Computerware Blog

Has your company joined the BYOD revolution (Bring Your Own Device)? Many companies did not plan for this, it just kind of happened as a byproduct from almost half of the public owning mobile devices. If your company has yet to make room for personal devices, then you will want to check out these 4 benefits of BYOD.

Your data is critical.  Backup is extremely important for businesses of all sizes, from sprawling corporations to one-man shops.  March 31st is World Backup Day, reminding us all that deploying a bullet-proof backup solution is vital for business continuity.  If you don't have a backup solution, now is the time to consider it, and if you do have a backup solution, there's no time like the present to have it tested to make sure it's working!  Check out the infographic about data backup!

Technology is synonymous with advancement. We advance at a cost, with every new technology we get; it often replaces an older one. Technology comes and goes, and it takes a bit of insight to decipher which technologies will last and which ones will soon be replaced. We have been working with technology for a long time and can help you make sense of it.

We like to point our clients in the direction of upgrading to the latest technology; and we don't make these recommendations blindly, we have a laundry list of benefits that come with upgrading that can be quite convincing. Yet, there are many people who decline upgrades.

Part of going green is conserving power whenever you can. This means turning lights off in rooms that you are leaving, adjusting the thermostat, and taking advantage of the power saving settings on your computer. Windows 8 has three power saving settings, you will want to be familiar with each one to maximize your energy use.

There is a big difference between someone who knows how to use a computer vs. someone who knows a computer. PCs have been designed to be used intuitively, but when it comes down to it, they are still complicated machinery that requires technical training, because of this, it's best to leave PC maintenance to the pros.

Nobody likes problems, they are chaotic and costly. Life can be messy and problems seem to abound with everything that we touch, including technology. While there is no magic bullet to take all problems out of life, we have discovered a way to greatly reduce technology problems, it's called being proactive!

The late Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens once famously stated that the "internet is not something that you can just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes." This infamous statement was made at a time of exponential growth of the internet. Little did he know that only a handful of years later, the internet would develop into that big truck where virtually anything could be dumped.

Would you call yourself a procrastinator? Many people who have a difficult time meeting deadlines would blame their inability to be on time on their tendency to procrastinate. Stanford professor John Perry believes that procrastination is not a bad thing and has found a way to harness procrastination to get more work done.

Your home page is where your virtual heart is. Okay, maybe your home page is not that big of a deal to you, but it's nice to be greeted by your favorite website every time you log onto the Internet. Here's how you go about changing the home page on the three major Web Browsers.

It wasn't too long ago where the tablet computer was virtually dismissed as a device simply for multimedia and content consumption. There is currently an appreciable shift in the way people use mobile devices and tablets, in particular. Productivity applications housed in the cloud now make tablet use for business a tangible idea; or at least more tangible than it was a couple of years ago. The utilization of mobile devices in the office is growing rapidly as devices with better hardware become available.

It is likely that you spent a lot of time and energy picking out a server that is right for your business; but have you taken any time to consider how you will store your server? Keeping your important hardware on a server rack is a great way to get the most out of your server.

Depending on the nature of your business, some communication tools are more cost-effective than others. Judging which tools are right for your business means taking into consideration how many people you are going to reach with each tool. The best tools allow you to reach more people for less money, and using a webinar is one of the most cost-effective ways to spread your message.

Every piece of technology that makes up your network is important when it comes to keeping your business in business. At the heart of your network is your server, it is a crucial piece of equipment that stores and sends data. A server that is neglected can potentially derail your entire network.

Thanks to all the communication possibilities that mobile devices offer us, we are now more connected than ever. This is great if you are into receiving real-time updates for every little thing that your friends do, but these updates can be distracting. To stay productive, try scheduling your communications.

Professional networking is an essential part of doing business. It would be nice to have a business guru on staff that is an expert in everything, but this is impossible because people's brains are finite and can only store so much data. We need to network. We need each other. You need us to manage your technology, and sometimes we need the help from other IT professionals.

Printers are a necessary evil. Evil, because nothing can bring out the worst in a person quite like a printer error can. Yet necessary, because "ain't nobody got time" to go paperless. While you can't vanquish an evil printer with holy water, you can make your printing experience more efficient and less evil with a print server solution.

A strong network security solution will keep your company's data safe from hackers, unless a user is flat-out tricked. Deceiving users into opening misleading e-mails is a common scam called phishing. Most phishing e-mails are easy to spot because the message is generic, when hackers up their tactics from phishing to whaling, the digital waters can become treacherous.

Performance has always been one drawback with tablet computers. With a tablet, you are not quite getting a PC, but you are getting more than a smartphone. Microsoft looks to break through the surface of this hardware barrier with the new Surface Pro, a tablet that can handle a full Windows 8 operating system.

Social Media can be likened to vampires in the media. Both are loved by teenage girls, and like vampire characters, it seems like there are now too many social medias to keep track of. Just like you don't have to read Twilight to know that it's lame, it's also unnecessary to have your business involved with every social media out there. Although, there are several social media sites that can be utilized as part of a valuable marketing strategy.