Tax Day came and went with a bang this year when the IRS computer system meltdown halted the processing of millions of returns. Here’s what happened and what you can do to avoid a similar situation.

This morning most of us woke up and followed a very similar routine, grabbing our mobile phone, tablet, and/or laptop as we headed out the door to work. Who owns those mobile devices - you, your company or a bit of both?

Earlier this quarter Verizon released an analysis of more than 1,300 security incidents involving the healthcare industry. While the growing number of breaches is concerning, I found the results of this study encouraging and here's why.

IT downtime is no joke.

Did you know that downtime can cost businesses up to an average of $9,000 per minute?  

And did you know that increasing uptime from 99.9% to 99.99% could save the average organization about $350,000 per month?

The growing sophistication and determination of hackers, combined with a lack of in-house cyber security expertise, is driving many businesses to outsource their security needs to a third party.

Growing a business from scratch is hard. All you really want to do is focus on your clients, not the myriad of other challenges. Here’s how our IT consulting services helped this small business rocket to the top!

For many businesses, the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) trend has helped increase productivity while lowering cost and increasing efficiency.

The right technology can play a significant role in helping you grow your business, increase revenues and outperform the competition...here's how.

Some of you may remember when IT departments had the ability to fully control almost all technology decisions, and who was allowed to use what.

Office 365 is an indispensable tool for many businesses. But here's what you need to know when it comes to protecting your Office 365 data!

Data breaches hit a record high in 2017, and the names of some pretty big financial services firms were splashed across the headlines. But don't kid yourself - its actually the smaller companies who are more at risk. 

Traditional business phone systems, such as the on-premises PBX, existed largely in isolation from IT systems. But the worlds of telecom and IT have converged...

How do you go from interchangeable to invaluable - when everyone else offers the same thing that you do?

Do you have a business that has peaks and valleys throughout the year? If yes, make sure you’re not paying for technology services year round that you’re not even using!

Facebook is changing how it ranks posts, videos and photos that appear in your News Feed, putting friends and family first – and public content (e.g. your business posts) second.

Starting a company is hard, but growing that company into a successful, scalable enterprise is even harder. Our CEO weighs in on the most important factors for growing a successful business in 2018.

We’re always on the lookout for new technologies to help our clients succeed, but making sure our clients are compliant with appropriate industry regulations is always top of the list.

When Outlook slows to a crawl, one of the first things many people consider is turning on email archiving in order to improve performance.

Hardly a week goes by where we don't hear about yet another company admitting to a data breach. A password alone is no longer enough to protect your online accounts against hackers! 

No question about it, donors are a nonprofit’s greatest asset. The last thing you want to worry about is the potential of your donor’s personal information being stolen or compromised.

With the ever-changing world of business, working remotely has become a fact. Almost all organizations require remote access for various reasons, and it’s not always access to simple cloud apps such as email.

According to Spiceworks’ 2018 State of IT report, close to half of companies surveyed expect their IT budgets to increase in 2018, by an average of about 19%...

Last year, Microsoft launched Microsoft Teams, the new chat-based workspace that competes against products such as Slack...

We know that topics such as data backup are not the most exciting. But think of it this way. When your Internet goes down for an hour or two, what happens to your office? 

You’ve probably seen recent news reports about the "KRACK" vulnerability in wireless networks used in homes and businesses worldwide...

Vendors such as Dell, HP and Lenovo will no longer be selling PCs that support Windows 7 or 8.  This means that when you purchase new PCs for your office, they will arrive with new Intel processors that ONLY support Windows 10. Read on to see how...

Imagine if you came into the office and all your PCs and servers were completely down. How quickly do you think you could get your business back up and running? How smoothly would that process go?

According to CompTIA 5th Annual Trends in Managed Services report, "the global managed-services market is predicted to grow to $193B by 2019." What is fueling this impressive level of adoption of outsourced IT amongst SMBs? Here are the top five...

We know what you’re thinking.

Why should you pay more for a “business class” laptop or desktop when you can get a consumer model for less from Best Buy, Staples or Amazon?

All businesses have challenges when it comes to managing their IT budget, but non-profits and associations are dealing with even tighter constraints. Here's how we helped this non-profit refresh their technology strategy and save dollars along...

With all the media attention as of late on security breaches, one of the top concerns we’re hearing from our client’s is the protection of sensitive data. Here's a solution that can automatically protect employees from accidentally compromising...

Unless you live in a cave, you know by now that Apple has announced the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X. And despite the cost, you can be sure a bunch of your employees are already on the wait list to get one. But it should also make you stop and think...

It's all over the news - Equifax suffered a massive data breach which compromised the personal information of as many as 143 million Americans. Here's the top 5 things you should do immediately:

Unfortunately, it often takes media-worthy incidents such as major hurricanes, floods and fires to convince businesses that in today's world, they absolutely need a robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) program in place.

Research shows that employees who are untrained on cyber security best practices often constitute the greatest threat to the very organizations they work for. 

As you’ve likely heard by now, Microsoft has announced “end of life” for Office 2007 in October 2017.  Are you at risk if you continue to use it? The short answer is yes, and here’s why.

I’m sure you won't be surprised to learn that, despite our most valiant efforts as an IT consulting practice, not everyone follows our advice. Read on for our cautionary tale on the perils of a small healthcare clinic ignoring security basics.

Are you tired of trying to remember complex passwords? Fed up with having to change those same esoteric passwords on a frequent basis? Have you “cheated” by using the same easy password (like, your dog’s name or “password”) across, well,...

All of us still rely heavily on email for business communications, both internally and externally. Unfortunately, the number one way hackers get into your company is through email, and every day the number of new viruses and malware is...

The conventional method of teaching children hasn’t changed much since the 18^th century – classrooms, hierarchical groups by year, and a standardized timetable and curriculum. And yet, out of the 1.5 billion schoolchildren around the world, most...

What do you do when your Managed Services Provider turns into a Managed Services Problem? Although Ntiva is a strong advocate for the use of MSPs, either to supplement in-house IT or replace it, not every MSP is going to be awesome. If you should...

Most small and medium businesses (SMBs) do not have IT departments, and SMBs make up over 90% of businesses in the United States. Therefore, most businesses do not have at least one full-time, dedicated employee who manages the computers,...

Increasing productivity in the office can be a complex beast – after all, there are humans involved – but the right technology can help! 

It’s hard enough for a small/midsize business (SMB) to stay secure nowadays, and that task can seem even more daunting for the Road Warriors among us, those whose work pushes them out of the office for extended periods. Selecting the right set of...

All businesses are looking for growth, and technology is one of the key areas that can significantly boost performance. One of the most notable trends has been the focus on cloud computing, which can help businesses better manage the challenges...

Despite the best efforts of in-house IT staff, sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Often the most fundamental aspects of keeping your IT infrastructure up and running can bog you down, forcing you to put strategic projects on the back burner.

Do you collect data on European citizens? If yes, there have been a lot of changes in the last 12 months that you should be aware of, including the announcement of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The topic of business continuity planning has been much on my mind lately.  I’ve had several clients ask about it or begin the process, and I’ve been spending quality time with information security frameworks that require BC/DR plans as an...

Most businesses today rely heavily on email communication. Unfortunately, the number one way hackers get into your company is through employee email, and every day the number of new viruses and malware is increasing. To avoid falling victim to...

Here's how 90% of the business networks I've seen have been built. Tell me if this sounds like you! You started with a fairly small, unsophisticated network. You probably had a single server, maybe even a workstation that was utilized as a...

In IT there are a lot of Industry terms that aren't well defined. Your IT service provider may supply you with a technician and use terms ranging from Engineer, Field Engineer, Technician, and SysAdmin. A SysAdmin, or Systems Administrator, is...

Your data center can be considered one of the most important aspects of your IT environment. Most of these rooms utilize large amounts of cables and without adequate care, they could get entangled over time. In this case, traditional clean up...

Today, more businesses than ever are moving their company data to the cloud – and there are good reasons for this. Besides delivering significant cost savings, cloud solutions can stabilize your business operations as well as facilitate better...

Phishing—It’s not just about investment opportunities in Nigeria anymore! It wasn’t that long ago that the most sophisticated scam email we would see in our Inboxes was a note from some supposed businessman looking for assistance with a cash...

 BIA is a fancy term for a process for determining what is important for your business, and what the consequences to your business would be if it is lost/destroyed. This need not be solely electronic resources.  If a retail store loses its...

Imagine for a moment you are suddenly inspired to build a new home...

Finding the right IT consultant for your organization can be a tedious process, and once you’ve found the perfect company or individual, you must also be able to convey the needs of your organization in a manner that they can understand. While...

We are aware of the initial thoughts that run through the minds of business owners, which pertain to the skepticism of procuring ongoing network maintenance services when everything seems fine as it is. And there are seemingly more important...

Eventually, there comes a time when it is more practical to get a new computer than to keep your aging PC. So, when the time comes for you to upgrade your computer, make sure you never just throw it out! Here are some tips on what to do before...

Today, many business organizations permit the use of employees' personal devices such as smartphones or tablets in the workplace. The ownership of such devices is now the norm and the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) practice is a growing demand....

Cloud computing is known as a method of utilizing a network of remote servers that are accessible via an Internet connection to process, manage and store data. Cloud collaboration enables more than one employee in the same company to work...

Microsfot Windows 10 has a number of features which make it distinct from its predecessors and one area in particular where it has shown improvement is in IT security. The importance of security cannot be overstated for modern businesses,...

IT is constantly evolving, and it can be challenging for smaller businesses to remain updated with the newest technology.  One way for businesses to stay relevant with IT is through the usage of managed IT services.

The 21st century is no stranger to major technological advancements that rock the world. Today, a phone is not only considered as a telephone, but a mini-computer and personal assistant combined into a single device! Today, affordable and...

The quality of the IT personnel you hire for your company can make the difference between success and failure. One reason for this is because hiring employees is expensive, but hiring the wrong employees is even more so. When you recruit the...

With cloud technology being relatively new to most users, there’s often a lack of experience that hinders proper cloud deployment. Even with a lot of prior research, you still have a lot of room for error, as each network is going to be designed...

Microsoft has done a lot of changes in Office 2016, and while some of the features are only a slight leap from Office 2013, there are enough improvements and enhancements to garner interest, even in light of the availability of free productivity...

Managed IT services involve the proactive handling of IT assets. The asset will typically be managed by Managed Service Providers (MSPs). They manage IT assets for their customer, and unlike reactive IT programs which have been around for years,...

A poorly managed IT infrastructure is a pain for any business to fix. If this is giving you a headache you can’t shake off, you should get managed IT services to help you sort out certain IT support tasks while you focus on your core business. If...

PCI Data Security Standard, often referred to as PCI DDS, is a combination of rules and regulations that help prevent unwarranted access to sensitive customer payment data. A lot of businesses think that simply being PCI compliant is all the...

The launch of Windows 10 is a little different from its predecessors, mainly due to the fact that it is released as a free update to current Windows 7 and 8.1 users. As a result, there are a lot more users installing the new OS shortly after its...

There are several different areas you should look at when choosing an IT partner or vendor, and avoiding these can result in a rocky relationship with the IT firm you choose. With the way the technology industry is ever-changing, it is very...

CNBC Article

July 8th was not a great day for United Airlines, Wall Street Journal, or the New York Stock Exchange. Although the root cause of the NYSE outage has not been identified, NYSE is stating that it was not an outside threat, but an...

As more and more people become concerned about the environment, consumers are demanding that businesses change their current practices.  From changing light bulbs to using recycled paper, businesses are starting to adapt to this new...

The latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, Windows 10, comes with an array of refinements and advancements that are sure to make working on your PC or Windows Phone easier and more efficient. Claiming to be "the most personal Windows...

One of the biggest advancements in the world of IT is cloud computing. You may think you do not know much about the cloud, but in reality you have probably been exposed to it in one way or another.  Services like DropBox and Office 365 are common...