What's the next big thing for the PC world? If the industry's major players have anything to say about it, it will be the "always-on" PC. Forget about plugging into your company's network. Forget about free WiFi Hotspots. With an always-on PC, you won't have to worry about either. If they're not available, your PC can connect via the same cellular data network your smartphone uses, which means you'll always be just a few mouse clicks away from your data. It sounds fantastic, but there is, … Read more
Are Your Employees Working or Web Surfing?
Surfs Up, Productivity Down? The growing trend of employees inappropriately using Internet access to check personal email, social media and browse the web is costing local businesses valuable project time, money and overall productivity. In fact, recent studies have shown that as much as 80% of employees are using the Internet at work for purposes that have nothing to do with work. Browser Blind A major issue with employees wasting productivity on surfing the Internet comes from businesses … Read more
How Will the End of Net Neutrality Affect My Small Business?
You may not realize it, but the end of net neutrality is a serious concern for small businesses. Larger companies will now have an advantage over small ones. What is net neutrality? According to Google, network neutrality is "the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites." What does it mean now that net neutrality is dead? Internet service … Read more
Adobe, Target & Snapchat. Is Your Company at Risk?
It feels as though every time you turn on the news, there's a story about a company being hacked. If it's happening to companies like Target and Adobe, then it could certainly happen to your company. That is why security and protection are key for having a successful business. What can a security breach do to your company? A major data breach, such as Target's, can cause significant damage to your company financially. It not only costs you thousands of dollars, but it also ruins your company's … Read more
Network Security: Is It Really That Important?
A Story about the Risks of "Non-Vaccination" On a recent appointment, I met with a pediatrician to perform a network review. In our preliminary meeting, we discussed the issues they were having and I was certain I'd find a pretty sick network. My suspicions were correct. It's our practice to schedule a follow up appointment after the report of findings has been written and risks weighed. During this meeting, the pediatrician told me about the struggle she having with unimmunized children … Read more
Understanding Managed Services
Managed Services - Proactive IT Support The IT Support buzzword of today is "Managed Services". It's a concept that's picking up increasing traction and for a very good reason. Every day, more and more businesses are evolving from a reactive IT model to a proactive IT model to save money and run more efficient operations. But what does the term "Managed Services" actually mean? And how can you tell if an IT Support company is truly offering Managed Services or just using the buzzword as a … Read more
5 Traits of an Effective Leader
I have often heard it said that there are three types of leaders; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. In working with hundreds of small to midsize businesses as CEO of Triangle IT Group over the past 15 years I would have to concur. Sadly, many of those are in the latter category of wondering what happened in most situations. This failure in leadership costs companies countless dollars each year in revenue, huge missed opportunities, … Read more
The Good, the Bad and the VoIP
Have You Heard? In the day and age of cell phones, tablets, video calling and texting, the telephone has certainly come a long way since Alexander Graham Bell placed his first call. Well the advancement in voice communication has just taken another step into the future with VoIP technology, which is Voice Over Internet Protocol (IP). While VoIP is a sensational system when it comes to communication advantages for businesses of all sizes and industries. Here are a few of the Good and the Bad … Read more
Data On 123 Million US Households Leaked Online
Security researchers at UpGuard recently made a terrifying discovery in finding an unprotected Amazon S3 server containing several databases belonging to a data analytics provider called Alteryx. While the server contained a variety of databases, the two that are of biggest concern belonged to Alteryx's business partners, Experian and the US Census Bureau. Of these, far and away the most damaging database was the one belonging to Experian. As a credit reporting agency, Experian has access … Read more
USB Drives Could Be Huge Factor In Data Loss, Theft
Most people agree that the use of USB drives increases efficiency and boosts productivity, which goes a long way toward explaining their popularity, but these handy little drives can also be problematic. According to a recently published survey by Apricorn, 87 percent of employees surveyed report that they have lost or had a USB drive stolen and failed to notify their employer. Worse, 80 percent of employees surveyed reported using non-encrypted USB drives that they've often acquired for free … Read more
