Directive Blogs

There's been a lot of talk lately about the seemingly bleak future of the PC due to the rapid growth of the mobile device market. Will the PC ever really be extinct, or will it find a way to evolve? How will the questionable future of the PC impact your business?

A Song In the tune of "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Around the holidays, we are often reminded how important it is to give, and graciously receive good will. One story that sparks these thoughts is Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, shrewd miser gets visits from the three spirits of Christmas after he believes that Christmas is no better than a day of wasted profits. Scared out of his wits by the legacy he would leave behind if he didn't change, Scrooge's transforms into a generous and caring man, literally overnight. This story has been told several different ways over a century, but the premise is still the same, profits aren't always what matters most.

New York Times tech column writer, David Pogue, recently presented a TED talk, in which he suggested his top ten time-saving technology tips. Each of David's tips were incredibly simple, but understated and carry the potential to save tech users time and effort. Do you know about these time-saving tips?

In parts one and two, we shared tips on how to search the web. By now, you should be able to hone in your Internet searches and find almost anything you're looking for, but you can't yet call yourself a Search Master.

Big changes are happening in the world of technology, and it's important that your business stays on top of these changes in order to stay competitive. By taking advantage of the latest trends, you will be provided with solutions designed to maximize profits. Here are five of the latest trends you need to watch for in 2014.

For most small business owners, your average week includes several moments where you look at your expense sheet and search for ways to cut costs and improve the profitability, and thus, the sustainability of your company. Around the holidays, when business picks up for everyone, some small businesses run into problems that stunt their net profitability. The inability to spend the money that larger companies can, will often result in handcuffing a business' ability to compete.

One IT problem that you may have heard about is server noise. A server unit is a noisy piece of equipment because it comes with multiple fans used to keep the machine cool. One big reason why servers are banished to their own room is because of all the noise they make. Here's what you can do to quiet your servers.

It's time once again for holiday shopping, and you've got a plethora of technology choices before you. With so many options, it's easy to get confused and grab the first thing you come across. To help you avoid the stress of shopping for technology this holiday season, we've prepared for you this guide so you can be sure that you're purchasing the best item for people on your list.

Concocting a comprehensive and concise marketing strategy is extremely important for any small business. Across the board, the average company uses between 8%-to-15% of their gross revenue to reinvest into marketing themselves. When you consider how large of a percentage of an organization's workable capital that really is, you'll begin to understand why companies are trying to find a solutions to cut their marketing costs. They need not look any further than the palm of their hand to find that very solution.

Do you ever feel like you're living in the future? With all the technological advancements designed and manufactured to entertain us or make our lives easier, we don't often take a minute to realize how much the world has changed in a very short period of time.

Microsoft is well known for their software, but manufacturing tablet computers is a new venture for the tech giant. It's been almost a year since Microsoft's signature tablet the Surface Pro was released, and now the second generation of Surface, the Surface Pro 2, is available. Here's an overview on how the new tablet stacks up.

The Internet is a place of wonderment where you can find almost anything you can imagine, but you have to know how to find it. How good are you at online searches? Anybody can type a query into Google, Bing, or Yahoo, but a simple search like this may not yield the best results.

It's important to understand how long your hard drive will last so you can minimize the risk of data loss from a drive failure. Disk hard drives are made up of tiny parts with platters that rotate at thousands of RPMs, which makes it the most vulnerable component of your PC. How much life is left on your server's hard drive?

Wired telephone service, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is seemingly nearing their extinction. This is thanks to the more economical and convenient Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone option. Until recently, nearly every American home was connected to the PSTN, but by 2015, this option will see a 75% decrease. What does this mean for your business?

When considering network and computing infrastructure security for your business, you don't usually think about about alternative routes of delivery for these solutions; and especially don't consider that this technology is available without the traditional appliance. Now, comprehensive security solutions for your network, server, and end-user is available as a service, in the cloud.

We hope that this isn't the first time you've heard about Microsoft ending support for their popular Windows XP OS on April 8, 2014. Microsoft has been warning users of this "death date" for years, yet we still come across businesses and consumers that are just now getting the memo. You may have to help get the message out!

Millions of users from all over the globe would admit that Google has taken over their PC. For any major application that has been created, Google seems to have an answer for it. With the exception of television models that run "Google TV", they hadn't found a way to take over your TV.

The importance of backing up your company's data cannot be stressed enough. Data is your business' most valuable asset, as evidenced by the fact that companies unable to access their data for ten days after a major disaster (like Hurricane Sandy that hit the mid atlantic and northeast U.S) will not survive the next fiscal year. Here's how to protect your business with data backup.

The Internet certainly has changed the way we live, work, shop, and communicate. We may think we're superior to previous generations because of all our Internet-based technology, but we have video proof that the Internet was actually conceptualized in 1969. In many ways, our parents and grandparents were spot on with their predictions. In other ways, not so much.