Directive Blogs

One of the most common ways computer viruses spread is through email. Most of the malware-carrying messages are caught in your account's spam filter, so you don't have to worry about those. It's the malicious emails that make it to your inbox that you need to be mindful of, and phishing emails are by far the most dangerous.

It's nice to get a shiny new computer that's fast, powerful, and has all the latest features. Before you install your new machine, you have to make a decision about what to do with your old one. Your old computer has been a faithful friend over the years so you may feel bad pitching it to the curb; instead, consider giving it a new home.

Working in the IT industry means embracing change and the latest technology trends. Doing the same thing day-in and day-out is a luxury we don't have, and frankly, sounds kind of boring. Since computers were first invented, there's been a need to service them. Here's a look at how the IT service industry has changed over the past 50 years.

If you've never taken advantage of remote support to remedy an IT problem, then you're likely doing IT support the hard way by having a technician physically take care of every issue. While it's always nice to chat with your friendly tech, you may be able to save yourself a whole lot of time and money by taking care of the issue with remote support.

You may feel like your computer network is immune to data loss, but according to a study by Blackblaze.com, 46% of users experience data loss every year. Whether it's from something big like a natural disaster, or minor like improperly removing a flash drive, every form of data loss is costly and can be prevented with a data backup plan.

At a recent security event, VP of Gartner Neil MacDonald broke down the fundamentals of IT security into four categories, "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." Here's a closer look at these four security qualities.

The world you do business in is a pretty dangerous and messed up place, and things always seem to be getting worse. Thankfully, security technology is improving, which helps offset the risks of living in a perilous world. You can take advantage of these security improvements by installing intelligent surveillance cameras for your business.

Your company's technology infrastructure is made up of several complex systems that all work together in order to keep your business running smoothly. Your IT infrastructure functions much in the same way as another type of infrastructure, your house. It's surprising how much you can learn about computer networking by looking at "This Old House."

We are in a unique time of Windows OS transitions. The redesigned Windows 8 has been out for one year, and the first major update to it (Windows 8.1) was just released. Additionally, the popular Windows XP expires in April, forcing everybody to upgrade and choose between Windows 7 and 8. Which OS will your business go with?

Remember when a family's home had only one phone line and someone else would pick up the phone in the middle of a call? There would be a click, a pause, the caller would then ask, "Is someone on the other line?" A hasty hang-up click would then follow. With VoIP, you can listen in on phone calls without being detected!

First introduced by Xerox back in the 1964, the fax machine, or Long Distance Xerography as it was called then, was the hottest office productivity tool of its day. This new technology saved workers from having to send documents via mail, which dramatically improved office communications. Nearly fifty years later, and the fax machine has become a hindrance to office productivity.

You can connect to over 2.7 billion people over the Internet, but you probably shouldn't. There are many people on the Internet with bad intentions, along with several websites that can harm your business. With a Unified Threat Management (UTM) tool, you can protect your business by filtering out the worst of the web.

What would happen if your business experienced a disaster and your sensitive information was erased? If you don't have a business continuity plan in place that includes data backup and recovery, then it's highly unlikely your company will survive. To protect your business, you will want to consider and choose one of these three backup solutions.

The growing popularity of employees bringing in their own devices into the workplace (BYOD) is challenging the traditional model of IT for businesses. Many companies are embracing BYOD and adapting their IT networks accordingly. With the way things are trending, it's important to ask yourself where all of this is heading, and consider what a fully realized BYOD environment will look like.

We are doing business in a digital world. Technology has become so prevalent that the employee who pulls out a notebook at a meeting is now the odd man out. Yet, you will still find dated paper-consuming devices in modern offices like fax machines. Is it possible for an office to go completely paperless?

Your IT infrastructure is a lot like a puzzle. There are many pieces of technology that connect to form one big solution. If just one piece of the puzzle is missing, then the picture is incomplete and the solution will not work properly. Good thing we're great at piecing together IT puzzles!

It's convenient to have an in-house IT technician. If your computer freezes up, you can call the IT department and they will swoop in and save the day. This is how in-house IT is supposed to work, but it's hard to hire anyone that's 100% reliable. We think it's actually more advantageous to outsource your IT; here are 5 reasons why.

On Saturday August 10th, Directive had their annual summer picnic! Directive employees and their families united for an afternoon of beautiful weather, great food and friends.

There is a common misperception that strong anti-virus software is all you need to cover the security of your network. While anti-virus software is an important component to network security, there's more to it if you want a secure network. You need to also take into account the human factor, which can disable even the strongest software solution.

You can take out an insurance policy on anything, even a wedding. Insurance company Fireman will protect your big day against "nonrefundable expenses, including cancellation due to serious illness, injury, extreme weather, a missing caterer or officiate -- even a bankrupt event facility." Your businesses technology is important enough to insure; is there a policy to protect your tech?