Technology Advisor Blog

Studies show that text messages get read in minutes, as compared to email messages which may get buried, stuck in spam filters, or just missed.  It's easy to send text messages from your computer.   You'll need the recipients phone number and cell phone carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc).  Also, make sure you have permission - fees may apply, and your text could also be perceived as spam if its unwanted.

Cybersecurity is a hot topic these days.  We need "strong" passwords, we're not supposed to use the same pasword for multiple applications, and we need to change passwords on a regular basis.  It's hard to remember all the passwords, and especially hard when you don't even know a password exists!   Your email has a password, but its likely you don't remember it because you don't usually need it on a regular basis.

FACT #1: The latest versions of “Ransomware” viruses can sabotage all your data and applications.   In February, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in California paid $17,000 in bitcoin to hackers after being hit with a virus.

Data security doesn't stand still!  There were twelve Patch Tuesdays in 2015 and another twelve are planned for 2016.  The updates never stop.  "Patch Tuesday" is the day each month that Microsoft releases their newest security updates, typically the second Tuesday of the month (January 12).  The details change every month, and in January there were six "critical" and three "important" security patches affecting Microsoft Office and Windows. Remember that security patch updates are required for the MA Data Security Law and other industry security compliance standards such as HIPAA.  Also, remember that security is not "set it and forget it".  It's a constantly changing landscape.

We’re proud to support the local community.  The Cameron Senior Center in Westford invited us for a tour and reception last week after donating a digital sign to the center. 

Do your electrical outlets look like this?  Time to change!  One of the things we look for in a healthy network is proper power management.  For maximum uptime, and to protect your digital investments, it's time to clean house and get your power management in order. 

Do you like to post photos of your boarding pass on Facebook or Instagram? Don't!  The barcode reveals a lot more information that you think!

We recently upgraded our phone system, and while the network was being updated, I was temporarily connecting my laptop to our guest network so I could access the Internet without interruption. After the updates were completed, I switched back to our office network and all was well.

Our team here at Ekaru sat down in the conference room a few weeks back to attend a web-based training event from one our technology partners.  The audio was coming through my laptop and not the speaker phone we normally use.  With the air conditioner blowing, and the projector fan running, none of us could here the audio from the laptop, even though it was on full volume.  

Most people know data backup is important, but they remain unaware of all the real risks of losing data.  Data backup winds up becoming the sort of thing you know is "good for you", but real attention gets put off as the threats seem vague.  The most common ways of losing data are connected to our every day lives, and it's worth a review.