How much should you spend on technology?
At this time every year, we’ve usually wrapped up most of our client meetings to discuss end-of-year budgets. For our managed clients, we look at their technology needs and trends over the past year. We also look at upcoming security concerns (e.g. Microsoft or Cisco no longer supporting a product), business growth plans, or new technology that can aid the overall achievement of the goals of the business.
For the past few months, we’ve been swamped with questions about Windows 10. If you’re wondering whether now is the best time to upgrade your system, here’s what you need to know:
First and foremost, if your organization relies on your computers to make money, consider the risks carefully.
They've done it again...waited until the last minute to increase the Section 179 tax deduction...
Section 179 Upped Deduction Cap!
The Section 179 tax deduction (www.section179.org) will expire on 12/31/15.
Section 179 allows you to deduct up to $2,000,000 worth of equipment (hardware and software) from your 2015 taxes.
Last month, it was determined that Dell has been shipping computers with a preinstalled digital certificate that would allow hackers to easily impersonate secure websites (like your bank's website)...
At this time, at least four models of Dell laptops and desktops (Inspiron, XPS, and older Precision and Latitude models) were shipping with this digitial certificate (issued by eDellRoot).
Basically, this digital certificate would allow someone to use the preinstalled certificate to extract the key to sign fake security certificates.
Every office needs a spare PC that is available if needed. What if you had a failed hard drive? What if you spilled coffee into your PC? What if you have a new employee starting and need a PC as soon as possible?
In all of these cases, you could be without a PC for several hours.
Toymaker VTech has announced that it was recently hacked to the tune of 6.4 million profiles...
On November 24, VTech announced that it discovered a hack that allowed criminals to steal email addresses, passwords, mailing addresses, as well as names and brithdays of children.
We have begun seeing CryptoWall 4 ransomware within the past few days. This latest version has advanced malware mechanisms to avoid detection and now encrypts file contents and file names.
With the latest version of Crypto, the FBI has stated that they have no advice for businesses who have been affected other than to pay the ransom.
Do you use SQL Server in your office? If so, what version are you using? SQL Server 2005 is officially going "end-of-life" on April 12, 2016...
If you're using SQL Server 2005, how will your business be impacted after April 2016?
You will no longer receive patches, security updates, or hotfixes for SQL 2005
You will be at risk for a data breach
You may find yourself in violation of compliance (can you say HIPAA or SOX)
What can you do?
Check with your software vendors and upgrade to a newer version of SQL (current version is SQL 2014).
Need help? That's why we're here.
One of our favorite websites is fiverr.com. Whatever you need for your business, you're likely to find it on fiverr...
Do you need a new logo? How about a jingle to help your clients remember your business? Maybe someone to translate your brochure into Spanish? You can find these and much more at fiverr.
Does your office need new hardware or software? Learn how you can save up to $25,000 in taxes before the end of the year...
While many tax incentives for small business have been shot down in recent years, Section 179 of the IRS tax code remains one legal “loophole” worth looking into.
