5 Top Extensions for Microsoft Edge

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Microsoft Edge is the new default Windows browser for Windows 10. It doesn’t have as many browser extensions as Chrome or Firefox. However, there are already a few awesome extensions for Microsoft Edge you should know about.

Adblock Plus

Nobody enjoys seeing endless ads on their computer screen when all they want to do is read their favorite news sites. Adblock Plus is an extension that will help block unwanted ads. Use it to enjoy an ad-free browsing experience.

Ghostery

Afraid of websites tracking your browsing history and collecting data? Ghostery will stop tracking codes that are found in websites you visit. Doing this will also speed up the load times of those sites.

LastPass

In this age of cyber threats, it’s important to safeguard your online data by using secure passwords. One way of doing this is by using a password manager, which will generate a different password for every site you have an account on. You can control all your passwords and log in to any site by accessing your password manager. You can sync your accounts on multiple devices.

Save to Pocket

Ever saw an interesting article that you wanted to read, but couldn’t because you had no time? With Save to Pocket, you can now save interesting articles to your Pocket account. You can access your saved articles from any device.

Office Online

Office Online lets you access your Office 365 account straight from your browser. You can access and edit your documents. You can also create new ones.

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Computer Tip of the Day – 4 Ways to Reduce Blue Light Emissions

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Do your eyes ever feel strained, watery, and irritated after staring at your computer screen for an extended period of time? Digital screens emit what’s known as blue light. This strains and hurts your eyes. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce blue light emissions from your screen.

Use the Windows 10 Tool

Windows 10 has a built-in tool that limits blue light emissions. To access it, go to Settings and click on the display icon. At the top, toggle Lower Blue Light Automatically to On. Click on the settings option to adjust your blue light filter settings and set hours for it to go on.

Use Flux

Flux, or f.lux, is a popular app for computers that many people use to reduce blue light emissions. It works on Windows, Linux, and Macs. It makes your computer screen appear more like the lighting in your room. This changes based on the time of the day; it lowers your screen’s brightness at night. This helps keep your eyes from being irritated.

Use a Browser Extension

There are many browser extensions that can help reduce your computer’s brightness. Go to the Chrome or Firefox store and look for night light or blue light filter extensions. F.lux has its own extension, called G.lux. You can also just try lowering the brightness of your computer in general.

Limit Exposure

Of course, you can also take some simple steps to reduce your eyes’ exposure to your computer’s blue light. Take frequent breaks when at your computer. Use the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and rest your eyes on an object that is at least 20 feet away.

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The Money Savings in Multi-Tenancy: Backup as a Service

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Money Savings

Data backup as a third-party service is one of the most common data recovery elements for new and growing businesses. This isn’t just because using third parties to handle administrative matters and business tasks not related to your central product is becoming more and more popular as a business practice; it’s because cloud-based storage and data recovery can be complicated, and the risks of making a mistake and not backing up everything pose too high a cost. But one of the most valuable aspects of getting storage as a service is that you’re paying for the services you need instead of an oversized infrastructure. This means money savings for you and your organization.

How does multi-tenancy equal money savings on data storage?

Imagine the typical downtown office space. A small company might rent part of a floor, while a middle or growing business might rent a whole floor and, provided business is good, add another to their rental agreement. Even if that company keeps growing and adding floors full of salespeople and customer support reps, it will be a long time before they take up the whole building. They wouldn’t buy the building and then slowly start to fill part of it up; they’ll just keep renting what they need and then evaluate their options once the company gets large enough for them to reconsider.

Data storage is the exact same situation. While you’re a small or mid-sized company, you don’t need a whole storage array of servers and data recovery systems. You just need a small part of one, and even as the size of your data grows, it will be a long time before your provider has to dedicate an entire array just for your company. While data backup as a service does cost a monthly ‘rent,’ that rent is only for the services you need instead of an entire over-sized infrastructure for services you don’t.

Data backup keeps companies safe, and more and more businesses rely on data backup to keep their businesses thriving. Data backup as a service does that even better by giving your company access to resources and storage options without the high upfront costs and required know-how of DIY data storage. Find a plan that works best for your business with Bluwater Technologies here.

Cloud Servers vs. Dedicated Servers: What’s a Better Fit For Your Business?

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Cloud Servers

With everything moving online through SaaS like Oracle, Taleo, and Salesforce, data backup is becoming a less and less unfamiliar idea. Many companies have employees that telecommute or sell software in the field, and having established networks so people can securely access information from anywhere is becoming more and more business critical. So one of the few remaining questions is: should your business store data on cloud servers or dedicated servers?

Benefits of Cloud Servers

Data is increasingly compact even as available storage grows exponentially beyond what experts thought possible even a decade ago. All of your business’s client information, employee files, and financial records will most likely take up less than a whole server or storage array, so you shouldn’t have to pay for one.

Cloud servers let your company use whatever percentage of a server you need to run your business. They even take into account dips and surges in what you need during your business’s busy season. Backup as a service also means your data is managed by a third-party company. You can access your data in a managed virtual environment that’s easy to read and search.

Benefits of Dedicated Servers

Sometimes businesses aren’t allowed to use cloud-based servers due to stringent security requirements and classified information. Then, they need to store company information on dedicated servers that are physically isolated and protected.

Mega corporations with dedicated IT departments and highly predictable usage might also benefit from using dedicated servers. But if you have a small or growing company, managing your own data without the flexibility of the cloud for spikes or idle periods can be costly.

Cloud-based backup is quick, cost-effective, and grows with your business during its ups and downs. Start getting the data backup that fits your business in minutes with Bluwater Technologies’s back up solutions here.

Benefits of Data Backup for Small Businesses

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Data Backup

If you’re a small business, you’re operating on a thin margin against larger companies. Delays and losses in information are especially costly as you try to establish a trustworthy, notable brand, and having a network crash is even worse if you’re the CEO, the sales manager, and the reigning IT expert. Bringing in a third-party service that can store and manage your data backup for you is one of the best ways you can both protect and grow your business. Here’s how:

Cloud storage can grow with your business.

Increasing your client base is one of the primary goals of any small business, and one of the best ways to do that is to have secure, bug-free data files for your customers’ records and contact information. Local storage is a risky way to run your business, and there’s a finite amount of space you can secure. Use a storage system that scales with your business instead.

Cloud storage keeps your business mobile.

Renting an office building might not be part of your business plan; if you, your employees, and your partners are all on the go, then secure, cloud-based storage means everyone can work from anywhere without the risk of someone stealing or tampering with your data.

Fixed costs save you money in the long term.

When you’re making forecasts and setting milestones for your business’s growth, having variable costs and trying to anticipate unexpected hardware failures can make your finances uncertain. Organize your books at a low fixed cost so you can focus on revenue instead of expenses.

One of the most important assets any small business has is the unique accumulation of clients and client information. Keeping your data safe and able to grow with Bluwater Technologies data backup plans is the best way to keep that asset safe. Get started here.