Outsourcing IT Services Through a Managed IT Provider

There are a number of ways in which business of all sizes receive IT support.  From in house IT techs, on call IT professionals, and managed IT providers, specialists exist in a number of capacities to ensure that the IT needs of your business, no matter how large or small your company is, are met.  Many companies are switching to managed it services simply because it is one less thing on their plate to manage.
In order to choose an IT infrastructure for your business it is important to evaluate your current needs and future growth.  Although the services of managed IT professionals allow you to take a hands-off approach it may include more services than you actually need.  In this installment we will take a look into the general overview of managed IT plans.  It is important to note that different companies offer different services, so it is crucial that you find an IT plan and company that would fit your needs without having to pay for services you do not require.

Vital Elements of Managed IT Contracts

Security

Security within your organization is important for a number of reasons and it truly the first area of concern for many business owners.  It is crucial that company and client data is kept secure.  A breach in data security not only costs companies millions of dollars to clean up from it puts critical data in jeopardy.  Managed IT service providers must have a detailed outline on how they will secure your specific IT systems.  Look for areas including intrusion detection and prevention, encryption, and firewalls to be addressed as well as how the services will be carried out.  

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of your organization must be well cared for in order for your company to thrive and grow.  No matter what size your company is the basics still apply, to run efficiently everything you need must be able to be performed on your systems network.  This means that your managed IT service contract must include server & storage maintenance, network administration, backups, and basic services to issues arising within the network.  You must work with your IT provider to develop a list of current and future IT services that are required for you business to continue to thrive.

Service and Support

The service and support of IT technicians can occur in a number of manners include over the phone, remotely, and in person.  Does your company require 24/7 support to operate?  If this is the case and your business will be dead in the water without 24/7 support, you will want to find an IT company that offers a managed IT service contract that supports your company no matter the time a day or day of the week.  This type of support will come at a premium.  Many IT companies support normal business hours and make accommodations for emergency support when needed.  Support outside of normal operation times may require an additional fee above and beyond your monthly managed IT support.

Monitoring your Network

Monitoring your network is critical to successfully managing your IT services.  An interruption within the network will mean downtime for your company.  Managed IT services monitor every aspect of the network from in house, remote users, mobile devices, and virtual machines. Monitoring services should also include intrusion prevention and detection, firewall configurations, and 24/7 monitoring.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

Having a complete backup of your data is crucial.  If disaster strikes it is important to know that the data that keeps your company up and running is accessible and up to date.  Does the company provide on site backup, cloud backup, or is a private source used to backup crucial company data?  Not only should you know where to look for important company backups it is important to have access to this information when you need it.  Your managed IT support provider should also include a detailed disaster recovery plan when addressing backup needs.  It is essential that this information is readily available to prevent any downtime if your company should encounter an unexpected issue.
There are many aspects to managed IT plans.  This installment provides basics to expect when looking into providers of managed IT service plans.  Further questions should be asked to help you determine if these services are right for your company.  When interviewing IT specialists and different service plans available it is important to note exactly what is and isn’t covered in different managed IT plans.  Communication is the key element when it comes to a successful IT solution for your company.
Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, is an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a variety of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more.  More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

Is Your Website Ready for the Mobile Revolution?

The way we live is forever changed with each new advancement in technology, especially mobile technology.  Mobile technology is changing at a rapid pace and our responsibility is to keep pace with these changes.   As customers change how they use the internet and how they engage with business it is up to us to evolve as well.

If you don’t believe in the theory of a mobile technology revolution it is time to take the blinders off and look around.  If you step outside and look around, you will see people everywhere using their smart phones in one form or another.  It is interesting to see the shift in internet use as we move from desktops to laptops and now into a world of mobile devices.  Each advancement in technology and how our access to it has changed end user interactions.
Consider the following:

82% of us browse the internet on their phone
61% of us search with their smartphones each and everyday
94% of smartphone users look for local information and 84% take actions because of it
47% of us visit business or service websites
77% of us use our smartphones to research products and services

(Our Mobile Planet: United States of America. Understanding the Mobile Consumer. May 2013. http://think.withgoogle.com/mobileplanet/en.)

From the statistics above you can see that almost 50% of the visitors to your website are from smartphone users.  Problems arise when visitors seek out sites that are coded improperly and are not mobile responsive and therefore basically unusable when viewed on a smart device.  Websites that are not mobile friendly are still viewable on smartphones however are practically unable to be interacted with.  A non-mobile responsive site will show up as a micro version of itself.

Users will only be able to garner information from zooming in and scrolling left to right on the text.  Website menus will be super tiny and frustrating to work with.  If your site is not programmed to be viewed correctly on mobile devices you could be losing upwards of 50% of your customers to the competitors who have already upgraded to a mobile responsive website design.  No user wants to scroll in and out on a website to gather information.  As advancements in technology shows us, end users are all about ease of use and convenience.  Mobile friendly, responsive website design is critical for the growth of your storefront and online business.

To find out more on mobile responsive website design call the experts at Creative Programs and Systems, 810.224.5252.  We are an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a wide range of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more.  More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

Just How Important is a Contact Page to a Website Afterall?

It’s obvious that your sites HOME page is the most important page of your web site design.  It is the landing page and will receive the most traffic of any of the pages within your website.  The second most important page, is often the most neglected when optimizing your site, can you guess what page we are talking about?  If you guessed the CONTACT page you are correct!  Consider the goal of most of the pages on your website are created for the sole purpose of getting clients to reach out to you in one way or another.  Yet the CONTACT page is most often the most underwhelming page on your website.

Considering that most CONTACT pages have very little information on them other than a basic fill information form, an email address, phone number, and perhaps a physical building address.  Face it, that information can be a bit unenticing for website visitors.  Since the goal of the page is to reach out and touch base with you, it is important that this page persuades them to do so.

Basic Contact Page Rules

Provide More Than One Method of Contact:

• We have heard it over and over again that people hate being directed to fill out a standard, one-size fits all form on websites. We also get many businesses that don’t want to list their phone number because they don’t want to spend the day fielding phone calls.  It is crucial to the success of any company that they don’t focus too much on what they want but instead focus on the customer, CONTACT pages are made for your customers not you.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t want the phone number listed, if a customer prefers to call you then it is important they are able to easily do so.  Give your customers every option possible on your websites CONTACT page: include an easy fill form, an email, a phone number, a physical address, and any other method of contact that you know your customers desire. 

Invite Customers to Contact You:

• Even if the CONTACT page seems self-explanatory it is important to note that for visitors to your site its not that simple. Your site must include a message that is welcoming and invites visitors to contact you with whatever method they are comfortable in doing so.  I hear it all the time, “Just go ahead and slap up a contact form, people will know what to do.”  Even though we can assume that visitors will see information to contact you, it is important to make them feel as if you are really waiting for them to reach out.  Otherwise visitors may see the form as an abyss,
  • “We are happy you found us and look forward to hearing from you!”
  • “We are here to help, get in touch with us today and a representative will get back to you as soon as possible.”
  • “We value your questions and input, please reach out to us today.”

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate, just a welcoming message that lets visitors know their information will be followed up on.

Use Something Other Than “SUBMIT”:

• More than one study has been done that shows website traffic is more likely to send information if the text button says something other than “submit”. Be more specific and illicit action: “Let’s Get Started Today”, “Send Your Message”, “Get in Touch with Us Today”, or any other way to get the message across. 

Don’t Forget to Say Thanks:

• A thank you page after visitors share their contact information with you is important for more than one reason. It not only allows you to keep track of conversions within Google Ads, it can also increase traffic to other pages on your site.  A well optimized thank you page should offer visitors suggestions on other areas of the site to interact with while they are waiting to hear from you. 

As the second most visited page to most websites, the contact page is an important aspect to remember when optimizing your company’s website.  With proper optimization to this single page you can increase contacts and isn’t that the reason we have websites to begin with, more contacts equal greater business opportunities.

Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, is an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a variety of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more.  More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

Custom Website Design for Growing Businesses

Business of all sizes can benefit from custom web design services.  Small businesses, or growing businesses as we prefer to call them are just one set of the many clients that we can help improve their online positioning and presence with a website customized to their unique business needs.  The professional web development team at Creative Programs and System understand the needs of growing businesses as we are a growing company ourselves.

As a growing business we understand that expenses are everywhere and thus understand the importance of affordable services.  A website does not have to cost tens of thousands of dollars to be exceptional.  We are able and willing to work with small, independent business owners looking for an ecommerce site to sell their art and large scaled, international corporations. There are a number of companies that are not interested in working or designing websites for companies that are not looking to exhaust their budget on a website, which is most often a template anyway.  You won’t find that at CPS; we believe custom websites should be designed specifically with our clients wants and needs in mind.

Of course, there are more factors to who you hire to design your website than cost.  However, even if you don’t have a ten-thousand-dollar budget it is important to note you often get what you pay for when it comes to $500/cheap, template websites. You must understand what you are agreeing to before you sign a contract to design or re-design a website.  Some companies can offer low cost websites because they are purchasing templates and fitting your business needs into the template.  This is not the ideal type of site for most growing businesses.

Additional services can add to the total budget needed for a new website.  If you are looking to add in services such as logo design, content creation, and in-depth search engine research and development it is important to note that these services are an additional fee above and beyond the initial design and development of your website.  If you are looking into additional services, it may be important to consider your site development in stages.

When you meet with professional website developers it is important to consider their professional advice.  Some fancy features may not be only be unaffordable, they may also detract visitors.  Flash, reverse type, awkward navigation, music, videos, and other special effects actual cause a distraction and have been proven over and over again to not add the expected value.  When planning your strategy online with a limited budget these are options to skip, even with an unlimited budget some of them should be avoided.

Your website should be all about your customers. It is easy to get swept up in what you think is desirable but in reality, the only thing that is important is what your customers want.  Remember, most customers are looking for information and outcomes.  If they want to purchase a new car, they are looking at your site for valuable information on the product and how to easily go about obtaining it.  All website design should consider what the customer is looking to obtain from it and be designed around this.

Content is a key element not only for your customers value but also for search engine rankings.  When creating content or having content created for your company it is important to take into consideration what your customers are looking for and how your content can answer this need. If your visitors find the information on your site reliable and useful they are more likely to become a customer over those that cannot find answers to what they are looking for.


Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, is an all-inclusive IT solutions company offering a variety of services including: managed IT services, IT consulting, residential computer services, custom programming, website design, iphone & android app development, and more.  More information can be found at https://cpsmi.com.

How Combining Professional Website Design and SEO Can Boost Your Online Business

When an online business launches a new website, careful consideration goes into their online image including the websites design and usability. Websites should be designed in a manner that allows visitors easy access to answers they are seeking. However, all of that is wasted if customers never visit a business’s website in the first place.

Search engine optimization, SEO is one part of a company’s marketing mix that helps to create a strong foundation for your company’s content strategy. On page content that is featured prominently in organic searches that beats out the competition for customer attention is just one goal. Good SEO design begins with the websites layout. Whether your business is currently designing your website or not, it’s important to ensure it’s getting the best search results possible.

SEO

SEO encompasses a series of activities that makes your website rank higher on various search engines. These activities include executing an SEO strategy, choosing to focus on long-tail keywords for website pages, and constantly generating new content on a blog. Search engines frequently update their search algorithm, which can be a problem for marketers and web designers. If you are running your own SEO strategy, you’ll need to monitor the changes and adjust accordingly.

Professional Website Design

Web design is the process of creating a website. This includes, layout design, graphics design, navigation, metadata, responsiveness to different resolutions, and content production. Web design also involves ensuring the website is programmed correctly and optimizing the speed. A professional website design communicates your brand messaging to the world, tells the story of your company, describes your services and products and can even sell directly online.
Combining both boost your online business, below are some aspect of SEO and website design that boost your online business.

Navigation

Navigation involves SEO and web design principles. The easier it is to navigate your site and find the information needed, the longer a visitor will stay on your site. A longer session leads to better SEO rankings. If customers cannot find what they’re looking for easily, they will abandon the site, and this affects your SEO ranking negatively. You can design an easily navigable site by using descriptive URLs, giving readers directions to find certain materials, and limiting the number of drop downs and sub-drop downs in your menus.

Engagement

Engagement on a web page depends on two things: the design and the content. To enhance the engagement on a page, you want the design to be pleasing to a reader’s eye because people make quick conclusions about a website based on appearance. Following the appearance is your content which is also a vital way of keeping a visitor on your site. Your homepage content should hook the visitor and make him want to read on. Content fall under both SEO and web design as content will help your SEO ranking and determine if a visitor stays on your page.

Speed

It is easy to focus on the visual appeal and website content over the mechanics behind how your website functions. This however often leads to a slower than average site that is bloated with useless information. If the website is slow upon loading people will abandon their effort. Many elements can come into play that can lead to a slow site; website elements including plugins, sharing buttons, and JavaScript that has not been optimized. All these are consequences of a poor website design. Search engines incorporate a variety of metrics into the algorithms they use to determine which sites are the most useful to users and therefore deserve higher organic rankings. This can include the use of keywords and long tailed keyword phrases, site links, and individual page load times. If your site loads too slow, search engines will favor other sites over it.

In conclusion, when SEO and a Professional web design come together, the result is a user-friendly, informative, and easy to find website that will maximize your sales.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Optimizing Your Blog Posts for SEO Purposes

Blogging is one of the most effective ways of interacting with one’s audience. Regardless of niche, your fan base, prospects, or existing customers and clients need a continuous flow of refresher information about you, your products and services. Research shows businesses and organizations that are constantly engaged with their base do a better job of not only keeping those customers but of staying competitive.

When it comes to interactivity, blogging serves as one of the most effective strategies. This shows in the sheer number of blogs that go are launched every day. But with so much content and competition, how does your blog actually stand out? The answer is SEO (search engine optimization). According to information database Wikipedia, SEO “is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results is often referred to as organic results.

There are many wonderful blogs out there. An even greater number stay “undiscovered” and only get a trickle of visitors. This is because their blog posts are not optimized for SEO purposes. In other words, the blogger did a great job of writing but forgot to prep the post for their target audience and the search engines. In this article, we’ll discuss actual steps a blogger can take to optimize their blog post for SEO purposes:

1. Content uniqueness

This cannot be over-emphasized. Search engines reward content that is unique. Copying content from other sites or engaging in plagiarism can not only have legal repercussions, it can result in the search engines ignoring that particular post.

2. Keyword research

A lot of bloggers write around the topics they're either passionate or knowledgeable about. While this is great, they forget that the search engines are scientific tools which rely on complex algorithms to locate relevant content based on targeted keywords. A great strategy would be to first conduct keyword research to determine the most trafficked keywords in that niche then preparing content around those keywords. One of the best free keyword research tools includes the Google keyword planner tool. Others such as Spyfu avail more data for a fee.

3. Entering correct Metadata

Once the blog post has been posted, the next step would be to ensure the search engines can find it. This step involves inputting the proper metadata to the post. Blogging platforms such as Wordpress come with add-ons or plugins that allow the blogger to attach keywords to the page title, description and post itself. Additionally, bloggers can tag their posts with the relevant keywords.

 

4. Linking structure

In order to determine how well to rank a post, search engines check for inbound and outbound links. Outbound links point to other similar authority sites. Search engines also check for the internal linking structure within the site itself. This means checking whether the post links to other relevant posts within the same site. Many bloggers overlook this. Inbound links are also important. They are used by the search engines to determine the page authority of that post and thus how well it will rank.

5. Images and videos

According to the search engines, a good blog post will have relevant images and preferably a video. It is recommended that the blogger embed an image or video within the content. Blogging platforms such as Wordpress make this relatively easy. The image should also be tagged with the relevant “alt” text. Embedding a popular video from YouTube can help give the post more authority and thus better rankings.

6. Social media

Search engines have also been known to check for social signals. Because of the importance they attach to social media, they check whether there are any mentions or links to the post in the popular social media and social bookmarking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, and Mix.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

How Does Custom Website Design Affect Search Engine Rankings?

Many people do not think that having a custom website design is going to improve their search engine rankings.  However, with all the changes that Google has made in recent years, there are many things that factor into the search engine placement of any website, and custom web design is one of the major ones.

A website that has not been designed properly may prevent a person from staying on the site for any length of time, and once a person goes back to their search results, it will mark the first website as being not helpful.  Any website that continuously gets marked as unhelpful will automatically have their ranking level dropped.

A few mistakes that every website owner will not want to make include having too many pop-ups, text that is difficult to read (whether it is the size of the text or the font that is being used), images that are too large, and videos that automatically play as soon as the website opens.  All those things create a poor experience for readers, especially those who are visiting the website for the first time, and they can make a person continue onto the next website they found much faster.

Website Mobile Friendly

Every website should also look amazing on all types of platforms, which means that the custom web design that a person chooses should work well on both mobile and desktop platforms.  After all, in this day and age, more and more people are browsing the internet on their mobile devices or smaller tablets.  If a website is not easy to use on those platforms, a person is not going to want to stay on the site for too long.  Not being mobile friendly can affect the search engine rankings of any website even more than a website that isn’t user friendly on a desktop platform.

The Correct Amount Of Information On Home Page

A custom web design is also necessary to ensure that a person has the proper amount of content on their first page, so that it ranks accordingly for search engine placement.  A website that has a photograph and a few words is going to rank a lot lower than a custom designed website that has enough pertinent information available to get it higher in the search engine rankings.

Custom Website For SEO Benefits

The bottom line is that search engine rankings incorporate a lot of the smaller details and it is easier to place all those small details on a custom web design than on a website that is ready for a person to fill in the blanks with their own information.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Website Trends For 2018

Search engine optimization was, still is, and will continue to unequivocally be one of the most effective ways that a business can use to ensure that their online marketing initiative and presence remains relevant. Search engine marketing is a growing practice that gives organic channels the proper attention that all businesses can’t afford to ignore as far as using Google or other search engines to push quality over quantity for users.

With an emphasis on a more experience-centric web, businesses are more aware of user behavior trends, which has forced them to create novel experiences through various product and content innovation. Therefore, for your website to do what you intended it for and for it to be functional, but most importantly, convert visitors, the following are website design trends that may help you accomplish this goal:

Mobile-Friendly Website Design

Mobile browsing has become more popular than desktop, therefore, minimizing the menu to fit mobile screens as well as using responsive designs, as well as including a viewport meta tag and condensing your font and button sizes will make your website more mobile-friendly.

Using Animated or Particle Backgrounds

Using eye-catching animation or movement as part of your background as opposed to the traditional photos or videos is huge this year, particle animation being the most popular choices in website design. It livens up your dull site and often static background to give it a 3D feel that provides users with an exciting experience while on your website.

Bold Typography

Your typography of choice can be an effective tool to use that will both garner attention and pull visitors in. The oversized, interactive, and visible text is the first thing that users see, and it is a simple website design that will not only provide a clear message, but also an easy navigation that leads your visitors exactly where you want them to be and see.

Bold Color Schemes

Bold colors are known to communicate with a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which has a direct influence on our mood, emotion, behavior, and user interaction. Utilizing brighter tones in web design is more likely to entice users to interact with content and respond to calls to action (CTA).

Grid-Based Web Design

Utilizing a grid-based website design allows for a clean, well-organized design and user-friendly navigation, which basically portrays balance and symmetrical layout that users are likely to interact longer with.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Custom App Programming Vs. Platform App Development

Anyone that tells you that they aren’t dependent on technology to fulfill virtually every purpose in their daily life is probably lying. It is quite evident that software development technology is rapidly growing and it’s not pausing for a breather anytime soon because the demand for it is on the increase. In fact, almost every electronic device, machine, or equipment that we use is a by-product of some software development.

Each app development company: custom or platform follows a series of steps known as the software development life cycle.  This includes planning, analysis, design, development & implementation, testing & deployment and maintenance. Each of these steps is vital for the success of app development. Once the software pass through all the stages without any hiccups, then the apps can be placed in the market place for our daily use.

Custom app programing entails designing software applications for a specific user or group to address their needs. For example, customized software development can be tailored to a single or specific entity such as iPhone app development, to be used by that company for which it was designed, in this case iPhone. Companies that require custom app programming work done for them are in control of how the app is configured, which can be anything from the look, feel, functionality, dashboards, etc. to match their businesses’ unique needs and operations.

When it comes to platform app development, there are businesses that need a space where they can not only manage multiple projects within the organization in one central place, they need a platform where they can also monitor their team. A platform app can also have features where a business can upload vital documents within the organization. Such an app can also allow them to keep track of their customers, including tracking the performance of the team and the time they spend on their tasks.  A platform app is designed to be an app that can be used across multiple platforms.

Designing a custom application with an organization’s needs in mind can increase levels of productivity because it provides features that an off-the-shelf software probably wouldn’t. Also, some of mobile apps we use every day have changed the way we conduct business and enabled us to engage in more interesting and innovative ways than ever before. Additionally, the Android app development platform is open source, dynamic and collectively enriching, which simplifies the job of the users and can be used by multiple people in ways that are dynamic to their needs.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Growing Your Business with Custom App Development

When it comes to helping your company grow it is very important that you give your employees the best tools in order to do their job in the most effective way. To accomplish this, you have only two real options buy cookie cutter off the shelf software or custom-made software that is developed specifically for your business.

While both have good points, it is truly the custom option that provides your business with the absolute best opportunity to get the most bang for your buck. Custom made programs offer a lot of benefits and we have included five for this article.

Top 5 benefits of using customs programs for your business

Custom programs are designed to work then you need them to work:

Unlike off the shelf software, all custom-made programs are made to work exactly like you need to.

Reduced number of problems:

When you have the custom software, you are less likely to have issues with it running properly, as your requirements are going to usually be addressed when the software is being developed.

Cost is normally lower:

When you compare the cost of off the shelf software and custom-made software you might be surprised to know that sometimes custom software is cheaper because it will not often contain extra features that would add extra cost when developing it.

Ability to keep business processes safe:

The fact that your software is custom made, no one else is able to gain access to the software and possible steal your company secrets.

Unequaled technical support:

Generally, when you have your business software custom made you will have full access to the team of software developers that actually created your software. This isn't always the case with off the shelf software.

Why should you have iPhone Apps for your business?

When it comes to having mobile phone apps for your business you must always look into iPhone app programming and only hire a developer that is able to create apps for your business that is able to run on Apple's iOS operating system. With so many people using Apple iPhones these days it is highly recommended that you always have any mobile apps that you are wanting to be made for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch's.

If you do not have business apps developed for your business that is compatible with iPhones, you would be seriously restricting the ability of your employees to carry out some of the tasks that they are responsible for doing on a daily basis.

Why should you have Android Apps for your business?

The Google Android operating system is used by more of the smartphone handset makers and tablet makers in the world. So, if the smartphones that the majority of your employees use to run on the Google Android OS and you fail to have any of your business apps designed to run on Android OS you would be severely limiting what your employees would be able to. So, when it comes to business software, you want to be sure that Android App development is always taken into consideration.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

7 Reasons Why Your Company’s Website Needs Professional Search Engine Optimization

In order to get your website coming up in the first few pages in Google when someone searches for services or products your company provides, you’ll need to have it optimized. These are certain keywords that will get your company’s website to the top of Google’s searches so that customers find you faster. Here are reasons why your company’s website needs professional SEO services:

Increased Reach online customers

Online shopping is huge right now and in order to get potential customers to your website, you’ll need the right keywords on your site so that when they enter one into a search engine, your website will be one of the first to come up.

Increased Organic Traffic

By optimizing your website, you will be able to increase your sites organic traffic, which is the number of visitors that come to your page without having to spend money on advertising. To do this, you’ll need to know what keywords to use for best search engine optimization.

Increased Return on Investment

By hiring SEO professionals, you’ll be able to get more eyes on your website, which will mean more ROI.

Increased Advantage Over Competition

To have an advantage over your competitors, a professional SEO company will make sure your website is SEO optimized so that you rank before your competitors.

Increased Online Presence

With the help of an SEO specialist, you’ll have a stronger online presence and become a preferred brand when users are looking for services or products that you offer. The right SEO help will put you front and center in the eyes of consumers and helps your brand become more credible.

Professional Results

Even though you might attempt to do your site’s SEO yourself, you might not know how to properly do it which is why you’re not getting the results you want. It’s best to have a professional SEO company do it since they know the ins and outs of all things SEO related.

Dedicated Online Marketing

The right search engine placement is important for your business and having a professional do all your SEO needs is like having your company’s very own dedicated SEO person on staff.
Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

5 Ways Managed IT Services Benefit Your Company

All businesses need proactive support to identify and manage IT issues before they occur and regardless of the business niche or size, companies can benefit from outsourcing a skilled managed IT services provider to handle issues with their IT infrastructure. In essence, a managed IT service or IT consulting firm allows a business to offload its IT operation.  The IT company assumes the ongoing responsibility for 24-hour monitoring, managing, and problem resolution for the IT systems and network within the company.

Businesses that need to compete effectively and remain relevant require technology to operate efficiently in this increasingly complex IT environment.  A business operating with a managed IT service focuses on the prevention of critical networking devices fail issues before they disrupt employees, management as well as clients. It is quite clear that a company will notice a significant improvement in their operations when they have a well-maintained and proactive IT services, network monitoring, and system optimization.

• Unlimited Access

It is frustrating to suddenly have a systems issue in the middle of a busy day and even more frustrating if you are unable to access the support you need in a timely manner. Managed IT services provide network monitoring 24 hours per day and clients also have immediate access to the latest technology and innovative business grade solutions that maximize uptime and profitability such as remote monitoring and management (RMM), cloud computing, as well as backup and disaster recovery and, commercial IT services.

• Reduced Operating Cost

Outsourcing the services of an IT computing consulting firm enables companies to hire highly skilled consultants as opposed to hiring, training and retaining a new worker, which can be costly. It lowers salary, marketing, training costs, and gives a business the flexibility to scale rapidly or slow down their operations as needed.

• Enhance Security

There is a growing need for businesses to protect confidential information of their company and that of their clients from headline-grabbing stories we’ve all heard about such as security breaches, information theft, or software bugs. It’s the responsibility of a managed IT services provider to be aware of such risks and apply the appropriate data and compliance protection procedures that ensure a business doesn’t fall victim to security threats.

• Disaster Recovery Services

Having an IT disaster recovery plan in place is a critical requirement for any business to prepare itself in the event of any hardware failure, natural disasters, cyber-attacks, human error, data loss. Managed IT services cover all the bases by taking into account the complete spectrum of potential interruptions and use advanced approaches and solutions to guarantee IT systems resilience, uptime, availability, and disaster recovery.

• Minimize Downtime

Downtime is not only wasted time and resources, but it also hurts a business financially and its credibility. A managed IT services provider can identify and fix a potential problem before they occur, which in turn, reduces downtime significantly, increases productivity and limits unnecessary business expenses.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

The Importance of a User-Friendly Website Design

Your website is one of your company’s biggest asset. It’s the one place where anyone from across the globe can come across and see what your company has to offer. A website is essential for business these days and the importance of that website rests upon its design. The average person has a short attention span and with so much competition on the Web, your site needs to have an eye-catching design and be user friendly to really grab someone’s attention enough to make customers navigate to other pages.
This means it’s practically essential that a company’s website provides an easy-to-use and positive experience for customers.  A user-friendly website will convince potential customers to navigate into the site away from the initial landing page. If your website doesn’t feature a user-friendly design, your web-sites bounce rate will be high, meaning clients will be looking elsewhere.

What does a user-friendly website consist of?

It’s a combination of things like easy-to-use navigation tools, readability, load time, and mobile-optimization. These are all aimed at allowing users to efficiently and quickly navigate a website and locate what they want or need to find without any challenges or delays.

Readability

A site’s readability refers to it’s easy scan, meaning they can easily and quickly look for a keyword to see an answer to a question they have about your brand, site, offerings, etc. To achieve this, it’s best to use spacing, bullets, short paragraphs and subheadings, as well as play close attention as to what fonts you use.

Navigation

Navigation is how easy it is to move around in your site, providing organized content that and menus so that they can find what they need. Organized menus help users go through your site to see what it’s, how to purchase or contact you for more information.

Mobile-Optimization

And since many users are using their mobile phones it is important your site is mobile friendly and optimized for use on a smart device.  Mobile-optimization refers to where your website ranks within mobile search engines.  Much of where your site will land on a mobile search engine has to do with how is easy your website is to see while on a tablet or smartphone.   If your company’s site takes too long to load it is not considered user friendly.  A websites mobile upload should take no more than five seconds.   Anything over this and your site needs to be updated.
Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts, call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

The Latest’s Trends in IT Services to Grow Your Business In 2018

Managed IT Services

The information technology industry is an area that is important to every person in life and in business.  Some of the most viable trends in IT services revolve around electronic communications, advancements in security, website design and optimization, and managing IT services to maximize effectiveness.  IT services are now working to help create your personal, business, brand, and product identity.

IT and Website Design

The design of your IT infrastructure and online presence help to create a strong impression for your business.  The layout and graphic designs used for your business can leave an impact from the first interaction individuals have with your company.   One of the major challenges that can be seen in website design is grabbing the attention of your target audience and keeping them hooked on your brand.
This can be accomplished through a user-friendly layout tied together with unsurpassed graphic design.  It is crucial for your business to create the brand image so that the business stands out from their competitors and which helps them in establishing the identity.  Every business has its own strength and it is obvious that no business’s IT services or website design should mirror one another.
Website design is trending as it relays information from your business to your targeted audience. There are times when a thousand words cannot convey the information the way graphics can. The important role played here is of the graphic designer who designs the products package and label design in such a way that they convey much needed information. The elements within a design vary in size, color, products, and a variety of other factors.  Graphic design can prove to be the most useful tool to prove useful in conveying and communicating your business’s image.

Search Engine Optimization

Another trending service within the IT realm is regarding the online presence of your business.  Many companies specialize in IT consultants that specialize in search engine marketing.  Online marketing is needed for your websites visibility and the branding of your business.
When people search for the products and services they always keep an eye in the ranking of the site. There is also a good value when your site appears in the search engine results. Many people searching online never look past the first page of search results to find a company to work with.  It is crucial for your business to be successful that search terms that are relevant for your target audience pull up your business on the first page of all major search engines including: Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
As you attempt to grow your business and increase your online presence it is important to consult with a professional company that offers a full line of IT services to help you meet all of your business goals.
Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com/computerconsulting  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com. 

How Frequently Should I Make Changes On a Website?

Everyone who owns a website is always questioning how often their site should be updated but website updates are not created equal. When it comes to types of updates you have content updates, application updates and site revises, and then the mother of all updates the site re-launch. I will say it and say it again the importance of refreshing your website design with new content and upgrades and, yes, every so often you should redesign and re-launch your business website.
The amount of updating depends on various considerations.

How frequent to add new content to your website or blog

The updating requirements are very different from each to each website since the purpose of a website is so diverse. You can’t expect a corporate blog to be updated as often as a regular blog or a regular blog as often as a news or sports blog. We have separated websites into 4 categories when discussing website updating and blog management.

Outdated web design

If the design of your web site is stuck in the past from a decade or more ago, then you should consider a refresh. We live in a world with web technologies changing as fast as smart phones and TV’s. There are new ways to speed up your website and even rank better with Search Engine Optimization. The best route for a website is using a custom coded website you can implement all your ideas and new tech to reach your target audience.

Category 1 - Sports / Fashion / Celebrity / Tech / Lifestyle / Financial / Newspaper / Magazines
For Websites or blogs that work with popular topics in relation to sports, fashions and this category, updating with new information several times per day is crucial for their success. There is no limit to the number of updates and generally the more the better. This is because most of their visits are coming from repeating visitors, Google news and social media. Postings are usually short and to the point and contain a lot of images.

Category 2- Normal Websites / Blogs
In this category you expect to find personal web development blogs, how-to style blogs, informational blogs, wiki, marketing, weight loss, studies, analytics, travel tips, reviews and many more. In this, 3 updates per week are a qualified amount; there is no need to update daily unless of course you have the time and energy to fulfill the task.

Category 3 - Corporate Website / Blog
A website that displays a company and the products/services it is offering are called business websites. They are among the most difficult types of websites to update frequently because once the initial setup has been made and information about the company is published, you don’t really need to publish anything again, unless new products get released. Then in this situation, you would want to blog about it.

Category 4 - eCommerce Store
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your online store and it is more simple than it sounds. You can publish Articles / Videos on how to use a product online, or detailed product reviews, announcement about new products, changes to existing products, special offers and any upcoming events.

The easiest thing to remember about this type of blog is that the best time to do updates is everytime you have new high quality content to publish.

the reason you should update your website frequently

It drives your SEO
Search engines enjoys content and especially new content. They want you to have long quality posts in their index to satisfy their users. A website that is updated regularly is crawled more often, has more pages in the index and more chances to boost SEO.

It amplifies social media
If you are using social media marketing to promote your blog, often times the problem that destroys your effort is lack of content. Updating a website on a regular basis will give you fuel for your social media promotions.

It’s good for your users
Websites are meant to serve users and giving users fresh content makes them happier. A happy user will most likely come back, convert, register, buy or recommend your website to other people.

Updating your website for users shows your business is still active.

We offer Web Design services in Brighton, Michigan and around Livingston County. We are Creative Programs and Systems! We have been designing custom websites before templates or wordpress were a thing! Make your company stand out with a custom web site. Call us today for a free quote at 810-224-5252 or visit our website at www.cpsmi.com

Why Do I Need a Custom Website?

The internet has changed so much in the last few years, especially with mobile phones and tablets. In fact I only know one person with a flip phone! Everyone else is rocking a smart phone of some type. Having all these different screen sizes changes the way we build websites. This is why you need a custom website!
Responsive Web Design
If you want your web site to look good on mobile and tablets, you are going to want something called responsive design or commonly known as mobile friendly. This allows the site to “flex” to different screen sizes. This usually speeds up the development process of building websites, as we don’t have to build 2-3 different versions of the same website. If you ever seen a site and down in the footer (bottom of the page) it says “View full site” this is not a responsive site. I don’t think anything is wrong with that it usually just takes more time to build. Another good thing about this design process is Google loves mobile friendly websites. If you want to check to see if your site is mobile friendly you can use this neat little tool from Google.
Search Engine Optimization
 Custom coded websites allow you to edit meta data for better SEO. If you are not sure what SEO is here’s a description taken from wikipedia. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine's unpaid results—often referred to as "natural", "organic", or "earned" results.* A custom website also includes everything you need and nothing you don’t. Unnecessary code slows down your site. A lot of template or wordpress sites include a ton of options that you will never use, in return slows down the site. I know some people don’t think about page speed affecting anything, but Google does.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization
User experience
A custom designed website gives you full creative control, allowing you to create a great user experience and usability. Customers are less concerned about a pretty design, and more about how it functions. We at Creative Programs and Systems focus on both user experience and user interface. Whether a customer is looking for products to buy, information to read, or just browsing a photo gallery, you need your site to browse easy. If your customer has to hunt around for information, chances are they will push the back button and go to a competitor’s site.
Custom web sites are fitted to your brand
No one else will have your design! This is important for brand identity and setting you apart from the competition. You don’t want your site to look like everyone else, like a template will. That’s why we custom code every site, in house!
Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

SEO What, SEO Who??

Search engine optimization or SEO for short helps you get noticed on the search engine results page. This allows potential customers to reach you. When they type in a word, the search engine pulls up relevant information. This would be called your “Organic” traffic, as you are not paying for the traffic like Pay-Per Click (Google Adwords). SEO is going to be your new best friend for reaching customers interested in your website.

Who needs SEO?

SEO is one of those things that every website can benefit from. It’s safe to assume that most website owners are utilizing SEO practices, and not even realizing it. Chances are if you have good quality content and it’s relevant to your site you are almost optimized. Of course there are a few little tricks you can do, but that is beyond this article.

Are all search engines the same?

In 2017 Google and Bing are the biggest names in search engines. However, other engines are not far behind. Other than Google my new favorite engine is DuckDuckGo! Their motto is “The search engine that doesn’t track you”. Other than not tracking data I love the bang! Feature. The bang feature is a search engine inside a search engine. What I mean by this is you can search inside of Amazon, eBay, and even social media right from duckduckgo’s main site. Here’s how it works: say you want to search Amazon for computers you type !amazon computers in the search box. It will then go to amazon and display computers as a result. Give it a try!

Do search engines display the same results?

This is like does a Ford run like a Chevy? They both get you from point A to B, but in reality they are different. This goes for search engines. They display search results but every engine does it in a different way. From how it looks, to the results it pulls. That is why when people do research they might use a few different search engines.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Why Do I Need a Good Website Design?

A good web design is a must for a any website. Most of the businesses have online presence but among these, a few have a good design. Web-development, though seems simple, it requires attention to detail. If you’re website is designed poorly, or above all, is developed on a stock WordPress theme, this is not going to give you optimum results. Here are the reasons you need a good design on your website.

1. First Impression Lasts

No, this is not just a cliché. Just put yourself in the web-user’s shoes, learn their behavior. There are certain habits which are similar to most of the web users. A web user is not so different than a potential customer who has gotten a whiff about your store. A web user would just take a glance at a new page, skim through the text and open the link which seems interesting to him or her. He/she would not even look at most of the page. There is a pattern of an internet user’s behavior. Here it is:

• People on internet go for credibility and quality. If they find low quality content, or something which does not conform to facts, they are pretty unlikely to return to your website again.
• They would not read through your text. They will just analyze the web-page and find something which seems to be fulfilling their purpose to visit the site.
• They don’t do the analysis by considering all the available options. They would just get the first reasonable information source. So, be the link which seems to be leading them to fulfillment of their purpose.

2. You Are What You Show

Your potential client is going to look at you in the way you portray yourself. Your website is you, the client is interacting with you through your website so make sure that it leaves an impression. Also, a strong web-design adds legitimacy to your business, and people value authenticity.

3. It Is Your Chance of Branding

Your website is your portal for public branding. You have the chance to tell people from all around the world about your company. It builds the image of your business, and a poorly built website is not going to leave a good impression of your business upon your potential clients. Your website should be telling people about what kind of brand are you; it should be reflecting the tone and mood of your business.

4. A Good Web Design Brings People from All Devices

You must be aware of the fact that mobile users are increasing in figures like mammoth. So, during web-development, you should take care of the website’s design and make it responsive for all devices and screen sizes. Moreover, creating an app for your business can also help you look more credible.
Conclusively, as the web users are becoming more aware and sensible, it is imperative for the growth of your business to not just have a website, but a well-designed website.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

Mistakes to Avoid in Search Engine Placement

Search engine algorithms are constantly updated, making SEO an ever expanding field.  If you want to give your website every chance of scoring a prominent place in the search engines you now have a lot more to do, and even more to remember.

It's no wonder that many companies are bungling their SEO placement efforts and losing tons of money in the process. It's time to learn how to do SEO right and stop making the mistakes that are tanking your earnings.

The extra work is worth it, as getting the top spot in the search engines will give your conversions a boost of around 8.5 times greater than any other lead generation method.
The single biggest mistake most businesses make with their website is not getting found for keywords related to their business. Another common mistake is getting found for the wrong keywords because they have failed to optimize their content.

One of the first steps to getting a first-page ranking is knowing what keywords to use in your copy or blog posts. Use the Google Keyword Tool to discover the keywords your target market is typing into the search engines to find out about the services or products related to your business.
When a website is new, you will often see better results by targeting long-tail keywords - which are keywords containing three or more words. Long tail keywords usually have fewer searches but also less competition, so it's easier to rank a page.

You also need to know what keywords not to target. If you're going to try and rank for every keyword, then you most likely aren't going to rank for any of them.
Plus, if customers are finding your site for the wrong keywords they are going to 'bounce' off your site and go back to the search results to find a more relevant page.

As bounce rate is a metric Google puts a lot of emphasis on when deciding which page to rank for a given term you want the keywords your business gets found for to be super relevant to your content.
Search engine placement is a vast and ever-expanding topic, but keywords are integral to being found and securing highly targeted leads. Start improving your results by making sure your site is providing the best solution in relation to the keywords you are targeting.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, CPS, and the IT solutions they provide including IT consulting, computer consulting, network consulting, networking, server installation, IT disaster recovery, computer repair, virus removal, malware removal, computer tune ups, data backup systems, computer troubleshooting, structured cabling, low voltage wiring, website design, graphic design, logo design, website hosting, search engine placement, iphone app programming, android app programming, and custom programming at www.cpsmi.com.  To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

The Wide Scope of Computer Consulting

Computer consulting is becoming an increasingly popular field because more businesses are relying on technology in order to function efficiently on a daily basis. If you need computer services for your company, you will need to find computer consulting companies that can help your business get the technology that you need in order to offer the best services possible to your customers. Every business should invest in a computer consulting firm for all of their needs.
So what does a computer consulting firm do for your business? They will come in and look at your business as well as your current setup for computers and technology. You will discuss with them what your goals are for the technology within your business, including any special needs that your business may have. The computer consultant will take a look at all of this information and formulate a plan for technology based on your needs and what they think would work best for your business. They will work very closely with you to ensure that you get exactly what you need, even if you did not think it was something that important before. They will also discuss with you any other suggestions that they may have that will optimize your business for efficiency. A computer consulting firm also offers other services, including emergency repair.
Now that you know just how important these types of services are for your business, you will need to know how to choose a computer consulting company that can help you meet your needs. You should take a very close look at their experience and see if any other local business owners work with this company. You will want someone who has a great deal of experience in the field, which can give you the peace of mind that you need to trust that everything will get done properly and within the discussed budget. You also want a company with a good reputation. Business owners love to recommend good IT services, so talk to people to see who they use for their computer needs and what they think of the services that they offer. You do want to be sure you are choosing a company that is within your budget but keep in mind that you do get what you pay for. This is a field that can be particularly helpful in the growth of your business so it is wise to invest in the best company that you possibly can. Finally, you need to check out the services that they offer. For instance, not every firm offers 24/7 emergency services but this could be something that is essential for your business.
Every business needs a computer, which means that every business could benefit from hiring a computer consulting firm to help them optimize their infrastructure and keep their computers in working order. It is very important to meet with a few different companies so that you can make an informed decision about what they can offer you and for how much they can offer it for.
Computers Plus Service, in Brighton Michigan, provides a wide range of valuable services for residential computer repair as well as a variety of commercial computer services to the entire Livingston County area including Howell, Brighton and the surrounding areas.  You can find out more about the services offered by CPS at http://www.cpsmi.com.