Small businesses often struggle with the issue of managing and storing their important data. Inefficient data management can lead to a number of problems such as data loss, security breaches, and decreased productivity. To address these challenges, many small businesses are turning to Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices to store their documents. Among the various options available in the market, Synology NAS is emerging as a popular choice for small business owners.

Synology is a Taiwan-based company that produces high-quality NAS devices. The company's devices are known for their ease of use, affordability, and advanced features. In this blog post, we will explore why small businesses should consider using a Synology NAS to store their documents.

Cybersecurity continues to be in the news, with a wide range of actors in the space. Some are malicious entities that aim to steal data or simply stop businesses from operating. Others work to prevent those malicious entities from doing so. As a small business, you need endpoint security to ensure that you are safe and that you can keep doing business as normal.

What Exactly Is Endpoint Security?

Simply put, endpoint security is the practice of securing end-user devices. These can be desktops, mobile devices, laptops, and smart devices. Anything that is connected to your network can be a point of attack, including wireless cameras, smart fridges, and even smart thermostats.

IT is a critical part of any business, whether you are a small company making components or one of the many local wineries in Missouri that need to keep careful track of their TTB records and reports. Managed IT services from an MSP (Managed Service Provider) can help make the process go smoothly and keep downtime to an absolute minimum.

What Are Managed IT Services?

Every business has unique needs, but broadly speaking, managed IT can include the following:

Despite Microsoft hailing Windows 10 as "the last Windows ever," Windows 11 was teased in June 2021 and formally announced in July. Early leaked versions show a more user-friendly interface, better security, a funky dark mode, and a streamlined taskbar. And the announcement itself focused on widgets; touch, pen, and voice support; support for different desktop wallpapers on different computers; and an all-new Windows store.

Essentially, it feels a bit like the upgrade from XP to Vista, for those who remember that. But not necessarily in a negative way.

What is Vishish?  Vishing is a type of phishing scam but uses voice. It's a type of cybercrime that uses a phone call to steal personal information from its victims. Criminals use certain tactics to convince victims to give up private information and possibly access to their bank accounts.   It’s a newer term for “Phone Scam”.

There are many types of vishing. Vishing frequently involves a criminal pretending to represent a trusted institution, business, or government agency. Sometimes you may be asked to buy an extended warranty, or be offered a free vacation, or a very common one, tell the victims that your computer is infected and you need some help getting it repaired.

As everyone knows, some things in life were meant to last forever. Your small business software is definitely not one of them.

Small business software is similar to your car. When you first buy your new car, everything runs great. But over time, things begin to go wrong and does not perform like it used to. Things go wrong that can actually cause safety issues. Outdated software works the same way.

Office 365 is vastly popular among the small business community. As of October 2019, there are 200 million active users. Microsoft is reporting 3 million users added per month. With Office 365 being so popular, most users assume their email is safe. Right? Although Office 365 does provide some robust email protection against spam, viruses, and malware, hackers from around the world are continually launching sophisticated attacks that many small businesses aren't providing protection for.

That's where Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) comes in. Advanced threat protection delivers several benefits that are crucial to your email security.

Making sure your small business has the proper bandwidth on your Internet connection is extremely important. You'll want to make sure you find the best balance between cost and speed.

As we approached the cooler and drier seasons, monitoring the environmental conditions in your small business is critical to ensure the uptime and reliability of your technology. Maintaining the recommended temperature and humidity levels in your small office can help reduce unplanned downtime caused by environmental conditions and save your small business thousands of dollars.

What is the recommended temperature?

Operating your small business technology for extended periods of time at either high temperatures or low temperatures greatly reduces the reliability and longevity of those components and will likely cause unplanned downtime. The recommended ambient temperature for your IT technology is to keep it between 68 degrees and 78 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal system reliability. This recommended temperature range gives you a safe buffer for your equipment in the event the air conditioning or heating fails while making it easier to maintain a safe relative humidity level.

Back in 2009, Microsoft made a commitment to give support for Windows 7 for a 10-year period. After that, Windows 7 will no longer be supported. The specific end date For Windows 7 will be January 14th, 2020. After January, any technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update will no longer be available. Microsoft has recommended to anyone Using Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 10 before the end of this year.

What does this mean for my small business?

If you're running Windows 7 in your small business after January 14th, 2020, you will no longer be able to receive any security updates. It's extremely important to get a more updated operating system such as Windows 10 to give your small business the latest security updates in order to keep your data safe.

The old way small businesses have created passwords is just not cutting the mustard anymore. Typically, small businesses will just create a simple easy to remember, short password so they can quickly log onto their devices. However, with high profile data breaches, phishing schemes, and brute force attacks, there are a plethora of ways that criminals can break into your account and steal your information.

Here are a few simple ways you can protect yourself and your small business.

As everyone knows, the more you use your computer, over time your computer will slow down and become more sluggish. Your Internet browser will go slower, opening up applications will become sluggish, and when you reboot your computer it seems to take forever.

Windows 10 users are no exception to this. Even the latest operating system tends to fall victim to occasional slowdowns. This can be extremely frustrating for your small business and reduce your overall efficiency. Here are some tips that will help you keep your computer running smooth, fast, and may eventually help save you some cash.