ATECH MSP Blog

First introduced in 1994 as only the second piece of hardware produced by Microsoft, a new keyboard that came with Windows 95 was where the Windows key first debuted. Now, the Windows key (also known as the “Win Key”) is an extremely useful tool for the user who is aware of its capabilities.

Some of the best technologies blend in with everyday life. For example, smart speakers are designed in a way to be both functional and inconspicuous. Conversely, some technology that you may have dismissed initially can present some serious benefits for your company. One of those technologies is the digital sign. 

The dreaded printer is often ignored by business professionals, until they have to use it, and it’s out of ink/toner, has a paper jam deep inside the machine, or they mysteriously disappear from the network for no reason. They are forgettable machines that hardly function properly and need constant maintenance; and, this can get really expensive.

Most companies lean pretty heavily on their technology. They typically invest in tried-and-true technology solutions to cover their operational problems, while trying to find innovative tools that return higher yields on their investments. For 2020, there are a few trends most SMBs are going to want to take head on. They include:

When you consider all that the typical workstation has to endure (potentially grubby hands poking at it all day, crumbs, sneezes, you get the idea), there is little wonder that our devices can get so dirty. Here, we’ll be discussing how to properly clean your device.

From its very beginnings, Microsoft has been creating devices and software to help users accomplish their goals. This is one reason why their solutions are so commonly found in businesses. Today, we wanted to focus on just one, OneDrive, and highlight some of its features that any business could find useful.

In business today, information technology is being utilized in a manner that can make it seem like business isn’t possible without it. In some cases, it isn’t, but then there is technology being deployed that is simply inefficiently deployed, used haphazardly, and could be looked on as more of a liability than anything else. Frequently getting an IT assessment can help keep your IT infrastructure secure, agile, and aimed at solving your organization’s operational issues. Today, we’ll take a look at the IT assessment. 

As prevalent as cybersecurity threats unfortunately are today, many users tend to overlook major threats that they just aren’t focused on nearly as much: social engineering attacks. Social engineering attacks are just another means for a cybercriminal to reach their desired ends, and so need to be protected against.

There has been a lot made about business network security over the past couple of years. One variable you often hear about is the danger that businesses face from the prevalence of employee-downloaded software on their network. This is what we call Shadow IT, and it can be a real problem. Conversely, under the right circumstances it can be a clear benefit too. Today, we’ll take a look at Shadow IT.

With Bring Your Own Device solutions becoming more popular, you want to be completely sure that your data is safe while also ensuring that you aren’t interfering with your employees’ personal use of their devices. This week, our tip will cover how you can do so with the help of Android’s work profiles feature.

As the data that you store on your business’ computers is valuable, it is inherently a desirable target to cybercriminals and scammers alike. This means that it is in your best interest to have comprehensive protections in place to protect this data from their activities. Let’s go over exactly what a firewall is, and how they make up a critical portion of your business’ defenses.

“Open sesame!” If only the passwords that were required of us every day could be so simple, right? But no, this simply enables cybercriminals. So, for the sake of our accounts and their security, we have to use multiple, complex passwords that meet assorted best practices.

However, passwords can sometimes be too secure. As in, preventing us from accessing our resources ourselves, because we can’t remember which password we used (or what it was).

Let’s say you have an Android device and you want to port your applications and data to a new Android device. For this week’s tip, we will take you through the process of migrating your data from one Android device to another. 

Business processes and procedures are a key component of any successful company. There are plenty of examples of businesses that have literally been built on the practices that they have implemented. We’ll go over a familiar example here, and how you can start to tighten up your own processes.

Upgrading your business’ technology can be extraordinarily expensive. If you’ve been using the same desktops for years, but don't necessarily have the money to upgrade your whole business’ IT, an option that you can consider is deploying a hosted desktop. Today, we will define exactly what a hosted desktop is, and why it is a good solution for companies that are in a bind. 

Virtual assistants are everywhere. Either a device can be controlled with them, or it has the assistant built into it natively, and they are now common in the home and the office alike. In fact, their daily use in the workplace has been predicted by Gartner to reach 25 percent by 2021.

Across the board, smartphones are useful. People can manage their home, work, and social lives through their phone. They can feed their pets, order food, and get about anywhere with the use of a smartphone. As 2020 descends upon us, we thought it would be smart to take a look at some of the top smartphones you can buy.

As the holiday season we just survived shows us, new technology can be a really popular topic, especially for consumers. Businesses, on the other hand, have a lot of their excitement tempered by how much of a risk new tech presents - something could just as easily be a game-changer for their operations as it could prove to be a major source of problems that ultimately creates huge issues.

One of the earliest memories I can remember is being relentlessly reminded “organization is the key to success”.  While it might have been a comedic expression to say while cleaning up the house, becoming a business owner has undoubtedly caused organization to become more of a strategy rather than an obsession.

“Memes” have entered the common language in a very real way, as everyone - from politicians to people on Facebook to yes, businesses - use them to communicate their messages… but why? Today, we’ll go over why the Internet meme has become so common, as well as share some of our favorite IT memes.