Directive Blogs

You may have realized that marketing and advertising tactics are shifting toward reaching mobile leads. Even superstar companies like Google and Facebook are delegating more marketing dollars to their mobile marketing budgets after a discovery that nearly one-fifth of Google's revenue comes from mobile searching. Here are three ways your company can start up your mobile marketing initiative.

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.

On December 3, 2013, security company Trustwave discovered over two million stolen user passwords for popular online services like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, and 93,000 other websites. There's a high probability that you use one of the services affected by the hack. Is your personal information compromised?

Language is one of the biggest contributors to determining office culture. For example, a workplace where the management motivates with threats will be a completely different environment than an office where encouragement is liberally applied. The allowance or forbiddance of swearing is another major indicator of your company's culture. How does the language in your office reflect your company's values?

Since 1995, eBay has become an online giant, and an obvious choice in the ecommerce industry. Buyers and sellers have taken to this online platform as a convenient solution to acquire things they want, and sell things they don't.

Today's business environment is environmentally conscious. Companies that implement green policies and use energy-saving technologies are making a positive impact on the environment. Going green is the responsible thing to do and will also positively impact your business. Here are three ways using green technology can benefit your business.

If your house was on fire and you only had one trip to rush in and rescue one item, what would it be? Most family-minded individuals would choose their photo album because it's irreplaceable. Insurance money can replace most household and personal items, but not photos. It's important to have a backup plan to keep your prized pictures safe from disasters.

As a business owner, your business is your baby. Therefore, it's easy to take it personally when a customer says something negative about your company. It feels kind of like a stranger calling your newborn baby ugly. Don't overreact to negative opinions by overhauling your business model; you can actually use negative customer feedback to your advantage.

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.

As a business owner, you are always on the lookout for money saving solutions. Technology offers cost-effective options because it can be used to save money by implementing something new, instead of making cuts. A print server solution is one example of how upgrading your technology can save you money.

The fact that over half of all working adults own a smartphone is changing not only the way we do business, but also how we interact as a species. With the development of smart glasses and watches, we are seeing technology becoming even more intertwined with our bodies, effectively turning people into cyborgs.

Upselling and add-ons are the reason why you go to buy a new smartphone, expecting to pay the too-good-to-be-true sale price, and walk out locked into a contract that costs twice as much as you planned on spending. One add-on that's pushed hard is the device protection plan (smartphone insurance). Is a protection plan worth the expense?

What would you say if we told you that disc error rates have been found to be ten times worse than what the vendor's drive specifications state? They're not lying, they are just predicting their own drive's failure rate. In order to be accurate, you must account for failure rates associated with the disk controller, the cables, the PCI bus, the memory, and the processor as well.

The cool thing about using mobile devices equipped with tools that will allow you to remotely access your company's files from anywhere, is that you now have the freedom to work from literally anywhere. Just be careful not to abuse this freedom. Here are 4 tips to help you work on the go without annoying everybody around you.

How vulnerable is your sensitive data on your PC to unwanted threats? Can anyone who gains access to your computer be able to easily find this data and do whatever they wish to it? If these files were encrypted and then hidden from view, you can neutralize the possibility of it happening.

Driving a powerful car can be an exhilarating experience, but if you have no idea what you're doing, it can be dangerous. This is why governments require drivers to pass a safety class before they can speed down the road encased in steel and glass. The Internet is also a powerful tool that can be exciting, beneficial, and dangerous.

At the end of the workday you may be in a hurry to leave, and as you start tossing your belongings into your bag, you come across your USB drive plugged into your PC. You're now faced with a tough decision; do you take the time to safely remove the device, or do you save 30 seconds and just unplug it?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a communication tool designed for business. VoIP takes advantage of your Internet connection to dramatically reduce your phone bill, sometimes by as much as 80% compared to traditional long distance plans. VoIP also comes with unique features to that will assist your company in customer service and employee training.

The expiration date for Google Reader is set for July 1, 2013. Google’s decision to axe the Reader was not because it was unpopular, but rather, it seems like Google wants to focus their energy into fewer products. This announcement leaves many Google faithful out in the cold, and Feedly has welcomed the Google huddled masses yearning to read free.

There was a time when tape backup was the cheapest and the standard data backup solution for businesses. Over the years, cloud services have become more affordable, and now cloud backup solutions like a BDR are cheaper and give businesses more security features. If you are still backing up with tape, then you may be losing money and even putting your business at risk!