How much paper and ink does your company use every week? Every month? Every year? More importantly, how much does this wind up costing your company in the long run? According to a study by 14 year-old science fair wiz Suvir Mirchandani, it was discovered that his Pittsburgh-area school district could reduce ink consumption by 24 percent and save an average of $21,000 a year by simply switching fonts. That's half of what the average American's annual salary is!
With the world still on edge about the recent vulnerability found in most versions of Internet Explorer, another one has been discovered, this time in Internet Explorer 8. This bug allows a hacker to execute malicious code when a user opens an infected email or webpage.
It's no secret that the Internet is full of dangerous activity. Too many people think their networks are safe without any kind of protection. We don't mean to say that the Internet isn't safe, but that it's only as safe as you make it for yourself. In order to keep your small business safe, you should implement protective software, like a firewall. A firewall can help keep your company safe from online threats, and believe us when we say that a little bit of protection goes a long way.
The news that Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP, one of its most successful operating systems, was a great blow to many who loved the software. The greatest blow, however, will likely prove to be hackers, who will be able to break into the system now that Microsoft is not providing security patches.
Hosting the party isn't for everyone; it's a matter of space, cost, and responsibility. You could be the life of the party, but nobody would know because you're so busy making sure that everything is set and ready to rumble. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just hire someone to take care of all the little details for you, so you could enjoy the fruits of your labor?
The world is slowly being overrun by machinery, and we are finding new uses for it every day. While not an entirely new subject, desktop virtualization is something that has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and it's easy to see why. Instead of keeping your desktop in a physical form, it's becoming more reliable to keep it digitally tucked away, safe and sound. This frees it from the potential physical problems associated with computers, such as a sudden crash or just dying out with age.
It's no surprise that technology is taking over our lives. It's everywhere; from the workplace to every inch of our homes, new technology exists where it wouldn't have twenty years ago. Bluetooth-connected kitchen appliances allow their owners to turn them on and off from a distance. Cars can connect to the Internet. Google has produced glasses that allow you to browse the Internet. There are tons of innovative, new inventions that have had a huge impact on the way small business owners manage their workplaces, but nothing can compare to the significance of being able to receive text files from anywhere in the world via email and fax.
It's the nature of trends for people to want to capitalize on them, which means that many sellers of what's trendy may have little experience working with the trends that they're selling. As a business looking to take advantage of the latest technology trends, it's important that you're not bamboozled by a smooth talking technology marketer with no depth.
There's nothing quite like the feeling of getting scammed, and the scammers of today love using technology to rip you off and leave you with that sinking scammy feeling. The best way to avoid scams is to be proactive and know what to look for. New to your list of scams to be on the look out for are fake apps.
The Internet is a powerful tool. Another powerful tool is the circular saw. You wouldn't give your kid a circular saw and let them use it without any supervision. In the same way, you shouldn't let your kid use the Internet unsupervised and without any training.
Cloud computing is making everything easier. Companies that operated IT infrastructures of their own before the cloud know firsthand how much easier it is thanks to the cloud. A brief comparison of doing business before and after the cloud will show just how much cloud computing is changing things.
2014 has been a year of technological advancement, but with any kind of advances such as these, there will always be those who want to steal the work of others. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center and , as of March this year, there have been 204 instances of data breaches this year alone. These affected companies are perfect examples of why web protection is important. SMART Services can provide you with this protection and peace of mind. Here are a few of the more unbelievable breaches, most of which could have been easily avoided.
April 7th 2014 was a big day for the world, not only because Microsoft ended security support for Windows XP, but because a massive security flaw was found in the OpenSSL cryptographic library. This problem, called the Heartbleed bug, was found by Google Security, and it leaks information from any applications and services utilizing OpenSSL. The problem, however, is not that it was found; the problem is that over two-thirds of the entire Internet contains sites that utilize the OpenSSL/TLS protocol specification. It also doesn't help that this bug has been active since December of 2012.
How long does it take to boot up your computer when you start your workday? Most people would be fine with a one minute boot time; five minutes can get a little annoying, and anything longer than ten minutes warrants a coffee break. You may not have realized it, but a few extra minutes of boot time can impact the productivity of your company in a big way.
Admit it, you've thought about moving some of your computing infrastructure to the cloud, but just couldn't take the leap because there is a perception out there that suggests cloud-based computing systems are less secure than the ones that you house within the confines of your office. The fact of the matter is that every piece of computing infrastructure has the same shortcomings as far as security goes. Whether hosted in a cloud or in an enterprise data server, the thing that makes data security work for business is having the right people managing your information.
Let's say that you're on the phone with a client going over a major proposal and they utter four words that fill you with dread, "Fax it to me." It's not that you don't know how to send a fax, but you dread faxing because you know that you're in for a big waste of time, especially considering how many pages your proposal is.
The number of employees using their personal devices for work purposes (BYOD) continues to increase rapidly. According to Juniper Research, BYOD will account for over one-third of all mobile devices being used within the next few years. Not adjusting procedures to accommodate for this trend can leave your company's sensitive information vulnerable.
Not too many years ago comedian Jeff Foxworthy became a star with his trademark "You Might Be a Redneck If..." jokes. Rednecks are an interesting breed that do things backwards because they stubbornly believe that it's the best way, and like all of us, rednecks use technology. Are you a technology redneck? Check out our redneck technology list to find out.
It's crucial that your company's network has a strong firewall in place to keep your data safe; although, one firewall may not be enough. In the case of an actual fire, you will want to have a real firewall to keep your servers safe. We're talking about a firewall for your firewall. This sounds redundant, but redundancy makes for good security.
One of the most popular business technology trends that we're seeing is employees bringing their own devices into the workplace (BYOD). This trend is due to the popularity of mobile devices (owned by over half of all U.S. adults). While this trend benefits companies in many ways like enhancing mobility, implementing BYOD for a business is not without risks.
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