The Trusted team at Burnt Orange Solutions are located in the Saskatoon computers Category.

Honesty and respect are important factors in daily communication at Burnt Orange. Gareth and the team at Burnt Orange Solutions are YOUR Saskatoon IT stress solution. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts. In their latest Saskatoon IT Tip, they share top tips to ensure IT security at your Saskatoon business! 

Top IT Security Tips 

Keeping passwords, financial, and other personal information safe and protected from intruders, scammers and stalkers have long been a priority of businesses. Besides,  it’s increasingly critical for consumers and individuals to heed data protection advice and use good practices to keep personal information safe from harm.  Gareth McKee- Owner Burnt Orange Solutions 
 

   1. Backup your data.

One of the most basic, yet often overlooked, data protection tips for individuals is backing up your data. Basically, this creates a duplicate copy of your data so that if a device is lost, stolen, or compromised, you don’t also lose your important information.  This is vital for businesses, no matter how small or large. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and insurance company Nationwide pointed out.

“According to Nationwide, 68% of small businesses don’t have a disaster recovery plan. The problem with this is the longer it takes you to restore your data, the more money you’ll lose. Gartner found that this downtime can cost companies as much as $300,000 an hour.”

 2. Malware

Malware is a serious issue. Anti-malware protection is essential for laying a foundation of security for your devices. Malware is short for malicious software, and it’s software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer without your consent. Things that fall into this category sound scary – they include viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, scareware and more. Malware can attack you via websites and emails, or hidden in downloadable files, photos, videos,  The best way to avoid getting infected is to purchase and run a good anti-virus protection program, then do periodic scans for spyware. Also, be very vigilant when it comes to clickable links in emails or on websites you are unfamiliar with.

WARNING: 350,000 malware versions are identified every day. A new malware programme is released every seven seconds. Malware activity has increased by 61% over the last year. The cost of malware attacks is going up too, with companies and people losing around 11% more money in 2018 than in the previous year. Scammers are sneaky: sometimes malware is cleverly disguised as an email from a friend or client. Unfortunately, even the most cautious will likely pick up an infection at some point.  Gareth McKee

  3. Keep Up To Date

Operating system and software updates are a gigantic pain for users, but they’re a necessary evil! These updates contain critical security fixes and improvements twill protect you and your devices from newly discovered threats and glitches. Failing to install these updates means you are at risk. Operating systems and software updates may not be updated frequently or on a regular schedule so we suggest setting your systems to update automatically if possible.

   4. Secure Your Wireless Network.

A valuable IT tip for both small business owners and individuals, it’s always recommended to secure your wireless network with a password. This prevents unauthorized individuals within proximity to hijack your wireless network. Even if they’re merely attempting to get free Wi-Fi access, you don’t want to inadvertently share private information with other people who are using your network without permission. In addition, be sure to turn your computer off when you are finished using it. Leaving your computer connected to the Internet when it’s not in use gives scammers 24/7 access to install malware and commit cybercrimes. To be safe, turn off your computer when it’s not in use.

Contact Burnt Orange today for more information or to take advantage of your FREE initial consultation. View them on Facebook here. They are your Burnt Orange Solutions are Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts!

Our Saskatoon IT Tips are from the Trusted professionals at Burnt Orange Solutions.  We promise to have a one-hour response time for all your Saskatoon IT support needs. Honesty and respect are important to us. In our latest  IT Expert tip Article, Gareth McKee, owner of Burnt Orange Solutions shares tips on protecting your business information by having managed networks.

The Benefits of Managed Networks For Saskatoon Businesses

With rapid advances in IT technology, every business owner feels the pressure to not only keep up but also innovate. Managed network services mean that by outsourcing one of the key functions of your organization or local companies IT structure you can access the expertise necessary to keep your IT systems not only running but to future-proof and innovate.

Burnt Orange Solutions is a Saskatoon IT provider and w e can ensure that your business is using the latest technologies and equipment and advise you on what you need to do to keep it moving forward. This ensures you stay competitive and that your systems are functioning at their optimal level. This means SMBs can stay competitive with larger companies by having access to the same resources that larger enterprises may be able to have in-house.

Managed Networks Reduce Costs.

Managing costs are a major factor in any business and managed networks can help as they can reduce costs in a variety of ways.

Speed: You don’t need a permanent IT team on-site, but when you do need help, you can get it fast from Burnt Orange Solutions.

Savings: You save on wages and specialist IT space. Managed network services allow you to pay only for what you use. We offer a fixed monthly fee which means it’s easy to budget for your services and an all-inclusive price means you get the support you need.

Efficiencies: You can also reduce infrastructure costs by streaming multiple services over a single connection, saving staff on remote connections extra expense.

Save On Power And Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Centralizing your key systems in a data centre and using virtual platforms for applications means your team can access the network wherever they are working from, on-site or off-site. This mean everyone who needs to can access what they need to whether its’ apps or data storage. You can save on power and reduce environmental impact.

You can upgrade security systems across the company easily and quickly and monitor your whole network to pick up any issues quickly 24 hours a day.

Getting your network managed from Burnt Orange Solutions means we will monitor your systems, continuously suggesting improvements and implementing them quickly and cost-effectively.

With cloud servers and backup business continuity is assured, even if your main office is lost, the business can carry on.

The qualified network security experts at Burnt Orange are better able to provide security expertise than many in-house teams, with up-to-date knowledge of not only the latest security systems but also what threats businesses face today.

We hope this article gave you some insight into the benefits of managed networks. If you want to ensure your business IT security, contact the Trusted Saskatoon IT professionals at Burnt Orange Solutions and they can take IT worries off your plate.

Burnt Orange IT Solutions Products & Services:

• Managed Networks
• Backup and Recovery
• Data and Network Security
• Hosted Services
• Telephone Systems
• Secure WiFi Networks

'IT Support You Can Trust and Understand'

Burnt Orange Solutions are Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts

The Trusted team at Burnt Orange Solutions are located in the Computers & Web Design Category.

Honesty and respect are important factors in daily communication at Burnt Orange. Gareth and the team at Burnt Orange Solutions are YOUR Saskatoon IT stress solution. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts. 

BURNT ORANGE SOLUTIONS SASKATOON BASICS OF PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION

The Trusted team at Burnt Orange Solutions are located in the Saskatoon computers Category.

Honesty and respect are important factors in daily communication at Burnt Orange. Gareth and the team at Burnt Orange Solutions are YOUR Saskatoon IT stress solution. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts. 

WINDOWS END OF LIFE…ARE YOU READY?

Our Saskatoon IT Tips are from the Trusted professionals at Burnt Orange Solutions.  We promise to have a one-hour response time for all your Saskatoon IT support needs. Honesty and respect are important to us. In our latest  IT Expert tip Article, we discuss the imminent Windows end of life and what happens if you aren’t prepared.

Windows End Of Life.

Let’s start off with the news that the much-loved Windows 7 operating system has now less than 1 year of life left in it.

On January 13th, 2020 Microsoft will cease to provide any further updates or security patches for Windows 7.

After this date, Windows 7 will become an ever-increasing security hole in your home or business network. As hackers and criminals find and make use of security gaps in the coding of Windows seven anyone who is still using it will be at greater risk of infection risking data being stolen or made inaccessible.

Saskatoon businesses need to plan for the change now. Depending on where you look for the figures, polls show that anywhere between 30% and 50% of businesses still use Windows 7.

Depending upon the number of PCs, the complexity of the network and the number of different programs used it could take months to plan and roll out new Windows 10 PCs to a business network.

Burnt Orange advice, contact your IT support company now to ensure you are fully secure and using Windows 10 before Christmas 2019.

Windows Server 2008 End Of Life Date Approaching

The much-used Windows 2008 Server operating system has now less than 1 year of life left in it.  Windows 2008 Server will become an ever-increasing security hole in your business network. As hackers and criminals find and make use of security gaps in the coding of Windows 2008 Server anyone who is still using it will be at greater risk of infection risking data being stolen or made inaccessible.

Depending upon the number of servers, the complexity of the network and the number of different programs used it could take months to plan and roll out new Windows 2019 Servers to a business network.

Burnt Orange advice, contact your IT support company now to ensure you are fully secure and using Windows Server 2019 before Christmas 2019.

Windows 7 and Server 2008 End Of Life – What You NEED To Do

This doesn’t mean that your Windows 7 PC or 2008 Server will suddenly stop working, what it does mean is that no more patches or upgrades will be released by Microsoft.  It means that every day after January 13th the Windows 7 computers and 2008 Servers will become less secure and more likely to be infect by a virus or become victim to ransomware or other hacking type code.

Recovering from a virus attack or ransomware infection is a very expensive operation, so what should your business be doing?

1. Contact our team at Burnt Orange Solutions to discuss planning an upgrade to Windows 10 and Server 2019. Depending upon the age of your PC hardware it may not be necessary to buy new computers, but it will mean server hardware. Early investigation is a must as it can take months to plan and roll out an upgrade depending upon your individual needs.
2. Contact all your software vendors, do the programs you use on a daily basis function in Windows 10 and Server 2019? If not, you are going to either need to upgrade or move to a new software package.
3. This is going to cost your business money, there is no way to avoid it. New computers, new softwares, IT consultants and engineers, possible down time due to the upgrade process, possible business interruption.
4. Plan on changes to your network if you need to keep any Windows 7 PCs or 2008 Servers in your office due to legacy software packages (fun fact – 7% of the worlds computers still run Windows XP), these PC must be kept separate from the rest of the network for security reasons.

Burnt Orange Solutions can help your business navigate this necessary evil, whether you have 1 PC or 500. The main take away here is to start the process sooner rather than later!!

As 2020 approaches expect many IT companies to be very busy and not have time to fit you in for an upgrade.

Don’t be offended if in December 2019 you call a computer support company to discuss the upgrade and all you hear is laughter from the other end of the phone.

Contact Burnt Orange today for more information or to take advantage of your FREE initial consultation. View them on Facebook here. They are your Burnt Orange Solutions are Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts!

The Trusted team at Burnt Orange Solutions are located in the Computers & Web Design Category.

Honesty and respect are important factors in daily communication at Burnt Orange. Gareth and the team at Burnt Orange Solutions are YOUR Saskatoon IT stress solution. Burnt Orange Solutions are your Trusted Saskatoon IT Experts. 

IT Adds Value To Businesses

Of all the reasons that a business doesn’t leverage IT, the one that makes the least sense to me has to do with their size. There seems to be a reluctance to adopt more than what – for whatever reason – is “enough” for a business of their size and or capacity.

There is definitely a disconnect here that needs addressing. We know that more technology solutions, designed to make a company’s tasks easier, are not going to make these tasks harder. If anything, adding the right technology will help to increase the business’ capacity and profitability.  Maybe it’s because the employees of a business are afraid that their jobs will be at risk if a machine can do them – and they’ve never considered that someone still has to tell the machines what to do.

Regardless of the reason, it is important that anyone in charge of making decisions for a business understands the true benefits that modern IT solutions can deliver to all parts of their operations.

For instance:

IT Benefit 1. Money Management

Let’s face it, without money coming in, no business can operate for long. So the ability to properly manage incoming and outgoing cash flow is pretty crucial. A simple spreadsheet can be used to accomplish this, but that requires many hours to be invested to keep this document updated.

On the other hand, the right IT solutions can eliminate a considerable portion of this requirement. This allows you to save time, reviewing your finances and looking at future growth, instead of constantly micro-managing them.

IT Benefit 2. Team Work & Collaboration

One of the problems with most ‘tried-and-true’ business solutions, like paper files in a cabinet, is the fact that they make teamwork more difficult. With paper files, people need to be involved and often gathered in the same room. This makes life difficult and risks papers getting mixed up or lost, and perhaps crucial insights that won’t make it out of meetings.

However, there are IT solutions, like cloud computing, that not only keep these kinds of documents secure, they also allow your team members to easily work together on a document, wherever they happen to be. As a result, all insight and progress are saved in one place, accessible to any who needs to work on it as a team.

IT Benefit 3. Efficiency

Businesses have a huge amount of work to attend to, regardless of their size. Anything that can help that work be done faster should be a welcome addition. Whether that speed comes from analyzing how time is being spent and optimizing it, managing tasks through digital tools to ensure that all responsibilities are filled, or any other way, should be motivation enough to adopt the solutions that enable these benefits.

IT Benefit 4. Mobile Work and Telecommuting

Remember how technology solutions were able to enable collaboration, wherever a user happened to be? This is due to the mobility that many solutions can provide. Smartphones are more and more able to communicate with those devices, making it possible to work from effectively anywhere.

Other solutions can allow an employee to work from home, offering some additional productivity benefits and perks for employees.

IT Benefit 5. Customer Service

Finally, the right technology solution can assist your business with its all-important customer service needs. You could apply a method to assist customers in need of support automatically, saving time, as an employee can step in with a clearer idea of the situation – assuming the employee needs to interrupt what they were doing at all. If you run an appointment-based business, you can put the ability to schedule a time in your client/customer’s hands if you want, establishing availability and automatically having it update as it changes.

Of course, this is but a brief sampling of what the right solutions can do if properly leveraged. Make sure you read some of our other blogs and service descriptions to learn more about what we do.