When thinking about tools and platforms for your business, it can sometimes be difficult to define the line between cutting costs, improving workflow efficiency, and setting up diminishing returns. Oftentimes, small businesses or startups may be tempted to use a desktop or laptop computer as a cheaper alternative to a dedicated server. This mistake can not only put you at risk of data loss, but also could have your business miss out on some of the best perks of a dedicated server.
Regardless of the size of your home or business, it's likely that somewhere along the way you will require the help of a tech support professional. Most of the time, the best course of action is to look for the IT team your company employs within its walls, or the third-party company they rely on for help. Sometimes, the best course of action is calling the manufacturer or developer of the product or software that is causing problems.
Every year, security technology gets more and more intricate. The tools we have at our disposal to defend against malware, direct hacking, DDoS attacks, data breaches and more have been consistently improving as bad actors continue to innovate on the technology they use to attack businesses. However, while this battle is constantly waged over a virtual field, the overwhelming majority of attacks are still perpetrated through a single old-fashioned tactic: social engineering.
Computer security is a constant battle. Cybersecurity experts and researchers are continually working to thwart attacks, but attackers are finding new ways to exploit unsecured machines just as quickly. As such, traditional tools for identifying and snuffing out malware are no longer sufficient on their own – a better way is needed.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) provides a means for business owners needing to protect their networks from malicious software.
When it comes to buying equipment for a workforce, you're faced with a balancing act. Between the cost of the equipment, its capabilities, and its practicality, it can be hard to narrow down what the ideal workplace machine will look like. To top it off, the issue is made even more confusing thanks to widespread supply issues for computer components. Despite all this, standardizing your workplace's computing infrastructure can have real effects on a company's bottom line.
When browsing the internet, some of us may encounter a very familiar pop-up on the top-left corner of the screen: "This website wants to show notifications." In some cases, these push notifications can be useful to the end-user. Push notifications enabled on Facebook, for instance, may allow a user to see what their friends have messaged them, even when they're not currently browsing Facebook itself. Unfortunately, some websites have recently seen fit to take advantage of consumer trust and have been using these push notifications (and other granted browser permissions) to malign purposes.
In 2015, Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be the last versioned release of the operating system. So it came as a surprise to many when the company announced the upcoming release of Windows 11 earlier this year. If you're not inclined to keep up with the latest technology, this may come as a bit of a surprise, and you may be wondering how such an upgrade will affect the IT infrastructure of your business. The tech news world has been aflutter with information and speculation as to the nature of the Windows 11 update, but now that there are more concrete facts, here's what you need to know:
If you've ever been the victim of data loss, a hack, malware or similar without a backup, you know the sting of losing hard work and vital company data when things go wrong. Data loss without a backup, at a best-case scenario, can cause the loss of countless hours and dollars spent. At a worst-case scenario, data loss without a backup can lead to irrecoverable damage to a business. Research has shown that after a catastrophic data loss, 40 to 60% of small businesses will never reopen.
Believe it or not, Christmas is right around the corner and you'll want to jump on the Christmas shopping early this year. While many families have the long-standing tradition of going Black Friday shopping the day after Thanksgiving, many stores are shutting their doors on Thanksgiving and promoting sales for months instead of for 24 hours. Though it's all in efforts to keep people safe, this could potentially change the way we shop for Christmas gifts moving forward. According to Clark Howard, we're more likely to see sales in October and November, with a drastic increase in prices after December 11th. To help you get your shopping done early, we decided to release our 2020 Technology Gift Guide early this year. Check out these gifts selected by the whole Technical Resource Solutions team!
My humans bring me to work with them every day; they wouldn't have it any other way. Unlike my humans, I can sit in on meetings, listen to ideas and think about solutions to problems and then I can go take a nap: they can't. Life is good that way. But you know when life isn't good? When a customer comes in angry because they got scammed and wakes me up from my nap - it really raises the fur on the back of my neck.
You see, I know the various methods hackers use when they are on a phishing expedition and my human's customers need to be watchdogs about it. I'll let you in on a little secret I have learned in this business: if it looks suspicious—it most likely is, but sometimes it can look 100 percent legitimate.
Well luckily, Excel can help you temporarily hide all of the information you don't need – see below for instructions on how to filter the plethora of data on your spreadsheet.
Microsoft tried to do too many things, too soon with Windows 8. Its desktop "tiles" resembled those used on a tablet or phone, but they confused people. Tablets were trendy, but crossovers were like genetically modified cats (the horror!); nobody knew quite what to do with them.
After being swatted on the nose often enough over Windows 8, Microsoft introduced Windows 10 this year. It's the first true hybrid version of an operating system that shares the best features of a computer, a tablet, a smart phone, and an XBox One. Think of it as the Labradoodle of the tech world: loyal, friendly, easy to bond with, but without the endless shedding and whatever it is that makes people sneeze.
As someone with hypersensitive hearing, it's easy for me to hear beyond the words of a conversation, which means that if someone is really happy – or really frustrated – I know about it pretty quickly.
Sometimes people sound frustrated when they bring their new laptops or tablets to a meeting, and they've forgotten a cord, can't find a file, or find out their new device isn't compatible with their existing software. Business people like it when their applications work, when they can see the screen, and when they don't have to plug it into the wall to make sure it runs during an entire meeting.
In my last Blog entry, I speculated about the ongoing costs of Windows 10 after the initial Free for the First Year Free announcement. Well, there's more, and it's good news.
Microsoft started their "Technical Preview" program for Windows 10 back in October, 2014. We've been running the various new builds of this (on the Fast track) on several Virtual Machines here at the office to get a taste of what it's like prior to its official release, expected to be some time this summer.
Anyone was able to sign up for this "beta" test, but it is highly recommended that you don't use this OS on a computer that you expect to work all the time. Since this is beta software, it WILL fail sometimes as the bugs are worked out.
In our technology driven society the need for training would seem obvious. Most companies provide some kind of handbook, tutorial, or even on-the-job training for program and process changes.
One of the things I feel very fortunate about is that I was introduced to technology at a young age and at a depth that both interested me and challenged me in ways I didn't know something could. I attended a computer summer camp at UC Santa Cruz leading into my Freshman year in high school and had the opportunity to take two years of programming classes (in the BASIC and Pascal languages) in my Junior and Senior years. This was between 1982 and 1985.
Everyone uses passwords to access all sorts of information on their computer, online, at the bank machine, and many other places. One of the most common complaints we hear is that people have to remember too many passwords and as a result they tend to use the same one for everything. To make things worse, that password is often not a very strong one, leaving them vulnerable to loss of data, identity theft, and hijacked online accounts.
This spring we learned about the Heartbleed bug and that in light of the bug, reminded that we should change our passwords. All of them. Immediately, if not sooner.
Changing a password can be overwhelming because we all want to make sure it is something we can remember. Changing *all* of our passwords is even more daunting.
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