What Is Ransomware? Ransomware is a form of malware that blocks or restricts users’ access to their computer by locking the screen or encrypting their files before a ransom is paid. Current ransomware families, collectively known as cryptoransomware, encrypt certain file types on compromised devices and demand that users pay a ransom using such online […]
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Servers are a foundational element of all IT setups. Any business which is growing rapidly will sooner or later need a server for their business purposes. There are a lot of options for buying a server for your business. Let’s look at how much a server cost and how you can set it up for
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For many businesses, it is a good decision to migrate from Exchange 2010 to Microsoft 365, or as it was formerly known Office 365. Today, Exchange 2010 falls short on many levels. Microsoft 365 / Office 365 is easy to manage and will save you money in the long run. It offers plenty of features
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There are two main ways to approach managing and supporting your IT if you don’t want to hire a full-time IT employee – leave it alone and just fix it when it breaks (the so-called “break-fix” approach), or hire Los Angeles managed IT services provider to proactively manage and maintain it. So which is right
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Office 365, now called Microsoft 365, is the world’s most popular office suite, with a nearly 90% market share and $16 billion in sales in 2018. Its main competitor is G Suite, now called Google Workspaces (and known a long time ago as Google Apps). We compared the two office suites in a prior blog
Compare Office 365 Plans – Which Is Right for Your SMB in 2024? Read More »
Importance of Firewall Audit To get rid of malicious traffic from your company’s network, installing a firewall is important. Firewalls use signature-pattern to detect malicious payload and rule-pattern to detect unauthorized traffic. However, when the malicious payloads become more sophisticated and evolve rapidly, signatures must also be updated accordingly. It is critical to manage and
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Microsoft Office has been a gold standard for business productivity programs for a long time. In more recent years, however, G Suite has surged forward and made its own place in the global business productivity suite market. Now, both are competing for the top position and picking the right one is tough. So, we thought
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There is a misconception about firewalls that they are only essential for large businesses or financial firms. The truth is that any business with an existing network should set a firewall, irrespective of their industry or size. Nearly half of the modern cyberattacks are targeted at small business because cybercriminals know that these companies invest
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What Is End of Life? End of life doesn’t mean that the software won’t be able to perform its function anymore – just the end of support lifecycle for any given software. This means that after the end of life, users won’t get: While you may still be able to use Windows Server 2008 and
Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 End of Life – Best Upgrade Options Read More »
Everybody needs to cut costs right now – for many businesses it will mean the difference between survival and collapse in the post-Covid-19 world. But at a time of heightened stress, reactivity, and emotion, it’s critical to ensure those cuts fall in the right place and that they serve the business both in the short
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Managed IT Services are becoming increasingly popular. Companies of all sizes are recognizing the need to invest in robust IT infrastructures to remain competitive. They are essential for businesses looking to optimize their operations, enhance security, and reduce downtime. Before we reveal the many benefits of managed services, let’s take a look at some statistics
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What is managed antivirus? Managed antivirus is a service where one company manages all the antivirus installations or processes of another company on an ongoing basis for a monthly fee. (Note: We’ve also seen this term used to mean a centrally-managed antivirus system in general, though these days this type of software is usually called
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We covered the top ways to protect your business from cyber attacks in another recent blog post. Which makes sense, since XO focuses on providing cyber security and other IT services to businesses, not consumers. You wouldn’t expect us to give advice on slow-cooker chicken recipes, either, though we’d personally recommend this one for both
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When picturing a business, what image comes to mind? Perhaps a store with a cashier and a line of customers? Maybe an active warehouse with forklifts and large machines? Or maybe an office with desks, phones, and several people in suits and ties? Regardless, all of these business types share a common theme: tech. Great
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Advances in technology make businesses more efficient and productive. Just look at Google Glass. Ok, bad example. But consider all the different ways newer, more practical technologies help us be more productive and effective at work. Fast PCs and other devices let us spend more time getting things done and less time staring at loading
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Picture a typical Monday morning. You’re up and ready to start the week. You take a sip of coffee, maybe check sports scores or news for a few minutes, then finally set out to work by logging into your email account, only to get an invalid username or password error. You try a few more
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Cyberattacks are a big threat to US businesses, costing an estimated $650 billion per year. These attacks come in many forms and from every direction – including malware, brute force attacks, password guessing, software exploits, phishing and social engineering attacks, and even physical theft of hardware. To defend against this relentless cavalcade of threats, you
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In October 2019, the industry research firm Gartner, like plenty of other economic observers, was optimistic, estimating that global IT spending would rise 3.7% to 3.8 trillion in 2020, including a 10% increase in software spending. As you might expect, when Gartner released an updated forecast in May 2020, its outlook had changed a bit.
5 Ways to Reduce IT Costs Everyone Should Know Read More »
All businesses like to keep a handle on their costs. You create budgets and hope that you’ll stick to them. But it’s impossible to account for every eventuality, and one thing that companies are rarely prepared for is a significant systems breach. We’re talking lost customer files, hacked payment records and accounts, and exposed trade
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Businesses are handling more data than ever before and traditional IT infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the resulting demands. It’s not that companies aren’t investing in the latest servers, security measures and IT professionals, it’s just that it’s increasingly expensive to do so. As the world of commerce becomes ever more digital, the
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