Directive Blogs

We often talk about the need to back up your data, but did you know that it is also a best practice to back up your hardware? Backing up your hardware works differently than data backup; whereas data backup involves network devices and a cloud, backing up your hardware is a simple matter of having extra computer components on your premise.

There are many challenging aspects that come with running a business, but which aspect is the most difficult? According to a 2012 survey of small business owners by The National Federation of Independent Businesses, managing costs is the most difficult responsibility. We can help; our managed IT services turn technology into a predictable expense.

Everything feels extra difficult for small businesses. Technology makes things easier; yet technology costs money, and the lack of money tends to be at the root of every problem for businesses of all sizes. Big businesses can afford the best technology, which is one reason they do so well. We level the playing field by making big business solutions affordable.

With office work, a lack of physical activity is often coupled with extra calories from mindless snacking. Office snacks are great for your appetite, but bad for your waistline. These extra calories require extra physical activity to burn off. If you understand how much exercise a little snack will ask of you, then you might think twice about eating it.

Having an IT infrastructure that works properly is the goal for every IT department. While it’s nice to have all of your technology in working order, this is just one part of the successful business/technology equation. Having your IT network properly designed to meet the needs of your business will maximize your productivity and make your technology work for you!

As a business, you do things differently than the mild-mannered consumer. Like paying bills, it’s not like a business can sit down for half an hour every month, write a few checks, and then be done with it. Businesses have employees whose major duty is paying bills. Technology is the same way, and businesses have different technology needs than consumers.

The Internet was originally designed in 1989 as a tool for the European science agency CERN to help share information among physicist in universities around the world. On April 30th, 1993, the Internet went public. Back in 1993, Internet founders like Tim Berners-Lee did not likely realize that his invention would solve more problems than physics ever could.

Managing your business is demanding. Staying on top of your employees, your inventory, shipments, payroll, and a hundred other things can be draining to say the least. The last thing you need is to add to your leadership burden. Let us manage your technology vendors for you! Our vendor management service will relieve you from these three management stresses.

In the first two parts of our Vanity IT series, we’ve gone over how some of the top smartphones and tablets can potentially bring additional productivity to your workplace with a proper Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Mobile Device Management strategies. In our final edition of our Vanity IT series, we will go into other mobile devices that can present your company IT solutions and solve many of your remote computing problems.

The whole purpose of having a network infrastructure is to allow different users to access and share needed files and applications. With your data centralized to a server, you will need to have a system in place that allows certain people up-to-date permissions to access needed files from every computer. This is where Active Directory comes in.

In part one of Vanity IT, we covered the numerous high-powered handsets that are on the market and available for users to add a degree of productivity that had been simply unavailable before. While smartphones are the most used mobile device by far, many people are looking to the larger devices to accomplish tasks on the go. Some companies are beginning to issue devices to their employees in a concerted effort to take advantage of the flexibility that these larger mobile devices give them.

As smartphone ownership continues to rise (175 million cellphones sold last year in the US), so too does smartphone theft. Take San Francisco, CA as an example, half of all robberies reported last year were phone-related. To help curb this trend, crime fighting agencies are seeking help from phone manufacturers in developing a smartphone kill switch.

We are smack-dab in a mobile revolution. With any large-scale societal change brought on by technology, there are growing pains involved. Nowhere is this more evident than in the business world. How can you make this major technological shift benefit your business? Consider that the individuals that work in your office have indubitably been in open competition in their acquisitions of the newest mobile devices. Since they are buying them anyway, determining ways to harness the power of these devices to work for your company’s benefit is a sound strategy. Here are a list of some of the top-selling mobile devices of 2012 and what each manufacturer has on the horizon for 2013.

Many small businesses are switching their phone systems to Voice over Internet Protocol and seeing dramatic savings over traditional phone plans, especially when it comes to long distance charges. Once the switch to VoIP is made, small businesses are discovering there are more benefits to VoIP that make their business appear bigger and more professional!

As every good Stars Wars fan is well aware, May 4th is Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you). As an IT company, we love all technology, especially tech from a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Therefore, let us take a moment and look at the most famous technology from Star Wars, Darth Vader.

May 4th is Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you). In celebration of our favorite space saga, we thought that we would write about our dream job; providing IT support for the mother of all technologies, the Death Star from Star Wars.

If you have a big Microsoft Word document that you chip away on every day, then you can save time by opening up Word directly to your project. By doing this, you can get more out of your workday. Here’s how you do it.

You know that having a strong firewall is a key component to having strong network security, but do you how firewalls work? Firewalls take their name from the protective barriers that keep buildings and engines safe from fire. While it’s unlikely that your computer is in danger of incineration, a firewall does protect it from cyber-threats; here’s how!

Do you have reservations about using a public cloud computing service to host your company’s data and applications? Despite strong security measures taken by public cloud computing companies, there are businesses that choose to play it safe and build their own private cloud infrastructure. SMBs also have a third cloud computing option which is to adopt a hybrid cloud infrastructure.

The expiration date for Google Reader is set for July 1, 2013. Google’s decision to axe the Reader was not because it was unpopular, but rather, it seems like Google wants to focus their energy into fewer products. This announcement leaves many Google faithful out in the cold, and Feedly has welcomed the Google huddled masses yearning to read free.

During the first week of PC ownership, you may have felt like the guy from the old Maxwell stereo ads being 'blown away' with your blazing start-up speeds. The "Wow Factor" eventually wore off, and after a year or two, your computer's start-up speed may have slowed down. What happened, and how can you again be blown away?

If you are working on a document that is several pages long, then you know the frustration of getting lost in a sea of text. Often overlooked by the casual user, Macros are great productivity tools that can be utilized for several handy tasks, including giving you the ability to bookmark your work areas in a Word document.

We are all familiar with the black and white pictures of old warehouse-sized supercomputers. These machines are now obsolete and we have way more power today sitting on our desks. The most recent supercomputer to be disassembled due to irrelevance was not an old computer made of tubes and pulleys, but rather, it was from 2008.

Have you ever felt like your long commute is draining the life out of you? If you commute long distances to work, then there may be something to the phrase, “My commute is killing me.” Research has shown commuters die younger than those who live closer to their work. This is yet another reason to work from home.

April 22, is Earth Day. What is your office doing to help save the planet? We talk a lot about business continuity, but none of that matters without Earth continuity. Here are three office technologies that will help your business go green.

There was a time when tape backup was the cheapest and the standard data backup solution for businesses. Over the years, cloud services have become more affordable, and now cloud backup solutions like a BDR are cheaper and give businesses more security features. If you are still backing up with tape, then you may be losing money and even putting your business at risk!

What do hackers look for when choosing a victim? While there are hackers out there that specialize in targeting high-profile companies and executives (a hacking method call whaling), most hackers do a broad sweep of the Internet and choose the easiest targets. If your company has weak network security, then you have a target on your back.

With all the attention that hackers receive, you would think that they are solely responsible for every network security breach, but the truth of the matter is that most damages to company networks are due to negligence. Here are the four most common IT security oversights that can lead to major damages to your network.

Cloud computing is a hot business technology. Research firm Gartner surveyed businesses worldwide and found that 60% have increased their budgets for cloud services through 2014. Gartner also predicts that the cloud services market will increase 18.5% this year. Are you looking to migrate over to the cloud? Here are a few considerations before your business goes cloud crazy.

Michele Secor was born in the Oneonta area and lived in Vermont for many years before coming back to the area and joining our Accounting Department in October of 2012. She lives in Otego, NY with her husband Scott, 2 sons Ryan & Alex and their pet rabbit Mr. Fluff Fluff. Her hobbies include reading, home renovation and gardening. Michele enjoys spending time with her family, especially going camping in the summer and visiting the ocean as often as possible. As the Controller, Michele is an indispensable part of the Directive team.

A growing business is always in expansion mode. More revenue means that more employees will need to be hired. Every new person on-boarded will require a workstation. Adding more computers to your network will require more resources from your network, requiring you to expand your network. When you need to expand your network, you can save expansion costs by going wireless.

The Internet has given us many new and exciting ways to transact business. The newest frontier is in regards to a virtual currency called Bitcoins that is unregulated and accepted by Internet users worldwide. Bitcoins may be too much of a novelty for your business to take seriously, but that does not discredit it as an interesting investment opportunity.

Is it time for a new computer? If so, you are going to want to consider the differences between a workstation and a PC. You will want to purchase a computer that is powerful enough to meet your needs, yet you do not want to overpay for equipment that is heftier than you need it to be. Here are some features to consider when computer shopping.

Hopefully, you have a list of personal items that you regularly clean. Obvious belongings that need a good scrubbing are things like bed sheets, dishes, and your bathroom floor. If your computer is not on your cleaning chore list, then it needs to be. A clean computer is a happy computer, and not disgusting like a dirty one.

Have you ever felt like your business is missing out on a big opportunity simply because you are unaware of it? In order to see a hidden opportunity, you need a fresh set of eyes. You need the help of an expert who knows what to look for, and you need regular input. This is exactly why we offer business technology reviews.

As busy as you are, the last thing that you want is to have one more thing to keep track of. This is why you have us take care of your IT infrastructure; it is worth it compared to learning how to troubleshoot each problem by yourself. Did you know that we can take care of more than just your computer network? With our vendor management service, we can also keep track of all of your technology.

The consumer adaptation of mobile devices continues to skyrocket. In America, there is a 46% ownership rate of smartphones among adults, this according to Pew Research. Tablets are also a booming market, projected to sell 1.2 billion units in 2013. If your business is not taking advantage of this trend, then you may be missing out on a golden opportunity.

Using strong passwords is a critical part of keeping your network protected. For years we have been preaching the need to use complex passwords, along with the need to use different passwords for different accounts. As the technology of crackers (not the salted kind) improves, the need to be diligent about password security intensifies.

For as long as Microsoft Word has been around, it has been the preferred word processing application from people serious about writing. This is because Word is so much more than a typing app; Word is full of rich features that help writers be better at their craft. One helpful writing feature of Word is the Thesaurus, here's how to use it.

What do you do with a broken computer? You can take the time to learn how to fix it yourself, you can drop it off at a computer repair shop, or you can call in a technician. While all of these methods will get your PC up and running again, we think that we have found the best way to handle a broken computer.

E-mail and other forms of digital communication have revolutionized the way humans interact. Anybody old enough to remember life before e-mail (B.E.), can tell some great stories that include kooky characters like Mr. Stamp and Mrs. Envelope. E-mail has changed things; all of us use it every day, but how does it work?

When it comes to listening to music while getting work done, it seems like you can either do it or you can't. Some office workers need absolute silence to get work done. Other people can turn up the volume, tune out the world, and still think clearly. Coffitivity is an audio app that brings balance between the right and left brain.

Your electricity bill is the worst. This is because you know that it could be smaller if you only made a few adjustments to how you run the office. Little tricks like turning your lights off will save you money, but to really make a dramatic cut to your bill, you can virtualize your servers.

Anytime you take a step into the Internet, there's a pretty good chance that you are going to step in a fresh and steamy pile of spam. Spam can ruin your company's Internet footprint. Spam can also find its way into the depths of your website and stink up the whole place. It's especially embarrassing when you don't even know that you have spam on the bottom of your virtual shoe; here's how it got there.

There are many advantages that come with switching your company's traditional phone system to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP uses the Internet to handle all of your communication needs; this can streamline your communications and save you 50-70% compared to a traditional phone plan. Not only can VoIP save your business operating costs, it can also make your company more efficient.

Facebook makes it easy to connect with everyone; unfortunately, this includes people that you may not want to connect with. Whether it is the person you once had an awkward date with, or a hacker looking to hijack your profile, you can make sure that only the people who you want to see your post will be able to by adjusting your security settings.

With Windows 8 firmly established and in full marketing mode, Microsoft is now preparing a major upgrade that they are calling Windows Blue. Microsoft will release full details about Windows Blue at the Build conference in June, and based on details that have been leaked, it looks like Blue will be Microsoft's next big thing.

Are you enjoying the benefits of using multiple monitors? Once you have experienced the power of using more than two or more monitors, it is Diffficult to go back to using just one. As great as multiple monitors are, they can be distracting and consume extra power. Diff Displays is a new tech that takes care of both of these issues.

As an IT company, we get excited about the newest computer hardware and software. We try to convince everybody that upgrades are great, but some people cannot be shaken from their devotion to what is familiar and refuse to upgrade their tech. In our experience, here are the three biggest reasons why upgrades are avoided.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), is changing the look and feel of the modern office. As the ownership rate of mobile devices among American adults creeps closer to reaching 50%, more gadgets are showing up around the office, and they are being used to get work done! If you have yet to embrace BYOD in your office, then you will want consider these 3 advantages.

Are you the type of person that gets a little excited when it comes time to choose a font? Have you had to force yourself to stop and just pick one, otherwise you would sink too much time into font shopping? If this describes you, then you will enjoy taking your fascination with fonts to the next level by making your own!

Every generation improves the technology of the previous generation. Sometimes technology can improve at such a rapid rate that it can make other technologies obsolete. It takes a bit of know how to determine which technologies will last and which ones are just fads. We are here to help you make sense of all of these rapid changes.

When you’re trying to create an impressive layout and design for your website, that will grab the attention of visitors, color can be one of the most powerful weapons in your design arsenal. Carefully chosen colors that create a balanced contrast allow the designer to control what the user’s attention is drawn to. Without any contrast in color, it becomes difficult to emphasize the importance of different elements of your website.

Your company's information on your network is labeled as "sensitive" for a reason. The files on your servers contain the secrets to your success, along with financial records about you, your employees, and your customers. When trusting sensitive data to a third party, make sure that it is someone you trust.

Thanks to the cloud computing, there's a lot of chatter these days about doing your work remotely. The idea of accessing your data from anywhere on any device is an exciting prospect, but it is not a new one. Windows Terminal Services (renamed Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2) has had this ability for many years, and it is still a great remote service option for your network.

Typically, the only way that spaghetti improves the office is by providing a low cost meal during a lunch break. As it turns out, spaghetti can be used as more than lunch; spaghetti charts are a great productivity tool that can improve your workflow, eliminate transport waste, and save you money.

If your business is large enough to have its own IT department, then you know firsthand how valuable it is to have a knowledgeable technology professional on the premise. Being IT technicians ourselves, we experience this appreciation all the time from helping our clients. Sometimes, a technician's popularity can be almost overwhelming, and for times like these, it is nice to have backup.

We are not guaranteed a life without problems. Problems will happen and your plans will be ruined (okay, it's not ALWAYS that bad!). While you can't totally eliminate problems from life, you can greatly reduce them by being proactive. This proactive problem solving approach also works great with technology!

Computers have been designed to be easy and intuitive to use. Just about anybody can figure out how to open files and browse the Internet, but PCs are still complicated machines that require technical knowledge to fix and maintain. When it comes to the technical stuff, it's better to leave it to the pros.

Is your web browser's home page looking drab and boring? Do you wish that you could change it to something fresh and exciting but you just don't know how to do it? Introducing Home Page Settings! By using Home Page Settings, you can give your Web Browser that fresh look you have always wanted, and the best part is that it's free!

The Windows family of operating systems (OS) have different power-saving modes for users to take advantage of if they find themselves away from their workstation or mobile computing device. Windows 8 features three: Sleep, Hibernate, and Hybrid Sleep.

Maybe five years ago you revamped your IT infrastructure and switched out your old Windows XP system for the newest and the latest hardware and software; but that was five years ago, it's now 2013 and you may be thinking about going through another round of upgrades. Here are 3 signs that your network is due in for an upgrade.

Microsoft will be dishing out multiple security updates this week, including four critical patches for Windows, Internet Explorer, Office, and SharePoint Server. Critical updates are considered Microsoft's highest threat rating, so installing these patches is important.

Procrastinators of the world unite... tomorrow! Many people who feel the constant and crushing pressure of deadlines, and who have a habit of being late with deadlines, would identify themselves as procrastinators. Stanford professor John Perry has discovered a method to use procrastination as a tool to get more done, he calls this structured procrastination.

Many tech-savvy professionals have labeled tablets merely "content consumption" devices. This may have been true initially, but now with the productivity applications that have been developed using cloud computing, tablets can now be used to do more than just watch videos and surf the web. In this respect, the mobile computing revolution has finally made it to the workplace. Employers and employees alike are beginning to utilize mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones as a compliment to their standard office technology to improve productivity.

The largest and most important components of your network is your servers. Technically, you can line up your servers on a big table and they will work, but if you want to get the most out of your servers, then we recommend using a server rack.

Your computer network is vital to your business continuity. Every component plays an important role, but it is your server that is the heart of your network, pumping data to all of your company's computers. You take care of your heart, are you taking care of your server?

One shocking IT scenario that we regularly encounter is expensive computer hardware plugged into inexpensive power strips. Power strips are adequate if you need a few extra outlets for your kitchen appliances, but if you want to protect the computer hardware that is mission critical to your business, like servers and NAS devices, then you will need a solution that is more powerful.

Every enterprise, whether it is a successful one or not, has to deal with its fair share of adversity. One of the most rampant difficulties a business is forced to deal with is the necessary ability to secure prompt payment for the goods and services it provides its customers. For small and medium-sized businesses, or even one-man bands, they likely do not have the deep pockets many larger organizations have. Not being able to timely collect income can make sustaining business operations all but impossible. With remote payment applications that are now available for mobile devices, collecting crucial revenue at a mobile point-of-sale is making collecting that is money easier.

We understand your desire to upgrade to a new computer, using the latest technology has its advantages. Although, upgrading because your old PC has "worn out" may be an inaccurate assessment. There are many reasons why a computer's performance slows down, but it is doubtful that hardware deterioration is a cause. This is because PC hardware is built to last.

Everybody has a weakness; Superman has Kryptonite, the Wicked Witch of the West had water, and the Death Star had a womprat-sized exhaust port. Character weaknesses make for solid storylines because they drive conflict. Your company has its own set of vulnerabilities that you may not know about, and unlike stories, conflict in business is not a good thing. Here are a few of the lesser known IT weaknesses, and what you can do to resolve them.

In business, the more ways that you can find to communicate your message to your customers, the further your reach will be, which will ultimately increase your bottom line. This reach-to-profit formula works even better when your communication tools are affordable and can save you operating expenses. A webinar is a great communications tool that will both save you money and make you money.

Remember being told as a kid that, "Nobody likes a know-it-all?" As an adult, while it is still true that nobody likes a braggart, it turns out that everybody loves an expert! Every professional is an expert within their field; and whenever a problem crops up that you may not be a know-it-all in, then you call in another expert.

Despite having more paperless solutions at our disposal, it looks like offices will always have the need for a printer. Maybe you are not quite ready to take the great paperless leap, but you can reduce the amount of resources and power consumed from using your printers with the help of a print server solution.

Even if you are using the best antivirus software available, sensitive company data can still be compromised by users falling victim to phishing scams. Phishing is a tactic where scammers trick users into giving out their personal information, usually through deceptive spam e-mails. Looking to fry bigger fish, scammers are trying their luck at whaling.

Until now, most tablets on the market only supported mobile operating systems, such as the Apple iPad or the Google Nexus 10. Even the Microsoft Surface tablet, released just a few months ago, uses a limited mobile version of Windows 8. In other words, while these devices have loads of great features and capabilities, it's not the same experience that you get from a laptop. The Surface Pro is the new exception.

If you are in the market to buy the smallest PC possible, that is also fully operational, then you will want to check out the new Edge Mini by Velocity Micro. Boasting a compact size of 1.6 inches thick, and with a length and width that is 4 by 4 inches, Velocity Micro may be well within their legal right to market the Edge Mini as, "The world's smallest desktop."

About the same time that the late six-term Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was proclaiming that the "internet is not something that you can just dump something on. It's not a big trunk. It's a series of tubes", a phenomenon that would transform the Internet was just starting to go mainstream. Virtual social networking, an idea that had been developed for the better part of a decade was swiftly starting to take a foothold on the web.

Have you ever closed an application and accidently hit 'Don't Save'? Poof. In one forgetful moment all of your progress is gone and your stomach turns into a giant knot. Before you go out and do something crazy, like forsake technology and modern civilization, you will first want to see if Windows was nice and automatically saved you a copy.

Do you consider yourself a person who likes to get down to the point? If this is your personality, then you likely have little patience replying to every e-mail in your inbox. To help speed things up, we have a Gmail tip that allows you to quickly reply to a specific point so that you can better make your point.

The Seinfeld Productivity Calendar is a simple way to coax you into accomplishing your goals in a very primal, if not OCD, kind of way. It's named after its creator, Jerry Seinfeld, who is known for much bigger things. Jerry Seinfeld is not only a sophisticated actor/comedian, but he also has a very interesting way to get things done.

With the widespread use of mobile devices in the workplace, more companies are questioning the relevance of their traditional IT infrastructure. Mobile devices take advantage of cloud computing, and every new generation of tablets and smartphones have productivity apps that can accomplish more tasks. Before you switch out your old technology, you will first want to consider the data needs of your business.

The evolution of Google from a search engine company renting a garage, to one of the largest companies on the planet, is a story that can truly boggle the mind. One cause of Google's growth is their investment in developing new technology. This is the case with the Google Spanner, which is a new technology designed to manage Google's growth.

Business growth is a double edged sword. It is great that you are increasing revenue, but you now have to deal with growing pains. These growing pains are often felt with your technology. Is your network cobbled together with random computers and your wires are one big tangle ball? Directive can help relieve these IT growing pains with network mapping.

The ramifications of social media have extended well beyond just a tool used to keep in touch with friends. From games, to advertising, to even aiding in the overthrow of Middle Eastern governments, social media has added a new and powerful dynamics to the way people use technology. For better or for worse, social media also adds new and interesting dynamics to the most social part of our lives, our families.

As your vacation winds down, the reality of being away for a week or two begins to sneak up on you. Knowing that you have a full inbox of back messages may put a damper on your relaxed mood. If you planned ahead, then you would have used an auto responder to automatically notify everyone that you were away.

In 2011, Ponemon Research surveyed 583 U.S. businesses and found that 90% of respondents reported that their company's computers had been breached at least once by hackers within the past year; 77% of these companies felt like they were attacked multiple times within the same year. If your SMB does not have any protection from hackers, then your sensitive data is at serious risk.

Facebook has recently achieved one billion active users. Being on top of the social media world comes with a price. Facebook has become one of the top 10 most hated companies in America, this according to a January 2013 study from news site 24/7 Wall St. This survey takes into account customer and employee satisfaction and, most of all, stock prices.

In today's digital age there are actually two of you. There is the flesh and blood you, that you are all-too-familiar with, and then there is the digital you, which amounts to a profile of yourself, compiled of data that is collected and exchanged by companies all over the internet. The worst part is how little you may know about your digital self.

Unless you are an English major, writing a well thought-out message without any spelling or grammatical errors can be a challenging task. There is not yet a technology that will transform a couple of bullet points into a detailed thesis paper, but Microsoft Word does include helpful tools that will improve the spelling and grammar for any aspiring writer.

Directive would like to welcome Kaler Carpenter to our content team. Kaler and his wife Laura moved to Oneonta, NY in 2009 in order to start a new church called The Redemption Movement. Originially from Missouri, Kaler and Laura met each other while attending Central Bible College in Springfield, MO. They have experience working with underprivileged teenagers. They are currently renovating an old storefront to launch their church on Good Friday.

If you never connected your PC to the internet, then you could get away with not updating any of your software. Do to the changing nature of the internet, new security threats are constantly attacking your computer. Internet browsers are your door to the internet and require constant updating in order to keep your PC protected from these threats.

There are several practices that you can do in order to keep your PC safe from computer viruses. Not visiting shady websites and keeping your antivirus program up-to-date are proven best practices; although, sometimes these practices are not enough. Sometimes hackers will find vulnerabilities in a trusted application and take advantage of them, this happened recently to Java.

It always feels a bit peculiar to come across a fax machine still being used in the modern office. With all of our digital advancements, the fax machine should have gone the way of the floppy disk. Contrary to common sense, it is estimated that there are 131 million fax machines still in operation around the world.

Which is worst, fingernails scraping down a chalkboard or slow internet? A person who would answer the former has likely never experienced internet speeds in excess of 1 Mbps. It is a proven fact that faster is better. Before you decide to complain to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or even switch providers, make sure that you are informed about what your internet speed is and should be.

Since the dawn of technical support, it has been a running cliche that when you need to call customer service, especially technical support, you are going to wait. And wait. It starts with a clunky automated phone system that sends you in circles, followed by a triathlon of phone hand offs where you answer a bunch of basic questions repetitively. Pretty annoying, right?

The smartphone market is possibly the most competitive in computing. It's no secret that Apple and Samsung are competitors. Earlier this year in California, a federal jury sided with Apple in a ruling that found Samsung infringed on software and design patents. When the two aren't duking it out in court, they are battling in the marketplace.

Technology can change in an instant. The popularity of mobile devises and tablets has grown exponentially in a very short amount of time. In fact, having a tablet, smartphone, laptop and desktop is not an unusual occurrence, especially for small and medium business owners who are, essentially, always on the clock. And so, it stands to reason that threats and security are also evolving along with technology.

There are dozens of PC tricks and procedures you can try in order to speed up a slow computer. Before you do something drastic like open your case and tinker around with the hardware, or reinstall your OS, or even call your friendly IT techs for a service call, you may first want to adopt these four PC practices that are guaranteed to boost your computer's performance.

In business, you will gladly take every advantage that you can in regards to communications. This is because better communications will positively impact everything you do. Switching your phones system from a traditional carrier to a Voice over IP (VoIP) internet solution will not only give your business a communications edge, but also save you 50-70% on your phone bill.