LAN Systems eNewsletter - 2015 Top IT Trends

January/February 2015 eNewsletter

Wishing you the very best for a joyous, prosperous 2015!

Included in this issue is our Top IT Trends for 2015 and a short primer on sound masking. Sound masking is an interesting technology that uses brain functionality to achieve increased productivity and privacy.

As always, if you have questions or would like to discuss IT options that help your business grow, please call.

Thanks,

Mary

Top IT Trends for 2015

For many years, we have been bringing you our Top IT Trends predictions for the technology that will change our business and personal lives. This year our Top IT Trends have an emphasis on business economy and productivity. We have seen a dramatic increase in the investment businesses are making in their IT systems. Technology advances have been incredible over the past few years, but this year we are focusing on the technologies that will help fuel your business growth in 2015.

Business is back in 2015. The US economy is growing and IT is fueling the growth by bringing productivity, efficiency and modern ways of doing business. If you haven't reviewed your IT system for upgrades and improvements - 2015 is your year to get into the Cloud!

Cloud Productivity - If you are not in the Cloud, what are you Think about the Cloud waiting for? It will save you money, make you more efficient, productive and well .... cool. Whether you use a PC, laptop, tablet or phone, you will be the most productive you have ever been. Choose Microsoft's Office 365 for a variety of office productivity tools or try Salesforce.com or Mozy Cloud backup. Look for Cloud solutions that have stood the test of time and are here to stay!

Mobility - Like Love and Marriage or a Horse and Carriage - Mobility and the Cloud - you can't have one without the other. Isn't it amazing how we have adapted to doing all things on-the-go! Look around and you will see people conducting business from every corner. Whether talking, emailing or texting, doing business anywhere, anytime has become commonplace. If you have the right tools, you can be as productive on-the-go as in the office.

Business Applications - The applications that you need for business are better than ever. Not only do you have more computing capability, you often can choose a Cloud version as primary or a backup version of you most important business software. Make sure to understand, how and where your data is stored and include in your 3-2-1 Backup Strategy.

Today, you can get truly enterprise-class applications at a fraction of the cost of just a few years ago. There is no reason that your business should wait for software that gives you a major competitive advantage.

Hardware Economy - Hardware is better, cheaper and faster than ever. If you have been waiting to upgrade that Microsoft Server 2003, PC, notebook or phone, 2015 is the year of the upgrade. And while you are looking at new hardware, look at Cloud computing options that integrate seamlessly with your hardware investment.

Software Economy - If you use an on-premise software package, 2015 is the year to see if you can get the same functionality in the Cloud version. Many software developers offer their full-featured packages at a reasonable monthly Cloud subscription. Be sure that you know how to get your data into and out of the Cloud package, just in case you want to move from one service to another. Look at Office 365, Adobe, Quickbooks and others to give you great deals in the Cloud.

Disclaimer: Like horoscopes, our predictions for the Top IT Trends of 2015 are general in nature but they are intended to help you grow your business and profit from technology advances.

The IT Services People!

In This Issue

Top IT Trends

Sound Masking

Solutions and Services to help you grow your business

System and Network
Design & Installation
Microsoft, Linux and Unix
Servers and desktops
vCIO Strategy
Architecture review
System installation
Network security
Storage solutions
Virtualization

Service and Support
Support agreements
Onsite services
HelpDesk support
System maintenance
Emergency services

Data recovery

Managed Services
24/7 system monitoring
Real-time notification
Automatic updates
Quickly fix problems
Alarming for critical events
System health reports
Follow up action plan

Data Backup Plans
Online combined with local or offsite storage
Easy to manage
Restore individual files or entire system
Safe and affordable

Sound Masking Basics

What is sound masking and why is it used?

Sound masking is the addition of a familiar sounding, air conditioning-like background sound to an environment. Masking covers up or "masks" human speech and helps mitigate the distraction of other sounds, making an environment more comfortable, workers more productive and creating speech privacy. Here's an analogy. Imagine that you are in a darkened room and a child is flicking a flashlight on and off. The light is noticeable and distracting. Now imagine, the lights are on. The same flashlight is being flicked on and off-but without notice-it has been "masked." This is how sound masking works.

Where is sound masking used?

Sound masking is used anywhere speech privacy or speech confidentiality is desired or required and in any workspace to reduce distractions and improve productivity. The most typical installations are open office plans, private offices, and public spaces.

Open Office Plans - Open offices are often either too quiet-hearing the occasional pin drop breaks concentration-or too noisy, the conversations of co-workers are distracting and affect productivity. Installing sound masking system is the first and most cost-effective step to improving speech privacy in your open office and a highly productive open office work environment with fewer distractions. Appropriate ceiling tiles and higher cubicle walls can further contribute to improved open office acoustics, but are often more costly and ineffective by themselves.

Private Offices - Private offices and other enclosed spaces, while appearing to provide privacy, often do not. Frequently the walls are of lightweight materials or extend only to the ceiling tiles and not all the way to the ceiling deck. Often these decisions are made for cost reasons and for flexibility of reconfiguring the office space. Adding a sound masking system to a private office greatly improves speech privacy by rendering private conversations completely unintelligible to listeners in the adjacent office, hallway or at the water cooler.

Public Spaces - Reception areas, pharmacies, waiting rooms, banks and public hallways next to private offices are all great candidates for sound masking systems. Without sound masking, private conversations can be heard in the adjacent public spaces. Installing a sound masking system renders private conversations unintelligible by nearby listeners, ensuring speech privacy. Installing sound masking is the most cost-effective way to ensure speech privacy and comply with the speech privacy requirements of HIPAA and GLBA regulations.

If you would like to discuss sound masking options, please call 770 662-0312 or email lauren@lansystems.com.