Cryptolocker, Wannacry, CryptoWall, Locky, Winlocker, and KeRanger, the news has been full of these scary sounding programs.  Ransomware can strike fear into the heart of any office manager and business owner.  Once your organization becomes the victim of a Ransomware attack you will be facing sleepless nights, technology headaches, and days or weeks of trying to untangle the damage the hack has caused.  By now, most people know the best way to handle a Ransomware attack is to avoid one in the first place; by installing the latest patches and software updates, educating end users to avoid clicking on unfamiliar links, and not connecting to public Wi-Fi.  While many people are gaining an understanding on how to prevent an attack; most have a limited idea of what exactly Ransomware is.  Ransomware is a type of malware.  Instead of corrupting or deleting your files or poking around in your systems to gain information about your organization; this malware locks you out of your system or denies you access to your data unless you pay the hacker a ransom.

When your organization is implementing a new project, there are a lot of expectations and deadlines that are watched with a close eye. While it might be ideal to get the project finished as quickly as possible, doing so can put a lot of pressure and stress on it that can ultimately be its downfall. For example, if you don’t think out the planning phase carefully, the entire implementation process can suffer--particularly when working on new IT initiatives.

Consumers can now take full advantage of a data backup system that’s both affordable and convenient, allowing them to keep their data as safe as can be in the event of a disaster. While it might not be ideal for business purposes, the average PC user can surely benefit from Google Drive’s new backup system, which takes advantage of the Backup and Sync application.

With the mountainous success of Game of Thrones, the BBC-produced show has always been understandably concerned with their security. However, with the show officially overtaking the original source material, A Song of Ice and Fire, there is an increased presence of curious fans and members of the press with an eye out for a sneak peek at the action. This has led to more; somewhat more modern measures being adopted to keep the production’s secrets safe.

Do you let your employees bring their own devices in for use on your company network or Wi-Fi connection? If so, we’re sure that they love the freedom that you provide for them, but we must warn you of the dangers that this can bring to an otherwise careful business. We’ll discuss some of the benefits, as well as the pitfalls, of allowing your employees to use personal devices in the workplace.

Have you ever gotten the feeling that your mobile device’s screen is just too small to be used effectively, despite the fact that smartphone screens are bigger than ever before? Well, there is a way to mirror your phone’s screen to a larger screen, like your PC monitor. Here’s how you can do this with your Android device.

When it comes to quick and easy document sharing, most people will reach for a USB drive without a second thought. However, you may want to reconsider and use the cloud instead. Let’s explore why.

When we talk about best practices, we are typically referring to the practices used by successful companies to garner the best results. A new study by Disaster Recovery has shown that, as backup and recovery solutions go, enterprises are providing some pretty disappointing results as many fail to continuously back up their data and it results in additional inherent risk.

It’s seems unbelievable just how much thought and effort hackers can put into their attacks. Scammers are all over the place, and you can never truly be safe. Here are six scams that you should always be on the lookout for.

While maintaining any system can be a pain, your business can’t afford not to maintain your network. An MSP can help you to do so, delivering the benefits of regular network maintenance.

It goes without saying that businesses that don’t want to invest in the latest and greatest software solutions will be denying themselves the opportunity for more productivity and efficiency, but most of all, security will be put on the line. A new study has proven that there is a direct correlation between businesses that run older versions of out-of-date operating systems and web browsers, and organizations that suffer from data breaches.

The Windows Login Password Screen serves a valuable purpose in keeping unwanted users from accessing your PC. Although, if your computer is located in a place where unwanted users don’t typically hang out (like your home office), then the Login Screen may feel like a nuisance. In such a scenario, you can go ahead and disable the Windows Password Screen.

As a modern business, your success depends on your technology functioning properly. As many businesses have discovered when their solutions did not function as intended, the effects can have considerable impact to their success rates. To help keep your business running, you need to be sure that your solutions are maintained.

How much time does your staff spend actually doing work compared to simply communicating about work? There’s a big difference, primarily in terms of making you money versus costing you money. Truth be told, employees spend nearly 80 percent of their time either in meetings, on the phone, or responding to emails. By finding ways for your team to communicate more efficiently, they will effectively spend less time yapping and more time making you money.

 This 4^th of July as we celebrate our nation’s independence, declare your independence from IT worry!  With Techworks Consulting, you can rest easy knowing that we have your back and are working in your best interests.

Have you ever gotten Facebook requests from strange people who you don’t know? While it might be tempting to give them the benefit of the doubt--after all, maybe they know a friend of yours--it’s best to keep strangers off of your page when you can. In order to give your page, the flexibility to accept friend requests from people you may know, and protect it from strangers, you can implement a “follow” feature, and limit who can send you friend requests.

Techworks Consulting, Inc. ranks among the world’s most progressive 501 Managed Service Providers (MSPs), according to Penton Technology’s 9th-annual MSP 501 list and study. The top MSP 501 companies ranked this year include organizations from around the world and from diverse technology and business backgrounds.

If you have the latest version of Windows or Office, chances are that there is a tool called OneNote. OneNote is a very dynamic tool with many features that let it shine in the business environment.

It doesn’t matter which industry your organization falls into. Your business will always be susceptible to threats in some way, shape, or form. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your business understands how to protect itself from these threats, before it’s too late. We’ll help you learn more about the various issues that you need to watch out for, and what you can do to stop them.

If you use Google Chrome as your preferred browser, you’ll notice that its performance might dip considerably at times. Thankfully, there are ways to see just what’s causing the problem, and issues can be mitigated easily enough with a little bit of knowhow.