The holiday season is a great time to upgrade your son or daughter with a new laptop for school. Or perhaps you would like to get another family member a nice new backup drive or computer accessory. If you are unfamiliar with hardware and buying equipment, this can be a daunting task.

Many factors come into play, such as whether the computer will be used for gaming, work, or school. How much storage space is enough? Which version of Windows do I need? What is the best anti-virus and backup solution?

December is "ask the expert" month at Zing Technologies! Post your questions about computers, hardware, accessories, and software as a comment below and I or another representative from Zing Technologies will personally reply with a comment back answering your question.

Don't be left in the dark as you shop for your loved ones this holiday season. Get sound advice from the experts at Zing Technologies and get the right technology gift every time.

Have you ever had a computer virus, spyware, or malicious software corrupt your computer or server that resulted in lost productivity or data? If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky as you’ve certainly heard stories about someone who has. Often times when people purchase new computers, they let the 90-day antivirus trial period expire without renewing it or installing a different anti-virus solution. Without a doubt, every computer and server should have some kind of anti-virus protection. At ZingTech, we exclusively recommend the McAfee Total Protection Package and the McAfee suite of products for four powerful reasons.

1) Web Based Hosting 
Instead of simply scanning data inside the facility like other anti-virus software, McAfee has the ability to scan everything on the internet before it enters your business, local network, servers or computers. Blocking viruses, spyware and malware on the internet before it enters your facility prevents overload on your bandwidth, so you will experience a faster internet connection with better response time and more control.

2) Powerful Engines
85% of data on the Internet is spam, viruses, or unwanted programs, which is why the McAffee solution is powered not by one, but three different and independent scan engines. Everything delivered to your server has been filtered, scanned, cleaned, and scrubbed three times over. In addition, McAfee recently acquired MX Logic, a leading global provider of email and web security.

3) Reduced Workload
By receiving clean data, your Internet bandwidth, computers, and servers reap the benefits of those scan engines by not having to work as hard internally. Equipment will run smoother and more efficiently, and reduce costs by having a longer life. This also mitigates business risk substantially as the data that your servers do scan has already been checked multiple times and over 99% of the external vulnerabilities are already eliminated before it comes in house.

4) Constant Updates
With the Total Protection Package, McAfee is installed on every computer, every server and even firewalls. Each machine is updated 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure a protected environment and proven IT infrastructure.

If you don't have the McAfee Total Protection Package, it's not too late! One of the greatest features about McAfee is that it can retroactively eliminate viruses and clean computers and servers so you can immediately protect your systems and critical business data.

To see the benefits of the McAfee Total Protection Package, contact us today to get started!


Are you throwing money at technology? Do you buy bells and whistles? If you have servers or computers collecting dust, you've let technology become an expense. I see it a lot, especially in large companies with large budgets. Just because technology can be expensive doesn't mean it has to be an expense, it can truly be a great asset!

Be proactive. If you wait for equipment to break, you will spend more money paying someone to fix it or to install a brand new system and configuration. As Bill Bean reminded me recently, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later. The "later" part comes with more of these $$$. Get your company out of a reactive mindset.

Have a long-term strategy. Make sure your business doesn't outgrow your technology. Invest in software and equipment that can be updated and expand with your company. Businesses that can change direction without having to change software or hardware have made a smart investment.

Invest in an IT Consultant. If you buy multiple products from multiple vendors, you have to pay for each item individually with no guarantee they will integrate. An IT Consultant does much more than sell you a product; you can buy a suite of products designed to work together, which reduces your overhead costs and labor expenses. A good IT Consultant not only implements software and hardware, but will also develop a proven technology process for your business.

Make your business more efficient. In the 90s, employees actually had to drive to the office to check voicemail and corporate email. Today, servers work with websites, databases, phone systems, mobile phones, you name it. Employees can work from virtually anywhere, yet I'm constantly surprised by how many companies still do not offer remote access to their employees. With the right tools and system integration, employees can stay updated and more productive even when they’re not in the office.

No matter what size business: small, medium or large - technology is the greatest asset your business can invest in. Don't let it become your biggest expense! Contact ZingTech today to see what a proven IT strategy can do for your organization!