Increase Productivity with Microsoft Power Automate | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge IT Support

May 4, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Increase Productivity with Microsoft Power Automate

Productivity is the great goal of business. If you’re a Microsoft 365 user, you have access to a tool that can easily increase your process efficiency. Here’s what you need to know about Microsoft’s Power Automate.

Power Automate is a cloud-based product available to Windows 10 users. The tool, formerly known as Microsoft Flows, brings intelligent automation to business processes. Harness the benefits of artificial intelligence developing workflows and creating data dashboards.

Power Automate hands over mundane tasks and manual processes to robotic process automation (RPA). With RPA you can:

understand bottlenecks;
map and analyze processes;
identify time savings opportunities;
capture institutional knowledge;
track important metrics;
make data-driven decisions;
empower users to share processes and collaborate;
break down internal business silos moving data between departmental systems on a schedule.

Power Automate is available online, as a desktop client, or as a mobile application, and for both iOS and Android devices. Best of all, it’s included in your Microsoft cost.

How Does Power Automate Work?

In Power Automate you build time-saving workflows using a low-code or no-code experience. The software offers templates or step-by-step guidance to help create automated workflows.

The secure and scalable technology connects with other Microsoft products, of course. It can also link new and legacy systems and allows users to integrate or create their own connectors.

You might set up a notification in Teams when a new Microsoft Forms response comes in, or when a Microsoft Planner task updates, or configure workflows to move documents between different SharePoint folders, or hand over Excel calculations to the AI.

Don’t trust RPA to do the work on its own? You can set up attended or unattended workflows. Attended workflows need humans to start the task or provide Yes or No feedback at workflow sequence stages.

You might use unattended for boring, time-consuming tasks. Think of the time saved in accounting with Power Automate:

printing an invoice hard copy;
creating a new Outlook task to follow up on that invoice in 30 days;
forwarding the submitted invoice to the next person in the operations chain.

Is Power Automate for Us?

RPA can help any business save time and reduce operating costs. Plus, Power Automate doesn’t work solely in the Microsoft environment. You might connect a Customer Relationship Management tool. Then, you could automate appointment scheduling and trigger file sending from One Drive.

The uses of RPA abound across industries. You might use Power Automate to:

process forms;
extract information;
perform sentiment analysis;
read business cards;
classify files;
track mailboxes;
orchestrate your pipeline;
automate auditing;
manage inventory levels.

Create workflows using templates or design your own with what Microsoft touts as “point-and-click simplicity.” Don’t find it that simple? We can do it for you.

Streamline repetitive tasks and operational processes with Power Automate. Turn your attention instead to areas that grow business and boost innovation. Need assistance setting up the workflows in Power Automate? Our IT experts can help. Contact us today to book an appointment:

5 Tips to Protect Your Laptop from Physical Damage | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB Computer Help

April 27, 2021 by Tony Whitney

5 Tips to Protect Your Laptop from Physical Damage

A laptop can hold your life. If you’re working from home, it’s essential to your income. For students, it’s where you keep all your notes and essays. Plus, there are the personal photos and videos. And you sometimes use it to stream your TV shows, or to video chat with friends and family. You may even make music, create art, or be writing the next bestselling novel on your laptop. So, you want to keep it in great shape. Here are five tips to protect your laptop. [Read more…]

How to Protect Your Proprietary Information | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB IT Support

April 20, 2021 by Tony Whitney

How to Protect Your Proprietary Information

Proprietary information makes your business special, whether you’re a tech startup with a smart algorithm or a food manufacturer with a secret sauce. Regardless of industry, business gains a competitive advantage from distinct practices or unique data. The last thing you want is someone with ill intent getting their hands on your differentiators. Here’s how to protect your proprietary information. [Read more…]

Five Tips to Get the Right Printer for You | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB Computer Help

April 13, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Five Tips to Get the Right Printer for You

Buying a printer can be overwhelming. There are so many options available from different brands, and buying guides galore. Yet we still often see people with printers that aren’t the best ones for their needs. That said, we’re offering five tips to help you find the right one for you. [Read more…]

Why Law Firms Need Managed Services | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB IT Help

April 6, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Why Law Firms Need Managed Services

The law industry isn’t known for embracing change quickly: tradition can trump a willingness to embrace new technologies. Yet digital technology has become an essential part of many lawyers’ working day. Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) provides support and enhanced cybersecurity during this evolution. [Read more…]

Boss Level: Keeping Your Gaming PCs at Their Best | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB Computer Help

March 30, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Boss Level: Keeping Your Gaming PCs at Their Best

Video gaming is entertainment for all ages. The main demographic is 18-34 years, but those 34-54 are another big segment – even larger than the under-18 group – although the youngest group may spend the most hours gaming, especially during a pandemic. Regardless, PC gamers of any age want the most powerful, fastest computer they can get.

It’s difficult to beat the Boss Level of that favourite game if your computer is lagging. The horror! If you’re serious about gaming, consider the ideas in this article to achieve your next personal best.

The gaming industry is moving to Triple-A titles. Think Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty. These AAA video games are the equivalent of blockbuster movies. They take months to years for massive teams of people to develop, everything about such games is ambitious (even the price!). The graphics and animation are more immersive, the storylines offer hours of content and encourage open exploration, and the games have a grander scale and improved sound design, too.

All that requires more from your computer. Depending on the age of your computer, you may not need to replace it to power the latest, greatest games. Or you could upgrade to a more powerful video card. Adding more random access memory (RAM) might also take a computer up to the Triple-A level.

Troubleshooting the Home-Gaming PC

Whether you’re trying the Triple A game or not, you may run into other problems. A screen locks up, a system crashes, or you see weird graphics or wonky textures in a game. You shoot an opponent with a direct hit, and he takes the win. Any of these problems can ruin your gaming experience.

Various issues cause these headaches for home gamers. Regrettably, they can be difficult to diagnose. The problems might be tied to:

overheating – modify your power settings, and make sure the computer is getting enough airflow;
driver issues – games crashing could mean the latest video drivers aren’t installed;
file corruption – reinstalling the game could help;
an unstable internet connection – consider moving to a wired Ethernet connection.
Viruses and Malware – If you have malicious programs running in the background you’re gonna have a bad time. Consider Y-Not’s Security Suite to keep malware at arm’s length.

Running too many programs on your PC can also cause games to run less smoothly. Close out other programs. Free up disk space if you can. Also, putting the game’s graphics on a lower setting can make them less resource-intensive.

Build vs. Buy

Generally, when the question comes up as to whether you should build your own gaming PC or buy a pre-built one we would recommend you build your own. That way you can customize it to get exactly what you want. Plus, it’s been historically more economical to gather the parts yourself and assemble them than to buy a pre-built gaming rig.

However, with the current cryptocurrency mining frenzy causing low stock for many of the best gaming graphics cards, buying a pre-built machine can be the better option. In fact, it may be the only way to get these cards without supporting scalpers and paying insane markup prices. Be sure to do your research because at the moment building your own rig might not be the best option.

Our IT experts can bring your PC up to speed, and get you back in the game at full power. Book an appointment below:

Pivoting to the Practice of Virtual Law | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB IT Support

March 23, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Pivoting to the Practice of Virtual Law

The law profession has been slow to embrace virtual work. It’s a people-oriented business, and there is great reliance on sensitive files and court documents, yet the pandemic pushed lawyers – and the rest of us – to embrace more digital technology.

Sure, lawyers were using mobile devices before. They worked in satellite offices, on-site with clients, or from home. Still, the profession’s traditionalists were loathing putting paperwork online or meeting virtually. Now they have to do so. [Read more…]

Outsourced Help Desk for Accountants | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB IT Support

March 16, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Outsourced Help Desk for Accountants

Accountants are experts at surviving the “busy season.” Tax accountants, for instance, are slammed as annual deadlines draw near. There are slow times, too, but during crazy times, the last thing an accountant wants is essential tech going down.

A broken computer or server downtime can be devastating. Say it’s a few days before a tax deadline, and the accountant logs into an essential tax preparation application and sees a blank screen: the system is down, and they can’t get in. It’s the kind of crisis that more cups of coffee can’t handle.

In the United States in 2018, the Internal Revenue Service’s website crashed on April 17, Tax Day. Since many people had waited until the last minute to submit their tax returns, this single day of downtime is estimated to have cost millions. It’s a clear example of the damage even a day of server downtime or other type of outage can cost a business and, in this case, one that business accountants can relate to!

If the firm takes a break-fix approach to its technology needs, the answer will be to call in an expert. This could mean hours on the phone with an IT helpline only to find out the problem is with another service provider. Or it could mean trying to reach someone to come out and check the network only to get on their calendar in the next available spot.

Deadlines are looming, and you are spending time on IT woes? It’s a disaster.

A proactive approach is to outsource IT help to a managed service provider (MSP) instead. Rather than waste valuable time trying to solve the problem yourself, turn to an IT technician to get to work.

Outsourcing Your IT Help Desk

With managed services, when you need help, the experts are readily available to tackle your concerns. Many solutions are remote.

Better yet, the MSP will use your slow times to set up systems to cut the risk of downtime during crunch season.

The MSP gets to know your business objectives and your technology infrastructure, which can help them react more efficiently and effectively. They can also track your IT to detect issues or security vulnerabilities early. Plus, they will help create business continuity plans to get your firm up and running again fast.

If the worst does happen, the MSP is only a help ticket or phone call away. Their experts are familiar not only with your technology but also with how you use it. Plus, as a consistent customer, you are a priority, not just another name on a list of people needing help who all see their needs as an emergency.

One other advantage to outsourcing your IT help is that it can reduce costs. The break-fix approach can be an expensive one. Instead, you’ll pay an MSP a set, monthly fee for the peace of mind that your IT needs are being looked after. The MSP can also help you identify opportunities to reduce IT-related operational costs. Start working with our experts today.

Time to Replace Your Laptop Battery? | Y-Not Tech Services – Lethbridge, AB Computer Repair

March 9, 2021 by Tony Whitney

Time to Replace Your Laptop Battery?

Your laptop computer may feel like a lifeline. It has everything important on it, both personal and professional! Regrettably, the time does come when you need to replace it. Yet, some computer problems could be solved instead by replacing the laptop battery.

Some computers now come with a variation on the car dashboard indicator light. You may see a red X on the icon that shows you the power level for your battery. Those with computer models with Windows 7 and up get a message saying, “consider replacing your battery.” But not all of us have this useful warning, in which case you’ll want to be on the lookout for these sure signs that battery replacement is needed. [Read more…]

E-accounting: Top 3 Considerations for Online Client Meetings | Y-Not Tech Services – IT Support Lethbridge, AB

March 2, 2021 by Tony Whitney

E-accounting: Top 3 Considerations for Online Client Meetings

Many businesses were teleconferencing before COVID-19. After all, meeting virtually saves both you and your client time, and busy business owners often don’t want to spend the time to make a trip to your office. The coronavirus has hastened the move to e-accounting, but this approach presents some new problems, which we’ll address in this article. [Read more…]