We've had the privilege over the last couple of months to attend a couple of IT and tech industry conferences. The NSA, FBI, and Homeland Security had speakers at these conferences and they are sending a message: US Businesses are the target of...
Portland IT Support Articles & Business Tech News
Cybersecurity, M365, Managed IT Services, AI, & Technology Trends for Portland Businesses
PortlandCloud v5.0 Upgrade
Editor's note: This post is from 2015 and describes a service SpireTech no longer offers. The latest update to our PortlandCloud.com portal brings a whole new look to CTERA's hybrid cloud appliances, and several new features to cloud drive! Here are...
The top three spreadsheet errors of the decade—so far
used with permission from IBMby Paul Bard Spreadsheets have been a popular tool for budgeting, forecasting and planning for decades. But spreadsheet errors have been causing serious problems for finance professionals for just as long. One wrong keystroke and...
7 easy ways to lower your energy bills
It's October, and for businesses across the Northern Hemisphere that means the start of darker days, colder nights, and higher energy bills—bills that strain budgets further each year, with a nearly 20% increase in U.S. commercial electricity costs since 2005.1 In the...
The best way to prepare for disasters and security breaches
What would happen if your company lost your critical business data? Whether your application is email, your website, accounts receivable or any other critical application, your IT infrastructure is vital to protecting your data—and to your...
Yes, Solid State Drives do “Wear Out”
The postmortem and what you need to know We’ve known for some time that there are a finite number of writes that a solid state hard drive can endure. This is because the type of memory commonly used for SSD data storage can only be erased a certain number of times....
A word about passwords
used with permission from FTC Business Center Blog by Lesley Fair On the old game show "Password," the host whispered a word to contestants, who then gave clues to celebrities. The first to guess correctly advanced to the Lighting Round. The loser went home with a...
Ransomware: When Cybercriminals Hold Your Computer Hostage
used with permission from Norton by Symantec by Nadia Kovacs Ransomware is a form of malware that will lock files on a computer using encryption. Encryption converts files into another format, like a secret code and can only be decoded by a specific decryption key....
Summer Slowdown? Make the Most of It
used with permission from SBA.gov by Sarah Field While some seasonal businesses hit primetime during the summer, many others see a major slow-down as clients and customers go on vacation (and as new projects are postponed until after said vacationing.) Never fear –...
How to Communicate During a Disaster
used with permission from SBA.govby Sarah Field The idea of returning to “business as usual” when you're in the middle of a disaster can seem impossible. While it is absolutely possible to make a full recovery, especially with the resources available to...
How serious is the end of support for Windows Server 2003?
After so many warnings about the end of support Windows Server 2003 (and last year, end of support for Windows XP), it might be easy to think that IT professionals are alarmists. How can the end of support for Server 2003 be that serious? Unfortunately, it is as...
Windows 10: Should you upgrade now?
With the Windows 10 update notification looming in the taskbar reminding you that it’s a free upgrade for those who would like it, many are considering taking the plunge and installing Microsoft’s latest offering. The question is, should you update to Windows 10 now?...
Spire upgrades Portland Datacenter bandwidth, lowers prices
SpireTech recently upgraded carrier contracts with Level 3 and Electric Lightwave to double the bandwidth available at its Portland Datacenter. Both telecommunications providers have installed upgraded gear as part of the effort. The feeds also run BGP, which is...
Driving Us to Distraction: The Top 5 Time-Sucks in the Office
The genius that happens every day in the offices of the world requires a certain amount of focus. Unfortunately, most offices are awash with both physical and mental distractions that pull our attention away from the task at hand. To help you identify common pitfalls,...
Use Location Services More Safely
Does your phone know where you are? If you've used your phone to find directions or locate a nearby restaurant, you've used its global positioning system (GPS) and it's likely that it would be able to pinpoint your location within a close range. Location...
Password Managers Are The Key To Secure Passwords
According to the credit reporting firm Experian, the average Internet user has about 19 different online accounts, for which they only have seven different passwords. In addition, one in ten users never change their online passwords, and one in 20 uses the same...
