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People happily share their private information online, building robust libraries that can easily become a one-stop goldmine for fraudsters. It’s not exactly the intention everyone has when they sign up, as the whole point of Facebook is to share your life with your friends. It hooks us into a global community and the experience does depend on us making certain privacy sacrifices. So how do you balance being social with staying safe? On Facebook alone, the average person shares 13 pieces of personal information ranging from a fairly innocent name/email combo, all the way to the mother's maiden name and home address. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but those 13 pieces have the power to unravel your life within minutes. Even checking in at home or a favorite location has become the norm, helping to create a multi-dimensional online identity. The details are available to anyone who cares to look, whether they’re a friend keeping in the loop, or someone with a much darker agenda. The problem is, you just don’t know who’s looking at your profile or why. For example, someone could try accessing your email account by clicking the ‘Forgot password’ link. The email service follows its security rules and asks identifying questions like ‘which high school did you go to? What is your pet’s name?’ Unfortunately, the most common identifying checks and answers are probably available on Facebook. Once your email address is compromised, hackers can use that to break into other services and go through, clicking ‘Reset Password’ on site after site, account after account – they have full access to your email, so there’s nothing stopping them from emptying your bank accounts – or worse. 7 Ways To Secure Your Facebook Without Missing Out on the Fun Begin by previewing your profile as others see it Review what should and should not be visible to strangers Consider only sharing partial details, like birthday and month, but not the year Only ever ‘Friend’ people you know and trust Be wary of duplicate or ‘odd’ friend behavior – hackers will often clone or hack a friend’s profile and initiate an urgent and uncharacteristic request for money Update your past privacy settings too Set default future sharing to ‘friends only’ Give us a call at (786) 233-2002

Every time employees send or receive data online they need bandwidth. Like time and money, bandwidth is a scarce resource in many offices. After all, computers and digital devices rely on bandwidth to complete tasks online. Bandwidth is the amount of information that can be sent or received per second. This might be measured in Kbps (thousands of bits per second) or Mbps (millions of bits per second). Many people think having a higher bandwidth will mean a faster user experience. In fact, it’s only one factor that affects response time. Bandwidth is actually about capacity more than speed. Eight bits of information are one byte. A byte is the amount of memory it takes to store one character, such as the letter "Q." You can’t drive fast on a one-lane road when there’s a lot of traffic. You also can’t navigate the information highway as quickly in online congestion. If you’re the only one in the office late at night, you’ll have no trouble trying to stream an online webinar, but you might struggle to stream the same webinar when sales are on a video conference call and advertising are sending a graphics-heavy email. What Is Using Bandwidth? There is a greater demand for bandwidth every day. Your business migrated to cloud services for greater mobility and online consistency, but sharing information in real-time requires bandwidth usage to synchronize data. Backing up to the cloud provides businesses with greater peace of mind, yet it can be a headache if that backup is happening right when you want to get on a video chat with a client – your connection can suffer. You’ll be that person who keeps dropping in and out of that important meeting! When you’re using an online meeting tool (audio or video), you can also slow things down for others. Even email needs bandwidth to send and receive data. The bigger the files (e.g. images or spreadsheets?), the more bandwidth activity. Uploading a few PDFs can take up 20–40Mb of the total, which can choke a network with limited upload capacity. All those personal devices your people are bringing to work can make a difference, too. Smartphones will often start backing up to the cloud when they are on a Wi-Fi network. Bandwidth Usage Solutions Often, there is no option for greater bandwidth because the infrastructure where you’re located won’t support a greater bandwidth. You’re already getting the most capacity your provider can offer. Still, there are ways to better manage bandwidth: Switch to a business-grade router or a Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliance. These allow you to identify and manage bandwidth usage better. They also add security (firewalls, filtering) to your network connection. Set up Quality of Service (QoS) to rank the activities your business values more (e.g. configuring video conferencing to take data preference ahead of file downloads). Block some devices entirely, such as employee phones backing up to the cloud. Schedule some activities for a more convenient time (e.g. set your system backups to happen in the middle of the night, fewer people are likely to be trying to do things online). Want to regain control of your internet capacity? A managed services provider can monitor traffic and usage, and help you set up a solution for smarter bandwidth usage. Improve productivity and give employees something to smile about (other than a cat riding a vacuum cleaner on Facebook) with better bandwidth management. Give us a call today at (786) 233-2002.

“Your computer has a virus.” Such a dreaded five words! We don’t want to come down with a human virus; we’ll feel awful and miss work. But when a virus hits our computer, we could lose valuable information or be vulnerable to attack. The chicken soup won’t cut it. Perhaps you have an antivirus product installed on your computer. This computer software is intended to prevent, detect, and remove viruses. Antivirus tools are designed to keep infections out. They can also delete any viruses that may already be on the computer when the software is installed. The software provides protection by tracking malicious code and other computer threats via: classifying the actions the file or code drives (as malicious or OK); inspecting file signatures for matches to an existing signature in its virus dictionary; scanning for rootkits that can change how your operating system functions. However, antivirus software isn’t that good at cleaning up. When it detects a malicious file, it will delete it. But what if the virus spread before discovery? If the infection spreads before virus deletion, it can do all sorts of damage. Think of it this way: you have a cyst on your knee. Doctors decide it is pre-cancerous and operates to remove the cyst before it spreads. But, that’s all they do. They have seen the cyst. They go for the cyst. However, they don’t notice cancer that’s in your shin or femur, because they were only working on the cyst. The rest of your leg remains unhealthy, and you don’t even know it! Getting a Second Opinion on Viruses If the antivirus software is your primary physician, a computer professional is a specialist you go to for an expert second opinion. For one thing, antivirus products don’t always remove all the malicious files. Many viruses start as one thing but can mutate into several different strains. The antivirus software may not be programmed to identify all of the virus variants. A professional actively look for undetected strains on your computer. Viruses are always evolving. A recent strain of malware, SquirtDanger, let hackers take computer screenshots, capture passwords, download files, and empty out cryptocurrency wallets. Some viruses can change the settings of your computer. For instance, a common virus changes your computer’s DNS, which is like a bit like the Yellow Pages for the internet. On a virus-free computer, when you type in “Google.com”, your browser goes to Google’s servers located at the IP address “216.58.203.100.” However, an infection can make Google.com on your computer to go to a different address. Perhaps a server address cybercriminals use to capture your personal data. It still looks to you like Google, but it’s no longer safe. These settings can still remain after the infection is long gone. Viruses can also leave behind browser toolbars, extensions, and other nasties designed to spy on your Web browsing habits. If you’re consistently redirected to unwanted sites, or seeing unwanted pop-up advertisements, it’s likely your computer's infected with a browser hijacker. Ultimately, if you detect a virus on your computer, check with a professional. Don’t trust that your antivirus software is going to do the same, thorough job an expert can offer. Sometimes your computer isn’t fully safe until the operating system is reinstalled, but you can’t know that until someone can go in and see what the virus did and what remnants are still there, lurking. Cybercriminals are growing more sophisticated and better able to design viruses that disguise their tracks. Avoid being an unwitting victim. A computer security expert can diagnosis when your computer gets a virus, or determine if there are strains on your device you don’t know about. Let a security expert protect your computer from harm today! Call us at (786) 233-2002.

(Photo Source: Wix Media) With the world grappling with a health pandemic, scams are shocking. Regrettably, bad actors are everywhere, always looking for opportunities, and they’re seeing one in the coronavirus. This article outlines what you need to watch out for and how to stay cyber safe. The last thing you want to read right now is that there’s another threat out there – sorry, but it’s true. Cybercriminals take advantage of fear. They take timely concerns and use them to target victims. Using the anxiety and upheaval around coronavirus is their mission. So far, several coronavirus-related attempts to cyberscam people have been reported. There are examples of: emails that appear to come from government health departments; offering a tax refund to get people to click on malicious links; memos to staff that appear to come from large employers; COVID-19 test offerings from private companies; fake websites promising to sell face masks or hand sanitizer; soliciting donations to help fund a vaccine. What to Watch Out For Another concern is the number of bogus websites registered with names relating to COVID-19. The site can look legit but is set up to steal information or infect the victim’s computer with malware. You may get an email promising the attached information offers coronavirus safety measures, or information shared by the World Health Organization (WHO) if you click on the link, or a similar email pretending to be from a reputable news source, such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). In another example, an email impersonating a healthcare company’s IT team asked people to register for a seminar "about this deadly virus.” Anyone who didn’t question why IT was organizing the meeting clicked to register. By filling out the form, they gave their details to hackers. What to Do Be cautious. It’s understandable that you’re anxious, but don’t let that stop you from taking cyber precautions. You should still: be wary of anything that tries to play on your emotions and urges immediate action; question where emails are coming from – remain vigilant even if the communication appears to come from a reliable source; hover over links before clicking them to see where they will take you – for example, in the WSJ example, the Web address was for the “worldstreetjournal”; avoid downloading anything you didn’t ask for; doubt any deals that sound too good to be true (“a mask that stops the virus 99.7% of the time!”); ignore any communications requesting your personal information; don’t be suckered by fraudulent pleas for charity. Global health organizations generally do not send out emails with advice. Instead, navigate directly to that reputable health institution for real news. If you’re still not sure about the validity of the communication, check it out. Do so by calling or using another medium to get in touch with the “source” of the received message. While there is not yet a vaccine for COVID-19, you can put anti-virus protection on your computer. Also, make sure that you’ve applied all available security updates to keep your software safe. We hope you’ll take care and stay healthy both physically and online in these tough times. Need help installing security software and keeping your technology safe? Our cybersecurity experts can give your home a tech immunization. Do you need your laptop screen repair? We can help fix that for you. Contact us today (786) 233-2002 and via chat website simplesolutiontech.com or at our Facebook page at fb.com/simplesolutiontechcorp

The thing about a Tipping Point is that we don’t know we’re there until we’re tumbling head over heels over the edge. Too many businesses reach out to a managed services provider after something has gone wrong. It’s not that we don’t want your business, but we’d prefer to be proactive and help you avoid tipping into an IT disaster in the first place. Flirting with IT Disaster In his debut bestseller, Malcolm Gladwell wrote about The Tipping Point. It might be a magic moment before a trend takes hold or an idea reaches critical mass, but it’s not always a good thing. A business can also reach the tipping point with its information technology (IT). Everything is going fine, and a business can be feeling secure, but then disaster strikes. There’s a data breach. The computers crash. The backup fails. Everyone scrambles to recover. Don’t let your IT reach the tipping point. Pay attention to the signs telling you that you are flirting with the edge of disaster. Then, be proactive. Tipping Tell #1 People like to use their personal devices at work. In a recent study, nearly 80% of employers felt employees performed better using their own devices at work. (Though it may mean something that the Samsung commissioned the study.) Many businesses allow Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to improve morale and productivity while cutting costs. Even so, allowing employees to use their own smartphones or laptops is also a big security risk. Employees using their own devices are going to be downloading their own apps, and they could download a mobile game with hidden malware or viruses. Then, the next time they log in to the company network, the malware spreads. The opportunities for data loss or theft also rise. What if they send a file over an unsecured network? What if they trade in a device for an upgrade without clearing automatic logins or sensitive business data? The personal device might be lost or stolen, or someone leaving the company could continue to have access to company applications after they go. You want to think the best of your employees, but a zero-trust policy can help reduce the security risk for the entire company from that one rogue device. Tipping Tell #2 Microsoft’s Windows 7 dominated the global market in its heyday. In December 2019, NetMarketShare indicated that approximately 26.6% of all Windows OS users were still on Windows 7, but Windows 7 reached its End of Life on January 14, 2020. That means millions of PCs are using an operating system (OS) that is not getting any support. The OS is not getting updated or fixed. Most importantly, there are no more security patches. Hackers, meanwhile, know a large number of businesses are still working on the old OS, and every month there are more vulnerabilities to exploit as the OS grows more exposed to cyberattacks. Your operating system won’t just stop working on January 15, 2020. However, there will no longer be any updates or patches for viruses or security problems. If you remain loyal to outdated software, you are putting your business at a much greater risk of cyberattack. Tipping Tell #3 Maybe your business still relies on email and file transfer when working together. Teams often need to get many people’s input on a document, design, or proposal. The old-school approach sees different versions sent around for comments and revisions. Then, some poor person collects all that input and correlates it into a new, updated version. This approach slows down collaboration, plus, data can get lost. Also, with many mismatched versions circulating, it’s difficult to stay current. Tipping Tell #4 Your business backup is non-existent or insufficient. You may back up your data to an external USB hard drive, thinking that’s good enough. But what happens if that drive is lost or stolen? If you keep the thumb drive on-site, what happens if your office is destroyed by fire or a natural disaster that takes your computers, too? You'd be left with nothing. Even without that kind of dramatic damage, you may not be backing up enough for your needs. Many businesses backup at the end of the day as a habit. Depending on the amount and kind of work done daily, however, that may not be often enough. For some, losing even a few work hours to file corruption or accidental overwriting is costly. Tipping Tell #5 Cybercriminals constantly find new ways to exploit operating systems, software, and applications. It’s their primary business. But your focus is on other things. Protecting your data and systems is something you know you need to do but can’t always find time to get around to doing. You may not have a good way to keep all your IT up to date with the latest upgrades and security patches. You leave it up to employees to install the software security patches, for instance. But they're always getting notified about an update, and those notifications come at the worst times, so they put it off until later. Then, they forget. This leaves a vulnerability for exploitation that can put your network at risk. Tipping Tell #6 Growing your business may not seem like a bad thing, but landing big contracts and bringing in more employees can also cause IT problems. Adding new people can slow your email server, and putting new people on your software licenses adds up. Plus, you’ve got to invest in more hardware to give every worker access to the technology they need to get the job done. But when are you supposed to find the time to set all this up? You’ve got people to train and projects to deliver on! You can try to make-do until the money starts rolling in from all this new business, but that can hurt employee morale and your brand reputation. What Can You Do? Plus, it’s widely known that Windows 7 is being retired. So, hackers know perfectly well that it’s more vulnerable to attack. Remediating any attacks on your Windows 7 system will also be more costly. Microsoft will charge much higher fees when asked to help businesses that didn’t migrate in time. It is offering extended Windows 7 security updates through January 2023 for Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 Enterprise users, but the plans aren’t cheap.  Don’t wait until the damage is done to reach out to IT experts. A managed services provider can help with each of these areas of concern: implementing mobile device management for BYOD overseeing an upgrade to Windows 10 for those still using the old OS introducing software to support online, real-time business collaboration and streamline processes upgrading backup so data is on physical devices (on-site and off-premises), as well as in the cloud determining incremental backups or versioning needs throughout a business day putting a disaster recovery plan in place to help a business get back on its feet quickly monitoring and managing upgrades and security patches to keep IT current and safer providing cloud options that make scaling up easier and less costly Your business has momentum, and you don’t want to lose that. Still, you can’t ignore IT growing pains. These tipping points may not feel like a priority but leaving them unattended can bring huge problems. Partner with a managed services provider to pull your business away from a dangerous precipice. You’ll enjoy increased productivity and improved cost efficiencies while gaining the support of IT experts. Contact us today. (786) 233-2002

You went into business because you were great at something, not necessarily IT. Yet you need technology to compete in the modern marketplace. This guide helps non-techie business owners learn the IT essentials they need to succeed. The Essentials of IT Your business started with an idea to pursue, a product to make, a service to offer. When your business began, your information technology (IT) needs were simple. You needed one computer and an internet connection. But as your business grows, you add employees and things change. Now you need more hardware. You add digital tools to communicate, collaborate, and be productive. You need to think about security and backing up data. Downtime becomes more expensive; you need to pay wages whether your people can work or not. In today’s competitive environment, technology isn’t something you can ignore. This guide outlines IT essentials to better achieve your objectives with business technology. A is for All the Hardware You’ll Need Maybe you started out working on your desktop at home and your phone. But as you add employees, you need to think more about computer hardware. No matter how disinterested in tech you may be, you know your desktop from your laptop. Why, though, would you prefer one over the other for your business needs? If you’re sitting for hours being productive, the desktop’s bigger screen and keyboard are better. The desktop typically runs smoother, as it has full-sized parts and is more powerful. When you go with desktops, though, you’re also going to need proper desks and chairs for people to sit at. Laptops enable mobility. You can bring a laptop to the office, home, to a client’s office, and on travel, and always have access to all that you need. Laptops today are increasingly compact but compete with desktops for power and speed. Still, hunching over a laptop’s smaller screen for hours on end is not healthy and can affect productivity. Tablets today are another powerful tool for business on the move, but these handheld devices make it more difficult to do large amounts of work. Plus, they are not as feature-rich as a laptop. Yet they enable scanning documents and staying current on business communications, wherever you are, and with less physical strain. All of this hardware may connect to a server. You may have seen a big, beefy computer in a cupboard somewhere at a workplace. That’s the server. It’s the Hercules of computers designed to run 24/7, long-term. This powerful computer processes requests and delivers data. It’s the centralized brain running your business software and storing files. Servers with lots of storage can also be a backup location for your data. Servers can be located in your office or off-site. Some businesses prefer on-site servers so that they keep full control, but this option is expensive. Servers need maintenance and upgrades, and they take up real estate and utilities. So, many businesses today have servers in the cloud (we’ll get to the cloud in a bit). Other hardware you need to know about? Modems and routers. It’s easy to get these two confused, but the modem is a device that connects you to the internet. In a home office, you might connect your modem to your computer using an Ethernet cable. Then, when you add people, you want more computers to have access to your network. That’s where the router comes in. A router lets you wirelessly connect devices (laptops, smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more) to your private network via Wi-Fi. Modem and router combo devices are available, and mesh networks are gaining momentum when one wireless router isn’t cutting it. A mesh network uses many access points to capture and rebroadcast routing signals. B is for Business Collaboration and Communication We promised to explain the cloud. It sounds whimsical, but what are we talking about when we say someone is doing business in the cloud? They’re taking advantage of a pool of computing resources off-site. You don't need to invest in owning, managing, or maintaining on-site equipment. That also means reduced real estate and utility needs. Another advantage of cloud computing is its scalability. Effectively renting access to a server, storage, or software lets you add or drop users when you need to. With cloud backup, a business also gains a security backup. The data may be copied to data centers around the world. This ensures continued access in case a disaster strikes one location. The cloud also enables collaboration and communication. Users enjoy access to always-on features from any internet-connected device. Before, you would have had your email on your local computer or server in your office. Employees would run their own versions of Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint. Cloud computing has changed that. You can pay a small amount per year for the Microsoft Office Suite and email hosting on a cloud server. This gives your employees greater mobility. They can enjoy a consistent computing experience on any device. Plus, employees stop having to email documents around and lose track of revisions. With the cloud, people can communicate and collaborate on documents in real-time. You can even see the words they write appear as they type in that one, shared file. This prevents mistakes and having to do work over again. All this can make your employees happier, which improves productivity and engagement. C is for Cybersecurity Cybersecurity is another essential that even the non-techie business owner needs to understand. Digital transformation lets us communicate and collaborate more effectively and streamline work processes. Yet while you’ve been building your business, the cyber bad guys are expanding their efforts, too. Don’t think that a cyber attack won’t happen to you. No matter the size of your business or your industry sector, you could be a target. Here’s what you need to watch out for. Malware is an umbrella term for all kinds of malicious software. This catch-all term can include viruses, spyware, and ransomware. Viruses infect your computer to corrupt systems or destroy data. Computer viruses are designed to spread when: ⦁ someone downloads a file or software they think is legitimate; ⦁ an employee opens an attachment or clicks on a link in a spam email; ⦁ people surf the internet and visit a site disguising itself as what they were looking for; criminals take advantage of software flaws to infect your systems. To prevent infection, you need antivirus protection. Also, you should keep software and operating systems up to date with patching/security updates. Don’t wait to install the latest “bug fixes.” As long as you’re online, you’re always going to be vulnerable to viruses. Spyware is a type of malware designed to spy on you. Users are unaware as the software gathers personal information from your computer. It might be letting advertisers or data firms know your surfing habits, or relaying login, password, credit card, or bank account details to identity thieves. In ransomware attacks, criminals encrypt your data and demand money for the decryption password. They might even threaten to publicize your data if the ransom goes unpaid. All that, and we did the first three letters of the alphabet only! Increase your productivity and protect your business with D and E. Our “D is for Digital” and “E is for Expert” consultants at Simple Solution Tech can help you make the best decisions for your IT needs. You focus on what you know, and we’ll do what we do best. Contact us today at 786-233-2002! Check out Active Search Results (ASR) is an independent Internet Search Engine using a proprietary page ranking technology with Millions of popular Web sites indexed.

(Photo source: Unsplash.com) Microsoft is ended support for Windows 7. If your business has ignored all the previous warnings, your time is up. Windows 7 will reached its end of life on January 14, 2020. This blog explains what that means, why it matters, and what’s next. Business users get notifications all the time saying that such-and-such software or hardware needs an update. It can feel as if every time we turn on our computers, there's a warning of a necessary upgrade or security patch. Sometimes, we ignore the warnings. We figure we’ll wait it out. How bad could it be? Well, pretty bad in the case of Windows 7, which is reached its end of life on January 14, 2020.  All good things must come to an end. In the case of software, it doesn’t matter if it is a good one or not. It’s still going to reach what’s called “end of life.” It’s typically a ten-year cycle. The new software gets the manufacturer’s full attention and support for five years. Then, the company starts recommending you move on to its newer software. After all, resources are limited, and they can’t develop new offerings and also support old ones forever. As Microsoft puts it, the company is discontinued Windows 7 to focus its “investment on supporting newer technologies and great new experiences.” In Windows 7’s case, Microsoft stopped fully supporting the 2009 operating system (OS) five years ago. In January 2020, it cut off all extended support options, too. That means no more system updates or security patches. The company has stopped releasing any new features or design changes, and there’s no longer any included manufacturer’s support. Plus, you can’t call in your warranty if something does go wrong. You may love your Windows 7, but as the next section explains, it’s not going to love you back any longer. Your operating system won't stop working on January 15, 2020. However, there will no longer be any updates or patches for viruses or security problems. If you remain loyal to outdated software, you are putting your business at a much greater risk of cyberattack. Microsoft admits it. The head of Windows at Microsoft Germany told ZDNet that Windows 7 "does not meet the requirements of modern technology, nor the high-security requirements of IT departments.” In fact, the system’s security was the most widely affected in the widespread WannaCry ransomware attack. That 2017 attack infected more than 230,000 computers in 150 countries, with the perpetrators demanding $300 ransom per computer. According to Kapersky Lab data, “roughly 98 percent of the computers affected by the ransomware were running some version of Windows 7, with less than one in a thousand running Windows XP.” Plus, it’s widely known that Windows 7 has retired. So, hackers know perfectly well that it’s more vulnerable to attack. Remediating any attacks on your Windows 7 system will also be more costly. Microsoft will charge much higher fees when asked to help businesses that didn’t migrate in time. It is offering extended Windows 7 security updates through January 2023 for Windows 7 Pro and Windows 7 Enterprise users, but the plans aren’t cheap. Finally, there’s no incentive for third-party developers to support Windows 7 applications. So, you could find that other business applications aren’t secure either.  If it makes you feel any better, you’re probably not alone in not having done anything yet. Windows 7 remained the most popular version of Windows worldwide until the end of the fourth quarter of 2018, according to Net Applications. That means more than a billion users were relying on nine-year-old Windows 7 globally. Beyond user preference, there are many other reasons a business may not yet have updated its OS (operating system). Migrating to a new system isn’t always easy, and it is time-consuming. Depending on your IT infrastructure, it could take a lot of work. Existing software or hardware may not be equipped to run the Windows 10 solution.  With WannaCry, one reason Britain’s National Health Service was hit so hard was that it couldn’t upgrade some of its physical machines to the latest OS. For example, it couldn’t run Windows XP on an embedded system such as an MRI machine. If this is the case for you, be safer by isolating those devices or computers from your infrastructure. Despite sounding like doomsayers – “the end is nigh!” – there is no overstating the importance of acting to upgrade from Windows 7. This operating system is “extremely vulnerable,” and that’s in Microsoft’s own words. Don’t risk your business data. Do what you must now to shore up your cybersecurity with a supported system. Dragging your feet any longer could cost you revenue, IT effort, compliance and regulatory fines, customer loyalty, and brand reputation. It’s time to move on. The good news? Upgrading to the latest operating system can improve productivity. You’ll likely notice the increased operating speed and enjoy new features and functionality. This enhanced usability can drive productivity. Plus, you’ll benefit again from regular security updates and manufacturer technical support. Your users probably know and love their Windows 7. Managing the change to a new platform is easier with the help of Simple Solution Tech, Managed Service Provider. We can tackle your data migration and provide reliable service and support. Contact our IT experts today. Contact our us today. Don’t wait! (786) 233-2002

You arrive at home and the door unlocks because it knows who you are, sensing the key in your pocket. The lights switch themselves on and your favorite music begins to stream gently through the living area. It’s already the perfect temperature, and as you head for the fridge, you notice an alert on the screen congratulating you on meeting your exercise goal today and suggesting a tasty snack. Okay, it sounds like a scene from a movie, but it’s actually reality today thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). Almost anything that can be turned on or off is now able to be connected to the internet. An entire industry has popped up to help users create a custom experience designed around their unique needs. Electronic locks, lights, healthcare wearables, and household appliances are just the beginning. IoT goes beyond devices you can use to surf the web – it’s a global revolution. Adapters can transform even the most random appliance into a connected gadget, as well as add new layers of functionality. Cloud software is creating piggy-back connections, resulting in not just a new experience, but a new way of interacting with the data produced. It may all seem impossibly futuristic, but IoT is less about technology and more about enhancing relationships between people-people, people-things, and things-things. Millions of people are wearing a Fitbit or Jawbone to track steps and calories, while others are letting their fridge order groceries! The practical applications are almost endless, commonly including GPS trackers on pets, home security via webcam, patient monitoring of blood pressure/heart rate, weather monitoring, and remote power points. No more worrying all day if you left the iron on, just push a button on your phone and know for sure it’s turned off. Of course, with all this connectivity comes risks. While the idea of having your toaster hacked is a bit mind-boggling, technology connected to the internet is open to exploitation. The webcam that allows you to monitor your pets may also allow other people to glimpse inside your home, but only if it’s not secured properly. Unfortunately, it only takes one small gap for a cyber-attack to get through, and once in, all connected devices are at risk. Having your lights taken over by a far-away prankster may seem like a small risk, but gaps allow them into your computers, phones, and tablets too. That’s the part the movies skip over – the networking protections that exist in the background, shielding against attacks. Taking the time to properly secure your IoT device is essential to making sure you get the whole, happy future-tech experience. We’re big fans of IoT and can’t wait to see what comes next! Got an IoT device? Give us a call at (786) 233-2002 to help you set it up securely.

(Photo Source: Unsplash.com) Got A Bad Case Of Password Exhaustion? You’re not alone! Most people use the same password everywhere – home, work, Gmail, Facebook… even for banking. Considering how many passwords we’re expected to remember and use on a daily basis, password exhaustion is a very real thing. It’s no wonder that when yet another prompt for a password appears, users enter easily guessed combinations like ‘abcd’ or ‘password’. Trouble is, even if your password is making the required effort, hackers are taking a daily stroll around the internet and collecting logins and passwords as they go, from either leaked details or sites with security flaws. Then, they’ll try their luck with that login/password set elsewhere. They know more than half the internet users in the world have only one password and email combination, so the chance of gaining access to your accounts is actually quite high. Even the big names in tech are at risk of password breaches: 360 million MySpace emails and passwords leaked. 117 million LinkedIn account details leaked. The same password used elsewhere? Cue the domino effect! One site breach follows another and another until hackers have nothing more to gain. The only way to break this chain reaction is to use a different password for each site. How to Create Easily Remembered Passwords Have a system or template for creating your own unique passwords, that you’ll be able to remember, but is not obvious to hackers. For example: Becomes !K1ttyFB75! It might seem complicated, but the above is really just based around the words ‘kitty’ and ‘FB’ for Facebook. Change the FB to something else for other sites. What to Do If Your Password Has Been Hacked. You can check to see if any of your accounts have been compromised by entering your email into a site like haveibeenpwned.com If it alerts a breach, you need to change your passwords immediately – all of them. Use the example system above to create a new set. If you’re struggling to remember your set of passwords, consider using a secure password tracker such as LastPass. (http://www.lastpass.com) If you need help changing your passwords or setting up a secure password system, let us know on (786) 233-2002 and we’ll be more than happy to help you.

(Photo Source: Wix Media) Our tech is something we use every day, but did you know it’s also the most disgusting? Your screen may look clean, but studies show that a mobile phone can be 18x dirtier than a public restroom – ew! It gets worse (sorry)…that keyboard you tap at while eating your morning toast? It’s probably the biggest bacterial threat in your house, with about 20 000 times more germs than a toilet seat, more if you share it with children. It’s not just sickness we’re up against, because as dust builds up inside gadgets, they also slow down, malfunction or overheat. Your device essentially chokes on ick, as vents and filters are clogged by sucking in pet hair and floating debris. Here’s how to clean your essential tech items without damaging them: 1. Skip the household cleaners: Most cleaning products are too harsh for our technology and can end up causing permanent damage. You want something that can kill germs and remove everyday grime, without scratching or leaving behind a scented residue. Your best bet is Isopropyl Alcohol. You’ll find it in the first aid section of supermarkets and pharmacies, or at the hardware store. 2. Power down completely: Turn your tech off all the way, not just sleeping, and unplug from any power sources. Switch wireless keyboards, mice, etc off underneath or remove the batteries. 3. Remove any cases or covers: Undress your device as much as you can, but leave screen protectors on (unless there’s grime underneath). If your screen protector needs replacing, have a new one ready to apply. 4. Grab a microfiber cloth: Dampen the cloth with Isopropyl Alcohol and wipe screens and external surfaces gently. The older build-up may require extra effort. 5. Go deep: You can use a toothbrush or cotton tip to clean between most crevices, but some areas will need a bit more ‘oomph’ to clear. You’ve probably seen people use vacuum cleaners on their keyboard, but these are often TOO powerful and may suck keys or internal parts loose. They also generate damaging static electricity. Another option is to use a tech-specific vacuum, but these are usually underpowered. Insider tip: Use a can of compressed air to blow the dust-out. You can get these from many stores and they come with a long nozzle so you can really get in and direct the pressure. You’ll be surprised what flies out, so it’s best to do this outside! We don’t recommend using compressed air on your computer’s internal fans though, as this can make them spin too fast and damage them. How often you clean your tech is up to you and your lifestyle. But it’s a good idea to blow out computer internal dust at least twice a year and wiping your tech down 1-2 times per week will definitely reduce germs and grime. Connect with our Remote Tech Support in Miami, Florida. | Call (786) 233-2002 Simple Solution Tech is the best and reliable tech support you can trust.

The Coronavirus is spreading as fast as feared. Businesses must be ready for the worst. One priority? Protecting the health of employees. Preparing the way for remote working is one top recommendation. News of the virus, which the WHO calling it COVID-19, has prompted urgent interest in remote work. Business collaboration software, virtual desktops, and private networks can all help. This tech helps the business continue as usual, even with quarantined employees. It’s difficult to imagine you aren’t aware of the looming health pandemic. Trying to limit the contagion, we’ve already seen big business take major measures. These include: Nike temporarily closed its European headquarters when an employee was diagnosed with the virus. After the first death in Washington state in the U.S., the company also closed its world headquarters for a deep clean of its campus. Twitter told its roughly 4,900 employees to stay home to work. Other businesses are weighing up the options. Furloughs? Changes to sick leave? Or encouraging work from home. The last option appeals, but how do employees work remotely? How can they continue collaborating with people they used to sit beside, meet in the office, or travel to see? Technological solutions. The Right Technology for Remote Work Remote workers want a centralized platform with a simplified (yet secure) login process. Business collaboration software is a great enabler of mobile, flexible work. Replace in-person meetings with voice or video conferencing. Streamline chat, voice, and video in one software platform. Tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google’s G-suite, or Slack, allow a business to create team channels. Business collaboration tools also simplify access to email, calendars, documents, and file sharing. Employees can use a single sign-on to access business tools and data. This supports improved efficiency and increased transparency. Providing a virtual desktop can provide access to important business applications, as well. Virtual desktops in the cloud allow users to work separately from their personal computers. The software virtualizes the user’s unique desktop environment at any workstation. All the data and applications are stored on a central server. Users access apps, folders, and toolbars from anywhere, with a consistent, secure experience. Using a cloud-based solution also provides peace of mind. While remote workers access the corporate network, sensitive data isn't stored locally. So, the business needn’t worry about the loss or theft of sensitive data. Plus, cloud-based virtual desktops are easy to rapidly install outside a quarantined area. Worried about securing those remote connections? Another option is a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN connects computers, smartphones, or tablets to a shared or public network as if connecting to a private network. These encrypted connections to the internet secure data and protect employees’ mobile activities. Mobile Work Helps Every Day You can hope that your employees stay healthy and your business remains unaffected, but why take that risk? Empowering remote work benefits business, even without the threat of the fatal flu. Remote teams enjoy greater work-life balance. The workers spend less time commuting and are more productive. Empowered, they also feel trusted and more engaged. Meanwhile, a business can save money on physical space and hardware investments. Additionally, the hiring pool of qualified personnel expands with remote work, and the business can offer its services more globally and flexibly. All that’s true whether the coronavirus becomes an issue for your business or not. Enabling a remote workforce takes technology. Need help installing and connecting your employees? We can help. Contact us today at (786) 233-2002.

You’ve been told to stay put and work from home. You’re looking around your home or apartment and thinking, “uhm, work where?” You’ve never set up a home office. Here’s help getting you organized to go online and get things done working remotely. The first things you’ll need are a computer and a cell phone. You may even need the phone if your computer is set up for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication, but at the very least, you will likely need to be able to talk to people and get online. Work may have provided you with a laptop. Or perhaps you already had one or a desktop that everyone in the house has been sharing for years. So, you’ve got a computer on which you can log in to necessary business applications. But wait; we said log in – you’re going to need an internet connection. Most homes do at this point, but you may have a pretty barebones router. Like you, your internet service provider (ISP) wasn’t expecting business traffic from your home. To work remotely online you’ll need the internet speed and capacity to handle video conferencing and running business software. If it were just you, that wouldn’t be an issue. But you have a partner or roommate working from home now, too. Or perhaps there are kids out of school who are avoiding e-learning by streaming shows or playing video games. It may be time to upgrade. Newer routers often offer both the older 2.4 GHz and the faster 5 GHz frequency, which has less interference. Additionally, since 5 GHz isn’t as common, you’re less likely to compete with neighbors for Wi-Fi signals (since they’re probably stuck at home, too). Being Productive Working from Home Once you’re connected to the internet, you’ll also have to log in at work. Some businesses will have set up virtual private networks (VPNs) for added security. A VPN connects a computer, smartphone, or tablet to a shared or public network as if you're connecting to a private network. If not, the responsibility for securing your online activity is yours. It’s always a good idea to make sure your operating system is up to date. Plus, run the latest antivirus and software with the most recent security patches installed. This is required if you’re working from home with an industry that has compliance standards, but it’s a best practice for everyone. And please don’t use Windows 7 any longer. If you haven’t upgraded your OS since you bought that software, it’s definitely time to update. Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows 7, which means it’s also not doing anything to patch vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals know this, so don’t leave your home computer open to attack. Knowing that you could be working from home for the next few weeks, take the time to actually establish and organize your workspace. Try to find a place away from distractions or that has a door you can close to keep distractions to a minimum. Also, think about being somewhere in the home that gets natural light. This helps people be happier and more engaged in their work. You’ll also want to think about how far you’re setting up your workspace from the router. Depending on the power of your hardware, you could encounter a reduced signal the further away you go. You could consider a network cable or Mesh Wi-Fi for your home. Traditional Wi-Fi relies on a single router, whereas a mesh system helps you reach many, spread out areas in your home. Need to get up and running from home quickly? A managed service provider can help you connect, upgrade, or troubleshoot your home office setup. Give us a call today at 786-233-2002.