Circle Computer Resources, Inc.

CCR Aquires Cramer IT of Coralville, IA

CCR — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:33:53 +0000

Two Corridor Firms Merge to Offer Nationwide

Internet, Systems, Restaurant IT and Video Monitoring Services

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July 11, 2011 – Circle Computer Resources (CCR), a 25 year old information technology service provider headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, today announced it has acquired Cramer IT of Coralville. CCR President Chris T. Kelly announced the acquisition in Cedar Rapids and said it was effective July 1.

Founded in 2004, Cramer IT specializes in broadband internet connectivity, computer repair services and IT consulting in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor.

“CCR offers offer a broad range of computer related services to large and small businesses in the US and Canada, including Internet services, professional IT services, software development and Website and email hosting services,” said Kelly.

“CCR and Cramer IT complement each other very well. The Internet & IT services we offer together are designed to optimize operations, manage risk and deliver business value to large and small companies around the globe. Josh Cramer and his team have built a thriving business and it will be a great addition to CCR” explained Kelly. Following the acquisition, CCR will employ a staff of 50.

Cramer IT President Josh Cramer believes CCR is a very good match for his company. “When we first considered selling, CCR was my number one choice for a buyer. I know they will take care of Cramer IT’s clients and staff. CCR is very similar to Cramer IT in many ways, both growing companies with compatible service offerings and philosophies. I feel this is a wonderful opportunity, uniting our offerings and delivery capabilities enable us to deliver a wider, holistic solution to our combined client base.”

CCR is rated as one of the top Managed Service Providers worldwide being named to the MSP 100 for the past two years. CCR will be able to enhance the already excellent service that Cramer IT has been providing their clients. In recent years, CCR has been increasingly recognized for its nationwide television and radio content capture business, as well as its restaurant IT and Internet connectivity service, CircleNet™. At present CCR provides industrial grade redundant Internet connectivity for more than 500 restaurants across America, including some of the largest chains in the country. The company maintains a network of more than 1,000 service technician affiliates across the nation.

CCR provides broadcast monitoring infrastructure services to customers that need TV or radio content from local markets. And it provides reliable access to content and broadband internet to upload the content.

Outgoing CEO Josh Cramer will continue working with CCR for several months to ensure a smooth and easy transition. After this time, Mr. Cramer will be dedicating his time as CEO of Cramer Development, a web and mobile application development firm based in Iowa City.

About Cramer IT

Cramer IT Consulting is a well-established local company that provides specialized information technology solutions to small and medium sized businesses primarily in eastern Iowa. With services including broadband internet, computer repair, hardware sales, data backup, and IT consulting, Cramer IT has set the standard for outsourced small business IT and business class internet service in Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty since 2004. Cramer IT staff members have been tirelessly dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and follow through in all of the solutions and services are offered.

Internet Service What We Do

CCR — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:01:24 +0000

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ISP (Internet Service Provider)? We’re hoping CCR but you’re probably thinking Qwest, Mediacom, or Comcast. Although you may think of all the big names before you think of us, you might change your mind after reading this.

CCR provides internet access not to residential clients in highly competitive areas, but to national franchises in rural areas. We focus on creating connections in places that are “impossible” according to our competitors. With our highly trained team of engineers, our “special sauce” as Chris Kelly, CTO, would say, can solve any connection problem. In fact, we provide service to over 200 McDonald’s locations throughout the nation. Not only do we service McDonalds, but also WiFi parks throughout the southern regions of the United States. Our WiFi business unit, Last Marathon Networks, provides all the snowbirds with an internet connection to let us know how much nicer 70 degrees in Florida is than what us northern Eskimos have to deal with.

So in the future, think of us as a little bit more than just your average ISP.

And don’t send us a “The Weather’s Great!” email in the middle of January again, or we might shut your connection off.

The CCR Team
By Monica Kelly
www.ccr.net

Optimizing Productivity

CCR — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:24:13 +0000

Studies have shown that interruptions of all sorts take up around 3 hours of an employee’s workday. There are many things that hinder productivity including working with a single monitor, manually filtering spam, and unmonitored instant messages.

We all agree that there is a level of interruption that is important to keep everything moving forward. According to the Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research,

“. . . once there is an interruption, statistics tell us that it takes 20 minutes to get back to the level of concentration that we were at prior to the disruption. . . social interruption has the highest impact on our ability to return to our original task. We are often placed in a position of being overtly rude or enduring the added stress of missed deadlines . . . caused by well-meaning ‘cubicle intruders’.”

Social interaction between employees is beneficial in the way it fosters stronger ties among them as well as better teamwork throughout the company. This being said, it should not take up 20%+ of a workday.

Many have speculated that dual monitors or multiple monitors can enhance productivity by 9% to 50%. Even on the low end, this one seems worth it. Invest in an extra monitor for less than $200.00 and make money off of it in a month. Basically, you can keep your employees happier for $200.00

Estimated time saved with an effective Anti-Spam service (which does not require filter tweaking or “white listing”): 26-40 hours. This is a per employee per year average.

This costs $800.00 to $1,500.00 per employee per year
This costs a 50 employee company: $40,000.00 to $75,000.00 per year
Cost to fix the problem? $30.00/year or less per employee

The mother of all interruptions is social interruption, soon followed by calling or instant messaging. It can take over 20 minutes to return to the level of concentration you were previously at. All together, it takes you at least 90 seconds to refocus your attention on the person asking the question and the 20 minutes to return to your previous state of concentration.

Internally monitored instant messenger can improve productivity dramatically. Instant messenger only becomes an issue when it’s misused. If rules are enforced and only work related conversation is allowed it can be an extremely effective tool.

Within our company we have several levels of contact:

Low: Instant Message
Low-Medium: Email Message
Medium: Contact through our CRM
Medium-High: Phone Call
High/Immediate Response: Walk Into Office

This process keeps employees working their hardest at everything they can without all kinds of interruptions. We have found that our employees are significantly more productive when following the levels of contact. Cost to get an internal IM that can be monitored? It’s FREE at www.psi-im.org

All together it is clear there can be improvements made to optimize productivity in many areas. Some of the most effective ways to improve productivity is just establishing levels of contact associated with priorities. We understand that there are many other issues when it comes to improving productivity, but if we addressed them all this post would be novel-length.

What’s your opinion on productivity? What do you waste the most time on? Comment and let us know.

The CCR Team
By Monica Kelly
www.ccr.net

Windows Hotkeys: A Helpful Shortcut on a Busy Day

CCR — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:56:43 +0000

Windows hotkeys can be a very helpful shortcut on a busy day. Instead of having to right click and copy, cut, paste or open a new tab you can just use one of these easy shortcuts on your keyboard:

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert: Copy.
Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete: Cut.
Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert: Paste/Move.
Ctrl + N: New… File, Tab, Entry, etc.
Ctrl + S: Save.
Ctrl + O: Open…
Ctrl + P: Print.
Ctrl + Z: Undo.
Ctrl + A: Select all.
Ctrl + F: Find…
Ctrl + F4: Close tab or child window.
F1: Open help.
F11: Toggle full screen mode.

Finally! An Easy Way for You to Lower Your IT Support Costs While Practically Eliminating Frustrating Computer Problems, Glitches, and Downtime

CCR — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:24:52 +0000

Our New ”Total Network Management” Package is Designed to Lower Your IT Costs While Making Your Network Run Faster and With Fewer Problems

Thanks to our new Total Network Management plan, you can now get all of the computer network support you need for one low, fixed monthly rate without any surprises, hidden costs, or the expense of a full time IT staff! Just look at the benefits:

You’ll eliminate expensive repairs and data recovery costs. Our network monitoring and maintenance will allow us to see and prevent network problems before they turn into downtime and expensive repair bills. As a matter of fact, we guarantee it.
You’ll eliminate expensive trip fees while receiving faster support. Our remote monitoring software will enable us to access and repair most network problems right from our offices. No more waiting around for a technician to show up!
How does faster performance, fewer glitches, and practically zero downtime sound to you? Under this program, that is exactly what we’ll deliver. Some parts of your system will degrade in performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash. Under this plan we’ll make sure your network receives the critical maintenance it needs for maximum speed, performance, and reliability.
You will sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” are being kept out of your network. If you rely on your computer network for daily operations, it’s time to get serious about protecting it from viruses, hackers, spyware, and even disgruntled employees. Under this plan, we’ll keep watch 24-7.

You’ll finally put a stop to annoying spam, pop-ups, and spyware.

Thin Clients: The Alternative To Bulky, Expensive Computers

CCR — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:08:22 +0000

A thin client is a small device that can be used in replacement of a computer tower. Companies who do not run CPU intensive programs often use thin clients because they are smaller and are less than 10% of the cost of a regular workstation.

A thin client runs as a VM (Virtual Machine) which connects the user to the server. Each thin client has a license which allows it to access the server as if it is its own computer; displaying the desktop the exact same way a normal computer would. The thin client acts as a bridge to connect the user to the server and remote control parts of it.

The simplicity of a thin client is what attracts most companies. Although you do have to have a server in a clean environment to run them off of, the thin clients themselves can exist in quite hostile environments. Having the server run all of the applications is both a positive and a negative. If you have a well run server then it saves a lot of headaches. In the same way, the server also acts as a single point of failure for all users.

All together thin clients are an effective solution for companies who use their workstations for activities such as email, web browsing, Microsoft Office or as POS systems. If companies are willing to buy higher powered servers it is possible to run more intensive programs through the thin clients without problems.

Keeping Your Computer Healthy

CCR — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:26:53 +0000

Whether a home computer or a corporate network, security is important. Because hackers and those who are fighting to infect your computer are constantly evolving, the software you use also has to be. Three major things that help improve individual computers are an up-to-date anti-virus program, regularly updated patches, and current Windows Updates. Many will ask, “Why do I have to use patches and Windows Updates when I already have an anti-virus?”

Well, here’s why:

An Anti-Virus alone cannot block everything. In addition to viruses, there is spyware, malware and other malicious infections that have to be prevented.
A patch is a software piece that fixes security vulnerabilities and bugs. Patches are necessary to keep areas of your computer up-to-date with the latest security features. Patches are developed in order to ensure the safety of your information. These patches are created by individuals who study hacker’s styles and use the information to develop patches and combat them.
Windows Updates are important in the same way patches are, except for your entire operating system. Keeping Windows Updates current is vital to a computer’s health and security.
Anti-Spyware, & Anti-Malware are also extremely important for computer health. Without these, there are many types of intrusions that come through email and web surfing can infect your machine.

It is also very important to run ALL updates as quickly as possible. Hackers and software writers are constantly fighting each other and the best way to stay secure is to update often.

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

CCR — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:26:40 +0000

An individual who has acquired his MCSE is considered a Microsoft certified specialist. These MCSE’s go through both classroom and hands on training to acquire it. A total of 7 exams are taken; four in networking, one in design, one client operating systems, and two electives. Each exam can take hours, and many will not pass on their first try. Once these engineers gain their MCSE they are required to continue to take exams to test their knowledge every year, or the certification is removed. They experience months of classroom training, usually by centers such as New Horizons.

Microsoft describes this certification,

“The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification shows clients and employers that you are skilled in designing, implementing, and administering infrastructures for business solutions based on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. Implementation responsibilities include installing, configuring, and troubleshooting network systems.”

At CCR, we take very much pride in our MCSEs. They have endured some of the hardest technical training out there. Not only does the training give each of them a better view of how networks operate, but also hands on experience (at least one year). An MCSE is seen as a “badge of honor” in the business world by most professionals.

Securing Your Network

CCR — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:28:19 +0000

Securing your network can be a very challenging task, especially without professional help. There is an overwhelming amount of information about network and data security. Four things that will help prevent hackers, viruses, and other potential threats are these:

Anti-Spam filter
Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware/Anti-Spyware software
Firewall
Data Backup

An anti-spam filter can ease a lot of headaches for both employees and management. Some individuals receive hundreds (sometimes thousands) of spam emails every day. This over-load of email messages slows down your internet, puts your network at risk of viruses. The issue with a poorly running anti-spam filter is not only that it does not filter out all spam and put your network at risk, but also that it sometimes blocks good email – which can result in angry customers and lost sales.

Anti-Virus/Malware/Spyware software can help weed out the things that leak in through surfing the web. Think of running an anti-virus scan as the same as an oil change for your car – it just keeps everything running smoothly.

A firewall helps prevent hackers and malicious activity more than anything. A firewall blocks unauthorized access and communication to your network and protects your data. It is a dedicated appliance running on a computer that inspects network traffic and denies or allows passage based on a set of rules. It ensures that no private data goes and nothing malicious comes in. It regulates the flow of traffic between computer networks of different security levels.

Data backup ensures that even in the event of a disaster such as a flood, theft, hardware or software failure your data is safe and recoverable. Only 6% of businesses survive a major data disaster. Backing up data keeps it safe and secure no matter what.

www.ccr.net

SPLA Licensing – No More File Type Frustrations

CCR — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:27:33 +0000

Have you ever been annoyed by the “x” on the end of a Word document (.doc) or Excel spreadsheet (.xls)? Many Microsoft Office users do not want to pay the price to upgrade to the newest version right away or merely forget to and end up having issues opening documents. They email documents and spreadsheets to clients and coworkers only to find out they have Word 2003 and cannot open a “.docx” file, or vice versa. This can cause a day or more of delay in communications and is very irritating to both the sender and receiver.

Microsoft provides (through its partners, such as CCR) SPLA (Services Provider License Agreement) licensing. SPLA licensing is a subscription to Microsoft Office which provides every new update and version at one low monthly rate. This can be purchased per user, or per processor (computer). This product automatically updates your version of Office and eliminates the possibility of dealing with a file type issue again.