When it comes to dealing with things around the office, most people have almost no problem calling in a subject-matter expert to handle the issue. Toilet won’t stop running? Bring in a plumber. Simple, right? Yet, it seems that there’s one notable exception: technology issues. Basically, there seems to be an assumption that, if someone […]
Tip of the Week: Determining the Return on Your IT Investment
As time passes, your business will need to be able to grow and develop its use of technology through thoughtful investments and improvements. To do so, it helps to calculate the returns you can anticipate seeing from these investments. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over how to do so. How Your IT Investments Can […]
Backup Your Data to Protect Your Business
It’s not always hackers that create dangerous situations for your organization. Threats can come from even unforeseen locations, such as your business’s network. No matter what the threat is, though, you have to be extremely careful about the little things that spell doom for organizations just like yours. One of these is failing to have […]
Use Any Internet Connection with a VPN
How often does your business have employees traveling to conferences or working remotely due to circumstances or physical location? With technology improving at a rapid pace, these opportunities are more possible now than they ever were in the past, and depending on the solution implemented, they are far more efficient, too. Of course, one thing […]
Announcement from Midnight Blue
It is with great pride and tremendous happiness that we announce that Jim Gatto is now officially a partner at Midnight Blue! Over the last four years, Jim has become an integral part of Midnight Blue. As the COO and VP of Technology Services, he is directly responsible and can take credit for the quality […]
Time Is Up for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2
An older version of Microsoft’s popular database software SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 is losing support on July 9. If you haven’t updated away from the software, your organization’s IT is staring down a few very drastic problems. Today, we’ll go into your options with so little time left before the software’s […]
Tip of the Week: How to Better Manage Your Glut of Emails
Email is a presence in almost every business, but some businesses use it better than others. Some use it as a be-all, end-all business communications solution, while others use it for correspondence that isn’t time sensitive. No matter how your business uses email, managing it properly will go a long way toward improving your efficiency […]
VoIP Has a Spam Problem
Robocalls plague the world’s smartphone users, but have you ever stopped to ask why you receive them in the first place? Why are robocallers able to hide behind a local number so that you pick up the phone? Scammers are actually using a business tool you may have heard of… Voice over Internet Protocol, or […]
Tip of the Week: Excel Tips That Work
Microsoft Excel has a ton of functionality, but how much of it are you actually utilizing? This week’s tip will help you take full advantage of keyboard shortcuts, so you can leverage the solution to the best of your ability. Align The most basic Excel formatting you can take advantage of is aligning the values […]
Retrieving Data Once It’s Been Deleted
Chances are you’ve found yourself in a situation where you have accidentally deleted an important file. However, it’s possible that you can restore the data, depending on the scenario. We’ll walk you through the processes required just in case you find yourself scratching your head over a potentially deleted file. Step One: Stop Creating More […]
Tip of the Week: How to Successfully Collaborate
Collaboration is, in many ways, one of the most important parts of running a business. The issue is that you need to ensure your entire team is prepared to participate and work towards the same goal. This week we want to emphasize the importance of collaboration, and to that end we have provided six simple […]
Diagnosing a Man-In-the-Middle Attack
The man in the middle has a lot of power and influence over the end result, and this is true even in the technological world. In fact, there are attacks dedicated to this vector, twisting and turning something that your organization needs into what amounts to a threat. We’ll discuss what a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack […]
There’s More to Managing Millennials
The millennial generation has been much maligned in the business world. Whether they are being blamed for neglecting long-standing industries or being labeled as selfish and distracted, there aren’t too many superlatives that have been bandied about when describing millennial workers. The reality, however, is that millennial workers have the ability to be some of […]
Tip of the Week: Consider Killing a Server Before it Kills Your Business
We thought we would do something a little bit different for this week’s tip. Instead of giving you some software tips or some kind of thing you can use to make your business more productive, we thought that we’d help you with the thing that you already know, but may not realize: Server maintenance is […]
Managed IT Services Brings Immense Value
How many devices and technology solutions does your organization have to manage on a day-to-day basis? More often than not, small businesses have a limited quantity to work with for IT services, whether it’s a budget that’s too small or a workforce that’s too stretched. The problem is that IT troubles wait for no one, […]
Internet Rights Advocacy Is for More Than Internet Access
Some people believe so much in something that they’ll commit their lives to make it better for everyone. The Internet, as one of the most impressive advancements of civilization, has a fair amount of people who take the time (or make a living) advocating on the various issues that face Internet users. These Internet rights […]
Tip of the Week: How to Find Your Downloaded Files in Android
Smartphones have become an important part of our lives, whether it’s for personal or professional purposes. Downloading media to devices rather than computers was practically unheard of, but nowadays it’s commonplace. Now that we mention it… where exactly do those files wind up going on an Android device? This week’s tip is all about how […]
Can Your Business Benefit From a Private Cloud?
Businesses of all industries and sizes utilize the cloud to various extents, generally to satisfy a specific need. One example of how much variance there is in cloud solutions is in how much control organizations need over theirs. A public cloud is great for some organizations that need limited control over their solutions, but a […]
Social Media Scams and Everything You Should Know
Social media has overtaken both the professional and personal aspects of online communication and connection, and while it might provide a considerable boon for both, it increases the odds of being contacted by scams and other malicious attempts. The best way to make sure you don’t fall prey to a scam is to remain vigilant. […]
Tip of the Week: File Management Tips
Thanks to file management systems that can be digitized and stored online, filing cabinets can be considered a thing of the past. Of course, you still have to keep digital filing systems organized, but this is easier to do and more efficient than paper files. Today, we provide you with tips on how to ensure […]