Tech

  • AI is here. What now?

    Recently at a well-attended breakfast event with local officials, business leaders and residents the moderator asked how many in the audience had used AI. Only a few hands went up. Artificial Intelligence is all over the news these days. What is it? How does it work? Will it really change the world? Fear not, good […]

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  • Simple Media 2023 Tech Gift Guide

    Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid an egg!  It’s that time of year again and we’ve got a buying guide that will guarantee you won’t be laying any eggs when picking gifts for your loved ones.  Earbuds: They are small, lightweight, and easy to carry around in your pocket or bag. They are also typically […]

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  • Does Your AI have EQ?

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a central topic of technical discussions these days but also comes up in the business world. AI technology has been in existence for a while but as of late is seeing immense growth. Existing AI applications that interface with people include SIRI, Alexa, GPS driven maps, facial recognition and Chatbots that […]

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  • Phishing – There are Always More Phish in the Sea.

    “Oh, an email from Microsoft? That looks important.” Once you’ve opened the email the situation looks even more dire. “My account has been compromised?!” The email presents an easy solution: Microsoft, the ever helpful and friendly company has stopped the malicious actor in their tracks, and only needs you to login to verify your account […]

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  • Is the Darkweb Really Dark?

    IT professionals have many loves: cable management, acronyms, mechanical keyboards and buzzwords. Most of the time, your interaction with “IT stuff” comes in the form of buzzwords you hear. I don’t believe many of our readers would know that SCSI is pronounced “scuzzy,” but if I were you ask you about “the cloud” most of […]

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  • NIST – Responding When the Stakes are High

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to give businesses foundational structure and common language to address their own individual security needs. As larger businesses invest heavily in cybersecurity, bad guys are turning their focus to small business as they are perceived as easier targets. The NIST CSF is […]

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  • Think Twice Before You Hit Reply

    The CEO of one of our client companies sent an email to the CFO simply asking if the CFO was in the office and if so to please respond that they were. The problem was that the CEO never wrote the email. There was nothing “wrong” with the email except that it sounded a little […]

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  • Technology Trends – CryptoCurrency

    Many of you reading this are probably asking yourselves a similar question: what is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is what is known as cryptocurrency. The concept is a relatively simple one, but the practical implementation is anything but. Essentially, the idea behind cryptocurrency is that it provides an anonymous method of payment for digital transactions. Computers generate […]

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  • Is the Darkweb Really Dark?

    IT professionals have many loves: cable management, acronyms, mechanical keyboards and buzzwords.  Most of the time, your interaction with “IT stuff” comes in the form of buzzwords you hear. I don’t believe many of our readers would know that SCSI is pronounced “scuzzy,” but if I were you ask you about “the cloud” most of […]

    Read more

  • Are You and IT on the Same Page?

    Your relationship with your IT department or IT provider may be one of the most difficult business relationships you have. Often times you may feel you are speaking two entirely different languages. Effectively communicating is crucial to the success of your business and your bottom line. Those in the IT industry are generally pretty good […]

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  • NIST – Achieving Alignment in Cybersecurity

    Technology has always been a dynamic market. Traditional focus has moved from a hardware/software to virtualization and the cloud but data has clearly been designated as the true prize and in the unpatrolled world of the Internet, it is up to you to secure it. You can have the fastest car in the lot but […]

    Read more

  • Phishing – There are Always More Phish in the Sea.

    “Oh, an email from Microsoft? That looks important.” Once you’ve opened the email the situation looks even more dire. “My account has been compromised?!” The email presents an easy solution: Microsoft, the ever helpful and friendly company has stopped the malicious actor in their tracks, and only needs you to login to verify your account […]

    Read more

  • Social Engineering: More than Just Phishing

    You are probably tired of reading about email security with constant chatter about phishing attacks. I get it, I’ve written 3 other articles on the topic. This month I’d like to go a step further and discuss other ways that criminals gain you or your client’s information through different types of social engineering. Social engineering […]

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  • Keeping Your Home Computers Mission Critical Ready

    Your laptops and desktop computers along with mobile devices make up your home IT department.  They are depended on to complete financial transactions, provide entertainment and control a variety of connected appliances.  Most importantly they may be the focal point for receiving teaching by way of on-line classes along with research and homework.  These systems […]

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  • NIST – Responding When the Stakes are High

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to give businesses foundational structure and common language to address their own individual security needs. As larger businesses invest heavily in cybersecurity, bad guys are turning their focus to small business as they are perceived as easier targets. The NIST CSF is […]

    Read more

  • NIST – Protecting What’s Most Important

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to give businesses foundational structure and common language to address their own individual security needs. In our previous article NIST – Achieving Alignment in Cybersecurity we established that some form of cybersecurity posture is necessary to simply do business in today’s environment. […]

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  • NIST– Identifying What You Need to Protect

    In my previous article NIST – Achieving Alignment in Cybersecurity we discussed how the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) created the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to give businesses foundational structure and common language to address their own individual security needs. We established that some form of cybersecurity posture is necessary to simply do business […]

    Read more

  • NIST – Achieving Alignment in Cybersecurity

    Technology has always been a dynamic market. Traditional focus has moved from a hardware/software to virtualization and the cloud but data has clearly been designated as the true prize and in the unpatrolled world of the Internet, it is up to you to secure it. You can have the fastest car in the lot but […]

    Read more

  • Successful On-Line Conferencing

    With more online meetings taking place in today’s environment, there are some best practices to follow to ensure their success.

    Start by making sure equipment is adequate to participate in the conference. Being able to hear, be heard and seen is key to a successful conference call. Check the quality of your microphone, speakers and camera on the device being used, whether a computer, tablet or phone by making a test call with a friend. If audio quality isn’t clear consider investing in a headset or earpiece. Going wireless will make mobility easier too.

    Before the meeting, conferences should be planned by the host.

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  • How Does Internet Naming Work?

    Have you ever wondered how it is that typing www.google.com into a web-browser brings you to (most) people’s favorite search engine? That function is accomplished by DNS, or Domain Name Services, and is what allows a Universal Resource Locator (URL) to translate something human-readable, like google.com, into something a computer can understand—in this instance, an […]

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  • Tech Tools to Assist a Remote Workforce

    In any business, the ability for staff members to communicate with one another and their supervisors is preeminently important. This is even truer now that the majority of the workforce is working remotely. In order to effectively manage their teams, there are a number of technologies that managers and business owners can take advantage of […]

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  • COVID-19 – Working Securely from Home

    A number of technologies can be used to facilitate remote work. Once of the oldest is the Remote Desktop Protocol, often referred to by its abbreviation, RDP. Remote desktop is a functionality built into the Windows operating system that allows a user to remotely connect to and control one workstation from another. Although the protocol […]

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