Google is one of the world’s biggest technology companies, but have you ever wondered how exactly it manages to maintain its iron grip on the search engine market? It’s especially curious when you consider that there are other major technology companies out there that might want a piece of the pie, like Apple, yet choose not to. Well, it turns out there is a very good reason for that, and as you might suspect, large amounts of money are involved.
TV shows and movies captivate people of all ages, walks of life, and socio-economic backgrounds. They can put viewers in places in time and situations that they could only dream about. Like many things in our society, there are varying roles that technology plays in the entertainment industry. Let’s take a look at the role technology plays in the creation of the entertainment that we enjoy every day.
When you think of technology, you typically think of computers and routers and all the hardware and services you need to run the software that is at the heart of your business’ operations. Software is crucial to every organization, but do you have too much? Too little? Today, we will unpack these questions and go through a list of what software is absolutely mandatory for business.
The out-of-office email is a great tool…provided, that is, that it is used to its full potential. Let’s talk about a simple adjustment you can make to the ones you send to ensure they are much more effective, and much less likely to be ignored as a result.
The modern worker has a lot of challenges and one of them is a laundry list of tasks to accomplish. For this reason, it’s best to have a plan for tackling your to-do list. One of the most effective ways to prioritize tasks is through what is called the Eisenhower Matrix. Inspired by a speech given by the former President of the United States and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II, the Eisenhower Matrix simplifies complex task lists to make getting through them more effective. Let’s take a look at how it works.
Information technology has made incredible strides over a relatively short period of time with many different technologies being innovative and used for a vast variety of purposes. One section of technology that has been growing fast is the Internet of Things. This is because more devices are fueling more applications in our society. In this week’s blog, we take a look at how the Internet of Things has started to grow up and what it means for businesses in the future.
As critical as it is to make sure your business’ IT remains in good shape, it is just as important that you and your team members are in good shape as well. Otherwise, the aches and pains that can settle in could easily have a detrimental impact on your productivity.
The business world has seen major shifts in supply chain management as more and more people buy and sell goods over the Internet. While it’s just another ecosystem for retail outfits, other companies that need to source resources from different types of companies from all over the planet have found that global shortages and capital constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have changed the way they have to do business.
Google is always striving to improve its Workspace platform, the business-driven productivity suite for companies. One new tool that could change the way organizations operate is custom building blocks, which add a whole new layer of depth… for schools and businesses, anyway.
Businesses have been utilizing flexible working conditions in increasing droves, due in no small part to the pandemic, but many continue to hold onto these policies in at least some capacity. Businesses, therefore, need to be very cognizant of data retrieval policies and security measures that can keep their organization safe.
What happens when the tools designed to keep organizations safe from network breaches, are the victim of a cyberattack? After all, these tools are just applications, albeit sophisticated pieces of security software, they can run the risk of being exploited much in the same way any other software is. This is exactly what happened to cybersecurity giant Barracuda as it was the victim of a zero-day exploit. Let’s take a look at the hack and how you can protect your business from sharing the same fate.
Digital storage has been evolving with the development of reliable and long-lasting devices with extremely fast storage and massive storage capacity. The innovation of the solid state drive (SSD) has changed the outlook of storage somewhat, but large-capacity SSDs can be expensive. The hard disk drive (HDD) is still a cost-effective alternative, but it is a mechanical device, which, over time, will be prone to failure.
We like to look at the new smartphones that hit the market each and every year, but this year presents an interesting change. The past several years have seen a marked decrease in innovation, and there are fewer companies producing smartphones than before. The reason for this is unclear, and it could be due to any number of factors, including market dynamics, supply chain shortages, or the costs associated with manufacturing. However, it has had profound impacts on major names in the industry, including Amazon, LG, and HTC, as well as Microsoft, Sony, and Nokia.
From its very beginnings, technology’s purpose has been to advance and supplement our capabilities. Today, there are examples of tech fulfilling that role in everything from agriculture to manufacturing and everything in between. The advancement of 3D-printing is just one of the many, many ways that this trend of technology simplifying our basic needs has recently shown its value. Let’s discuss how the development of 3D-printed food could benefit the human race in various ways.
A modern network, when properly configured and protected with modern cybersecurity tools, can be extremely secure. Since that’s been the trend for some organizations over the years, hackers have been looking for ways around the security many businesses have in place. If hackers can’t break in through normal means, they will turn to other, more insidious methods, like phishing attacks, to get what they are after.
People are constantly upgrading their technology. I mean, just take a look at how many people upgrade their phone every year even though innovation of the devices has slowed considerably. Alternatively, sometimes users ignore the signs that it is time for an upgrade even when they are crystal clear. This type of mentality will not help you, especially if your technology breaks down. You need to be able to identify when older devices are holding you back and take steps toward replacing them with better, more powerful ones.
Google is rolling out client-side encryption to Gmail and Calendar, which will allow users to create meeting events as well as send and receive emails that have been encrypted before being sent to Google servers. Client-side encryption will be available to organizations with Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Standard, and Education Plus plans. All other types of Google Workspace accounts and personal Gmail accounts will not get client-side encryption.
The Federal Trade Commission has developed their Safeguards Rule for one purpose: To set up a guideline on how to interact, store, and use customer information. The FTC enacted the Rule in 2003, but it was heavily amended in 2021 to ensure that it keeps up with the technology used by businesses today. It outlines the policies and procedures that all covered companies need to enact.
We could (and usually do) talk about managed services all day long…and to be honest, it’s easy to do, just because there are so many ways that they benefit a business. Today, we wanted to focus our attention on one specific benefit that managed services offer: the inherent proactivity they feature.
The IT infrastructure of any business can be complicated, especially if you’re going about things the right way. In fact, managing your technology is, more often than not, a full-time job that needs to be fulfilled in order to be done appropriately. Let’s go over some of the key parts of managing and maintaining a business IT infrastructure, and while we cover these tasks, ask yourself if you’re 100% confident that they are happening for your business.
