(855) 455-5035 www.azcomp.com
SEPTEMBER 2018
Empowering Small Practices to Deliver the Best Care
One of the most crucial decisions you can make for the long-term health and success of your business is choosing the right IT services provider. That may sound like an exaggeration, but the numbers prove it’s anything but. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, 60 percent of all small businesses that suffer a cyber attack are closed within six months. With small businesses being attacked every day — to the tune of roughly 4,000 attacks — how you respond to such threats could be the difference between a small hiccup and a company-ending catastrophe. Even companies that understand the importance of choosing an excellent provider don’t know how to go about it. Tech is, after all, a language all its own. It’s easy for your eyes to glaze over when presented with a list of services that only an expert would understand. Sometimes it can even feel like all the jargon is a smokescreen keeping you from understanding what you’re actually paying for. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. If you ask the right questions, you’ll gain a much clearer understanding of just what an IT company can do for your business. Here are three questions, written in the simplest terms possible, which will reveal a great deal about a company’s approach. WILL YOU PROACTIVELY MANAGE MY BUSINESS’S NETWORK? When it comes down to it, there are two types of IT companies. The first offers break-fix support, and they are the kind that you only call when something is wrong. They show up when you need them, charge by the hour, and (hopefully) fix your issue. These companies are pay-as-you-go services that offer the bare minimum of protection. In essence, they are a slight upgrade over calling customer support. The second type of IT company, known as a managed service provider (MSP), monitors your network constantly, looking for ways to optimize your system and noticing red flags before they become big problems. Instead of being a reactive company that fixes problems when you become aware of them, an MSP understands your network intimately and works proactively to always ensure that your system is running at peak performance levels. 3 SIMPLE QUESTIONS To Gauge the Quality of Your Support
Many companies opt for break-fix services at bargain-basement prices. Then, when something goes wrong, they end up regretting their choice. Don’t fall for this trap. When you actually crunch the numbers, it’s clear that an MSP offers a level of protection that justifies spending a little more. IN THE EVENT OF AN ISSUE, CAN YOU GIVE ME A GUARANTEED RESPONSE TIME? If something goes wrong, you want to know that your IT company is invested in fixing the problem as quickly as possible. The longer your system is down, the more it harms your business. A company that can’t promise it will be on the scenes in a timely manner isn’t one worth working with. Quicker response times are another reason to choose an MSP over the break-fix alternative. Break-fix companies have a nasty habit of leaving you hanging the second a crisis arises. All of a sudden, you can’t reach your provider, they won’t call you back, and you’re left wondering how you’ll pick up the pieces. That’s a fate you certainly want to avoid. Be on the lookout for evasive answers when you ask this question. Anything less than a definitive timeframe is cause for alarm. You might hear that the process “normally” takes a certain amount of time, or that services will arrive “as soon as possible.” The second you sense that somebody is hesitant to give you a real answer, it’s time to run for the hills. DO YOU UNDERSTAND MY INDUSTRY? Even awesome MSPs can’t serve every industry equally. You want to work with a company that understands the specific needs of your business. These companies will be familiar with software you rely on and offer advice for streamlining workflows. Don’t be afraid to ask for examples of a company’s work with businesses comparable to your own. With just three simple questions, you’ll be able to learn a lot about an IT company. If you can’t answer them already, it’s time to hop on the phone and find out if your network is as cared for as it should be. - Byron Adams
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AIRPORT CYBERSECURITY PRACTICES How to Keep Your Data Safe Before You Fly
thieves are just trying to make a quick buck selling your goods. They aren’t the sophisticated cybercriminals you see in movies and on TV.
The people who petty thieves sell your stuff to, however, could exploit your data. And there’s no password strong enough to stop them. All they have to do is crack open your machine, pull out the hard drive, swap it into a different machine, and they’re in. Once they have your data, there’s no telling where it could end up. If somebody is willing to purchase an obviously stolen laptop, you can bet they aren’t afraid to make some cash exploiting your data. How do you prevent this? The easiest way is to encrypt your drive. That might sound complicated, but your computer already has a tool that will allow you to do it easily. It is crucial, however, that you keep your recovery key and password safe and don’t forget them. Encryption is designed to deter even the smartest criminals, so there is no trick for getting into an encrypted drive if you’ve lost the password. Everyone has a pretravel checklist, but most people don’t think to include data security measures as part of it. If you forget to pack a toothbrush, you can buy one. Recovering lost data, on the other hand, is much more complicated. MEDISOFT, LYTEC & NEXTGEN OFFICE SUPPORT PLANS FOR HOSTING, BACKUP, AND MORE Need Support? Call (480) 497-7480 if you have a support contract. Don’t Have Support? Plans start at just $99/month. Call us at (855) 455-5035 to get started with support, training, electronic claims, electronic health records (EHR), hosting, backup, and more. We have so many tools and services to help your practice be more efficient, keep your network protected, and remain a thriving independent practice. We want to help your practice perform at the highest possible level by providing services that allow you to get the most out of your software.
Airports are busy places where almost everyone is crunched for time. Between checking bags, making it through TSA, and getting to your gate on time, it’s easy to become scatterbrained. Unfortunately, there are plenty of criminals willing to take advantage of absent-minded folks waiting for their flights. Take your eyes off your items for a few seconds, and they might disappear. And what do you think airport thieves are most excited to steal? Your laptop and phone, of course. There are a number of steps you should take before you arrive at the airport to secure your data in the event of a device theft. The first and most obvious is to put a strong password on your laptop. Most airport
SPOTLIGHT ON STACEY REED Before beginning as an account manager at AZCOMP in January, Stacey Reed worked in real estate. Obviously, that’s quite the transition, but Stacey handled it beautifully. “I have to admit,” Stacey recalls, “the first few weeks felt a little like walking a tightrope. Thankfully, I had the incredible team here functioning as my safety net. It was the perfect introduction to AZCOMP.”
When asked what her favorite part of her new gig is, Stacey points to the way customers are treated. “The consideration that we have for our clients is exceptional,” she says. “I love being able to help small businesses and independent medical practices succeed. That attitude is shared by every single person who works here. It’s inspiring to see.” Outside of work, Stacey loves spending time with her husband, Shad, and 4-year-old daughter, Indie. They enjoy spending time in nature and traveling, often to check out a concert. “We recently made the trip up to Wrigley Field to see Pearl Jam,” she tells us. “A legendary band in a historic ballpark, what could be better than that?”
Be sure to check our website often at azcomp.com/events to learn about upcoming trainings and other events we host.
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PRIYA PARKER’S ‘THE ART OF GATHERING’ Will Make Your Rethink Your Meetings Anova Immersion Circulators come with a companion app that allows you to regulate temperature and monitor time from your phone. They take a process that was once limited to the world’s most progressive restaurants and put in the hands of home cooks everywhere. At a cost under $100, they don’t require you to break the bank to take your kitchen into the 21st century. As a conflict resolution expert who’s worked with NGOs in Zimbabwe and on Middle East peace talks, Priya Parker is no stranger to important meetings. In her experience, too many gatherings — business meetings, dinner parties, negotiations, etc. — suffer from the same shortcomings. In her new book, “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters,” Parkers investigates why so many gatherings fail to inspire and offers a list of suggestions to make your get-togethers more memorable. “We are tempted to focus on the ‘stuff’ of gatherings because we believe those are the only details we can control,” Parker writes. “I believe that’s both short-sighted and a misunderstanding about what actually makes a group connect and a gathering matter.” In Parker’s experience, an overreliance on convention is one of the key factors contributing to the lackluster nature of meetings. Instead of focusing on people and creating an experience, organizers focus on ticking the boxes and going through the motions. To remedy this stale pattern, “The Art of Gathering” titles its chapters after provocative advice, like “Don’t Be a Chill Host” and “Never Start a Funeral With Logistics.” Parker infuses her advice with plenty of relevant anecdotes from her career and personal experience. We’ve all been at a company meeting or party where we wanted to pull our hair out. If everyone read “The Art of Gathering,” that would happen a lot less often. If you’re a foodie, you’ve probably noticed the phrase “sous vide” popping up on menus frequently. This method of cooking, French for “under vacuum,” involves cooking ingredients (usually protein) in a sealed bag submerged in a water bath. It’s a staple of molecular gastronomy, and for a long time it was completely inaccessible to home cooks. Anova’s affordable, easy-to-use immersion circulators have allowed curious home cooks to experiment with this beloved fine-dining technique. Immersion circulators offer precise regulation of water temperature, which is crucial for sous vide cooking. The stable temperature allows you to cook protein to the exact doneness you desire. You’ll never have to guess whether your steak is medium rare. In fact, you can cook the inside first and then finish by searing it to perfection. Sous-vide also turns a delicate operation, like cooking eggs with perfectly set whites and runny yolks, into a breeze. ANOVA IMMERSION CIRCULATORS Bring Restaurant Tech to Home Kitchens
GRADUATE HOTELS TAP THE POTENTIAL OF AN UNDERSERVED MARKET When you think about it, college towns should be a hotelier’s dream. They have a full events calendar all year long and draw repeat visitors in the form of alumni. Despite these obvious benefits, visitors didn’t have many options besides chain hotels and Airbnb until Graduate Hotels came along. The venture, spearheaded by AJ Capital Partners CEO Ben Weprin, seeks to create boutique hotels in college towns that cater specifically to alumni of the major schools in the area. “There’s generally a lack of interesting hotel product in our markets, yet [university] communities are incubators for innovation, job growth, and culture,” Weprin says. Noticing this gap, he began Graduate Hotels in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. Step into the lobby, and it’s clear you’re in Wolverine country. But, crucially, the hotels don’t feel like dorm rooms or a football-centric man cave. Instead, they’re tastefully appointed with nods to school colors and famous alumni. and Tempe, Arizona. The company hopes to open eight more by the end of 2020 and sees no limit to their expansion opportunities. They’ve realized that guests are willing to pay more for university-themed digs, with rates running about 20 percent higher than their competitors. Graduate Hotels also house cocktail lounges, seasonally focused restaurants, and event spaces. These in-hotel amenities lead guests to spend an extra $50 per night on average. The explosive success of Graduate Hotels shows just how valuable it is to find an underserved market and create a product or service that meets their needs. The Graduate Hotels brand is clearly defined and expertly targeted for its demographic. “We are higher-education focused, we are shamelessly ambitious, and we can execute,” Weprin says. Graduate Hotels’ focus on disrupting the hotel industry in college towns has landed them on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2018. Major hotel chains everywhere have been left to wonder, “Why didn’t we think of this before?” From that initial location, Graduate Hotels has expanded into 12 college towns, including Athens, Georgia; Berkley, California;
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Can Your IT Company Answer These Questions? PAGE 1 Avoid Data Theft at the Airport PAGE 2 Meet Stacey Reed PAGE 2 Hotels Built for Alumni PAGE 3 Restaurant Tech for Home Cooks PAGE 3 AZCOMP Leadership Library: ‘The Art of Gathering’ PAGE 3 Racing Toward Compassion PAGE 4
AN INCREDIBLE SHOW OF BROTHERLY LOVE BY MAGGIE
One of the ways we define customer care at AZCOMP is through our core value “We Care About the One.” In our eyes, caring about the one involves helping the people in front of you with your full attention and empathy. Empathizing with a customer and understanding what they’re going through is a powerful way to express compassion and caring. Recently, I came across a stunning example of empathy that demonstrates the power of caring about the one. This story takes place at a World Triathlon Series race in 2016. As Jonny Brownlee entered the final stretch of the grueling race, he was in
the lead. But then heat stroke set in. He was dazed and looked as though he’d be unable to complete the race. That’s when something magical happened. Alistair Brownlee, Jonny’s older brother, was competing in the same race. He was in third place and had a chance to win before he saw his brother’s struggle. In an instant, he had Jonny draped over his body and then carried him to the finish. When they got to the line, Alistair even pushed his brother across the line ahead of him. Jonny and Alistair finished the race in second and third, respectively, but those places mattered a lot less than the moment of camaraderie shared between the two. After the race, Alistair stressed that helping Jonny was an instinctive behavior. “It was a natural human reaction to my brother,” he said. “But, for anyone, I would have done the same thing.” Talk about caring about the one! Here was a man, in the heat of world-class competition, who saw somebody in need of help and immediately came to their aid. The second Alistair saw Jonny in distress, all his other cares went out the window. He put all of his focus and all of his empathy into helping his brother.
Would you do the same?
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