Five Essential Computer Maintenance Tips

a close up of a computer motherboard with some tools on it

Computer Maintenance

Performing computer maintenance on your devices is a matter of both convenience and savings.

With proper maintenance, you’ll experience less downtime and fewer unexpected malfunctions, helping you work with greater efficiency and productivity. You’ll also save on the costs of major repairs or device replacement.

The following computer maintenance tips will help you prolong the life of any device:

  1. Clean it, and treat it gently. The chances that a device will break down increase if it’s kept in hot, humid, or dusty conditions, banged against hard surfaces, or covered in food particles or spilled liquids. Regularly clean your device, eat or drink next to it with caution, and handle it with care.
  2. Take care with what you install on it. For instance, if you’re downloading a file or an app, make sure it comes from a legitimate source, it’s compatible with your device, and it’s free of malware.
  3. Investigate suboptimal performance. Sometimes, a computing device may perform poorly because you’re taxing its resources. For example, a computer with relatively low RAM (the memory called on when you’re using various programs) will struggle more with software involving videos or graphics. However, always check the reasons for slow performance or other problems, such as a program crashing repeatedly. You may have to perform some sort of disk repair, or perhaps it’s a sign that your device is harboring a virus.
  4. Keep your device updated. Updated versions of software include fixes for previous problems, such as security holes that hackers can readily exploit. A device operating with outdated software is much more likely to get compromised by a cyber attack. (One example comes from the healthcare industry, where outdated technology is one of the major cybersecurity vulnerabilities.)
  5. Use a surge protector. If your device is plugged in during a storm, a surge protector can help defend it against a sudden sharp increase in power flowing through your electrical lines. Power surges can wreak havoc with hardware.

For additional computer maintenance advice, please contact us. We can help you maintain your devices by keeping them in good condition and detecting and resolving problems before they have a chance to become emergencies.

Momentum: Customize Your Home Screen

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Chrome Logo

Do you love beautiful computer screen wallpapers? Do you want to organize your workday efficiently straight from your computer screen? Our computer tip of the day will teach you how to do just that. We are talking about a Google Chrome extension called Momentum.

Momentum replaces your Google Chrome home screen with a beautiful new background each day. The images are usually stunning captures of nature. Your local time will be displayed in the center of the screen, along with a short message — “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, [Your Name Goes Here]. What Is Your Focus For Today?”. You can then write in your main focus in the space provided, which will help you stay focused on your main task for the day. If you wish, you can turn off the focus message.

On the bottom of your screen, a new motivational quote will appear each day. You can remove this feature if you wish.

On the bottom-right side, you will be able to add tasks to a list. Each task comes with a checkbox that you can check when you complete it. You can expand the list, minimize it, or remove this feature altogether.

You can add your favorite links to the top-left corner, along with a search bar that lets you search the web using Google. Your local weather will appear in the top-right corner.

If you enjoy a particular background or quote, you can favorite it and save it. You can also create a Momentum account so that you can sync different computers.

For more great computer tips, just contact us.

Why Good Technical Support Specialists are in High Demand

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Why Good Technical Support Specialists are in High Demand

Every company needs to have a good technical support specialist. Many companies want to hire a person to work in-house.

While this seems to make common sense, when it comes to technology, there are things to consider.

The technology landscape changes every year. This is especially true as we enter 2017 and companies are introducing more connected products to the IoT marketplace. Cyber security threats are evolving with the technology. Therefore, the cost to keep in-house tech talent on staff with the skills to handle each new year’s cyber threats and tech management needs is extraordinary.

Most businesses have found that relying on in-house staff is impractical.
Outsourcing IT services is the right solution for most organizations.

When you outsource your tech needs to a qualified Managed Services Provider, (MSP), with talents in every area of IT, you can relax knowing one of the tech support specialists on the team can address whatever maintenance and security needs your organization has and will have.

Your MSP Will:

  • Provide on-call support for all your technology, software, and hardware in the manner most convenient for you and appropriate for the issue (via email, phone or on-site);
  • Make regular on-site visits for specific maintenance issues like hardware and software modifications, cleaning, and repairs;
  • Speed up your system performance, eliminate connection problems, and make data more readily accessible;
  • Evaluate any situation needing repair with an on-site visit;
  • Help you test new hardware and software and communicate with the vendor to make sure it meets your organizational needs;
  • Coordinate employee training sessions for new system introductions or major revamps; and
  • Report to department managers to provide tech updates and reports along with training if necessary;

Many business owners and managers want to hire an in-house tech professional because they worry an outsider won’t understand their company’s specific needs or be able to explain technical issues in a way that management will understand. However, part of a tech support specialist’s job description is to have personality qualities like patience, the ability to simplify complex concepts, and the ability to discern a complete needs picture by asking questions and learning about an organization.

Every tech professional that works with Bluewater has the interpersonal skills you’re seeking. In fact, many got their feet wet with troubleshooting and helpdesk work, which combines tech support with customer service. We all care about the businesses we serve and their goals. As well as understand that technology is an intrinsic part of goals for modern businesses. We will never take your needs, company culture or business processes for granted.

Contact us today to get started.

Computer Tip of the Day: Reducing the Risk of Malware

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Reducing the Risk of Malware

Believe it or not, most malware incidents that happen in the workplace are very unpredictable. Because you never know when they’re going to happen, it’s always important to be prepared.

For example, what if there was an unexpected power outage in your office, or what if you carelessly deleted an important file? If none of your files or data were backed up, there could be serious consequences.

With that said, another common (and rather unpredictable) incident in the workplace involves malware. Whether it’s found on suspicious websites or a supposedly “harmless” looking email, you always need to be cautious.

There are plenty of ways to avoid becoming susceptible to malware. However, it’s especially important that you know what emails to look for. Many of these viruses show up as attachments in messages. The hacker tricks you into clicking on it, and once you do so, your device becomes infected.

What are some things to look for in these emails that indicate it’s not from a trustworthy source?

First of all, does the message itself contain bad grammar or stilted phrasing? If so, then it might not be from someone you trust. However, even if the message does appear to be from someone you trust, take caution anyway.

Does the tone of the message sound robotic? From what you know of this coworker, employee, or business, do they normally use a similar tone in their emails? If not, then more than likely, the message isn’t from them. When you’re still unsure, seek out the person/business and ask, or simply send a reply email and see if you get a response. If it’s malware, chances are you wont.

For protection from malware, 24/7 it support and managed services, contact us today at Bluwater Technologies. We look forward to hearing from you.

NAS vs. Cloud Storage

a silver computer with four disk drives attached to it

Odds are your business has LOTS of files and data that it shares with everyone in the company. Some firms use cloud storage products like Dropbox or Google Drive to store and share those files. Others have their own “in-house” storage option called a NAS or Network Attached Storage. A NAS is a dedicated space that receives, stores, and sends data over a network. Basically, it is a personal cloud for your business.

Please review the pros and cons of a NAS and cloud services so you can make the right choice for your business needs.

NAS

With a NAS you have complete control and ownership of your data. No corporate giant has anything to do with your data or risks your privacy. A NAS solution is infinitely scalable. This means you can add additional storage at your own terms. With a NAS you have complete control of your data and how it is stored, backed up, retrieved and deleted. This can be daunting as it does get technical and one wrong move can put your data at risk. So it may be best to hire an IT professional.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is hosted offsite. Your data remains untouched, regardless of what happens to your physical location. Cloud storage for businesses can get pricey. Subscription services are available, but increasing your storage capacity usually requires paying more. Cloud storage is easy. Nearly anyone can create an account and manage permissions and accounts for employees.

Your data is relatively safe in the cloud as hosting companies do a great job of backing up data and using redundant storage. Although this rarely happens, cloud storage services are a high-value target for hackers and your information could be at risk.

Ready to migrate your data to the cloud? Or just want to upgrade your existing solutions? Need a dedicated IT department to service all your tech needs?

Contact us to see how we can help.