Michael Johnson

The 7 PC Myths Draining Your Business Technology Budget

Evaluating your business technology budget? These 7 PC myths could be costing you a lot of money. From slow computers to hacker vulnerability, see how to fix it.  

Think you’re saving money by keeping those old PCs running in the office? Think again. An Intel study found that using a business PC that’s older than five years costs the business nearly $700 a year in repair and maintenance costs alone. What other costly PC myths are draining your technology budget?

Myth #1: A Slow Computer Has a Virus

Slow computers are productivity killers. If you have slow PCs, studies show that the average employee loses 40 min/day due to downtime.

That’s on top of 29% reduced productivity due to slower processing.

For many years, office workers have proclaimed, “it’s got a virus”. But the truth is there are many reasons that computers slow down over time. And your technology solutions partner will have many troubleshooting techniques in their tool belt to speed up slow work stations.

So if the virus scanner turns up nothing, know that you have options. Here are just a few things you can try:

• Clearing caches and history
• Rebooting if you haven’t rebooted for a few days
• Closing programs and re-opening (not a good long-term solution)
• Reducing the number of start-up programs
• Checking for conflicting malware protectors

Myth #2: Macs Don’t Get Viruses

Who knows where this one started? Probably Apple or Apple enthusiasts trying to get a foothold in the business computer market. Truth, Macs are just as susceptible to malware. Whether you’re a Mac business or a PC business, you need a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

Myth #3: Letting Your Battery Run Down Before Charging to Extend Battery Life

This was true on older devices. Leaving a laptop docked on a charger would kill the battery life.

But if you have business laptops, tablets and phones that are less than five years old, this is no longer the case. Devices with lithium-ion batteries do not suffer this fate. On top of that, Microsoft, Apple and Android now use machine learning to track your charging habits and avoid straining the battery.

Myth #4: Our Business Is Too Small to Be Targeted by Hackers

Actually, over 50% of cyberattacks happen to small businesses. They’re often less prepared. And they may be complacent, thinking what are the chances they’d attack us?

Most cyber attackers don’t go for the big score. Instead, it’s more efficient to go for the least protected. Attacking 10 poorly protected small businesses versus one better protected medium-sized business will yield a higher ROI for the hackers.

That’s smart business!

Myth #5: Consumer PCs and Business PCs Are Interchangeable

This is especially untrue now. With so many people doing most of their computing on their phones, home computers haven’t needed to advance much beyond the technology of 10-15 years ago.

Instead, manufacturers have focused on the business market, where businesses demand faster processing and greater capabilities. For this reason, the fact is, if you’re buying PCs for business, make sure they can handle business computing.

Myth #6: RAM Is All That Matters

RAM, random access memory, is important for speed. More RAM means less buffering (traffic jams). But a computer is a lot more than RAM. It has an advanced CPU (processor) that uses that RAM most efficiently.

Otherwise, your computer is just a lot of muscle without the brains to use that muscle wisely.

Myth #7: No Need to Replace Computers that Still Work

We already mentioned how much time employees waste on slow computers. That payroll waste and downtime isn’t the only thing you need to worry about when trying to use computers beyond their shelf life of up to five years.

Older computers are also more susceptible to viruses. Eventually, they can’t support current operating systems. Microsoft stops supporting older OS after a while, leaving them open to attacks.

Newer operating systems often also have better productivity tools that streamline business operations. And they’ll work more effectively with new programs you want to install. A technology solutions professional can help you weigh the cost-benefits of getting new PCs.

And for more business technology management tips, follow our blog.

Cybersecurity education is essential in order to keep businesses one step ahead of this evolving space. Learn about types of attacks and preventative actions.

Cyber solutions are the future of business, with innovation such as the Internet of Things (IoT) gaining increasing popularity. Accordingly, focus on the protection and recovery of networks, devices and programs from cyberattacks is no longer a luxury, but a very basic necessity to remain competitive in today’s landscape. Here is a basic overview of cybersecurity:

Things to know

• Data breaches are intended to access proprietary information, usually for financial gain. These activities can result in damaged corporate reputations, significant downtime and even the cessation of business viability
• Hackers are becoming much more sophisticated, and traditional anti-virus software programs may not be sufficient to prevent attacks
• As more devices and gadgets are connected to networks via IoT, they provide backdoors for hackers to access proprietary data
• Despite the rising prevalence and notoriety of data breaches, they can be prevented. Cybersecurity often relies less on high-end technology than on common sense and solid security practices /protocols, such as:
  • Restricting employee access to sensitive data
  • Employing strong password controls
  • Educating employees on e-mail security
  • Encrypting data
  • Appropriately secure mobile devices – smartphones, tablets
  • Investing in IT professionals with current cybersecurity knowledge and skills

Types of Attacks

• Malware is any type of malicious software utilized to gain unauthorized access to a computer
• Ransomware is a form of malware that locks owners out of their devices/data until a ransom is paid
• Spyware is a form of malware that spies on users in order to acquire sensitive information
• Fileless malware attaches to existing programs running on the computer, thereby embedding inside the computer’s memory
• Viruses are malicious programs usually sent as attachments, and which infect devices once downloaded
• Watering holes are when a known website is hacked either directly or via a third-party service hosted on the site. In this way, anyone who visits the site is infected
• Phishing is the act of sending e-mails that trick people into revealing sensitive information
• Spearphishing is related to phishing but is more focused to prey on specific targets by including relevant details about the individual (usually obtained via research), thus luring them to click on the link
• Pharming is the act of directing users to illegitimate websites under the guise of a legitimate link
• Hacking is the act of accessing a network or device without appropriate authorization to do so

Types of Cyber Security

• Network Security: These are defenses implemented to prevent hackers from gaining access to organizational networks and systems. Examples would be password controls and two-factor authentication
• Application Security: This is when software and/or hardware is employed to protect against threats from malicious programs. An example would be antivirus programs
• Information Security: This is the protection of data via restricted access or encryption
• Cloud Security: These are tools utilized to monitor and protect corporate data stored in the cloud

Learn about juice jacking and how to prevent you or employees from becoming a victim. 

Here’s a new cyber threat to worry about: Juice Jacking. Read on to learn what about juice jacking and how to prevent yourself or employees from becoming a victim.

What Is Juice Jacking?

One common feature of modern smartphones is that the power supply and data stream pass through the same cable. When you plug your phone in to charge, hackers could theoretically access your phone through the same cable and inject malicious code or steal your personal information.

Your USB connector has five pins. However, it only uses one of those five pins to pass-through power for charging. Two additional pins are used for transferring data. So, when you charge, you could also be opening a port for passing data between devices.

We have only seen unconfirmed reports of juice jacking happening in the real world, but engineers have demonstrated how it is possible. In theory, threat actors might hide a device in a public charging station at airports or hotels. It’s a big enough concern that the District Attorney’s office in Los Angeles recently put out a warning to travels to avoid using public USB charging stations.

The FBI put out a warning about a device that’s small enough to fit inside a USB charger that can steal keystrokes from wireless keyboards. Another device hidden inside a USB charging station accesses your video display. It then records a video of everything you do, which might include passwords, accounts numbers, or PINs.

How To Prevent Juice Jacking From Happening to You or Your Employees

We’ve been warning people about the potential danger of using public Wi-Fi stations for years. Hackers can set up Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops and other public places then intercept data as it’s sent back and forth to your device. Now you can add public charging stations to the list of potential problems.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them. You just need to take basic security precautions to stay safe.

• Avoid using public USB charging stations or plugging into computers that you aren’t familiar with.
• Instead, use an AC power outlet and your own charging device. No data transfer is going to take place when you’re using an AC outlet and your charger.
• Consider external batteries, power banks, or wireless charges if you need a charge on the go.

You should also avoid the temptation to plug into a USB charger you find left plugged in somewhere. It may be waiting for you to plug in and infect your device.

For iOS users, you can also use USB Restricted Mode which allows charging but prevents data transfers under certain circumstances. You’ll find it by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcodes (or Touch ID & Passcode) > USB Accessories. For Android users, USB data transfer should be disabled by default. If you want to check to make sure that’s the case, plug in your phone in a safe place, click on the notification and check USB Configuration options.

Careful – Your Windows 7 Loses Support in January 2020

If you use Windows 7, you need to be aware that Microsoft will end support for your operating system in January 2020. Now is the time to upgrade to Windows 10.  

Windows 7 is an operating system that still has plenty of serious fans – in fact, it was only earlier last year that the market share for Windows 10 moved past Windows 7. Considering that Windows 10 was released in 2015, that is saying something. All good things must come to an end, though, and Windows 7 is no exception. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 in January of 2020, which means that it will become much more difficult to keep the OS up and running moving forward. And a recent announcement from Microsoft has let Windows 7 users know that they are going to be seeing bigger, full-screen pop-ups to warn them of the upcoming end of life of the operating system.

Microsoft is Magnifying it’s Warnings about End of Windows 7 Support

All through 2019, Microsoft has been telling Windows 7 users that the support for their operating system was going to end in 2020. Of course, if you are using Windows 7, you may have missed the warnings or just decided to think about them later – after all, a year is a long time. But the end is really around the corner now.

The official end of support for Windows 7 is January 14, 2020. The day after, on the 15^th, you will no longer be able to get support from Microsoft if something goes wrong with your operating system. That is why the prompts telling you that Windows 7 support is going to end are getting a lot bigger and more obnoxious. Microsoft is going to push full-screen pop-ups telling you that “your Windows 7 PC is out of support”.

You don’t have to keep looking at the notifications if you don’t want to. You can ask Windows to remind you later or to never remind you again. You can also choose to ‘learn more’, which will take you to an information page about what loss of support means and give you the option to upgrade to Windows 10.

What Does “Loss of Support” Mean?

There are several things that will happen when support ends for your Windows 7 operating system, including:

• Loss of tech support. Right now, if something goes wrong with your Windows 7, you can contact Microsoft and get somebody to help you with the problem. They can run you through troubleshooting steps and try to get things going again. But when support ends, you won’t have the option of contacting Microsoft about it. They will tell you that they no longer support your operating system.
• No more software updates. Microsoft is always working to improve their operating systems – at least the ones they currently support. But once they stop support, they stop putting resources into improving an OS. That means there will be no more updates to make Windows 7 secure and stable.
• Loss of security. There are always people out there looking to compromise Windows operating systems, even ones as old as Windows 7. When you lose support for your OS, it means that Microsoft will no longer be trying to identify threats and upgrade your OS to defend against those threats.
• Loss of compatibility. This is the biggest problem for most people with unsupported operating systems. You may be ok with being less secure and not getting the latest and greatest improvements, but you are unlikely to be happy when your favorite software stops working with your version of Windows. Over time, the thing you can use your computer for will become fewer and fewer as software moves beyond your OS.

Fortunately, getting support for your OS is easy enough – you just have to upgrade to Windows 10.

Learn how AI helps businesses analyze customer provided data and IoT implementation important for growth, customer loyalty, and greater profitability.  

There is so much data available to your business but getting a proper read on its importance an investment in costly data scientists. Learn ways technological advances, such as AI, helps your business synthesize data and provide your IT team with the information needed to create apps and other solutions at a lower cost.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is at the forefront of the data analysis performed by businesses. According to a recent article appearing in Forbes.com, data centers used to house the billions of bytes of data businesses collect, along with business analytics are growing at a compound annual growth rate of 50 percent between the years 2017 – 2021. The market value of IoT in 2017 was $235 billion and expected to more than double to $520 billion by 2021.

What does this mean for you and your business? All those valuable bits and bytes you collect from your customers is useless if you do not have a team in place that can help you make sense of it and use it to grow your business. This typically means hiring a staff of professional data scientists who, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), earned a median pay in 2018 of $118,370 or $56.91 an hour. That is a huge investment in labor which may be better spent instead on AI developed approaches to data analysis and app development.

Leveraging AI to Produce Professional Data Analysis

Professional data scientists cost you nearly $60 per hour while computer programmers with less education and the skills necessary to write and test computer code and develop apps based on your data earn about $40 an hour (median pay of $84,280 according to BLS). AI gives you the ability to hire programmers over scientists, who can help you properly analyze and utilize your data. Here’s how: AI has involved in one of the few technological advances capable of passing the Turing test.

If you are not familiar with the Turing test, it is the ability of a machine to demonstrate human-like intelligence and provide responses indistinguishable from human responses. That this phenomenon has finally happened for the first time in 2014 (64 years after the test was developed in 1950 by British mathematician Alan Turing, noted for breaking German code during World War II) means AI has become the leading driver for businesses looking to bring sense and order to data and quickly create consumer-driven apps to further engage customers and increase revenue.

Why AI over Human Analysis?

Without giving away to fears about machines taking over ala Stanley Kubrick’s HAL 9000 in the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” business should come to quickly recognize that machine learning and AI are useful technologies, important in reducing human labor costs and providing a way to integrate IoT into your business.

Hiring programmers who can seize upon the results of AI analysis comes at a savings of about $35,000 per scientist needed to perform the role artificial intelligence does. This alone gives you a compelling business reason to consider the advantage of leveraging AI over traditional human analysis performed by professional data scientists. As companies move slowly toward IoT implementation, you have the opportunity to be on the forefront and beat your competitors to the punch, enabling you to chart uncharted territories and seize important market share!