Directive Blogs

What’s the best way to preserve your important files for years to come? Questions like this are being asked more frequently in our data-driven society. Here are some best practices when it comes to long-term data storage.

Entertainment has grown so synonymous with smartphones and technology that it’s almost impossible to think about these innovations without considering their entertainment value. Virtual reality augmentation, while slightly different, is an emerging technology that brings elements of virtual space to the lives of everyday users. So, how does virtual reality work, and can it be used for more than just entertainment purposes?

If you use Google Chrome as your browser of choice, you know that Chrome’s extensions provide a certain level of versatility. Basically, they’re add-ons to your browser, which can perform a number of functions. They’re mostly used for enriching your browsing experience or adding new features to your browser that might not be available on other platforms. Here are four useful browser extensions to help you get the most out of Chrome.

We’ve all had those moments where you desperately need a WiFi signal. Without one, how will you check your email? If you have a PC with a wireless card, you can take advantage of Connectify to turn your PC into a WiFi repeater, effectively extending your hotspot’s signal. With everyone looking to take advantage of wireless technology, a WiFi signal is necessary; so here’s how to make it a little better.

When was the last time you let your phone’s battery die on you? Due to the takeover of mobile technology in the workplace, smartphones have basically become inseparable from their owners, particularly the ever-busy business owner. Despite the imperative role that smartphones have in the workplace, you should know that there are several battery myths that might be holding you back from achieving maximum efficiency with your device.

Who’s excited about the release of Windows 10 on July 29th? We sure are! After all, Microsoft’s new OS provides features and improvements that have many users planning on upgrading as soon as possible. However, as cool as Windows 10 looks to be, we don’t recommend that businesses blindly upgrade.

If you’re in the market for a new computer, then you’re going to have to make a decision: Go with a traditional hard drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). While a computer equipped with an HDD will cost you less money, an SSD promises to faster speeds and a longer lifespan. This begs the question, is SSD worth the extra money?

In part one, we provided an overview of Microsoft’s newest foray into mobile computing and how they’ve finally arrived after years of trying to implement a mobile strategy. In this part, we will provide you with specific technology that your business can potentially employ to utilize Windows-based tablets to improve your organization’s mobility.

In 1965, the technological landscape was much different from what we see now. The idea of having a small computer in your pocket in the form of a smartphone was but a distant dream. Now, it’s commonplace for all but the youngest of children to have a smartphone. How is this possible? Well, it’s all thanks to Moore’s law, which has led the development of new technology for the past 50 years.

Smartphones and tablets are the new norm. Most professionals have begun to utilize mobile devices to accomplish tasks when they are away from their work PC. Not to say that these devices offer all that much in the way of productivity. Sure, there are plenty of software titles either ported over from the PC or developed directly for the mobile environment, but sometimes these titles don’t offer the functionality, or they take up too many of the device’s resources to be of much use. With these variables to consider, manufacturers are searching for the best way to deliver devices with enhanced productivity capabilities, right out of the box. One of these manufacturers is Microsoft.

A whole lot of technical training is what separates an average PC user from the IT technician servicing their malfunctioning computer. We know a lot about how technology works, and this knowledge is no guarded secret. In fact, we’re happy to share it with you.

If you shell out for brand new office equipment, you’ll naturally expect it to perform better than your older machines. Sometimes the age of your network hardware isn’t the only problem affecting your network’s performance. More often than not, network bottlenecking could be the issue at hand.

When you’re in an electronics store searching for the perfect cable for your new piece of hardware, you’re going to find yourself wondering what the difference is between the cheap cables, and premium cables. How can you determine whether or not you need premium cables?

Email is such a staple of the modern office that it might seem like even the mention of a world without it is ludicrous. Others, however, feel like their inbox is keeping them from pushing toward bigger and better things. Email might hold a special spot in our hearts, but realistically, does it stand a chance in the future?

Communications solutions are vital to the functionality of your business. Amongst several other necessities, your telephony solution stands head and shoulders above the rest as one of the most important. Are you still using a legacy phone system? If so, you should consider switching to a VoIP system.

With Windows 10 on the horizon, you would think that users would flock toward Microsoft’s newest OS, Windows 8.1. However, this simply hasn’t been the case. If anything, Windows 7 has grown more popular while Windows 8 and 8.1’s sales have plateaued.

With the failure of Google Glass, some people are questioning the effectiveness of wearable technology. However, a new form of smart technology might turn things around for it. At the Kaspersky Labs Security Analyst Summit, it was proposed that embedding technology in the human body might be one of the more viable ways to take advantage of smart technology.

You can’t have IT without information, you can’t have information without data, and technology is what creates data so that you can better use your company’s technology to increase sales. Got it? Understanding the flow of data can be confusing. It’s important to have a handle on it so you can leverage your data for the success of your business.

Sometimes the reason for not taking advantage of more complex features in programs is that they take multiple steps to complete. For those deterred from these features or functions, Microsoft Outlook has a Quick Steps feature that takes the pain out of multiple-step processes and reduces it to the click of a button.

Microsoft’s latest Office application, MS Sway, is looking to make some big changes to the way professionals display presentations. Designed as a cross-platform content aggregation tool, Sway is capable of creating and sharing dynamic web-based presentations that are just bold enough to catch the eye. How is Microsoft Sway looking to change the way businesses present information?

Have you ever been so mad at your crummy printer that you referred to it as a piece of excrement? Well, it turns out that printers and toilets have more in common than you may have thought.

One telling sign of how far we’ve come as a society is the selfie. What’s a selfie you ask? Not only is the selfie a real thing, but it’s a legitimate word. According to the Oxford Online Dictionary, a selfie is, “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.” Aiding in the popularity of selfies is the rise of selfie technologies, such as these three examples.

Are your employees trained to answer the phones in a helpful and professional manner? If you're not intentional about this, calls made to your company will be fumbled, notes will be scribbled on paper, and clients will lose confidence in your business. One way to really impress callers is to equip your staff with phone features allowing them to know pertinent information about a client before they answer the phone.

During the broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX, Coca-Cola premiered a bold new commercial meant to inspire viewers, make the world (wide web) a happier place, and of course, sell Coca-Cola. To be sure, it was a monumental marketing effort, but for those of us in IT, we find it cringeworthy and must object to the commercial’s content.

When it comes to business communications technology, you don’t want to be caught using technology that’s outdated. Thanks to the innovations afforded to your company by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), you can have access to lots of game-changing telephone features that blow traditional phone systems out of the water. Has your business switched to the VoIP advantage?

We all know Microsoft PowerPoint as a great presentation tool which can help you drive information home to the audience. Naturally, this makes it a great medium for use in more than one type of professional environment. It can be used for webinars, lectures, and even the courtrooms; but is a legal trial really a place for a slideshow?

There’s no denying that computers have become a central figure in the rapid growth and success of Western culture. With it brings commentary. In the second half of the 20th century and the first decade-and-a-half of the 21st century, humans have turned to the motion picture to tell the stories they deem important and noteworthy. The growth of technology has not only presented us with our new lifestyle, it has virtually erased the lifestyle of our ancestors, and this revelation leads to fear.

We’re all aware of how the proliferation of mobile devices is changing the workplace, but let’s take an objective look at this trend. Are mobile devices changing the workplace for the better? Are employees actually using their personal devices to get more work done? Or, is the BYOD trend a bunch of hype and nothing’s really changed? Let’s find out.

Technology has come a long way since 2003. It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft dropped support for Windows XP, and in just a few short months, they’ll be dropping support for Windows Server 2003, as well. If your business is one of the many still utilizing this server operating system, you’ll want to make sure that you upgrade away from it before July 14th, 2015. Otherwise, you’ll be running without security patches or updates.

A few weeks ago, Microsoft presented several of their latest projects at a live event. As expected, there was a lot of focus put on the new Windows operating system, Windows 10, in addition to their in-development browser Spartan; but what we didn’t expect Microsoft to show off was a slew of brand spanking new consumer technologies.

What’s the best way to transfer your media files from your Windows PC to your Android mobile device? There are many different ways to go about this. One of the most-efficient-yet-often-neglected ways to sync your music is Windows Media Player.

Email has revolutionized the way we communicate, but in some cases it can be a dangerous distraction to productivity. This is especially true if your company is trying to maintain its own Exchange mail server. Does having email on the brain give you a headache? If so, you might consider looking into a hosted email Exchange solution from Directive.

The world’s largest terrestrial vehicle is the German-made bucket-wheel excavator known as “Bagger 293.” Used for open-pit mining, Bagger 293 hulks over the landscape at a length of 722 feet, and a height of 310 feet (twice the size of the Statue of Liberty). As a bonus, this beast-of-a-machine is made more ferocious thanks to remote technology.

Technology is getting more powerful, but have you considered where all of that power comes from? Not many people actually take the time to understand how much energy their PC or workstation is using, but this could potentially be increasing your operating costs higher than they need to. Try taking the time to calculate your PC’s energy usage to get a feel for what your workstation is costing your business and the environment.

In addition to Microsoft’s upcoming new operating system, Windows 10, the software company has released that there is a new web browser in production. This new browser, code-named “Spartan,” is expected to have similar functionality to Mozilla’s Firefox and Google Chrome, and will be released alongside Windows 10.

Much of the time, malware is disguised as downloads or other less-obvious entities. Normally, you wouldn’t have any way of knowing it is malicious until it’s too late, but new features in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari might change the way we protect ourselves from online threats.

Since the dawn of the Internet, email has been that thing you love to hate. Email was meant to be a dynamic tool capable of replacing the odd fax machine and postal mail. Today, some workers dread even opening their inbox due to how much time they have to invest in it. Some might even wonder if there’s a better way to go about their work day.

It’s no secret that Android devices are omnipresent in the mobile market. However, they have a flaw which some people might not even have realized is there: The lack of a recycle bin for deleted files. Because of this, any files you want to delete from your device will be lost forever upon deletion (though you might be able to ask the NSA for a hand finding them). Thankfully, there’s a fix to this issue with an application called Dumpster.

A technology-based parody of the classic Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens.

Once upon a time, in a land not much different from this one, there lived a business owner. His name was Scrooge. He wasn’t an unlikable fellow; jolly and cheerful at any glance, his smile could light up the darkness in anyone’s life. Yet, when the winter months arrived, and a chilled wind blew across the land, so too did a fell gust freeze his heart. It was time to figure out why his systems were hacked (again), and he knew it would be an expensive endeavor. How he hated managing his IT.

An IT parody song to the tune of “Santa Baby.”

For those with weak stomachs, it’s not recommended to go back and read an email that was just sent. In doing so, a spelling or grammar error is likely to be found, which will cause one’s stomach to turn and fill with regret. If only there was a do-over button. Thanks to the new app called Pluto Mail, there is one.

The holidays are again upon us and if you are looking for the perfect gift for your favorite business professional, you don’t have to look too far. There are more consumer electronics available today than ever before, and most of them have some sort of novelty attached to them. We have made a list of four gifts that are not only cool, they serve a practical purpose and will probably avoid being re-gifted or recycled.

What’s the technology in your office like? There’s a pretty good chance that at least some of the equipment you’re using may be obsolete. To find out if you’re using any obsolete technologies, let’s take a stroll down the Museum of Obsolete Objects and see what they’ve got on display.

Ten years ago, the world was a different place. In the technology world, Gmail was first introduced, and North Korea banned mobile phones. But while North Korea banned them, just south across the country’s border was the ITU Telecom Asia expo in Busan, South Korea, where the future of the mobile phone was bright. How did they think the cell phone of the future would pan out?

This holiday season, upon witnessing the aftermath of opening exchanged presents, you may look across the sea of wrapping paper strewn across your living room and say to yourself, “There’s just way too much paper in my life right now.” If one of those boxes contains a digital scanner, then you’ve got everything you need to take back your life from the throngs of paper.

A lot of people have a car charger for their smartphone, and it’s easy to understand why. A smartphone can be the link between you and your business. But did you know that you have a lot of other, more obscure (and more interesting) choices for phone chargers?

One would assume that being an officer in the military would require the ferociousness of a warrior and the mental fortitude to make split-second life-saving decisions on the battlefield. Surprisingly, in today’s modern military, there’s one skill that’s valued above the ability to fight: Microsoft PowerPoint proficiency.

Windows 10, the next big Microsoft’s Windows operating system, has a lot to live up to, and enterprises have had the chance to experiment with the technical preview for the past month. While the operating system will still be in development for the better part of next year, some professionals are forming opinions of what to expect from it. From the technical preview, what do businesses think of Windows 10 so far?

IT support is heavily reliant upon communication between both parties involved. Without both sides being on the same page, IT support miscommunications are far more likely to happen. Sometimes you just can’t help but laugh at poor communication skills, as seen in the 2001 movie Zoolander. But thankfully, these situations don’t arise too often in the non-fictional universe… right?

All operating systems change over time, and upgrades are eventually made available. But in light of Windows 10, Windows Threshold, or whatever their new OS’s final incarnation is going to be called, one has to wonder if Microsoft has ever considered free upgrades to the Windows operating system family tree.

Apple is back with another iPhone! The Silicon Valley-based hardware and software manufacturer has released the new versions of their extremely popular iPhone series of devices. The two-headed approach that Apple took with their second incantation of the iPhone 5 (the 5s and 5c), is replicated this time out as well. After being surpassed by Samsung over the past two years, does the iPhone 6 and its larger version, the iPhone 6+, have what it takes to get Apple back on top?

Automation is an increasingly sought-after convenience in the workplace, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks. Some professionals foresee a world which has fully automated assembly lines, but most are only concerned about what this can do for their assets. Instead of freeing up menial positions for others to take on more meaningful existences, could automation destroy these jobs completely?

The news is out; what was previously thought to be Windows 9, codenamed “Threshold,” has been revealed to be Windows 10. While leaks have already shown us quite a bit of what the latest installment of Windows can do, the official reveal goes into more detail about the nature of Windows 10 for enterprises and even common users. First, let’s go over what we already know about the enigmatic new operating system, then we’ll get into the juicy new details.

Well, now that we've got your attention, it's a good time to mention that leaked photos and a video of what may be Windows 9, currently called Threshold, have been leaked to the web. As the next entry in the Windows family of operating systems, it has been highly anticipated since the return of a Start menu was displayed in April 2014. Microsoft has a lot of ground to cover after Windows 8, but will Windows 9/Threshold deliver?

Across the country kids are hopping on buses and heading back to school. Schools sure have changed and classes aren't quite the same as they used to be. Perhaps the most important thing about these changes has been the classes available for the kids. In fact, some schools have started teaching children how to code, and France is next on the list.

There have been a lot of complaints against the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, and finally, another prominent service provider has spoken out against it. Dish Network has expressed their dismay over the cable juggernauts' union in a very long, in-depth petition aimed at convincing the Federal Communications Commission to shoot down the merger before it destroys cable provider competition.

You may have noticed last week that the Internet was having some trouble with its operating speeds, but now we know for sure why. The root of the problem lies in Tier 1's Internet routers' Border Gateway Protocol routing tables, which have exceeded their maximum size, and has brought about the failure of these routers to operate at maximum speed. 

The battle between iOS and Android operating system enthusiasts has been a long and bloody affair with plenty of third-party casualties (sorry Blackberry), but did you know that you might be able to tell a lot about someone just by looking at their smartphone?

Desktop virtualization isn't necessarily a new subject, but it is something that has been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it's easy to understand why. Instead of keeping your desktop in physical form on your computer, it's becoming more reliable to just keep it safe and secure on a hosted server. This takes care of most physical problems that computers often deal with, such as a sudden crash or old age.

Over the past few years, we've seen a revolution in the computer market as mobile device sales skyrocketed and PC sales slumped. If this trend were to continue for just a few more years, PCs would have possibly become extinct. However, as is the case with any trend, it appears things in the computer world may be normalizing.

Google's not just good for scouring the Internet for cat videos and funny memes. Google X, with a new project called Baseline, is now looking to study the makeup of the human body, which they are hoping will be able to prevent disease and foster a more healthy existence for individuals around the world.

Any user of the latest mobile technology may have noticed their device running a little hot. In normal circumstances, a device that's warm to the touch is nothing to be concerned about. Although, there are documented cases where a device in perfectly good working order overheats and goes kablooey!

It's summertime, and the living's easy... unless you're a small business owner. The heat and great weather is the perfect excuse to take off for a while and use that vacation time you've been saving up. But if you're still worried about leaving your business behind, the mobile technology of a tablet can help you keep in contact and still enjoy your vacation.

Every new technology comes with optimism that it will better the future. Take for example gunpowder. Invented in the Ninth Century, Chinese alchemists created it while searching for an elixir of immortality. Twenty years ago, the early adopters of the Internet had the same optimism about how this new tech would make the world a nicer place.

Business is on the move. There is no argument from industry professionals that more business is done on the go today than ever before. A big part of this upward trend in mobile computing is the proliferation of smartphone technology to boost productivity. The capabilities of these devices have increased to the point where any worker can accomplish a cursory amount of work.

Windows XP is a product that has consistently performed well for Microsoft and it continues to see growth, even though it's not supposed to. With its support ending this past April, Windows XP was supposed to never be heard from again. Instead, XP is refusing to go quietly into the night by posting positive usage numbers for June 2014.

3D Printing is something that has been talked about for years, but has finally become a reality. No longer do we have to deal with flat, lifeless images printed out of ink-wasting printers and machines - but, do we know what kind of impact this new innovation will have on several industries around the world?

Can you imagine a world where language isn't a barrier? Humanity would be able to achieve some crazy things, like perhaps rocketing a skyscraper into outer space! With every passing year, new technology innovations like Skype Translator chip away at the language barrier, making one bright and coherent future!

If you have yet to upgrade away from Windows XP for some reason, you might want to think twice about upgrading to Windows 7. Microsoft has cautioned users about the end of mainstream support for several of its products within the next six months, and the popular operating system is one of them.

Technically speaking, it needs to be 158°F for a raw egg to become firm. The summer heat doesn't get that hot, but outdoor objects like sidewalks and car hoods that come in contact with it can. Thus the phrase, "It's so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk!" When it's hot outside, you need to keep your server units cool inside.

You've heard about how bad a computer crash can be. You may have even experienced a crash yourself, but are you familiar with the technical reason behind a crash? A crash happens when the tiny pieces of a hard disk drive stop working by crashing into each other at very high speeds. When this happens, the data on your computer is lost.

The new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is out and Microsoft is hoping that they have a winner on their hands. It's a sweet piece of technology, to be sure, with a 12-inch screen and a Core i3 processor for the base model, but, like previous Surface models, it's unlikely to experience the same level of success as Apple's iPad. Why is this?

The world is growing ever more mobile. We used to rely on landline telephones for communication, but portable cell phones have revolutionized the way that we communicate with each other. The fact that they can now connect to the Internet completely changes everything once again. While some people tend to use them for random games such as Candy Crush Saga and Words with Friends, the smartphone is particularly valuable for a small business owner.

Mobile computing is literally everywhere; and, yes, that's the point of the technology. The mobile computing boom has presented major retailers with the opportunity to begin offering smartphones and tablets. The world's largest online retailer, Amazon, is the next company to launch a mobile device platform, by offering their new "Fire" smartphone, CEO Jeff Bezos announced on June 18th.

Anyone who has been following the recent trends in technological growth will come to the conclusion that mobile technology is more popular, and has taken its rightful place at the head of the pack. 2014 may see even more drastic shifts toward the mobile revolution, cementing its place as the preferred mode of computing.

Two of the latest trends in business culture are environmentally friendly green campaigns and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work environments. There are a few ways that a BYOD system can contribute to the success of your company's green campaign, as they both seek to use technology to increase everyday efficiency at the office.

Installing a VPN solution is perhaps the best move you can make to ensure the security of your network, and the files that it transports. Whether you send files between your workplace and home or to remote locations around the globe, VPN can help ensure their safety. What exactly is VPN, and why should your company be using it?

Ten years ago, the idea of not using a mouse to navigate through a computer was an idea only found in science fiction movies. With the introduction of tablets and touchscreen technology, our little handheld friends are feeling left out. Is the death of the computer mouse in our near future?