XFER Blog

We want to talk a little bit about cyber liability insurance and why it’s important that your business understands what is covered and what isn’t. It’s something that no business actually wants to talk about as the worst-case scenario is often a bit too unnerving to consider.

Passwords are still an incredibly valuable part of security, but it’s becoming quite difficult to maximize network security through passwords alone. Even if you somehow manage to sell the idea of network security to your staff, whether or not they follow through is another thing entirely. It’s critical that you make it as easy as possible for your employees to stay secure, and that’s where scannable QR codes come in.

Keeping your company’s data safe is extremely important no matter where it is stored. Making the decision to store data in the cloud or in an in-house server is just one consideration you need to make. Today, we will compare these two options to help you select the one is right for your business.

How many emails do you send on a daily basis? You use it so frequently that you might not second-guess how it actually works. Depending on the way your business uses email, you might be able to optimize the way that it works for your mobile devices. There are two types of protocol that work to varying degrees for your email solution.

As one of the most famous head coaches in NFL history, Vince Lombardi has several quotes that can be applied to success. One particular statement to note is “If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late.” As it turns out, this quote inadvertently refers to technology. The technology industry moves a mile-a-minute and businesses are always looking for ways to innovate and make significant improvements to technology.

You and your employees no longer have to be stuck in the traditional office setting as you accomplish your daily tasks and responsibilities. Now, you can accomplish the same things from very different locations, including the airport as you wait for your flight to board, the coffee shop as you sip on your beverage, the office of your valued client, or the hotel that’s hosting a networking event. No longer does a worker need to be tied to a desk in order to work, and in order to survive, your business would do well to adopt these changes as well.

Ransomware has grown in popularity since it first made itself known, but it wasn’t until just last year where it became a powerful presence in the cyber world. Ransomware encrypts the files of its victims and demands payment for the decryption key. In just one year, ransomware stole approximately $1 billion from its victims. Most notable, though, is that these victims were not just from large enterprises, but small companies, too.

The benefits of the cloud are almost too numerable to count, but you shouldn’t let this dissuade you from other possibilities. After all, what works for one business may not work for another. For organizations that don’t find the cloud to be the best method of data distribution, an in-house infrastructure is absolutely critical. How can you determine which of these solutions is ideal for your business?

As you design your business’ IT infrastructure, it is important that you look months and years into the future, rather than just what you need in the moment. A good managed service provider will understand that--which makes it your job to find a good one. The following questions will help to more quickly narrow down your search to find the best provider for your needs.

Technology is a major factor that can determine your business’s fate, yet some organizations don’t necessarily recognize IT problems before they make themselves apparent. Unfortunately, by the time you notice any issues with your IT, they are usually turning into problems that cause your business considerable troubles. To keep issues from evolving into major problems, it’s up to you to ensure that your technology is maintained in a proactive fashion.

A responsible business owner looks at the repercussions of their actions, however, it’s not always easy to determine what the right action is. Something to keep in mind is that, if it benefits the long-term mission of your organization, chances are that it’s the right thing to do--especially with technology solutions.

Most people think of audits and immediately cringe, but the fact of the matter is that businesses wanting to maximize output can really benefit from an audit. Audits can be great ways to ensure that a business’ priorities are being given their due attention, and that best practices are being utilized. An audit of your IT infrastructure and network can go a long way toward helping you determine if there are changes you need to make in order to maximize the profitability of your organization.

If you haven’t implemented cloud computing for your business yet… why? We understand that you can’t throw caution to the wind, but it’s really in your best interest to invest in the cloud. Doing so can allow your organization to experience unprecedented periods of enhanced operations and growth in the future. We’ll dispel three of the most common misconceptions about the cloud so that you can make the best decision possible for your business.

For today’s businesses, displaying your organizational authority is crucial to success. Whether it’s McDonald’s with fast food burgers, Chevrolet with cars and trucks, or Walmart for everything else, the message you put out there is seemingly as important as the services you provide. For small businesses, this becomes even more crucial. For example, if you run a hardware store, you likely can’t compete with the prices of the big box stores, but you can bring to the table something of greater value to the consumer: your knowledge.

The cloud is a great way to make services and solutions available to your employees anytime, anywhere. There are now plenty of ways to leverage out the cloud for the benefit of your business. Here are four such ways:

Flexibility might be one of the biggest reasons to use a VoIP solution, but why should this matter so much to an SMB? We’ll discuss some of the reasons why flexibility is such a huge factor to consider in any technology solution, particularly VoIP. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) takes your Internet connection and uses it to send your voice to a recipient, rather than through the use of a traditional telephone line. Here are three ways that your business can leverage a VoIP solution.

In an infamous 2012 survey by Wakefield Research, the ignorance of the general public regarding cloud computing was revealed: 51 percent believed that stormy weather interferes with cloud computing, and 29 percent thought that the cloud was an actual cloud. Furthermore, what may elude many computer users is the fact that a process known as virtualization is actually what’s behind cloud computing (not atmospheric conditions).