Bryley Systems – A Recognized and Trusted Technology Partner Among CPA Firms

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The Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Committee (MSCPA) recently conducted a survey about technology use at CPA firms. The survey was originated by the MSCPA for the purpose of helping firms to benchmark best practices.  Bryley Systems is featured as a recommended outsourced IT provider among CPAs, and we are proud to be a technology advocate for the CPA community.

According to the survey, 34.5% of respondents indicated that they envision their firm being in the cloud within five years.  More and more CPA firms are investing in IT and software – in fact, over 20% of those surveyed, reported that over 8% of a firm’s revenue is being spent on IT.

Bryley Systems has over 30 years of experience taking the worry off of our clients’ shoulders and effectively managing IT environments at a predictable cost.  For more information about Bryley’s full array of Managed IT Services, please contact us at 978.562.6077 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We are here to help.

Bryley Celebrates 1 Year at 200 Union Street in Clinton!

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Just one year ago, Bryley Systems relocated to our ultra-modern office space at 200 Union Street in Clinton. Walking or driving by, one might mistake it for a US Post Office, well it was! It was built in 1937 as the Clinton Post Office and was completely remodeled in 2005 when the building was sold and the post office relocated to the other end of town.

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Bryley Systems attends the Second Annual Clinton Business Forum

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The North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Town of Clinton; Clinton Public Schools; and UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital to host the Second Annual Clinton Business Forum on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.

Ms. Livingstone is a member of the 2018 Clinton Downtown Steering Committee and both she and her husband Gavin are excited about the future improvements that are planned for Clinton’s downtown. “We bought the 200 Union Street property this past November to relocate our Managed IT/Cloud services company,” stated Ms. Livingstone. “We love Clinton. It has so much to offer and is a great location for our employees to enjoy all the benefits.”

This year’s forum took place at the Clinton Campus of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital located at 201 Highland Street in Clinton.  It was a great opportunity for local business owners, public officials and community leaders to connect as well as learn more about future happenings in the Town of Clinton, upcoming events, available resources, and how businesses can be more actively involved.

Bryley Systems Inc. Ranked Among Top 501 Global Managed IT Service Providers by Channel Futures

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MSP 501 Identifies World’s Most Forward-Thinking MSPs & Leading Trends in Managed IT Services

July 9, 2018: Bryley Systems ranks among the world’s 501 most strategic and innovative managed IT service providers (MSPs), according to Channel Futures MSP 501 Worldwide Company Rankings.

The MSP 501 is the first, largest and most comprehensive ranking of managed IT service providers worldwide. This year Channel Futures received a record number of submissions. Applications poured in from Europe, Asia, South America and beyond.

As it has for the last three years, Channel Futures teamed with Clarity Channel Advisors to evaluate these progressive and forward-leaning companies. MSPs were ranked according to our unique methodology, which recognizes that not all revenue streams are created equal. We weighted revenue figures according to how well the applicant’s business strategy anticipates trends in the fast-evolving channel ecosystem.

“We are honored to be named a winner of the MSP 501 for the fifth consecutive year.” said Gavin Livingstone, President and CEO, Bryley Systems. “It is a great honor and demonstrates our dedication to remain one of the top providers of managed IT services worldwide.  We look forward to continuing to provide excellent service to our clients.”

Channel Futures is pleased to honor Bryley Systems.

“This year’s applicant pool was the largest and most diverse in the history of the survey, and our winners represent the health and progressivity of the managed IT services market,” says Kris Blackmon, Channel Futures content director and editor of the MSP 501. “They’re growing their revenue, expanding their customer influence and exploring new technology that will propel them for years to come.”

The full MSP 501 report, available this fall, will leverage applicant responses, interviews and historical data to identify business and technology trends in the IT channel. Highlights will include:

  • Revenue growth and business models
  • Hiring trends and workforce dynamics
  • Business strategies
  • Service deliverables
  • Business tools and automation investments

 

Background

The 2018 MSP 501 list is based on data collected by Channel Futures and its sister site, Channel Partners. Data was collected online from Feb. 28 through May 31, 2018. The MSP 501 list recognizes top managed IT service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, growth and other factors.

About Bryley Systems

Bryley Systems proactively manages, optimizes, and secures the IT infrastructure of organizations in manufacturing, business services, passenger transit, and local government. From Cloud-based to on premise solutions, they approach each client’s needs individually, with flexible service options and custom-fit agreements.  Since 1987, Bryley Systems has been providing Dependable IT at a Predictable Cost™ to clients throughout the continental United States.

 

About Informa

Channel Futures, Channel Partners Online, Channel Partners Conference & Expo and Channel Partners Evolution are part of Informa, the international business intelligence, academic publishing, knowledge and events group. Informa serves commercial, professional and academic communities, helping them connect and learn, and creating and providing access to content and intelligence that helps people and businesses work smarter and make better decisions faster.

Informa has over 10,000 colleagues in more than 20 countries and a presence in all major geographies. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.

Learn more on how Managed IT Services can help your business.
Discover the best IT Company suited for your business.

Bryley Systems Wins Channel Partners 360⁰ Award for 2nd Consecutive Year

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LAS VEGAS – April 18, 2018 – Channel Partners, a resource for indirect sales channels offering IT and telecom systems and services, is pleased to announce that Bryley Systems Inc. has been selected as a winner of the 2018 Channel Partners 360⁰ Business Value Awards.

Michelle Denio, Technical Support Supervisor at Bryley Systems, accepting the Channel Partners 360 Award in Las Vegas

Michelle Denio, Service Manager at Bryley Systems, accepting the Channel Partners 360 Award in Las Vegas

Twenty-five winners were honored during an awards reception on April 18th at the Spring 2018 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.  Michelle Denio, Service Manager at Bryley Systems, accepted the award.

“Our 2018 Channel Partners 360° Business Value Awards winners illustrate the rapid emergence of the full-stack digital services provider,” said Lorna Garey, editor in chief of Channel Partners and Channel Futures. “Our editors were impressed by the range of services delivered, from desktops as a service to security to SD-WAN to an all-in automation strategy and more. We also saw the blurring of the lines between different types of channel entities become really apparent — for the first time, several winners were also named as providers. Seems the message ‘develop your own IP’ has resonated.”

Channel Partners 360° Business Value Awards winners are selected by a panel of editors based on real-world case studies that illustrate how the partner is using the convergence of IT and telecom services to create business value for its customers.

“It is a great honor to have won this award for two consecutive years in a row,” said Gavin Livingstone, President of Bryley Systems. “We are a growing Managed IT / Cloud / Security services provider and we take great pride from the recognition of our peers.”

About Bryley Systems

Bryley Systems Inc. – a Top 501 Managed IT Services Provider worldwide for five consecutive years – proactively manages, optimizes, and secures the IT infrastructure of organizations in manufacturing, business services, passenger transit, and local government. From cloud-based to on-premise solutions, they approach each client’s needs individually, with flexible service options and custom-fit agreements.  Since 1987, Bryley Systems has been providing Dependable IT at a Predictable Cost™ to clients throughout the continental United States.

About Channel Partners

For more than two decades, Channel Partners has been the leader in providing news and analysis to indirect sales channels serving the business technology industry. It is the unrivaled resource for resellers, aggregators, agents, brokers, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and dealers that provide network-based communications and computing services, associated CPE and applications as well as managed and professional services. Channel Partners is the official media of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo and Cloud Partners.

Bryley Systems Donates to Clinton Fire Department who “Pay it Forward”

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We love being part of this community and are honored to donate to our local fire department and see them “pay it forward.”

Bryley and Warren Insurance Support Local Charities

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Hudson-based Bryley Systems and Bryley client, Stow-based Warren Insurance, together raised funds for the Hudson Boys & Girls Club. The donation was generated through Bryley’s refurbished computer program. Bryley donates a refurbished computer in exchange for a donation made to a local charity – generally the Hudson Boys & Girls Club or the Hudson Food Pantry.

Google Announces Ad Blocker for Chrome

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Google is a fantastic tool to conduct research but as we scan web sites to gain access about the topic of interest, oftentimes pop-up ads and videos appear out of nowhere.  The result is that we turn away from a web site due to these interferences.  Google is aware of this and has come up with a solution that’s set to launch early next year.

What is it?  Ad blocker from Chrome works like an ad filter – it won’t block all the ads from a web site, only the ones that are determined to be too intrusive, like pop-overs and auto playing audio and video. They’ll be filtered because they’re considered to be bad ads, according to the Coalition for Better Adds.  “But who’s part of the Coalition for Better Ads? Google, for one, as well as Facebook. Those two companies accounted for 99 percent of all digital ad revenue growth in the United States last year, and 77 percent of gross ad spending.”1

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior VP of Ads and Commerce, said Google wanted to “build a better web for everyone” by eradicating intrusive ads online without removing all ads entirely, since so many sites rely on ads as their source of revenue. “The vast majority of online content creators fund their work with advertising. That means they want the ads that run on their sites to be compelling, useful and engaging–ones that people actually want to see and interact with. But the reality is, it’s far too common that people encounter annoying, intrusive ads on the web–like the kind that blare music unexpectedly, or force you to wait 10 seconds before you can see the content on the page. These frustrating experiences can lead some people to block all ads–taking a big toll on the content creators, journalists, web developers and videographers who depend on ads to fund their content creation.” 2

From a consumer’s end, you won’t have to do anything except for updating your Chrome browser. For publishers, Google will provide a tool that you can run to find out if your site’s ads are violating the guidelines. The blocker will apply to both desktop and mobile experiences.

Bad ads slow the web down and make it annoying to browse.  This is why many consumers install ad blockers to remove all advertising.  If this continues to be the norm, publishers are going to face more obstacles since nearly all web sites rely on ads to thrive.

With Chrome’s ad blocker, wholesale ad blocking can be controlled such that it pleases both the consumer and publisher.  Users get a better browsing experience and publishers can continue to make profits through online ad sales.

“If successful, the move from Google could slow the adoption rate of ad blockers that flat out block all advertising. However, it has drawn criticism from some because of the power it gives Google, which is itself an ad company and now wants to set standards for the entire industry.  Furthermore, Google has also announced ‘Funding Choices’, a new feature currently in beta that allows publishers to show a customised message to visitors using an ad blocker, inviting them to either enable ads on their site, or pay for a pass that removes all ads on that site through the new Google Contributor.”3

Despite some expected criticism, Chrome’s ad blocker will likely result in a better web browsing experience.

If you have any questions about the web or any Managed IT topic, please contact us at 978.562.6077 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here to help.

 

References and Sources:
1 https://theintercept.com/
2 https://www.blog.google/topics/journalism-news/building-better-web-everyone/
3 https://www.marketingweek.com

 

What you need to know about the Equifax Hack

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Equifax announced yesterday afternoon that they suffered a breach of their data in late July, affecting as many as 143 million individuals, or roughly 44% of the US. Equifax is one of the three main organizations that calculates credit scores, and thus has access to an extraordinary amount of personal and financial data for nearly every American, including social security numbers addresses, birth dates and driver’s license data.1

Equifax has announced that it will mail notices to those affected by the breach and is offering 1 year of credit monitoring for free.

What can you do?

  • Equifax has set up www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to see if your information has been compromised.
  • Check your credit report. Check to see if any cards have been opened in your name without your permission.
  • Place a 90-day fraud alert. “According to the Federal Trade Commission, you are allowed to activate a free 90-day fraud alert with one of the three credit bureaus, which will make it harder for identity thieves to steal your information. You can also renew it after the 90-day period is over.”2

This is a good reminder to remain vigilant in regards to your credit score.

1 https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-protect-yourself-from-that-massive-equifax-breach/
2 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-check-equifax-security-hack_us_59b1f8a5e4b0354e4410c754
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/07/technology/business/equifax-data-breach/index.html

 

Don’t be fooled by Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Scams

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In the aftermath of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey, we see both the good and the bad of humanity.  We’ve heard stories of stores opening as shelters, civilians using their boats and reporters stopping during a live shot to lead rescuers to a trucker that was stuck in his cab!  Unfortunately, we’ve also heard stories of looting and theft.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Red Cross and several other organizations have set up funds to help those affected by the storm.  Unfortunately, some cybercriminals have also become involved.  They are attempting to take advantage of those who are trying to help the victims.
Here are some helpful tips on how to help victims of Hurricane Harvey as well as how to protect yourself:

  • Verify the Charity. If you are unsure if the organization is real, research them.  A good place to start is Charity Navigator, which will tell you whether the organization is legitimate and how they use the funds they receive through donation (% donated vs % used for admin tasks).
  • Email Address. Pay careful attention to the address of the sender.  Cybercriminals go to great lengths to disguise their email – they often put a genuine company’s name before the “@” sign to increase credibility.  Double-check these emails to ensure they are the same as the web address.
  • Links. Double check the link before clicking on it.  Hover your cursor over the link to view the underlying address. Check to see where it would take you if you were to click on the link.

To assist in what qualifies as a legitimate organization, we have highlighted a few.  This is not a list of every legitimate organization collecting for hurricane relief, but they are likely the main ones to be impersonated.

  • The Salvation Army: To donate visit www.helpsalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-725-2769.
  • Apple. Go to iTunes or the App store and you will see a link to donate to Harvey’s relief fund.  All donations will go to the American Red Cross
  • American Red Cross.  To donate visit redcross.org, call 1- 800-RED CROSS or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
  • Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.  This was established by Houston’s Mayor, Sylvester Turner to help his citizens with recovery efforts. https://ghcf.org/
  • United Way. Text UWFLOOD to 41444 to donate to the United Way Flood Relief Fund

It’s important to help others as long as you are protecting yourself at the same time.

 

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2017/08/28/Potential-Hurricane-Harvey-Phishing-Scams
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/08/wise-giving-wake-hurricane-harvey