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Setting up an IT infrastructure for a small business can be an intimidating and costly venture. Fortunately, cloud computing has given companies affordable and flexible solutions to deal with rapidly advancing technological demands. However, for the small business owner, there are still many common misunderstandings about using cloud services. Here are a few ways some […]

08 Mar, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office 365, Security category

2016Mar8_Web&Cloud_BSetting up an IT infrastructure for a small business can be an intimidating and costly venture. Fortunately, cloud computing has given companies affordable and flexible solutions to deal with rapidly advancing technological demands. However, for the small business owner, there are still many common misunderstandings about using cloud services. Here are a few ways some businesses may misconceive the nature of the cloud.

Cloud infrastructures are unsecure

Security is a necessity for online users. And the most prevalent misconception about the cloud is the idea that cloud services lack appropriate security measures to keep data safe from intruders. Most users also think that the data stored in the cloud can be easily accessed by anyone, anywhere and at anytime.

But the truth is it’s actually a good idea for small businesses to use cloud services. Small companies usually can’t afford to hire an IT department let alone train them to deal with online security threats. Cloud providers, on the other hand, offer services such as layered security and antivirus protection that not only specialize in keeping infrastructures safe from hackers but are available at a price that is much lower than you would pay for in-house IT staff.

Additionally, large cloud-based services such as Google Apps for Work and Office 365 are supported by an infrastructure that constantly installs, updates and patches, which helps manage security breaches. This significantly frees you from the burden of having to install the updates yourself and managing the overall security of your system.

Users should understand that no company is completely safe from security threats regardless of their IT infrastructure. But data is likely to be more secure in the hands of cloud providers as they are the most prepared and qualified to protect your digital property.

Encryption

There is a misunderstanding about the role of encryption or rather how it is implemented to keep your data safe. Encryption is usually used for data in transition, where data is protected from anyone seeing it as it travels from one location to another on the Internet. But encryption can also be applied to data at rest, where data is encrypted on a storage drive.

While cloud service providers already keep their physical storage drive well protected, some keep the decryption key held in software, potentially leaving the key vulnerable to intruders. If hackers were to successfully obtain the decryption key, they can simply access your encrypted data. That’s why some cloud storage services are much better than others in terms of keeping your data protected.

With this in mind, you should understand that while every cloud service highlights their data security by demonstrating their encryption abilities, it does not necessarily mean that a cloud-based service that markets itself as such is right for you. When it comes to choosing the right cloud service, it is best to inform yourself about the security measures that a cloud infrastructure implements and look at how it can protect your company’s digital property.

With the cloud you are no longer responsible for data security

While cloud security is important, the responsibility for protecting data ultimately rests on the user. Misplacing mobile devices can leave your data vulnerable and make the cloud infrastructure insecure. It is also recommended to have verification mechanisms in place for devices that are used to access the cloud.

Losing USBs or external hard drives obviously leads to direct data loss and can be easily remedied by backing up your files. This applies to files stored in the cloud as well. So be smart, and backup your files because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The cloud is never faulty

Like many online services, cloud-based services are not immune to technical difficulties. For example, some cloud businesses have suffered outages and server failures which corrupted files and may have lost data in the process.

Hacking is another reason why some cloud services fail. Using a less than optimal cloud service that is vulnerable to attacks can lead to stolen or deleted data, which would be near impossible to recover if you did not have any offline backups.

Regardless of these flaws, however, it is vital to note that using the cloud as your only source of data storage and processing can lead to problems in the future. Keeping backups of your files is always a good idea.

Security is truly one of the biggest barriers to the adoption of cloud computing in a small business. But as cloud services expand and encryption technologies advance, cloud adoption is increasingly becoming the most cost-effective solution to meet the small business owner’s IT demands. Contact us today to learn how your business can take advantage of all the cloud has to offer.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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We may expect to find computers everywhere these days, from our offices, schools and airports to our pockets and wrists, but until now there's not been much call for computers in our hospital operating rooms. But new technology is making waves in healthcare circles and could even save lives by helping surgeons and physicians make […]

07 Mar, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category

2015Feb23_HealthcareGeneral_AWe may expect to find computers everywhere these days, from our offices, schools and airports to our pockets and wrists, but until now there's not been much call for computers in our hospital operating rooms. But new technology is making waves in healthcare circles and could even save lives by helping surgeons and physicians make life and death decisions. This is why investors and governments are looking into this area as way of improving healthcare and patient outcomes. So let's take a look at some of this miraculous medical teach.

Enhanced diagnosis and treatment

IBM supercomputer, Dr. Watson, was specifically developed to help doctors make more accurate diagnoses while also recommending treatments and procedures. In the future, it is hoped that physicians will be able to rely on Watson to keep track of patient history, keep up-to-date with the latest medical research and analyze potential treatment options.

How Watson does this is by analyzing unstructured data, which includes news articles, research reports and even social media posts. Once asked a question, it evaluates all possible meanings to determine what its being asked. Lastly it’ll find supporting evidence and compare quality of information before presenting the best answers and solutions which the doctors can then decide to act on or not.

Breaking the language barrier

Omnifluent Health is a translation program developed by the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) that helps patients communicate with doctors and others in the medical field. For example, a doctor could speak into the app - ask if the patient has any allergies - and the Omnifluent translates the doctor’s words into another language.

In the US alone there are 47 million residents that can’t speak English fluently. The Omnifluent reduces the need for translators and helps quicken relay of important information, which allows more time for accurate diagnoses and treatment.

Social networking for doctors

In 2011, U.S. News, The American Society for Clinical Investigation along with other distinguished partners in the field have joined forces to create a physician-only social network dubbed Doximity. Its premise it that it can link doctors, allowing them to work together and share expertize so as to take greater care of their patients. Currently, the roster boasts over 700,000 searchable physicians available for case collaboration via instant messaging.

One call away

To save patients from a potential trip to the ER, Sherpaa is a New York-based telehealth provider offering medical consultations online and over the phone. Patients can use Sherpaa to contact the city’s top medical specialists, capable of not only treating sore throats and hay fever but also help treat an array of acute and chronic illnesses. This development could possibly signal the beginning of healthcare (literally) being at your fingertips.

Health on-the-go

To keep up with the 21st century’s fast-moving pace, a growing number of mobile apps and gadgets have been developed to help people stay active, sleep better and eat healthy. Examples include the Fitbit pedometer that tracks sleep and daily activity, and utilizes social networking to motivate users.

Lark is a silent alarm clock and is in charge of monitoring and analyzing your sleep activity. It goes a step further by offering suggestions on how to boost the snooze. If you are diet-conscious, numerous calorie-counting, food-monitoring and menu-tracking apps are also at your disposal.

These are just five of current healthcare IT developments and many of more to come. Want to find out more on how technology is improving healthcare? Looking for some more apps? Give us a call us today, we’re sure we can help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Geek speak, tech talk, jargon or whatever you want to call it, computer terminology can be confusing. However, having a basic understanding of some of the words may be beneficial to the non-IT professional. Speaking a basic level of this language can help you clearly explain a computer problem you’re having, and even help you […]

04 Mar, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Hardware category

2015Mar2_Hardware_BGeek speak, tech talk, jargon or whatever you want to call it, computer terminology can be confusing. However, having a basic understanding of some of the words may be beneficial to the non-IT professional. Speaking a basic level of this language can help you clearly explain a computer problem you’re having, and even help you find the perfect technology for your next IT purchase. Here are simplified definitions of some tech terms to help you along.

App - These days when someone hears the word “app”, they usually think of a program for their tablet or smartphone; however, the word “app” actually has a much more broader meaning. Apps, which is short for applications, have been around since the birth of computers, and the word really refers to any type of computer program. Some examples of common apps used today include Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, and Symantec Antivirus.

Browser - Your window to the Internet, a browser enables you to access all the information there is online. In fact, the Internet is virtually inaccessible without the use of a browser, and you’re likely reading this article on a browser right now. Google Chrome, FireFox, and Microsoft Edge are a few examples of common browsers.

Search Engine - Not to be confused with a browser, a Search Engine is a page you visit within your browser that allows you to search and find what you’re looking for on the web. You type keywords or phrases into a Search Engine, press enter, and then the web pages and files that contain those phrases and keywords are presented to you. Google, Bing and Yahoo! are a few of the Search Engines available.

Hard drive - A hard drive is essentially a storage unit for everything on your computer. Everything from your operating system to applications, such as Excel and PowerPoint, are stored on your hard drive, and it allows your computer to access these files and programs for your use. The more hard drive space you have, the more applications, videos, documents and various files can be stored on your computer.

Motherboard - If your computer had a heart, the motherboard would be it. The motherboard is a circuit board that powers your RAM, CPU and hardware, enabling it all to communicate with each other. If the motherboard is taken out of the equation, your computer will be unable to operate.

CPU/Processor - If the motherboard is the heart of the computer, then the CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the brains. A CPU carries out the instructions it receives from the different hardware and software operating on the computer. At one point or another, everything on your computer goes through the CPU. And the more powerful it is, the faster it will be able to operate and the more advanced applications you’ll be able to run.

RAM - Random Access Memory stores all the temporary programs and data that your computer is currently using so they can quickly be accessed by your computer’s CPU. For example, if you are running Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, Adobe Reader, and Skype all at the same time, RAM enables you to access them fast - without having to reopen them every time. The more RAM you have the quicker these programs will run. Once your computer shuts down, it will no longer store these programs in the RAM, but instead in the hard drive.

These are just a handful of terms a layperson may come across when asking for technology service or talking about computers. If you’d like to learn more about the tech talk that is native to us IT professionals, or have any concerns with your current IT, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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If you’ve finally made the upgrade to Windows 10, you may be disappointed that it’s running slower than expected. You may wonder, what’s the cause of this? Well, thankfully there are a few typical culprits, and solutions to fix them. Here are four steps you can take to significantly speed up your Windows 10 OS. […]

03 Mar, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Tips, Windows category

2016Mar3_MicrosoftWindowsNewsAndTips_BIf you’ve finally made the upgrade to Windows 10, you may be disappointed that it’s running slower than expected. You may wonder, what’s the cause of this? Well, thankfully there are a few typical culprits, and solutions to fix them. Here are four steps you can take to significantly speed up your Windows 10 OS.

Prevent programs from launching at startup

Windows loads several programs at startup so they’re quickly available. While Microsoft likely has good intentions for doing this, the auto-launch can also slow down the speed of your computer. To fix this issue, you’ll need to make some manual adjustments in the settings.

To see what programs are launching during startup, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Next, click on the startup tab of the Task Manager window, where you can easily disable any programs you don’t want launching at startup. However, there will likely be a few programs you’re unsure about. For those, it’s best to play it safe and keep them enabled.

Get rid of useless applications

Having a large amount of programs on your computer takes up valuable memory and hard disk space. In other words, it slows your computer down and makes it work harder than necessary. To quickly clean out your unused programs, follow these steps:
  1. Type Change or remove a program into the taskbar search box (this will show you all the apps stored on your computer)
  2. Select the program/s you no longer want, and click Uninstall.
Once you do this, you’ll then be guided through a number of steps to complete the uninstallation process.

Tidy up your disks

While most people like to clean out their houses come Spring, why not do so with your computer sometime this month? Thankfully, Microsoft’s Disk Cleaner tool makes it easy to do so.

To find Disk Cleaner, right-click any drive in File Explorer and select Properties and Disk Cleanup under the General tab. Once open, it will automatically find files that may be taking up unnecessary space, such as temporary Internet and system memory dump files, and presents them to you for your review. Once you’ve looked them over, you can easily erase them by simply clicking OK.

Turn off apps running in the background

Much to your surprise, there are likely some programs running in the background of your Windows 10 OS that you’re completely unaware of. Microsoft has enabled their native universal apps to do this so you can quickly access their features. However, it also will cause some slow down to your CPU, so you might want to disable them.

To find out what programs are running in the background, navigate to Start Menu>Settings>Privacy>Background apps. Then, switch off the programs you don’t want running at all times.

By following these four steps, you are sure to see a noticeable difference in the speed of your PC. If you’d like to learn more about how to optimize your Windows system or need assistance with your other Microsoft products, feel free to give us a call.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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