Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

Network security is complicated, especially for small businesses who might not have a top-down security professional on staff to keep tabs on everything. You can make security a lot easier for your business with a modern firewall. The firewall is a crucial tool that all businesses, whether big or small, should implement. Here are the four key security features of the modern cybersecurity strategy and why they are essential for the ongoing digital security of your business.

It’s been said several ways, but it’s true that small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. They are the local diner serving up comfort food and the hardware store that has everything you need. Unfortunately, there's a growing, insidious threat looming over these vital enterprises, a digital assailant that's becoming increasingly sophisticated: ransomware.

Ransomware, for those unfamiliar with this digital menace, is a type of malicious software that blocks access to your computer systems or encrypts your files, demanding a ransom payment—often in cryptocurrency—to restore access. It’s something the iconic character Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies would unleash; with a pinky-up “Riiiiight” in tow.

Data is, in its most pure form, knowledge that has been collected for use by your business. It’s not unlike a library in this way..but even libraries can crumble into dust, given enough time, as is evidenced by the Library of Alexandria. Despite its every attempt to overcome cultural prejudices and collect information on ancient civilizations, it still fell—and all its information along with it.

Your IT infrastructure is just like your car; it’s easy to put off maintenance when everything is going well, but the second your dashboard lights up, you know your wallet is in for a hurtin’. You don’t need this kind of stress in your life—for both your car and your IT—and the solution is simpler than you might think.

At a time when artificial intelligence is the biggest technology-based trend going, and while more and more people are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, there is a question on how the two fit together for workers in different industries. The impact of AI could go many different ways, with many wondering if it will be a solution for businesses that are looking to reduce their expenses (by replacing workers).

When you hear about the dark web, you might picture extremely shadowy figures and illicit dealings going down. While that's part of it, for businesses, the dark web is a real threat: it's where your stolen data is shared and sold. In cybersecurity, this means understanding the hidden currents of the Internet, not just what's visible on the surface. Today, we will take a look at the dark web and why monitoring it is a good idea.

It sure seems that, very suddenly, artificial intelligence is everywhere you look… including many of the tools that are available for your business to use and—most likely—the ones you are already using. It can certainly be intimidating, to say the least. Have these kinds of feelings prevented you from incorporating these tools and capabilities into your workflows?

That would be a very fair reaction to the influx of promises that AI seems to come with, which is why we wanted to hit the reset button, so to speak. Let’s get back to basics and talk about some simple benefits that AI-empowered tools can bring to your small or medium-sized business right now.

How often do you think about the amount of downtime your business suffers and how much it’s costing you in lost profits and productivity? Estimates show that SMBs lose somewhere between $427 and $8,000 PER HOUR of downtime. Instead of dealing with downtime, we recommend an approach called proactive maintenance.

We’re continuing our series for Mac users who are new to the world of Windows, whatever the reason you’ve decided to branch out. This time, let's talk about a scenario every computer user faces: a frozen application. On your Mac, you’d hit Command+Option+Escape to force quit. On Windows, your new best friend for this job is the Task Manager.

We've all been there. One minute your business is cruising along, spreadsheets humming, emails flying, and the next, your screen freezes, things start buffering, or your entire network decides to take a nap. Since technology is the backbone of business, when it stumbles, it can feel like your whole operation is grinding to a halt.

Social media is a potent tool for use in business, but it also offers cybercriminals countless opportunities to steal data and exploit your organization. Today, we want to highlight some of the ways your business can practice safe social media. These practices also transfer well to other types of security, so you’re sure to leave this blog with more than a few takeaways.

With Android 16 entering the implementation stage for device manufacturers, it’s time to discuss the enhancements it brings to security. Specifically, we want to look at Advanced Protection. Let’s explore some of the ways this new feature impacts the user’s built-in security within the operating system.

For most people, the Internet browser is likely one of their, if not the, most-used tools in the workplace. Let’s discuss some ways to keep yours organized to help you stay productive.

Data loss is coming for you, and if you’re not careful, it could have significant impacts on your business. Like other IT issues that your business can experience, it helps to know what the issue is, how it happens, and how to solve it. Today, we want to share three common data loss scenarios and how you can take action now to prevent them from becoming serious problems for your organization.

You know how they say it's a jungle out there? For small businesses, navigating it can feel like you’re trekking through the Amazon with a fly swatter. We have come to believe that knowledge is the best defense, so let's pull back the curtain on the four most significant internet threats your business will face in 2025.

Many web pages offer resources, utilities, references, and so on. It’s safe to say you can find pretty much any resource imaginable on the web, and you might want to save them as applications to make accessing them easier. You can do this with Google Chrome, and it’s a remarkably simple process.

We’ve been sharing some blogs over the past few months to help anyone more familiar with Apple workstations become acquainted with the Windows environment, primarily because Windows is still far and away the most common business operating system. Let’s continue by examining the File Explorer and how this key system is organized.

With the way things are today, you need to consider ways to prioritize not just your mental and physical wellbeing, but also your digital wellbeing. This involves taking a look at how you use technology and the role it plays in your workplace; which, if we’re being honest, is probably a big one.

Here are some simple best practices to ensure that you are promoting workplace wellness to help your employees achieve a healthier balance in their day-to-day life.

Healthcare IT faces challenges unique to the industry, and if you don’t adapt to them, you risk your practice’s data security and operational efficiency. You don’t want to fall behind with your IT infrastructure—not when there’s so much on the line. Today, we want to explore how your IT practices impact other areas of your medical practice, including patient trust, operational efficiency, and legal compliance, as well as share some best practices to help you manage it all.

If you’re running a business, you know that technology is the engine that keeps everything moving... but when that engine sputters—a server crashes, the network goes down, or a critical file vanishes—it can feel like the entire operation grinds to a halt. Constantly reacting to these emergencies is stressful, inefficient, and, frankly, bad for business.