Directive Blogs

For years, IT departments have been stereotyped as an antisocial bunch hiding in the shadows of server rooms, only coming out when a fellow employee experiences a problem with their workstation or a new gadget is released. Today, thanks to the prevalence of technology in every aspect of business, technicians are on the forefront of major business decisions and this stereotype is no more!

It's been said that a company's data is its most important resource. If this is true, then is it possible to assign a monetary value to your files? If you attempted to do so, you may come to the conclusion that your company's data is more valuable than anything else in your business, maybe even your own job!

Fifteen years ago, a simple oversight in technology development caused worldwide panic. The crisis was Y2K, and the fear was that, on New Year's Eve, computers would reset to 1900 instead of 2000, causing all technology to fail. Thankfully, New Years Eve came and went without incident and people got worked up over nothing. You've heard story, but you may not have heard about all the work IT companies did to save the day!

Can you tell the difference between the two words, Internet and Intranet? The difference is much more than simply two letters. Both are valuable marketing tools, particularly for small businesses, but what exactly differentiates them from each other? The key to understanding this is a simple English lesson.

Your PC's CPU (Central Processing Unit) is one of the many delecate components inside your computer. The CPU essentially does all of the thinking that your PC needs to do, processing instructions from your operating system and all of your programs. That might not seem like a big deal, but most CPUs today handle billions of processes every second. It doesn't store data (that's the hard drive) but if the CPU fails to work properly, you won't be getting much work done.

The trend of employees bringing in their own mobile devices to the office and using them for work purposes (BYOD) is growing rapidly. In fact, a new report from Juniper Research forecasts that by 2018, more than one billion employee-owned devices will be used in enterprises. A trend this big means that organizations have to take BYOD seriously.

Trivia time! Do you know what device was invented in 1892 that changed the face of offices around the world? If you guessed the fax machine then you're close, but you need to think further ahead by almost 50 years (the first fax machine was patented in 1843 by Alexander Bain). More influential than even the fax machine is the file cabinet, established in 1892.

Hackers have many different tools at their disposal to access your computer. Some of these tools can even control your machine! When a hacker controls your PC, your computer is now part of a network made up of other compromised devices that they control. This compromised network is known as a botnet, and you don't want to be part of it!

It takes a special kind of person to give great customer service. If someone can't pick up on social cues, or if they have a low tolerance for repetitive questions, they will end up offending a lot of customers. To assist our clients with their IT problems, we make sure to hire the most helpful customer service representatives that we can find.

If you're still running your business or home PC on Windows XP, then it's vital that you upgrade to a newer OS. Yes, your decade-old Windows XP system may be working just fine, and therefore, you may not feel the urgency to upgrade, but you will feel the heat when Microsoft stops supporting its popular OS--in just a few short days!

It seems odd, but people are declaring 3D printers to be the technology that's going to revolutionize the future while simultaneously moving away from paper printers. Let talk about the printers you use for your business. A print server solution will help you transition away from your current printer setup so that you can take advantage of cool futuristic technologies!

Technology is a major part of everything your business does. Therefore, you need a technology partner that does more than just fixes your computers. For example, if your smartphone decided that, "today is a good day to die," then it wouldn't matter how great your workstation was running, your day would still be ruined.

Because you manage a business, we don't have to convince you of the benefits of planning ahead. For example, having an onboarding strategy in place for hiring a new employee will get them acclimated more quickly, which will help them contribute to boosting your bottom line faster. Similarly, planning your IT network maintenances will benefit your organization.

By now, you have hopefully heard about Windows XP being no longer supported by Microsoft come April, but what you may have missed is that there's another popular Windows OS, Windows Server 2003, that's also set to expire relatively soon. July 14, 2015 is the end of support date for Windows Server 2003. Have you made plans to upgrade?

Due to the irreplaceable nature of data, server units may be your company's most important assets. Therefore, when it comes time to purchase a new server, you will want to make sure that your new unit will be exactly what your business needs. Getting a model that's too small or too powerful can be costly. Here's what to look for when purchasing a new server.

In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow published a paper about human motivation that would become the well-known Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. His theory states that before self-actualization can be achieved, four needs must first be met, like esteem, belonging, safety, and physiological (the most basic which includes, air, food, water, etc.). In 2014, we feel the need to add one more layer to Maslow's pyramid: WiFi.

Simplifying a complicated procedure is a sure way to get ahead. An enterprise's communication system can be extremely complicated with everything a business needs out of it. Voice over Internet Protocol, aka VoIP, is a solution that can simplify your entire communications system. Simplifying something major like communication will benefit your business in many ways.

It's good to backup your data, but can you have too much of a good thing? While this may be the case for several enjoyable activities like partying and buffets, this isn't the case with data backup. In fact, the more layers of data backup you have, the more secure you will be. How good is your data backup solution?

One of the purposes of technology is to help your business grow. The best way to achieve this goal is to be intentional with your technology. Sometimes running a business can be so hectic that keeping up with your technology becomes an afterthought. Neglecting your technology can eat into your organization's profits; therefore, it makes more sense to outsource your IT.

Remember back when buying mobile devices for your business meant choosing between a handful of laptops? Thanks to the increased proliferation of devices like smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and the development new hybrid models, it's become quite the task to pick out the right make and model. Here are five questions to consider when picking out mobile devices for your organization.