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In business, innovation and productivity go hand-in-hand. When you think outside the box, you open up new ways to get things done faster, smarter, and more effectively. In this month’s newsletter, we thought we’d discuss five innovative strategies to help your business reach new levels of productivity.
So you got a new computer for a holiday gift. That’s great! We’re excited that you’re excited. But you also need to consider how you are going to dispose of your old device and how to do so in a safe way. Today, we want to discuss how you can safely discard, or potentially even reuse, your old device so you don’t put your data at risk.
Business technology can sometimes seem like a hedonic treadmill: you maintain a baseline level of operation with your IT, but it will inevitably fail, leaving you in the tough situation of having to replace it. Today, we want to help you get ahead of the curve a bit with a technology needs assessment. We’ll discuss the benefits of a needs assessment, as well as what it focuses on both now and in the future.
The new year is generally associated with fresh starts and new opportunities. One opportunity that will continue to demonstrate and expand upon what it can do for businesses is the Internet of Things, also known as the IoT.
Let’s take a few moments to break down what the IoT is and—more importantly—what it can help you and your organization accomplish throughout 2025 and beyond.
While we all know how much magic the workshops up at the North Pole rely on to produce presents for the good children of the world, we have it on good authority that they also rely on quite a bit of technology. For instance, there are a lot of letters that need to be sorted and read before Santa’s big ride. Let’s read up on what our partners up north frequently deal with in their critical operations.
Artificial intelligence is the latest IT buzzword that everyone seems to focus on and it’s because it is a big deal. Advances in computing have created an environment where developers can create software that effectively learns. Unfortunately, due to the nature of AI regulation; or, the complete lack of it, there are some who are concerned that the technology—which could be a revolutionary tool for the improvement of human societies—is being degraded.
Have you ever searched for something on Google, played a game that remembers your high scores, or checked your Instagram messages? These apps feel smooth and efficient thanks to something called a Database Management System (DBMS) working quietly in the background. In this month’s newsletter, we’ll explore what a DBMS is, how it works, and why it’s essential for creating a seamless user experience.
Using AI is all the rage these days. Seemingly every opportunity software developers have to add some type of AI or machine learning technology into their offerings is being taken; not only for the benefits that it gives their customers, but also for the marketing clout it immediately provides. This month, we thought we’d go into some of the ways AI is helping create more dynamic software and if it really provides end user value or if it’s kind of a red herring used by developers to position their products better in a more competitive market.
Computer problems can be super frustrating, especially when they slow you down while working. Many times, it is something that can be fixed quickly, but then there are issues that an experienced IT professional has to address. Let’s take a look at some of the most common computer problems professionals run into.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has upended the way that we discuss technology in business, society, and individual everyday life. While we mostly focus on the benefits of the technology, there are many downsides to consider as well. That’s what we’d like to discuss today; how AI has a dark side to it that potentially requires regulation.
Downtime can be lethal to businesses, not only because too much can lead to failure, but it can easily waste a lot of your team’s time as everyone shifts gears to find a solution. This is why is it best to avoid it as often as possible.
That’s why we’re discussing three of the most prevalent causes of downtime, and what you can do to prevent them.
For the longest time, smartphone manufacturers looked to develop devices that came with unique features in all different manners of form factors. Nowadays, however, there are very few phone manufacturers and those that are left have pretty much decided, for now, what the smartphone would look like. Even the ones that fold in half look and function pretty much the same. In this week’s blog, we will take a look at the declining innovation in the smartphone market and why it may not be a bad thing.
One of the many tasks undertaken by the United Nations is to protect human rights around the globe while also working to create more sustainable and climate-friendly development. As such, the UN has recently taken a healthy interest in the development of artificial intelligence, hoping to develop guidelines that allow us to get the most value out of AI without creating more significant problems.
We all depend on the Internet. For most of us who have been using it since the mid-90s, we’ve seen a massive change in its use. Today, silent continuous connectivity has replaced the dial-up tones of the late 90s and early 2000s. In today’s blog, we thought we’d discuss how Internet connectivity speeds have changed over the past 30 years.
A business experiencing a network bottleneck is having a bad day, especially since the ability to share data is so important to many industries today. That said, today’s resource-intensive technologies can easily eat through an organization’s bandwidth and create these kinds of network slowdowns.
Let’s talk about what can be done to reduce these bottlenecks, if not eliminate them outright.
The tech we have at our fingertips has the potential to dramatically enhance our productivity, support a great deal of creativity, and improve a person’s overall quality of life. What happens when you don't use this technology to its full potential? The answer is simple: you lose out. Let’s take a look at some of the negative effects of not using tech to its fullest.
Your computer has a brain, of sorts, in its CPU… a tiny square that literally enables everything the device does, as it processes billions of instructions at a time. Of course, to support this on such a relatively tiny piece of hardware, most CPUs are packed with microscopic transistors—these transistors being small enough to fit hundreds on a single blood cell.
As you might imagine, this means things can go wrong pretty easily… and gone wrong, things have. Many newer computers are suffering from a bug that could cause permanent damage to the CPU… and if you don’t take steps fast, it could be too late.
A business has to have people who know how to balance its spending to cover its bases and keep the company healthy. For the small business it is often a matter of choices. In this month’s newsletter, let’s go through some of the ways that keeping it simple might just be the best strategy in terms of their technology.
There’s no doubt that data is valuable. It can improve many different aspects of a business, most notably operations, customer relations, and marketing. The more data you have, the more specific actions you can take to improve your business. But it can also be a real problem if you don’t have a plan for managing it. Let’s discuss some problems your data can present and how to avoid them.
Software fuels most businesses nowadays, even the small shops down the street. Depending on the size and scope of the business, however, managing software can be complex and downright unfun. Today, we want to highlight a type of tool that your business can find great value in: a software management solution.
No matter your industry, size, or business model, satisfying your customers is crucial. Your business' survival depends on your ability to do this effectively.
To achieve this, it is essential to leverage every opportunity to deliver for your audience. One way to do this is through modern business technology, such as customer relationship management (CRM). Let's explore what a CRM is and why it's beneficial.
Technology is an essential part of most business operations nowadays, regardless of the size of the business… and how that size may change over time. As such, it is essential that the infrastructure that supports this IT can adapt to these swells and declines.
Let’s discuss why it is so important that your IT infrastructure fits your business and a few best practices for tailoring it.
Do you have trouble keeping up with your email inbox? You’re not alone; business professionals all over the world struggle to get to the fabled “inbox zero.” If you want to change the way you manage your inbox for the better, you should consider the RAD method. It might just change your life.
The proposed ideas here come from Nick Sonnenberg, founder and CEO of Leverage.
Doing business using the cloud is now commonplace, but every business is different and needs to fit its IT infrastructure to its operational requirements. This is possible, but trying to fit a one-size-fits-all solution into a complicated operational structure will cause more harm than good. In this month’s newsletter, we wanted to give five general tips to consider when you want to deploy the cloud in your business.
Cloud computing has become a massive benefit for modern businesses, but every company has unique needs that require tailored technology solutions. A one-size-fits-all approach can be detrimental and leave you wasting money or worse—not getting the value out of your investments. In this month's newsletter, we offer five key tips for effectively deploying cloud services in your business.
Automation has been a hot-button issue in the business world over the past few years. Many business owners have tried to find ways to automate some of their operations, while workers wonder if this strategy develops as people in the know suggest it will, they could be out of a job. We think that automation is actually a massive benefit for organizations and workers alike. This month we will go through a few tools that small businesses can easily leverage to use automation to their advantage by taking a look at some of the tools that companies depend on.
Most businesses rely on their technology. However, a failure to manage that technology can lead to significant financial waste and operational inefficiencies. One major way a business can waste money is through over-investment in unnecessary or overly complex IT infrastructure. Let’s briefly examine how companies waste their money on technology and how to identify if technology is working for your business.
With little fanfare, the AI Wars have begun. When we say “war” we mean just that: a battle for the survival of tools designed to improve human productivity. To start we should rewind a little. Most new software platforms (and many, many established ones) have started to use “artificial intelligence” to improve their products, or at least improve the prospect of selling them. In this week’s blog we will discuss the increased prevalence of “AI” and how some of the largest names in computing have gone all in on the technology.
When someone mentions cookies, people start paying attention. Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodles… Browser? While Browser cookies aren’t the most scrumptious, they do need some attention. Nowadays, many websites you visit have a popup asking if they want to allow cookies for that site and knowing what you are agreeing to is important. In today’s blog, we will describe what cookies are, how they work, and why they can sometimes be better than cookies with chocolate chips.
Emerging technologies offer significant opportunities for businesses to achieve their goals. However, understanding how and when to leverage these technologies is crucial. One of the most rapidly advancing technologies today is artificial intelligence (AI). Yet, AI encompasses more than what one might initially think. Many of the most impactful business tools are powered by a branch of AI called machine learning (ML). This month's newsletter delves into machine learning, its mechanics, and its applications within a business context.
Big data is now a crucial resource for businesses of all sizes, including small enterprises. Today, businesses have unprecedented access to vast amounts of data, enabling them to make more informed decisions and operate more efficiently. This month’s newsletter explores how small businesses harness big data's power.
The past several years have brought about dramatic increases in internet speeds, further fueling online activity and allowing businesses to innovate in all kinds of ways. Here are five of the best benefits that these increased Internet speeds have brought about for small and medium-sized businesses.
Big data has become an invaluable asset, not just for large corporations but also for small businesses. Using the vast amounts of data your business creates to help you make more effective decisions is easier than ever. In this month’s newsletter, we’ll look at how small businesses are tapping into the power of big data:
Every business is looking to technology to enhance their ability to support their operations and provide a better customer experience. Maximizing the value you get from your technology involves a combination of optimizing usage, staying updated, and using the tools and resources you’ve chosen efficiently. Here are some strategies:
You can’t take two steps outside of your home or two mouse-clicks or screen-taps online without seeing something written or hearing someone talking about AI. This has created a situation where every business is claiming AI as a revolutionary tool and consumers, overwhelmed with the term, have begun to take the technology for granted. In today’s blog, we want to determine whether AI brings added value or is just a term used to help companies market their products.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a technology that enables phone calls over the Internet. It offers a modern alternative to traditional phone lines with various advantages, like cost savings and advanced features. VoIP is revolutionizing business communication and is an essential tool for today's organizations, particularly with the rise of remote work. Here's why it's so popular among modern businesses.
Business can get messy, particularly when variables outside your control are involved, which could spell doom for your organization. We’re talking, of course, about instances where your organization might be under a particularly large threat—instances where your data is at risk, which could jeopardize your future. Thankfully, there are options to mitigate this risk.
You might see encryption as a major benefit to your cybersecurity strategy, but it’s often used in a way that might have you guessing whether you really understand it. Let’s take a closer look into what encryption does to your data, as well as why it is essential for any business to ensure maximum privacy and security.
Business file sharing has become a daily routine. It's a crucial part of collaboration, communication, and overall productivity. However, with the rise of cyberthreats, file security is more important than ever. It's not just about sharing files but doing it securely and efficiently. Today, we'll look at some best practices for business file sharing.
Nowadays, finding a business that does not use technology in its everyday processes would be extremely challenging. That’s just how things are today. This technology also typically sees advances in capabilities and accessibility, particularly for the small and medium-sized business sectors. This year, 2024, seems poised to be no exception.
Firewalls are a mainstay of network security. At its core, the firewall acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks, such as the Internet. Its primary function is to monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Think of the firewall as a gatekeeper scrutinizing every packet of data that attempts to pass through. Let’s take a look at the different types of firewalls and some of their key functions.
Augmented reality is one of the more intriguing technologies that have come along in recent years, and businesses have begun to use it in pretty interesting ways. In today’s blog, we thought we’d go through three of the most popular and effective use cases of AR and the effect it can have on your business.
Ensuring that your organization's file-sharing policies and procedures are built to enhance security can significantly impact collaboration, distinguishing between efficient, streamlined processes and time-purging, wasteful practices. Navigating this terrain can be a challenge. Let’s explore several best practices your organization can adopt to optimize file-sharing.
More small and medium-sized businesses than ever are seeing AI's potential to transform their operations. However, like any technology, AI has its own set of pros and cons. Let's discuss three major advantages and drawbacks you can expect if using it in your business. Hopefully, it helps you make an informed decision about adopting AI.
There are many parts of running a business where you cannot be too careful, one of which is the realm of cybersecurity. Many of the preventative measures you can implement aim to keep issues from making their way to your infrastructure in the first place, which makes sense from an operational standpoint. With an endpoint detection and response solution—or EDR—you’ll take an important step toward keeping most threats off your infrastructure.
It isn’t easy to be a member of the workforce right now. While we won’t cover them in detail, plenty of stressors—related to and separate from the workplace—can easily impact an employee’s performance. As a result, it is often in your company’s best interest to invest in your team’s well-being, and one way to do this is by implementing and encouraging the use of different technologies.
Running a business has definite highs and lows. When things start spiraling seemingly out of control, it’s important to maintain the confidence that with the right decision-making and conscientious action, you can get through any problem that a business faces. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss some of the technology that can help you get through tough situations.
How can you know when your organization should upgrade its technology infrastructure? The truth is that it’s not always immediately obvious when you should do so, as there are countless factors in play to consider at any given time. Today, we want to help your business determine when to bite the bullet and upgrade your technology.
As necessary as technology is in modern business operations, a variety of common IT-related obstacles must be overcome for your efforts to succeed. Fortunately, partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) can make these obstacles less “mountain” and more “molehill.” Let’s examine some of the most often seen business technology challenges and discuss how a relationship with an MSP helps alleviate them.
Most businesses need to confront IT innovation, as technology moves pretty fast. If you don’t have a plan to at least consider the technology, you could be easily left in the dust. In this month’s newsletter, we will discuss some pretty transformative technologies that are evolving quickly and can help your business improve its overall innovation.
Small businesses are presented with the challenging prospect of monitoring and policing various IT-related policies that you might have for your network infrastructure and workplace technology use. The difficulty of this notion does little to lessen its importance, however. You need to take action to protect your assets, data, and reputation from the countless threats out there, and ensuring that your employees are properly using technology is paramount to this endeavor.
In business technology, automation reigns supreme, especially for tedious tasks that offer little to the individual performing them. Remote management epitomizes such tasks, and strategic automation can greatly enhance organizational productivity. Let’s examine how automation can help you stay proactive.
Are you paying attention to where you spend your IT dollars and whether or not you are making the most of your budget? It’s important to assess your needs before making any major technological purchase, including the goals, challenges, and pain points you are trying to solve. With the right approach, you can increase the value you get out of your IT—particularly with the following strategies.
Do you have employees who struggle with their technology? Chances are that there will always be individuals who are not as proficient with it as you might expect, and without a dedicated IT resource to ask for assistance, they might get frustrated and disengage with their work. You need to provide the right support to your employees, and you’re in luck; we have just the right solution to your problems: a help desk!
You’ve probably heard of augmented reality by now. If you are a fan of sports on TV, especially. Every time your favorite team faces a 4th and 1, the lines that you may take for granted on the field is AR. It augments the image with overlays of information that makes what you are looking at more immersive. As businesses continue to evolve, integrating augmented reality can be a game-changer. Let's explore four compelling ways in which augmented reality can work wonders for businesses.
Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) are incredibly important elements of any successful business, as without them, you’re just one disaster away from a world-shattering wake-up call. We take a strategic approach to data backup and disaster recovery that considers your daily data backup needs while recognizing its long-term benefits. Let’s discuss how you can ensure that your business can use BDR to survive any potential threat the world throws at it.
PDF, which stands for Portable Document Format, is a type of file that business professionals are all too familiar with. While most are aware of and appreciative of this file type, they likely are not aware of some of the more fun and useful features afforded to them. Let’s explore just what PDFs are capable of, including how to make and edit them.
Did you watch the big game this year? Chances are that if you did, you got to witness all of the spectacles that the event had to offer, including a lot of technology that enriched the experience, whether you realize it or not. The National Football League has implemented emerging technologies that have helped solve persistent challenges over the years. Let’s explore some of these technologies.
From smartphones to laptops and everything in between, our devices are constantly exposed to dirt, dust, and germs. Keeping your technology clean ensures a longer lifespan for your devices and promotes a user’s health. Today, we'll explore four practical tips to help you keep your technology clean and functioning at its best.
Video conferencing has really taken off in recent years, due in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced remote work on most businesses worldwide. However, businesses see the benefits of video conferencing, and it has now cemented itself as a go-to communications solution for all businesses. Today, we want to discuss how to make virtual meetings and video conferencing more productive and more engaging.
Whether you know how it works or not, your business has an internal network that connects all of its computing infrastructure and resources. Today, we want to take a moment to demystify some of the common networking equipment you might have on-premises and what it all does to contribute to your business’ continued success.
The web is filled with all types of content, and depending on where you live, it can be regulated by a myriad of organizations from all sections of society. From internationally recognized trade organizations to governments to industry regulators, there are a lot of moving parts in data regulation as it now stands. That leads to people wanting more control over data and censorship. Let’s take a look at cyber censorship and how it's a bigger issue than you might think.
SMBs tend to rely on their longstanding clients to bring in the majority of their revenue, so what happens when clients suddenly cannot trust your business’ reputation? Look no further than if you were to suffer from a cyberattack for an answer. It turns out that being careless with your clients’ data is one of the best ways to sink your reputation.
Small businesses, like any other organization, need to protect various types of data to ensure the security and privacy of their operations. The specific data that needs protection may vary depending on the nature of the business, industry regulations, and the types of transactions or customer interactions. Today, we thought we would go through some common data types that small businesses typically need to protect.
Businesses will often go into the process of self-improvement with unrealistic expectations for how much they can significantly improve their functionality. This simply is not true, and sometimes business owners need to realize that real change—the kind that yields real results—takes time. Thankfully, there are some actionable steps you can take to ensure that your business is moving in the right direction.
There are rules for doing business that most people understand. That status quo has been around for a long, long time, but as technology advances, it does more than connect parts that weren’t connected before; it can break down some of the old notions about the ways businesses are run and give people who think outside the box a leg up going forward. Let’s look at three ways business leaders are innovating how they do business.
Maintaining data security is an important consideration, and most people try to do what they must to secure their personal data. They verify emails; they roll out antivirus and antimalware; they take vigilant steps to avoid the myriad of threats and active attacks we all deal with from one day to the next.
Businesses have a lot of stressful things going on at any given moment, especially when timelines and deadlines are considered. You have projects that you need to complete for your customers and employees who need to be paid on time, and you would be hard-pressed to find a situation for your organization that isn’t under some sort of time crunch. How can you use technology to make sure that these timelines are met? Let’s go over some solutions.
It’s always exciting when you can expand your business’ influence with a new location, but this excitement brings with it all kinds of complications. There’s always something, whether it’s the technology for the new location or the logistics surrounding the opening. Let’s look at how you can make sure that technology is not the thing that holds your business back from opening a new location.
As conditions within your business change, it’s likely that your plans might need to change before their end results come to fruition. The decisions you made last fiscal year, or even last quarter, might no longer be relevant due to the rapid pace of evolution that happens with business technology. Let’s go over how you can get the appropriate technology solutions for your business without falling behind.
With the blockchain growing more popular as a technology, we thought it would be good to discuss how it works and why you should be aware of it. The zeitgeist often portrays it as a nefarious tool used by cryptocurrency and scams, but at its core, it is far from this; in fact, the applications of such a decentralized and transparent technology make it ideal for certain tasks. Let’s explore them.
Effectively managing the multitude of devices in a contemporary office is a big job. The challenge lies in meticulous oversight of each device, identifying users, and observing patterns of usage. If your technology assets are not currently being tracked, it is a good idea to implement some way of monitoring those systems. The adoption of an inventory management system presents a more efficient and streamlined approach to address this challenge.
Managing the large number of devices in a modern office requires effective tracking and monitoring. The challenge lies in keeping tabs on each device, identifying users, and monitoring usage patterns. If your technology isn't currently being tracked, it's important to start doing so. The implementation of an inventory management system offers a more efficient and streamlined approach to this task.
Laptops have emerged as the predominant workstations in the business landscape. While laptops offer unparalleled convenience, their batteries seem to be on a perpetual decline in terms of performance. This phenomenon is influenced by various factors, and the extent of battery life problems can differ based on hardware or circumstances. Today, we take a look at some of the reasons why laptop batteries aren’t performing as well as users expect.
There are significant benefits to be had by businesses that choose to seek out IT services and assistance from a managed service provider like us. We’re very aware that our word isn’t going to be super convincing on its own, of course, so let’s review what a managed service provider can do and how working with us can help your business.
Laptops have become the most utilized workstations in business. Laptops are great, but their batteries are seemingly getting worse all the time. This is influenced by several factors, and it can vary significantly depending on the specific model and usage patterns, but we thought we’d go through some of the reasons why laptops seem to die quickly.
While it’s true that technology has become essential for businesses, organizations still often grapple with various technology issues that can impact how they do business. Many times organizations get turned around and it can cause some aspect of their IT to be problematic for them. Today, we look at five common technology issues that businesses frequently face.
Did you know that a lot of technology investments go over budget or don’t necessarily provide the return that was intended? With technology playing such an important role in business, getting the right technology to fit your business is critical to your efficiency efforts. It’s not always as easy as identifying features in a huge software profile or using the cloud for everything. In today’s blog, we offer five useful tips to help you make informed decisions about your business’ technology.
The modern business technology market is filled with exciting innovations, but one area that doesn't quite capture the imagination is data backup. Perhaps backup is not the most thrilling topic, but nevertheless, the growing demand for enhanced data security and redundancy in businesses is driving developers to push the boundaries of the technology, creating more advanced features to meet the growing demand for redundancy. Today, we take a look at three intriguing features of these emerging data backup solutions.
We’re at a weird point in the technology world (but honestly, when is it not at least a little convoluted?). Right now, modern technology has been slowly shifting between a few different technologies and consumers and businesses are stuck in the middle trying to figure out what to do and how to future-proof their hardware investments.
Many businesses in Oneonta and around the surrounding area are still using phone systems that are outdated and therefore hinder their capabilities and growth potential. Cloud-hosted VoIP—Voice over Internet Protocol—is a much better option for businesses to utilize, with many benefits to make the switch a no-brainer for our fellow organizations.
