Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

Do you know what’s just as jarring as your computer’s volume suddenly being way too high? Suddenly not having any volume at all. Sound problems on your computer can be a real pain, especially if you have something important you need to listen to for one of your responsibilities. Here, we’re offering some tips to help you do some basic sound troubleshooting.

When asked how one can prevent threats from attacking a business’ infrastructure, one of the first answers that we’d give is to ensure that all patches have been applied. Doing so will help to stop an attack from infecting your systems, if a patch has been successfully developed. Unfortunately, the recent spread of the BCMUPnP_Hunter botnet is evidence that not enough people are appropriately patching their systems.

Chromebooks have provided businesses with a different option for their computing needs, if it fits with their practices. Here, we’ll explore the different factors that make Chromebooks a good choice, and some of the more appealing features that they can provide.

The word “computer” actually originated in the 1600s, when it was used to describe a person who carries out calculations and the requisite processes. Today, those processes are carried out mechanically. Let’s examine the piece of the computer that allows it to do so, the CPU.

It can often be difficult to figure out what to get someone for a holiday gift. Fortunately, there is almost always a new gadget or gizmo that can make someone with particular interests happy. In this blog, we’ll go over a few cool gadgets that make excellent special-interest gifts.

Arguably one of the most important parts of running a business is the physical infrastructure of your office environment. This involves ensuring that the cabling of all network assets is properly implemented. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, as no two businesses will utilize the same setup. We’ll walk you through some of the variables that you’ll need to consider during the cabling process, and what you can do to make it easier to handle.

The Internet of Things is quickly becoming a major part of today’s consumer-based industry. One of the best examples of this is the use of smart car technology. A great example of this comes from a company called Zubie, which sells a handy device meant to provide car owners with tracking analytics, access to diagnostic systems, and even the capability to connect to Wi-Fi.

Renowned tech company Intel has announced their next line of laptop processors, but an unfortunate aside caused significant frustration amongst the IT market. Intel has broken from the tradition of releasing new processors each September which will be improved upon later. Instead, Intel has jumped the gun and released a new processor, rather than improve their Skylake processor from the previous year.

Every business has hardware, like workstations, servers, and other devices, that are critical to its operational efficiency. However, managing your hardware can be tricky, especially if you’re a small or medium-sized business that has limited time and resources. If your business doesn’t have a process put in to place to handle hardware inventory and deployment, perhaps it’s time that you consider implementing one.

If your computer is underperforming, then it may not have enough RAM to do what you’re asking it to do. When selecting a PC, how do you know if you have enough RAM?

Every business has crucial IT systems that are imperative to its continued functionality. Usually these systems are maintained by an internal IT department, but many small businesses don’t have this luxury. Therefore, they have traditionally relied on break-fix IT companies to handle their technology problems when they hinder operations.

It was a dark and stormy night, as it sometimes is on Halloween. It’s a time when kids and adults alike enjoy dressing up as scary monsters and partaking in some good old-fashioned trick-or-treating. You’re pulling a late night at the office, and you hear a sound emanating from your server room; an unsavory clicking sound that echoes through the recesses of your office. What do you do?

One of the most common questions we are asked by our clients is, “What’s the best way to store my business’s data?” Questions like these are imperative to the survival of any business endeavor, as they force you to think in the grand scheme of things. So, what’s the best way to store your data long-term?

So you got yourself a shiny new laptop. That’s great, but what are you going to do with your old device? The right thing to do is to dispose of it with a company that handles e-waste properly. Otherwise, if you just chuck it in the trash, you’ll be contributing to an already serious environmental problem.

How often do you deal with your company-owned IT equipment? Some businesses keep detailed records of their equipment and use security measures and policies to prevent theft; but if your business doesn't protect its equipment, you could be digging a hole into your budget without realizing it.

This past August, we reported on a new vulnerability with USB firmware called BadUSB. This vulnerability was discovered by Karsten Nohl of SR Labs. The BadUSB vulnerability was presented at the Black Hat security conference as a theoretical risk, but now, the code has leaked and this risk has become a reality. Oops.

Your office is likely full-to-bursting with devices utilizing USB technology. It's been a popular way to connect external devices to PCs since the 1.1 version was released in 1998. However, it may be the technology's popularity that will cause its downfall as hackers develop ways to use the device to their advantage.

Your computer might only be two years old, but in terms of tech-age, it is often much older than you realize. The rate at which new technology, malware, and viruses are being produced, it might as well be twenty years old. This is called Moore's law, which states that computers double in complexity every two years. Think of it like the lifespan of a dog or a cat - their lifespan is so short that one human year is equivalent to multiple years for them, meaning that they are much older in terms of their actual lifespan than they are in human years.

Sometimes when your workstation feels bogged down, a relatively cheap and simply hardware update can make a huge difference in performance. Adding more RAM (Random Access Memory, often just referred to as memory) can be a game changer for your bogged down PC.