Tech Prognosis Blog - Information About Computer Support Services in Round Rock, TX

COVID-19: Why Your People Should Be The Main Focus

COVID-19 Symptoms and how to protect yourself

In the last week or so, the world has seemingly shrunk as a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging every aspect of our lives right now. Those saddled with managing technology planning to deal with the pandemic should realize that technology is never first. People are.

In North America, particularly the U.S. and Canada, people practically went from their typical day-to-day lives to a dignified quarantine called “shelter in place”, all seemingly overnight. Organizations and businesses have had to transform ‘normal’ business processes and office spaces to virtual workplaces.

More critical is that fact that many small organizations have had to make incredibly difficult decisions to send their paltry staff home with no infrastructure in place to support the suddenly mandatory work from home guidelines.

As a matter of fact, to say that many are struggling to extend existing remote work capabilities to a larger set of employees, or trying to kick off remote work programs from scratch within a short window would be an understatement. (more…)

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March 29, 2020

Cloud Computing / Mobile Technology / Security / Tech Tips for Business Owners / Web Technology

Two-Factor Authentication: Protecting Your Online Accounts

Laptop and two-factor authentication devices

Two-factor authentication, or 2FA, is one of the easiest and most available multi-factor authentication approaches to protecting online accounts.

Analysis of recent online account breaches indicate that weak and reused passwords continue to be a common entry point for account or identity takeover and network intrusions.

Some simple steps and tools like two-factor authentication can help your end users employ unique, strong passwords for their dozens of accounts.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your accounts could let you know when someone new is trying to get into them? Even better, wouldn’t it be terrific to make a stolen password useless to others?

Were you tricked into revealing your password through a phishing scam? Rest easy, your account is safe! That’s essentially the control that two-factor authentication (2FA) — also known as two-step verification or login approval — gives to you. And, it only takes about two minutes to set up and two seconds to use. That’s a lot of power for very little effort!

How does it work?

Once you’ve activated two-factor authentication on an account, whenever an account login with your password comes from a different device from what you’ve already permitted, an authorization check will come to your smartphone or other registered device.

Without your approval or current code, a password thief can’t get into your account. (more…)

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March 27, 2020

Remote Connectivity / Small Business / Tech Tips for Business Owners / VPN / Web Technology

Work From Home: How To Maximize Productivity During A Pandemic

Professional working from home

As a business owner today, you are now facing unprecedented challenges to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic. You are asked to self-isolate and practice social distancing to “flatten the curve.” You are asked to allow your employees to work from home to reduce possible exposure and slow the spread of COVID-19.

These are all reasonable requests. However, as a business owner you also need to maximize productivity, bring in revenue and try to grow your business in these demanding times. How can you accomplish these goals when your office is now a ghost town and productivity has fallen off a cliff?

The answer lies in setting up your office to function remotely by allowing employees and volunteers to work from home, or remotely. If you’ve never implemented a work-from-home policy before, it may seem like a whole different world. Managing an entirely remote workforce goes far beyond giving your employees a laptop and reminding them to check in every once in a while. After all, there are many factors most business owners haven’t ever had to consider, such as: (more…)

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March 23, 2020

Mobile Technology / Security / Tech Tips for Business Owners / Web Technology / Wireless Technology

Electronic Payments: Protecting Your Employees and Organization

Electronic Payments and Protection

Employees or small organizations are using electronic payments more than ever before. As the use of credit cards to make purchases and payments replaces the use of cash, and online merchants supplant brick-and-mortar stores, protecting electronic payments becomes more important.

Whether you are making payments for your own personal consumption or on behalf of your organization, electronic payments need to be protected.

Online sales in the United States grew to a record high of nearly 19 percent during the 2019 holiday season. At the same time, the convenience of using credit cards and other electronic payment services is compelling consumers to rapidly reduce their use of cash.

The 2019 Diary of Consumer Payment Choice report shows that cash is used about 50 percent of the time for in-person transactions under $10 (for things like lunch or coffee). For larger purchases of $25 or more, cash is used only 10 percent of the time. Cyber-criminals are taking advantage of the increase in electronic payments. (more…)

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March 20, 2020

Managed Firewall / Managed Security / Mobile Technology / Networking / Tech Tips for Business Owners

Wireless Router: How To Protect Your Office And Home Wi-Fi Network

Wireless router technology symbol

Did you know that a wireless router can be the biggest security risk at your office?

In our region, thousands of companies use a cheap wireless router to protect their network. They don’t realize that hackers and malware can often bypass them and hurt the business.

What would a few days of network outage cost you? What would happen if your customer data was stolen? If you rely on a cheap wireless router, then these problems may be just a click away.

You should never use a router to protect your network. However, if you are stuck with one, the following steps may help limit your risk.

Steps to secure your wireless router

You can find many of the settings described below by logging into your router’s settings page. (more…)

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March 13, 2020

Cloud Computing / Email and Spam / Enterprise Computing / Ethics / Managed Services / Security / Small Business

Why Small Businesses Should Protect Employee Personal Information

Shield protecting personal information

While corporate executives have picked up practical tips on how their company can secure and protect the personal information it keeps, leaders of small businesses and organizations have to do more to protect the personal information of their employees.

But some business owners may still be wondering why data security should be at the top of their agenda. Two reasons show why your company should strive to safeguard personal information.

First, good security is just plain good business. Aware of the risk of identity theft, today’s customers are concerned about their privacy.

As any business that has experienced a breach, and the theft of personal information has learned, customers prefer companies that demonstrate a commitment to security.

For the same reasons, customers will think twice before doing business with a company that has experienced a privacy breach. Given this choice, many businesses find it more cost-effective to secure the information they have rather than try to repair the damage and rebuild consumer confidence after a data loss or breach. (more…)

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March 7, 2020