Cyber Security Tips – Is Your IT Support Company Looking out for You?

a laptop computer sitting on top of a black table

An effective IT support company possesses the knowledge and expertise required to design a comprehensive security strategy for their clients.  If you want to protect your organization from the increasing threat of all the various cyber attacks, it is essential to select an IT support organization that always stays vigilant.  In turn, their vigilance allows your organization to conduct its daily operations safely and securely.  In this post, we will outline 7 cyber security tips to review, in order to ensure your support team is supporting you.

1. Evaluating Hiring Procedures

Most companies are surprised to learn that insiders are responsible for 60% of cyber attacks.  Professional IT support companies will recommend background checks and other tips to their clients as part of their hiring procedures.

2. Educating Staff

A good IT support team will ensure your staff is properly trained on overall cyber security measures, including how to spot data breaches and how to handle them when they first occur.

3. Secure Hardware

Hardware devices such as laptops and other mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are always at risk for theft, loss, or damage.  A comprehensive security plan will include how to protect all these types of devices.

4. Password Protection

A good security plan will educate employees on the importance of password protection and a good support team will put measures into place to ensure employees adhere to a company’s password policy.

5. Data Protection Plan

Your support company should provide clear steps on how they plan to protect your company’s data.  Regular software updates, backup, and recovery procedures are just some of the points a comprehensive plan will cover.

6. Cloud Service Evaluation

A solid security plan will encompass any cloud services your company uses as well as on-site technology.  Measures for securing cloud data, backing it up and recovery are just as important for cloud data as it is for on-site data.

7. Encouraging Two-Factor Authentication

More and more companies are moving toward authentication that requires access to a separate device and authentication code before a user can gain log-in privileges to cloud data.

Contact us today for more cyber security tips on how to secure your organization.

Computer Tip of the Day – 4 Ways to Reduce Blue Light Emissions

a woman is typing on her laptop computer

Do your eyes ever feel strained, watery, and irritated after staring at your computer screen for an extended period of time? Digital screens emit what’s known as blue light. This strains and hurts your eyes. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce blue light emissions from your screen.

Use the Windows 10 Tool

Windows 10 has a built-in tool that limits blue light emissions. To access it, go to Settings and click on the display icon. At the top, toggle Lower Blue Light Automatically to On. Click on the settings option to adjust your blue light filter settings and set hours for it to go on.

Use Flux

Flux, or f.lux, is a popular app for computers that many people use to reduce blue light emissions. It works on Windows, Linux, and Macs. It makes your computer screen appear more like the lighting in your room. This changes based on the time of the day; it lowers your screen’s brightness at night. This helps keep your eyes from being irritated.

Use a Browser Extension

There are many browser extensions that can help reduce your computer’s brightness. Go to the Chrome or Firefox store and look for night light or blue light filter extensions. F.lux has its own extension, called G.lux. You can also just try lowering the brightness of your computer in general.

Limit Exposure

Of course, you can also take some simple steps to reduce your eyes’ exposure to your computer’s blue light. Take frequent breaks when at your computer. Use the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and rest your eyes on an object that is at least 20 feet away.

For more computer tips, contact us today!

Simple But Effective Computer Tip – Shut Down Your Computer

a man sitting at a desk using a laptop computer

With all the newer gadgets such as tablets, smartphones, personal laptops, and the like, it is often tempting to keep them in sleep mode when not in use.  However, when it comes to using computer equipment on the job, there are some fairly compelling reasons why a nightly shutdown of work-related equipment is a good habit to acquire.  In this post, we will discuss some of the highlights as to why sleep mode is not always ideal. Check out this simple but effective computer tip.

Effective Computer Tip

Computer Processes

Especially with legacy software, there are processes running in the background even when an application is not even open.  Over time, a PC’s memory can get bogged down with all these rogue processes and issues that begin to occur such as computer crashes, operating system lags, and programs that freeze up.  By shutting down your work computer every night, it gives your computer and its memory a clean slate for the next morning.  This reduces program issues and speeds up productivity levels.

Save on Electricity

Rare are the offices that only consist of one or two computers.  Many offices have quite a few PCs and their fair share of printers as well.  It might not save an office much money if they only have one or two PCs to shut down every night, but companies who have more than that will notice significant savings in their electric bill if the entire office shuts down their equipment at night and on weekends.

The average PC uses anywhere from 80 to 250 watts.  If your local utility company charges a modest 12 cents per kWh, then assuming 250 watts for a PC, a company will pay over $20 a month in electricity costs to keep just one PC running 24/7.  Multiply these figures by the number of PCs in your office, add a few printers and some tablets and the total can be quite significant.

Save on Wear and Tear

The cooling fans installed to keep the power supply and CPU from overheating will get a break if users shut down their PC every night and they will last longer.  In addition, although no one should have such a messy workstation that it potentially is a fire hazard, it certainly is possible.  Some users in cramped quarters tend to stack paper, file folders, and other paraphernalia in and around their computers.  Talk to any computer repair person and they will probably have a story about someone who had a PC go up in smoke because their cooling fan overheated.  Having office staff get into the habit of shutting down their equipment every night reduces the chances of fire.

For more information on computer tips to help you work smarter and safer, please contact us.

IT Support In West Palm Beach: Are You Backing Up Your Data?

a laptop computer sitting on top of a wooden table

Backing up your data is a critical decision to make, regardless of what type of business you are operating. Running your own company is hard enough. You should not have to worry about any added pressure when it comes to data. If you are having a difficult time making the decision about data backup, we want to give you information. We think it can help you choose the best solution for your business.

Backing Up Your Data

Who Thinks They Will Be Hacked?

When it comes to hacking, we all think that it could never happen to us. If your business stores critical and private information, you are at a serious risk of being hacked. If you are ever in a position where your information is compromised, wouldn’t you feel a little better knowing that your data can be recovered because you have it backed up?

For Your Own Protection

Data backup is not just something you need to consider to protect your data against hackers. Data backup is also important because you cannot predict natural disasters or accidents that will cause physical damage to your equipment. When you take the right steps to ensure that your information is stored properly, you will have your own insurance on the customer and employee data you are responsible for.

If your business were to be hit with a disaster, how much time do you think it would take for you to fully recover? If you do not have the proper data backup, your business may not be able to fully recover. Unfortunately, some businesses never recover. We do not want that to happen to your business.

If you have made a decision regarding backing up your data, contact us today for more information.

Proven Productivity Tips from Successful People

a group of people sitting around a table with laptops

It’s difficult to argue with success.  Throughout history there are a number of people who have earned a place in the “highly successful” category of human endeavors.  If you are frustrated with your current (lack of) productivity tips, perhaps a few tips from some of history’s most successful people will be just the boost you’ve been looking for.

Productivity Tips

Stephen King

This world-renowned author is not only the king of horror books, as it turns out, he is also the king of consistency.  King once mused, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”  He is able to consistently turn out successful books because he applies himself to his work on a daily basis, producing at least 2,000 words a day.

Applying the same consistent work ethic, what could you accomplish over time?  Set goals, meet them consistently and over time you should see real rewards.

Agatha Christie

Sometimes the most creative, successful people are not “desk people”.  In Agatha’s case, she never owned a desk.  In her autobiography, she states, “Plots come to me at such odd moments. When I am walking along the street, or examining a hat shop. Suddenly a splendid idea comes into my head.”

Thankfully, today many work environments are becoming more flexible and mobile.  If you are one of those people whose creativity and ingenuity are not well-served by the proverbial 9-to-5 environment, don’t try to fit your square peg into a round hole.  Find an environment where you can flourish.

Benjamin Franklin

It is important to find a work culture in which you feel comfortable.  In Ben Franklin’s case, he was known to spend the first hour of his day working at his desk. In the nude.  Of course, no one is suggesting that you try to find a company that will accept nudity.  However, as in the case of Mark Zuckerberg and his famous tennis shoes and hoodies, if you don’t fit into a power suit culture then find another environment where you can be successful.

Beethoven

According to historical records, Beethoven insisted on drinking a morning cup of joe containing precisely 60 coffee beans.  While this certainly seems excessive, the lesson to derive from Beethoven’s habit is, that consuming a morning cup of joe or energy drink, going on a morning run before work, and/or eating a power breakfast helps you to feel physically more productive, then let it become a habit.

Want to know more about how to elevate your productivity levels?  Contact us.