Network Assessment now—we’ll map the exact devices, apps, and security gaps to fix before Windows 10 turns into a liability.

👉 Schedule here: https://go.scheduleyou.in/hI54VnWs?cid=is:~Contact.Id~

Upgrade on your terms, not in crisis mode.

Marketing and AI

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Mirror Storage

Marketing and AI

Suddenly, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI). It is constantly in the news now. It suddenly is looming like some intimidating Terminator. However, AI is not a toggle switch that was suddenly turned on one day this year. AI is everywhere and has been around for far longer than most of us are aware. We just didn’t realize it.

Ever think about how Instagram shows you reels based on your past views? Youtube does the same. Amazon makes recommendations based on your browsing and purchase history. By the newest standard, that is old hat AI, but it is AI. Lately, significant advances have been made that increased the power of these learning algorithms exponentially. The new tools Chat GPT, BARD, Well-said are examples very widely covered in the media.

Why are businesses so interested?

There are a wide variety of uses for AI in the business space, from project management to customer service.
A bit of background, it might be helpful to take a quick survey of places where AI is being deployed.

Before looking at examples, let’s discuss why use AI in any area at all?

Given technology, any organization has the capacity to collect–from the perspective of a human–an incomprehensibly large amount of data on almost any subject. This data can be used to do many things, but there is so much of it, we have a limited capacity to see patterns and synthesize. AI has the capacity to do that.

Three examples:

Demand forecasting in retail: Who doesn’t want the magic bullet to decide how much to stock for each season? However, just observing how much sold this month last year isn’t a sufficient predictor. What about the weather? Bad economic news. Construction on a nearby road that is now finished this year. The endless factors that may influence buying decisions can be used to forecast demand more accurately.

Disease screening in healthcare: AI has the capacity to potentially use data to identify or eliminate certain diagnoses that an individual medical professional whose experience is necessarily finite, might be able to do. Like much else, there are ethical issues that can make AI a complex tool, but there is much potential.

Customer retention: Like other areas, you probably can collect more information about your customers than you can make sense of. So, why did they leave? You may have the answer, but it may actually be a calculus of many factors. AI can help identify all of the issues that may have led a customer to leave. Without AI, you may incorrectly attribute it to one single factor.

Why are marketers so interested?

AI has potential applications in the marketing end of any business, large or small. Marketers, in particular, may find AI useful in these three general categories-

Collecting Data about prospective customers – Even small businesses can collect a significant amount of data. AI can allow you to analyze that data. No matter how much data you collect, it is useless unless you can synthesize it, see patterns, etc. The human capacity to make sense of the massive amount of data we collect is limited.

Using data to market more effectively – Even the most novice marketer knows that the more you know about each prospect the easier it will be to target them. The more you know their needs, the more you can explain how your product or service meets those needs. AI allows you to do more with the data you collect- to make sense of it so you can use it.

Generating the right message – AI may be also able, to a certain degree, assist you in creating the messaging to reach your target. However, it is important to recognize that AI is not a silver bullet.

In short, AI may offer you some new tools to more effectively market without expanding your present marketing resources.

Out of Office, Out of Luck: How Reactive IT Can Wreck Your Summer (and Your Business)

Posted on June 4, 2025 by John Neibel

It’s a sunny June morning. Half your team is on vacation. The other half is juggling coffee shop Wi-Fi and spotty hotel connections.

And then it happens:

Your system crashes.
The printer won’t print.
Shared files vanish into the void.
A phishing email just slipped past your filters.

You call your IT person… but they’re out of office, too.

Now what?

Your business stalls. Your team scrambles. And your vacation just got hijacked.

Sounds dramatic? Maybe.
But unrealistic? Not at all.

Summer is Great for Vacations — Terrible for Reactive IT Support

Most business owners underestimate how much tech quietly holds everything together… until it all breaks. And when your only IT resource is on PTO, you’re stuck.

That’s the fatal flaw of reactive IT support:
It works fine — until it doesn’t.

The “Just call Bob if something goes wrong” approach might get you by during slower seasons, but summer? That’s when it all hits at once:

Servers still overheat.
Hardware still fails.
Hackers don’t take vacations.

And when no one’s available to respond, downtime and damage pile up — fast.

Reactive IT = Playing Catch-Up While Firefighting

If your IT plan is built around fixing things after they break, you’re signing up for:

Costly downtime while you wait for help
Security breaches slipping through unnoticed
Minor glitches turning into major repairs
Zero support when your “go-to” person is MIA

It’s not just inconvenient. It’s a liability — especially in June, when vacation calendars are packed and remote work is the norm.

Proactive IT = Peace of Mind, Even from a Beach Chair

A proactive IT partner doesn’t wait for disasters — they prevent them.

They monitor your systems around the clock, apply updates before vulnerabilities are exposed, and ensure your business keeps running… whether your team is on-site or on a surfboard.

Here’s what you get with a proactive approach:

24/7 monitoring and maintenance
Security updates before you’re vulnerable
Regular backups and tested recovery plans
A team of experts (not just one person)
Predictable costs with fewer tech surprises

No more scrambling. No more waiting. No more “out of office = out of luck.”

The Real Cost of Waiting Until It Breaks

Downtime can cost small businesses hundreds to thousands of dollars per minute. And if it’s a cyberattack? You could be looking at permanent reputational damage on top of financial loss.

Reactive IT doesn’t just cost money — it creates chaos.

Don’t Let Tech Trouble Crash Your Summer

This summer, protect your business and your PTO.

Let us assess your current setup and show you how a proactive IT strategy keeps your operations running smoothly — no matter where your team is.

🔍 Book Your FREE Network Assessment Here
We’ll identify your vulnerabilities and map out a plan to keep your systems secure, stable, and stress-free.