The Datamax Thinking Blog

The IRS Section 179 Deduction represents an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves.

So, it's the end of another business year and once again you find yourself looking for opportunities in every nook and cranny to improve profitability or searching to boost productivity with some much-needed business technology investment. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather wear myself out looking at endless college football games than wearing myself out trying to improve profits under a late year pressure crunch. Now that's a beat down.  Either way, for most business managers or owners a "best-case" year-end bonus is probably on the line, or "worse-case" — the stress of ensuring basic business survival.

Your 15 year old copier still works. Great. Is that costing your office productivity benefits that newer equipment could deliver?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In many cases, that's not a bad rule to follow.

On the other hand, the copiers, printers, and other office equipment you use now might not be broken (they still work), but could do with some fixing anyway.

Do you think your business' size will protect you from cybercriminals. It won't.

Simple fact: cybercriminals are coming for you.

That's anyone reading this – individuals, 2-person businesses, Fortune 1000, or the mom and pop store on the corner.

All businesses have customer and other data that can be hacked. Criminals want that data.

Most SMBs attempt to secure themselves. However, they don't have the money or access to expertise that larger companies do. Their defenses aren't as strong as larger companies.

It's a lot easier to pick the lock on a doorknob (just to be 100% clear, this is you SMBs) than on a maximum security safe. Who do you think cybercriminals are going to target? 

Here are seven things every SMB must know about cybersecurity.

Winning copier service doesn't just happen. You have to practice and train for it. That's what we do.

Every vendor promises speedy and reliable service, but until you have a problem with your office equipment, you really can’t be sure. Sadly for their customers, many of our competitors are also unsure - sending rookie technicians out in the field with little or no training at all. Or, maybe they’ve had training, but it’s basic training, at best, inside their dealer’s four walls.

This kind of approach is like putting in a quarterback who can’t throw the distance, let alone a spiral. You just can’t win with this scenario.

Not at Datamax - we believe in training all of our employees to help our customers WIN. We get you back in the game as soon as humanly possibly with services delivery approach hyper-focused on response, resolution, and first call completion.

Complying with HIPAA is impossible if you don't know where to start. These four business tips will help you get started AND help your business.

With so many rules and acronyms, maintaining a HIPAA-compliant medical office can be a daunting task. Here’s a high-level recap so you can keep your eye on patient care. 

You want to be HIPAA-compliant? You need to perform a risk assessment with the help of a Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP).

It's impossible to watch the news without weekly revelations of some new data breach – Target, Equifax, the WannaCry virus, and even teddy bears have been in the news.

As cybercrime continues to pay, attacks and breaches will continue and will especially affect unprepared businesses.

One industry is squarely in the crosshairs of hackers – healthcare.

Discounts are great – in the right circumstances. Discount copiers can mean discount services – and that could hurt your business.

Wholesale clubs are awesome — you always spend more than you planned when you walked in the door with your list, but you get such great deals! Who doesn’t want toilet paper in bulk, or a giant bag of coffee for the price of the regular sized one you buy at your grocery store?

Not to mention the euphoria you feel from paying less for something you would otherwise buy full price. It feels good.

If your IT partner isn't doing these four things well, it might be time to look for another partner.

How is your IT service provider doing these days? Are you happy with the job they are doing?

In a perfect world, your network is running smoothly, resting safe and sound from malware attacks, and emails and communications are pinging back and forth like a well-orchestrated symphony.

We all have certain expectations when we sign on for a service, and there is nothing worse than the anxiety you feel when they don’t meet the mark — especially when it comes to IT.

By responding to their career needs and aspirations, resolving real world business issues and challenges, and maximizing investments of time and expertise, we convey our desire to inspire the raves of our very own.

There’s nothing insignificant or unintentional about the size or color of The Datamax Little Blue Book.  Although brief, at just twenty-six short pages, it’s packed with decades of insight regarding "The Datamax Way" and our invitation to you to join in on the journey.

Don't settle for average or worse service from your copier dealer.

Do you spend a lot of time on airlines that ignore your requests and pass you over on the upgrade list? How about a restaurant where you can never get a refill because the server is off texting?

You can encounter bad service everywhere you go, and you probably cross those businesses off the list after they ruined your experience. Sometimes these situations are unavoidable, but in most cases, the people involved simply chose to deliver subpar service.

The same thing can happen with your copier service. You might settle because you're locked into a contract and you didn't realize just how bad the support was until you needed help. Why would you walk away from those airlines and restaurants in your personal life but continue to suffer as an SMB? It doesn't have to be this way.