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What is managed IT services and do I need it?

If you want to grow your business, one of the best ways to achieve this type of goal is to improve the efficiency of your IT infrastructure. But creating an IT department is expensive, and many times you may not be able to get the results you want. That’s where the need for managed IT service comes into play.

The Term Managed IT Services

Managed IT services are IT related services provided by a third party contractors. Basically, the managed service provider is hired to handle and manage the IT infrastructure of that business. Then, the customer will end up paying for the managed IT services, and that’s it.

Usually, the managed IT services are offered as a subscription, with a recurring payment that happens every month. Alternatively, a business can hire managed IT support companies only when they require any type of help. The service level agreement, which is a contract between the two parts, will always include the terms of each contract, what the company needs and what managed services are supposed to deliver.

Why does your company need managed IT services?

There are lots of reasons why managed services are a very good investment for your business. First, you get to reduce or eliminate any downtime caused by IT problems. These are proactive solutions designed to solve any issues, remove any performance problems and repair the infrastructure when needed.

Plus, managed IT services are less expensive when compared to hiring an entire IT department as well, which is extremely helpful. Companies that offer managed IT services are also known for their high-quality services, dedication, and tremendous value. That’s the thing that makes such services stand out, and the value on its own is unlike anything you have ever seen.

Outsourcing IT services removes the need for an IT department. As a result, your company spends less on this services, but it still gets the security and compliance it requires. Being able to access services from high-quality IT professionals is very important, and that can always help take your business to the next level.

Also, managed IT services deliver immediate access to new technologies that your company can use on the fly. Usually, investing in these technologies can be extremely demanding, so the results can be second to none if you opt for the right approach.

Allowing Your Business To Grow

One thing is certain, managed IT services help you take your business to new heights, and they allow you to focus on your company’s growth. Plus, removing the need for an IT department is outstanding, and the results as a whole are more than impressive. You should always consider investing in managed IT services right away if you want your company to grow fast and with tremendous results!

Get a price on outsourcing your IT support needs today! You can call us at 810-224-5252 or visit our website at www.Cpsmi.com. We are Creative Programs and Systems driven by professional people with professional results.

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The Importance of Managed IT Support Services for the Growth of Your Business

What are managed IT Support services?

Managed IT Support services in clear terms is the process of outsourcing a small to medium businesses IT tasks or services to another company who are entirely a Commercial  IT services provider. Global spending forecast carried out by expert points out that, managed IT Support services will increase to over $900 billion plus, in 2017 alone. As SMBs (Small and Medium-sized businesses) are now beginning to understand the importance of managed IT Support services and are now tapping into IT outsourcing. The more SMBs springing up daily, the more various managed IT Support services are unfolding.

Some of the major importance of a Managed IT support services and in broader terms a commercial IT will be enumerated as follows;

  1. Proactive Approach to IT Problems

This is about the most important part of a fully managed IT services; the fact being that managed IT support services provider (MSP) does all the worry and brainstorming for the client, making sure their IT infrastructures are in a top-notch state . Commercial IT has simplified making the right decisions by solving potential issues without wasting time; leaving client’s to focus more on other segments of the business.  A Managed IT services provider will always make sure their clients do not need to bother about their daily IT operations. An effective way MSP helps grow a SMBs is in the aspect of availability, providing 24/7 and year round coverage.

  1. Opportunities to accessing latest technologies

A fully managed IT support service will offer clients (SMBs) to have a team of IT guru’s with wide experience and exposure to mitigate and troubleshoot issues arising with client’s facilities. This in return offers clients the opportunities of having access to the latest technology’s and business-upgrade solutions. This will boast and sustain profitability and availability of client facilities! Having access to latest technologies help in creating faster solutions to problems and thereby reducing work load on internal over worked staffs

 3. ROI/Cost Savings

Also an important core business value of managed services is effective cost savings. IT planned budgets comprises of several items: software, network and hardware costs, maintenance costs and infrastructure costs, labor cost is significant for any businesses who rely solely on managed services providers. Most of the time companies exploring options of a managed IT support may need to reduce the size of their IT department reason being to reduce cost of paying their present staff’s salary is on the high.

What managed IT support services bring to the table of the client is simply, the client is more equipped to easily forecast their IT costs on a daily, monthly or even yearly basis. This will obviously break the ROI of company adopting a managed IT support service down for them, and easily explain how freeing up staff time to concentrate on more reasonable projects they have specialty to manage and increases efficiency and productivity at the long run.

  1. Uptime maximization

Recently, most SMBs need to be adequately brace up for emergencies such as utility or power failures, data loss, security breaches, or other disasters that could impact the availability of their facilities. There’s a definite need for constant uptime and business availability. A managed IT support services provider will help grow a client’s facilities by identify and preventing any kind of disaster that can impact a downtime situation on their business

  1. Enhanced Security

The prospective client turns to managed IT support services provider for getting world class and updated security of valuable data transmission and transfers to avoid data loss and breach of classified information which can be infiltrated via usage of client’s hardware like desktop, laptop, multimedia phones, application, servers, Operating system. Clients will do this for the purpose of getting a more effective and strictest security that most times can’t be acquired internally.

Learn more about Creative Programs and Systems, and the IT solutions they provide at www.cpsmi.com. To contact one of our IT experts call 810.224.5252 today or via email at info@cpsmi.com.

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Outsourcing your IT for managed IT services could save you time and money

In the business world, it’s always important to make sure that you have access to all the latest technologies on the market. You need to do all you can in order to handle all IT or any other relevant tasks with the utmost value and attention to detail. That’s why using managed IT services can be a very good idea. But should you outsource your entire IT department and replace it with managed IT services?

Working with certified professionals

Instead of creating an entire department, you get to ability to access some of the best minds in the business. This is very helpful, because you will get to save money and avoid any potential mistakes. It’s an extraordinary experience and one that will help your business a lot.

Reducing labor costs

By outsourcing IT to professionals, you don’t need an IT department anymore. The managed IT services help you save a lot of money this way, and the outcome is extremely good. Plus, you also save time when it comes to recruiting new people as well. With outsourcing, you get all the benefits and professionals in a single place, which is what matters the most.

You get to be more efficient

Outsourcing your IT tasks to a third party will help you become a more competitive company. You get to identify and remove any IT issues in no time. The company productivity improves quite a lot, and in the end you will have better and more impressive results. Which, as you can imagine, will deliver a stellar outcome in regards to value and productivity for the long term.

Paying less for the latest technologies

When you outsource your IT tasks to managed IT services, you will get access to some of the best technology in the industry. As a result, it will be a whole lot easier for your company to sustain a powerful IT infrastructure without breaking the bank. This is very hard to do on your own, so knowing how to invest and how to tackle all of this is very important.

Focusing on your core business

Yes, outsourcing also offers you more time to grow your business. You have the ability to create better products and services, all while managed IT services handle any IT tasks you may encounter.

Using managed IT services is very important and it can help your business grow immensely in the long run. Instead of creating an IT department, just opt for managed IT services and you will not be disappointed!

If you have ever witnessed system failures you know it can stressful and the issues that can arise from it can be challenging. We can help you with our managed IT service program. This insures your IT infrastructure runs smooth and if you have any hiccups we are dedicated to bringing you back online as smooth as possible. Visit our website at www.CpsMi.com or call us at 810-224-5252 for more information.

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5 ways managed services will help you get more business

Can your company grow with help from managed services? Yes, it can as long as you pick the right managed services provider. By investing in these services, you will have a more reliable, professional and outstanding team ready to bring you the value, efficiency and help that you always needed. Investing in high quality managed IT services is always a priority, and it can save your company quite a lot when it comes to the long term. You can also get more clients this way as well.

Creating better products

By working with the right managed services provider, you will have an IT infrastructure that works at its best! So, it will be easier for you to create better products, since the IT services and communication within your business will deliver peak performance. It’s always important to invest in managed services, so you should really consider hiring the right provider to grow your company!

Freeing up internal resources

Instead of having a dedicated department that works on this, you hire a managed services provider, and your team can focus on marketing or developing new products. From here to generating more business it will be a simple step.

Smaller costs

By having smaller costs, your business will find it easier to save money and invest them in the right services and product. For example, smaller costs can lead to more money for marketing. That’s obviously one of the best ways to get more business, so investing in marketing can be a very good idea.

Better communication and collaboration

Thanks to managed services, you get to have better collaboration and communication, not only with your clients but also within your business as well. Happy clients will always share a link to your business, and that will bring more clients as well!

Scalability

As your business grows, you can rely on managed services to offer you the type of value, and IT support you may need. This is extremely helpful, and it can help your company evolve in the long run.

Yes, with the right approach and the best managed services, you will have no problem taking your business to the next level. Instead of creating an IT department, it will be easier for you to invest in the right managed IT service company!

Stay up to date and get your equipment running efficiently with Creative Programs and Systems. Outsource your IT support needs and let us improve your IT infrastructure. Call (810-224-5252) or visit our website http://www.cpsmi.com to learn what we can do for your business.

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Why you need a dedicated IT (Information Technology) for your business.

Information Technology (IT) has globally become a major driving force in many organizations. The role of I.T can’t be overemphasized in our day-to-day activities, in businesses and individual lives. Information technology has changed businesses, education and everyday life. Organizations are seeking to get IT applications which can help them sell their products or services effectively.

Computers and Internet Are Essential To All Businesses

The use of Internet has become globally accepted. With it, organizations or businesses are moving information faster and they also coordinate multiple activities to achieve efficiency. They also use the internet to sell their services or products. Hence you have emails, online marketing.

In the business world, I.T has helped in creating a networked economy where businesses are linked with their suppliers, customers, manufacturers and business partners in real time. Information Technology is an enabler for economic development.

Computers and information systems are essential parts of every business today. Like accounting and legal, every business needs to invest in technology to compete. Technology is both a cost of doing business and an opportunity to do more business.

Benefits of Information the Technology

  • Communication: Information technology accounts in the development of communication technology. Services like electronic mail make communication within and outside the organization easy and first. Nowadays email communication is a default communication technology used by every organization. Communication is a great tool in business develops, with advanced communication tools, employees and managers can easily make beneficial decisions in the organization
  • With information technology, businesses can reach more potential customers, develop a business relationship with potential customers
  • Streamline operations, reduce costs, improve efficiency, maximize profit, minimize waste, and devote talent to core business instead of overhead
  • Provide better service to customers
  • Allow customers to better guide the business
  • Reliability: Information technology systems can run 24hrs 7 days a week hence it is reliable. Let’s take a simple example of a Bank. This is a financial institution whose services are needed by the end-user on time. Banks use IT systems to deliver services like remote banking so customers can easily deposit money, withdraw money or print out bank statements without coming to a physical main branch of that bank. IT experts make sure that these remote ATM machines and other remote banking systems are running all the time, they can do maintenance in the late hours when users are not active so that they do not interrupt the service when needed by the user
  • Speed: Users of information technology can use tools like computers to perform different tasks faster and accurately. Computers have applications which can store data in a systematic way making it easy to understand and organize important facts.
  • Transaction processing: Information technology simplifies the transaction process of an organization. A transaction process system (TPS) processes transactions in a business.  At the heart of every organization are IT systems whose main role is to capture transaction information, create new information based on the transaction information.  TPS will update any transaction process and store that information in a database, so any concerned party in the organization can access that information via a centralized information storage network of the internet.
  • Data Management: With the help of database software, an organization stores all its relevant data on a database. This infrastructure can be designed when it is internal or external.  An internal centralized system can only be accessed within the organization while an external centralized system allows data to be accessed outside the organization using a remote (IP) internet protocol Address or a domain name. In this case, employees or managers can use a company website to access relevant company data by use of passwords. This data is not exposed to the public and search engines.

Contact CPS Today

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.

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When Should Updates Be Done On My Website?

Unfortunately, there is no right or wrong answer to this question on how often to do website updates because all sites are not created equal. There are content updates, application updates and site revises, and then the mother of all updates the site re-launch. I can’t over emphasize 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 updating frequency depends on several of factors.

When to change new content on your website or blog

The mission of each website is different and so are the updating requirements. For example, 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 put together 4 categories on website updating and blog management to better help you understand the differences between each site.

Outdated web design

If the design of your web site hasn’t been done since the 2000s, this is a good indicator it is past time to do a new design. 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. With 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 deal with trending topics related 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 people who have visited in the past, social media and Google news. 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, it is more than enough for 3 updates per week; there is no need to update daily unless of course you would like to do more.

Category 3 – Corporate Website / Blog

These are business websites that showcase a company and the products/services it is offering. 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 of course you would want to blog about it.

Category 4 – eCommerce Store

Content marketing is one of the most efficient ways to promote your online store and it is not more difficult than it sounds. You can publish Articles / Videos on how to use your products online, or detailed product reviews, announcement about new products, changes to existing products, special offers and upcoming events.

The answer is easy for when needing to update this style of blog. You always update when you have new high quality content to publish.

Why you should update your website quite often

SEO will Increase

Search engines love content and especially new content. They like 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 possibilities to boost SEO.

It amplifies social media

If you are using social media marketing to promote your blog many times the problem that destroys your effort is lack of content. Having a website that is updated 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

 

 

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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.

 

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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.

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Three Things to Check If Your Computer Is Not Working

Many times we have looked online for different solutions to fix our computer problems without having the appropriate knowledge. Sometimes we get lucky and fix the issue, other times we make the issues worse. Most of the time, it’s better to have a computer repair specialist look at your PC. However, we are here to help! Please remember if you are not comfortable with any of this you can bring us your computer and we will take care of you!

Here are three basic things you can check before taking your computer in to get serviced.

If your computer is not turning on check the main power cable going to the computer. This is usually located on the back of the computer ether up top or on the bottom. If it is plugged into a surge protector, make sure the surge protector is on and working. You can make sure it’s working by plugging in a fan or light and turning that device on. Try turning on the computer again, if it is still not working head to step 2.

Usually when diagnosing a computer problem we like to only have the essential devices plugged in. For example if you have an external hard drive or a usb stick plugged in, unplug them. You should only have your monitor, Keyboard and mouse hooked up. The reason is sometimes if you have a USB / external hard drive plugged in, Windows might try to boot from it. This will cause unwanted issues.

If you are still having computer issues and feel comfortable looking inside your computer. The 1st step would be to unplug the computer from the wall. You never want to work on a computer when it is plugged in. You can damage your computer, or worse get shocked! Once the main power is unplugged you can take the side panel off and look over your internal connections. This would include your hard drive data cable + power cable, Motherboard and CPU power plugs. Make sure they are seated all the way and plugged in.

If you are still having computer problems and these basic tips did not help you. You more than likely need a professional. We know some times its hard to fix a problem when reading information online, that’s why we are here to help. You can bring your Laptop, or desktop in to our Brighton, Michigan location. We are Creative Programs and Systems!

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.

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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.
  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.