The Datamax Thinking Blog

Educating, collaborating, and sparking ideas for maximizing the technology that matters.


Section 179 Deduction Presents Office Technology Opportunity for SMBs

Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. That means that if you buy (or lease) a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE from your gross income.

As organizations continue to wrestle with workflow challenges and seek ways to expedite routine business processes through technology, Section 179 presents a unique procurement opportunity.

Topics: Multifunction Copier Digital Copiers Productivity Tips and Tools Technology Procurement

5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Managed IT Services Provider

From offering timely onsite and remote support, to the ability to avoid buzzwords and communicate clearly to your end users, you should expect more for your organization.

With overall small to medium-sized business spending on managed services growing at 15% per year (According to Datto’s 2020 State of the MSP Report), it’s no surprise that most Managed Service Providers are growing.

Topics: Network Management Microsoft Gold Partner Network Security

The CARES Act & Technology: How Relief Fund Can Help City Governments

What is the CARES Act and how can it help you respond more timely to resident needs? And what technology tools are available for helping your employees work securely and succinctly in a remote environment?

Among the countless entities that COVID-19 afflicted, local governments were certainly a key victim to the pandemic. Local city employees were among the most needed to respond to the public health crisis and provide necessary resources for residents within a municipality.

Topics: Unified Communications Coronavirus Remote Work Work From Home

5 Reasons Your Business Should Consider a Temperature Screening Kiosk

Body temperature screening kiosks truly automate the process. These devices can read temperature in 1 second, and are ultimately designed to provide a safe environment for your employees, customers and visitors.

If you’ve made your way back to the office, you’re likely getting your temperature taken upon arrival.

Topics: Office Equipment Coronavirus Temperature Screening Kiosk

An Old Copy Machine Could be a Cyber Security Risk for Your Business

Have you thought much about that old, familiar copier in the corner? Its obsolescence might be costing you more than just maintenance headaches.

That old workhorse in the hallway just keeps running.

The decade-plus-old copier is almost part of the workplace family: The staff is familiar with it, and its reliability (even with the uptick in maintenance) makes it harder to justify incurring new costs. Unfortunately, comfort can sometimes breed complacency. 

Topics: Security Office Equipment Print Management Cybersecurity Secure Printing

The Need for Speed: 6 Business Communication Solutions for the 'Next Normal'

If the need for speed still exists within your workspace, these business communication solutions can help keep collaboration afloat, launch communication avenues relevant to today's work culture, and keep your team gliding smoothly across the waters of everyday business.

Much like humans, it’s amazing what companies will do when they have to, and how little they will do when the water seems calm.

Topics: Cloud Unified Communications VoIP Phone System Coronavirus Work From Home

Office Equipment Service During COVID-19: What Should You Expect From Your Copier & Print Provider?

How do you know that your office equipment service provider is taking all the necessary preventative measures? How can you ensure that they are not potentially raising the risk of COVID-19 infection inside your workplace?

Copiers/MFPs sitting dormant for a good stretch of time are often overdue for service.

Rollers go flat, causing jams. Corona assemblies get ozone built in them and print quality takes a hit. Typically, preventative maintenance visits prevent occurrences like this, but throughout the pandemic, these routine check-ups have inevitably become scarce.

Topics: Canon Color Copier Office Equipment Coronavirus

3 COVID-19 Phishing Email Examples To Help Your Business Identify Scams

But what might a COVID-19 phishing email scam look like? We looked in our own inbox, and accessed a valuable cybersecurity resource, to show you things to be looking for.

Two basic qualities that cybercriminals prey on are vulnerability and desperation. With so many on high alert with COVID-19 information and updates, phishing season is in full swing.

Topics: Network Management Network Security Coronavirus

BYOD In Higher Education: Developing a Print Strategy for Gen Z

The printed document (as you’ll read more below) remains a very relevant mode of consumption for Generation Z. However, the preferred means for doing so is unequivocally mobile.

A generation ago, one glance at a bustling on-campus computer lab, and you knew: Mid-terms must be right around the corner.

However, this traditional hub for course research has migrated to coffee shops, residence halls, student centers, cafes and anywhere else a student can access Wi-fi. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Movement, being currently led by Generation Z, creates increasing complexities for Higher Education IT personnel hoping not to get sacked by the onslaught of devices.

Topics: Color Printing Print Management Education Tips and Tools Mobile Printing

Print Management 101: How Colleges Can Maneuver the Print Maze and Maximize the Budget

With no substantial control over a print environment, discovering ways to optimize your fleet can seemingly twist and turn like an intricate maze, with no real end in sight. Higher visibility leads to better management — and maximizing available budget.

The stark reality higher education institutions face today? A gap in college confidence.

According to a study by TD Ameritrade, 89% of Gen Z, along with nearly 79% of young millennials, have considered an education path that looks different from a four-year degree directly out of high school. Nearly 20% of those surveyed say they might choose not to attend college.

Topics: Print Management Managed Print Services Education Tips and Tools Print Assessment