New Executives Reinforce Tech Networks of Boston’s Commitment to People-Centric IT Care

Posted on February 26, 2013 by TNB

Tech Networks of Boston (TNB) today announced the arrival of three new executive team members as part of its commitment to provide people-centric IT care services to its customers. Michael Fenter and David Gleason started with TNB this month, joining John Marchiony, who arrived in November, 2012.

The team at TNB adopted the mantra of “We’re Better Together” in 2010 with the launch of the company’s collaborative technology management initiative. Susan Labandibar, President and Chief Mission Officer, sees the expansion of the executive team as an important milestone in TNB’s evolution. “David, John and Michael will help prioritize the people element of our technology solution. All three are highly committed to caring for our clients, our colleagues and members of our communities.”

Michael Fenter, a 14-year veteran of a national managed IT services firm, joins TNB as Vice President of Technical Services. Fenter will harness his IT service and management experience to allow TNB’s clients to experience a mature information technology function that serves human needs.

As Vice President of Strategic Solutions, David Gleason will provide technical leadership and direction to help organizations discover and deploy effective solutions that help further organizational missions and goals. David has 30 years of consulting experience in the IT field, the last 8 of which have been in CTO and interim CIO roles for major nonprofit organizations.

John Marchiony, Vice President of Client Engagement, aims to ensure that people at all levels of the client organization feel empowered to learn, manage information, and communicate easily in a safe and supportive computing environment. Marchiony has contributed to the success of organizations like the Liberty Science Center, The Computer Museum, WGBH, and the United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Division.

NextTech Combines Cloud and Local Computing

Posted on September 19, 2012 by TNB

NextTech gives you the freedom of cloud-based services integrated with the comfort and safeguards of an office server network. This approach allows Tech Networks to manage the combined offering as a single service. The combination results in lower costs while increasing data security and greater flexibility to access data conveniently from anywhere, anytime.

NextTech most efficiently serves organizations with up to 30 users. It allows small organizations to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing without leaving behind the convenience and speed of local software and access to your information.

Tech Networks takes it one step further, giving you a backup server in your office for your non-cloud applications or those you do not wish to upgrade, and for redundancy so you can work without your Internet connection if necessary. Meanwhile, NextTech enables secure access to your documents from any Internet connection, along with powerful collaboration capabilities.

NextTech lets you upgrade your core Microsoft Office suite, store files in the cloud for easy access and collaboration, and save money by retaining your desktop applications that may not be cost-effective to upgrade. It’s a hybrid cloud and premises-based solution we have designed specifically for our clients to enable them to take the next step into the cloud.

Beyond convenience and collaboration, cloud hosting offers the security of a highly robust system with redundancy built in—which small organizations could not otherwise afford. With its safety, convenience and collaboration features, NextTech may be your next step.

To find out more about NextTech, contact us at 617.269.0299 today.

A Day in the Life of a Deskside Support Technician

Posted on May 16, 2012 by TNB

Sometimes your employees need a helping hand at their side. Full-time Deskside Support from Tech Networks of Boston is the affordable alternative to hiring permanent staff.

Our technicians report day-to-day to your managers, observing your hours and policies. They receive ongoing mentoring, career development and training from Tech Networks of Boston.

Here are just a few examples of issues our technicians resolve in a typical day.

8:57 Client manager needs a loaner laptop hooked up to the projector in the conference room for a meeting, starting at 10:30.

9:00 User can’t access e-mail. Couldn’t access company wireless network. Laptop froze and could only be shut down by removing the battery.

10:51 User can’t watch streaming videos on webpages, but YouTube works. Some videos appear briefly, then disappear.

12:44 New temporary employee arrives.
Provided employee a spare laptop; set up Outlook e-mail account, network drives and drivers.

1:19 User needs an account on an internal restricted-access network.

2:56 Update internal e-mail distribution lists by removing and adding users.

4:10 User is having trouble creating a table in Word.

Our Deskside Support technicians solve problems in client offices every day. To learn more, please call us at 617.269.0299.

Click here to read the full June newsletter.

Link to Co-Workers with Microsoft Lync

Posted on May 16, 2012 by TNB

Get the benefits of instant messaging, fully integrated with Microsoft Office. Microsoft Lync is an easy, fast way for co-workers to connect, whether they’re in the same building or in different cities. A Lync contact list contains only co-workers who are part of your Microsoft user list. It makes business conversations easy without encouraging personal ones.

TNB client Supporting Strategies uses Lync to tie its workforce together. Steve Schultz, COO, praises its ease of use and integration with Microsoft Office. He also likes Lync’s simple “presence” feature. Presence means “when clients call, I can take a quick look and see who’s working,” Schultz explains, “rather than sending a caller into voicemail.” Presence is especially useful for employees working from outside the office.

The core of Lync is instant messaging (IM), in which on-screen messages offer more immediacy than e-mail, without the interruption of a phone call. But Lync offers significant value added beyond its IM core, such as the powerful screen sharing feature. “I can share my screen in Lync,” Schultz says, “so I don’t need GoToMeeting. That saves me money. It’s also very simple: I hit a button and I’m sharing my screen, not necessarily just one-on-one but with a group.”

Lync also makes it easy to create online meetings, whether they be group IM sessions, audio calls or videoconferences. Lync users can set up meeting times via Microsoft Outlook as they would with any other meeting. Participants can join the online meeting by clicking a simple link in Outlook.

Lync works with all major mobile devices for seamless business connectivity. Microsoft offers mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, iPad and more. Move from your mobile device to your office workstation, and keep your conversation going without interruption.

At your desktop or on the road, Microsoft Lync’s powerful collaboration features have yet to be discovered for many organizations. To learn more about Lync or about Office 365, call Tech Networks at 617.269.0299 today.

Click here to read the full June newsletter.

Going to Work with Mobile Device Management

Posted on April 18, 2012 by TNB

Increasingly, organizations are adopting “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies. This means that employees who need to work outside the office can choose a smartphone, tablet, or wireless access card, and the organization will assist him or her in procuring, maintaining and using the device with internal systems like e-mail and calendar.

Successfully implementing BYOD requires investment. It takes time and money for employees to procure devices, obtain in-warranty and out-of-warranty service, change devices, plans or carriers, and integrate devices into the organization’s systems. Tech Networks can reduce employee time spent managing mobile devices and streamline the procurement process.

TNB’s Mobile Device Management service provides full life-cycle support for employee mobile devices. We order devices from a set of carriers selected by the customer and provision them according to the needs of the customer’s employees. TNB configures e-mail and calendar on the mobile device along with other features selected by the customer. Once we have shipped the device to the end user, we continue to provide full support on the devices, including troubleshooting and help desk support.

Mobile Device Management can include ongoing inventory and expense tracking, with monthly reports provided to the customer. Our customers set policies on how frequently employees may upgrade their devices and when software updates are deployed. At the end of the device life cycle, we provide secure disposal and recycling.

Would you like to know more? Contact us at 617.269.0299 today!

Click here to view the full May 2012 Boston Techie newsletter.

Step into the Cloud with Tech Networks of Boston

Posted on March 14, 2012 by TNB

If you’re still running your own Exchange server or file server, or worrying about sitewide licenses for Microsoft Office upgrades or compatibility with staff members’ mixed Windows and Macintosh laptops, it might be time to step into the cloud. Tech Networks of Boston is here to help you take that step.

Cloud migration will save you time and money from day one. Instead of running your own servers, let Microsoft host your Exchange e-mail and SharePoint servers, while you no longer worry about server maintenance. You can even get all-new Office Professional licenses for low monthly subscriptions, with free upgrades as Microsoft releases new versions, instead of paying for your upgrades up-front. That’s life in the cloud.

When you step into the cloud, Tech Networks will ensure it’s successful. We provide Microsoft cloud hosting, and with the technical experience and client-oriented problem solving of our IT staff, we’ll migrate your information correctly and securely into the cloud, and we’ll always be there to solve any issues or handle further upgrade needs as they arise.

Microsoft Office 365 is your gateway into the cloud. With Office 365, you get cloud-hosted servers for your Exchange e-mail and SharePoint needs, along with the latest Office Professional software, available both on your desktop and on the Web. All of this comes at low monthly subscription prices. In fact, if your organization could use Exchange but has never wanted to pay a high up-front price, Office 365 could be ideal.

Step into the cloud with us. As a certified Microsoft Partner, Tech Networks of Boston is your guide to life in the cloud.

Click here to read this month’s full Boston Techie.

A Handy Glossary on Office 365 and the Cloud

Posted on March 14, 2012 by TNB

Now you can run an office without having to run a server. Microsoft’s securely hosted Office 365 applications give you the full power of Office Professional without any of the server maintenance worries. Microsoft runs the servers for you, in the cloud. With some versions of Office 365, you can even use your familiar desktop Office applications through a Web browser or on your desktop as usual, depending on where you are.

Here is a glossary of terms you will hear in discussing Office 365 and the cloud.

In the cloud: Stored on the Internet rather than in your office. Frees you from worrying about server maintenance.
Hosted: A hosted file or program is accessed through a server in the cloud. This “host server” is provided as part of your cloud service.
Hosted Exchange: The backbone of Office 365, giving you all the benefits of Microsoft Exchange with Outlook e-mail and collaboration, without having to run your own Exchange server. Hosted Exchange makes sense for organizations of all sizes, opening the doors to advanced collaboration for organizations that can’t run their own Exchange server.
Hosted SharePoint: Like hosted Exchange, gives you the benefits of SharePoint without having to run your own server.
Office Web Applications: The full Microsoft Office Professional suite, accessible through Internet Explorer in addition to your desktop. Office Web Apps give you access to your files anytime, anywhere, while also giving you current versions of Office desktop software.

Tech Networks of Boston is proud to be a Microsoft Partner providing support and implementation for Office 365. Call us at (617) 269-0299 for information!

Click here to read this month’s full Boston Techie.

The Consulting Department Gets It Done

Posted on February 15, 2012 by TNB

When clients need to migrate to new infrastructure, bring back data from a complicated backup, solve a mystery problem, or design a new network, our Senior Consultants get the job done.

Our Senior Consultants are the most experienced engineers at Tech Networks, each with over 10 years of professional experience solving problems similar to those they’re helping our clients with today. No matter how large the task or difficult the problem, our Consulting Department can handle it. If our Senior Consultants don’t know the answer, they have the experience and know-how to find the answer, or engineer a custom solution for the problem at hand.

Here are some of the projects our Senior Consultants are currently working on:

Migrating a client to cloud servers
Managing IT for an office move
Installing a computer lab
Migrating a client to Office 365 (see here for more information)
Recommending and implementing improvements to a client’s database
Implementing a comprehensive intranet with social networking and document storage

Our Consulting Department is here to serve you when your needs go beyond systems maintenance. With capabilities like these, TNB can meet all your IT needs.

Click here to read the full March 2012 Boston Techie newsletter.

Training for Technology Success

Posted on January 15, 2012 by TNB

Ensure your staff have the skills they need to succeed. Tech Networks of Boston offers a full spectrum of training programs to develop your organization’s capacity to use your software. Your staff will be happier and more productive when they are using Microsoft Office and accompanying business productivity suites as intended. That’s where TNB training can help.

A typical training engagement includes a structured skills assessment that enables us to design a tailored training program for your staff. Training sessions can be formatted as one-hour “lunch and learn” series, seminars, or longer workshops. Training sessions can take place with any desired frequency from weekly to monthly.

Training topics focus on Microsoft products, from remedial to advanced Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, and more. We are available to design custom training sessions on using office productivity products for common tasks in your organization’s workflow. Here is a sample of some recent sessions TNB has conducted for clients:

Creating Better Documents Faster
Customizing Microsoft Office
Time Management and Team Collaboration Using Outlook and SharePoint
Hidden Functions of Word and Excel
Peer Review and Publishing with Office 2010 Collaborative Tools

Let TNB help you work more productively with the tools you already own. For more information on training, contact us today.

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