Author: rory-admin

  • 4 Ways to Secure Your IoT (Internet of Things) Devices

    4 Ways to Secure Your IoT (Internet of Things) Devices

    Love it or hate it, internet connectivity in everyday devices is here to stay. Whether you’re a staunch believer that “smart” devices are unnecessary or if you are just waiting for the day when the 1999 Disney movie “Smart House” becomes a reality (minus the over reactive AI of course) – chances are you have some devices in your home or office that are connected to the internet just like your laptop or desktop computer is and that means they need to be managed in almost the same way from a cyber threat perspective.

    You might be thinking, there’s no way my smart fridge has the same capacity as my laptop for being a cyber security threat vector, it’s not powerful enough? Unfortunately, you would be wrong in that assertion. Even if you turn off the “smart” functionality in your devices they’re still internet facing and should be secured or maintained.

    Here are our 4 tips for securing your IoT (Internet of Things) Devices:

    1. Create Network Segmentation: This sounds complicated, but all this just means creating groups within your router for your various devices (most routers have a guide for doing this).
    2. Update Firmware: IoTs devices also need regular updates (and as with computers a lot of these updates are security related). If you connect to the device through your phone updates can usually be managed in their app.
    3. Utilize MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication): While the IoT device itself may not have the option of MFA, your phone or computer that you use to interact with it will for many of the sites you use. This will make it a little safer to continue using those devices to interact with the IoT device.
    4. Consider Whether You Need the Internet Connectivity: Many ordinary devices come with internet connected features these days, but if you want your fridge to be a fridge and not a smart fridge we recommend just disabling them.

    Even in offices, smart devices are becoming a more common place in the form of lighting, thermostats and sensors. Securing these devices in an office setting is even more important and you may need expert help in making sure all IoTs devices are accounted for and secured properly.

    Valley Techlogic can assist in your networking and cybersecurity goals, learn more with a consultation today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • When is the best time to buy a new laptop? Plus our top laptop picks by category for 2024

    When is the best time to buy a new laptop? Plus our top laptop picks by category for 2024

    With Amazon’s Prime Day starting next Tuesday we know a lot of people will be interested in taking advantage of any laptop sales the e-commerce giant will have available to refresh an older device or bump up to better hardware, but is this the best time to buy a new laptop?

    There are actually several times throughout the year we see laptop (and devices in general) sales spike, including:

    1. Back-to-School Season (July to September): Retailers often offer discounts to attract students and parents preparing for the school year.
    2. Holiday Sales (November to December): Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) offer significant discounts. Christmas and New Year sales can also be a good time to find deals.
    3. New Model Releases: New laptop models are usually released in the spring (April to June) and fall (September to November). Purchasing a laptop just before or right after new models are released can lead to discounts on older models.
    4. End of Financial Quarters: Retailers and manufacturers may offer discounts at the end of March, June, September, and December to meet sales targets.
    5. Annual Tech Events: Pay attention to major tech events like CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January. After such events, you might see price drops on older models.

    For Windows devices in particular, we often see a lot of new releases coming around in October when Windows big feature updates for the year typically drops (and if you’re still on Windows 10 which reaches end of life October of next year, this is a great time to upgrade to a Windows 11 or Windows 11 ready device).

    For our personal laptop recommendations, we’re both a Lenovo and Dell partner and recommend the following from each brand, first from Lenovo:

    1. Best 2-in-1: The Lenovo Yoga 7 functions in both laptop and tablet mode and is a great option for creative roles with it’s built in stylus and faster processor.
    2. Best Daily Driver: The Lenovo ThinkPad is an all-around great day to day model with long battery life and rugged components (especially if you spend a little more for the T series models).
    3. Best Workhorse: The Lenovo X1 Carbon is designed with business use in mind and the hardware can be upgraded for even the most demanding load with options for more RAM, faster processors and high powered video cards that will make this laptop work as hard as you do.

    If Dell is your favored brand we have a couple of recommendations for them as well:

    1. Best 2-in-1: In the 2-in-1 category from Dell we have the Dell Latitude, Dell even one ups Lenovo with the ability to fully go tablet mode and remove the keyboard entirely while keeping the same impressive performance capabilities.
    2. Best Workstation: The Dell Precision is Dell’s daily work model, with the focus spent here on providing just enough power to complete all your daily tasks and in whatever form factor you prefer (this model ranges from a travel sized 14 inches up to 17 inches for better viewing capabilities).

    While these are just some of our recommendations in a nutshell, Valley Techlogic clients receive the benefits of our procurement services which include helping them select a device that’s perfect for them and their workflow down to the smallest detail. If you would like to know how Valley Techlogic can assist you with making hardware choices for your business and more, schedule a consultation with us today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Are IT audits part of your technology business planning? 5 tips for completing a technology audit on your business

    Are IT audits part of your technology business planning? 5 tips for completing a technology audit on your business

    If technology audits aren’t a regular part of your business planning or you’re not sure where to begin, today’s article will include advice on both the process of conducting a technology audit and what your technology audit report should include when you’re done.

    Before we touch on those topics though we should cover what a technology audit is in a nutshell and why they’re important. A technology audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your IT infrastructure and systems. During the audit process you can document your equipment, discover shortcomings in your cybersecurity planning, review your disaster recovery processes, and evaluate what steps you should take to improve your technology landscape as a whole.

    So where do you begin with the process of conducting a technology audit for your business?

    1. Define the Scope and Objectives: Before you can begin the process of the audit you need to outline what items will be evaluated. We suggest the following as a baseline but depending on your business sector and compliance requirements more items may need to be added. 1. Device Inventory (Computers, Laptops, Servers Etc. > 2. Software Licensing > 3. Security Measures > 4. Network Equipment & Subscriptions > 5. Data & Backup Procedures is a good baseline to start with when it comes to categorizing your report.
    2. Assemble the Team: Next you will have to determine who is the best team for completing this audit. We find that customers prefer to take a step back from the IT process and “leave it to the experts” but in this case you know your business best and it’s a good idea to work in tandem with your existing IT. You can have them assemble the report and leave the door open to any questions they have as the process progresses.
    3. Conducting the Audit: We suggest beginning the audit with a full inventory of your technology hardware, this allows you to take note of devices that are working as expected, devices that could use a replacement and even devices that are still powered on in your office but no longer being used (and could potentially be a threat vector if they’re also no longer being maintained).
    4. Continuing the Audit: Next your technicians can segue into evaluating your software licensing (also a great time to eliminate unnecessary tech spending on licenses that are no longer used), as well as your backups and data management.
    5. The Final Piece: Finally, they can evaluate your cyber security processes and disaster recovery planning, and if you don’t have a disaster recovery plan in place then creating one as part of your audit process is a good idea.

    At the end you should have a report that fully encompasses the full scope of the technology your business uses. We recommend conducting comprehensive audits like these annually for the best results and you will be able to refer to previous years’ audits to better plan for your technology spending year over year.

    If the thought of doing this on your own is overwhelming, we don’t blame you. Conducting a comprehensive technology audit is best left to the pros and if you’re a Central Valley business owner, Valley Techlogic can provide this service for you alongside our other preventative technology maintenance at no additional cost. Learn more today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Ransomware attack brings down auto dealers across the country, bringing car sales to a halt

    Ransomware attack brings down auto dealers across the country, bringing car sales to a halt

    Software creator CDK Global experienced a ransomware attack last week that left auto dealerships that use the software they distribute (Dealer Management System or DMS) unable to process car sales as they normally do.

    The DMS software is used by over 15,000 dealerships nationwide and not only helps car dealerships quickly process applications but also provides dealers with the ability to manage customer relationships and service solutions such as maintenance contracts, car rebates and even tracks dealer inventory.

    Many dealerships have begun to process car sales manually, but the software also managed appointment requests, for both buying and car maintenance grinding those services to a halt as well. The service has been down since last Wednesday and CDK Global doesn’t expect the service will be back up until June 30th although they say some services are starting to be brought back online as of writing.

    Summer time is typically a popular car buying season especially with Fourth of July sales being a staple of the industry, it’s unknown what effect this attack will have on overall sales for this quarter.

    The group behind the outage, BlackSuit, is part of a growing trend of hacks specifically targeting software suppliers and demanding lucrative ransoms to get systems back online. CDK hasn’t thus far paid the ransom and we have no confirmation of what that figure is.

    Blacksuit is known for both stealing sensitive data and locking up systems, then demanding a ransom to restore both. They also provider information to smaller hacking groups so they can carry out their own attacks including resources to intimidate victims into paying. It’s estimated they’ve carried out successful attacks on 95 organizations globally although this figure only includes companies who reported the attack. The figure is likely much higher.

    In one post on Reddit a user describes a client who was hacked by an affiliate of the group and paid $4000 to recover their data, the reach of not only Blacksuit themselves but by bad actors who utilize their services to conduct their own attacks would be impossible to determine but should make even small business owners wary as we continue to see hackers organize and expand their reach as a group rather than as individuals.

    CDK meanwhile has continually moved the goal post on when a resolution will occur, automotive dealerships were originally told systems would be up by June 21st and now June 30th but they’ve already stated even by that date systems may not be back up for everyone affected.

    “We are still doing the workarounds, using a paper processing system. The problem is we can’t load this data back into the system,” Geoffrey Pohanka, chairman of Pohanka Automotive Group located in Maryland told CBS. “We can account for the work we did in our general ledger from a financial statement standpoint, but it’s very hard to pop all this data back into the system so you can have access to it later.”

    Attackers continue to grow more savvy and the effects of an attack like this won’t only incur damages such as downtime or a loss of data or even the financial burden of paying a ransom, they can affect customer perception of your business and cause customers to lose faith in your ability to service them.

    At Valley Techlogic, cybersecurity is a keystone offering of our technology support plan. We follow cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST, CIS, HIPAA and CMMC to ensure we’re following nationally recognized standards for cybersecurity protections.  If you would like to ensure an attack like this will never happen to your business, or if you’ve already experienced a hack and are looking towards the path to recovery, Valley Techlogic can support your business today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Our top 10 best tricks for using Microsoft Outlook every user should know

    Our top 10 best tricks for using Microsoft Outlook every user should know

    Microsoft Outlook is a feature found in their Office line of software and can be used standalone or as part of your overall Microsoft 365 subscription package. It can be used as a mobile app, a desktop app or even within your browser and has many competitive features that make managing your business’s email easier such as tie ins to your Microsoft calendar automatically (including the ability to schedule Teams meetings right from Outlook) and automatic access to OneDrive to make sending files you’re actively working on more convenient.

    Beyond those core features though we have our top 10 tips and tricks you may not be aware of for making using Microsoft Outlook even easier to use.

    1. Organize Your Inbox with Folders and Categories: You probably knew you could create folders, but did you know you can also use color-coded categories to keep your inbox organized? Color coding makes it easier to sort through emails in your inbox at a glance.
    2. Set Up Email Signatures: Create a professional email signature with your contact information and company logo. There are even tools that integrate with Outlook to create a professional looking signature that will always be present on your outgoing emails. At Valley Techlogic we use (and recommend) Exclaimer.
    3. Use Email Templates: Did you know you can create email templates in Outlook? If you have an email message you send frequently to clients or prospects you can create a template to easily send it on the fly, just get the email ready one more time than navigate to File > Save As and in the Save as type list you’ll see the option for “Outlook Template”. Simply name the template and then it will always be right at your fingertips for future use.
    4. Integrate with Other Apps: It’s probably a given but we highly recommend connecting Outlook with other Microsoft Office apps (like OneNote, Teams, and SharePoint) for seamless productivity.
    5. Sync Across Devices: You should also make sure your Outlook is synced across all your devices for easy access to your emails and calendar on the go.
    6. Use Mail Merge for Bulk Emails: Use the Mail Merge feature to send personalized bulk emails to multiple recipients, to start navigating to Mailings> Start Mail Merge > E-mail Messages and select the template you want to use. From there you can set up your mailing list (if you don’t have one saved you can create one as you set up your mail merge). Mail merge is an excellent way to send marketing and promotion emails or updates to your customers without needing to send dozens of individual emails and without the use of a CRM (Customer Relationship Management tool).
    7. Set Out of Office Replies: Going on vacation? Configure automatic replies when you are out of the office. Just navigate to File > Automatic Replies to set one up for your desired dates.
    8. Use the Calendar Efficiently: You probably know you can schedule meetings and set reminders with your Outlook calendar, but did you know you can also share your calendar with colleagues? Just right click on your calendar and select “Share Calendar” and choose the person you’d like to share it with, it’s as easy as that.
    9. Utilize Quick Steps: Set up Quick Steps to automate repetitive tasks, like moving emails to a folder or creating a new meeting request. You can find it by selecting Home in the top tool bar and it will be towards the right end of the bar labeled Quick Steps. From there you can customize the steps you would like Outlook to complete automatically on your behalf.
    10. Archive Old Emails: Use the Archive feature to keep your inbox clutter-free without deleting important emails. You just select the emails you’d like to Archive and right click to send them to the Archive folder, thereby cleaning up your inbox but keeping them available just in case.

    These aren’t our only Microsoft Outlook tips, we also wanted to share our top 5 Outlook shortcuts in the graphic below.

    Do you need assistance in getting the most out of Microsoft Outlook or your Microsoft 365 subscriptions? Valley Techlogic is a certified Microsoft partner and we’re experts in all things Microsoft and Windows related. Learn more with a free consultation today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Purchased a new laptop? Five steps on how to set it up to maximize your productivity.

    Purchased a new laptop? Five steps on how to set it up to maximize your productivity.

    If you’ve purchased a new laptop recently (or if you’re in the market) you may be wondering what to do with the fresh new start you now have on your hands.

    However, there is the matter of your old laptop before you do anything with your new one, before you send it to e-waste or hand it off to the next person you want to make sure any files you’ll need now or in the future have been taken off of it and stored either directly onto your new device, into cloud storage, or even onto a portable hard drive. Once all of the files have been backed up and you can then safely wipe it to ensure no personal data remains (or have your IT team handle this if you’re unsure).

    Now that the matter of your old laptop has been settled, we can move on to our five tips for maximizing your new laptops potential and setting it up as a new productive workspace:

    1. Perform Any Necessary Updates: Nothing is worse than getting settled in and ready to use a new device only to be prompted that you need to update RIGHT NOW. That’s why we suggest getting this out of the way and performing any necessary updates right out of the box, it may seem a little counterintuitive that a brand-new device would need updates right away but generally they’re packed up by manufacturers with just what you need to get it turned on – all the configuring comes later.
    2. Uninstall What You DON’T Want: This is also a good time to uninstall any pre-configured programs that you don’t want, like an anti-virus program that’s different than the one your company uses or programs that are really more of an advertisement for the manufacturer. Again, reach out to your IT team for assistance if you’re unsure what’s okay and not okay to remove.
    3. Set Up Backups for This New Device: If you’re using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace your office probably has backups that would cover your new device, so you’ll want to set these up so any files you bring over or create on your new laptop are backed up as well.
    4. Install Your Productivity Software: Microsoft 365, Adobe, your preferred browser, applications for your VoIP provider, anything you need to do your job day to day can safely be installed at this point in the process.
    5. Finishing Touches: Lastly, you can setup your laptop in appearance, setting up dark mode where applicable, changing your background, setting your preferred font size. All the finishing touches that will make working from this new device feel streamlined and familiar (but with the added boost of having a newer, more capable device).

    On the back end, your IT team should be setting up the tools needed to keep your new device safe such as end point protection, virus scans, malware detection and more. They may want to perform these updates right after any necessary updates to the operating system have been completed or they may want to as soon as your device will be connected to your office network. It’s a good idea to work with your IT team on setting up your new device in a way that’s both productive AND secure.

    If you don’t currently have an IT team or the one you work with does not provide new device support, reach out to Valley Techlogic today. In addition to customized procurement advice and support, setting up new client devices is an included service in all of our support plans. Setup a consultation with us today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Six Ways Continuous Monitoring Keeps You a Step Ahead in Your Cyber Security Efforts

    Six Ways Continuous Monitoring Keeps You a Step Ahead in Your Cyber Security Efforts

    In today’s digital age, businesses face an ever-increasing number of cyber threats. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, the need for robust and proactive security measures has never been greater. One of the most effective strategies for safeguarding business assets and sensitive information is continuous monitoring. Here are six ways continuous monitoring benefits businesses when seeking comprehensive cyber security solutions.

    1. Real-Time Threat Detection

    Continuous monitoring provides businesses with real-time visibility into their network activities. Traditional security measures, which often rely on periodic scans and updates, can leave gaps in protection. Continuous monitoring, on the other hand, ensures that potential threats are identified and addressed as they occur. This real-time threat detection is crucial in minimizing the window of opportunity for cybercriminals, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches and other security incidents.

    1. Proactive Risk Management

    By constantly monitoring systems and networks, businesses can proactively manage risks. Continuous monitoring tools can identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses before they are exploited by attackers. This proactive approach allows businesses to implement timely patches, updates, and security measures to fortify their defenses. Instead of reacting to incidents after they happen, businesses can stay ahead of potential threats, creating a more secure and resilient environment.

    1. Enhanced Compliance

    Regulatory compliance is a critical concern for many industries. Continuous monitoring helps businesses maintain compliance with various standards and regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. These regulations often require ongoing monitoring and reporting of security measures. By integrating continuous monitoring into their security strategy, businesses can ensure they meet compliance requirements, avoid hefty fines, and protect their reputation.

    1. Improved Incident Response

    When a security incident occurs, the speed and effectiveness of the response are crucial in mitigating damage. Continuous monitoring equips businesses with the necessary tools and information to respond swiftly to incidents. Detailed logs and real-time alerts provide valuable insights into the nature and scope of the threat, enabling security teams to isolate affected systems, contain the breach, and implement remediation measures. This rapid response capability minimizes downtime, reduces financial losses, and preserves customer trust.

    1. Cost Efficiency

    While investing in continuous monitoring may seem like a significant expense, it can actually lead to substantial cost savings in the long run. By preventing data breaches and minimizing the impact of security incidents, businesses can avoid the financial consequences of lost data, legal liabilities, and reputational damage. Additionally, continuous monitoring can streamline security operations, reducing the need for manual interventions and allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than constant firefighting.

    1. Increased Business Agility

    In today’s fast-paced business environment, agility is a key competitive advantage. Continuous monitoring provides businesses with the flexibility to adapt to evolving threats and changing security landscapes. With real-time insights and up-to-date threat intelligence, businesses can make informed decisions and adjust their security strategies as needed. This agility ensures that businesses remain resilient in the face of emerging threats and can quickly pivot to address new challenges.

    Continuous monitoring is a vital component of a robust cyber security strategy. By providing real-time threat detection, proactive risk management, enhanced compliance, improved incident response, cost efficiency, and increased business agility, continuous monitoring empowers businesses to safeguard their digital assets and maintain a strong security posture. As cyber threats continue to evolve, businesses that invest in continuous monitoring will be better equipped to protect their operations, data, and reputation.

    Embrace continuous monitoring today and take a proactive stance in securing your business against the ever-present cyber threats of tomorrow by partnering with Valley Techlogic. Our plans include cyber security protections like continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection and end point security by default. Learn more today by scheduling a consultation with us today.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • You have cloud backups for your business, but are you wasting money on storage you don’t need? 5 ways to tidy up your cloud storage

    You have cloud backups for your business, but are you wasting money on storage you don’t need? 5 ways to tidy up your cloud storage

    The worst backup situation to have as a business owner is no backups at all, so if you’ve made keeping backups of your data a priority in your business, we want to encourage you to keep the effort up. Having data backups is crucial for making a full recovery in the event of device failure, cyber security breaches and more.

    With that said, the cost of storage and in particular cloud storage is something to be considered when formulating a plan for backups. With physical hardware you have a tangible wall that prevents storage costs from ballooning out of control, but with cloud storage no such wall exists. Your provider will likely sell you as much data storage as you need and if your backups aren’t set up in an efficient way you may find the costs continue to rise while not being entirely sure as to why.

    Here are five ways to setup efficiency for your cloud backup solution and keep costs under control:

    1. Implement Data Archiving Policies: Regularly archive older, infrequently accessed data to cheaper, long-term storage solutions. This reduces the cost of more expensive, high-performance storage.
    2. Use Tiered Storage Solutions: Take advantage of cloud providers’ tiered storage options. Store critical, frequently accessed data in high-performance storage and less critical data in more economical storage tiers.
    3. Automate Backup Schedules and Policies: Set up automated backup schedules to ensure data is backed up regularly without human intervention. Use policies to manage retention, ensuring outdated backups are deleted after a certain period.
    4. Compress and Deduplicate Data: Use data compression and deduplication techniques to reduce the amount of storage required. Compression reduces file size, while deduplication eliminates duplicate copies of data.
    5. Monitor and Optimize Storage Usage: Regularly review storage usage and costs. Use analytics and reporting tools provided by cloud providers to identify unused or underused resources and optimize storage allocation accordingly.

    By implementing these strategies, business owners can effectively manage their cloud storage costs and maintain an organized, efficient backup system.

    Did you know backups are a core feature of Valley Techlogic’s service offering? Not only can we assist you in maintaining your existing backups, we also will keep our own backup of your data as part of your service plan with us.

    You can learn more about our backup program here, but in a nutshell whether you want to keep your current backups and utilize ours as an additional copy or erase that expenditure from your billing and let us handle it – Valley Techlogic can support your business’s backup planning in addition to the other ways we support your business.

    Learn more today by scheduling a meeting with one of our experienced

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • AI updates for 2024 and what they mean for you, including the addition of multimodal for Google Gemini & ChatGPT and Amazon’s new AI Alexa service

    AI updates for 2024 and what they mean for you, including the addition of multimodal for Google Gemini & ChatGPT and Amazon’s new AI Alexa service

    AI (Artificial Intelligence) continues to try and proliferate the space in which we live, from innovations aimed at simplifying our work activities and increasing productivity, to enhancements to our devices that will make using AI in our homes more accessible. It’s impossible to ignore that Google, Amazon and other major players in the tech space want to make AI part of our daily lives.

    But what does this really mean for you and are the advancements coming to AI in 2024 really going to be useful for the average person? In today’s article we’d like to look at some of the AI announcements that have made major headlines and break down what they mean for you.

    Multimodal AI: First of all, what is multimodal AI? Traditionally at the moment you input one type of content request into AI models, such as a text prompt asking for an image or written text, and it provides you with an answer based on the prompt that covers whichever content you requested (IE written OR visual).

    With multimodal AI you won’t be limited to one form of output, instead you can enter a prompt that requests a mix of medias, such as a report that includes text AND images that align with the report.

    Multimodal AI will pull from several different data inputs to give you a more complete pictures without the need to enter separate prompts for different types of media. Also, because all of this is being processed at the same time you will likely see more cohesive results. Both ChatGPT and Google Gemini have begun to offer a multimodal AI experience and we expect the technology behind this type of AI will continue to improve in the coming months.

    AI comes to Amazon’s Alexa: Amazon made the announcement that a subscription based Alexa service will be rolling out sometime this year and will provide a better user experience, with more intuitive answers to questions and a conversational approach to requests to keep up with the current trends (search queries have become more conversational overall and it’s largely attributed to AI).

    Pricing has yet to be announced but Amazon has stated it will not be included with Amazon Prime. Amazon will use it’s own large language model, Titan, to power the upgrade.

    AI for Marketing?: The Google Marketing Live 2024 event was this week and unsurprisingly AI the feature focus for the tech giant. With enhancements announced to immerse consumers in AI powered ads and an “AI readiness tool” that will be available sometime this year.

    Highlights included the ability to take a static “hero asset” and turn it into a video with a realistic 3D animated background, the ability to use AI to recreate and retool existing ad creatives, and enhancements to search that allow consumers to buy a product they find as a solution to a search query directly from the same browser window.

    Generative AI lets you continuously improve your AI experience: Finally, increased improvements to generative AI, which is AI that learns the patterns and structure of your input, will make using AI to create cohesive content for your business even easier. From allowing your employees to seek out answers to questions without an exhaustive web search to aiding in crafting articulate responses to your clients and more. With generative AI your voice is an additional component to your AI experience. Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn and ChatGPT continue to include enhancements to the generative AI experience. You can even add a background prompt to give additional context to your AI program of choice (such as information about your business or yourself) so the responses you receive are uniquely tailored to you.

    Looking to improve your business with AI strategies or take advantage of AI advancements in cyber security including enhanced monitoring, threat detection and real time solutions? Valley Techlogic remains at the fore front of new technologies, and we can assist you in navigating AI solutions for your business. Learn more today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Have you heard of zero trust security? Why it should be the standard for small businesses and 3 ways to implement it

    Have you heard of zero trust security? Why it should be the standard for small businesses and 3 ways to implement it

    Explaining cyber security in 2024 means navigating all sorts of buzz words – cybersecurity awareness, data breach, ransomware and malware, endpoint security, threat detection, two-factor and multi-factor authentication, and yes zero trust just to name a very small portion of them.

    We know users feel burnt out on the number of phrases that do represent actual security threats that are thrown at them day to day, as an IT service provider it can be difficult to translate this phrasing into a tangible concern for our clients.

    For example, whose data hasn’t been leaked in a data breach in 2024? Our personal data has become a commodity that most of us have accepted may end up on the internet in ways we can’t anticipate or prevent.

    But that’s not exactly true, with a zero trust environment you can make your business much more resilient to threats and data breaches and it’s not as difficult as you may think.

    What is Zero Trust? Zero Trust abandons the idea that everything connected to your work network is safe and instead treats everything as a potential threat, you might be thinking now, why would I want that? It is a more rigorous approach but extremely beneficial, if every device must be individually verified then none of them can act as a trojan horse to your business.

    The key pillars of Zero Trust are:

    • Least Privilege: Users get enough access to do their job, no more no less. We can’t tell you how many situations we’ve encountered where everyone’s computer has admin level privileges, and in a data breach situation that would make any one of those devices an extreme threat to your business.
    • Continuous Verification: It might be kind of irritating at first to check your two-factor application or your phone for a texted code – but the benefits will come in spades should any of your passwords be leaked (only around 50% of users are aware of good password hygiene).
    • Network Segmentation: This one is not too difficult to implement, and your users won’t even notice it, this is just segmenting your network so that say your work computers and other devices are on one network and outside devices (like a visitor’s cellphone) are on something like a guest network. This zero cost fix will mean you have greatly reduced exposure to threats from outside devices.

    Within the pillars it’s easy to see the three steps we would recommend someone start with when setting up a zero trust environment, that is reducing users to having only the level of access tey need, enforcing two factor or multi-factor authentication, and setting up at the very least a guest network.

    When it comes to implementing cyber security standards, the sky is the limit. All of the settings we recommend above really only cost time, but they will benefit your business greatly in the event any kind of breach occurs.

    Limiting the damage that can be done is always the goal when it comes to cyber security, hackers will constantly push at boundaries and find ways to access your systems (yes even if you’re a small business) and with minor improvements you can protect yourself from most major threats.

    Cyber security protection is a cornerstone of our service plans, and whether you’re interested in evolving your cyber security standards to include zero trust strategies or in receiving the benefits of a comprehensive cyber security stack without having to assemble it yourself, Valley Techlogic has you covered. Book a meeting with us today to learn more.

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    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.