Laptop or desktop: Which is best for your small business?

Running a small business requires making important decisions. One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make in the early stages of your business is deciding whether to invest in desktop computers or laptops. Here are some considerations to help you decide.

Portability

The pandemic has driven the majority of businesses to adopt remote work setups. If your business will implement a similar arrangement, investing in laptops is the smart move, as your staff can easily take their device with them anywhere they want to work. However, there may be instances when this can turn out to be counterproductive: if your employees can jump into work mode easily, they may get the impression that they have to work 24/7.

As such, you must not discount desktops altogether. While laptops are light and portable, modern desktop computers aren’t nearly as immobile as they used to be. In many cases, desktop screens are thin and light, and all-in-one desktops are easy to move around.

Memory and speed

Before, desktop computers had more memory than laptops, and they were faster because they had bigger processors. This has now changed, thanks to improvements in laptop technology. But until high-powered laptops become affordable to the general public, desktop computers are going to provide your business with more memory, speed, and power for your money.

How much speed and memory you need depends on the work you do. If your employees’ work mostly entails word processing and emailing, laptops should be enough. But if they need to run gaming software or access heavy media files, better invest in desktops.

Security

A desktop computer is more physically secure because it’s often kept in one location, making it easier to guard. And because a desktop’s internet access is often a single source (whether through Wi-Fi or cable), it’s easier to defend it against malware and cyberattacks.

If you choose to invest in laptops, make sure to have strict policies on how to protect devices that are used outside of the office. Don’t let your staff connect to unsecured networks, and use encryption tools to protect data from unauthorized access. You must also employ mobile device management software to enable your administrator to wipe data clean off laptops should they get lost or stolen.

Price

Laptops, especially the smaller notebook-style ones, are a lot cheaper than desktops. However, desktop computers are also becoming more affordable through local channels and lenient payment terms. And with a capable IT services provider that can provide you with infrastructure or offer cheaper desktop options, cost probably won’t be a deciding factor.

Quality

Although laptop computers provide the convenience of portability, they’re prone to battery and charging cord problems. They are also easily damaged, especially if they are dropped or mishandled. By contrast, desktops are generally sturdier. But when they do experience a problem, repairing them can be expensive.

Final recommendation

The desktop versus laptop debate is an old one, with supporters on both sides touting the advantages of their choice. A growing company usually needs a combination of both types of computers, especially as their needs evolve.

If you have questions regarding choosing the best computer for your company, give us a call. We’ll be happy to assist you in improving your business.

Tips and tricks to maximize Microsoft Word’s full potential

Microsoft Word remains one of the world’s most popular and user-friendly productivity apps, widely used by businesses and individuals alike. But while millions of people use Word every day, many don’t know how to maximize its full potential. Take a look at some tips and tricks you can use to get the most out of Word.

Work on Word Online

Don’t have the Word app on your computer, tablet, or smartphone? Go to office.com, sign in with your Microsoft account, and open Word Online, the web version of Word.

Collaborate on files

You and your colleagues can now edit the same Word document simultaneously in real time. Simply save the document to your Microsoft OneDrive account, click Share, and send the link to the file to your coworkers. People with the link can access and edit the document using the Word desktop app or Word Online.

Keep editorial control

Use the Track Changes function of Word to monitor all edits made to your document. To turn on Track Changes, click on the Review tab then select Track Changes. When reviewing a colleague’s edits, click Accept or Reject as you see fit.

Do quick research using Smart Lookup

The Smart Lookup feature helps you do online research while you’re working on a document — no need to open another tab and type in a query. Simply highlight and right-click the word or phrase you want to look up, and select Smart Lookup from the menu that appears. Word uses Microsoft’s Bing search engine to conduct a search on the selected word or phrase, and displays the results in a pane that appears on the right side of your screen.

Format your document

The Styles gallery contains predefined formatting options for text. You can also add your own styles, or those you use frequently, to the gallery. By saving your own style preferences, you can apply them anytime without having to manually format everything. Just follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want to format as a new style (e.g., a heading or a certain phrase).
2. Specify the formatting you want on the mini toolbar that appears. For instance, click Bold and Red if you want the text to appear as such.
3. Click the More arrow in the lower-right corner of the Styles gallery. Select Create a Style. This will open the Create New Style from Formatting dialog box.
4. Give the style a name and click OK. Your new style will appear in the Styles gallery, ready for you to use anytime.

Look for and insert images faster

With Word, there’s no need to open your browser to look for images for your document. Just place the cursor in the area where you want to insert the photo, click the Insert tab and select Online pictures (type “clip art” in the search box if that’s what you need), select an image, then click Insert.

Edit a PDF file

Word’s PDF editing function allows you to make quick changes to PDF files without having to download and use a PDF editing app or software. But before you can edit a PDF file in Word, you have to convert it to a file format that Word can display. Follow these steps:

1. Click File > Open > Browse.
2. Choose the PDF file you want to edit, then click Open. Click OK to make a copy of the PDF file and convert its contents into a format that can be opened in Word. (Note: The original PDF will be preserved.)
3. Make edits to the copy of the PDF file.
4. When you’re done, click File > Save as > PDF.

Microsoft is constantly rolling out nifty new features for its popular word processor. To stay updated on the latest Word features and functionalities, reach out to our Microsoft experts now.

5 Steps to Doing Website Conversion Right

Are there surefire ways to attract prospects to your website and to convince them to sign up for your product or service? The first step is always to make your website easy to use. Read on for five tips that improve user experiences, site trustworthiness, and conversion rates.

1. Optimize your website for mobile devices

More people are now surfing the web on the go via smartphones, tablets, and laptops. If you want a piece of this traffic, you need to make your website’s design responsive to all mobile devices.

To give your visitors an enjoyable mobile experience, make sure your website design fits the screen of any device. Additionally, all elements of your website, including inner pages, resources, and call-to-action buttons should be easily accessible. If not, visitors will get frustrated and click away to a competitor.

2. Make it easy for customers to contact you

This means displaying your phone number in the upper-right corner of every page and providing a simple, easy-to-find contact form. While some people prefer not to give up their email address for fear it will be picked off by spambots, it can serve as another contact option for those who hate web forms. Ideally, your customers will have more than one way to contact you.

3. Keep it simple

People are always busy. They don’t have time to navigate a complicated website, dig through dozens of pages to find a contact number, or try and figure out what it is that you’re selling because your mobile site doesn’t display content properly.

So when it comes to design, simplicity makes sense. When producing a simple website, every page, word, and image you create must have a singular purpose: to get visitors to contact you. Don’t distract them with excessive information, silly games, or flashy animations. Instead, have a nice clean layout so they can quickly understand what you’re offering and can contact you with a click.

4. Include custom photos whenever possible

Say you have to choose between two different websites that sell the same thing and look virtually the same. The key difference is that one uses real photos of the owner and his or her staff, while the other uses generic stock images of business people. Assuming images from both sites are of the same quality, which one will you more likely choose? Undoubtedly, the one that looks more authentic.

So the next time you need images for your website, invest some time and money in quality pictures taken by a professional photographer.

5. Move social media icons to the bottom of the page

Everyone loves throwing social media icons on their websites. And while it’s not a bad idea to show your credibility, putting social media icons at the top of the page makes your visitors more likely to click on them immediately. When this happens, you just created an exit for them to leave your site and never return, and we all know how easy it is to get distracted on social media.

Instead, place your social media icons at the bottom of the page or in the footer area. Remember, the goal of your website is to convert. If your visitors leave before they get a chance to explore your services, content, and offerings, you’ve lost them before you even had them.

Need a website or another solution to enhance your digital presence? Give us a call and leverage our IT expertise for your business.

Here’s Why your Business Needs a CRM

No business ever gets very far without a steady stream of customers. They are your primary source of revenue, so taking care of your relationships with them must be your highest priority. To effectively foster customer relationships, your business should leverage customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Imagine buying a product, and it breaks the first time you use it. You contact customer support and describe the issue, only to be told to wait for another representative to call you back. You wait for hours, and still nobody calls. After sending an email to customer support, you finally get a call from a customer service representative, but it’s from someone unfamiliar with your problem. You awkwardly explain your problem for the third or fourth time, during which you wonder if the value of your time has exceeded the value of the broken item.

We’ve all been there before, but this scenario can be avoided by having an effective CRM system. Here’s what you need to know about CRM systems and how they can mitigate frustration among customers and keep them delighted.
What is a CRM system?

CRM is a system that allows businesses to manage, record, and evaluate their customer interactions to provide better services and boost sales. You can use CRM to store customers’ contact details, accounts, leads, and sales opportunities all in one place.

What are the features of a CRM system?
• Data management – When customer data is recorded, the CRM system centralizes the data into one file called a master file. Everyone within the company then has access to this data source, preventing confusion from inaccurate or duplicate data.

• Collaboration – Nowadays, clients demand quick and efficient customer service, so all involved departments must work together to quickly resolve client concerns. CRM systems enable collaboration by facilitating the sharing of customer information among departments. This way, everyone is on the same page about clients’ circumstances and requirements.

• Customer segmentation – A CRM system arranges your customers into groups based on criteria such as age, gender, location, and even their likes and dislikes. This allows you to target marketing messages to your customers more accurately, potentially increasing engagement and conversion.

• Task tracking – CRM systems have task tracking features that help your employees stay on top of important tasks, such as contacting customers via email or phone and following up on leads. CRM systems also send reminders to employees about their assigned tasks so that nothing falls through the cracks.

• In-depth reporting – CRM systems provide a thorough analysis of your customer base. CRM reports give details including an overview of product sales numbers, marketing strategy performance, most successful products or services to date, and even a prediction of whether your sales target will be met at the end of the month.

If you’re looking to improve customer service and increase sales conversion using a CRM system, contact us today!

4 Timeless Cyber Security Rules to Live By

Cybersecurity has become an overly complicated, increasingly important part of our lives. These days, many people are concerned about their privacy; who is collecting their data, what data is being collected, how to prevent information from being stolen, how to prevent breaches, etc. Then there are the traditional threats like malware, ransomware, and phishing that are not only becoming more commonplace but are capable of doing more damage.

Protecting yourself isn’t simple, but there are a few time-tested rules you can live by to help fend off the threats and control your data while living in an increasingly complex world.

These rules are adapted from Brian Krebs, a reporter who has written hundreds of cybersecurity stories in the Washington Post and is an avid security blogger. We’ve added our own spin based on our experience with working with NE Ohio businesses over the years.

If You Don’t Need It, or Didn’t Ask for It, Don’t Click It
Malware and other cybersecurity threats often start with an end-user doing something to get infected. Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft and security software developers, an idle computer sitting in the corner of an office at night is much less likely to be breached than a computer that a user is sitting at and actively using.

Cybercriminals understand this, and they use tactics to trick users into allowing malicious software to get installed.

For instance, most malware today is distributed through email attacks, where a legitimate-looking email comes in with an innocent-looking attachment that requires the user to click on to infect the computer. Other threats come in by installing bad applications that come bundled with malware. Remember a few years ago when browser toolbars would often get installed and slow down your computer or start manipulating how your browser worked?

While some of these threats are slowly getting weaned out of existence because the software, we generally use is getting smarter or at the very least, more security-minded, the threats are still out there. Visiting the wrong website could lead to a scareware popup stating that your computer is infected. This popup might look exactly like your antivirus, and you might make the snap-decision to install malware just because it looked legitimate and urgent. It’s really all about being aware and thinking before you click, or immediately contacting your trusted IT support before you risk being breached.

If You Do Need It, Keep It Updated

Almost all software receives occasional updates from the developer. These updates might include new features, fix bugs and compatibility issues, make the software run faster or more effectively, or patch vulnerabilities.

We all can get that tinge of paranoia when we learn that something we use every day has been changed. For example, when a Gmail app on your smartphone is updated and moved, the setting to switch inboxes from the top left of the screen to the top right, which can really upset your flow.

Updates are a fact of life though, and while some software updates may seem frivolous or downright annoying, much of the time there is also a security aspect that cannot be ignored.

Cybercriminals are constantly looking to exploit software vulnerabilities; and, if they can find a way to break into hundreds of thousands, or millions, of computers through a vulnerability in an application, that’s payday for them. They might not know about a vulnerability until the developer releases an update for that vulnerability, but hackers also know that most people don’t run their updates right away. This opens up a window of time where they can take advantage of a security flaw, and the longer you ignore your software updates, the riskier it gets.

This rule, like the first, applies to literally every single device you own. Your desktop, your laptop, both PC and Mac, your smartphone and tablet, your Kindle, your Switch/Playstation/Xbox, your smart appliances, and everything else that connects to the Internet. Fortunately, a lot of devices these days automatically pull their updates, but it’s always important to understand that failing to keep your Internet-connected devices updated will lead to security breaches.

If You Don’t Need It, Get Rid of It
Want to avoid having to run updates for an application or device that you don’t use anymore? Just remove it from the equation. If you installed some software to edit a particular type of file for a project and don’t need it anymore, uninstall it. If you have an old tablet you keep plugged in that you haven’t used in six months, check it and run the updates or shut it down and take it off of your network.

Remember, every single thing you put on your network; whether it be a device like a computer, printer, or smartphone, or software on one of those devices, needs to be kept updated and secure. The more you have, the more overhead there is. Simplify your life and dial back. You’ll likely find there is a lot of stuff you’ll absolutely need to have as it is, but there is likely a lot of clutter you can remove.

Of course, you don’t want to remove anything that is actually actively keeping your network and files safe, so you’ll need to evaluate and audit things carefully, which leads to the next point.

Audit Your Technology Regularly, and Keep Additions/Removals/Changes Documented

Chances are you’ve made a lot of decisions over the last few years that you don’t remember making. We make decisions every day that are, in the long run, inconsequential and forgettable. For example, what are the chances you will remember this morning’s breakfast six months from now? That same principle goes for that snap decision to install a free application that lets you edit GIF files. In 6 months, you won’t remember that it is sitting there on your computer, and possibly increasing your chances that a threat might get in.

The same goes for the hardware on your network, the settings on your server, and even the security permissions for your online accounts, such as bank accounts, email, and social media. Taking time every few months to audit everything is crucial because a simple inconsequential adjustment can come back to bite you later.

If you stick with these four golden rules, you can prevent a lot of headaches later, and these rules have proven to withstand the test of time, and probably will continue to for a long, long time. That doesn’t mean they are the end-all-be-all of protecting yourself and your business from online threats. For more help locking down your business and preventing cyberattacks, reach out to Net Activity.

You can also check out the blog of Brian Krebs at krebsonsecurity.com, and for more IT security news and resources, be sure to follow our blog.

This New Ransomware Can Infect A Network In Just Minutes

Not all ransomware strains are created equally. Some are designed as slow burns that will infect a target system, expanding its reach for days, or even weeks before striking and locking your business critical files. Others are designed to hit fast and hard.

Lockbit definitely falls into this latter category, based on a detailed analysis of the code conducted by researchers at Sophos.

Their conclusion is that from the time a target network is breached, Lockbit will start encrypting files in as little as five minutes, which is so fast that it doesn’t really give your IT staff an opportunity to respond to the attack. By the time they become aware of it and begin deploying resources to minimize the damage, it’s usually over.

The research team discovered that once Lockbit makes its way onto a target system, it will do a quick, keyword based scan of network drives to locate the information most valuable to the team that inserted it.

This particular malware strain is offered as “Ransomware as a Service” so the keywords Lockbit uses for this search will be different, depending on who paid for the service, who they’re attacking, and what they’re most interested in acquiring. This is because of course, the hackers will copy the information they want before they start encrypting files.

In any case, this process doesn’t take long, and once that’s done, the malware executes in memory via a Windows Management Instruction (WMI) command. The research team observed that in every case they studied, the attack began in earnest, with files being locked, within five minutes of issuing the WMI command. That’s as fast and brutal as it gets.

There’s still a lot the team doesn’t know about Lockbit, but they’re continuing to study both the code and the aftermath of the attacks made on corporate networks around the world. They will continue updating the rest of us with their findings. None of the news is good, but it’s always better to know than not.

3 Things to Consider when Incorporating Collaboration Practices for your Team

The modern business should be prioritizing its collaborative capabilities. After all, the benefits of collaboration include increased quality in products and services and customer service alike, all the while cutting costs. Of course, you may have already attempted to incorporate collaborative practices, but for some reason, they didn’t take. Let’s consider a few reasons that might have been the case.

Your Team Lacks the Right Solutions

It isn’t enough to just say that your business is collaborative, and that your team is to conduct themselves as such. You need to have the means of collaboration in place for your team to use in their processes, which will require the strategic use of specific technology resources. This includes many that you should already have, like your Internet access, email solution, and phone systems. The part that many businesses lack is the strategy behind their use to embrace the full functionality that these resources offer.

Investing the time, capital, and energy into properly devising such a strategy and appropriately equipping your team to fully embrace collaborative processes will prove to be well worth it. One effective solution to consider is a company intranet. Having such an intranet gives your team a convenient place to share ideas, review everyone’s contributions, store files, and generally solve business problems by working together. In addition, your team members can use this intranet to better get to know one another, an invaluable component to any cooperative effort. However, this brings up an additional challenge that many businesses face:

Your Team Isn’t Interested in Working Together

Unsurprisingly, it can be challenging for people to work cooperatively if they aren’t fond of one another. Now, the hard truth is that not everyone you hire is going to be the best of friends, but any animosity or ill will could actually impact your business financially. Not only could these feelings sap productivity, encourage redundancy, and lead to inefficiency, any productive conversation about improving your business’ processes is simply unlikely.

No, your employees don’t have to be close to work closely with one another. All it takes is a shared understanding of their common goal, and the knowledge that if they can’t handle interpersonal issues, they will be handled for them.

Your Team Members Are Unaware of Each Other’s Objectives

Finally, we come to perhaps the most common problem many businesses experience when attempting to be collaborative. While you have likely assigned people to be responsible for different elements of a process, this information may not be known to the rest of your team. As a result, nobody knows who to assign next or who to turn to for help with a problem. This kind of environment breeds inefficiency and redundancy—something you probably don’t want in your business.

While it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to have full knowledge and awareness of everyone else’s responsibilities, some grasp on each department’s duties will be helpful. You might consider cross-training your team members so that it will be easier for them to identify the best resources to help solve their problems later.

While establishing a collaborative workplace is going to be an ongoing process, it will ultimately deliver some significant benefits to your business, as well as the team members you’ve employed. To learn more about the tools and strategies that can help you encourage collaborative behaviors amongst your team, give Net Activity a call at 216-503-5150.

3 Ways to Get More Done on Your Smartphone

Smartphones these days have a lot of computing power. They have enough to be a dynamic tool for today’s workers, but can also be a major distraction. Let’s take a look at 3 ways you can be more productive with your smartphone.

Find the Right Apps

If you are like most of the rest of the world, you have all manner of apps that you’ve downloaded on your phone. There are the normal apps like the email app, the browser, the app store app, and the messaging app. Then there are social media apps, games, productivity apps, dating apps, retail apps, and a slew of other apps that you don’t remember downloading as they have no purpose for you.

To use your smartphone as a productivity tool you will want to eliminate most of the distractions. Sure, you can still spend hours scrolling through the app stores looking for the right apps, but we’re guessing if you are making a conscious effort to use your smartphone for productivity, that you won’t be doing that. By eliminating a lot of the extra apps you currently have, you will be able to focus on the apps that remain, the ones that allow you to be productive.

Additionally, once you have the apps you want on the device, you then will want to arrange the apps in a manner that makes it simple for you to navigate to the apps that you need. For example, you can group social media apps together to keep them in one place rather than have them strewn about the device. This organization will come in handy when you are looking for the apps you need.

Disable Certain Notifications

Notifications are super useful, until they are a horrible distraction. Turning some of the more useless notifications off won’t hurt you, but leaving them on will hurt your ability to be productive. Turning off mobile notifications for your social media accounts (unless you need them for work) and your remaining mobile games is a solid practice that will cut down on distractions.

Update Software Regularly

The smartphone is increasingly being targeted as an attack vector to get onto business networks. For this reason you will want to ensure that your mobile OS is updated regularly and that the applications you depend on get their patches and updates. Typically, this process is handled automatically, but it’s smart to be sure to check. If you don’t use the app anymore, just get rid of it!

Smartphones will just become a bigger part of business in the future. Reach out anytime if we can be of help building your mobile computing capacity.