Weekly Tech Tips
08/01/2023:
Did you lock your computer when you walked away for a few minutes this morning? Has your insurance agent contacted you yet again to talk about “Cybersecurity Insurance”? What’s this “MDR” that you keep hearing about?
Take a few minutes, grab a coffee, and read through the tech tips we’ve gathered this week – let us know which ones helped you!
What Are The Weekly Tech Tips?
As a seasoned Managed IT Services Provider, we’ve encountered a wide array of IT challenges and innovative solutions. Harnessing our extensive knowledge and experience, we curate the best tech tips each week, tailored for decision-makers, technicians, and everyone in between. We invite you to take a moment and explore the valuable insights we’ve shared this week. Our weekly tech tips post encompass time-saving shortcuts, industry best practices, cost-effective strategies, and IT approaches that fuel business expansion.
If any of our tips prove useful to you, we would love to hear your feedback. Let us know which tip(s) resonated with you and how they helped. We also encourage you to share your own tech tips, so we can consider featuring them in our future posts.
The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself. – Oscar Wilde Tech Tips: For The Decision Makers
In the ever evolving landscape of business, the responsibilities placed upon business owners, IT directors, office managers, and other decision makers are extensive and critical for success. Not only do they grapple with the relentless demands of day-to-day operations, but also shoulder the weight of shaping their organization’s future through strategic decision-making.
“Tips for Decision Makers” delves into often neglected, yet crucial, tasks and decisions. Our mission is to empower decision makers with insights that can streamline processes, increase IT security, optimize resource allocation, and enhance overall efficiency. The smallest of improvements can yield significant dividends in the long run, which is why our tips address a wide spectrum of challenges and opportunities that decision-makers encounter.
Explore MDR Protection
Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is the latest evolution in cybersecurity. It goes beyond the standard antivirus & anti-ransomware protections commonly used by businesses today.
A few of the many improvements that MDR provides are:
Enhanced Cybersecurity
Faster Incident Response
24/7 Security Coverage
Proactive Threat Hunting
Easier to Meet Compliances and Regulations
Improved Business Continuity
Learn more by reviewing the Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Services Buyers Guide:
Understand Cybersecurity Insurance
Cybersecurity Insurance is a complex and relatively newer type of insurance coverage that has huge implications for your business.
Can you list out the differences between “Business Interruption and Recovery” coverage and “Dependent Network Interruption” coverage? Have you familiarized yourself with all of the coverage options available for Cybersecurity Insurance?
Check out the Cybersecurity Insurance Coverage Insights PDF to see coverage types broken down into plain language and real world examples:
Tech Tips: For Everyone
In today’s interconnected world, technology has become an inseparable part of our lives. It influences how we work, communicate, and unwind.
Whether you find yourself in a bustling office environment, working remotely from the comfort of your home, or simply seeking ways to optimize your personal tech experiences, our diverse range of general tech tips and best practices cater to all these scenarios and more.
Quick – Lock Your PC!
We’ve all done it at one point or another, stood up to grab a coffee, answer the door, or talk with a colleague, without stopping to lock our computer.
While it may seem like a non-issue, practicing bad tech habits like (leaving your computer unlocked) can turn into a severe data breach in the right setting. Just imagine what someone with physical access to your computer could do if they found it unattended and unlocked.
It only takes a second, regardless of the type of computer and operating system you use, to safely and securely lock your computer.
For Windows: Use the “Windows” key (located between the left Control and Alt keys) plus the “L” key to instantly lock your computer
⊞ + L
For Mac: Use “Control” + “Command” + “Q” to immediately lock your screen
For Linux: Use “Control” + “Alt” + “L” to lock your screen
Most importantly, remember to lock your computer anytime you get up from your desk!
Tried Turning It Off & On?
For what has become a common joke whenever troubleshooting a problem with technology, this old saying still rings true to this day.
Turning a troubled tech device off and then back on (or turning it off, removing power for up to 30 seconds, then reconnecting power and turning it back on) works because it allows for software to reset to a clean state, electrical current to dissipate from the device’s electrical circuits, and connected devices to reconfigure their connections.
Oftentimes, this is a key first step to troubleshooting an issue since it stops potentially stuck software processes. Computers today also tend to sleep or hibernate by default, and the longer they go without a proper full shutdown and restart, the more likely it is that you will end up with errors and stuck software.
This tip also can work with other tech devices such as phones, modems, routers, access points, TVs, video game consoles, and more.
The next time you encounter a seemingly unsolvable tech problem, try saving all your data, closing any open applications, shutting down and turning back on your device.
Tech Tips: For The Techs
The best techs are those who generously share the valuable tips they come across every day. This culture of knowledge exchange fosters growth and equips everyone to face new challenges.
When one tech invests a substantial amount of time in solving a complex issue, passing on the solution to their peers becomes a priceless time-saver for anyone encountering a similar problem. We believe in the power of collaboration, and if you have any tech tips you’d like us to share, we encourage you to leave a comment!
Document IT!
You’ve just finished setting up a new server, or found a quick fix for a complex problem. As you log out for the day, you think to yourself that you’ll definitely remember the specific steps you took, or maybe you’ll write down what you did later when you have time.
(Spoiler Alert, you never have time).
Not having consistent documentation habits can be detrimental for many different reasons (changing job roles, leaving the company, failure to pay attention to a bus in your proximity, or just plain forgetting what you did), but can easily be fixed with a little bit of practice and discipline.
The key is to create a simple process to write, store, and share documentation. Once that is in place, immediately document any useful info about what you’ve been working on or encountered as you go.
Simple as that!
Remember – it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be done.
Disable Fast Startup
Windows 10 introduced a new feature called “Fast Startup”, which was intended to improve the user experience by hibernating computers instead of fully shutting them down – meaning that when a computer is “turned off and then back on” it never properly shut down.
While an interesting idea, this tends to cause more trouble than it is worth, especially considering the already fast start up times that SSDs provide. To further complicate things, Fast Startup is enabled by default from Windows 10 and on.
To make life (and troubleshooting) easier, disable Fast Startup via policy, or individually on a computer through the power button settings.
Who is Cyberficient?
More than just a catchy name, Cyberficient is a customer service focused Managed Services Provider (MSP) made up of seasoned tech professionals who pride themselves on being what your company deserves – the best of the best.
Our focus every single day is on our clients. We provide the guidance, support, and security in all aspects of technology that our clients need to succeed. Our guiding philosophy is that we’re not happy until our clients are happy. The growth and stability of your business is the cornerstone of our success.