What we have learned, written down.
Every one of these started as a call from somebody who did not see it coming. They are here so the next person does.
314 articles · page 1 of 14
Your Firewall Is the Front Door Now, Not Your Inbox
The fastest way into a business is no longer a bad click. It is the device at the edge of the network, running code nobody has looked at.
Nobody Defends What Nobody Planned For
A purchase made outside the usual process arrives outside everything else too. No inventory, no controls, company data by Friday.
What Should Someone Be Doing When Nothing Is Broken?
Most businesses judge a provider on how fast problems get fixed. That covers half the job. The other half happens when nothing is wrong.
Expensive Parts Make People Gamble With Their Files
High prices do not just cost money. They push people into postponed repairs, and that is where photos get lost.
Your Cyber Insurance Policy Is a List of Promises
A policy is not a cushion. It is a signed account of how your business is defended, checked at the worst possible moment.
The Security Questionnaire Is a List of Break-Ins
Every question on a government bid's security form marks a way some supplier was once used to get into the agency above them.
They Never Needed Your Password
The password was never what they took, which is why changing it does not stop your Facebook posting things you never wrote.
The Email Looked Like It Came From Your CFO. It Didn't.
The message looks like it came from someone you report to, and the only thing wrong with it is who actually sent it.
Old Systems Fail Slowly, Then All at Once
That phrase has been around forever, and it is hard to argue with. If the systems are running and the team knows how to use them, why touch anything? The answer is not always obvious until something quietly stops being fine. There is more to this one than you might expect.
Get Your Computer Ready Before El Niño Hits
El Niño is on its way, and your computer probably isn't ready for it. Find out what extreme weather actually does to hardware and data, and what to do about it before the season hits.
A Dead Computer Doesn't Mean Lost Data
Your computer won't turn on, and your stomach drops. Every photo, every document, every file you've ever saved is flashing through your mind. Before you write it all off, there's something you should know. Read on.
Your Near Miss Is a Free Security Warning
Most businesses only find out how exposed they are when something goes wrong. But sometimes the warning arrives early. This article looks at four situations where disaster was a second away and asks whether luck is really the strategy you want to be relying on.
Where Your Data Goes After a Phishing Click
A phishing attack feels like it is over the moment someone realizes they clicked the wrong link. Change the password, warn the team, move on. But the data that was just handed over does not disappear. Here is what actually happens next.
Stop Paying to Fix the Same IT Problem Twice
Called the same technician out for the same problem more than once? There's a reason that keeps happening, and it's not your equipment. Read on to find out what's actually going on.
Your Data Lives in One Place. That Is the Whole Problem
One copy is not a backup. The drive works fine on Tuesday and is a paperweight on Wednesday, with no warning in between.
Laptop keyboard failing? Fix it or replace it
When a laptop keyboard starts playing up, most people assume the whole machine is on its way out. Before you spend a thousand dollars on a replacement, it's worth knowing what's actually going on, because the answer isn't always what you'd expect.
QuickBooks slowdown has nothing to do with software
If QuickBooks feels fast on one computer and sluggish on every other, most people assume it's a software issue. It usually isn't. The real cause is something that's easy to miss and surprisingly common in small business, and once you know what to look for, it's hard to unsee. Read on to find out what's actually going on.
That cracking laptop hinge is a countdown
That cracking sound your laptop makes when you open it isn't a quirk you learn to live with. It's a countdown. Here's what's actually happening inside the hinge, and why the window for a cheap fix closes faster than most people expect.
The IT talk to have before your partner's day one
Taking on a business partner changes more than the name on the door. It raises a question most people skip entirely: what does this person get access to, and who controls what if things go wrong? Before day one, there's a technology conversation worth having.
Cheap IT doesn't fail loudly, it fails later
You get two quotes for managed IT services. One is cheaper. Most businesses pick it. This article covers what actually gets cut to hit that lower price, and what it costs when someone else has to come in and clean it up.
Documented controls win contracts, not clean records
A lot of small businesses go for a bigger contract and get stopped before anyone even looks at their work. It is not their capability holding them back but a security questionnaire they were not prepared for. This one is worth reading before that moment arrives.
Your Browser Just Got a Scam Blocker. Is It Actually On?
One browser turned its scam blocker on for you. The other shipped it switched off and is waiting on one click from you.
What a factory reset really removes
Most people assume a factory reset is a simple fix, wipe it, start fresh, problem solved. And sometimes that's true. But there's a part of the process that catches a lot of people off guard, and by the time they notice, it's already too late to do anything about it. Worth a read before you do anything drastic.
Unknown software installs and what it means
Something showed up on your computer that you didn't put there. Maybe it's a toolbar, a changed homepage, or an icon sitting in your taskbar that definitely wasn't there last week. It might be nothing, but it might not be. Here's what's actually going on.