Improve Your Auto Auction with CRM

CRM

Running an automotive auction consists of managing multiple moving parts. It’s a lot to track and organize and, without a CRM system, you are only work at half capacity. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software allows you to streamline the auto auction process so you can leverage all of the auction information to improve your business management. A custom auto auction CRM software can manage and track all of your business activities, including: Inventory Management Tracking Operations and Reconditioning Capturing Participant Information and Following Up on Leads Marketing for Future Auctions Managing Finances and Business Accounting Instead of trying to track all of this individually, the CRM system finds a place…

National Insurance Day – Data Backup is Business Data Insurance

Disaster Recovery

June 28, 2015 is National Insurance Day, an observance that was most likely invented by insurance companies, but reminds us of the importance of business data insurance. In the computing world, data insurance means performing data backup to multiple secure sources in case of a disaster or data breach. When your data is backed up properly, you have insurance that no matter what life throws at you, your information is protected. There are a few basic types of data backup depending on your information and business needs. Some businesses only use one option for all files, but most use a combination of data backup types depending on the file that…

The Need for Data Security Modernization after IRS Data Breach

Security

On May 26 2015, the IRS announced that 104,000 Americans’ personal tax information had been hacked out of the IRS website. These Americans had their personal information leaked elsewhere online which hackers gathered. Using the personal information and the IRS’s online tool that allows taxpayers to download past tax returns, the hackers were able to grab financial identity information from these persons. This IRS data breach is another in a long line of government-related security breaches and hacks that we have seen the past year. While the online tool to grab past tax returns has been taken down, according to Huffington Post, public trust in the IRS is at an…

Why Your Nonprofit Should Consider a CRM System

CRM

Nonprofits have a unique challenge. They have all the same requirements as a for-profit business but limited resources to accomplish them. This often means a volunteer staff or a very small number of paid employees. Communication between employees, donors, events and more can often get lost in translation without a consistent staff or business process in place. This is where a CRM system comes into play. CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It comes in software form and essentially allows your nonprofit to track every interaction the nonprofit has with anyone outside of the organization. A CRM system for nonprofits can track: Fundraising efforts Sponsors and their demographics Member information…

6 Ways to Improve Small Business Data Security

Computer Security, Security

Norton recently performed a survey asking small businesses about cybersecurity threats. Less than one third of businesses understand what is required to protect their business from cybercriminals. This is not restricted to small businesses as a rash of attacks have occurred with large corporations in the past year, spreading customer data to hackers. To help counteract this, MDL Technology wants to go over ways to improve your small business data security. Create a Data Security Plan and Policy Before you can get serious about data security, you need to have an action plan and use policy in place. There are a lot of things to cover in this plan, but…

National Memo Day: How CRM Helps You Organize and Provide Better Customer Service

CRM

In case you didn’t know, May 21 is National Memo Day. To celebrate, Holiday Insights says, “Have a pen and paper handy. Go grab a post-it note. Stand ready at your PC. We suggest you enjoy National Memo Day by taking memos wherever and whenever possible.” Sometimes its the details in memos that make a huge difference in your customer service, but memos and details often get misplaced. A proper CRM system can help keep track of all the memos to organize all business data and improve customer service. Here is an example of missing the importance of organizing memos. You know when you call your bank or phone provider…

National Pack Rat Day: How Cloud Computing Kills Your Inner Pack Rat

Cloud Computing

National Pack Rat day is Sunday, May 17. We can all be guilty of being a bit of pack rat, especially when it comes to business files. Luckily, there is a way to avoid becoming a computer file hoarder by utilizing cloud computing. Transitioning Forces Clean Out When you decide to transition to cloud computing, you are forced to take a hard look at your files to decide what should stay and what should go. The cloud is a perfect opportunity to do some major clean out. There will of course be items you should keep, but there are some things it is time to get rid. Here is an…

Windows Server 2003 Support Ends in July…Are You Prepared?

Security

Effective July 14, 2015, Microsoft will be ending all support for Windows Server 2003. This means more than not being able to call a help line. Ending support means a lack of data security, making all of your data on a Windows 2003 server vulnerable to hackers. Without support, you will no longer receive security patches to ensure your system is protected. According to a video from Microsoft, there were 37 critical patches in 2013 alone and each year it has increased exponentially. After July 14, hackers will begin targeting Windows 2003 servers because they know the data will be more vulnerable without these patches. Additionally, if companies choose to…

Enterprise Mobility Security You Can’t Do Without

Mobile Security

The ability to go mobile for your business is incredibly beneficial. There are so many opportunities open to you with tablets, laptops and smartphones. Employees can take their work with them anywhere with the help of cloud applications and sales professionals can keep their client relationships in great condition with a mobile CRM. But there is also great risk in enterprise mobility. Many companies put security on the back burner for a variety of reasons, but if your employees are mobile, you need the some basic enterprise mobility security in place. Photo Credit: miniyo73 / Foter / CC By Policy Management First thing’s first: you need to have a mobile…

This Earth Day, Go Green with Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing

Today is Earth Day, the perfect time to start thinking about your business’ impact on the environment. Housing or paying for large hardware data centers is not the most environmentally-friendly way of storing your data. Instead, learn about how the cloud is a sustainable solution for your data storage. Photo credit: maf04 / Foter / CC BY Fewer Machines Are Used When you transfer your data over to the cloud, you can say goodbye to a room full of hardware. Cloud computing uses a remote server system with a much larger capacity. A cloud provider can host the same capacity as an entire data center on one server. Less energy…