Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

When it comes time to update your technology, you’ll want to do so with a clear intention to optimize your operations. Some businesses still rely on legacy systems that are far from ideal and have long since grown outdated. Moving away from a solution that you have invested so much time into, however, can be a daunting task–especially if you don’t have technical expertise to call on.

Business growth is an almost ubiquitous goal for business owners, but without properly preparing for this growth in terms of operations and resources, unfortunately, that endeavor is doomed to fail. That’s why we wanted to touch on how you can scale your business and the technology it relies on.

How do you know what will happen if you become the target of a hacking attack? How will you respond, and how will your network hold up to the assault? These are questions that you need answers to, and perhaps the best way to get them is through what is called a penetration test, or pen test. What are these tests, and what can you expect from them?

Sometimes your network will get bogged down for apparently no reason. Well, we hate to break it to you, but there is almost sure to be a reason, one of which could be a network bottleneck. A network bottleneck could very well harm your network to the point where productivity and efficiency are impacted. How do you discover a bottleneck and resolve it?

Being productive isn’t always easy. There are a lot of things that can derail productivity, from distractions to simply discomfort. It’s important to set yourself up for success so today, we thought we’d go through some tips on how to set your workstation up so that you can improve your productivity. 

When it comes to your business technology, you cannot overlook any of your expenses, including downtime and productivity. You’ll want to make sure that your team has the tools they need to be successful while also ensuring that those tools are maintained by professionals. Let’s examine how managed IT services can help you make this happen.

With the cloud gaining so much traction in recent years, you might begin to wonder if the cloud is an appropriate next step for your business to take. Well, today, we might just have your answer, and it’s one that you probably have already guessed at. Yes, the cloud is a great way for your business to improve access to technology solutions. Let’s go over how you might use it.

Cybersecurity is not an exact science, but it is something that you can definitely work diligently at. This will often help your organization do more to handle the risks of doing business in the online world. Unfortunately, the amount of attacks that target today’s businesses are starting to overwhelm a lot of the IT security efforts that they take and can lead to data loss or worse. This week, we will take a look at some of the worst data breaches of 2022… so far.

Now that employers are calling their employees back to the workplace, the question has become one of whether or not pushing for this return to the office (RTO) is the appropriate call for your organization. Let’s examine what variables might go into making this decision and certain scenarios in which returns to the workplace have not been successful—or, at least, not as successful as the decision-makers expected.

Microsoft has officially cut off support for Internet Explorer, even going so far as removing it from devices running Windows 10 and 11. What does the removal of this dinosaur of web browsing mean for your business? Let’s examine how Microsoft plans to phase out Internet Explorer entirely and make way for its other (better) web browser experience, Microsoft Edge.

You know the term “ransomware.” It’s all over the news, and it’s because it’s a huge threat to all types of businesses, regardless of size or industry. If you want to protect your business’ future, you have to implement security measures that will allow you to not only address ransomware but prevent these attacks altogether. Depending on the type of data you store, you might find yourself more susceptible to ransomware attacks.

One of the most critical parts of security used to be the password, and while it has fallen out of favor in recent years due to how easily they can be cracked, a good password can still go a long way toward keeping your accounts safe. Let’s go over some of the best practices associated with passwords and how you can use them to your advantage.

With smartphones so commonplace both in and out of the office, you are probably wondering how you can cash in on some of the potential productivity gains these devices can provide, all while dodging the productivity pitfalls that are sure to ensue. Well, you’re in luck; we have a couple of practices and tips you can implement to get the most out of your smartphones for work purposes.

If your desktop is a mess from countless files strewn about it, perhaps you’ll find today’s tip helpful. We will walk you through how you can hide certain files on your desktop so they don’t clutter it up needlessly, all by using the built-in functionality of Windows 10. Let’s discuss how you can hide folders from your desktop or Documents view.

Every business has a lot of documents that they need to keep in perpetuity. They also choose to keep many that they may not need, just so they have the information to serve their customers better. Traditionally, this meant manila file folders with a bunch of papers representing all the information and contracts that a particular customer has. This could be a little as one file cabinet, but for some organizations, a warehouse is needed. Technology now allows an organization to safely store all of their documents in a secure data center. 

Standing desks and other options like it have exploded in popularity, particularly as a more health-conscious approach to work. However, as these options often cost a pretty penny to implement, it is worth asking the question: do the benefits of a standing desk outweigh the costs of implementing one?

When you picture cybercrime, what goes through your mind? Do you see a hacker in a dark hoodie sitting in the corner of a room with lines of code furiously buzzing across the computer screen? If so, we have some news for you; cybercrime is anything but this perception. Let’s examine organized cybercrime and why it’s important for your business to take its growth into a full-blown industry seriously.

Outsourced IT services are a very popular option for modern businesses, with options ranging from fully managed services to the traditional break/fix approach. However, when weighing these options, it is only natural that price plays a heavy part in the considerations. While we won’t go into any precise pricing, we do want to discuss some overarching trends concerning the two options and their associated costs to prove that managed services are, in fact, the better option for modern businesses.

You want to make smart decisions for your business, but it’s not always so simple. Small businesses have a lot of options for their workstation needs, so what is the budget-minded company to do? Chromebooks offer a cost-effective way to get the computing equipment you need while keeping hardware costs low. 

Being proactive can save a lot of headaches. Outside of maybe your car, nowhere is this more evident than with your business’ technology. Businesses that fail to stay ahead of their technology problems see a lot more inefficiency and costly downtime than organizations that stay on top of their technology. If your business doesn’t have a proactive maintenance platform in place, you are just prolonging the inevitable.