What are the Benefits of Upgrading Your Hardware?

hardware, Repairs and Upgrades, Security, upgrade hardware, , ,
05
Jun 2018

Upgrading hardware can be a costly affair, so it’s often easier to stick with your existing hardware. How many benefits, though, are you missing out on?

New hardware is constantly being released, but there are two main reasons that organizations shy away from investing:

  • The initial costs are deemed too high when the current hardware can meet a certain level of performance
  • The downtime involved in installing new software is a major turnoff due to the break in productivity it can cause

However, aside from these necessary evils, upgrading your hardware can bring a wide range of benefits that your organization cannot ignore. To help you understand why upgrading could make a real difference to your productivity, here’s a list of the benefits:

Enhanced Performance

New hardware will almost always be quicker and more productive than your existing hardware. Technology advances at such a rapid pace that external hard drives hold more storage space than ever, printers print more sheets per minute and servers can operate at much higher speeds. With this increase in productivity, your organization can achieve more and increase the time available to advance your operations even further.

Increased Security

Cyber security is becoming more and more important, so it’s no surprise to find that it’s become a major selling point of new hardware. Not only is new hardware protected from all existing threats, hackers are unfamiliar with these new systems. Therefore, there’s less chance of them becoming vulnerable to security threats for a significant period of time. Additionally, support will be available for new hardware for much longer than your existing technology.

Downtime is Reduced

While it’s true that installing new hardware results in a certain amount of downtime, new hardware will actually reduce your organization’s IT downtime in the long run. Older hardware becomes less reliable over time and this is why crashes on older systems can easily become commonplace. However, with hardware upgraded, you’ll soon discover how your downtime is reduced due to the increased reliability of your new hardware.

Better Communications

Upgrading hardware can seriously boost your organization’s ability to communicate. Video conferencing software, for example, has now expanded into 4K technology and this not only looks fantastic, but also allows your organization to communicate clearly and professionally. And when it comes to communication technology, you want to be using the very best to engage with your staff and your customers.

Better Experience for your Employees

Your employees want to be using the best technology as it makes their jobs easier and more productive. Say, for example, your network is prone to lags in speed, this is going to seriously frustrate your employees who are unable to connect to certain applications. However, with upgraded hardware you’re enhancing your employees’ experience. No longer is there any delay in completing tasks and, as a result, they can achieve more than ever in a timely manner.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

 

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Hacking the Internet of Things For a Few Dollars

Company Updates, Cyber Attack, Hacking, Internet of things, IOT, Security, Security Threats, , , , ,
06
Mar 2018

The Internet of Things (IoT) has many security concerns, but perhaps one of the most pressing worries is that IoT devices can be easily hacked for just a few dollars.

A group of elite hackers have recently demonstrated the ease with which a hardware hack can be unleashed to take control of IoT devices. All they require to carry out the hack is an SD card reader, the ability to solder and a length of wire – all in all, this should come to around $10. And once they’ve taken control of the device they can not only exploit any data on there, but also use it as a stepping stone to get further into the network it’s on.

With the number of IoT devices expected to hit the 20 billion mark by 2020, the risk of attacks on these devices is only going to get greater and greater. And, for a business, where nearly every employee will have access to an IoT device, perhaps it’s time to get acquainted with this low cost and easy to deploy attack.

Hacking on a Budget

The hack in question is a flash memory attack and, as such, targets IoT devices which have a flash memory – in particular a form of memory known as eMMC flash. It’s likely that you’ve never heard of eMMC flash, but it’s built into a wide range of devices such as smart TVs, cell phones, tablets and even refrigerators. Just think about how many of those devices are in your organization and connected to your network – that’s right, it’s pretty scary. What, though, is this $10 hack?

Well, the hackers – who go under the group name of exploitee.rs – have revealed that they can gain read/write access to devices by taking a flash memory card and soldering wires to five specific places:

  1. Data line
  2. Clock line
  3. Command line
  4. Power line
  5. Ground

This access allows the hackers to start stealing data and to issue commands to the device before taking complete control of it. Once the flash memory card in question is put into an SD card reader, it can then be connected to a PC to glean complete copies of that device’s data inventory. And it’s at this point that the hackers are able to identify zero-day vulnerabilities in the device, vulnerabilities which can be applied to that specific device and any other unit of the same product.

With this information to hand, the hackers are then empowered to launch remote attacks against said device and, potentially, use these infiltrated devices to gain access to the networks they’re connected to. And all of this is possible because hardware manufacturers fail to secure flash memory on their devices, they’re only concerned with creating a front line defense with nothing behind it.

Managing IoT Security Concerns

Hardware manufacturers are slightly off the pace as demonstrated by this budget hack, so for the consumer it’s particularly troubling. As ever, the best advice is to install patches and firmware upgrades as soon as possible. However, when a hardware vulnerability is found it means that it has the potential to leave huge numbers of the same devices – if not all of them – at the risk of being hacked. Therefore, identifying the form of flash memory present in devices may become a major buying point for consumers.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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4 Tips to Maintain Your Hard Drive and Its Performance

Office IT, ,
07
Feb 2017

hard-drive-failure

The hard drive is one of the most vital parts of your PC as it contains all your valuable data, so maintaining it correctly is crucial for your performance.

By maintaining your hard drive you’re ensuring two things which can make a real difference to your business:

  1. Your data is housed safely and is available when necessary
  2. A well maintained hard drive allows you to access your data quickly

Hard drives, though, can easily fall into a state of disrepair and this can have a real impact on the accessibility on your data. And that’s why I want to show you 4 tips to maintain your hard drive and its performance.

  1. Defragment Your Hard Drive

You may think that files on your hard drive are just one big piece of data, but this is only true in the very early life of the file. Over time, these files fragment into different sections and are spread across your entire hard drive.

Although this won’t cause any major damage to the hard drive, it does mean that it has to use up a little more power and performance in locating all these fragments when the file is requested. And this means longer load times for files.

The simple answer is to run a defragmentation tool which pieces all these individual file fragments together and provide quicker load times. This should only be done once your drive hits the 10% fragmentation threshold, most defragmentation tools can advise on the current level of fragmentation.

Uninterruptable power supply

  1. Use Surge Protectors

It’s not just the data on hard drives that can be classed as sensitive, the hard drives themselves are particularly sensitive components and need a steady, constant electricity supply. And, even if there’s a slight surge in electricity for even the briefest of moments, it can fry your hard drive and render it beyond repair.

Surge protectors cost less than $10, so it’s a tiny investment and there’s no excuse for not equipping all your PCs with them. After all, it’s going to cost a lot more in terms of time and labor when it comes to retrieving or even re-entering all the lost data.

  1. Embrace Power Saving Modes

Sure, it can be irritating when your PC slips into sleep mode or hibernation mode as you need to wait a few seconds for it to spring back into life. However, these power saving modes stop your hard drive from running when it’s unnecessary. And by saving even just a minute or two’s running time several times throughout a day, you’re going to significantly increase the lifespan of your hard drive.

  1. Protect Your PC

One of the most sure fire ways to damage a hard drive is through physical trauma, so you need to make sure your PC is well protected.

First off, only ever remove your hard drive if you have to and make sure it’s well packaged and cushioned once it’s out of the case as they’re very fragile. Likewise, ensure that your PCs cases are well out of the way of your employees’ walkways as all it takes is one mistimed kick to a PC to damage the hard drive.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Signs That Your PC Is Due for an Upgrade

Office IT,
31
Jan 2017

Upgrade_Memory_PC

PCs are very important to business and you can’t afford to be without one or using one that isn’t optimized, but how do you know it’s time to upgrade?

The problem with working with an aging PC is that it’s difficult to guarantee its reliability. And if the world of business demands one thing then it’s reliability. Even the very best computers will go into decline or slip behind in terms of technology, so it’s a good idea to upgrade around every four years.

Sometimes, though, an upgrade may be required a little sooner, so let’s go through five signs that your PC is due an upgrade.

dirty PC Fan

  1. Noisy Components

When your PC starts making noises which get louder and more grating as time goes on then it’s an indicator that something isn’t right. In particular, the most common components to start generating such a noise are the various fan drives and hard drives housed within your PC. And when these start to fail – particularly the fans – this puts a huge amount of stress on the rest of your PC, so it makes more sense to upgrade to a new PC.

  1. Out of Date?

New advances in software and technology are so rapid that, depending on the needs of your business, older PCs may struggle to adopt. And, in some cases, older PCs simply won’t be able to run this new technology; this can put your business at a real disadvantage, so sometimes it’s crucial to upgrade your PCs when bringing in new software in order to get the best out of it.

  1. Constant Maintenance is Required

Sometimes you’ll realize that you’re actually spending more time sorting out the various problems with your PC than getting work done on it. And wasted time is wasted money, so it’s a huge drain on your businesses resources and needs addressing. Even if it may seem expensive to upgrade, ultimately it’s going to save you more money in the long term due to increased productivity.

  1. Lack of Support

Once software and hardware providers stop offering support or security patches it means that your PC becomes a liability. After all, what if you have a severe server meltdown and all your data is at risk of being lost? Without any support there’s the risk that you’ll never see that data again. Likewise, without any security updates you run the risk of being hacked. Upgrading to current, supported technology is the only option in these cases.

Slow_Computer

  1. It Slows Down

All PCs reach a point where they simply slow down. Processors have to handle more advanced programs and updates. Their performance can decline whilst the constant demands of a business PC can eventually push them to a point of exhaustion. Therefore, if there’s nothing noticeable which is causing the PC to slow down then it’s time to consider an upgrade.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Windows 10 Upgrade Problems You Should Know About

Software,
12
Sep 2015

broken-glass-windows-HD

The Windows 10 upgrade is now available, but it’s proving to have a few downsides. Here are some tips to getting round these Windows 10 upgrade problems.

There are a number of particularly annoying side effects of the upgrade that users may not even be aware of. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t need remedying. To help you get to grips with these irritating changes we’re going to show you what to do to take control of your system!

Privacy Concerns

20150731085221_windows_10_privacy

We live in an age of security leaks and hysteria about how our personal information is handled, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to be aware of this.

In fact, by agreeing to upgrade to Windows 10 you’ve had to agree to their Service Agreement – that long list of legalese that you give up reading after the first few points give you a headache! The problem is that, hidden within it, are clauses which allow them to sync their servers to your personal information.

This means that details such as WiFi logons, browsing history and passwords will all be stored on Microsoft’s servers.

There is, thankfully, a way to avoid this, so just follow the steps below:

  1. Open Settings, click the Accounts icon and then open the Sync your Settings option
  2. Look for the Sync Settings slider bar and drag the slider to the left to turn it off
  3. Close Settings to ensure changes are applied to your system

Bandwidth Theft

Windows-10-Delivery-Optimization-is-Stealing-Bandwidth

Your bandwidth refers to the capacity and space you have to do the things online you enjoy e.g. streaming, video conferencing and downloading. The more you have, the better the experience.

Microsoft, though, want to use your bandwidth to help fuel the ‘Windows Update Delivery Optimization’ service. This service applies updates to your system or, indeed, any other PC on the internet whether you like it or not!

To turn this off you have to burrow your way through Windows 10 as follows:

  1. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security> Windows Update > Advanced Options
  2. In here you will have the choice of how to receive updates and the most secure option to pick is ‘PCs on my local network’, so click this option to ensure any bandwidth theft is limited to your own PCs benefit

Your WiFi Security is at Risk

Windows 10 comes with a feature named WiFi Sense which allows any of your Facebook friends to log into your WiFi without entering the password.

Now, we’re not saying your Facebook friends are going to cause havoc with your WiFi, but again it’s a question of personal choice.

To get started sorting this out you should follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi> Manage Wi-Fi settings
  2. Disable everything
  3. Close Settings to apply these changes.

However, other users with WiFi Sense will still have the capability to share your home WiFi network, so you need to append your network name with “_optout” e.g. change “ophteknetwork” to “ophteknetwork_optout”.

Microsoft Is Helping Fuel Personalized Ads

Windows-10-Ad-348x196

Windows 10 assigns each device running it a unique ‘Advertising ID’ which gathers information about web searches and websites visited.

This information is then used to serve up those carefully tailored ads which try and sell you products whenever you visit a website with an adserver.

It’s always a little bit creepy and, again, fails to protect your privacy. So, the best way to stop this invasion of privacy is by doing the following things:

  1. Head over to https://choice.microsoft.com/en-gb/opt-out and opt out of receiving these intrusive ads.
  2. Go to Settings > Privacy> General and then change your privacy option.

By protecting yourself with the steps above you’ll find that you’re able to enjoy Windows 10 with peace of mind that your security is as strong as it can be.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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