31478 Industrial Road Suite 200, Livonia, Michigan 48150 sales@xfer.com

XFER Blog

XFER Blog

XFER has been serving the Livonia area since 1994, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

A Virtual Private Network Builds Organizational Flexibility

A Virtual Private Network Builds Organizational Flexibility

For businesses that get a lot of work done while out of the safety and privacy of their offices, the importance of having a secure way to connect employees to important assets and data cannot be understated. To achieve these ends, many organizations implement what’s called a Virtual Private Network, or VPN. But what is a VPN, and how does it work to protect your business while out of the office?

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Getting a Better Sense of Customer Relationship Management

Getting a Better Sense of Customer Relationship Management

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how important it is to have a handle on your clients’ needs. After all, how else are you supposed to offer them the level of service that they need to remain satisfied enough to stay subscribed to what you offer? This endeavor is exactly why a customer relationship management (or CRM) system is so crucial.

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Attempts to Make Smart Cities Hit a Snag

Attempts to Make Smart Cities Hit a Snag

At this point, the concept of the Internet of Things is a fairly familiar one, but that familiarity is to the Internet of Things on the micro scale--appliances with capabilities enhanced by an available connection to the Internet. There is another, more macro application to the Internet of Things: as a way to collect data in a municipal setting. However, like the IoT we are familiar with, these “smart cities” are host to many familiar problems.

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Increased Network Complexity Necessitates Shifts in Monitoring Strategies

Increased Network Complexity Necessitates Shifts in Monitoring Strategies

Businesses of all sizes have come to depend on their IT for productivity. IT administrators that constantly monitor their network and infrastructure reduce downtime, leading to higher resource availability. With the increasingly complex makeup of an organization's network this becomes quite the task.

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5G is Still Going to Take A While

5G is Still Going to Take A While

As technology has improved in function and convenience, we seem to demand more and more of it at an increasing pace. Take mobile data as an example: 4G was introduced in 2009, and less than a decade later, there is high demand for 5G. Unfortunately, while 5G has been worked on for some time already, it isn’t likely that it will be commonly available anytime soon.

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Tech Term: Bandwidth

Tech Term: Bandwidth

Here’s a question we want you to take a second to consider...How much do you rely on the Internet? The answer for almost everyone is that it is essential to your current quality of life. Technologies have been developed, industries have been launched, and literally billions of people use it every day, making it one of the predominant inventions in human history. At the heart of this phenomenal technology is bandwidth.

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Big Data is Making Its Way to Small Business

Big Data is Making Its Way to Small Business

You may have noticed that there has been a lot of discussion about data recently; specifically, how it has become a driving force in organizational decision making. This month we will take a look at the data revolution, how the data (created by the analysis of other data) has become a commodity, and what is the real value of an individual’s data.

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Virtualization Has A Place Everywhere In Your Business

Virtualization Has A Place Everywhere In Your Business

Virtualization is a key player in today’s efficient workplace. Businesses of all kinds are looking to expand and enhance the way that they function on a fundamental level, and virtualization offers never before seen opportunities to cut down redundancies and implement new methods to improve operations.

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No Business Should Be “Happy” to Lose 24 Hours’ Worth of Data

No Business Should Be “Happy” to Lose 24 Hours’ Worth of Data

A new study by Disaster Recovery on the state of data backup for enterprises yields some rather disappointing results, particularly when it comes to the percentage of companies not enacting data backup best practices. Companies that fail to continuously backup their data, or fail to even back it up at all, are gambling with their future.

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What’s Your Personal Information Worth on the Black Market? It’s All About Supply and Demand

What’s Your Personal Information Worth on the Black Market? It’s All About Supply and Demand

If your company’s sensitive data was to be put up for sale, how much do you think it would go for? Chances are, you may be guessing a little high, which makes things worse for businesses in such a situation. Assuming that your data will be sold for a premium price will likely lead you to believe that fewer criminals will access it than actually will.

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Find Out What REALLY Happens When You Delete Your Data

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You understand that the Recycle Bin is the place where deleted files go, and you know that emptying the Recycle Bin is how you dispose of files that you no longer need. What you might not know is that emptying your Recycle Bin does not guarantee that your files are gone at all, and that they’re probably still available on your PC.

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736 Million Records Were Exposed to Data Theft in 2015

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2015 saw a significant increase in high-profile hacking attacks in organizations of all disciplines: healthcare, government, and even large entertainment companies all fell victim to data breaches. In light of these attacks, valuable lessons can be learned through analyzing the types of records that were stolen. In 2015, over half of all records exposed to hackers were passwords and email addresses.

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Why the Cloud is the Best Option For Your Data’s Backup Policy

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The cloud is a great tool that can help your business fully leverage its technology solutions, but one of the most common problems that people associate with the cloud is that they believe it’s not nearly as secure as a private in-house IT network. However, contrary to popular belief, the cloud is a very secure medium for your data storage and deployment, particularly for your data backup needs.

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We Bet that You Can’t Read Every Word of This Article [VIDEO]

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The Internet is full of challenges. YouTube has a multitude of annoying 10 hour-long videos of irritating noises and sounds alone. But, this CollegeHumor video might just top them all. It challenges its viewers to finish a three-minute video, and to make it worse, the video is boring.

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Does Your Business Understand the Difference Between Data and Information?

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IT requires several factors in order to function properly. First of all, it can’t exist without information, and this information can’t exist without data. Technology is what creates data so that your company can take advantage of changes in the industry and business environment. It might seem like a lot to take in, but understanding the flow of data is necessary for a business owner. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take advantage of it to jumpstart sales and profitability.

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3 Characteristics of a Quality Data Backup Solution

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As you are well aware, your business’s data is one of its most treasured assets. It could be gone in the blink of an eye if you aren’t careful in defending it. If an unexpected hardware failure or power outage were to occur, would your business be able to bounce back with minimum downtime and without any data loss? Businesses must always be aware of the importance of data backup, especially in the technology age where personal or sensitive information can easily be stolen or destroyed by a seasoned hacker.

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Does Your Business’s Data Have a Self-Destruct Switch, Just in Case?

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It seems most logical to store every byte of your data, and with the advent of cloud computing, it's more affordable than ever. While most companies tend to store a huge amount of data, some forget that they should always be willing to delete old files if need be. This is especially true if you deal with sensitive data which can leave your business liable to a possible lawsuit.

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The Files are IN the Computer [VIDEO]

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When it comes to IT support, communication is key. The parties giving and receiving support must absolutely be on the same page. If not, then a PC disaster is imminent. Sometimes, IT support miscommunications can be so bad that they're funny, as seen in the 2001 movie "Zoolander." Thankfully, nobody is really this detached when it comes to computers, right?

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Just 28% of Organizational Data Stored Has a Clear Business Value

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According to a recent survey by IDG Research Services of business and technology leaders, on average, only 28 percent of data stored and maintained has value to the day-to-day operations of a business. Translation: a whopping 72 percent of files stored by a business are useless.

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How Much is Your Data Worth?

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It's been said that a company's data is its most important resource. If this is true, then is it possible to assign a monetary value to your files? If you attempted to do so, you may come to the conclusion that your company's data is more valuable than anything else in your business, maybe even your own job!

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