Used with permission from SBA.gov., by Anita Campbell Bad online reviews can cause potential customers to shop elsewhere, negatively impacting your business’ bottom line. If your business has received a bad online review, here are steps you can take to handle it and...
Portland IT Support Articles & Business Tech News
Cybersecurity, M365, Managed IT Services, AI, & Technology Trends for Portland Businesses
Cybersecurity for small business: Ransomware
used with permission from FTC.gov., by Andrew Smith, Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Mention the word “ransomware” at a meeting of small business owners and you’ll feel the temperature in the room drop by 20 degrees. A ransomware attack is a chilling...
2018 is Heading for the Finish Line!
We are starting to hear from clients interested in IT capital expenditures or projects they want to accomplish before the end of the calendar year for both operational and tax deduction purposes – in many instances equipment purchases and IT projects can be...
Online scammers cost time and money. Here’s how to fight back.
used with permission from Microsoft On the Issues, by Athima Chansanchai A message pops up on your screen. It screams that your computer is at risk or has been infected by a virus. Or, you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from tech support. And then,...
Fend off cybercriminals with better business security practices
Used with permission from Tektonika (HP), by Karen Gilleland “Gimme the dough—or you’ll never see your files again!” In this scenario, the thug in the mask is ransomware, and it’s only one of the ways cybercriminals attack businesses—which are often left vulnerable...
5 New Features of Windows 10 You Need to Know About
Update: Microsoft has stopped deploying build 1809 due to reports of lost data. At this time there is not a new release window. More information can be found at this link. Microsoft Windows runs 87% of the world's computers. Windows 10 is the latest version and keeps...
Warn your friends about tech support scams
used with permission from FTC.gov., by Amy Hebert Tech support scams, which get people to pay for fake computer help or steal their personal information, are convincing. You might already know the signs of a tech support scam, but do your friends and family? Here’s...
Don’t let the old hardware blues undermine office security
Used with permission from Tektonika (HP), by Karen Gilleland Unlike fine wine, your cyber assets don’t get better with age. Any PC more than four years old is not only costly to keep, but it’s also hack-friendly tech that could pose serious office security risk. Old...
Top 4 Computer Tricks Everyone Should Know in 2018
Computer technology is no longer a new frontier. In fact, over 85 percent of households in America have at least one computer. With this tech being so accessible, it's easy to feel like a computer whiz. However, there are tons of simple, time-saving daily tips and...
How to avoid a Bitcoin blackmail scam
used with permission from FTC.gov., by Cristina Miranda “I know about the secret you are keeping from your wife and everyone else. You can ignore this letter, or pay me a $8600 confidentiality fee in Bitcoin”. It’s enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine, but these...
Watch out for card skimming at the gas pump
used with permission from FTC.gov, by Colleen Tressler With the summer travel season in high gear, the FTC is warning drivers about skimming scams at the pump. Skimmers are illegal card readers attached to payment terminals. These card readers grab data off a credit...
Office 365 and Outlook on the web dropping support for connected accounts
Microsoft will soon be disabling the ability to add new connected accounts to Office 365 and Outlook Online. This update will only affect Office365 Business accounts. This change will prevent you from being able to read or send mail from any email addresses that are...
SpireTech will be using our .net domain as well as our .com domain
SpireTech continues to change and grow. As such we have added a new domain to our emails, Spiretech.net. Within the coming month SpireTech employees will start sending emails from our spiretech.net domain as well as from our spiretech.com domain. Our support email...
What are cookies?
Used with permission from Norton by Symantec Mention “cookies” and most people expect a chocolate chip treat to appear. When talking about computers, however, cookies aren’t on the dropdown menu. In fact, they’re not even physical objects. Yet they do a great deal of...
5 questions every SMB should ask about workstations
How can SMB owners determine if workstations are right for them and, if so, how to select the best machines for their particular needs? Workstations have been around long enough now that it’s safe to start talking about how modern versions of these machines are...
Tackle internet safety today
Information security breaches are becoming so commonplace, they’re seen as the cost of doing business—but they don’t have to be. Promoting internet safety and device security isn’t as hard as it might seem. By making small changes to online behavior, IT...
