RAM How much do I need?

You can tell when a workstation might need an upgrade if it’s slowing down, or if the machine is so absurdly slow that you can barely accomplish your daily tasks with it. One of the easiest ways you can improve the quality of your workstation is by increasing the amount of RAM.

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is one major factor that can contribute to how much you can do with your workstation or server at any given time. Here’s what you can do with various amounts of RAM commonly found in PCs.

1GB: Literally Nothing but the Basics
The minimum requirement for the 32-bit Windows 10 operating system is 1GB of RAM, though it’s obviously not recommended that you run it like this. 1GB is barely enough for basic functionality like web browsing, word processing, and checking your email, but you can’t expect it to run well. Also with only 1GB of RAM, you can forget about photo and video editing. 1GB isn’t even passable for a consumer PC. Most machines these days house somewhere between 4-8GB of RAM. In fact, most smartphones and tablets have more than 1GB.

2GB: Not Enough to Get Much Done
2GB is the minimum system requirement for the 64-bit version of Windows 10; as such, it’s still recommended that you run more RAM than this. 2GB is enough to get some work done, like running your productivity suite and having plenty of open browser tabs, but you’ll still be held back significantly in terms of running more powerful software solutions.

4GB: A Major Improvement
Here’s where you start to see some significant improvements in functionality. You’ll find that you can run more applications at the same time, allowing for greater productivity. Plus, your software will run much faster in general, cutting down on frustration and making it easier to get work done. 4GB is considered a benchmark for a low-end office PC.

Keep in mind that a 32-bit operating system on a 4GB machine will only be able to access about 3.2GB. When using a 64-bit operating system, you’ll have access to the whole 4GB (and higher). It’s also important to remember that the 32-bit version of Windows 10 has a 4GB RAM limit - the 64-bit versions require more RAM to run properly.

8GB: Now We’re Talking
If you’re going to be working with several editing softwares, like the Adobe Creative Cloud or light multimedia, you’ll want to up the ante to 8GB. Doing so allows you to further increase performance, and you’ll experience minimal frustration. Office workstations will sing (as long as their other components are up-to-speed), and 8GB of RAM is where you’ll typically want to start for light gaming.

16GB and Up: Is it Worth It?
Whether or not your system needs more than 8GB will really depend on what you plan to use it for. The only time that 16GB or more becomes worth your money is when you’re running several resource-heavy applications and/or virtual machines at the same time. If you need your workstation to be able to handle anything resource-intensive like this, you’ll want to invest in a machine that has at least 16GB of RAM. On top of that, video editing and other multimedia will be more effective with more RAM.

Be sure to discuss what you need with an internal IT department, or contact your local MSP Managed Service Provider, if you think you need an upgrade.

Disclaimer: For those who aren’t technologically savvy, RAM is a hardware component, not something that you can download off of the Internet to speed up your computer.

Upgrade? 3 Future-Proof Technologies! Windows, HDMI & USB

Every time that you purchase a new piece of business technology, you’re faced with a choice: go with a product that’s been around for awhile, and thus, is cheaper, or pay a little extra for the latest solution. We like to encourage business owners to go with the latest tech because it saves them money in the long run - an IT concept known as “future proofing.”

Here are three IT technologies that your business will want to upgrade to, in order to hold off having to upgrade a second time.

Windows 10 Pro
Going with the latest operating system like Windows 10 is almost always a good idea, but what if you’re just upgrading one workstation and the rest of the computers on your network are still running older systems? Ideally, you want to have every workstation on your network running the same OS, but at the same time, you want to take advantage of the latest OS as your upgrade hardware.

To help resolve this upgrading dilemma, Microsoft’s Pro license of Windows 10 allows you to downgrade to a previous supported version, like Windows 7 or 8.1. This means that you can have Windows 10 on standby for when you need it in the near future, while running an older OS so that your workstations will all still be compatible with legacy software and critical applications.

Additionally, having Windows 10 Pro will save you from experiencing issues when Microsoft ends support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on July 17, 2017. Ed Bott of Tech Pro Research explains:

For 6th Generation [Intel] Core CPUs (Skylake), support for Windows 7 and 8.1 ends on July 17, 2017. Microsoft will support only Windows 10 on processor models that succeed Skylake. If you plan to continue using Windows 7 past that date, your best bet is to take advantage of bargains in the 4th and 5th Generation (Haswell and Broadwell) Intel processor families. Microsoft says PCs built using those CPUs will be fully supported for the entire 10-year lifecycle of all Windows versions.

HDMI 2.0
For displaying high-definition video, HDMI is the way to go. To ensure that your video-displaying needs will be covered well into the future, you want to go with HDMI 2.0.

HDMI 2.0 supports 4K resolutions at 60Hz, as well as a full range of audio formats. The ability to display 4K is what separates HDMI 2.0 from the original version. It’s important to keep in mind that, as much as 4K feels like a bit of a novelty at this point, five-to-ten years from now it will be the norm and you’re not going to want to have to revamp your cables a second time just be 4K compatible. 

USB Type-C
The latest USB innovation is the USB Type-C. Ed Bott lists the many benefits of this new USB technology:

• The first wave of devices containing USB Type-C connectors have already arrived, in the form of phones like Google's Nexus 6P and Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL, as well as laptops like the Dell XPS 15.
• USB 3.1 support allows you to transfer at speeds up to 10 Gb/sec, which is double the transfer rate of USB 3.0.
• USB Power Delivery supports device chargers of up to 100W, making it possible to charge phones and even power-hungry laptops from the same USB Type-C power source.
• Alternate modes allow the use of DisplayPort, Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), and Thunderbolt 3 display connectors at full resolution.

Using the same logic as why you should upgrade to the latest version of HDMI, if you’re going to spend money on new equipment and cables, then you’re going to want to take advantage of the latest USB technology now, so that you won’t have to upgrade a second time in the not-too-distant future.

These are just some of the ways that an MSP can future-proof your network. Click for an IT assessment of your technology so that you can be well prepared for whatever the future throws at your business.

Data and disaster recovery: Back up solution

March 31st is World Backup Day, and it’s the perfect time to evaluate the redundancy and reliability of your data.

Redundancy
It is a fact that redundancy is not always welcome in business. Almost anywhere you find redundancy in your workplace, you also find miscommunication, inefficiency, and the lack of coordination that routinely gives business owners and executives gray hair. One aspect of your business that goes against this trend is how you store and disseminate data. Redundancy in tech-speak, is not just a good thing, it’s something that can flat-out save your business. That is not hyperbole, that is the truth.

If you’re utilizing digital information (and your business certainly is) and you’re doing business without a proper backup and recovery plan, it’s like buying a house on the banks of a river and not getting flood insurance. It simply doesn’t make any sense. If you rely on your data, and most businesses today have some data they simply can’t get back if it was lost, then the best recourse is to institute a comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery solution immediately.

Reliability
For business owners and executives that have been using tape or some other manual type of backup for their backup and recovery needs: it’s a step in the right direction. In business continuity circles there are two variables that have to be understood in order to successfully protect your business from substantial data loss. They are:

• Recovery point objective (RPO): basically what data has to be restored in order to get operations back up and running.
• Recovery time objective (RTO): the amount of time that you have to restore your data before downtime begins to ruin the business’s ability to meet its financial requirements.

Although, it has to be said that tape is an effective backup medium, especially if you have been operating for any amount of time without data backup - it’s better than nothing. With LSeven Solutions’s backup solution, however, business continuity is an easier process.

Our backup solution is automated, with no manual upkeep, tape swapping, or tedious maintenance just to make sure the backup actually happens. Having access to a reliable and secure interface boosts any organization’s ability to protect all their data and restore it faster than with any other type of backup medium. Like we mentioned earlier, restoration times are critical.

An added benefit is our backup platform’s ability to act as your server in the event that your central computing infrastructure has been rendered useless; whether from simple hardware failure, human error, malware, or an act of God.

Many people rely on your business. It’s time to protect it and them with a secure and reliable Backup and Disaster Recovery solution from a Managed Service Provider. To talk to a certified technicians, and find out what backup and disaster recovery platform is right for your organization.

System Upgrade? Network Upgrade? How do I upgrade?

When running a business, you can’t always upgrade your technology to the latest and greatest equipment or software every time something new comes out. Yet, you also don’t want to be left behind, which would be limiting to your growth and mobility. Moving forward can be a daunting task, especially if you haven’t revamped your IT strategy in some time. Paying attention to the details is an important part of avoiding potential roadblocks with your future IT strategy.

Before you charge forward, take a moment to reconsider your current IT strategy, and make sure that it suits the needs of your business. Here are three aspects you should look at when thinking of your IT infrastructure.

Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
A classic reason that IT departments are unable to accomplish their multitude of tasks is that they have too many responsibilities, or lack the time or resources necessary to fulfill their duties. This happens when an IT department has several new initiatives that need to be deployed, but doesn’t have the staff to implement them. Essentially, what happens is that nothing at all will get done because IT will be too busy putting out fires and responding to urgent problems to do anything else.

One way that this can be avoided is by implementing an outsourced IT strategy with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) at the helm. An MSP can respond to any and all tech support inquiries for your business, so your in-house team (if you have one) can focus on the deployment of new technology initiatives. A good MSP is not in the business to step on your IT department’s toes, but instead can supplement their efforts to let them focus on projects and work that will increase the profitability of the business, while we manage the tasks that get in the way.

Which Initiatives Should Take Priority?
Prioritizing tasks is an often talked about problem. If everything is considered a priority, then nothing can become a priority, and progress stagnates. For example, let’s say that implementing a new email solution has been on the docket for a while, but your team has grown significantly since your last infrastructure revamp. The best way to approach this situation would be to handle network issues that could cause downtime before adding new solutions, but it’s not always an easy choice to make. It’s the responsibility of the IT decision maker to delegate tasks in a reasonable and logical manner, and this task is made significantly easier by having consultants, a professional MSP by your side.

Is Your Network Prepared for Growth?
When was the last time you analyzed the needs of your growing network? As a business grows, so too does the strain put on a network that’s constantly being accessed by more and more users. This means that unexpected amounts of traffic could slow down your network to the point where it’s difficult to get anything done. Downtime can cost your business in the long run, so your network should be optimized to ensure that your team can always stay productive. Your MSP can help your business make changes to your network in ways which help you get the most out of it.

Often times, you’ll be so attached to the work you’ve put into your IT infrastructure that you might be reluctant to change it up, or you’ll have a biased opinion of it that can cloud your judgment. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your IT strategy is to involve an external party of IT experts. FInd an MSP that can take an objective look at your IT infrastructure and offer ways in which you can change it for your benefit.

Sign up today for a free consultation of your IT infrastructure.

How strong is your password? Two-Factor Authentication

Virtually every kind of online account requires a password. Yet, due to the aggressive nature of hackers, passwords alone are no longer enough to protect your information. The best way to approach network security is to have more protections in place than just a flimsy password.

Why Aren’t Passwords Good Enough?
Today’s hackers have an arsenal of advanced tools they can use to crack a password. Here are just a few:

• Brute-force attacks: This is where thousands of different passwords per second are tried in an attempt to enter the correct one. When it comes to hacking, instead of thinking about a lone hacker sitting at a keyboard typing one password after another, picture an automated process driven by powerful computers, leaving the hacker to sit back and take it easy.
• Infiltrating databases: With so much information stored in the cloud, like passwords, hackers are targeting Internet-connected databases like never before. Unfortunately, stories of major database hacks are a common sight in today’s headlines.
• Social engineering tactics: With the rise of social media, personal information is being shared over the Internet in a variety of ways. Hackers love tricking people to fork over their personal details about their lives, because these details are often associated with a user's password. This is why your password shouldn’t be something publicly known, like the name of your pet or child.

Due to factors like these, selecting a password has become challenging. For example, it feels like you only have two options when it comes to your passwords; 1) Come up with a password that’s easy to remember (and have it be prone to hacking), or 2) Have the password be long and complex, thus making it difficult to remember.

Passwords Need Some Help
Passwords are still a key part of the security equation, but they shouldn’t be the only part. This is where two-factor authentication comes into play, requiring a second form of authentication after the password is successfully entered. Many of the additional authentication options available to users lie outside the grasp of hackers, like an SMS message with a unique code sent directly to the user’s cell phone.

Another way to protect your information is monitoring your account’s access logs for any suspicious activity, like a new user logging on from somewhere in the world that makes no sense. Monitoring your network like this is just one way that a Professional MSP can proactively secure your data. This way, a hacker who has successfully stolen the correct password will still be flagged and subsequently blocked from doing any damage.

In addition to two-factor authentication and monitoring access logs, you should take advantage of an enterprise-level password management system that stores all of your passwords in a secure application, and then automatically plugs them into accounts so that you don’t have to keep track of complex passwords. This is in addition to a comprehensive network security solution like a Unified Threat Management tool.

Get an assessment of your network to ensure your information is safe and secure. Enjoy a comprehensive IT consultation, free of charge. 

Time Warner Cable - 320,000 Customer Passwords Stolen

You’ve heard about a ton of high-profile hacks over the past few years, and it’s important to note that these numbers will only continue to climb. A recent incident involving Time Warner Cable, a large ISP in the United States, shows the world that even huge companies that specialize in providing Internet for users can suffer the embarrassment of a data breach.

The breach in question happened on January 7th, 2016, and it’s estimated that up to 320,000 Time Warner Cable customers could have had their email addresses and passwords stolen. The cable company was notified by the FBI of the data theft, and Time Warner Cable proceeded to notify its affected users of the situation, both through email and direct mail. Time Warner Cable, however, vehemently declares that their systems failed to exhibit signs of a data breach.

This is hardly the first time that a major ISP’s information was breached or stolen by scammers. Just last November, Comcast had to reset the passwords of nearly 200,000 customers that were found on the black market. In this case, the incident was blamed on phishing attacks that coerced users into handing over their credentials, but what happened with Time Warner Cable isn’t so clear.

Time Warner Cable suggests that the theft occurred thanks to potential phishing attempts directed at the company, or it was the result of a data breach at other companies storing Time Warner Cable customer credentials. Either way, the fact remains that Time Warner Cable suffered a data theft, and is now paying for it with the stigma associated with lost credentials, and frustrated or simply worried customers.

As a business owner, you need to ask yourself if your organization can handle losing this much face, and more importantly, the financial burdens of allowing data breaches to happen. Most businesses that lose data due to data breaches, and aren’t able to recover quickly, go out of business within one year of the incident. That’s not to mention the fines of personal or sensitive information being stolen or compromised. If this happens, you can expect some nasty compliance fees that could break both your budget and your operations. This is why it’s a best practice to take preventative measures to keep hackers out of your network in the first place.

In general, it’s a good idea to change your passwords every now and then, especially if they’re still the default password that hasn’t been changed in several months or even years. Your passwords should always be long and complex, with both upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. Of course, these tips won’t help you much if your password gets sold on the black market, but it will keep the average hacker from cracking your password through brute force alone.

A password manager is a great way to keep your business’s credentials safe, without compromising security. The password manager stores your company’s credentials in a secure location and calls them only when you need them. It’s great for maintaining security while being able to remember your passwords.

Get an assessment of your network to ensure your information is safe and secure. Enjoy a comprehensive IT consultation, free of charge. 

Why BYOD is an Important Industry-Changing Trend

Why BYOD is an Important Industry-Changing Trend: Bring your own device is a strategy many organizations have enacted to get the most out of their employees devices while protecting their network from harm.