The Datamax Thinking Blog

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


3 Warning Signs Your Potential Managed IT Partner May be a Bad Fit

As you begin to meet with a potential provider, there are warning signs to look out for, which we will share below. 

It's always s best practice to try on a pair of shoes before purchasing. After all, the right fit will never hurt your feet.

Topics: Network Management IT Consulting Technology Pain Managed IT Services

6 Resolutions Your Business Technology Partner Must Truly Value in 2020

With a new year and new decade arriving, technology's only going to embed itself deeper into the workplace. It might be a great time to assess what your technology partner values deeply — in 2020 and beyond. 

Peter Drucker once wrote that “customer research may be more important than market research—but far more difficult.”

In other words, if it’s not relevant to the customer, it doesn’t matter. And if a partner can't figure that out, they're likely hurting for value.  The success of your partnership with a business technology vendor rests primarily on those differentiators that matter most to you. That’s not as easy for vendors – technology vendors being no exception – to uncover and deliver. It takes a particular mind-set by your provider to follow through with actual customer needs and wants.

Topics: Office Equipment Technology Support Technology Pain Technology Training

Managing Workflow Feel Like Herding Cats? Consider a Technology Assessment

A thorough technology assessment – significantly more than a simple walk through – is designed to provide accurate insights and perspective on current infrastructure, workflow and personnel.

It can become a lot like herding cats.

Organizations often fall victim to processes that are unorganized, unwieldy and scattered in all directions: Delayed document approvals that gather dust on a desk or stall helplessly in a manager’s inbox. Shaky (and unsecured) IT Infrastructure that has the wheels of IT personnel spinning for hours every day. Fluctuating monthly print costs that ride along spreadsheets like a rickety wooden roller coaster – enough shake and rattle to give any CFO a migraine.

Topics: Printing Partnering Technology Pain Network Security

Copier Service Sabermetrics: What are Your Technology Partner's Performance Numbers?

Just as Sabermetrics is utilized by baseball front offices to gain a competitive advantage, explore just how metric-driven Datamax is; and how we showcase our service responsiveness and strength by constantly measuring powerful metrics.

America’s national pastime today is a game more and more driven by analytics.

Sabermetrics is described as the empirical analysis of baseball through statistics, used to predict the performance of players. Simple box-score elements like hits, runs and errors have given way to stats like WAR (wins above replacement), BABIP (batting average on balls in play), ISO (isolated power) and DIPS (defense-independent pitching statistics). In today’s “scouts” vs. “stats” era, these exhaustive numbers go beyond what a scout’s gut may say, to actually predicting level of success.

Topics: Business Problems Digital Copiers Technology Pain Creating Raving Fans Net Promoter Score

Achieve Office Equipment Enlightenment by Mastering the Art of Asking Questions

Is your potential copier provider capable of going deeper with relevant questions? Will their level of service handle the technology burden for you, and enable you to focus on your forte?

Martial Arts expert and movie star Bruce Lee is an unequivocal legend for his physical feats on the big screen. But he also possessed a few philosophical nuggets that packed a real punch.

One example from the former philosophy major turned Hollywood icon? “A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”

Topics: Multifunction Copier Digital Copiers Productivity Tips and Tools Office Equipment Technology Pain

Three Tactics to Thwart Office 365 Ransomware Threats

So, consider this bit of recent history ... 29% of IT professionals report their clients have encountered ransomware that specifically targeted Office 365.

I must say, I love history. For humanity's sake, I deeply hope it’s never rewritten.  I’m not entirely sure whether my interest lies in the fun and fascination of discovery, or the fear of repeating failures it documents.  One thing’s for sure, as summed up by Edmund Burke, Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”  

No doubt, a truth proven over and over again.

So here’s a bit of history (2,000 years in the making) every business should consider as it prepares to compete and/or to defend its resources — the focus of this blog.

Topics: Managed Network Services Network Management Document Security IT Consulting Technology Pain Business Continuity Disaster Recovery Network Security

Total Data Protection Will Give You a Secure Business Edge

Every business needs to be secure today. Data backup and disaster recovery are key tools to keep your office safe and in business.

If you’re reading this, you understand that your business or office depends on information technology (IT) to function.

As businesses of every size rely ever more on IT, there are two functions IT performs essential to a business’ ability to function:

  1. a robust, secure data network
  2. continued access to vital business information and documents

No network and no access to information equals no business.

Topics: Managed Network Services Digital Security Network Management IT Consulting Technology Pain Business Continuity Disaster Recovery Microsoft Gold Partner Network Security

The 6 Things You Should Never Do When It Comes to Cybersecurity

Security isn’t always top of mind, especially when it comes to your employees. Make sure you and your employees aren’t doing any of these six things.

We’ve all had that “kick yourself” moment after something you had a second thought about tragically comes to fruition. We know it could have been prevented, and it was just plain stupid not to have taken the simple steps needed to prevent the mistake.

We take a lot for granted as humans, especially when it comes to securing our data. In fact, did you know that in your office right now it’s likely that 40% of your employees have their passwords stored on their devices in a Word document? Almost half! Not so secure right? 

Despite all the cyber security threats you hear about in the news, the simple fact is that the people within your business are far more of a threat than any software application that you are using. If you’ve ever had second thoughts about your company’s cybersecurity, take a few minutes to check yourself and make sure that you are NOT doing any of the following:

Topics: Information Technology Did you know? Managed Network Services Digital Security Healthcare Solutions Legal Solutions Network Management IT Consulting Technology Pain Microsoft Gold Partner Network Security

Your IT Provider Should Be Fixing Your Problems, Not Causing Them

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.

Topics: Information Technology Business Problems Managed Network Services Digital Security Network Management Technology Support IT Consulting Technology Pain

Don't Go Primal - 6 Tips to Minimize Copier Repair Needs

It's a fact of life, copiers are machines and they sometimes break. Here are six steps to take to keep from losing your cool.

Printers and copiers have a unique ability: the more these technologically advanced devices break down, the more primal you become in turn. This transition starts with an open palm hit, and then a kick, and then more profanity than you might otherwise use at work. Toward the end you are re-enacting the dawn of man obelisk scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Printers and copiers will break down; however, you can minimize their ability to transform you by following these six simple steps.

Topics: Printer Management Productivity Tips and Tools Office Equipment Technology Pain Print Management