Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

The Internet is etched into the very being of society, from the workplace to the home environment. It’s critical to ensure access to tools, resources, and contacts, among countless other functions. However, one place where the Internet has struggled to take foothold is in the classroom. Believe it or not, there are tons of classrooms all over the country that don’t have reliable access to the wonders of the Internet.

Email is a communication solution that clearly shows its age, but it’s still a vital component of the modern office. Despite your best efforts to find a better way to communicate, email is a staple that’s proving to be difficult, if not impossible, to adequately replace. Therefore, it makes the most sense to make using email as painless as possible. Here’s how it’s done.

YouTube has been a monstrous hit for Internet video enthusiasts ever since its creation, but just recently, it was announced that YouTube now has a premium service called YouTube Red. Now you can watch viral videos and other great entertainment flicks in a whole new way. Still, this change has some people concerned over what it means for their current YouTube watching habits. What do you get with a YouTube Red subscription, anyway?

The hype train keeps chugging along for Windows 10, and it’s obvious why. It’s a great operating system that’s changing the way that businesses handle their daily tasks. But is Windows 10 doing as well as it lets on? According to desktop operating system usage statistics from NetMarketShare, Windows 10’s adoption rate has significantly slowed down in recent months, while more people continue to take advantage of Windows 7 and 8.x. Why?

Technology is everywhere. Coincidentally, that is exactly where every political candidate wants to be. With the 24/7 news cycle and social media leading the charge, technology has become one of the most important aspects of election season. The lead-up to any election is a tense time for the candidates, and for their supporters. With public arguments being had about different philosophies, ideologies, and platforms, it’s important to understand how today’s candidates handle technology while on the campaign trail.

Professional sports have a unique relationship with technology. On one hand, the games are steeped in tradition and one doesn’t make a change to the rules without risking a fan uproar. However, the latest technology has always been a part of the sporting world, enhancing the fan experience and changing things for the better. The National Football League provides us with a great example of this dynamic.

When you’re shopping around for new technology for your business, you’ll encounter all kinds of solutions that are designed for different business models. As a small business owner, you probably wonder why some vendors label their solutions as “enterprise-level.” Well, we’re here to explain that.

Microsoft and Apple have been going at it for decades. Not only have these two tech monsters been at it in the lab, they’ve been each other’s prime competition throughout the advents of the personal computer, the graphic user interface, and the smartphone. Today they continue to make devices that deliberately (or not) seem more like counterpunches to the other than pure innovation.

Editing text can be a rather drawn out process. Thankfully, technology has made editing much easier than it was back in the day when papers were marked up with red ink and notes like “F- See me after class.” Here are two great editing tools that you will want to take advantage of.

It’s been a few years since the mobile industry embraced the fourth generation of wireless communication. Tabbed “4G”, it has been the accepted communications platform for devices since 2010. While it’s important to understand where we are, it’s equally important, especially regarding technology, to see where we’re headed. Due to the immense demand these networks have on 4G, is there a chance that we will see an upgrade of this system soon? Analysts say it’s not likely.

The newly-released Windows 10 operating system has been well received by the tech community. Yet, no OS is perfect and you shouldn’t blindly upgrade just because you’ve heard good things about it. Before upgrading to Windows 10, be sure to take into consideration these four shortcomings.

One nail-biting aspect about email is that you’re never sure if the person you sent your message to has actually opened it and read it. This is especially the case if it’s an important message. When you don’t hear back as quickly as you’d like, you then begin to doubt if the message was ever even received, which could lead to unnecessarily contacting them by different means. This only looks desperate. To calm your nerves, there’s an extension for Chrome that tracks details like this for Gmail.

In July, IBM announced the development of a computer chip that’s four times more powerful than anything currently on the market. As cool as this news is, what makes it extra exciting is the fact that it’s an ultra-dense chip. Developments like this will be the driving force behind the advancement of computing, well into the next decade and beyond.

Most people rely heavily on their smartphones. If you’ve been out in public recently, you know the behavior we’re talking about. Some people constantly have their noses in their phone. Many sources are beginning to see this as a major cultural problem, but is this because there has been no dedicated strategy to move smartphone users from constant entertainment and current events consumption? Ironically, to move society forward using these “essential” information delivery systems, we may just need more technology, not less.

There’s no question that mobile devices have changed the way society works on a fundamental level. It’s hard to imagine even leaving the house without your trusty smartphone by your side. The iPhone was once advertised as “life in your pocket,” and this phrase has proven to be entirely too true. Eight years following the introduction of these devices, businesses have grown reliant on this type of mobile technology to stay relevant in their chosen industry.

How much time do you waste on your mobile phone’s applications on a regular basis? With so much entertainment and social media at your fingertips, it can be tempting to just forget about work for a bit and zone out to Candy Crush. Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of employees have this mindset. The Nielsen Company made some shocking discoveries about how much time is wasted on mobile applications each month, and the results are disturbing.

Have you ever wondered how your competitors are doing but haven't gotten up the nerve to ask them yourself? With these six apps, you’ll be able to keep track of what other people are saying about your competitors, as well as what they are saying about you.

For eons, the human species has sought to improve efficiency through the integration of new innovative technologies. We always push toward the bright new future, a garden filled with shimmering hardware and the sweet, sweet smell of silicon. Everything is running smoothly, just like music, until you hear a note that doesn’t belong. Instead of a chorus of heavenly angels serenading you as you open the door to your server room, you hear the sound of failure; hardware failure, to be specific; and it’s not pretty.

Do you need a WiFi signal? If you’ve got a PC with a wireless card, then you’ve got what it takes to download Connectify and turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. These days, with everyone being so dependent on WiFi, having an additional WiFi hotspot can come in handy.

What separates the average PC user from the IT technician who routinely takes care of your technology issues? In essence, the only difference is the amount of technical training. Our years of technical expertise have given us the ability to diagnose and resolve varieties of problems, but we don’t hold our knowledge close to the chest. Rather, we want to share it with you.