by IT Nation | Mar 6, 2023 | Cybersecurity, Email, IT Security
Technology has significantly improved the way we live and work, upgrading the speed and efficiency of almost everything in our day-to-day lives. From hectic home schedules to demanding full-time jobs, technology plays a role in keeping us connected. Are you investing in managing your technology and devices? Read below to find out why you should consider it. (Hint: it’s going to make you even more connected and productive).
Outsourcing your business’s IT with a trusted MSP (Managed Service Provider) can seriously Increase efficiency. Choosing to outsource IT helps business like yours streamline their operations, automate tasks, and improve their workflow, which leads to increased efficiency and productivity.
- Enhanced security and communication: Having an outsourced IT team means the software systems you are already utilizing stay updated and patched regularly, one less thing to do or delegate! Staying up to date with upgrades and security fixes on software like your email program and inter-office communication tools will allow your team to communicate and collaborate with each other with less down-time, regardless of their location. This can help businesses work more efficiently and improve company culture and customer service.
- Data management: Operations Software such as a CRM is crucial because it allows businesses to collect, store, and measure data, which can be used to gain valuable insights into customer behavior, market trends, and more. Using out of date or under-performing technology can slow your workflow down. On the flip side, using a software that is too clunky or complex is confusing and makes it harder to find and analyze your decision-making metrics. Every business has unique requirements for operational software and metrics.
A good MSP can help evaluate your current technology solutions to make sure they are secure, up to date, and fulfilling your business’s needs . If you’re outsourcing, you have a full IT team at your service to assess if your current tech processes are working for you or against you. We research, compare, and recommend solutions that address the pain-points your business is facing and seamlessly handle the transition so you don’t have another task on the never ending “To-Do” list that managers and owners are all too familiar with.
- Competitive advantage: If you outsource your IT with a service provider like IT Nation, your business can gain a competitive advantage by using technology to improve products, services, sales cycles, and operations. Technology drives business growth and automates the (often) repetitive tasks leaving managers and employees time to focus on driving business growth and building relationships not to mention, getting you closer to that mythical work-life balance everyone is always talking about.
Overall, IT is a critical component of modern-day businesses, and it is essential for staying competitive in today’s digital age. Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, investing in IT can help you achieve your goals and grow your business.
by IT Nation | Oct 7, 2021 | Cybersecurity, Email, IT Security
Be cautious of unsolicited texts, emails, phone calls, or social media messages asking you to open an attachment or click a link and provide confidential personal or financial information. If you suspect an email, link or attachment is not real do not open or click on it, delete it.
Common Examples of this Scam
Scammers use a variety of scenarios designed to get victims to provide their social security, bank account, credit card, Secure Access Code (SAC), or PIN number, including:
- Get your stimulus payment faster
- A package is waiting for you
- You owe back taxes to the IRS
- Anything regarding your Amazon account
- Information about your COVID status
by IT Nation | Feb 25, 2021 | Cybersecurity, IT Security, Privacy, Uncategorized
At IT Nation, we provide software that gives you additional cybersecurity and threat protection over and above what Windows Defender gives you:
- Advanced malware and ransomware protection
- An additional layer of protection to safeguard your data and identity
- Quick and thorough scans that take less than 20 seconds
- Anti-phishing detection that prevents malicious emails and fake websites from tricking you into giving away your confidential data on any browser
Windows Defender doesn’t actively work to block phishing links in any browser other than Microsoft Edge and does not block ransomware attacks.
Cloud Backups IT Nation protects our clients data with cloud backups. An important protection against ransomware attacks and other infections that destroy your data is to have a cloud backup of your files that can easily be restored when needed.
Technical Support
Windows Defender does an okay job when it comes to automated protections against viruses and malware that may have infected your system, but you don’t have a live person to ask for help.
With IT Nation you always have access to a live person 24/7 to help with any issues or questions that you may have.
by IT Nation | Mar 19, 2020 | Cybersecurity, Email, IT Security, Privacy
At this point in time, we are all well aware of the substantial impacts the COVID-19 virus is having on the world. With significant actions being taken around the country to prevent the spread of the virus, the public is being asked to social distance and stay inside away from others as much as possible. This has led to non-essential businesses closing shop in efforts to prevent employees from being in close contact with one another. Those that are able, and lucky enough, to perform their job remotely are being asked to do so by employers. As a result, people are moving their work offices and beginning to carry out job tasks in their own homes. The circumstances are unprecedented, and many are scrambling to ensure that work and school can continue on as regularly as possible. As a result of this transition, concerns are being raised on whether or not necessary technology can continue to work efficiently outside of offices and schools. Now, internet providers must answer the question of, how can smaller scaled home internet services possibly keep up with the sudden demand of usage?
What will be a significant issue with employees transitioning their workload to perform at home is that internet broadband services most have in their homes is not built to carry the amount of traffic that will be demanded. Work sites such as large offices and schools typically carry what is known as enterprise grade internet service, which can manage a large amount of traffic at once. The infrastructure of at home internet services, which most consumers use, consist of lower capacity broadband plans. When using internet for demanding tasks such as video calling, streaming, or large file downloads, some may experience stalls, and overall slowness in operations they are trying to perform.
Cities which have become centers for COVID-19 outbreaks, such as Seattle and San Francisco, are already experiencing a spike in internet usage. However, amidst the sudden surge providers such as Verizon, Cox, Comcast, and more are confident in their internet services abilities to maintain performance. These major companies are claiming that they will begin to boost their services in the days to come to satisfy sudden demands.
You might be wondering what you can do if you are ever experiencing slow internet service when trying to work remotely or complete schoolwork on your home WiFi. Some helpful tips for when your internet service may be holding you back is to look at what devices that are not being used in your home are connected to the same network. Keep these devices off or unplugged for the time being. Also, make sure that others in your home are not connected to the same network, or trying to do demanding tasks such as stream, or any type of video calling. In addition, ethernet cables can be used to plug into your device directly from the internet router. Doing this may help the strength of the internet connection.
Although these are trying times, we must all find alternative ways to go on with life with as much normalcy as there is granted to us. During this time we ask you all to share below helpful ways in which those of us working from home can use services via the internet to better perform tasks! Let us all help each other succeed as much as we can during this time.
by IT Nation | Feb 14, 2020 | Cybersecurity, IT Security
If you haven’t already upgraded to Windows 10, now is the time. Microsoft has officially stopped supporting Windows 7. Going forward, Windows 7 users won’t receive any updates, including critical security patches, for the 10-year-old platform, putting their computers at increased risk for viruses and other forms of malware.
Microsoft has been urging PC owners for five years to move to Windows 10, the most secure version of the operating system ever developed. But many users werenΓÇÖt interested because of Windows 7ΓÇÖs popularity.
From July 2015, to July 2016, Microsoft offered the Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 7 and 8 users free of charge. It now costs $140 on the company’s website.
Despite the fee, it’s a good idea to make the shift to Windows 10 to protect your privacy and security. Here’s more on the pros and cons of performing the upgrade.
Why Is Support for Windows 7 Ending?
Supporting the software behind an outdated operating system has become too costly, even for a company as large and rich as Microsoft.
Operating systems require constant maintenance. It’s difficult to maintain code from several years ago while at the same time trying to maintain code for the latest operating system. 
To MicrosoftΓÇÖs credit, the cutoff date for Windows 7 support was announced with the original release of the operating system in October 2009. Microsoft also says that the 10-year life-span for Windows 7 is longer than what’s offered by its competitors.
The oldest operating system to receive updates from Apple within the past year is macOS Sierra, released in 2016; it was last updated in September 2019. It’s worth noting that macOS upgrades are free as long as your hardware is compatible. Catalina, the latest version of macOS (released in October 2019), supports laptops released as far back as 2012.
The ultimate goal for Microsoft is to commit fewer resources to Windows 7 and focus more on making Windows 10 as secure as possible against todayΓÇÖs threats.
What Does ‘End of Support’ Actually Mean?
Now that support for Windows 7 has ended, Microsoft will no longer produce updates for the operating system. That means you won’t receive new features or improvements to MicrosoftΓÇÖs digital assistant, Cortana. But more to the point, it means you’ll be cut off from security updates, which puts you and your data at greater risk.
And while antivirus software can protect you from malicious software, a Microsoft spokesperson says it may still leave you vulnerable to ΓÇ£sophisticated attacks, like phishing and ransomwareΓÇ¥ if your operating system no longer receives updates.
Will Your Computer Continue to Function?
Yes, your Windows 7 laptop will continue to operate largely as it does today. You can browse the web with Google Chrome and create and edit documents in Microsoft Word or Excel. Your printer wonΓÇÖt suddenly stop working. In fact, not much of your day-to-day computing will change.
But just because your laptop will power on and let you print your childΓÇÖs book report doesnΓÇÖt mean thatΓÇÖs a smart move.
Ideally, you should move to Windows 10.
How Do You Move to Windows 10?
You can download Windows 10 from the Microsoft website or buy the software on a thumb drive from a retailer such as Amazon. Either way, the upgrade will cost you about $140.
The installation is fairly simple. You’ll need at least 8GB of free space to download Windows 10 from Microsoft.Microsoft provides the steps, you reboot your PC and follow the on-screen prompts. The process takes about an hour depending on the age of your computer, the company says.
Before you begin that process, though, be sure to do a backup, preserving the contents of your computer on an external drive or in cloud storage just to be safe.
Or, if you have any questions or want help with the upgrade, call us at IT Nation.
by IT Nation | Jan 24, 2020 | Cybersecurity, IT Security
More now than ever, we are living in a digital age. We shop online, work remotely, and even date from our smartphones! But what about computer repairs and maintenance? While remote IT is a rising industry, lots of people are unsure about how managed IT services work, and whether it’s really a better option than having a full time IT staff in house.Â
What is Remote Computer Repair?
Remote IT service (sometimes called remote repair/maintenance or remote assistance) is a service that doesn’t require you to do anything besides make a simple call or open a support ticket. During a repair or support session, a technician will access your computer wirelessly using a secure application and troubleshoots the issue or upgrades software and operating systems.
What are the Benefits of Remote Support?
All you need is an internet connection! Here are a few of the other notable benefits of remote support:
1. Quick Fixes
Remote assistance is not only convenient, it’s also fast. Remote support allows you to access the help you need, right now.
This is particularly the case when you work with a company like IT Nation that offers website-based remote support services.
2. Support for Various Platforms
Managed IT experts provide multi-platform flexibility and can service Mac, Linux, and Windows systems, among others. This means no troublesome waiting or confusion while you try to find the right professional for the job.
3. Security
While allowing someone to access your computer remotely might sound a little scary, computer techs understand your concerns. As such, most computer repair places that offer remote support services give you a choice between allowing full or limited access. In most cases, users can also end the support session at any time, and without the approval of the support tech.
4. Cost-Savings
Contrary to what many people believe, Managed IT can actually be less expensive than local service or hiring a full time IT technician in your office! Because remote support allows repair techs to skip the trip to your home or office, you can generally expect a lower bill from a remote session than you would a hands-on repair or even a flat monthly fee for maintenance and support!
While remote computer support is a fantastic option, it’s not right for every situation, and knowing when to use it and when to opt for local service is essential to the health and well-being of your computer.
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