by Felicien | Jul 26, 2017 | Education
For most businesses, technology is something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps you run your business and remain competitive. On the other hand, updating hardware and software requires ongoing investments in time and money.
Technology is evolving rapidly. Something that’s state-of-the-art today may be woefully obsolete in a year or so. Learning how to use new tools, especially when you’re comfortable with what you’re used to, can be time-consuming and frustrating. Plus, implementing a new infrastructure can be costly and has the potential for major business interruptions.
No wonder so many business owners hold onto legacy systems far longer than they should. But keeping around outdated technology can actually increase costs and decrease productivity.
What Are Legacy Systems?
A legacy system is any piece of hardware or software that was once widely used but has long since been replaced with something newer. Age doesn’t necessarily make a solution a legacy. It could be regarded as outdated because a newer version has been released and the vendor no longer supports the system.
However, when looking to update technologies, one of the biggest concerns most business owners have is how to justify the cost. The question then is—What’s the cost of keeping outdated technology?
The Trouble with Outdated Technology
Installing a new piece of software in a business setting isn’t like installing one on your home computer. You need to move data from one platform to another, and train people to use the new solution. These are understandable concerns. However, it’s also true that the benefits of replacing outdated technology far outweigh the risks of keeping a legacy system.
The cost of maintaining legacy systems can quickly become burdensome to a small business trying to keep budgets under control. Experts agree that the ability to provide timely IT solutions to an organization that uses an older, legacy infrastructure is essentially impossible. Make no mistake – there will come a point where you’re spending more money to maintain your legacy systems than you would if you had upgraded everything when you should.
Decreased security is a huge concern when it comes to using legacy systems. Technology companies combat this problem by constantly releasing security updates for the at-risk software. However, once a legacy system is no longer supported, you won’t receive security patches from the developer. Plus, backup and disaster recovery become insurmountable challenges. You’ll never be able to properly safeguard the work you’re doing today, and you’ll always live with the worry that data loss might be just around the corner.
If your business is under stringent regulatory compliance requirements, the cost of outdated technology can have serious repercussions. Compliance standards, like HIPAA, PCI, SOX, and others, require that your technology be supported. This sets you up for fees and penalties if you experience a data breach (which are more likely due to security holes in your legacy system).
And, whether you’re talking about software or hardware, older systems have increased failure rates. This makes system downtime simply unavoidable. The consequences of downtime can be grave for small businesses and you risk losing customers forever if your services are inaccessible. Here are just some of the costs you can occur when your legacy system fails:
Expenses for IT recovery and data restoration (if even possible!)
Dissatisfied customers (who may leave for the competition)
Lost sales
Brand/loyalty damage
Lost employee productivity
Potential employee overtime costs to meet deadlines after the failure
Low employee morale and turnover due to stress
Another problem with using outdated technology is that “old” and “new” technology very rarely work together. Most legacy systems are incompatible with newer systems. It’s essential that software, no matter how old, integrates well with the tools and applications you require to efficiently run your business. And, if your legacy system prohibits you from using new, advanced capabilities, chances are your competitors are. This means you will continue to lose customers and revenue, putting your business’s existence at risk.
Mobility is impaired when using legacy systems. If your employees work in the field, such as with construction, warehouse control, oil and gas production, or logistics, their performance will be improved, and your business more efficient, if they can use mobile devices that connect to your inventory, production and other management software.
If your employees can’t access your legacy software from any mobile or computer device other than your office computers, you’ll, once again, fall behind your competition in terms of performance and revenue. Cloud-based SaaS products outperform any on-premise system.
Legacy systems inhibit business scalability and growth. Can your legacy software support increased production capacity and your company’s growth? As your business grows you’ll have changing technology needs. Your business is constantly evolving, and your software must be able to keep up. If not, you’ll be forced to adapt your business to your legacy system, and this will “stunt” your ability to grow your business. With increased scale and demand, you’ll require better throughput capacity and a completely new IT architecture to manage all your operations.
When you consider all of this, does it make sense to hang on to an outdated system just because you want to save a little money? The answer is simple — It doesn‘t.
If you‘re in {city} and you‘d like to find out if your technology needs updating, or if you have any questions about this article, please contact {company} today by phone at {phone} or by sending an email to {email}. We’re here to help you stay competitive with peak-performing technology.
by Felicien | Jul 26, 2017 | Education
As smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices become a more essential part of our lives with each passing day, the same must become true in terms of mobile security. Viruses don’t just affect desktop and laptop computers – with millions upon millions of iPhone and Android devices in the wild, it makes sense that eventually the attention of hackers would turn towards people on-the-go to do the most damage.
According to one study, there were 1,023,108,267 records stolen from mobile devices in particular during 2014. Not all of this has to do with smartphones that are lost or stolen – another study estimates that an incredible 25% of all mobile devices encounter a security threat each month.
So when a company as big as Apple issues an urgent security update and urges iPhone and iPad owners to download and install it right away, to say that you should listen is something of an understatement. Apple’s recent iOS and MacOS update, released in July of 2017, targets a particularly dangerous vulnerability in the hardware of those devices that you need to be aware of moving forward.
The Story with Broadpwn
Earlier in 2017, security researchers discovered a vulnerability in certain models of Wi-Fi chips that have the potential to bring a device to its knees before a user even realizes that something is wrong in the first place. The exploit is known as Broadpwn and it allows a hacker to execute a malicious piece of code remotely, taking total control of your device through the Wi-Fi chip.
Once Broadpwn has been utilized, a hacker has total control of everything – from the operating system to the central processing unit and everything in between.
What makes Broadpwn particularly nasty (and terrifying) is that all a hacker has to do is get within the range of your device – they don’t actually need physical access to run their code. This means that they could be sitting near you in an airport terminal or could be at the table next to you in a public coffee shop and do just as much damage as they would if they had stolen your device from your pocket if you weren’t looking.
The flaw is estimated to affect millions of Apple and Android devices currently being used by people all over the world. To Apple competitor Google’s credit, they already released a patch for the Android operating system earlier in July. Apple took a bit of additional time because it had to work on unique fixes for both the iOS mobile operating system and the macOS desktop platform.
Thankfully, all Apple software updates are incredibly easy to install. Once your device is connected to a Wi-Fi network (which is recommended in the case of an iPhone in particular because the file itself is quite large), all you have to do is complete the following steps:
Open the “Settings” app on your device.
Navigate to the option labeled “General.”
Tap once on the button labeled “Software Update.”
Wait a few seconds for your device to recognize the newly available update. Tap the button labeled “Download and Install.”
Leave your device connected to a charging cable and wall outlet during this time, as it may take awhile to update.
Once the update has completed, navigate back to the “Settings” app and tap “About.” Confirm that your device is running the iOS 10.3.3 operating system.
If your Apple device is a computer like an iMac or MacBook Pro, the steps to update are even easier. All you need to do is open the “App Store” app and click on the tab labeled “Updates.” Once your computer serves you the update, click “Download and Install.” Your computer will reboot a few times during this process and at the end, you will be free from the danger of Broadpwn.
Apple and Security: What You Need to Know
Apple has always had a reputation for offering very secure devices in both the mobile and desktop worlds. While this is true, the idea that Apple devices “don’t ever” get viruses is something of a myth. This used to be true, but we’re talking about ten or more years ago. Hackers rarely targeted Apple’s desktop operating system, simply because it wasn’t efficient to do so. Not only was Windows a naturally less secure operating system that what Apple was running, but there were also exponentially more Windows computers in use worldwide. It didn’t make sense to spend time writing a piece of code that targeted an Apple device if the chances of success were low in the first place.
However, thanks to both the explosion in popularity of the iPhone and the fact that more people are buying Apple computers, things have changed. Apple devices are still targeted by specific viruses much less than their Windows counterparts, but those numbers are always on the rise. One study estimates that in 2015, there were five times as many instances of Apple-specific malware on desktop and laptop computers than there was in the five previous years combined. Likewise, the iOS operating system saw a 262% increase in vulnerabilities compared to just a few years earlier in 2011.
All of this is to say that you should not assume that your device is protected just because it has the Apple logo on it. Cybersecurity is a pressing concern for everyone who uses the Internet in any way, regardless of who made your computer or smartphone or what company you’ve chosen to do business with in the past. To assume otherwise is a legitimate recipe for disaster.
Though it’s true that Apple adds a lot of excellent new features to devices like the iPhone and iPad, they’re also designed for something much more important – keeping your device, your data and ultimately yourself safe from harm. If you’re in {city} and would like to find out more information about this or any other pressing IT-related topic, please don’t hesitate to contact {company} today at {phone} or by sending us an email to {email}.
by Felicien | Jul 26, 2017 | Education
You spend a lot of time commuting—Don’t let this time go to waste! Skype and BMW want to help you be more productive while driving.
How much time do you spend behind the wheel each year? If you’re like the average American, you drive an incredible 290 hours annually! This is almost seven, 40-hour work weeks!
And, it’s only getting worse. According to Newsweek, drivers in the U.S. spend over 40 hours per year STUCK in rush-hour traffic! Plus, this number is expected to rise as the economy grows.
What a waste!
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
As you probably know by now, my favorite business management solution is Microsoft Office 365 Business Suite. That’s why I was so excited to hear that Microsoft and BMW are teaming up to turn drive-time into productive-time. They’re doing this by bringing Skype for Business to the popular BMW Series 5.
Today, drivers of vehicles equipped with BMW Connected Drive (which already offers one of the widest ranges of digital services available through a driver-accessible touch screen) can now add the power of Skype for Business to their “road-warrior arsenal.”
Drivers of the BMW 5 Series can attend meetings, or chat with colleagues no matter where they are, and without taking their eyes off the road! To prevent accidents, the BMW Connected Drive version of Skype for Business allows you to keep your hands on the wheel while joining or ending a meeting.
With more than 100 million worldwide subscribers to Office 365 Business, the collaboration between Microsoft and BMW makes a lot of sense. Besides Skype for Business, BMW Connected Drive also allows you to access calendars, to-do lists, and contacts using Microsoft’s Exchange.
Is Skype for Business Really Worth It?
I bet a few of you are thinking: “This is fantastic! I can now use Skype for Business in the car. But, I wonder if I can use other versions of Skype, as well?”
My clients often ask me if it’s worth paying a little extra each month to use Skype for Business, or if they can “get by” with the free version of Skype. What I tell them is that they can get by with a free version if their business isn’t that important to them!
Seriously, Skype for Business starts at just $2 per month, per user— Just two dollars! A better way for your business to communicate is surely worth more to you than a cup of coffee, right? But when you subscribe to any Office 365 Business Plan, you also get Skype for Business. In this sense, Skype for Business IS FREE!
Maybe you still don’t want to subscribe to an Office 365 Business Plan, and aren’t sure if Skype for Business is a small-business essential. This brief rundown of the differences between the Skype versions may change your mind.
Skype (free) is a standalone text, voice, and video-chatting program. Although Skype advertises it as being “great for smaller businesses of up to 20 employees, it really isn’t. In reality, this version is only good for one-to-one casual conversations. Learn more about the free version of Skype.
Skype for Business ($2 a month per user) is available as a standalone application, or as part of any Office 365 Business Plan. Skype for Business integrates completely with Office 365 applications so you can incorporate calendars, data storage, PowerPoint presentations and other solutions, seamlessly. When it comes to meetings, Skype for Business is “King.” Skype makes it easy, whether you’re presenting or attending. Learn more about Skype for Business.
Here are 3 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Productivity During Your Commute.
Maybe you don’t drive a BMW with BMW Connected Drive to work each day. But that doesn’t mean you have to waste your time. Here are three ways to benefit from your commute time.
Create a to-do list. Use your commute to organize your tasks and set goals for the day. Use a voice recorder if you’re driving, or an app on your smartphone if you’re a passenger.
Listen to something to make you a better person. Catch up on your favorite podcast, learn a new language, or take an audio course.
Prepare for that big presentation. When you drive to work, why not use the alone- time to rehearse for that big presentation coming up?
BMW, Skype and Microsoft continue to look for ways to increase our productivity. I’m always happy to hear when companies collaborate to make our work lives easier—Especially for the busy small-business owner.
by Felicien | Jul 25, 2017 | Education
Need a fast Windows screenshot? We’ll show you how to do it!
Do you need to take a quick Windows screenshot for work or fun, but can’t figure out how to do it? Don’t worry: Our guide will show you just how it’s done.
Copy the Screen for Posts
Traditionally, the “Print Screen” option is the quickest way to take an easy screenshot that you can use later on as desired. The only problem here is that these days Print Screen looks a little different based on what type of keyboard you may have. These steps may not all be available on some keyboards, especially more compact keyboards or non-Windows keyboards.
First, look at the top rows of buttons on your keyboard. Look for a button that says “PrtScn” or “Print Scr” or any other abbreviation (it may also be lurking around the Ctrl key, there are several places that they appear. If there’s a dedicated key, all you have to press it. This will instantly copy a snapshot of the screen. You can then go into any document and paste the screenshot wherever space is available.
Note that sometimes this feature is on a dual-purpose key, and you may have to access it by pressing the Ctrl or Fn key at the same time.
Automatically Save Screenshot as File
Let’s say that you don’t want to just copy a screenshot for pasting, but that you actually want to save a screenshot as its own photo file. In that case, you may need a combination of buttons. If your keyboard has both a Print Screen button and a Windows logo key, you can press them both at the same time: This will usually take a screenshot and then automatically save it as a separate file, typically in the desktop or its own screenshots folder.
Of course, it’s not always that simple. If you have a Windows key, an Fn key, and a Ctrl key, you may need to push some combination of these keys along with the Print Screen key to create an automatic save. A little bit of experimentation may be in order, but if you’re using a built-in keyboard (like on a laptop) then you can probably look up the best method.
Choose a Single Window as a Screenshot
This is a common case in many of today’s larger screens, where you have several windows open at the same time but only want to take a screenshot of one window, not the whole screen. There’s a way to do this, too: Click on the window you want to copy so that it’s highlight. Then press the Print Screen key and the Alt key at the same time. If your keyboard has an Fn key, you have to press Print Screen, Alt, and Fn at the same time to get this to work.
“Snipping” Screenshots
Windows also lets you select a particular area of the screen through a dedicated screenshot tool called the Snipping Tool. It’s not as fast as other methods, but it is very effective. Just type in “snipping tool” into your Windows search box and it will bring up the right link to select. This opens up a small bar that allows you to create a “New” screenshot and change the shape of the shot. You can then drag your mouse to create whatever size you need.
Looking for more information on how to use Windows 10? Remember to take a look at {company}’s Wisdom Wednesday series for continued advice. If our {city} readers have any further questions or need help figuring out a problem, contact {company} at {phone} and {email}.
by Felicien | Jul 25, 2017 | Education
A discussion of how to best go about taking complicated IT concepts and communicating them to your team in the right way.
The world of information technology is something of a natural contradiction. On the one hand, the resources that we depend so heavily on are designed to make our lives simpler, not more complex. They’re intended to allow us to work smarter, not harder. To do that, they need to be accessible to everyday people — both those who have devoted a lifetime of education to the topic and those who haven’t.
Yet at the same time, IT professionals find themselves awash in a world of highly technical terms and acronyms that describe incredibly complex subjects. Again, being able to properly utilize those IT resources requires an infrastructure that is aligned with your long-term strategy, but oftentimes this level of technicality can keep most people at a distance.
Luckily, communication skills will come in handy when operating in the IT space — just not necessarily in the way you may have thought. If you really want to learn how to communicate IT concepts in the easiest way possible to those who may not be experts, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
Understand Your Audience
In many ways, the secret to effective communication involves knowing who you’re speaking to and adapting to their capacity — regardless of whether you’re talking about IT, science, mathematics or some other complicated topic. If you’re speaking to a tech-based audience, naturally you would be able to get away with some of the jargon that keeps others at a distance.
If you’re speaking to a non-technical audience, put things in terms of what they can do, not what they are. For example, don’t talk about the finer points of a server, breaking down the detailed technical specifications as precisely as you can. Talk instead about what that server does — how it changes their lives, makes things easier and the very real value that it provides. Your audience may not know how a server works at the end of your conversation, but they will know how it is about to change their lives and why it is so important.
Get Comfortable With Metaphors and Analogies
One of the best ways to take complicated IT concepts and distil them down into something more easily accessible for novices is to use metaphors and analogies when explaining certain key ideas. If you were trying to tackle a topic like the internet of things, for example, you wouldn’t necessarily describe the billions of connected devices that are designed to make up this concept over the course of the next few years. You wouldn’t talk about complicated sensors and other elements all creating, sending and receiving data among themselves at all times.
Instead, you might focus in on something that is a point of reference in their lives — a more easily accessible idea like a thermostat that automatically learns your schedule and starts adjusting the temperature of your home based on the time of day and when you’re going to get home from work. Start simple with something that matters to them and build out to the broader and more complicated implications of the concept from there.
Explain, Explain and then Explain Some More
Another helpful way to explain complicated topics to non-IT people — which also works for explaining any other highly technical idea — is to get to the same destination in as many different ways as you can. Remember that everyone is a little bit different. Some people grasp new ideas right away, while others will require a bit of extra love and care.
If there are two different ways to explain something, don’t pick one or the other. Instead, use both. If there are eight different ways to explain an IT concept, that’s even better. Though it may feel like overkill to you, remember that you’re the one who already grasps the concept — not the person you’re speaking to. At some point, something is going to stick and both parties will be much better off because of it.
Lean Into Pop Culture to Make IT Sound Fun
Finally, another useful way to take a complex idea and present it to a non-technical audience is to rely on pop culture and other types of references to make it memorable, relatable, and most importantly, fun.
Think back a few years ago to the debut of the iPad. Though Apple’s tablet may seem commonplace today, it was a totally foreign concept to many people when it originally debuted. A lot of people didn’t really understand the broader implications of it or what allowed it to be more than just a giant iPhone.
Explaining how a tablet fits into your workflow may be difficult when someone has just, minutes earlier, learned what a tablet is, but with pop culture you can do the next best thing. What is an iPad if not one of the communicator devices from Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi classic “Star Trek”? Or how about that scene in “Minority Report” in which Tom Cruise is hiding on a subway train and he spots a man reading a digital newspaper that he’s controlling entirely through touch?
Points of reference for modern day IT concepts and items exist all throughout popular culture. You should try to use them as a bit of a “common starting point” whenever you can. If someone understands your pop culture reference, terrific — you now have something to build from to introduce them to the more technical IT concepts with relative ease.
IT concepts can often seem overwhelming and insurmountable — but if you approach things from the right direction, getting everyone on the same page doesn’t have to be nearly as difficult as certain people often make it. If you’re in {city} and would like to find out more information about these or other essential IT concepts, please don’t delay. Contact {company} today by phone at {phone} or by sending an email to {email}.
