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Ferrum Technology Services Blog

Ferrum Technology Services has been serving the Elgin area since 2007, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Making the Right Decision About Technology Can Help Avoid Major Pitfalls

Making the Right Decision About Technology Can Help Avoid Major Pitfalls

The idea of digital transformation can be an exciting one, especially for a small business. Let’s go over how you can make the transformative power of technology work for your company’s benefit, as well as how you can go about implementing some of these innovative new solutions.

How to Spend Less on Your Business’ Computing Infrastructure

How to Spend Less on Your Business’ Computing Infrastructure

Hardware procurement is a challenging part of running any business. When you consider that the hardware is often what keeps your business running–--your servers, workstations, networking components, and so on–--the idea of finding the right hardware at a reasonable price becomes of paramount importance. How can you make sure that your business isn’t throwing away money on unnecessary hardware procurement? It all starts with a network audit.

Microsoft Pricing is Going Up, but We Can Help Get Your Money’s Worth

Microsoft Pricing is Going Up, but We Can Help Get Your Money’s Worth

We just wanted to provide a public notice that Microsoft intends to increase the price of its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 offerings. If your business relies on these tools in its operations, you can expect to see your costs for them go up, regardless of where they are sourced from.

That’s the bad news. The good news is, we can help you get the greatest mileage out of these solutions… potentially by introducing you to capabilities that you have yet to take advantage of.

Smartphones of 2022 - The Value Models

Smartphones of 2022 - The Value Models

Last week, we committed one of our blogs to examining some of the most impressive new flagship smartphones to be found on the market—the creme de la creme, if you will, with price tags to match. This week, we wanted to focus on a different market: those looking to get a great value for less than half of what the flagships demand. If you aren’t the type to finance a phone, here are three options to consider for less than $500.

Smartphones of 2022 - The Flagships

Smartphones of 2022 - The Flagships

The smartphone has ushered in a revolution for communication and productivity, and in today’s world, it’s critical that we keep an eye on the developments in smartphone technology to ensure workers stay competitively productive and ahead of the game. Let’s examine three of the flagship smartphone devices for early 2022.

VoIP is the Solution to Growing Communications Costs

VoIP is the Solution to Growing Communications Costs

Investment in communications is one way that any company can improve operations and everything that comes along with them. There are many options out there to improve communications, but few have the same impact on your bottom line as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Your Technology Expenses Aren’t All the Same

Your Technology Expenses Aren’t All the Same

When budgeting capital for your company’s technology, it isn’t always simple to know how much to allocate. In fact, a lot of times it can be a convoluted and troublesome experience. Our consultants spend quite a bit of time and effort working out workable budgets for our clients and today, we thought we would talk about how we come about our figures to comprehensively support a business’ technology.

Organized Teams are Better at Collaboration

Organized Teams are Better at Collaboration

If your business could make money based on its process, you’d never need to worry about results. Unfortunately, things don’t work that way. You need to bring a product or service to market and sell it in order to make enough revenue to continue doing business. With the results-based nature of things, it becomes essential for the good of your company that you optimize your team’s ability to get things done. Today, we’ll talk a little bit about how collaboration gets better when your team is organized. 

Take Some Time to Consider Your Software

Take Some Time to Consider Your Software

Nowadays, every company relies on some kind of software. It has immense value as it can be used to make business more efficient and help reduce costs. In order to get the most out of your software, it has to be continuously managed. This is done with three steps: leveraging the assets available, testing your strategies, and understanding what it is you have.

How to Make Your Chrome Browser Look Like Windows 11

How to Make Your Chrome Browser Look Like Windows 11

One of Google’s latest updates allows users to change many of their menus to Microsoft’s Windows 11 style, and while this might seem a bit surprising at first glance, it should come as no surprise that Google and Microsoft might work together to push both of their products. Microsoft’s Surface Duo smartphone, for example, runs Android technology, and now Chrome can be customized to the tune of Microsoft software.

Is Now the Right Time to Upgrade Your Business’ Technology?

Is Now the Right Time to Upgrade Your Business’ Technology?

Technology changes so rapidly that it can be difficult to gauge whether or not you should be upgrading right away or examining other options for the same purposes. How can you avoid investing in the wrong solution as a result of the excitement that a new idea or concept can bring? It all starts with knowing what within your organization needs to change.

4 Tools Any Business Can Use to Improve Security

4 Tools Any Business Can Use to Improve Security

Network security is not the easiest thing to implement for your business, and you definitely need someone trained in this topic to be the one behind the wheel. Thankfully, the correct solutions can make this much easier to pull off. Here are some of the best and most important security solutions you should be considering for your organization.

Are Your Smart Speakers Always Listening?

Are Your Smart Speakers Always Listening?

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?

You Know What You Do, but Do You Know Why?

You Know What You Do, but Do You Know Why?

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. 

Taking a Look at the Optimal Privacy Settings In Your Browser

Taking a Look at the Optimal Privacy Settings In Your Browser

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.

What is an NFT and Why Does it Exist?

What is an NFT and Why Does it Exist?

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.

Basic Troubleshooting Techniques are Good to Know

Basic Troubleshooting Techniques are Good to Know

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.

4 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe on Social Media

4 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe on Social Media

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?

There Are More People Working from Home than Ever

There Are More People Working from Home than Ever

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.

Managed Services Significantly Helps Handle Unforeseen Circumstances

Managed Services Significantly Helps Handle Unforeseen Circumstances

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.

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