Rick Megni, President of CMIT Solutions of Northern Chester County, shares technology tips for business professionals.

High-Profile Data Breaches Reaffirm Need for Small Business Security

December and January were dark days for data security. Just before Christmas, Target announced that credit and debit card info from over 40 million customers had been hacked over a three-week period of holiday shopping.

How to Archive Emails and Keep Outlook Running Strong

Noticed that your Outlook account has slowed to a crawl? Basic email functions like “send” and “receive” acting a little funny lately? Consider checking the size of your mailbox. You might be shocked to discover just how bloated it is.

Top Ten Reasons Why Windows 8.1 is Worth an Upgrade

On October 17, 2013, one year after overhauling its flagship operating system (OS) with Windows 8, Microsoft released Windows 8.1. For Windows 8 users, the upgrade is free; new converts can buy it as a stand-alone product or baked into new devices.

New Health Care Rule Goes Into Effect (Minus the Penalty)

With new HIPAA regulations officially on the books as of September 23rd, and the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” beginning its official rollout on October 1st, the health-care landscape has never looked more confusing. Two recent polls from the Pew Research Center/USA Today and the Wall Street Journal/NBC News bear that fact out.

Five Crucial Microsoft Upgrades That You Should Complete Now

“Upgrade” — the mere mention of the word can strike fear in the hearts of humble computer users. But upgrading doesn’t have to be a dreaded deed, especially when the health and safety of your computers are on the line.

Increasing Office Efficiency and Productivity

As Paul Simon once sang, there are “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” But counting the number of ways to make your small business operate more efficiently takes much longer than an average three-minute folk hit. Therein lies the problem, though — with an infinite number of tips, tricks, and apps purporting to make office life easier, how does a small-business owner decide what will work best for him or her?

Is Your Business Prepared for a Disaster?

The recent string of tornados that ripped through Oklahoma should remind business owners of the repercussions that can occur with catastrophic data loss. According to The Underwriting Guide for Insurers, only six percent of medium-size companies that suffer catastrophic data loss ever fully recover. More than 43 percent never reopen, and 51 percent close within two years of the disaster.  

“Bring Your Own Device” — Is it a Threat or a Bonus to Your Business?

Have you ever thought about what business data is on your employee’s personal equipment that they use for work? Have you considered the consequences of that data falling into unauthorized hands?

Did you know that mobile devices have come to the attention of cyber criminals as the perfect piece of property to exploit for their own gain? Often a mobile device has all your business contacts, emails and other intellectual property, which in the wrong hands could spell doom for you and your team.

Am I Being Tracked?

Am I being tracked?

Yes.

Everything you do on the Internet is being watched, by multiple companies. Everything you access from your phone is being watched by Google and Apple. Law enforcement can ask, and with a warrant, get the information collected on you. And if you are like over 87 percent of male and 29 percent of female internet users, you may be embarrassed at what they uncover.

Why are they tracking me?

Making Windows 10 Easier to Use

Starting another year, and Microsoft Window turned 35 as of November of 2020, and five years for the Windows 10 version. That’s lot of years to be staring at the screen, and wow, is my eyesight failing!

Yes, it’s age, but staring at a computer screen for decades can’t be helping.

Luckily on my Windows 10 computers there are few settings that can make a huge difference. Here’s a few simple changes that I’ve been showing my clients, and I hope they help you.

Are Social Media Companies Censoring Free Speech?

If you’ve watched the news recently, you might have heard of Twitter blocking Trump’s tweets, Facebook banning Stop the Steal or Google banning political ads. Are mega-billion-dollar companies censoring free speech? Especially, ones with a conservative narrative? It sure seems that way. But there’s always a back story.

Section 230

Simplify My Digital Life

Have you gotten you digital life in order yet? With so many options, free or paid, it should be easy!

That’s what I thought. There are all these Lego pieces. I should be able to put something useful together. But unlike Legos that connect really easily, these various apps and cloud services are more like a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle dumped all over the table.

Your slow technology could be costing you customers: digital customer service and your response speed

Technology has changed everyone’s habits- including the habits of your clients and customers! We expect to get what we want almost the exact moment that we want it, especially Millennials and Gen Z who have grown up with technology at their fingertips. People use multiple devices to browse, read reviews, compare prices, and ask for recommendations before moving on to actually purchasing a product or service. That leaves your company with a lot of opportunities to impress future customers — or give off the wrong impression entirely.

Fraudulent Mobile Apps: What You Should Know and How to Avoid Them

How many times has it happened to you: you download an app for your phone that looks like a fun game or a useful service, but your battery starts draining faster, you hit your data limit sooner, or the app itself causes things to run at a snail’s pace or (worst of all) it asks to access parts of your phone you don’t want for it to access?

Congratulations — you may have been one of the over 390 million people who downloaded a malicious app in the past year.

Five Tips and Tricks to Supercharge your Everyday Use of Microsoft Windows

The Microsoft Windows landscape is scheduled to change again in mid to late 2015, when Windows 10 will be released. That may excite some early adopters who love to have the latest and greatest operating system on their computer. And many industry experts are thrilled that Windows 10, which is currently in its public beta testing period, was designed with business customers in mind — and is forecasted to be much more responsive to user needs.