508-909-5961 [email protected]

6 Ways to save energy with your PCIt’s a dilemma: you want to save energy, but you need to use your PC every day. You can turn off your computer when it’s not in use, but a plugged-in PC or electrical appliance, even when switched off, still consumes standby power. If this is the case, how exactly can you save energy? Here […]

The post 6 Ways to save energy with your PC appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

19 Nov, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Hardware category
6 Ways to save energy with your PC

It’s a dilemma: you want to save energy, but you need to use your PC every day. You can turn off your computer when it’s not in use, but a plugged-in PC or electrical appliance, even when switched off, still consumes standby power. If this is the case, how exactly can you save energy? Here are some tips.

1. Disconnect your external devices

Devices that connect to your PC such as printers, headphones, and webcams consume power, too. That’s why you should disconnect or remove these devices from your PC when you are not using them.

2. Use a smart strip, especially for computers you cannot turn off

A smart strip is a series of several electrical outlets in one strip, with circuits to monitor and maximize your gadgets’ power consumption. It can electronically unplug any device so that they stop drawing current, and you save energy. By connecting your PC and peripherals like printers and scanners to the smart strip, you don’t need to unplug your equipment when you’re not using them.

3. Adjust your computer’s energy settings

You can also consume less energy by adjusting your PC’s power settings. For example, you can make sure your hard drive and monitor go into sleep mode when they’re left idle for a few minutes. You can further save electricity by lowering the brightness of your screen.

4. Shut down and unplug your computer when not in use

If you are not yet using a smart strip, then it’s best to shut down your computer when you’re not using it. Make sure to unplug your machine and its peripherals as well, because leaving them plugged in consumes standby power.

5. Use a charger only when charging your laptop

When we charge our laptops, it’s easy to just leave them there and forget about them. This overcharging eventually degrades the battery. Meanwhile, leaving the charger plugged in — even if it’s not connected to your computer — also consumes standby power. To save energy, either use a wall outlet with a timer, or plug your charger on a smart strip.

6. Choose an Energy Star-compliant PC

Energy Star is the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) symbol for energy efficiency. Every product that earns the Energy Star symbol is guaranteed to deliver both quality performance and energy savings. The more stars a product has, the more energy-efficient it is. Studies have shown that a single Energy Star-compliant computer and monitor can save between $7 and$52 per year in electricity bills.

These tips should help you develop energy-conservation habits and make smart choices in hardware. If you need assistance in choosing the best hardware for your specific needs, give us a call. We’ll be glad to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post 6 Ways to save energy with your PC appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Preventing theft of service in VoIPVoIP phone systems use the internet just like any PC. Therefore, hackers can gain access to your servers and data network through VoIP phones. Understanding how to combat theft of service in VoIP is critical, so if you want to learn how to do it, read on. What is theft of service? Internet-based phone systems […]

The post Preventing theft of service in VoIP appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

18 Nov, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in VoIP category
Preventing theft of service in VoIP

VoIP phone systems use the internet just like any PC. Therefore, hackers can gain access to your servers and data network through VoIP phones. Understanding how to combat theft of service in VoIP is critical, so if you want to learn how to do it, read on.

What is theft of service?

Internet-based phone systems are far more vulnerable to fraud compared to traditional telephony services. VoIP calls face threats ranging from identity theft, eavesdropping, intentional disruption of service, and even financial loss. Theft of service, the most common type of VoIP fraud, includes stealing usernames, passwords, and account information. Hackers usually introduce malware into your system to crash it or steal user passwords.

From a legal standpoint, theft of service means obtaining service from an individual or a company without payment. It may involve deleting or changing invoicing records, unauthorized invoicing, or taking the property of a service provider.

Also, hackers may simply want to crash your system and will flood the network with packets of data so that callers lose access. They may also try to intercept the packets to eavesdrop on calls.

A third type of VoIP hack accesses your VoIP system and allows spammers to flood your office with promotional calls similar to junk email. This type of attack is called spam over internet telephony (SPIT). Once they infiltrate your communications system, they might broadcast unsolicited messages, advertisements, or other commercial messages over your VoIP.

The solution

Defending against theft of service requires nothing new or unusual, aside from a little common sense and technical preventative measures.

Common sense measures involve making your passwords as secure as possible and preventing unauthorized physical access and use of your VoIP phone instruments. The technical stuff? Keeping your antivirus software up to date and combining it with fraudulent call routing detection and encryption software.

VoIP has become an essential business communication tool, so it makes perfect sense to understand exactly what theft of service is to avoid its negative impact. We’d be more than happy to give you advice on implementing any of these protections or managing your VoIP services. Give us a call to get started.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Preventing theft of service in VoIP appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Use Google Tasks to your advantageAs a small- to medium-sized business owner or manager, you deal with a long list of things to do every day. Keeping track of your tasks can be a challenge — but not if you use Google Tasks. This app can help you keep on top of everything you need to get done. Here’s how. […]

The post Use Google Tasks to your advantage appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

15 Nov, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Google Apps category
Use Google Tasks to your advantage

As a small- to medium-sized business owner or manager, you deal with a long list of things to do every day. Keeping track of your tasks can be a challenge — but not if you use Google Tasks. This app can help you keep on top of everything you need to get done. Here’s how.

What is Google Tasks?

Google Tasks is a to-do list application that’s linked to your Gmail account and Google Calendar. With Google Tasks, you can create to-do lists for the day, week, month, or year. You can also add notes to provide more detail to each task as well as set reminders so you never miss a deadline. All lists you create are stored in the cloud, ensuring that you can access them on any internet-connected device whenever, wherever.

How to use Google Tasks

On your PC, you can easily access Google Tasks through your Gmail inbox. When you open Gmail, you’ll see a sidebar on the right. Click on the blue icon with a white diagonal dash at the bottom of the sidebar to launch Google Tasks.

To create a new task, simply click Add a task. To edit the details of the task, add a subtask, or set a due date, hover over the task and select Edit (represented by a pencil icon). You can also right-click on the task and select a specific action from the menu.

Once you finish a task, hover over the circular icon next to the task. This will transform the circle into a checkmark, and clicking on this will mark the task complete and remove it from your list. If you accidentally strike a task from your list before it’s done, simply click Undo at the bottom of the window.

You can also install the Google Tasks app onto your smartphone or tablet so you can check and edit your lists even while on the go.

Other useful features

These helpful features of Google Tasks will make managing your to-do lists even easier:

  • Create multiple lists. Click on My Tasks at the top of the window to open a dropdown menu. Select Create new list and enter a name for the list. Click Done. Select Add a task to populate your list.
  • Rename lists. Click on More (the icon with three dots) and select Rename list.
  • Change the order of tasks. Click and drag each task up or down the list.
  • Move a task to another list. Right-click on the task and select Move to another list from the menu.
  • Add reminders to Google Tasks from Google Calendar. Copy existing reminders from Google Calendar by clicking More and selecting Copy reminders to Tasks.
  • Sort your to-do lists. You can sort the lists you make either by the order in which you made them or by due date. Click on More, and under the Sort by menu, choose My order or Date.

If you would like to learn more about using Google Tasks or any other Google app, reach out to our team of experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Use Google Tasks to your advantage appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Office 365, the cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, is becoming the most popular software suite used by small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With an ever-increasing number of organizations migrating to this solution, it's not surprising that other companies are also considering making the move. However, these five issues can cause an Office 365 migration to […]

The post Avoiding Office 365 migration failure appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

14 Nov, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office, Office 365 category

Office 365, the cloud-based version of Microsoft Office, is becoming the most popular software suite used by small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). With an ever-increasing number of organizations migrating to this solution, it's not surprising that other companies are also considering making the move. However, these five issues can cause an Office 365 migration to fail.

Slow internet connection speeds

Because Office 365 is primarily cloud-based, you're going to need a solid bandwidth connection to use it. Migrating your files and system over to Office 365 consumes a large quantity of bandwidth, which can result in slower internet speeds during the migration process. If this is being carried out during business hours, employees might struggle to do tasks that require online connection.

Office 365 is most often delivered over an internet connection rather than in-house servers. This means that the day-to-day demand for bandwidth will increase. If you are already noticing slow speeds and service interruptions before implementing Office 365, these issues will likely worsen after implementation.

To avoid this, you should ask an Office 365 provider to test your existing network connection to ensure that it can handle the migration and day-to-day operation of Office 365. If not, your provider should be able to offer you a solution.

Mailboxes and files are too big

While the business versions of Office 365 come with 50 GB of email storage and over 1 TB of file storage per user, accessing your emails and files online could take a while, especially if you have users whose inboxes are approaching the storage limit.

Larger files will cause the migration process to slow down significantly, which is why you need to prepare for this to avoid disruptions at work. Encouraging your staff to archive their inboxes and delete large, unnecessary files is a good way to ensure the migration process goes smoothly.

Uninformed users

On average, migrating to Office 365 takes around one to three days to complete, depending on the size of your business and the amount of data being transferred.

Starting the migration without informing your users that their files and email will not be accessible can lead to productivity loss and resentment towards the new platform.

To avoid this, you should inform your employees about the migration and how long it's going to take. You should train them how to use the new system to ensure that everyone is familiar with it before they start to use it. This will increase the overall chance that the platform migration and subsequent use will be successful.

Outdated software

While some versions of Office 365 come with subscriptions to the latest version of Microsoft Office, they also include built-in support for systems running older versions of Office. If your business is using a version of Office that is older than Office 2010 (e.g., Office 2003), you might have trouble using Office 365.

When it comes to web browsers, Chrome and Firefox won't give you too many problems. However, if you're utilizing their outdated versions, using Office 365 will be extremely difficult. Your provider should tell you if your existing software needs to be updated before migrating to Office 365.

Doing the process yourself

On paper, migrating to Office 365 may seem like a simple and straightforward process. This leads many businesses to believe that they can do the entire migration process without the assistance of experts. However, without proper guidance, you may run into problems that can harm vital business operations.

To ensure a smooth migration process from start to finish, contact us today. We'll show you the proper way of migrating your system to Office 365 without affecting your day-to-day operations.

Office 365, Office 365 failure, Office 365 migration, Office 365 migration failure, QS_3, Ways Office 365 migrations fail, 2019November14Office_A

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Avoiding Office 365 migration failure appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More