Blogs

Schools are rarely known for holding huge amounts of financially valuable information in their vaults, such as credit card details. However, that doesn’t make them less of a target to hackers than many other organizations. In fact, cybercriminals are stepping up their attacks against educational institutions, as demonstrated by September’s ransomware attack on a school in Florida Keys.

Many healthcare practitioners have already switched from paper to electronic health records (EHR). The upgrade is equal parts exciting and perilous, which is why the government imposed sanctions on how these records are protected. In 2015, Medicare started penalizing hospitals and doctors that didn’t use EHR, but with their heavy burdens, it's not surprising that most healthcare practitioners view them as more of a requirement than an opportunity.

As we inch closer to the end of 2018, we look forward to what lies ahead. Apparently, so do many technology pundits who have identified certain technologies as going by way of the dodo. Are these experts canny observers of technology trends? Or are their predictions the equivalent of your daily horoscope — so generic, it applies to most? Who should we believe?

Happily, we at Online Computers have the experience and expertise to compile their predictions and rank them according to how frequent these technologies were mentioned on the “endangered” lists.

Businesses these days depend a lot on technology, from office productivity to security systems, computer networks to phone systems, and so much more. Technology gives small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) a fighting chance to compete against big businesses.

Adopting new IT solutions is never easy. From voice over internet phones (VoIP) to systems integration, every technology migration involves a lot of moving parts: new software, hardware, subject matter expertise, even building wiring can become an obstacle.

Although the benefits of cloud computing for small businesses are indispensable, the technology has also introduced a raft of new security concerns and challenges. As more and more businesses move data between their local network and remote data centers, there’s now an entirely new avenue for hackers to exploit.

Amazon’s digital assistant, Alexa, just got a lesson in Civics… and just in time for Election Day in the U.S. (November 6th). New programming allows Alexa to provide actual answers and knowledge on election data such as where you can vote, real-time results, and even information on ballot measures and propositions.

When it comes to the global volume of spam email, there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. Since 2015, the percentage of spam email traffic has been dropping steadily, from 61.9% back in January 2015 to just over 48% in March 2018. That’s great news for workplace productivity and data security.

The industry reports and poll results are in, and from all indications, IT disruptions increased in 2017 and the early part of 2018, making it a bad period for many companies, especially small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). We’ve culled several reports and surveys to bring you several statistics that should make you take your disaster recovery plans more seriously.

Those who were still in school when computers first became mainstream in education probably remember exchanging files using flash drives, CDs or, in the nineties, floppy disks. At the time, the typical computing environment was characterized by bulky beige desktops, low-resolution screens, and for those at the very cutting edge, a dial-up connection to the internet.