~~November 2013 saw the release of Microsoft’s latest version of Internet Explorer, IE 11 for Windows 7. The new web browser’s impact is growing as many Windows 7 and Windows 8 users install this new version of Internet Explorer as part of their regular Windows Updates. As touted by Microsoft, there are a few benefits…
~~Desktop support is a term that IT professionals use to describe the duties of keeping a desktop computer in tip-top working order. This can be achieved through in-person interactions with computer users, over the phone helpdesks, and remote control from a local computer. In the last ten years more and more of this desktop support…
~~So, you think you’re automatically safe from viruses and other malicious software because you bought a Mac? Think again. Savvy Mac users know that some simple basic precautions will go a long way toward keeping their computer system in good working order. While Apple originally tried a few forays into the business world with its…
~~The XPocalypse: a real threat or a Y2K-like scare? Is the XPocalypse as bad as everyone says it’s going to be? Well, yes and no. With the proper preventative action steps, it doesn’t have to be. All good things must come to an end. On Tuesday, April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will officially stop supporting their…
~~Have you ever seen that little yellow shield in the lower right hand corner of your PC screen? You might have just ignored it in the past and kept right on working, but here we’ll explain why that little yellow icon with the exclamation point on it deserves a few moments of your attention even…
See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/experts-working-to-fix-healthcaregov-insurance-marketplace-officials-say/2013/10/20/1e1a35ce-39b4-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html The recent and ongoing issues plaguing the Obama Administration's attempt at the website spearheading the Affordable Care Act's initiative is a case-study in poor planning and follow through. I can relate this to IT in general. There is an old adage in the IT world which goes, "People never notice IT until something…
http://www.varjan.com/articles/0912-dec-09-it-consultant-or-computer-technician.shtml Mr. Varjan says"Most people know the difference between a builder and an architect, a bookkeeper and a chartered accountant and an line cook and an executive chef. But there seems to be some confusion about the difference between computer technicians and IT consultants. For some reason there is a preponderance of computer technicians who…
Our organization has been fighting for years to differentiate ourselves from the rest of our competition. Our competition has changed over the last 12 years because we have followed a model of continual improvement. When we began the process, our target audience was the end-consumer. Beginning with the recession of 2008 and the sharp increase…
See discussion: http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/05/31/0332220/it-desktop-support-to-be-wiped-out-thanks-to-cloud-computing For the SMB, many of whom are just beginning to adopt cloud services in their organizations, the cloud will change nothing with respect to desktop support. The cloud can actually, in some cases, increase the complexity of serving the needs of SMBs. The modern desktop support tech needs to not only be…
From: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/17/indonesia_number_one_attack_source/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter "Indonesia has had the dubious honour of supplanting China as the number one source of attack traffic globally in the second quarter, according to the latest stats from content delivery and security firm Akamai. The vendor’s State of the Internet report for Q2 found Indonesia accounted for 38 per cent of the world’s…
From Article: http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/risk-based-security-for-executives/connecting-security-to-the-business/insider-threats-big-problem-shouldnt-surprise/ "I was just reading the results of a Forrester study called, “Understand the State of Data Security and Privacy.” One of the big findings was that “insiders” were the top source of breaches in the last 12 months, with 36% of breaches attributed to the (often inadvertent) misuse of data by employees.…
The average Desktop Support organization tracks fewer than 5 KPI's. However, there are literally hundreds of KPI's that have been defined for Desktop Support. The vast majority of these metrics, however, are only marginally relevant – at best! When it comes to KPI's for Desktop Support, less is more! The eight that really matter are…