News & Blog

When natural disasters such as violent storms, wildfires or earthquakes strike, the effects can often reverberate throughout the business world. And the impacts commonly felt after such calamities, which can include service delays and even facility closures, are clearly not good for the bottom line. But by taking the right steps in advance to prepare for the worst, business owners can minimize the service slowdowns and interruptions that such incidents can sometimes cause. For business owners and managers seeking ways to proactively prepare their business to return to normal as quickly as possible after a natural disaster, taking these six...

Read More 6 Steps a Business Can Take in Advance to Support Continuity After a Natural Disaster

In the 21st century business world, many members of the modern workforce can get their jobs done from just about anywhere — as long as they’ve got the right tech tools in place to support them. And, of course, giving workers the flexibility to work from outside the office makes a business much more attractive to many potential employees, especially members of the younger generations. And to make the idea even more alluring to employers, working from home can also lead to enhanced workforce productivity. (In fact, according to one recent study, telecommuting employees put in an average of 1.4...

Read More 8 Essential Tech Tools to Support a Telecommuting Workforce

As the digital world becomes a bigger part of consumers’ lives, everyday activities ranging from shopping and entertainment to socializing and schooling are either moving entirely online or are seeing critical components facilitated there. And in the business world, where online conference calls are becoming the norm, professional training and educational sessions are being held online more frequently, too. For many attendees of online courses and webinars, though, it can be challenging to match the takeaways of in-person training in the virtual world. But by keeping a few tried-and-true tactics in mind, online learners can ramp up their focus levels...

Read More 5 Tips for Making the Most of Online Training Sessions

Even in the best of economic times, customer churn is a harsh reality that all businesses must deal with, no matter how high the quality of their products or how elevated their level of service. And after a long-running crisis as widespread and impactful as COVID-19, businesses everywhere are struggling to recover from some of the highest levels of churn they have ever experienced. But as the nation begins to emerge from the difficult business climate created by the pandemic, hope is on the horizon — and opportunities for a rebound are becoming more plentiful every day. Among the best...

Read More Tactics for Re-gaining Customers Following a Crisis

Most business owners, and likely even most technology users in general, have heard the term “managed firewall” before. But what does it refer to exactly and does every business need one? Read on for some important insights on just what this powerful cybersecurity element is and why it is important for most businesses to have one. The Definition of a Managed Firewall Serving as an important element of network security, a firewall is a piece of computer hardware or software that monitors a computer network’s incoming and outgoing traffic, then either permits or blocks the transfer of data to and...

Read More What Is a Managed Firewall and How Does It Benefit a Business?

FTC IT Solutions is offering a word of warning for businesses considering the latest round of updates to Microsoft Windows — be aware that some users have reported common problems after installing the updates. First made available in March 2021, the latest Windows 10 updates have led to reports of computer crashes while printing to certain types of printers. A common symptom of the issue has been the appearance of the loathed “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD) error, forcing a need to restart the computer being used to print. In most cases, the restart temporarily resolves the problem, that is...

Read More Beware: Recent Windows Update Can Cause Crashes While Printing

Wi-Fi has become a nearly ubiquitous feature of the modern-day office, and for a large portion of today’s businesses having reliable internet coverage is downright critical to getting the job done. And of course, when it comes to Wi-Fi, having the signal to reach across the entire facility is ideal, leaving no areas uncovered or struggling with a spotty internet connection that could hamper workers’ productivity. But what is the best way to ensure full Wi-Fi coverage throughout an office? While there is a range of methods for getting an internet signal to reach all corners of a business’s property,...

Read More Mesh Network vs. Wi-Fi Range Extender — What Are the Key Differences?

Most employees know to be careful when clicking on emails they receive from unfamiliar senders. But as cybercriminals and their tactics have become more and more sophisticated over time, it has grown harder and harder to recognize a scam. And as a result, the threats such attacks pose to a business and its systems continue to grow. Just how big are the threats? Consider this: According to a recent report by insurance carrier Hiscox, in 2019, the average cost of a single cyberattack on a business reached just under $200,000. And businesses of all sizes can be targeted. In fact,...

Read More 5 Common Cybersecurity Threats to Watch Out for in the Workplace

Even before a global pandemic forced millions of U.S. consumers to take their shopping activities online, e-commerce had clearly become a force to be reckoned with in the modern marketplace. In fact, with online sales of physical goods nearing $350 billion in the United States in 2019 alone, the e-commerce wave had already grown so large that business owners ignored it at their own peril, and the coronavirus has only served to make it even more prominent. Think about it: Even if today’s consumers end up shopping in person at a store, most perform at least some measure of online...

Read More 5 Web-Based Services That Can Help Businesses Add and Grow Their Online Retail