Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

The 2020 hack of SolarWinds saw a major disruption of the supply chain for many organizations around the world, including the U.S. government, but a recent survey shows that these organizations have felt varying degrees of effects from the hack itself. Furthermore, many have taken the hack as evidence that further information sharing must occur if we are to ever take the fight to cyberthreats.

For small businesses with a more limited budget and access to resources, technology management can be a major pain point. Fortunately for these small businesses, they have access to a tool that allows them to compete with larger organizations: managed IT services. A managed service provider can help a good small business become a great small business, and it all boils down to the way that technology is managed.

The cloud is used quite often in the business world, but different organizations use it in different ways. Some might use it to support a remote workforce, whereas others might use it to get around the up-front capital expenses of purchasing software licenses through the use of “as a service” offerings. Regardless, the cloud is capable of solving countless problems for the modern business, but only when it is implemented in a calculated and intentional way.

Some organizations are under the impression that they could keep operations moving without their IT infrastructure, but it would simply make doing business impossible. Therefore, it becomes critical to know when to invest in new technologies that can improve operations. Here are some of the critical considerations that any IT decision maker should keep at the top of their mind when looking into new technology for a business.

As one of the world’s most utilized word processors, Microsoft Word remains at the top because it provides organizations with the tools they need to be effective. Some of these features come in the form of keyboard shortcuts, templates, and save formatting, many of which are not known to employees. Here are some quick Word tips to help your employees be more effective with this software.

One of the best ways you can improve operations is by building a knowledge base consisting of policies, procedures, and any other information that needs to be accessed by the people who work for your organization or utilize its services. It’s well-known that businesses that have well-documented policies and procedures have less difficulty bringing new talent on board, experience fewer operational problems, and provide great resources for employees, customers, and vendors. Let’s take a look at what goes into creating a successful working knowledge base.

Spam filtering is great for keeping dangerous or wasteful messages from clogging up your inbox, but at the same time, there can be times when legitimate emails get flagged and sectioned off by accident. This is especially pertinent to business owners who do frequent outreach to vendors and valued customers. Here are some reasons your messages might get flagged as spam, as well as what you can do about it.

The cloud is a common tool for businesses, but organizations tend to utilize it in different ways. Some use it to support a remote workforce, while others use it to avoid financing new hardware on a regular basis. Some even use it to fill in the gaps created by product and service demand. However your business uses the cloud, chances are that you will encounter issues if you do not take measures to adequately manage it.

Would you believe us if we told you that the maps we have grown up looking at are remarkably skewed? That pull-down map in the front of every elementary school classroom probably wasn’t to scale, for one reason or another. Modern technology can make it possible for hackers to skew satellite imaging, and this could very well be used in the cybercrime avenue in the future. The developing technology of deepfake images could bring about a whole new type of threat.

When it comes to preventing operational issues, eliminating unnecessary costs, and cutting out things that keep you from working toward your goals, technology is crucial. Through the power of technology, your business can automate processes, improve productivity, aid in collaboration, and keep critical systems in proper working order. It all starts with the right IT services provider.

Ransomware is a threat that has seen exponential growth in recent years. We have witnessed it grow from a minor annoyance to a considerable global threat. Even the U.S. Justice Department has issued a declaration that they would begin investigating ransomware in much the same way that they would terrorism cases. Let’s take a look at how this policy could change the way your business should respond to these threats.

The cloud has proven to be a valuable asset for businesses of all kinds, and more organizations are buying into it as a solution to some of the most notable problems in the professional environment. Transitioning to cloud computing comes with its own fair share of challenges, however. Here are some of the most common challenges that organizations migrating to the cloud face.

Communication tools are one of the cornerstones of any successful office. While you surely leverage certain communication tools, there are others on the market that might be great investments for your organization. Let’s examine some of the many business communication solutions that your company can leverage to its advantage.

For companies that depend on their computing, the workstation plays an important role. The problem with them is that spending big money on computers that are used for general productivity is not cost effective, but if they don’t have the computing power needed to successfully run the software that your company uses, they won’t do you any good. Today, we will talk a bit about hardware considerations you will need to make when choosing workstation hardware, and the cloud-hosted options that may be a good option for your business. 

Any organization that holds medical records or other healthcare-related sensitive data needs to consider legislation and organizations that govern the privacy of those records. In this case, we are referring to HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and HITRUST, the Health Information Trust Alliance. These two acronyms are incredibly important for healthcare providers in the United States to understand.

Most users these days have so many passwords that just about any tool that helps them keep them all in check could be considered a good thing. Web browsers come with this technology built-in, but unfortunately, this convenience often comes at a cost. Are these built-in tools as secure as they are supposed to be, or are you better off looking into better alternatives?

No one likes to imagine the worst-case scenario, but it’s important for businesses to put themselves in the shoes of an organization that has everything to lose. What would happen if you suddenly experienced a data loss disaster, or worse, a complete and total shutdown of operations? If you don’t have a plan in place, you will certainly wish you did. Let’s talk about how to make that happen.

Workplace stress has become a key issue in today’s business environment, and many studies have been performed to demonstrate why there has been such an increase, as well as what can be done to stymie its impact. Microsoft has recently filed a patent to show how seriously this issue must be taken. While it’s good to see the tech company invested in resolving this issue, one has to wonder whether the help of a new technology solution is necessary in identifying stressors in their workplace environment.

When you see the words “artificial intelligence,” what runs through your mind? Some imagine warehouses full of machines pulling items from shelves for order fulfillment, whereas others imagine server rooms operating at maximum capacity. The truth of the matter is that both of these scenarios are correct, depending on the type of organization and industry you’re talking about. Let’s take a look at how artificial intelligence can cut costs, improve operations, and eliminate unnecessary or repetitive tasks for the small business.

The recent hack of Colonial Pipeline has led to no shortage of problems, chief among them gasoline shortages all across the east coast of the United States. The pipeline’s operations may have been restored, but the question still remains: what could have been done to stop it, what can we learn from this incident, and what changes can we expect to see as a result?