​Cyber-criminals and hackers infiltrate your company through your weakest link, your employees. (Rarely, if ever, is it through IT).  Every small business needs to enhance awareness and expand the education provided to employees. Feel free to reach out to us for suggestions of the preventive measures that we use, are easy to deploy, and will help keep your business in business! 

​Who wouldn’t want to save 20% to 70% of the price of purchasing a new computer? Authorized refurbishers have made the purchasing of re-purposed machines a wise decision, and most come with the same warranty as a new one.  Statistically, most refurbs weren’t returned due to problems, but due to the fact the user didn’t take the time to learn how to operate it, or they had a bad case of buyer’s remorse.

You can usually find your favorite make and model when viewing a trusted refurbisher’s catalog, and many with the high-end features that you are longing for. This is an affordable way to get that larger SSD, double the memory of what you currently have, a laptop USB-C port, and the ability to hook up a docking station with the 3 monitors that you have been dreaming of.

While many of you are getting ready to upgrade your Win7 or 8 OS to Win10; you can save yourself the time and money of purchasing new software, plus 1-3 hours of labor by purchasing a refurb with Win10 already installed.  Simply put, a refurbished computer with everything you desire will cost little more than paying your IT guy for the software upgrade and labor.  Need help finding the next refurbished machine?  Reach out to me, I’d love to talk “nerdy” to you!

We often hear clients complain that their internet isn’t what they paid for…when in fact it is exactly the speed they paid for but were not aware that there is a world of difference between the term MBps vs. Mbps.  While both terms are units of measuring the speed of data transfer between two devices or locations; MBps is MegaBytes per second and Mbps is Megabits per second.  Bytes vs. bits equates to 1 Byte = 8 bits, 1MBps = 8Mbps, or 8 times the difference.  This is true for all units measuring Bytes and bits.  The next time you see the capital B remember the larger or “bigger” unit the Byte, and 1KBps = 8kbps (KiloBytes vs. Kilobits), 1GBps = 8Gbps (GigaBytes vs. Gigabits), and 1TBps = 8Tbps (TeraBytes vs. Terabits). Now you’re up to speed! ​

​It’s true, we do know a massive amount about phones; we sell them and can help with anything related to the VoIP systems we sell. HOWEVER; your old PBX that’s 8 years old is a totally different thing.  There are many systems we have never seen, and we would not promise that we could even fix them.  If your “old” support team that knows them is unable to do the job, perhaps it’s time you updated. Upgrade to a better system that carries no annual service fees for maintenance and would likely save you 50% or more in monthly charges. VoIP phones can unite your business services and ours have over 90+ features that include free business phones, one per user, free unlimited electronic faxing, no long distance, team chat, screen share, file collaboration, voice mail to email, free auto attendant, phone and desktop apps, and best of all, no long term contracts. Give us a call for a free, no obligation quote for service for 1 to 100 phones.  We think you’ll be surprised. 

The end of the Windows 7 lifecycle is January 14, 2020. "End of life” means  Microsoft will discontinue all support, including paid support; and all updates, including security updates. Windows 7 is currently in “extended support”, meaning Microsoft will offer only paid support and security updates and users should note that even though Microsoft says it will support Windows 7 until January 2020, it began blocking older machines, such as those using Pentium III in June 2018 and can block support for any machine at any time. 

You will need to upgrade to Windows 10, which was released in 2015. It supports apps that can be used across multiple devices; PCs, tablets, smartphones, and supports touchscreen, keyboard, and mouse input methods. Even though there are differences between the 2 interfaces, there are many similarities.  Windows 10 is faster than Windows 7 and you will like the changes once you understand the layout.
It’s important to plan ahead as you will want to have your files backed up to help make the transition smoother (in case of the unthinkable).
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Microsoft will continually nag you to upgrade, only this time they will let you check “Do not remind me again”.  On the other hand, your I.T. guy should continually remind you to upgrade until it has been done and tested. 

We love to hear the excitement surrounding your move into a new office; however, you might not like to hear what we have to say if you only let us know 1-2 weeks prior. The number one delay you could face is internet connectivity. Oftentimes ISPs will be 4-6 weeks out on new installations. Can you really go that long without internet? You might also find that your current service provider is not on the list of vendors for your new location and you can’t find anyone that knows who is.  You might face losing your current phone solution, especially if you don’t have VoIP phones that can be used over anybody’s network.  The new space might not be equipped with any or enough data drops, and you might have mistaken phone connections for data connections.  You need to view your move as a project. Ask your I.T. person to do a walkthrough with you or your GC to ensure there’s a place for your network equipment and to determine if you have the connectivity you need. Ask them to provide you a list of ISPs that service that address and what the cost is for each provider. Review the needs of your staff to determine if any network equipment needs to be upgraded. This is the ideal time to consider a move to VoIP phones.  You should have a solid date/time scheduled for the internet cut over; in addition to scheduling your I.T. person to move and reinstall all your equipment so there is no downtime.  Remember, I.T. can help make your move a dream and not a nightmare! 

​It’s that time of year; tornadoes and power outages, hot weather and brown outs, and the flickering power surges that cause electrical spikes.
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Anything that causes your electronics to improperly shut down or run at less than full power, can ruin your servers, desktops and printers. Putting a surge protector in place helps only to avoid damaging spikes.  Installing a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) will allow your electronics to stay running on a battery, but only for a brief time, allowing you to properly power them off until the electricity comes back on. (That is assuming you are present at the time the electricity goes out).  A Smart UPS is your best option. It connects via USB to your server or desktop, and when the power goes out it sends a signal to the device and gracefully shuts it down before the battery power dies.  Several brands even have easy and convenient remote accessibility.  Need help installing or selecting a UPS? Give us a call, we’re here to assist. 

Remember when Kevin downloaded a virus that spread throughout the entire network? Or when Brenda took down the entire email server by sending an email that everyone in the office opened for “TodayisFreeBurgerDay-BobsBurgers.html” ?

Or taped to your phone, or worse, your monitor. (Would you tape your house key to your front door?) You target yourself for a breach by giving anyone easy access to your password if you place it for all to find in a not so “hidden” place. Think of how easy it is to walk by with a phone, snap a picture of your monitor and the sticky-note with your password on it. The cleaning crew, maintenance, and even security now have easy access to after-hours activities because of you! Be cyber-safe and use a password protection program such as KeePass, LastPass, Dashlane, RoboForm or Sticky Password, to name a few. 

Something strange happening on your system just recently? There is always an underlying cause and it likely isn't the changes we made months ago. Take a moment to check for the latest installs you downloaded and the extensions you just added. Chances are you'll discover the culprit. ​