BlackCSI Blog

Digital storage is one part of computing that has seen astronomical growth over the past several decades, and with the solid state drive (SSD) more affordable than ever, you have to wonder how well your old hard disk drive (HDD) is holding up. Despite the cost difference between the two, the HDD is a viable option, albeit a mechanical one that is prone to breakdown over time.

Remote work has presented considerable challenges for employers and businesses around the world, and while many of these challenges are still present, some have been resolved through the use of hybrid work accommodations. This strategy allows companies to provide flexibility to employees while still retaining the advantages of in-office work.

Cybersecurity is complicated, with countless moving parts that all contribute to a well-protected network. This includes password changes, multi-factor authentication, and policies and procedures that could make the average workday a headache for the average office worker. Cybersecurity burnout is a real thing, and it’s becoming a major problem for businesses that don’t approach it intentionally.

Modern businesses depend on cybersecurity to help keep operations from being targeted by hackers and other cybercriminals. Businesses need to be both resilient and agile in how they protect their infrastructure from these threats. Let’s discuss four of the most important ways your business can protect itself from the growing threats of malware, ransomware, phishing attacks, and other cybersecurity threats.

Quick response codes, or QR codes, are all over the place in today’s business world. They have largely been implemented as a means of providing contactless services throughout the pandemic and post-pandemic business environment, but they have also long been used for things like menus, document access and management, and so on. Even cybercriminals are using QR codes to their advantage, making it harder for all of us to trust them.

Your business relies on its profits and continued profitability to succeed, but this priority is surprisingly challenging. By investing in a managed service provider, however, you can gain a considerable advantage while improving your productivity, thus resulting in increased profits for your business.

While artificial intelligence is being adopted across numerous industries, one that many people may not think of is the cybercrime industry. Fortunately, AI can also be used to stop some forms of cybercrime, such as phishing. Let's talk about how AI might soon be an integral part of your phishing prevention.

We frequently write about topics in relation to business IT, but one that we have yet to cover is Schofield’s Laws of Computing. What are these laws, and what can businesses learn about them?

Even the most lucrative businesses never have enough capital and resources to do everything they would like to do. Whether it’s paying an unexpected bill or purchasing something you truly need, there are plenty of ways to spend more than you think for your business, especially with technology. Let’s go over some of the ways you can use technology to actually save money for your business.

Whether you’re talking about identity theft, data breaches, or any other form of cybercrime, one of the leading causes of successful cyberattacks is the use of insufficiently secure passwords. Just how easy is it for someone to bypass such a password? Let’s consider the facts.

World Password Day is indeed a thing, and it’s a thing to celebrate in the world of business technology, as it celebrates password awareness and advocates account security in a time when cybersecurity has never been more important. To help you observe World Password Day, we want to go over why passwords are important and why you need to take password security seriously.

The Internet of Things is pervasive in the way that many devices which you might not expect to be connected are, in fact, connected to the Internet. Smart speakers, smartphones, smart appliances, you name it, could potentially be a security threat if left unchecked. This doesn’t just go for businesses, either; even consumer smart devices could leave users vulnerable.

You always read that “business has changed”. This is true because society has changed; and technology supports this new normal. More people use their mobile devices for a majority of their communication, their browsing, and a lot more, and it is changing the way business is conducted; it’s just not always easy to separate work use from personal usage. Let’s take a look at some of the ways mobility has changed the way people approach work, and how that shift in perspective has changed business.

Pets do weird things every so often… like laying on top of keyboards or sidling up next to computer monitors. If you’re not careful, your furry companions might accidentally cause a lot of damage to your technology. Some studies have indicated that pets cause around $3 billion worth of damage to technology annually—pretty shocking stuff. Let’s go over how you can minimize the chances of this happening to you.

Technology is remarkably useful for plenty of business-related tasks, but even the most knowledgeable user isn’t going to know all of the features available to them. This is why we like to cover even small, basic tips that people can use to get just a little more value out of their technology. Here are three ways you can get more out of your Windows operating system.

Remember Google+? It was Google’s attempt at making a social media platform, and while it ultimately was not successful, it did have some interesting features that eventually made their way to other parts of Google’s growing list of business and enterprise services. Now, Google+’s legacy is in its final moments, as Google plans to shut down the Currents service this upcoming July.

My team and I are big fans of a good spreadsheet, just as a simple way of organizing and contextualizing your data. Therefore, we’re all for sharing some neat ways that you can make these visualizations even easier to communicate your findings through.

Let’s talk about how you can make your Excel spreadsheets into a heat map, giving you this kind of increased visibility.

Automation continues to play a major role in business operations, but some companies have more trouble than others with implementation. Most businesses just don’t think out their strategy before implementing it, so we wanted to bring to your attention what businesses tend to automate, as well as the tools used to do so.

The operating system is the most important piece of software in computing. It is the bridge between the user and the resources needed to get work done. Many businesses make technology purchases and pay for support, so they don’t always know when is the right time to upgrade the OS on your organization’s computers. Let’s take a look at some of the variables you should consider to better understand when it is time to change the operating system on your employee workstations. 

Your desktop can often become cluttered with files and programs while you’re going about your workday, and those files and programs will all have desktop icons associated with them. It’s a good practice to clean it up from time to time, but you can get immediate relief from the clutter by adjusting the size of the icons.