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Securing Remote Work with a VPN

As elements of the workforce become increasingly interconnected, remote work has become a staple for many workers worldwide. Whether working at a home office, working on the road, or simply working in the field, staying secure should be priority number one – and no better way to ensure security than making use of a virtual private network, commonly referred to as a VPN. 
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How Do I Know Which Social Media to Use?

More than 75% of the world's population over the age of 13 is now engaged one some form of social media or another, as of 2022. More than 93% of internet users are also social media users, and these numbers are only showing signs of increasing further as time goes on. 

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Are Your Scanned Documents Secure?

It's not unusual to for a paperless office to make heavy use of the "scan to email" feature on their copiers. With this feature, it's easy to quickly convert paper documents into digital formats that can be backed up, tracked, and secured more than free-floating paper. 

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Market Trends to Increase Your Reach in 2023

If you're a business owner, you're likely acutely aware that trends change seemingly constantly in the world of marketing. As technology improves and professionals find new and better ways to use that technology, the landscape for marketing strategies makes massive shifts in a very tight timeframe. While there are always tried-and-true methods for increasing your business's digital reach, keeping abreast of changing times can keep your business ahead of the curve. 

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Your Computer’s Cords and Ports: A Guide from TechnicalRS

Nowadays, computer connections can sometimes be less straightforward than keyboard, mouse, and monitor. With differing standards for different peripherals, ports, and cables, it can sometimes be hard to know what does what when looking at the back of your computer. To help make things a little more clear, the TechnicalRS team has put together a handy reference of common cables and ports on your computer, what they do, and how you can take some first steps in troubleshooting computer issues related to these ports. 

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Using a Password Manager in 2023

Nowadays, it seems that everything requires you to be logged in. Chatting with friends, changing your watch face, and even ordering a submarine sandwich are more convenient than ever through online portals, but you won't get very far without an account to manage the information those sites contain. And with all those accounts comes a massive library of passwords to manage. It's absolutely understandable that there might be too many to remember, but that doesn't mean you should resort to strategies like using a single multi-use password or keeping all your passwords written in a book. Password management programs come with a huge variety of benefits that will keep you and your data safe. 

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Is A.I. a Viable Tool for Business?

If you've been following tech news, you know that one of the hottest topics of 2023 is the democratization of artificial intelligence, or AI. In just the past few months, AI has hit major strides in the consumer market: we've seen artificial intelligence paint pictures, chat with users, and even fully replace the voice of recorded actors with different actors' voices. Truly, the possibilities for creating with AI are limitless, but has the technology progressed to a point where we can rely on it for everything? 

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Follow Market Trends by Embracing eCommerce

According to recent statistics, nearly 80% of the United States purchased something online in the past year. That's nearly 263 million people regularly making purchases using eCommerce solutions instead of brick-and-mortar shops to purchase products, and that number is expected to continue to climb throughout the 2020s. In addition to single purchases, though, a 2022 study has identified that the percentage of Americans who prefer online shopping over an in-person alternative is now 56.6%, about a 10% increase over 2020's numbers. 

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The Dangers of Consumer-Grade Hardware in a Business

One of the most important things about setting up a business is efficiently managing startup costs. For many companies nowadays, IT infrastructure is one of the larger upfront costs of starting a business, but an efficiently-spend budget can lead to an overall reduction in overhead related to maintenance costs and equipment replacements. Computers don't come at the premium they did in the 1980s, but a business-class machine can still run a pretty penny. A large sticker price might leave a business owner wondering why a consumer-grade machine can't do the trick for an employee who isn't running resource-intensive applications. As it turns out, there are a host of reasons a consumer-grade computer might lead to far higher costs to your business despite the initially tantalizing price tag.

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Organic Search Strategy in an Age of Emphasized Ads

One of the tenets of a strong website marketing strategy includes a fair amount of work in Search Engine Optimization: the process of making your website more attractive to search engines and the people using them. SEO is still the end all, be all of search engine ranking, however some seemingly recent changes have made even more apparent the need to augment strong SEO with other methods of search ranking. Some of us have noticed around the office that Search ads on specific queries are displaying in larger quantities, sometimes going as far as pushing all organic results "below the fold."

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Should I Change My Website Domain?

As the business landscape changes and affects things like the supply chain, consumer interest, and technology, you may find that your business has new offerings or services that no longer match the branding your company started with. When that happens strongly enough, it might become necessary to look to a rebranding or repositioning strategy to ensure your company's branding aligns with consumer expectations. In addition to tightening up company branding outside of cyberspace, aligning your business website to your new brand might be required as well. But how far can you go? We've put together a list of several things to consider before you change your website's domain.

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The Dangers of an Outdated Website

For your business or organization, your website can serve many different purposes. Your website could serve as your digital front door, or even a digital storefront. This will be one of the first impressions you can make on someone if they were to type your company's name into a search engine. When well-optimized, your business can even show to people who are looking up products or services that are relevant to your site. 

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What Should Be on My Website?

Got a website that needs a rebuild? Need a new one for your business? You're in the right place, and even if you don't know where to start, we've got you covered. With something as vital to your business as a website, starting a new site or refreshing one you've had in the past can seem like a daunting task, but once you break down your wish list you might find it can be easier than you think.

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Windows 8.1 End of Life is January 2023

 As the end of 2022 approaches in the coming months, so does the support for Windows 8.1. That's right, Windows 8.1 will reach end of support on January 10th, 2023, that means that technical assistance and software updates for 8.1 will no longer be offered. Not only will Microsoft halt software updates to Windows 8.1, but the company will be halting security patches as well.

If you or your business is still running on Windows 8.1, here are a couple things to know moving forward:
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Your Business’s Branding: Finding a Balance

Running a successful business takes a lot of work, and a great deal of the early work in bringing customers in the door lies in the visual realm. As a business, your visual identity can do a lot of the talking for you, and if done improperly can push traffic away. While some of the top companies are always changing their logo to chase yearly trends, keeping a consistent visual tone can be one of the key factors in creating lasting relationships with your clients and customers. 

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What is Multifactor Authentication?

Going the extra mile to keep your information more secure may not be as complicated as you'd expect. One of the easiest (and often most common) ways to make your online accounts more secure is to enable multifactor authentication (MFA). Sometimes called "two-factor" authentication, "two-step" verification, or TOTP (Time based one-time password), this process ensures that when an online service detects a login from you that it really is you logging in.
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Server or Desktop: Does it Matter?

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.

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10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe Online this Summer

While we focus on business IT solutions, we know a thing or two about staying safe online. For your kids, using the internet has become a second language – whether on social media, in the classroom, online gaming, or video chatting. In fact, nearly half of users on TikTok are between 10 and 19 years old. There are many healthy practices to implement in your kids' relationship with technology, and we've put together a guide to help your family look both ways before crossing the digital street.
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Protect Yourself from Fake Tech Support Scams

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.

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Understanding and Defending Against Social Engineering

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.

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