Coleman Technologies Blog

Collection Concerns
Data collection is one of the current big concerns in technology. With another newsworthy data breach practically every other day, companies that accumulate data for seemingly little reason effectively put their clients and customers at a greater risk of having this data stolen. Reflecting upon this, it is no wonder that 75 percent of consumers are concerned about brands keeping track of their browsing habits.

Facebook has been the focus of some negative attention in past months thanks to these concerns. In addition to the Cambridge Analytica situation, Facebook has adopted artificial intelligence technologies to analyze their users. This analysis is used to predict future behaviors, these insights being sold to advertisers. While this brings up many legitimate concerns about data privacy, it also introduces a different topic: the need for a code of ethics surrounding the use of collected data, as well as how much data is collected.

Why This Is a Real Issue
It should come as no surprise that businesses and individuals have different priorities, and that these different priorities shape their ethics in different ways. Likewise, the primary purpose of any business is to generate revenue through profit. Therefore, it only makes sense that a business as a unit would have the motivation to collect as much data as they can - after all, the more data available, the more insights that could be presumably be gleaned, and the more successful the business would be… in theory.

However, as mentioned above, many businesses seem to collect as much data as they can just so they can have it. This is not a great approach for them to take for a few reasons. Most obviously, because it just enables more data to be compromised if a breach was to occur.

Without the guidance of a code of ethics leading your business decisions, the likelihood of risking your clients’ data for the sake of advancement - be it more insight, improved automation and artificial intelligence, or another business goal - becomes much higher.

Enforcing Ethics
In order to create a workplace that is in alignment with your determined ethics, you need to make sure of two things. One, that you clearly establish and share them within your business so that your employees are on the same page as you are, and two, that you stand by these ethics.

To accomplish this, learning your company’s ethics should be a part of an employee’s onboarding process, with a written document leaving no questions as to what will and won’t be tolerated. Then, you need to make sure that you not only listen when ethical violations are reported, but also allow those reporting them to remain anonymous.

What would be the most important aspect of your policy for employees to follow? Share it in the comments!

Extension Restrictions
One of Chrome’s largest advantages over its competition has to be its library of add-on extensions. Unfortunately, any kind of functionality with these additional “programs” can lead to security concerns. Google has had to slow down the production of extensions to create new requirements for developers to adhere to. One example is how cryptocurrency continues to be a major talking point, prompting extensions to include cryptocurrency mining and cryptojacking in their features. Google is shutting down these supplemental programs, as well as generally holding developers to higher standards than they previously were. It now demands that developer accounts be protected by two-factor authentication, as well as paying closer attention to apps that require lots of permissions or host their code remotely.

Security Measures
Chrome 70 is also packing in all kinds of new security features to keep phishing attacks away from end users. In particular, Chrome is trying to push education of its native password management tools, as well as warn users when the links they are about to access aren’t secure. In essence, this simply states that websites need to be secured if they want visitors, reinforcing the fact that websites need to prioritize security these days.

Login Concerns
While some changes have been accepted with open arms, others… not so much. While Chrome has allowed users to use the browser without logging into the browser, some have noticed that Chrome appears to log a user in, even if they are only using one service out of the many provided. This is primarily an issue because Google could potentially share the user’s data (think browsing history), which is not something that users traditionally take lightly. In the time since then, Google has announced that Chrome isn’t necessarily logging users into Chrome--it’s more of an in-between measure to show a user which of their accounts is currently logged in.

As with any new solution, there will be roadblocks and concerns that users might be faced with during the experimentation phase. What kind of experiences have you had with Chrome 70 so far? Let us know in the comments.

What’s the Big Deal?
You would think that assigning administrator accounts would prevent users from making poor choices with your data. The main difference between the two is that administrator accounts have many more privileges compared to the traditional account used by the average user. In fact, a traditional account is much safer to use unless you actually need administrator access to perform a certain task. Ordinarily, a normal user account can’t install software or mess around with important files in the system, but this isn’t necessarily the case for an administrator account.

Admin accounts are essentially the most powerful account on your computer. They have the permissions to perform just about any role on your PC. It’s the same role that your IT department uses to make any significant changes to your devices during updates and general maintenance. Every computer needs to have at least one admin account found on it, but if access from untrained users is allowed, they could make changes to important files needed for the computer to run properly.

Why You Should Limit Admin Account Use
While it might make sense to have admin permissions if you’re the only one who uses your computer, this is simply not the case on a managed network. There are security problems associated with using an admin account as your primary device account. What happens if your account gets compromised by some sort of malware? It’s simple; the malware will install on your admin account and be able to make any changes it wants to any of the important files only accessible by your admin account. While more permissions as the device owner might sound ideal, it only makes it easier for threats to leave a lasting effect on a device.

Standard accounts have more limited permissions, meaning that if they are compromised in any fashion, they will be more limited in the amount of damage they can cause. It’s for this reason that it’s best to limit administrator accounts as often as possible, as there is no guarantee you will never fall victim to such attacks.

To minimize the chance of your business’ endpoints falling prey to attacks, you should implement proactive measures against the countless possibilities out there--including a compromised admin account. To learn more about how your business can protect itself, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

VoIP Improves Inter-Department Communication
Landline telephones in the office have been dated for quite some time. Even if they were once necessary to get in touch with coworkers and other departments, they are now quite antiquated compared to modern solutions. After all, there’s no guarantee that an employee will be available to take your call, as the workplace is filled with countless tasks that often require their full attention. Sure, you could leave a voicemail, but there’s no guarantee that the employee will see the message until it’s too late to respond. Since Voice over Internet Protocol doesn’t rely on your employees having a traditional handset, and instead has them using more mobile devices, they’re more likely to be available when you need them most.

VoIP Is More Flexible
Some organizations have employees who aren’t always able to work in the office for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they are simply on the move for conferences so often that they are just never in the office, or perhaps you have employees who work remotely from time to time (or even permanently). VoIP lets you stay in touch with these employees in the same way you can with your in-house team. Since VoIP can be used on mobile devices, laptops, and even desktops, it doesn’t matter where your employees work, as long as they have the VoIP application and a headset. In this way, VoIP is much more flexible than any traditional landline.

VoIP Allows for Additional Features
Landline phone services tend to have features built into them, but many of them are decided by the cable company that provides your telephone service. These features are often not what your business wants or even needs. VoIP services give your business all the features needed from traditional landline telephone services, including conference calling and voicemail, but with lots of additional features that add a quality to your business’ ability to communicate. You can take advantage of video conferencing and instant messaging built right into your VoIP solution. By going through a VoIP provider in this way, you save money by only paying for services you will use rather than those your cable provider assumes you want.

To get started with a VoIP solution today, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Your IT is no different, and there are specific KPIs you can measure to gauge the success of your technology infrastructure. These include the cost to maintain it, the cost to train your staff to use it properly, the cost of downtime (and how much downtime you suffer from), the costs of adding your next few users, and just how effective it is at allowing you and your employees to be productive.

There are plenty of other reasons to take a look at your current IT;

• Your business is growing but your current technology is holding you back.
• You are suffering from regular downtime.
• You need an IT consultant who’s more aligned to your business instead of just a computer repair person.
• You simply feel like you aren’t getting what you deserve out of your IT investment. (Those gut feelings are important!)

Is the current system in place working? Is your current support provider delivering the level of service your business deserves?

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when reevaluating your existing IT support provider.

Do they actively manage and maintain your IT or do they wait for it to break and for you to call them?

Many computer support companies (including Coleman Technologies) have done away with the traditional break-fix business model. As it turns out, computers crash far less often when they are properly maintained and monitored. By taking on a proactive approach, it can save your business from surprise bills and expenses, not to mention downtime.

Do you feel like you are suffering from regular downtime and computer issues?

This is a big one. Downtime is expensive. If your employees can’t work productively because of network or computer issues, your business is losing money. You still pay your employees to do their job even if they can’t get that job done because of downtime.

If you are suffering from downtime issues, it needs to be investigated into, as there are many reasons that could be causing it. Our professional team of IT experts can assist you and evaluate your network to determine why you are suffering. If you’d like to know more, give us a call at (604) 513-9428 before downtime strikes again.

Does it feel like your computer guy makes the most money while you are suffering?

We have a phrase for this, it’s “Kicking you when you are down.” If the person who’s managing your network and computers starts shopping around for new Porche when you suffer from a major outage, it’s time you start shopping around for a new computer guy. All joking aside, this is the model of some computer support companies. While you are paying your employees to not get work done, losing revenue, and falling behind on quotas, you are being charged hourly for support.

Coleman Technologies believes in taking the proactive approach, and with our managed IT services, you pay a flat-rate for us to prevent downtime. In other words, we’re the ones losing money if you suffer from downtime

Do they respond to emergencies in an hour or less?

Again, if you or your staff can’t do your job because of computer issues or network downtime, it’s a huge problem. We consider it an emergency and act as quickly as possible. In many cases, we know of issues before our clients do, because we detect it during our active remote monitoring. Sure, issues can still happen, but a huge number of problems can be picked up and resolved before they cripple your staff.

Do they document and understand your specific needs or do you have to explain things over and over again?

One of our biggest peeves is undocumented IT solutions. Some IT companies make it difficult and expensive for a business to drop them because the network isn’t properly documented. This includes software license and asset management, device configurations, network maps, cable labeling, and much more.

To be frank, at Coleman Technologies , we’re OBSESSED with proper documentation and project tracking. We want to be as efficient as possible, so that any of our technicians can quickly evaluate issues despite the specific nuances on your network. The same goes for projects and new technology implementations.

Are they absolutely religious about backing up your data?

Any experienced technician who cares about your business will ensure that your data is backed up before doing anything. Not only do we want you to have a data backup solution in place, we check it regularly to make sure it’s doing it’s job and properly backing up your data. An untested backup may as well not exist in the first place.

At Coleman Technologies , we also think beyond the backup, and can help you establish a business continuity plan that will help you get back on your feet in the event of a major disaster.

Does it feel like you are paying them to learn their trade?

It’s one thing to include research and development for a new project, but if it feels like you are paying for your computer person to spend most of their time searching the web for a solution to a problem, you aren’t really getting the value of working with an expert.

Do they meet with you regularly to discuss and review their performance as well as your business plans and how it all ties in with IT?

Is your computer support only there when things go wrong, or do they take their understanding of your business and apply it to your IT? Do they regularly meet with you to discuss the future of your network and help you establish a budget for growth?

At Coleman Technologies , our account manager can act as your virtual CIO. Your account manager understands your business needs and can help align your technology to fit those needs.

Can your staff submit a support ticket without worrying about an additional, unexpected bill?
Although not every business wants to work this way, there are benefits to letting your staff submit support tickets to get technical help when they need it without going through a manager first. Plus, with our remote monitoring and maintenance services, thorough documentation, and knowledgeable staff, we offer the most cost-effective support in the area. Whether your agreement covers helpdesk support or it’s outside of the scope of your agreement, we strive to provide the highest level of service.

Do they work with you to actually reduce your unexpected IT costs?

This scenario really irks us - does it feel like your current computer support guru is just selling you expensive services without worrying about how it improves productivity or saves you money? All to often, we see businesses running too many servers or using solutions that are overkill. Whenever possible, we try to recommend IT solutions that will save money or even help you become more profitable in the long run.

Want to learn more about what Coleman Technologies can do for your business? Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 for a no-obligation, non-invasive consultation and tell us about the IT issues you deal with on a regular basis.