Computerware Blog

What are the essentials of network security? This question was recently answered at a security event by VP of Gartner Neil MacDonald, "Information security was never about device lockdown, or dictating applications, or building firewalls. It was always about protecting the confidentiality, the integrity, the authenticity, the availability of information." Let's break down these four basic components of IT security.

Your house and your company's IT infrastructure have more in common than you may have realized. Both infrastructures contain multiple systems that interact with each other, and both require proper maintenance in order to keep overall operations running smoothly. Here are three things we can learn about network maintenance from comparing the two.

Microsoft is certainly keeping busy with its Windows operating systems. After launching Windows 8 last year, the first major upgrade (Windows 8.1) was just released last month. Microsoft is also spreading the message about Windows XP's end of service date in April, trying to get hundreds of millions of users to upgrade. How are businesses handling all this change?

Traditional phone lines, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), are being made obsolete thanks to new technology that's more affordable and convenient like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). At the PSTN peak, almost every home was connected by it. This figure will be cut by 75% in the U.S. come 2015. Don't let your business get stuck with obsolete technology!

Since the dawn of the digital age in the 1990s, illegal downloading of information, music, movies, software, and content has become an issue leading to major shifting in the way these industries do business. It's been hard to contain this issue of illegal downloading, but the latest attempt, the Copyright Alert System, looks promising.

You can find anything you need on eBay, and be entertained by perusing thousands of crazy items you don't need. Since 1995, eBay has been one of the most dominant forces for online shopping. You can use eBay to both make and save money, but you have to know how to work eBay for your advantage.

 

For some people, texting feels like second nature. The National Texting Championship is a great example of this, it's a competition where texters' speed, accuracy, and dexterity are put to the test. Last year's winner, 17-year-old Austin Wierschke, practiced for the competition by sending 500 texts a day. Texting makes communicating easier, but is it appropriate for business?

It's a trap! As more people subscribe to social media networking sites, we can expect more scammers to weasel their way into our friend bases. Especially when using Facebook, you'll need to be on the look out for scammers. Here are some warning signs of fake Facebook friends to consider in order to keep your profile safe.

It's not a secret that smartphone technology has improved rapidly. Consider that it was just six years ago that Apple launched the first iPhone, and on June 11th of 2013, it has been deemed obsolete. Your average smartphone has the computing processing power to handle some of the most exciting technological advances, and in doing so, deliver them quickly in the palm of a user's hand. Seemingly advanced technologies, such as augmented reality, will soon be commonplace. Just as the saturation of mobile technology has increased exponentially since its advent, so will applications that use this exciting new technology.

In October of 2013, Adobe disclosed to their 2.9 million customers that their hosted information was compromised due to a data breach. Adobe sent out letters stating, "The attackers may have obtained access to your Adobe ID and encrypted password." For anyone that uses companies like Adobe to host their data, you will want to be prepared for a breach.

 

In the midst of Apple releasing one hot product after another, it's easy to lose sight of what Apple's doing on the software side of things, like the October release of OS X Mavericks. Apple's new OS is loaded with great features, and the best part is that Apple has made their new OS available as a free download!

What are you afraid of? Statistically, the top human fears are quite shocking. Public speaking ranks number one above heights, bugs, deep water, financial problems, and even death. For some people, these popular fears are a cakewalk compared their biggest fear; being without their cell phones!

One of the hottest trends in business technology is having employees bring in their personal devices to the office for work purposes. This trend is commonly referred to as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and before you blindly follow the trend and allow BYOD for your business, you should first weigh the benefits against the risks.

Change is risky. Microsoft decided to go for it a year ago with the release of Windows 8, bringing users a whole new feel to the interface design and straying from the path of the previous twenty-year-old template. Microsoft has addressed the feedback of its users, made improvements, and recently released an improved version: Windows 8.1.

As a small business leader, your obvious "win" is making a large profit. With this goal in mind, small businesses commonly try to cut their costs by neglecting tech upgrades. Unfortunately, technology often ends up on the backburner of the budget in an effort to maximize profits. Here are seven tech must-haves that your business can't afford to skimp on.

Boot up time can seemingly be the most annoying part of the entire day. While technology has gotten much quicker, it's easy to let your computer slip to the point that it takes ten minutes to start. Here are three reasons why the process takes forever, and how to fix it.

What's a #hashtag? One recent addition to popular culture is the use of hashtags. Every time you look at a flier, watch the news, or talk with a teenager, you'll be exposed to different and confusing hashtags. What are hashtags anyway? What's their function? How can they help your social media marketing efforts? #readmore

As doing business becomes more complex and competitive, having access to accurate data is becoming increasingly important. This is the assessment of IBM chair, president and CEO Ginni Rometty from her speech on October 2nd at the IBM InterConnect 2013 event. According to Rometty, businesses that successfully use data will share these three characteristics.

For years we have been recommending to our clients that they upgrade from Windows XP. Come April 8th, 2014 this is no longer a recommendation, it's a necessity! While April 8th may not be the end of the world, it is the end of your computer's world if you're still running XP because Microsoft is ending support.

A disaster that results in data loss is one of the worst things that can happen to your business. It has been shown that 40% of small businesses hit with a disaster do not reopen. One of the biggest contributors to this statistic is when businesses fail to backup their data. Here are three data backup measures your business can choose from.