XFER Blog

Productivity is typically a top priority for any business, which is why there are countless technology solutions promising to help you work more efficiently. However, what happens when these solutions don’t work as intended? Your team’s efficiency can plummet, leading to frustration, downtime, and unnecessary costs.

Good communication is essential for any business. It can be as basic as having a phone line or as advanced as using tools that help your business grow. For small businesses, communication can be challenging. Limited budgets, growing teams, and the need to stay flexible often make traditional systems too expensive or outdated. That’s where cloud-hosted communications come in as a modern and better option.

Securing your network is essential in this age of near-constant cyberthreats. One of the best ways individuals and businesses have to secure their accounts is through two-factor authentication. How do you make the most out of it? Let’s discuss the best practices to ensure your 2FA setup keeps your digital life safe.

Keeping your smartphone safe for work is something that we all need to do. Not only do you have all of your personal data, if you use it for work, it probably has access to work emails, files, and other sensitive information, making it a target for hackers. To make sure it stays secure, here are some simple tips anyone can follow.

Imagine this: a factory floor is silent, machines are turned off, and workers stand around with nothing to do. Or think of an office where employees sit idle because the computer system is down. This is downtime—a period when a business’ operations drag to a halt. While it might not seem like a big deal initially, downtime is one of the most significant drains on a company’s resources. In this month’s newsletter, let’s take a look at why this is.

Using a computer can be frustrating when things go wrong, but you’re not alone. Everyone has dealt with annoying tech issues at some point. Let’s look at three super common tech problems and how you can handle them.

Have you ever used Google to look up something, played a game that remembers your high scores, or checked your messages on Instagram? All these apps work smoothly because they have something called a Database Management System, or DBMS, working behind the scenes. In this month’s newsletter, we take a look at the DBMS and how it works to improve user experiences. 

Taking care of your computer isn’t just about software updates and backups—it’s also about keeping it physically clean. A dust-free and tidy workspace helps your devices last longer and run smoothly. This month, we look at five straightforward tips anyone can follow to maintain a clean workstation.

Look around and you’ll see that almost everyone is scrolling through social media. Whether it’s checking out funny memes, following the latest trends, or staying updated with friends, platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X have become part of everyday life. It has also become a very important part of small business marketing efforts. This month, we take a look at how social media is a great and useful tool for small businesses. 

If your business works with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)—an IT company that handles things like computers, networks, and security—it’s worth knowing how to get the most out of that relationship. MSPs like us can help keep your tech working smoothly, but to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, here are three simple ways to work with us most effectively.

Nowadays, we use technology for almost everything. Whether we're talking to friends, watching videos, or shopping, technology makes it easier and faster. With phones, computers, and other devices, we can do so much more than ever before. This has made people expect things to be quick and simple. Let’s see how tech has changed the way we shop!

Imagine losing your phone or having it break. Now, think about all the stuff on it: photos, texts, contacts, apps, and settings. Losing that can not only be super frustrating, it could be damaging to your reputation, your career, or even your safety. Let’s just focus on the data for the time being. If you have your mobile data backed up, the situation becomes a little bit easier to navigate. Backing up your phone is easy, and it’s one of the smartest things you can do to keep your stuff safe.

If you have the guts to start a business, having it succeed is a massive reward, especially considering how much work you’ve had to do to make that a reality. Unfortunately, for businesses worldwide, all that hard work and dedication could be destroyed after a cyberattack. This month, we'll discuss how exactly cyberattacks ruin an otherwise successful business.

Computer problems aren’t just annoying, they are a major impediment to a business’ overall productivity. There are several common problems that can slow down your computer, each with its own signs, causes, and fixes. This month we’re going to look at some of these problems and what the solutions are for them.

Sitting at a desk all day, five or more days a week can be hard on a person's body (and often their mind). Even though there isn’t much that can be done about the type of work people in these positions have, there are some things you can do to prioritize their physical and mental health. This month, we give you four tips that will help.

Keeping track of your business’ technology is very important for smooth operations and long-term success. You need to monitor every piece of your technology to avoid wasting money and facing security issues. A good inventory system helps you know what technology you have, where it's being used, and when it needs maintenance or replacement. This ensures your team has the right tools when they need them, which helps boost productivity and growth.

If you are a subscriber and frequent reader of this newsletter, you’re probably familiar with our campaign to educate business owners, managers, and even your average worker on the importance of backing up data. In this month’s newsletter we’ll describe incremental backup and how it works as the best scenario for small business data redundancy.

Cutting costs on IT while maintaining the security you depend on requires a fair amount of consideration. One of the most effective ways to maintain security and manage IT costs is through the use of cloud services. The problem is that there are horror stories surrounding data security in the cloud that persist even as a larger and larger percentage of people and businesses use the cloud for their computing needs. This month, we take a brief look at how the cloud serves to cut down their computing costs. 

Whether you like it or not, the password is the most important part of your cybersecurity policy. That’s saying something with all the tools and strategies out there designed to keep unauthorized users from accessing your accounts. Maybe they aren't the most comprehensive security solution, but they are by far the most frequently used and there are some things every user should know to help them build successful passwords. This month, we’ll go into four things every computer user should know about building strong and reliable passwords

Cybersecurity is a major part of business computing today, mainly because there are so many threats. Cybersecurity professionals and network administrators must innovate to confront these threats. This month, we thought we would review three of these innovations to give you an idea of what is being done to help businesses handle the rough-and-tumble cybersecurity landscape.