Blog

In today’s corporate environment, most industries are ready for the Internet of Things (IoT) in their own unique ways. Let’s take a look at these examples of utilizing IoT in various business niches that are in operation or will be implemented soon. Improved logistics With IoT sensors, supply chain management and order fulfillment processes improve markedly to meet customer ... read more

As a business owner, it’s important to be aware of the unexpected costs associated with the cloud and what measures you can take to keep those costs down. They might not add up to much at first, but could eventually cost you more than the service is worth. Pay the right price for the services you receive with these five tips: No standalones Cloud services come in various shape... read more

Failure to understand your customers’ needs and wants could result in ill-informed marketing strategies. And when your company can’t satisfy their demands, they’ll likely turn to your competitors instead. To prevent this, deploying a customer relationship management (CRM) system can make a world of difference. Here’s a handful of reasons to make the switch. Grows with y... read more

With major improvements like Calendar.help, Outlook, and Surface Pen, you would think that Office 365 has already reached its full potential. With the Office Insider feature, you’re bound to be proven wrong as you’ll have access to new features that make Office 365 better with each update. These nitty-gritty improvements give a competitive edge to businesses that rely on Mic... read more

Why do hackers attack? Is it for money, notoriety, or political reasons? As a business owner, you should always try and find out the motive behind an attack to help you determine whether or not you’re a target and what data you need to protect. Let’s take a closer look at four different types of hackers and their motives. Script Kiddies Skill-wise, script kiddies (or skids, ... read more

When it comes to business computers, you can't mess around. The wrong choice of hardware can pile up costs for any small- and medium-sized business (SMB). You don't need unnecessary repairs, incompatible systems, and data breaches slowing operations down or draining resources. This guide will help your SMB make cost-efficient choices in hardware. Portability Laptops allow you to... read more

A dissatisfied customer sounding off on a consumer complaint site about how unhappy they are can have serious ramifications to your company’s online reputation. It's possible for these negative reviews to end up on the first page of your search results. However, businesses can fight back against these websites. Don’t engage site or users directly Don't send emails demanding ... read more

Every marketing channel has best practices. For websites, it comes down to being user-friendly. Without this, even a terrific-looking website may discourage visitors from signing up for a free e-book or consultation. Be sure your website follows these 5 rules that make it easier to attract visitors and convert them. Make it mobile-friendly More people are now surfing the web on ... read more

With advancements in cloud computing, disaster recovery (DR) has become more efficient and affordable than ever. But many business owners still cling to DR myths that can safely be ignored. If you’re uncertain as to how DR has changed and are ready for an update, here are some myths that you ought to ignore.  Tape backups are the best DR solution Backup tapes are physical obj... read more

Office 365 comes with different storage and sharing options to make business owners more productive. Two of these are OneDrive and SharePoint, both of which have a long list of features and benefits. Which option is best for you? Keep reading for the answer. Looking for a secure platform to manage your files? Where do you go for help? Should you choose SharePoint or settle for O... read more

The Rio Summer Olympics took place years ago, but the hackers who infamously used social engineering to exploit the event are still with us. Although business owners may think that their systems are safe from malware, they may not be prepared for social engineering. This strategy can be used to steal personal information from unsuspecting victims and it doesn’t require any advanced... read more

Have you been using the same mouse for several years now? If you’re feeling discomfort in your mouse clicking hand, then it’s probably time to consider an upgrade. The perfect mouse lets you work efficiently, easily, and safely. So the next time you’re in the market for new mouse, keep these tips in mind. Cable or wireless? Choosing between a wired or a wireless mouse is a... read more

To access the web when the internet was in its infancy, computer users could only choose between Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Thanks to advancements in technology, people can now do their work in a browser. If you’re looking for an alternate way to surf the web, our list below will have an answer for you. Google Chrome By just about any metric, Google Chrome has be... read more

Office 365 has dozens of productivity-boosting tools that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with all of them. One you may have overlooked is MyAnalytics, a machine learning-based tool to help you get more out of your employees' work day. What is MyAnalytics? MyAnalytics apply machine learning technology to your employees’ Office 365 data. By utilizing extremely powerful... read more

You may know how to use Microsoft Excel's basic functions, but have you truly mastered the program? Excel has more advanced features, and here's how you can master some of them. Pie and Sunburst Charts Everyone knows that bombarding stakeholders with endless numbers and decimal points is the wrong approach. You need to compile data and develop comprehensive pie or sunburst chart... read more

One point five billion people check Facebook every single day. That’s a lot of potential business for companies that take the time to manage and update their profile. There are lots of ways to simplify social media engagement that don’t require much time or money, but these six are our favorites. Focus on getting comments In the beginning of 2018, Facebook announced broad ch... read more

Keeping your personal and professional information safe from cybercriminals is not easy. It takes constant vigilance and frequent training. There are dozens of simple tools and tips to help people with almost zero expertise stay safe online, but these five are our favorites. 1. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) This tool earns the number one spot on our list because it can keep ... read more

The new flashy set of PCs your company just bought last year are becoming outdated, and you don’t have enough IT staff to maintain them. If this is your current situation, it might be time to consider Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), a pay-as-you-go model where you pay your managed services provider (MSP) a monthly fee to take care of all your hardware needs. Here are some of the... read more

When it comes to the cloud, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may be compelled to choose either a private or a public cloud infrastructure. But there's a third option, and it's called the hybrid cloud. Hybrid clouds are a combination of private and public clouds. In the former, data and applications that require tighter controls are hosted either internally or privately ... read more

Have you seen folks wandering around, staring at their phone like it was a map pointing to a pot of gold? Or ordering pizza over a Facebook conversation with an awkward cashier? With some creative marketing and structuring, your SMB could be on the other side of those people’s phones. Tech fads are a treasure trove of cheap new customers — if you know how to cheaply capitali... read more

Have you ever received an email that claimed to come from a bank or government office when it obviously didn’t? It was probably a phishing scam trying to trick you into downloading malware. The most recent campaign duplicates a trustworthy Office 365 email and can fool even the most skeptical users. Here’s how to stay safe. Step 1 - Invitation to collaborate email The first ... read more

The bring your own device (BYOD) strategy lets employees use their personal mobile devices to do work for your company from anywhere. This strategy increases efficiency and convenience to your business, but it also brings a number of security risks to your IT infrastructure and data. If you’re thinking of incorporating BYOD in your office, consider the following risks before m... read more

Some things come in pairs, including glasses, shoes, and, for busy office workers, computer monitors. The concept of using two monitors at once is unconventional for some, but staying in familiar territory when it comes to working at a desk might not be best for productivity. If you’re hesitant about your employees using two monitors simultaneously, perhaps these reasons will ... read more

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an exciting innovation that’s becoming integral to many businesses. Industry experts are even predicting that by 2020, 85% of the interactions between corporate customer service departments and their clients will use AI. If you’re an e-commerce business owner, you’re in a prime position to become an early adopter. Predicting what your custom... read more

Like all things, business continuity plans are not perfect. They have pitfalls that can result in your business’s failure if not taken into account immediately. Don’t blame it all on the IT guy; often, the way a system is designed can also have loopholes. Here are a few of the reasons why business continuity plans fail. Over-optimistic testing The initial testing attempt is ... read more