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Information technology is a huge aspect of any business. Because of the importance of IT, there are people who can help manage your business’s technology. There are many reasons hiring an IT Consultant could be beneficial to your business so here are 5 reasons why you should hire one.

You will save money.
Many IT Consultants provide as-needed assistance and will bill according to a number of hours worked. Because of this, your company can get an idea of how much a consultant may cost. In addition, IT Consultants are more than capable of managing numerous tasks. Such tasks could include things that would cost your company money for training or even hiring a new employee. The latter would lead to having to pay fees and benefits for that new employee. IT Consultants can be a huge money saver.

You can save time.
Technology issues in the workplace contribute to extremely poor productivity. Whatever the issue may be, it will take time to fix. Whether it is you or an employee of yours, time will have to be spent troubleshooting and/or dealing with support. With an IT Consultant, you won’t have to worry about these problems. Through your Consultant, you don’t have to deal with any time of customer support or sacrificing any of your staff’s valuable time. Whatever tech issue you face can be solved in an easier and more timely fashion with an IT Consultant.

You can learn from them.
Any time you hire a consultant, you are hiring someone with an expertise in his or her field. When they come into work with you and your business, they take all of their knowledge and experience with them. This in itself can be hugely advantageous to your business. They are knowledgeable in many things including the newest technology and other business opportunities. They also have experienced many different challenges, adding to their knowledge. This enables them to spread this knowledge and contributes to their ability to solve problems in a timely manner.

You can gain support for your own IT department.
IT Consultants are also great for those who already have an IT department. As stated before, a consultant can bring a wealth of knowledge to your business. In addition to that, he or she can take some stress off of your IT team’s shoulders. Outsourcing some work to a consultant can give your team some space to complete their objectives. You can have them tackle big projects such as host migrations, disaster recovery, app migrations, backup storage, and virtualization. Freeing up your staff can help immensely!

An IT consultant can audit your system.
An IT Consultant can inspect your current methods and identify what works and what does not. An outside perspective can be great, especially one full of experience and knowledge within the industry. With this, a consultant can update your infrastructure and contribute to a successful system for the future.
as host migrations, disaster recovery, app migrations, backup storage, and virtualization. Freeing up your staff can help immensely!

An IT Consultant Can Audit Your System
An IT Consultant can inspect your current methods and identify what works and what does not. An outside perspective can be great, especially one full of experience and knowledge within the industry. With this, a consultant can update your infrastructure and contribute to a successful system for the future.

Cloud computing is a must have for any business nowadays, but not all have taken advantage of its resources. Here is a little bit about what cloud computing is and how it can help your business.

Cloud computing is the delivery of several IT resources through the internet. Through cloud computing, you and your business will have access to databases, servers, storage, and many applications. Many of the services granted by this platform are low cost and very versatile. You only have to pay for what you use and all of the resources needed are available on demand. Both of these are beneficial to any business owner.

Now that we have taken a look at what cloud computing is, let’s  take a look at why you need it to be a part of your company.

Recovery
Having a safety net just in case any data is lost is integral to running a business. You could, and should, have your data on an external hard drive. You should also take advantage of cloud storage. Cloud storage is a lot easier to access than an external hard drive, thanks to the fact that the internet can be accessed by all kinds of devices nowadays.

Collaboration
The cloud allows for increased cooperation amongst your employees. This can be done through shared documents and other file-sharing applications.  This can also be done at any time and at any place which is great for businesses that have employees constantly away from the office. For those who work from the office, cloud-based workflow contributes to increased teamwork without employees having to look over each other’s shoulder.

Automatic Updates
One of the most tiring things about technology is its upkeep. With cloud services, however, you don’t have to sweat the small details. Suppliers regularly update their products. These updates include security updates which are great. As a business owner, you have more important ways to spend your time than updating your servers. The cloud updates for you!

You Can Work From Anywhere
This was touched on a little bit earlier but the advantages of working from anywhere cannot be understated. With cloud computing, you can do just that as long as you have an internet connection. Most of the big cloud services also maintain apps that allow you to access them from any device.

Flexibility
The Flexibility of cloud computing just might be the best part about it. Business’ needs fluctuate as time goes on. Sometimes your business will need to take advantage of many cloud services and other times your business will only need a few. The great thing about the cloud is that you can pick and choose what you use!

Organization
The more documents your company has to keep track of, the more likely they will eventually become disorganized. Cloud computing will keep all of your data organized. It will also streamline your files so that they are all in the same format.

Ready to get your business into the world of cloud computing? Contact Nevada IT Solutions for more information at [email protected]!

One of the worst things to deal with is slow internet. Constant video buffering and slow web page loads are just two of the many annoyances you and your employees can face with slow WiFi. Here are a few ways to make your business internet faster.

Router placement is very important and is something not often considered. If your router is on the opposite side of the workplace, your connection may be worse. Try to keep in close to the center of your establishment and in a rather high location. Make sure that the antennae are facing upwards and you should be good to go!

Keep your router away from your other electronic devices.

Televisions, telephones, some lights, and even computer monitors can hamper your router’s signal. Devices that transmit wireless signals should be included in this as well. Devices like bluetooth speakers and baby monitors have a tendency to interfere with your WiFi signal. Keeping the router on a tall shelf far from any of these things is very beneficial.

Set your router to reboot on its own.

Usually when you experience problems with your routers, you  reboot it. If your router is consistently slow, this can be very inconvenient. Thankfully, there is a way you can set your router to automatically reboot. Doing this will save you the time that would normally spent rebooting manually.

Consider replacing your router or adding another one.

One of the more common problems with slow internet is old routers . Getting a new router can solve this problem. An additional router can be added if your office space is large. Two routers would give your WiFi a substantial boost.

Update your router’s firmware.

It’s important to keep all of your devices updated and your router is no different. Be sure to check for updates consistently and downloading them when available. If you have a new router, expect an increase in its productivity after the first couple of firmware updates.

Change the channel on your router.

When your router is first set up, it detects a channel that is not used by other routers around you. Over time however, more people may join that channel as they move in around you. Changing to a channel that your neighbors are not using can significantly boost your WiFi signal.

Your computer may be too old or/and disorganized.

There is always the possibility that your internet problem is not with your router, but your computer. If you have a newer computer, perhaps you have too many files or programs open at once. Too much clutter can significantly slow down your PC. Organization and cleanup can contribute greatly to a smoother online experience.

Other people may be cluttering the bandwidth.

Big downloads, streaming, and gaming can contribute to increased bandwidth consumption. Limiting these things during times of increased internet usage is important. Your employees are probably not gaming at work, but a few employees streaming and/or downloading something at the same time is plausible and will slow down the network.

Still having problems with your WiFi? Nevada IT Solutions can help address all of your business’ tech needs. Contact us at info@nevadaitsolutions more info!

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance is of the utmost importance to anyone in the medical field. The act, signed in 1996, safeguards your personal information by regulating those who handle it. Prior to the law, there were no safeguards on anyone’s health information. The act consists of five sections.

The first section protects the health insurance coverage of those who are changing jobs or have been fired. In addition, the first section prohibits insurance plans from disallowing coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.

The second section allows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set guidelines about how electronic transactions should be handled. A national requirement was also created, forcing health insurance organizations to provide a secure method to access private health data. The HHS would set these regulations.

The requirements to be maintained in order to be HIPAA compliant are all in the second section. These are a part of the National Provider Identifier Standard, the HIPAA Privacy Rule, HIPAA Enforcement Rule, HIPAA Security Rule, and the Transactions and Code Sets Standard.

The National Provider Identifier Standard requires that everyone involved in healthcare must have a ten digit national provider number (NPI). The HIPAA Enforcement Rule is the guideline within which health care workers are investigated for HIPAA noncompliance. The Transactions and Code Set Standard is the provision that maintains that digital data should be handled in a secure way.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule is the rule that protects all patient information. Healthcare professionals must train all employees in adherence to HIPAA, designate an employee to enforce HIPAA regulations, secure private information, and notify all patients of his or her privacy rights.

The HIPAA Security Rule sets the model for the security of electronic patient information. This rule enforces regulations placed upon the transfer, maintenance, and reception of patient data. The Security Rule is the rule that prohibits those in medical care from sharing information with unauthorized persons. One of the biggest transgressions is allowing a data breach. With all of the big breaches in online security recently, adherence to the security rule is of the utmost importance.

Section three simply implements tax standards for medical care and section four essentially builds upon section one. Lastly, section five refers to company owned life insurance.

When you are HIPAA compliant, you adhere to the aforementioned provisions. When you are not, however, you are subject to some very big fines. Fines can run anywhere from $100 to $50,000 depending on the severity of the offense. The fines have a ceiling of $1.5 million a year. Common complaints against health care providers include an over the disclosure of information, failure to adequately protect a patient’s information, failure to have valid authorization in disclosing information, and the failure to produce a patient’s own personal records.

Here at Nevada IT Solutions, we care about HIPAA compliance. We are here to help your company meet these standards and are available for all of your digital needs. We have several contacts that can also help in other areas. Please contact [email protected] for more details!