BlackCSI Blog

Whether you are sitting on a warm beach, taking a scenic train ride out into the countryside, or camping at the foot of a mountain, a vacation can be a great way to disconnect from the everyday buzz of work and screens. Although, if you are like me, you probably bring a few screens with you… let’s assume you keep it to a minimum. Either way, it’s important to not set yourself up for failure when you get back.

We’ve all been in the position where we need to plug something in, but the outlet is completely full. Fortunately, there are devices that can help resolve this problem—but as is the case with most things, one option is notably better for business purposes. Let’s go over what makes a power strip different from a surge protector, and why the latter is a far better option for businesses.

Depending on the technology, you might find that a wired connection will serve you better than a wireless one. Therefore, it becomes critical to know how to connect various cables to endpoints around your office. Today, we wanted to give you three practices that will help you ensure that cables are laid effectively and efficiently in your office. By sticking to these, you’ll be able to connect components to your network with ease.

The modern business is faced with countless challenges that threaten its existence, many of which stem from the problems associated with network security. If a business doesn’t have policies, procedures, and solutions in place that protect its data and network, it is making a fatal mistake. Here are five suggestions we have for how you can ensure your network is best protected from security threats.

Efficiency is great, but it should never come at the cost of boundaries. A perfect example of this is your work email address. It might be easy to use it to subscribe to an online service, like Netflix, but this is far from the best idea. Let’s take a look at why it might be a bad idea to breach these boundaries between your personal life and your work life, and why it might have lasting consequences.

You need to be sure that your business is prepared for disaster, which will necessitate a disaster recovery plan. While there are many steps that go into creating one, we wanted to highlight a few in particular and outline a few best practices to follow for each. Here are three of the most vital elements of a successful business continuity strategy, with a few tips to help you fulfill them most effectively.

E-waste is a considerable problem, and not just for businesses; it’s also terrible for the environment. Let’s go over some of the biggest reasons why discarded electronics, including some of the hardware that you invest so much money into, can be problematic, as well as some ways your organization can reduce its e-waste footprint.

While we might like to think that all computer problems are an easy fix, there is only so much you can do in certain circumstances. That being said, having a couple of computer maintenance “hacks” under your belt can make things loads easier for you when you do have to get your computer repaired. Here are some tips to consider before it’s time to get your computer repaired.

Many workplaces have taken to fighting the pandemic by adjusting their workplace strategies to enable both in-person and remote work. This change occurs as many companies realize that remote work is indeed a viable option, even in industries that have traditionally been opposed to the concept. With remote work so commonplace, it’s only prudent to include it in the onboarding process. Let’s go over some ways you can encourage your employees to build a more productive home office situation.

Some people shop almost exclusively online, and with the holidays gifting many folks gift cards, hackers are on the lookout for ways to exploit those who shop via the Internet. What can you do to stay safe while you are shopping online?

Ransomware is one of the worst threats you can encounter, and the first half of 2021 saw more large-scale ransomware attacks against both individuals and businesses than ever before. A new threat, however, promises to disrupt this trend, and it’s one that you might not have considered: fake ransomware attacks.

Phishing scams have been around for a long time, and they have only grown more convincing and more dangerous. Some businesses can’t even tell the difference between phishing scams and legitimate messages! How can your organization take the fight to phishing emails? It all starts with knowing what to look out for.

With so many people working remotely, it’s no surprise that folks are used to having headsets on or earbuds in. With increased use, these devices naturally get dirtier than they would otherwise. Let’s take a look at how you might go about cleaning them.

You hear the term “best practices” quite often, but unless you know what the buzzword means, it is pretty much meaningless. There actually is some merit to understanding what the term “best practice” is and why it is so important, so without further ado, let’s take a deeper dive into what a best practice actually is.

It doesn’t matter how good of a service your business provides or how incredible your customer service standards are if your business is lousy at ensuring that payments are received and processed properly. Invoices are an invaluable tool to help ensure your payments due are coming in efficiently. For this week’s tip, we’re examining how to leverage them better.

Nowadays, every company relies on some kind of software in order to properly function, so you need to ensure that this software is properly managed in order to maintain operations. While this may sound like a grand undertaking, software management is relatively simple and can be whittled down into three steps: leveraging the assets available, testing your strategies, and understanding what it is you have.

Despite what you may have heard, a bias is not an inherently bad thing. However, if not considered rationally, a bias can easily lead you to make a business decision that does more harm than good. Researchers have uncovered why we hold the biases we do, and how we might work to overcome them.

Oh no. You slap your pockets in a sudden panic, but you only confirm what you suddenly feared: you’ve lost your mobile device, the one with all of your business data on it. You haven’t an idea where you might have left it - all you know is that it’s just... gone.

You don’t need us to tell you that it’s extremely dangerous to hand out information to just anyone that contacts your business. This is important to keep in mind, especially considering how the majority of threats can be sent via email. You’ll likely encounter situations where you need to consider whether or not to click on attachments, as you could potentially put your business at risk.

The Internet is notorious for being a minefield of threats, many of which lurk hidden behind innocent-looking links. In order to go about business safely, you need to be able to identify which links you can click; and, which should be skipped.