In response to customer demand for increased site security, SpireTech is now offering Managed WordPress Hosting. The package includes monthly security updates to your WordPress site, and several other features: Monthly security updates to the...
Portland IT Support Articles & Business Tech News
Cybersecurity, M365, Managed IT Services, AI, & Technology Trends for Portland Businesses
Increase in recent WordPress Website hacks
Over the last two months, we have seen several customers have their WordPress websites hacked. Hackers installed a plugin or other backdoors and used the sites to send thousands of spam messages – or worse. ...
Teams recording changes coming
Microsoft announced changes coming to their Stream video product to better integrate it with the rest of the M365 ecosystem. Currently, recordings are stored in Stream, which requires accessing a separate site to view recordings of teams meetings. The service will be...
Please leave your machine on for updates even when WFH
Most clients have us update their systems on Tuesday nights – but we can’t update them if they are powered off. Please remember to leave your systems plugged in and powered up when you receive the update reminder – it helps us keep your systems updated and...
Thinking of getting rid of your office? Consider Server Colocation!
We’ve recently had discussions with clients that are considering strategies for closing their offices and going entirely virtual. Some clients still need to have windows servers, and their employees are currently connecting to a mostly empty office and using a VPN to...
A look back at what we’ve accomplished together over the last 8 months
As the summer comes to a close and kids get ready to return to school (virtually), we thought it’d be a good time to reflect on what we’ve all accomplished together over these last several months. We’ve been busy, driving key initiatives, and helping clients...
Microsoft 365 Business Voice
Last month, we wrote that this new service from Microsoft promised to be a disruptive technology. We’ve since learned that discounts will soon be announced on your first year of service. While we aren’t able to...
Tips for remote employee engagement using Teams
Many of us are still working remotely, and a lot of our communication and meetings are occurring using Microsoft Teams. Here are some things we’re doing to try and stay better connected during this time: Add a tab to your team for a...
Use Microsoft Stream for screen recording
It used to be that if you wanted to record a video of your screen, you had to buy some commercial software. Not anymore. Microsoft Stream (included in many M365 subscriptions) recently released a feature to allow you to record...
Sample Work from Home Policy
We’ve had a few clients ask us about remote worker policies. We view this as an HR issue with possible legal implications, so you’ll want to seek advice appropriate to your firm. We’ve all had to relax the standards...
Enable M365 security features
M365 has several optional security features that are not turned on by default. The capabilities vary based on your subscription, but even the most basic subscriptions have features that we can enable. For the quickest,...
Secure your Remote Worker Computers
If you have employees using personal devices to work from home, you should make sure those computers have business-grade anti-virus and patches are being kept up to date. Remember that we offer support for these secondary devices for only $30/mo, and...
Goodbye Brandon, Hello Ryan and Dylan
We’re announcing the departure of Brandon after nearly 10 years with SpireTech. We wish him the best in his new career in the IT department of a large Electrical contractor. Paul has been promoted to Tech Support...
We’re closed Friday July 3rd
Like many of our clients, we’ll be closed Friday July 3rd in observance of Independence day, which falls on Saturday this year. We hope everyone enjoys the three-day weekend.
A whole new world
Many things are changing in the world right now, and technology is no exception. As usual, we are spending a lot of time on R&D, training, and investigating new technology. Why do you care? Because we see...
Win 7 and 2008 Server are now unsupported
Just a quick note to let clients know that if you are still running Windows 7 or 2008 server, we cannot be responsible for the security of your network. The risk of ransomware is real, and we’ve heard many horror stories of companies that have been breached. Being...
