Ferrum Technology Services Blog

Many people use smart speakers throughout their day-to-day lives, whether it’s as a personal assistant or to control their home entertainment system. However, one of the topics up for discussion is how secure these devices actually are and whether or not we should be concerned about them. Just how secure are your smart speakers and what can you do about their security?

One of the main reasons a business finds success is their proficiency in bringing the products or services they offer to market. By better understanding why your company does what it does, you can create the processes you’ll need to run a better business. Let’s take a look at how to best do that. 

Most businesses use the Internet to conduct many of their day-to-day operations, and the most-used ways that people interact with the Internet is through web browsers. That said, there are some ways that you can make sure you are using the Internet in the most secure way possible. Here are some extra steps you can take to work toward these protections.

Cryptoassets have been on the rise, and with it has come the term “NFT.” But what is an NFT, and why does it matter what it is for a small business like yourself? Let’s examine this concept in a bit greater detail through the use of a hypothetical situation.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, technology just doesn’t want to cooperate. This frustration often leads users to contact the help desk, which is fine, but sometimes there are small things you can do to resolve issues that you might not have thought about doing. These simple steps might save you a bit of time and help to resolve your issues faster and more efficiently.

It’s a well-known fact that successful businesses and influencers in any chosen industry utilize social media to an extent, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Instagram, or otherwise. All that said, however, in this connected world, one has to be aware of how this connection can influence cybersecurity. What are some ways you can keep yourself safe while using social media for either your business or your personal brand?

When the COVID-19 pandemic started to surge across the world, much of the workforce shifted to remote operations, but it has become clear over the past several months that this shift is likely temporary, forcing many employers to consider the hardest question of all: what will it take to get people back in the office? A report from Gartner suggests that it’s not as easy as it sounds, and in fact might be moving in the opposite direction to what employers are hoping.

While it might be terrifying to imagine a scenario in which your business were to suffer a devastating event that threatened its future, you as a responsible business owner must consider any and all possibilities. If you don’t, all of the hard work and investment you have made in your company could be for naught. Technology is one aspect of your company that must be examined with intense scrutiny and prepared for with preventative measures to keep your future secure.

With remote work standing front and center for the past couple of years, it’s no wonder that a conversation has begun about the benefits and shortcomings of it. It is now clear that remote work is something that is not going away anytime soon. Let’s take a look at how businesses might retain remote operations without making too many sacrifices in the process.

With the release of Windows 11 on the horizon, it is important that businesses looking to implement it start to consider not only their hardware, but their strategy to upgrade away from their current operating system. But that’s a topic for another day—we’re focused today on the folks who don’t even have Windows 10 yet and are still stuck in the days of Windows 8.1, an OS expiring in 2023. Don’t get caught unawares without a plan to upgrade.

Modern businesses need to take advantage of every opportunity they can get in today’s crowded marketplace, almost regardless of the industry they work in. One great way to gain an advantage is to put technology in place that can significantly enhance how your business works, inside and out.

When you run a business, solid decision making is crucial to achieving success. This goes from hiring and managing your staff, dealing with your prospects and customers, and procuring tools and resources that make your business possible. Today, technology is not only important, it is a major consideration when hashing out your yearly (or quarterly) budget. Let’s go through a couple of tips on how to make the best technology decisions for your company.

We talk a lot about how the cloud is growing in utilization, and considering the circumstances of the past 18 or so months, it’s not surprising. However, what might be surprising to you is that this movement to the cloud is not necessarily to the detriment of the on-site data center. In fact, there are several reasons why businesses still consider in-house data centers to be the ideal solution. But why is this?

It’s no secret that passwords have long held center stage when it comes to data security, but if we’re to be honest, a password just isn’t sufficient to protect your business. Don’t get us wrong: passwords remain immensely important, but their role has diminished with the availability of other, more advanced security features. One of these features is something called multi-factor authentication.

As a business owner in a sector that is not necessarily dedicated to technology, chances are that you do not need to know everything there is to know about computer hardware. That being said, it helps to have a passable knowledge of the various hardware terms you might use on a daily basis. This will especially make it easier for you to talk to your technician or your service provider—whoever handles your technology.

Technology has enabled some of the greatest changes in the business world, so it makes sense that your company should try to implement it as needed. Unfortunately, it can be a bit confusing, especially if you have not thought about it in recent years. Thankfully, there are three pillars that can hold up a digital transformation strategy and enable change for your business. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to respond quickly and radically change operations, but despite the circumstances, productivity is still at the center of most business professionals’ minds. If we can learn more about how businesses have managed to thrive even in the face of the pandemic, we can learn more about how to succeed when things get back to “normal,” whatever that looks like, particularly in regards to technology and the role it has played over the past year and a half.

One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses is IT. More often than not, SMBs lack the strong IT leadership and plethora of resources that enable larger organizations to effectively manage their technology. While there are countless mistakes that SMBs can make regarding technology management and implementation, we’ve selected four that stand head and shoulders above the rest. These are the most costly mistakes your organization can make regarding its technology management.

When looking forward, it’s often useful to consider developing technologies to gauge what you might have access to in the future. Admittedly, a lot of these technologies can sound like a long shot at best (and ludicrous at their worst). However, some of these could very well transition into the business environment. Let’s consider a few out-there concepts that we might see gaining traction at some point in the future.

Cloud technology has shifted the way that many businesses operate in their day-to-day, offering advantages that were once a business owner’s pipe dream. Of course, there are now different ways that businesses can embrace these advantages. Let’s compare your options to determine which one better matches up to your needs.