The Newsletter for. Hassle Free IT. This Issue: April Register for the HIPAA Compliance Training Webinar

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1 April 2015 The Newsletter for Hassle Free IT Register for the HIPAA Compliance Training Webinar WEBINAR: HIPAA Compliance Training With new healthcare laws in effect, dental practices are finding themselves needing to be compliant or face consequences that include stiff penalties and fines. Advantage Technologies has teamed up with The Linda Harvey Group to provide CE approved HIPAA training. Linda Harvey s presentations teach doctors and teams how to effectively integrate regulatory compliance into their practices, and how to protect their patients, practices and themselves by closing regulatory gaps in their policies, procedures and workflow. Presentations include real world examples and provide tools attendees can take back to the office to help implement change. Upon completion Webinar attendees will be able to identify and understand: What is HIPAA: Identify and define HIPAA, discuss its importance, and how they impact the practice of dentistry. Practical Steps: Identify and examine steps to utilize in developing a plan to become HIPAA compliant. Application: Evaluate the process of integrating compliance into the practice and the implications for each team member. Next Steps: Conduct a review of required training and documentation for continued HIPAA compliance. Don t miss this opportunity to obtain a greater understanding of HIPAA compliance requirements along with practical tips and suggestions for handling an audit. Click now to register. This Issue: > WEBINAR: HIPAA Compliance Training > Getting Old? How to Determine the USEFUL LIFE OF YOUR IT NETWORK > ADVANTAGE TECHNOLOGIES Just Got Older Too > Leading your Dental Practice BY NUMBERS > Office 365: The Top SUCCESS FACTORS THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 Session Time: 12:00 1:00pm EST 2015 Advantage Technologies Consulting, Inc. Page 1 of 5

2 Getting Old? HOW TO DETERMINE THE USEFUL LIFE OF YOUR IT NETWORK Let s face it, we re all getting old, and so is your IT network. What matters is how you can determine the useful life of your IT network so that you can budget accordingly. The age of your IT network matters when it comes to system reliability, security, and of course, your budget. However, with so many moving parts and business drivers that vary from company to company, there is no clear-cut measure for the useful life of these assets. That vagueness, in fact, appears to be what s driving the madness. There are guidelines set by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), but then there is usefulness. Guidelines and usefulness are two different things. Of course, manufacturer support for a component often ends long before an asset may show signs of outliving its usefulness. Therefore, useful life, it seems, is more a matter of perspective. Why Assets Age Out Some technology mainframes, for instance can run solidly for years. Even with new machines available for a fraction of the cost, says Network World editorin-chief John Dix, organizations are reluctant to replace this gear because the operating systems and applications are dyed-in-the-wool. In other words, companies may opt not to fix what isn t broken, particularly when that fix could incur significant costs in terms of IT services, budget, and time. Other assets don t fare as well. In our fast paced world, there are constantly new technologies that let us crank it up, says Dix, allowing us to do things faster, cheaper, and/or better. But you can t crank it up if your existing infrastructure doesn t support these new technologies. For components such as servers, desktops, and laptops, aging-out occurs because these assets simply don t have the required computing power for a new application or can t support the latest operating system. This is where many small businesses find themselves. Server software also is aging. The end-of-life (EOL) for Microsoft Windows Server 2003, for example, is set for July After that date, businesses will be living dangerously and on their own in the event of an Operating System Issue with no new patches in sight. This also means you will no longer be HIPAA Complaint. Luckily, Advantage Technologies clients are well ahead of the bell curve on this one. Only 15% of our current clients are still running Server Sadly, many reports are stating upwards of 65% of companies are still using Windows Server 2003, this particular EOL will be far-reaching. Ultimately, the top priorities for 2015 budgets are laptop/desktops (44%) and software (42%). Many reports also note that at 67%, Server 2003 EOL is the top reason why companies plan to spend on new hardware, software, and IT services. This is the best time to look into Hardware-as-a-Service (Haas) solution wherein you lease the hardware. Security With fast-paced innovation that responds to an emerging and increasingly aggressive threat landscape, security is yet another area that can impact an asset s life expectancy. Patches and regular component upgrades or swap-outs may be essential to addressing identified vulnerabilities and maximizing the protection of your systems and data particularly for components such as routers and switches that manage access to your network. (Continued on next page) 2015 Advantage Technologies Consulting, Inc. Page 2 of 5

3 (Continued from previous page) The Matter of Perspective Today s IT pros are challenged to support the business effectively with innovative technology and to maintain a reliable and secure network all within the constraints of an IT budget that remains static with last year s numbers. While there are potential cost savings of eking out surplus life from your existing network assets, it s critical to balance these savings with the downsides of using aging equipment, including reduced performance and agility and increased risks and operational costs. That balance, though, should be driven less by vendors and more by priorities based on your individual company, IT priorities, and business objectives. For instance, your business demands for enterprise mobility may require refreshing your infrastructure to support wireless connectivity for mobile devices and cloud-based services. Assessing what you can let slide and what is downright risky to your IT network performance and security should be based on your business drivers enabling you to apply your IT budget dollars where they will count most. Just another place Advantage Technologies can assist you. Just let us provide you metrics based on your current system. We can show you what s working and what s not, we can offer suggestions and ideas, but in the end, it s your business! g ADVANTAGE TECHNOLOGIES Just Got Older Too Annual Team Meeting 2015 Advantage Technologies recently held our company wide annual team meeting. This is an inspiring time for everyone involved. Every year we focus on something a little different. This year our focus was on three things: People, Process, and Product. People, included a look in at our clients and our team. Both of which are our greatest assets. We also took a look at our Process, and we worked on ways to improve our delivery and communication, both internally and externally. Lastly, we spent time on our Product managed IT services. Anniversary One of our special announcements this year was that 2015 marks Advantage Technologies 15 year anniversary! This is something we are extremely grateful for. When our CEO, Bryan Currier, first started Advantage Technologies in 2000, Star Wars Episode 1 was just released and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was the #1 show on television. It was also the start of a major move in technology for dental practices. Practices were trading in their appointment book for a computer that looked like something out of the Apollo 11 mission. Since then, there have been some major happenings in the world, and with Advantage Technologies. Some good and some bad but we have stood the test of time and will continue to learn and evolve. We really want to thank our clients for trusting us with their IT needs. We couldn t have made it this far without you! g 2015 Advantage Technologies Consulting, Inc. Page 3 of 5

4 Leading your Dental Practice BY NUMBERS Numbers drive the world of business, including the business of dentistry: Revenue, Profitability, Production per Active Patient, Case Acceptance %, Pre-Appointment %, New Patient as a % of Active Patients and a variety of other measures. Leaders in the dental industry would be at a severe disadvantage without timely and accurate figures relating to all aspects of their practice. Numerical literacy is a must! Often times, few of the key performance indicators (KPI s) that dentist or practice managers regularly rely on, are what we would define as lagging indicators and not the crucial KPI s that drive action. Most accounting and financial results are lagging indicators; they provide information about what has occurred in the past. For example, last month s revenue which is generally reported in the subsequent month. These numbers are important, but being able to define and track the crucial KPI s will provide the dentist with significantly more insight into the future and allow them to make better decisions today and take action to achieve better results. Crucial KPI s are key numbers and ratios that drive future outcomes or results, and are those numbers that you can measure accurately today. Examples would include: If a desired result is to achieve a healthy profitability percentage (40 50%), one crucial KPI would be Collection Per Active Patient ($800 + per year) If a desired result is to increase your Active Patient Base, one crucial KPI would be your Pre-Appointment % (Future Patients Scheduled as a % of Active Patient Base) If a desired result is to increase cash in the bank, one crucial KPI would be Case Acceptance Ratio In order to determine your crucial KPI s you should first decide what key outcomes or results you and your practice are working towards. This will be determined by your status quo and goals. Second is strategy. Hoping to do better is not a strategy. Strategy is being able understand how your dental practice is likely to play out, and getting very clear on the key strategic moves your practice needs to make to position yourself for future success. The ability to determine and to measure objective, numerical values associated with actionable behavior in your practice is crucial in order to achieve your desired results. Start leading your practice by numbers today. This article was provided by Curtis Marshal who serves as VP of Marketing at Dental Intel. g 2015 Advantage Technologies Consulting, Inc. Page 4 of 5

5 The Top SUCCESS FACTORS Microsoft positions Office 365 its cloud-based office productivity and collaboration solution as the same Office that most businesses already know and have used for many years, but only better, because of the flexibility of the cloud. With most plans, Office 365 users get full-blown, fully up to date versions of Office that they can use offline on their devices, and they also gain cloud benefits such as always on, mobile friendly access to files and applications. Most business plans of Office 365 also include cloud-based functions such as video conferencing and SharePoint Online. Let s take a quick look at the features and characteristics of Office 365, followed by some of the key success factors that small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) should keep in mind. Key benefits of Office 365 include: Users have access to their files and Office apps from virtually anywhere with an Internet or mobile connection. Office 365 support multiple device types, including smart phones and tablets even ios and Android. With most business class plans, the user company also gets SharePoint Online, which gives them powerful Web-based team collaboration and content management capability. It s simple to manage and add users, and the apps are always up to date. Not only do users have Outlook for , but the user company also gets business class with 50 (GB) of storage. Factors to keep in mind with Office 365: Not only is there a personal/consumer version of Office 365, there are multiple business-class plans. Currently, there are three SMB focused plans. Business Essentials, Business, and Business Premium Users companies have to carefully choose the Office 365 plan which is right for their needs. For example, some may want Active Directory integration built in, or app availability for tablets. Either way, Advantage Technologies can help you select the best plan and smoothly merge the new cloud resources with existing, on-premise IT systems, user authorizations, and credentials. Office 365 offers extensive security and reliability mechanisms, such as data encryption. The bottom line is the Microsoft Office 365 is a powerful cloud-based office productivity, collaboration, and content management solution. However, choosing the right plan, and making it work in a cohesive and secure way with existing IT systems, are key considerations for any business. Advantage Technologies has the resources you need when deciding what you need. We deploy for SMB, dental and law firms, and as a Microsoft Gold Partner (only the top 1% of partners globally) we can address all the success factors for optimal use of Office 365, security solutions, and disaster recovery! g 2015 Advantage Technologies Consulting, Inc. Page 5 of 5