"Quick, to the emergency room!" These are dreaded words that nobody wants to hear. An emergency like this implies a life or death scenario, and it gets everybody worked up into a frenzy. After arriving to the ER and getting a doctor's diagnosis, how quickly do people's attitudes change when the emergency turns out to be false?
It's the nature of technology to take a while for the market to fully appreciate it. After it's released, there's an implementation phase where the benefits are weighed against the risks. This phase is usually a slow one, but if the technology is good, then its acceptance will be widespread and businesses will have to give excuses on why they're not using it.
Data security should be a top priority for every business. Having good security means identifying risks. Surprisingly, some of the biggest data risks come from within. If employees aren't following your organization's data management policies, then they're your biggest threats.
As a responsible business owner, you know that using the latest technology and running updated software is a key component to your company's network security. However, your employees may not value the latest tech like you do, which could result in a major data breach, despite your best efforts to keep your company current.
What are managed IT services all about? You've heard about how businesses are saving on their IT costs by outsourcing their technology needs, but how does this service work? The money-saving answer comes from this radical new approach to treating IT as a Service!
Giving your team the opportunity to work from home can be tricky business. Who knows how distracted they can get without you around to keep them on track? Still, working remotely has its advantages, for both you and your employees - even if you feel disconnected from them.
It doesn't have to be that way, though. By taking certain steps and measures, you'll feel like your out-of-office team is right in the office with you. Here are a couple of tricks you can use to bring your remote employees into your office... remotely!
There are some good things about the past. Events that happened then have led you to where you are now - you're an owner of a thriving business, and you can remember being a startup like it was yesterday. But, does your technology also remember those halcyon days? If so, you might be due for a much-needed upgrade.
Every business operates on a budget and every employee has a responsibility to make sure that their actions keep their company within said budget. Budgets don't like surprises, and employees don't like a busted budget being traced back to them. This reality can make things messy and expensive when it comes to doing IT the break-fix way.
"Free WiFi Zone." You see the sign advertised in the window of a new coffee shop. You've got a lot of work to do and you want a change of scenery, so you pack up your laptop and pay them a visit. The coffee is great, but the WiFi service is lousy. In fact, the spotty WiFi service is so poor that you get frustrated and leave, vowing to never shop there again.
We talk a lot about viruses or holes in supposedly sound security structures, but today it seems as if that's all there is to talk about. It's all about the latest vulnerability, or a hacking attack that left millions of people with compromised passwords. People always concentrate on the negative aspects of things without looking at the positives.
Do you think that you're too busy to backup your company's data? There may be many responsibilities you put off because it feels like you're too busy for them; backing up your data shouldn't be one of them. If you think you're busy now, just wait until you're faced with a data loss scenario!
Who's in charge of making the decisions in your business concerning technology? Ideally, you want an internal IT manager or a CIO with IT experience calling the tech shots. However, many businesses don't have this luxury. According to a CompTIA survey from last November, 48 percent of businesses have managers making decisions about technology implementation that don't have IT experience.
Remember when you upgraded to a flat screen TV or monitor just a few years ago? You may have marveled at the increased picture quality and celebrated getting rid of your old and bulky equipment, but do you know what happened to the old CRT monitor after you threw it out? Unfortunately, the answer doesn't bode well for the environment.
On May 7, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a news alert declaring Bitcoin, and all other virtual currencies insecure and unsafe. Due to a rise in Bitcoin popularity, many investors and business owners like to use it for worldwide transactions. But, how safe is it, and how likely are you to run into a Bitcoin fraud scheme?
GameOver Zeus, a member of the Zeus family of malware, has been discovered and disrupted by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Justice. But, this is only a temporary respite from the danger the malware poses - in two weeks, the threat will be back, and very much alive.
Take a moment to consider your answer to this question, "What would you do if all of your business's data was somehow lost overnight?" How would you react, and what would you do about it? Your data is valuable, so much in fact that your business would be lost without it, and likely wouldn't be able to run properly.
Many websites around the world are still suffering from the nasty little bug called Heartbleed that we covered last month. This prompted over 30,000 TLS/SSL certificates to be revoked and reissued, but many of them were reissued with the same keys. If this was going to happen, why revoke and reissue them in the first place? They're still just as vulnerable as before, since Heartbleed could have leaked those same keys weeks ago.
In December 2013, retail superpower Target was the target (hehe) of a massive data breach that could have affected as many as 110 million customers. On Monday, May 5, 2014, the CEO of Target, Gregg Steinhafel, announced that he would be stepping down, no doubt a result of the chaos that engulfed his company in the aftermath of this data breach. Target's CFO, John Mulligan, has stepped in as interim CEO until the position is filled once again.
For years, IT departments have been stereotyped as an antisocial bunch hiding in the shadows of server rooms, only coming out when a fellow employee experiences a problem with their workstation or a new gadget is released. Today, thanks to the prevalence of technology in every aspect of business, technicians are on the forefront of major business decisions and this stereotype is no more!
When it comes to owning anything expensive, it's important to practice proper maintenance. One of the most basic things you can do to take better care of your computer is to periodically examine the software on your computer. Although software maintenance can be challenging at times, it can be incredibly rewarding.
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