Business Value
If IT Threats Were Cast as Star Trek Villains
The United Federation of Planets had a lot of enemies, and if you run a business, you also face some substantial threats to your operation. So in recognition of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast IT’s most infamous bad actors as notable villains from the Trek shows and movies. Ransomware and Viruses as…
Read MoreAre You Insured Against Cyber-Security Breaches?
Last month, we dedicated a newsletter article to insurance … specifically Cyber Insurance. Because this is such a complicated topic, we wanted to first remind you that no insurance policy covers everything … we’re all still responsible for taking common-sense precautions. But, as criminals grow ever more sophisticated, insurance riders like Cyber Insurance are no…
Read MorePrevention is Better than Insurance
If you deal with sensitive customer data and information, you may have considered purchasing “cyber insurance.” For those unfamiliar with the term, the International Risk Management Institute explains, “Cyber and privacy policies cover a business’ liability for a data breach in which the firm’s customers’ personal information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers,…
Read MoreBut Sam I Am, I Like My White Spam!
Okay, so you have an e-mail inbox that’s just bursting at the seams with critical updates, immensely important notifications and e-newsletters that will eventually unlock the mysteries of the universe and set you on the path to eternal bliss. Nevertheless, it all makes for more of a mess than you’d like. Here are some suggestions…
Read MoreTen Useful Ideas to Manage Email Overload
Technology-related problems don’t always require high-tech solutions. Here are 10 suggestions for business email that anyone can follow (and that may provide some ideas for companywide guidelines):
Read MoreWarning Signs of Inbox Overload
With 80,000 employees receiving an average of 100 emails each in their inbox, one French communications company, Atos, found that only about 15% of the messages were actually useful. To stem the tide, Atos took the seemingly radical step of banning internal emails (BBC News). As well, the Radicati Group reports that 42% of corporate…
Read MoreOutlook… Charm or Curse?
Do you open Outlook and check your email as soon as you sit down at your desk each day? If you do, you’re not alone. The average professional switches applications 30 times an hour to check or answer messages… and the effect on productivity can be staggering. Outlook…Charm or Curse? According to McKinsey Global Institute, reading…
Read MoreWhat IT Management Can Learn from Football Coaches
It’s the most wonderful time of year … we’ve kicked off college football and the NFL regular season is upon us! (Here’s hoping the Bills can finally deflate the Patriots.) In honor of this great team sport, we’ve decided to torture an analogy and see how football fundamentals can apply to managing an IT network.…
Read MoreWho Can You Trust?
A great thing about getting a new computer is knowing it’s pristinely free of junk files and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs). Of course, nowadays new computers do come with a lot of “bloatware,”-a tradeoff for a lower price that most of us can tolerate. But, what if a well-known manufacturer sold you a computer with…
Read MoreDatabase Management Systems … Worth the Investment?
Big Data. Everyone wants it, but no one really knows what it is (unless you’re Big Blue, that is). Well, Big Data is just that… a lot of data… and if you have a lot of data, you need a place to store it. With that comes database management systems (DBMS), which organizes, stores and…
Read More