August 2009 Newsletter

We Cut Our Downtime From Several Times a Week To No Time at All — And Saved Over $10K Doing It!

CMIT does the work of a full-time technician for a fraction of the price

When the Brown Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Center (BOSS) started looking for a replacement for their full-time technician, they were dead set on hiring another full-time employee.

After all, their old IT person stayed busy for 40 hours a week dealing with maintenance, upkeep, and frequent server restarts at this “one-stop shop” for sports medicine and rehabilitation. They considered outsourcing their IT services, but decided that they didn’t want to deal with any of the hassles that went along with losing an in-house IT authority. “One of our biggest concerns just came from some bad experiences with outsourcing our IT department,” says CEO Jacob Rodman. “A lack of response, not being here when we truly needed them – that was our hesitation with going with CMIT or any outsourcing company, for that matter.”
But they just couldn’t find the right individual to hire on staff, so they ended up engaging CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh on a temporary basis. They figured they’d use CMIT until they found the right person, and then they’d move on.

But BOSS made an interesting discovery: CMIT was giving them everything they needed at a fraction of the price of a full-time employee. In fact, outsourced IT wasn’t just giving them equivalent work; they were actually improving BOSS’s quality of service, minimizing disruptions, and increasing reliability.
Before CMIT, data disruptions were “such a part of our lives that we got used to it,” Jacob recalls. “Now that we’re not going down, it makes a big difference. Even the staff comments on it. I think sometimes they just realize, ‘Hey, we haven’t been down in a couple months.’”Automation Was the Key
Instead of having one person running around like a headless chicken trying to perform triage on the latest technology crisis, BOSS now had a whole team of experts working to prevent problems from happening in the first place. And by automating critical security and software updates, they ensured that the updates would install regardless of whether a human was in the office to make that happen.
“ They’ve automated a lot of our systems, which in turn, has cut their time way down here,” Jacob explains. “It saved a little bit of money, number one. Number two, it’s given us a lot of peace of mind. We knew they were here; we knew they did a good job, especially when the electricity went out over a weekend. They knew it before we even knew it. They were here to fix it really before anybody got in the office.”
They’re Saving Upwards of $10,000 a Year!
One of the most remarkable improvements around the office has simply been to the bottom line. Jacob estimates that CMIT saves them “around $10,000 a year” in labor costs – and in exchange they get better service, their computers aren’t going down, and their physician staff (including Dr. Howard Brown) has better access to client records.
When you really think about it, $10,000 in savings is probably the tip of the iceberg. “If you account for [wasted] employee time and lost revenue for going down and all those things, CMIT’s preventing that would add a tremendous amount,” Jacob observes.
More Clued In and Connected
As a medical practice, it’s imperative that BOSS keep its main doctor up-to-date on scheduled surgeries and ensure that he has consistent access to medical records and information. Joel Broadway, president of CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh, and his staff implemented two small but very important changes to their IT plan in order to make this happen.
Dr. Brown relies on his mobile phone to serve his patients and keep track of his schedule. He often receives high-quality digital X-rays, for example, on his mobile phone and uses them to diagnose problems.
“ If one of the physician’s assistants in the office ever has a question and he’s in surgery, he can pull those x-rays up on his phone and zoom in to high detail,” says Jacob. “So it’s not only comforting for him, it’s also comforting for the PAs. They know that at any given time, they can get ahold of him and he’d be able to answer questions.”
But prior to CMIT, the BOSS staff was using special scheduling software to enter and manage Dr. Brown’s appointments. And that software did not synchronize with Dr. Brown’s Outlook calendar or his mobile phone, so he had to maintain multiple calendars and plug in his phone when he wanted to synchronize them.
So CMIT, using its vast experience, recommended “Best Practice” solutions. First, they suggested that Dr. Brown simply give the appropriate staff members permission to read and manage his calendar. CMIT then installed inexpensive software so Dr. Brown’s mobile phone would automatically synchronize with his Outlook calendar – without having to plug it in.
Dr. Brown said that change alone has been “worth a million dollars!” ^top

When you call us for a FREE Business Technology and
Security Assessment, we will:

Look for incorrect network configurations that show up as unexpected down time, application errors, printers not working, e-mail problems, etc.

Assess your current security against data corruption, theft, hardware failures, power outages, computer viruses, worms, spam, and even employee sabotage.

Scan for spyware that is secretly stealing your company’s bandwidth.

Check your data backup system to ensure it is working properly and accurately backing up all of the critical files and information you NEVER want to lose.

Diagnose slow, unstable PCs.

Discuss a project or upgrade you are considering.

August 2009 Volume 3, Issue 8
We Cut Our Downtime From Several Times a Week To No Time at All — And Saved Over $10K Doing It! CMIT does the work of a full-time technician for a fraction of the price When the Brown Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Center (BOSS) started looking for a replacement for their full-time technician, they were dead set on hiring another full-time employee. After all, their old IT person stayed busy for 40 hours a week dealing with maintenance, upkeep, and frequent server restarts at this “one-stop shop” for sports medicine and rehabilitation. They considered outsourcing their IT services, but decided that they didn’t want to deal with any of the hassles that went along with losing an in-house IT authority. “One of our biggest concerns just came from some bad experiences with outsourcing our IT department,” says CEO Jacob Rodman. “A lack of response, not being here when we truly needed them – that was our hesitation with going with CMIT or any outsourcing company, for that matter.” But they just couldn’t find the right individual to hire on staff, so they ended up engaging CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh on a temporary basis. They figured they’d use CMIT until they found the right person, and then they’d move on. But BOSS made an interesting discovery: CMIT was giving them everything they needed at a fraction of the price of a full-time employee. In fact, outsourced IT wasn’t just giving them equivalent work; they were actually improving BOSS’s quality of service, minimizing disruptions, and increasing reliability. Before CMIT, data disruptions were “such a part of our lives that we got used to it,” Jacob recalls. “Now that we’re not going down, it makes a big difference. Even the staff comments on it. I think sometimes they just realize, ‘Hey, we haven’t been down in a couple months.’”Automation Was the Key Instead of having one person running around like a headless chicken trying to perform triage on the latest technology crisis, BOSS now had a whole team of experts working to prevent problems from happening in the first place. And by automating critical security and software updates, they ensured that the updates would install regardless of whether a human was in the office to make that happen. “ They’ve automated a lot of our systems, which in turn, has cut their time way down here,” Jacob explains. “It saved a little bit of money, number one. Number two, it’s given us a lot of peace of mind. We knew they were here; we knew they did a good job, especially when the electricity went out over a weekend. They knew it before we even knew it. They were here to fix it really before anybody got in the office.” They’re Saving Upwards of $10,000 a Year! One of the most remarkable improvements around the office has simply been to the bottom line. Jacob estimates that CMIT saves them “around $10,000 a year” in labor costs – and in exchange they get better service, their computers aren’t going down, and their physician staff (including Dr. Howard Brown) has better access to client records. When you really think about it, $10,000 in savings is probably the tip of the iceberg. “If you account for [wasted] employee time and lost revenue for going down and all those things, CMIT’s preventing that would add a tremendous amount,” Jacob observes. More Clued In and Connected As a medical practice, it’s imperative that BOSS keep its main doctor up-to-date on scheduled surgeries and ensure that he has consistent access to medical records and information. Joel Broadway, president of CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh, and his staff implemented two small but very important changes to their IT plan in order to make this happen. Dr. Brown relies on his mobile phone to serve his patients and keep track of his schedule. He often receives high-quality digital X-rays, for example, on his mobile phone and uses them to diagnose problems. “ If one of the physician’s assistants in the office ever has a question and he’s in surgery, he can pull those x-rays up on his phone and zoom in to high detail,” says Jacob. “So it’s not only comforting for him, it’s also comforting for the PAs. They know that at any given time, they can get ahold of him and he’d be able to answer questions.” But prior to CMIT, the BOSS staff was using special scheduling software to enter and manage Dr. Brown’s appointments. And that software did not synchronize with Dr. Brown’s Outlook calendar or his mobile phone, so he had to maintain multiple calendars and plug in his phone when he wanted to synchronize them. So CMIT, using its vast experience, recommended “Best Practice” solutions. First, they suggested that Dr. Brown simply give the appropriate staff members permission to read and manage his calendar. CMIT then installed inexpensive software so Dr. Brown’s mobile phone would automatically synchronize with his Outlook calendar – without having to plug it in. Dr. Brown said that change alone has been “worth a million dollars!” ^top		Now that we’re not going down, it makes a big difference. Even the staff comments on it. I think sometimes they just realize, ‘Hey, we haven’t been down in a couple months.’” *— Jacob Rodman, CEO, Brown Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Center*
	What’s Inside… Brown Orthopaedic IT Scheduling Nightmares...Solved Summer Reading: A Hot New Page-Turner … From CMIT Solutions! "I'm a Doctor. Why Can't I Find an IT Service Provider Who Understands What I Need?" Dog Days Summer Special Banish Digital Clutter In 4 Easy Steps

	IT Scheduling Nightmares … Solved If you’ve got an in-house IT staff, you know how hard it is to coordinate all of the many tasks regularly assigned to your technical gurus. More often than not, techs deal with problems on a first-come, first-served basis — or according to the “squeaky wheel” principle, where whoever yells the loudest gets the most attention. This can result in unhappy employees, an overworked and harried IT staff, and a feeling that everybody’s struggling to keep up with IT demands instead of actually getting ahead and concentrating on projects that can really help out the whole business instead of a few individuals. What you need is a way to prioritize tasks, also known as “tickets,” and coordinate schedules so that technicians, non-technical employees, and management all have a clear picture of who’s working on what. You could try coming up with your own homegrown service desk solution — but do you really have a team of software engineers standing at the ready with nothing better to do? Alternatively, you could try CMIT Service Center, a new add-on product to the award-winning IT service desk management software that’s already available when you sign up for CMIT Marathon. Service Center lets you log and track internal IT service requests .You can also create custom follow-up questions and workflow rules to suit the unique demands and structure of your business. CMIT Service Center lets you streamline and formalize the in-house service ticket process — resulting in real accountability, better service, and more efficient use of your IT staff and resources. Sounds pretty good, right? Call (203) 595-9091 or visit http://cmitsolutions.com/servicecenter to learn more.
	Summer Reading: A Hot New Page-Turner … From CMIT Solutions! What happens when Bob Puckett’s company experiences a massive server failure on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend? Is their three-day weekend doomed … or can one brave technology provider save the day with fast, responsive IT service? by the world of technology, Linda Kuppersmith & “The CMIT Pacesetters” — a group of CMIT premier owners across the US — decided to take matters into our own hands. We wrote a book that explains in clear, non-technical language everything a business owner needs to know when they’re evaluating a potential IT services provider. It’s a quick, fun read, full of anecdotes, tips, and easy-to-understand illustrations of technology concepts. And … for a limited time, it’s free! Follow the adventures of Bob Puckett, his coworker Vicki Slater, and cool-headed CMIT president Jason Seaburg as they unravel a series of technical mishaps that threaten to rain on their Memorial Day weekend. Call (203) 595-9091 or write Stamford@cmitsolutions.com to request your copy now!
	"I'm a Doctor. Why Can't I Find an IT Service Provider Who Understands What I Need?" Medical practices have all the requirements of a normal small business -- and then some. They have to comply with more stringent data preservation and security requirements, because they're bound by HIPAA standards to protect patient information. Specialized medical and billing software packages can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so it's even more important to protect those investments from virus outbreaks and security breaches. And while every business wants to get as close as they can to 24/7 uptime, a sudden data loss or server crash can have serious consequences not only for the practice but for patients as well. CMIT Solutions has extensive experience supporting medical practices and creating forward-looking solutions to their unique demands. We can put your practice on a secure, affordable backup service and make sure your systems are optimized and running at top speed. As a Dell Certified Partner, we can get you access to cutting-edge hardware such as tablet PCs that provide extra mobility and reduce paper waste. And, of course, we can install regular security and software updates and perform all the day-to-day maintenance, user support tasks and work with your EMR vendor, which a regular IT department does -- at a fraction of the price. Call Linda at CMIT Solutions today at: (203) 595-9091 and see what we can do for your medical practice.
	Dog Days of Summer Special! Let us give you a FREE Business Technology and Security Assessment Worth $347 Just Say “Yes” and we’ll make sure you never have to “sweat” computer problems again! Dear Colleague, This Summer I’m helping people “stop sweating” by offering a FREE Business Technology and Security Assessment as a “get acquainted” offer. As a special “Thank You” for responding to our offer, we will give you a FREE 2GB USB DRIVE! But Please Call (203) 595-9091 Now Because This Offer Expires At The End Of The Month! Or, you can go to www.cmitsolutions.com/stamford and sign up there. There are no strings attached to this offer and you are not obligated to ever use our services again. We don’t expect everyone to become a client but we suspect you’ll be impressed once you see how we can help your business save thousands of dollars, work smarter and faster, AND get your technology budget under control! ^top	When you call us for a FREE Business Technology and Security Assessment, we will: Look for incorrect network configurations that show up as unexpected down time, application errors, printers not working, e-mail problems, etc. Assess your current security against data corruption, theft, hardware failures, power outages, computer viruses, worms, spam, and even employee sabotage. Scan for spyware that is secretly stealing your company’s bandwidth. Check your data backup system to ensure it is working properly and accurately backing up all of the critical files and information you NEVER want to lose. Diagnose slow, unstable PCs. Discuss a project or upgrade you are considering. ^top
Banish Digital Clutter In 4 Simple Steps Even people with tidy desks and pin-neat offices sometimes find themselves with a whole lot of clutter – on their hard drives. But just because storage is cheap these days doesn’t mean you need to have a lot of spare bits and bytes hanging around. Keeping extra files on your hard drive can make it difficult to get to the information you want, leading to lost or duplicated files and a lot of wasted time. Here are a few simple ways you can keep your files in order. 1. Delete, delete, delete. If you haven’t opened a supposedly “active” file in a year, you’re probably safe throwing it out. At the very least, you can take everything you’re not one hundred percent sure you’re comfortable deleting and stick it all in a folder called “Archive.” 2. Use shortcuts instead of making duplicate files. If you’re working on several projects that all work off the same document, don’t keep a copy of the document in each project folder. Instead, decide which folder you’ll keep the original in and create shortcuts to that original in every other folder. That way you don’t have to worry about versioning problems. 3. Use descriptive file names. This sounds simple, but it’s shocking how many people name important documents things like “Report.doc”. Put enough identifying detail in the file name that you’ll be able to discern the contents at a glance. 4. Don’t save what you don’t need. If a coworker sends you a file for review, chances are you download it, make some notations, re-save, and send it back. Once you’ve sent it, there’s no reason to keep that file hanging around. Create a folder for these sorts of one-off files and then empty it at the end of every week by either deleting the file or, if it’s important, moving it to the appropriate directory. ^top
Hey … We Want To Hear From You! Is there a topic you’re dying to have covered in The CMIT Solution? Do you have BURNING QUESTIONS that need answers ... COMPUTER HORROR STORIES you want to share ... TALES OF TRIUMPH over IT disaster? Send suggestions, feedback, crazy tales, words of praise, and bad jokes to monthlynews@cmitsolutions.com. You might see yourself featured in our next issue! ^top	^top
Linda Kuppersmith Address: 1177 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06905 Managing Director & Owner Sales & Administration – 203.595.9091 CMIT Solutions Stamford stamford@cmitsolutions.com Customer Service – 888-891-0870

When you call us for a FREE Business Technology and Security Assessment, we will:

When you call us for a FREE Business Technology and
Security Assessment, we will: