The Top Reasons to Outsource Your IT Department

the top reasons to outsource your it department
To help you in making this important decision, here are just a few of the benefits you can gain by outsourcing your IT department.  

If you still manage your business’s IT department in-house, then you know how difficult this can be as IT departments can quickly deplete your time and resources.

This has made outsourcing IT a beneficial option for many small to medium-sized businesses. However, you may be understandably uncertain as to whether outsourcing would be the right move for your company. To help you in making this important decision, here are just a few of the benefits you can gain by outsourcing your company’s IT department.

Reduce IT Costs

One of the primary reasons businesses choose to outsource their IT department is that they can save a great deal of money by doing so. Rather than being saddled with the ballooning costs associated with managing an in-house IT department, outsourcing allows you to only pay for the services you need, as you need them. You will also save greatly as you will not have to hire, train, and maintain IT personnel.

Get Access to the Latest Technology

In addition to saving money on IT costs, an added benefit of outsourcing your IT department is that doing so will give you access to the latest IT technology and software. For many businesses, it can be difficult to stay on top of the latest IT developments with limited time and money to research and implement these updates.

However, outsourced managed IT services have the extensive resources to continually update their services, ensuring that you always have access to the latest technology. Most businesses find that they have access to better IT services after outsourcing their IT department.

Focus on Your Core Business

As we previously mentioned, many businesses find that they spend a great deal of time and money managing their IT department. Once you outsource your IT needs, you will be able to reallocate this time, money, and personnel to your core business, which can help you to improve productivity and boost profits.

These are just a few of the ways in which you could benefit by outsourcing your company’s IT department. Contact us to learn more about managed IT services and how outsourcing could benefit your business.

How to Deal with Blue Screen Errors

how to deal with blue screen errors

The infamous and dreaded blue screen that appears on a computer running the Microsoft Windows operating system can be a mystery.

While some blue screens occur without evident cause, it’s easier to isolate the cause and troubleshoot others. What exactly is a blue screen error and what are some common causes and remedies?

In short, a blue screen error occurs when Microsoft Windows encounters something causing instability such that it’s not able to continue running. The blue screen error can occur during different phases of running Windows such as during Windows installation, boot-up, run-time, or when Windows is shutting down.

The blue screen error message typically includes diagnostics information and hints as to what went wrong although the data can be vague.

A good way to take advantage of the error details is to type them into an internet search engine to see what other people have done to mitigate or repair the cause of alike blue screen errors.

It’s usually the case that when any type of error occurs on a computer, several other people at one time or another have encountered the same error and posted troubleshooting solutions for it. In short, Google is an excellent place to start the troubleshooting process.

Some errors occur and the computer may continue working fine afterward.

If this is the case, it might still be in one’s interest to figure out the cause; the error could flag a looming catastrophe which when finally occurs could set back business operations or normal daily tasks. The level of urgency really depends on what the computer is being used for. Some computers are used only for casual Internet surfing or other tasks with a relatively low priority and nothing more.

Contact us for a consultation if there is concern about an error coming from a computer.

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Computer Tip of the Day: Most Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts

computer tip of the day most helpful keyboard shortcuts

Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts

When working a job that requires a lot of work on a computer it is important to know your computer as well as possible in order to work efficiently.  One of the easiest ways to work efficiently with a computer is to know the computer’s shortcuts.

Once you know the shortcuts you can quickly type the shortcuts and seamlessly go from one place to another without lifting your hand from the keyboard, reaching over the mice and searching for what you need to do.  Some of the most helpful shortcuts are even pretty universal, meaning they work on most computers and in most programs.

These are some of the most helpful shortcuts to learn.

Bold, Italics and Underline – Typing can be a lot easier if you know shortcuts to edit your text.  Highlight the text you want to edit and press CTRL + B to bold, CTRL + I to turn the word into italics and CTRL + U to underline the text.

Copy and Paste – Learning how to copy and paste will make any job that requires copying words from one place to another a lot easier.  To copy any text you simply highlight the word and then press CTRL + C.  To paste something click where you want the text to go and the press CTRL + V.

Go to Desktop – Pressing the Windows Key + D will automatically close all your windows and go to your desktop.

Go to My Computer Folder – If you need to find a file in a folder the easiest way to start with your My Computer folder.  You can go to this folder immediately by pressing the Windows Key + E

Go to Windows Task Manager – The Windows Task Manager is a helpful menu that will allow you to lock your computer while you step away or it will allow you to switch users if multiple people use the same computer.  You can go immediately to the Windows Task Manager by pressing CTRL + ALT + Delete.

Help – If you need help with any program that you’re using the F1 is universally used as the shortcut to bring up a help screen.

Select All – If you have a document open and you want to copy all the text you can simply press CTRL + A to select the whole thing.  This also works to select all files in a folder when you have a folder open.

Undo and Redo – We all make mistakes sometimes but you can quickly fix these mistakes with the undo and redo shortcuts.  If you type or paste something by mistake, pressing CTRL + Z will undo it.  If you decide you did need that after all pressing CTRL + Y will make it come back.

Zoom In and Out – If you hold the CTRL button and then use the wheel on your mouse you can zoom in and out on.  Alternatively you can also zoom in and out by holding the CTRL button and pressing + or -.

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What is a Cyber Attack and How Can You Protect Your Business

tips for protecting your business from a cyber attack computer tip of the day. Cybersecurity statistics

Recent years has seen the number of businesses falling victim to cyber attacks continue to grow. What is a cyber attack and how can you protect your business? No matter the size of your business, you could be at risk of coming under attack if you do not take the proper precautions to protect your data. Here are a few of the steps you can take to improve your business’ cyber security.

Utilize Strong Passwords

It is important not to underestimate the power of a strong password. The fact is that even in an age where data breaches are becoming more common, some of the most commonly used passwords still include obvious combinations such as 123456, qwerty, and password.

These and other weak passwords leave your systems and data vulnerable to be hacked by cyber criminals. This makes it critical that you enforce policies that require your employees to use strong passwords.

If you include lower and upper case letters, numbers, and special characters in your passwords, and you avoid using personal information such as dates and names in your passwords, it becomes much more difficult for cyber criminals to access your data. You may also want to consider setting up a two-factor authentication system which would require an additional piece of information at login such as a code sent to your phone. This can go a long way in increasing your cyber security.

Invest in Quality Antivirus Software

You should also make sure to invest in high-quality antivirus and anti-malware software. Installing these programs and keeping them up-to-date is key in increasing your online security, as they will be your first line of defense in protecting your system from viruses, malware, and ransomware that can leave your data vulnerable to hackers.

Consider Intrusion Detection Software

Another step you can take to protect your business from a cyber attack is to install a good instruction detection tool on your computers. These tools can notify you immediately if your system if being breached, giving you time to try to stop limit the breach before your sensitive data is accessed.

Contact us for more advice on the steps you can take to improve your company’s cyber security.

Dispose of Your Old Tech E-Waste Without Putting Yourself at Risk

dispose of your old tech e-waste without putting yourself at risk
Dispose Your Old Tech

The one truth about technology is that it will always break–usually at the most inopportune time. When it does finally kick the bucket, how are you getting rid of your e-waste?

It’s not as though you can just toss an old server or printer in the bin. Recycling your technology is the most responsible thing to do. However, you have to be cognizant of the company you are trusting to dispose of your Compaq Presario from 1997. They may not be doing what they are claiming to do; or worse yet, they may be trying to syphon data off your old hardware.

Environmental Impact of E-Waste

In 2017 there was 44.7 million metric tonnes (49.2 tons) of e-waste disposed of in 2017. This was not only a full 8% increase from 2014, but it is equal in weight to 4,500 Eiffel Towers. This includes all types of electronics, from refrigerators to smartphones and everything in between.

E-waste is the fastest-growing part of the world’s waste stream. It is expected to see a further 17 percent growth over the next four years.

The main issue with e-waste, and why it such a problem for any environment in which it is dumped, is that many of these electronics have circuitry or other mechanisms that hold require the use of poisonous metals.

Over time these metals, and other deadly chemicals get into the water. This can have devastating consequences for whole communities and is a problem that isn’t just going to go away. Thus, finding solutions to mitigate the damage to people is going to extremely important for the foreseeable future.

Political Impact

Beyond the physical harm done, there is a large political question surrounding e-waste. Many environmental advocates have begun to support a strategy of mandatory recycling. However, it hasn’t been ascertained who will be responsible to foot the bill for these programs.

Some have suggested that manufacturers should be somewhat responsible for the good that they produce. Since today, manufacturers aren’t asked to take-back any of their products, many entities have begun calling for them to begin some type of program where they shoulder more of the responsibility.

Of course, this strategy has its detractors. Firstly, in order to afford to trash/recycle the goods these manufacturers would have to pass on the cost of doing so onto the consumer.

While this isn’t as bad of a plan as poisoning land in water in some developing nations somewhere. In essence, the cost would be passed onto the consumer. Especially since many people purchase and use so many electronic devices.

The problem becomes that companies would likely claim that any rise in cost would throw their perfect equilibrium, where they work to maximize profit for their shareholders, while providing a cost-effective product for their customers.

This hasn’t stopped several states from proposing (and passing) extended producer responsibility laws aimed at getting more private money to spend on the proper disposal of e-waste. Moreover, champions of this legislation rightfully state that it is also advantageous for manufacturers, as a vast majority of this e-waste has components that, when recycled, could be utilized in the manufacturing of other products.

Personal Impact of E-Waste

Okay so your computer is junk. Everyone reading this has been through it. You get rid of it at the local recycling place, or via a garbage or recycling service. Think for a minute, did you just get the photos and videos off of your old machine and toss it?

A personal computer, and more so a mobile device has a lot of data on it. Even if you choose to wipe the hard drive on these devices, if they are disposed of and picked up by someone who knows what they are doing, your personal information is likely in danger.

Before trashing your hardware, be sure to take some time and go through your machine to know exactly what you’ve left on there, and if you don’t like what you find, be sure to destroy the hard disk of the computer in question.

Nothing is worse than getting caught up in identity theft or phished relentlessly because you chose not to properly dispose of your old junk computer.

What You Can Do?

When your electronics get old, or at least when you replace them, try to find someone that can use them. If you don’t find any takers, you have to know that there are several organizations committed to reducing e-waste.

Doing some diligent research to find out where a company takes its e-waste and promoting a company that is trying to do some good, can go a long way toward helping the problem. This waste isn’t just going to go away, but with proper disposal and recycling, good can be accomplished.