Directive Blogs

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.

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 majority of today’s more conscientious shoppers will check out the consumer reviews of the device as well as the detail specifications before purchasing a product.  Just because it’s pretty and all their friends at school have one, doesn’t always mean that it is the best value for your money.  Still, we rarely consider: Do review sites and vendor release notes tell the whole story? Is this device really better because of its price tag or big name brand? There is a widely underused but extremely valuable resource online where customers can gain a little more perspective. This is called the product "teardown”.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Everybody wants to go paperless, but few people actually want to sit in front of their PC for hours scanning piles of paperwork. If scanning papers was more convenient, then surely more people would go paperless, this is the logic behind the Doxie scanner. Doxie is a portable scanning solution that lets you scan anything from anywhere.

The new Windows 8 OS has received strong reviews on performance, and complaints in regards to the new interface. The main gripe is that the new tile layout is too different than the older versions of Windows, due in no small part to the lack of a start button. Leave it to third party software developers to build a solution.

(To the tune of: Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

No need to watch out
Techs are standing by
There's no need to pout
Remote help via Wi-Fi
Your MSP will know when you're down

With the holiday season upon us, there is no better time to than the present for tech savvy consumers to find the hottest new technology. The ChargeCard may just be that. Cords can be inconvenient, mobile device cases do not have room for your charging cord, and cords do not fit inside pockets very well. You may even have to carry a bag just for your cord. A new product called ChargeCard takes care of this issue by allowing you to charge your iPhone with a card that fits inside your wallet.

Even if you've never used an iPhone, you've probably heard of Siri, Apple's personal virtual assistant. Siri is one-part novelty, one-part geekiness, and actually pretty productive. She can answer questions for you, facilitate many features of the iPhone, and report notifications and updates to you. For those of us who love our Android devices over Apple's iOS, Siri makes us just a little jealous, that is until now.

With all this talk about mobile devices like tablets, smartphones, and ultra-portable laptops, you'd begin to think that traditional desktop PCs are going to seem archaic. Depending on your needs, that can be the case, but desktops aren't going away anytime soon, and for good reason.

It's the information age. If you are always on the go, or you work as a member of a team, it helps if your work is accessible remotely. The ability to have relevant files on hand is nice and at times can be essential to the welfare of your business. Below are a few cloud-based options that could offer you or your company a solution for your remote file access needs.

Intel has been conducting experiments that would make electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla proud. Intel plans to get consumers charged up over their newest technology that will allow laptops to provide electricity to nearby smartphones without cables. Enough with the electricity puns - we're just ecstatic about this new technology!

We think this is something everybody can relate to. That computer or laptop that you bought a few years ago seemed very fast and capable when it was first set up, but these days it doesn't seem to have the same get-up-and-go. Why does performance degrade as time goes by?

CES, a massive consumer electronics tradeshow, always presents some neat new gadgets and doodads to ogle over, and this year was no exception. One of the biggest hits at the event this year was Samsung's Transparent Smart Window. Describing it doesn't do it justice, hit the jump to see a video of it in action!

For those who find themselves struggling with resizing windows and flipping between documents and getting lost in a sea of open applications on their desktop, connecting a second monitor to your workstation can double your screen real estate.

Business owners, this one is definitely for you. You've probably experienced the fact that shaving expenses here and there can lead to more flexibility and long-term savings, but at what cost? Are you limiting your company by nixing those extra services and costs? Sometimes you can get more and still save money. Let's look at a few ways Upstate New York businesses can do just that.

Ever notice how much faster a brand new computer is compared to an older one? Think back... was your computer as slow as it is today as it was a few years ago when you first got it? How did you tolerate that back then? It turns out your computer actually gets slower over time, but to contrast that new computers are getting faster, cheaper, and more energy efficient. Computers aren't designed to last forever, and this isn't on purpose; general day-to-day usage and time give computer components a good thrashing. So why is your computer slow? Here are some Directive secrets about why your old computer struggles to keep up with you.

Ever since we've been providing tech support for small businesses in Upstate New York, we've seen countless blue screen of deaths. If you've been using PCs for a while, you've probably seen this ominous screen. You'll be working and for apparently no reason your computer monitor will go deep blue and display white error text and the only way to get back to work is by rebooting your computer. What causes this error, and what does it mean, and what should you do if you encounter one?

RAID, you hear it everywhere. From the techs in the server room talking about it to computer manufacturers asking if you want a RAID formation for your computer's hard drive. Not all RAID configurations are considered equal. Here's an explanation of RAID formats in plain English.

For a small or midsize business, technology budgets are naturally fairly slim. It goes without saying that a company needs to get the best bang for their buck with their IT infrastructure, and it's not uncommon to see workstations and other devices still in play years after their prime. This leads to underperforming technology, which in turn, limits what your bottom line can accomplish (remember, your team is only as good as your worst player). Some small businesses are approaching technology in ways that would normally be reserved for HR's interactions with employees, but they are finding that this can improve performance.

When can a single dust particle lead to thousands of dollars worth of damage (or more)?

The answer is when your data isn't backed up. Today we're going to talk about just how fragile your data's very existence can be.

Is your computer's speed (or lack there of) stressing you out? Intel sponsored a survey and found that computer users experience stress while waiting for their sluggish workstation to respond. They found that 51 percent of adults surveyed said they have done something 'uncharacteristic' out of frustration while waiting for something to load, and of those, 29 percent admit to banging on their keyboard and computer screen. The survey may sound fairly comical, but humans don't like unexpected waiting, especially when we're trying to meet deadlines and get work done. It's a pretty fair assumption to say slow technology is stressful.

Fortunately, there are a few steps that can be taken that will likely give your workstation a little boost, at least closer to where it was when it was first unboxed.