Tips are great as long as they actually work. Business owners need more technology tips than just about anything else, whether that is app-specific or general care of technology. We try to do our best to provide useful tips a couple of times a month, but this week we wanted to focus on what is probably the most important tip we can provide.
Cyberscams can be incredibly well-crafted and dangerous, and a significant portion of this danger stems from the scammer's ability to effectively utilize the psychological triggers that we all possess to some degree. Modern security training tends to focus on what signs we all need to keep an eye out for—and for good reason—but it does little to explore why modern scams are as effective as they are.
Let’s fix that by taking a moment to examine the tricks the scammers play so you can be that much more prepared to stop them by understanding how they work.
Has this ever happened to you?
It’s late, a long day of work behind you, but you’re finally home and able to relax. Just as you get comfortable, your phone dings. You glance at your phone. It’s a work email… and if you’re like most, you’ll be itching just to check it and get it over with. The problem is, each time you do so, you whittle away the line between work and the rest of your life. This “always on” impression our technology provides has contributed to a few significant issues.
Let’s see if we can address these issues.
You’ve probably heard the adage, work smarter, not harder. It usually describes the use of technology to bring time-and-money-saving benefits to the table that human workers can’t produce on their own. As good as technology is at boosting productivity and efficiency, it only works if you are able to get your employees engaged.
While the allure of shiny new gadgets and cutting-edge software is undeniable, the real magic happens when these investments directly translate into tangible productivity gains, transforming how we work and propelling businesses forward.
You probably use Google more than you care to admit, so what if we told you that you could be getting even more value out of your Google searches? Today, we want to share some strategies to customize your Google search results by making your searches more effective from the outset.
For decades, the business phone was a tether, firmly rooting you to your desk. Missed calls and unheard voicemails were just part of the deal if you stepped away. Today, when a lot of businesses rely on remote and hybrid work, that's no longer acceptable. It's time for a significant upgrade, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the answer.
There’s a reason why we tend to focus on security, and that’s because it’s not a matter of if you experience a cyberattack, but when. It’s your responsibility to make sure that you’re ready to act in the right way when faced with these attacks. One of the best ways you can be prepared is by working with a managed service provider like us. Today, we have three ways we, as a managed service provider, can help you take the fight to cybersecurity threats.
While most days, you should lock your computer when ending the day, shutting down your PC and rebooting it on occasion can offer some huge benefits. Doing so helps you avoid some of the more common computer problems that can be highly disruptive and hold you back from achieving productivity.
The CIO or Chief Information Officer of any organization has a lot of pressure on them to get their organization’s technology right. Not only do they need to put strategies in place that will help the organization prosper; they need to take the brunt of the heat when these IT initiatives don’t work out in the way they forecast them to. A lot of their job is to say yes when their best instinct is to say no. Today, we will look at three of the technologies that today’s CIOs are green-lighting.
As necessary as it is, business technology tends to be expensive, especially when things go wrong. Historically, these costs took the form of capital expenditures, which meant they were inherently expensive and unpredictable by nature.
This is precisely why it is so important to shift your business IT to an operating expense. Let’s explore why this is the case and how to implement this change.
In our pockets, purses, and palms, smartphones have become extensions of ourselves; the ultimate personal technology. We use our phones for communication, entertainment, and countless daily tasks. The problem is, the price of these new phones are going up and up and we aren’t really seeing all that much new value out of them. It lends you to ask the question whether or not we are truly getting the most value out of these powerful devices? It also lends us to ask what more can manufacturers do to deliver value that’s worth the price that today’s flagship devices command.
Ransomware has emerged as one of the most dangerous modern threats to businesses, and when you consider just what’s at stake with a ransomware infection, you’ll realize we’re not exaggerating. The worst variants of ransomware will attempt to extort you through any means necessary, and when you don’t give in so easily, they’ll pull out the big guns: double and triple extortion.
How long has your workstation been in use? How long does it take to boot up, to access your user profile, to load the documents you need to work on?
It can be extremely tempting to put off any investment into new hardware… after all, it still works, doesn’t it? Well, depending on your answers to the above questions, it might not. Don’t fall into the classic trap of relying on hardware that is simply too old to support your needs. It’s more expensive than you’d think.
For those of you making the exciting leap from macOS to Windows, we understand that while the fundamental principles of computing remain, the execution often differs. In our ongoing series, we're dedicated to guiding you through these transitions, ensuring your journey into the Windows ecosystem is as smooth as possible. Today, we're tackling a universal computing challenge: the frozen application.
They say a man’s home is his castle. We’d contend that a more apt comparison is that someone’s business is more like their castle, realistically speaking.
As such, it is essential to ensure your security in every way possible. Much like a traditional castle was constructed to keep threats out, your business’ security needs to be approached in a similar way.
While we aren’t suggesting that you literally dig a moat or maintain cauldrons full of boiling oil, you do need to implement security measures that serve the same purpose for your business and its network.
We wanted to take a minute to talk a little bit about something we all cherish: hope. Hope is a powerful force and it constantly propels us forward and can brighten even the darkest days. We hope for good health, happy families, and definitely that winning lottery ticket.
Unfortunately, hope is a terrible cybersecurity strategy.
One of the greatest threats to modern businesses is a cyberattack and the consequent data breach. These types of threats often target outdated systems that haven’t been patched or upgraded with fixes to vulnerabilities. Today, we want to go over some of the most likely outdated hardware and software issues you might encounter on your own infrastructure so you can address them and keep your business safe.
Your business lives and dies by the strength of its network. If it’s not running well, your entire organization will feel it, and it could have serious implications for operations. You might end up with sluggish software or data transfers, among other issues. Here are some of the common holdups on your network that might be holding your business back.
There’s a lot of comfort to be found in familiarity. It’s why so many of us cling to the way we’ve always done things. It’s the root of the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In many contexts, this can be very good advice. One place it isn’t: your business’ technology.
Neglecting to improve the technology your business relies on can itself incur significant inherent costs that aren’t immediately apparent. Let’s explore them to truly appreciate the benefits of keeping your business’ tech up to date.
Proactive IT is something we harp on a lot, and that’s because it works… especially compared to the alternatives. However, what does proactive IT mean, and how can you get the most out of your business technology?
Perhaps more importantly, how can you make sure your technology doesn’t become a liability rather than an asset?
