Computerware Blog

Most devices that are being produced these days are aiming for the “connectivity” angle, be it simply connecting to the Internet, or allowing you to stay connected to something specific through the cloud. While this does wonders for productivity and online interaction, some users approach these devices without considering the state of online security. October is Cybersecurity Month, so there’s no time like the present to ask yourself how trends in Internet of Things security can affect your organization.

Malware and viruses are so common nowadays in the technology world that it’s no surprise when new ones are created. Thus, it should come as no surprise that hackers are looking to spread smartphone malware to unsuspecting users around the world. Kemoge, a new malicious adware for the Android mobile operating system, has spread to 20 countries, and is taking the mobile device world by storm.

In a world where technology is continuously being improved upon to suit the needs of the modern business, your organization’s needs can quickly (and drastically) change. The need for cloud services grows more apparent with each passing day, primarily because it has so much to offer for a small business. Granted, talking about the cloud and implementing it are two entirely different things. So, it's important that business owners ask, "What can the cloud do for my organization?"

We live in an age where productivity is at its peak, but as you might be aware, this often leads to a stressful work environment where anything less than your best can be considered slacking. You might have several tasks that need to be completed today, but we’re sure you can take the time to read this blog about giving yourself a break once in awhile. You might find that breaks are absolutely crucial to both your creative and physical well being.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! With the number of data breaches growing every day, one has to wonder what hackers do with all of the information they steal. In some cases, the hackers go public with the information, as seen by the recent Ashley Madison and Sony hacks. Other times, however, hackers just want to use the information as a bargaining chip on the black market. The theft of passwords, usernames, Social Security numbers, and other sensitive information is a very lucrative market for hackers.

At a tradeshow event last month Travis Kalanick, co-founder and CEO of Uber, was interviewed about the future of Uber and transportation. He replied with a bold vision that speaks to how much technology has the potential to change things. According to Kalanick, “Every car should be Uber.”

Editing text can be a rather drawn out process. Thankfully, technology has made editing much easier than it was back in the day when papers were marked up with red ink and notes like “F- See me after class.” Here are two great editing tools that you will want to take advantage of.

Until we’ve reached a day where wires are obsolete and every device connects wirelessly to its needed network, wires and cables will always be an integral part of your company’s IT infrastructure. Since you’re stuck having to deal with wires, you might as well know how to effectively manage your cables so that they’re not slowing you down.

How often have you logged into your Google account, only to find that there’s some suspicious activity going on? You might wonder why, where, and how this happened, but in case you weren’t aware, you can access some of this information by simply checking out your Google account’s security settings. Here’s how it’s done.

September was Disaster Preparedness Month; a time to seriously consider where your business stands if a disaster were to strike. What would be considered a disaster? That depends on your situation, but if something were to happen to your business, are you prepared to continue operations quickly? What solutions have you implemented to protect business continuity if something unfortunate were to happen to your organization?

Many business executives are skeptical about employing millennials, particularly because of misconceptions that they’re unwilling to work hard and have no manners. However, just like many individuals out there, these thoughts aren’t necessarily founded, and some business owners are finding it particularly fruitful to hire millennials. The reason? They have a knack for working with technology.

In the wake of a ransomware takeover, it seems like the world can’t go a few months without some sort of data loss disaster occurring. The antics of hackers grow more dangerous and difficult to dodge, and IT departments have their hands full dealing with the fallout. What’s keeping you from contracting this ransomware, and how can you keep your business from suffering its consequences?

For a business to prosper, there has to be more than a casual consideration of the expense report. Most businesses do their budget yearly, but some smaller organizations have gone to a three-month (or quarterly) budget to improve their ability to be more agile with their capital. There are times, however, where no matter what you seem to do, expenses outfox profits and your company has to take a hard look at what they are going to do to right the ship.

It’s been a few years since the mobile industry embraced the fourth generation of wireless communication. Tabbed “4G”, it has been the accepted communications platform for devices since 2010. While it’s important to understand where we are, it’s equally important, especially regarding technology, to see where we’re headed. Due to the immense demand these networks have on 4G, is there a chance that we will see an upgrade of this system soon? Analysts say it’s not likely.

The advantage of managed IT service is that it allows businesses to secure the IT support they need, without having to take on the responsibility and expense of managing these services. When coupled with the development and deployment of computing resources, it becomes clear that outsourcing IT is the smart way to go for small to medium-sized businesses looking to do more for less.

Wouldn’t it be nice to boost your WiFi signal and access it from anywhere in and around your office? Sometimes the solution is purchasing a new, more powerful router, but you might be able to get more out of your existing device by improving the placement of it.

The newly-released Windows 10 operating system has been well received by the tech community. Yet, no OS is perfect and you shouldn’t blindly upgrade just because you’ve heard good things about it. Before upgrading to Windows 10, be sure to take into consideration these four shortcomings.

What if you can have one employee who’s dedicated to receiving calls and answering tech support questions from the rest of your staff? Essentially, someone having this role would be like a help desk for your business. If you don’t think you can afford filling in a seat like this, consider how much time/money a move like this would save you if employees didn’t have to waste time seeking out needed information.

One nail-biting aspect about email is that you’re never sure if the person you sent your message to has actually opened it and read it. This is especially the case if it’s an important message. When you don’t hear back as quickly as you’d like, you then begin to doubt if the message was ever even received, which could lead to unnecessarily contacting them by different means. This only looks desperate. To calm your nerves, there’s an extension for Chrome that tracks details like this for Gmail.

Fun is often misconstrued in the workplace and identified as being unproductive, or even lazy at times. However, more businesses than ever before are embracing the power of fun and letting the creative juices flow. Using game-like elements to achieve your business’s goals, or to improve operations, is called gamification, and you can take advantage of it.