Virtual Business Solutions Blog

The horror genre has always been a means of shining a light on society's fears and concerns, often using metaphor to convey its message. In the spirit of the holiday, let’s consider some of the films over the years that have used artificial intelligence to teach us lessons through the ever-so-effective format of fear.

Multitasking is a common thing for today’s workers, and so is having multiple tabs open in your web browser. You might even have multiple different apps running simultaneously, which can make you feel like you have to constantly close one window to open another. Well, no more. You can use Smart Windows (also known as Snap Windows) to place two or more side-by-side and enhance your productivity.

Your IT budget can cause you a lot of stress, but if you approach it right, it doesn’t have to. Like every other part of your business, you want to have a good idea where to invest your technology budget. Not that many people do. We recommend you build out an IT roadmap, and a strategy on how to keep downtime to a minimum; and a lot of that is getting experts to manage and maintain your business’ IT.

Network hubs, network switches, network routers… What does it all even mean? All of these devices and terms can be confusing, and to some, they might even be interchangeable. However, the fact remains that they all serve different purposes, and some might not be the right solution for your business’ needs. Today, we want to break down the differences and when you might consider one over the other for your infrastructure.

Regardless of how big or small your business is, chances are you have at least one server unit that holds sensitive data. Ask yourself this question: do you have the knowledge and expertise to properly care for and maintain that server unit? The best way to ensure your business takes care of its server technology is to work with a managed service provider. Here's why:

A significant and growing number of small businesses are either actively using AI tools or exploring their potential, motivated by the promise of increased efficiency, cost savings, and gaining a competitive edge.

It's an exciting movement, proving that AI isn't just for huge mega corporations. Small businesses are using AI for everything from generating marketing content and handling customer service inquiries with chatbots to analyzing customer data and automating back-office tasks. The goal is to compete faster and smarter.

Congratulations! After a long and arduous interview process, you’ve found the ideal candidate for your business. They’re enthusiastic and experienced, but as soon as they sit down, they realize that they aren’t properly equipped to do their job.

This is precisely how to start a new hire on the wrong foot. Not only is it discouraging for them, but it is also expensive for you. While it may be tempting to blame individuals in these situations, they actually indicate a systemic shortcoming in your onboarding process. The only effective way to prevent these outcomes is to create procedures that ensure everyone on your team—new people included—can fully contribute.  

Today is the first day of the post-Windows 10 era, and if you are still running a PC with the popular operating system, trouble could be ahead if you don’t make a move immediately. In today’s blog, we will talk about your options going forward. Let’s get right into it.

The idea of a four-day workweek (where employees work the same schedule, minus one day a week) has long been campaigned for, with numerous anecdotes supporting its efficacy. One very successful example is provided by the nation of Iceland, which implemented initial trials of reduced work with just under 1 percent of its population, or about 2,500 people, back in 2015. 

These efforts have increased over the years, and today, almost 90% of Icelandic workers work 36 hours per week with no negative ramifications to the economy. In fact, Iceland’s society has enjoyed significant benefits during this experiment.

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare—checking your pockets or purse, then checking them again, trying to feel around for your smartphone, but it’s not there. Where did you leave it, or where did it fall out? Or worst of all, did someone steal it? Regardless of how you lost your smartphone, you need to take these three simple steps to ensure whoever finds it can’t steal your data.

How does your business use virtualization? We guarantee you that at least part of your infrastructure is virtualized to some degree, even if you don’t realize it. From hardware infrastructure to your desktop infrastructure, there are plenty of options for how your business can leverage virtualization for considerable impact.

It’s easy to skimp here and there when you run a business. After all, it isn’t cheap, and you have to make difficult decisions every day for where you’re prioritizing your spending. One area where you can’t scrimp on a substandard investment is your technology; especially an old computer that has broken down over and over again. If you’re not careful, that broken computer could be holding you back and costing you profit.

In the movie Moneyball, Billy Beane and the Oakland A's changed baseball forever. Faced with a tiny budget in the early 2000s, Beane ignored traditional scouting and used data to find talented, undervalued players. This sabermetrics approach allowed a small-market team to consistently beat rivals with much bigger budgets, proving that data, not just money, can lead to success.

Today, those same principles apply to every business. In a competitive world, companies of all sizes and industries can use data to make smarter decisions, optimize resources, and build a stronger business for less.

It is remarkable how much more capacity our data storage tools have than they had upon their initial invention, and how much data we’ve amassed in that time. The first-ever commercial hard drive was the size of two refrigerators, and held a mere five megabytes of data. For context, that’s about five photographs. Today, hard drives hold exponentially more data, and it is critical that you are doing everything you can to protect this data from any circumstance, from fire, severe weather, or cyberattack.

So, are you? Too many business owners aren’t sure… but there’s a way you can be. 

How do you know when it’s time to fire one of your vendors? Better yet, how do you know when you’re better off firing your IT vendor to find a better option? These kinds of situations can be stressful, but they’re not impossible. We’re here to help you make the call, as well as to offer a better alternative that saves you time, energy, and money.

Do you have an internal IT department for your business? Small businesses often don’t have dedicated IT staff, and if they do, chances are they’re overwhelmed with tasks and constantly playing catch-up (IT is a big job, after all). In fact, they might feel like they can never take time off because they’re so busy. If you want to ensure your business always has the IT it needs, then you should consider outsourcing as an option.

Scams are everywhere, and it’s up to you and your team to identify them before you accidentally expose your business to something truly sinister. However, it’s often easier said than done, and scammers have gotten craftier in recent years. Today, we want to discuss three of the dead giveaways that you’re looking at a phishing scam, as well as how to address it.

If you want your devices to keep running smoothly, including utility and security, you need to ensure they are updated. Updates sometimes cause problems beyond what they solve, however. What looks like a routine patch or update could impact your important applications, and if you’re not careful, you could potentially cause a downtime scenario simply by being proactive with your updates.

Nowadays, we’re all busy—especially at work. Collectively, our days are filled with improving our products and services, cultivating client relationships, and putting out fires left and right. Do you really have the mental bandwidth to commit to quibbling over whether or not your data is secure?

The fact of the matter is that cyberattacks of all kinds are a constant threat to everyone, and could very well take your business out of commission unless you do something about it. Let’s review some steps that will help reinforce your business’ security posture and better defend your data.

The average email inbox can easily become packed with so many unwanted messages… not necessarily spam, per se, but threads and feeds you’re just no longer interested in. Fortunately, there are capabilities baked into Gmail and Microsoft Outlook alike that allow you to remove these messages from your concern.