You have probably been leaving virtualization to the bigger enterprises for years but it is time you take a look at the benefits of server virtualization as a way to help your Markham and GTA business.  There are many options out there.  What is right for your business?  VMWare or Microsoft Hyper-V, this is where you need our support services as your trusted Markham IT support specialists to help.

Waiting for the perfect virtualization option for your business is going to do you no good. Plus, now that the benefits of virtualization are in reach for organizations big and small, there is no reason why your small and medium sized business should not get on the virtualization bandwagon. Well, there are things every SMB must examine before taking on any option.

So, here are five things you should know about virtualization:

• The benefits of virtualization are bigger for SMBs: Virtual servers bring about a host of benefits. Efficient use of resources, lower maintenance costs, faster server deployment, increased agility and higher availability; you name it. Significant data loss resulting from lack of availability will no longer trouble you either as virtualization mitigates this risk. With virtualization, you will also be able to witness lower maintenance expenses and total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT infrastructures. Virtualization also decreases and eliminates planned and unplanned downtime, respectively, since a virtualized infrastructure can move workloads from one host to another. And most important of all, virtualization improves the end-user experience, enabling IT to migrate virtual servers and desktops between physical platforms without affecting user productivity.
• SMBs face unique challenges not seen in larger enterprises: Storage is the first obstacle; virtual servers and virtual desktops can freely move between different hardware platforms only after having common access to shared storage to transfer the running state of workloads between physical servers. You can get over this obstacle with the help of direct-attached disks with storage area networks (SANs) that interconnect to multiple servers. You should also keep in mind that the built-in safety nets against bottlenecks available in enterprise environments are not as likely to be present in smaller environments. While storage disruptions and slowdowns in physical servers are isolated only to a single server or a single application, a virtualized environment complicates the issue. Any single points of failure in a centralized SAN spread across the entire set of interconnected servers and potentially hundreds of virtual servers and thousands of desktops. That is why you must seek out virtualization platforms that deliver a safety net to avoid this problem.
• Beware of unanticipated deployment costs: Unless you like unpleasant surprises, you ought to ask questions prior to deployment about the cost of project management, shared storage infrastructure development, higher availability and the performance requirements of centralized operations.
• Initial low-end equipment investments will cost you more in the long run: If you are thinking of adopting  equipment with superficially low price points, you must know that these tools lead to higher TCO, since they create a complex infrastructure that is eventually too difficult to manage and unable to scale.  So, instead of going for deceptively inexpensive modular options, you should seek out complete solutions tailored for your needs.
• You don’t have to get rid of existing technology: Removing your existing hardware and making unnecessary investments in new machines is not the right thing to do. Instead deploy a virtualization solution that repurposes the hardware you already have. Choose virtualization software that enables construction of virtual SANs using internal disks in each physical server thus enabling you to turn a pair of existing servers into a dedicated, highly available and high-performance SAN.  Such options should also reduce the risk of data loss with continuous real-time replication.

With SMB-specific virtualization platforms now on the market, you can select technology that delivers easy maintenance, affordable implementation and the scalability you seek. And remember, virtualization should simplify your environment, not complicate it.  Speak with our team at Dynamix, your Markham IT Consulting professionals.  We work with Markham business each day and help them understand the benefits of server virtualization as a way to reduce risk, increase efficiencies and cut IT support costs.

Do you know what is the ultimate way (at least for now!) to harness technology for your business, keep up with marketing trends, and reach your customers in new and interesting ways? QR codes (short for quick response code)! You’ve probably already seen them; the bar-code like images that are popping up everywhere from flyers to magazines, utility bills, invoices, TV commercials, product tags and where not!

So, how do QR codes work? These when scanned with a smartphone, redirect consumers to online marketing content! It is as simple (and equally amazing) as that. And when it comes to reading QR codes with Android smartphones, QR Droid, a free app, is the best. It lets you read QR codes you see on marketing materials. Likewise, the app also works for sharing contacts with another Android phone and for creating new QR codes to use in your business! Plus, QR codes are also great for gauging the effectiveness of your advertising efforts; you can simply use web analytics to measure the amount of traffic. No need to set up a special phone number or custom URL to capture the data.

You can use QR codes to link your customers with videos, event details, special offers/coupons, personalized account information, product instructions and much more! So, what are you waiting for? Get on the QR code bandwagon and get going.

Would you like to learn more about how you can add QR Codes in your business?  Talk to your team at Dynamix Solutions today to learn more about QR codes in business.

Gone are those days when your internal IT department had absolute control over all the technology decisions of the entire enterprise. As Brook Miller, chief technology officer at Motivequest, rightly puts it “Your IT department is dead!” Here is why the IT manager no longer holds supreme control:

1. Your IT department can’t control the technology used by every employee: The department’s role in deciding what technology to use inside a business and to communicate with company systems has now become a thing of the past. With end users signing up for external services while still relying on the company’s IT department for connectivity proves this.
2. Your IT department can’t control how the consumer will access the company’s electronic resources.
3. Your IT department can’t control all of your employee’s access to social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube: Controlling employees’ Web activities during the workday might be a good option but that is still not going to keep the employees from using their tablet or smartphone to find what they are looking for.
4. Your IT department can’t maintain absolute security: No matter how hard the IT managers try, there will always be hackers and phishers doing the best to outwit them.
5. The data has escaped the IT managers data center: Since data has moved into the clouds (we are sure you’ve heard of Software-as-a-service such as Google Apps, Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud and Dropbox), desktop software is almost as dead as the IT department. Most employees and customers have gone mobile now, and it is only fair for them to seek applications and data that are live on the Web.

So, does that mean the IT manager has nothing to do? He or she sure does:

1. Solving a business problem with technology instead of always implementing new ones.

2. Embrace social media because it is undefeatable. Remember the expression, “If you can’t win them, join them?” It isn’t such a bad thing, after all. Instead focus on how you can use these sites to take the information inside the company.

There are many things your IT Manager can do to help your business leverage technology and allow the right IT solutions to move your business forward.  Dynamix offers virtual IT manager and CIO services to many businesses throughout the GTA.  Contact us today to learn more about our complete range of Toronto IT support services.