How to Reduce PC Power Consumption

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You probably grew up having a parent saying, “turn the lights off!” That was the number-one way to save on the power bill. But now, with so many of us having personal computers in the home, they too are a big electricity drain. Try these strategies to cut your PC power consumption.

Unplug the extras

You might connect printers, speakers, external storage, and other devices to your computer, but don’t leave them plugged in permanently, as they pull power even if you aren’t using them. An average printer on standby can use 5–8 Watts. High-end printers take even more power, pulling as much as 30 Watts.

Check your settings

Adjusting the brightness of your screen can cut back on your power usage: the brighter your screen, the more power it needs. So, reducing the brightness helps reduce your power intake.

You can also set your computer to run in power-saving mode. On Windows, options under Advanced Settings allow you to select a power plan to manage consumption. On a Mac laptop, you can go into system preferences and change settings for battery and adapter usage.

You can also set your computer to go to sleep when no activity is detected. This helps ensure you don’t leave the computer taking full power when you forget to turn it off at the end of the day.

Prefer sleep to shutdown

Speaking of sleep mode, putting your computer into sleep mode instead of shutting down consumes less power, especially if you are putting it aside only for a few hours. Starting up the computer consumes more power. As an added benefit, when you come back to a sleeping computer, it’s much quicker to turn back on and let you get back to work.

Corral your windows

Keeping a bunch of windows open and apps running in the background uses power for all those items. Once you’re done with an app or a browsing window, close it.

Note: We’re suggesting you do this when finished. If you are going to be jumping back and forth between programs or windows, keep them open. As above, launching them again and again can consume more power than leaving active apps open.

By the way, this works on your smartphone, too!

Work in airplane mode

Keeping Bluetooth and Wi-Fi open on a connected PC requires more power. The device will scan for available networks in the background even if you don’t need them right then. By turning on airplane mode, you disable this function.

Upgrade your hardware

Legacy equipment may not have the same power efficiency as newer models. Traditional hard drives, for example, are slower and consume more power than solid-state drives (SSDs).

An old computer processing unit (CPU) may need to work harder to keep up with your needs. That’s going to take more power. Additionally, if your random-access memory (RAM) is full, the operating system has to work harder. Yep, that’s more power, too!

If you don’t plan on computer gaming, you also don’t need a high-performance graphics card. Choosing a lesser option can cut your power usage.

Turn off RGB lighting

RGB (red, green, blue) lighting adds special effects around a monitor, or on a keyboard, mouse, or memory stick. It looks cool, but turning off these exciting features can conserve power.

Need to optimize your personal computing setup at home? Our IT experts can help. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Securing Your Legacy Architecture: Why and How

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Some business applications are so essential they are always on, 24/7. That makes them difficult to update or replace. You may also have hardware or software that has been getting the job done for decades. Taking an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” perspective, you continue to rely on this technology. But how secure is this legacy architecture? Convenience could be undermining essential cyber protection.

Legacy systems are common in many industries, including energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and government. Take this high-profile example of the dangers of relying on legacy architecture. American taxpayers got an extension on their 2018 filings due to a legacy tech outage. The Internal Revenue System’s critical systems went down for over 10 hours … on national tax day!

Legacy architecture includes software, hardware, and other tech that is not internet-enabled. It may all still work as intended, but that doesn’t mean it’s secure.

The Risks with Legacy Architecture

The longer you rely on an application, the more critical it may be to your day-to-day operations. This can make it more challenging to upgrade or replace. Downtime would be damaging, and costs could be prohibitive. It could be part of a custom deployment, making mapping what you need to update and secure as challenging as untangling all the electrical cords in the equipment closet.

Yet continuing to run legacy architecture leaves you open to many problems:

  • You could be running outdated software that you can’t control because the original developers are gone.
  • The technology may no longer be supported, so the vulnerabilities are growing every year it is left unpatched or not updated.
  • You risk noncompliance with industry or other cybersecurity regulations.

Your budget may not allow you to replace legacy equipment or overhaul it to provide more advanced cyber protection. Still, you can take action to protect legacy architecture.

Get to know the problem – Part of the issue with legacy architecture is that it has morphed beyond the original design. No one knows all its external dependencies and internal integrations with other equipment. That means you don’t know the threats or vulnerabilities and can’t design effective countermeasures and protections. Thus, protection begins with a deep dive to understand what that technology does and how it does it.

Build protections around it – Enhance security by making it more difficult for hackers to get at your legacy tech. It’s like putting a moat and high walls around a castle to protect it from marauders. Using firewalls can slow down the bad guys, plus, if you keep an eye on the security logs, you may be able to see them trying to break in.

Isolate legacy architecture – Another solution is to separate legacy equipment from other systems. This helps you limit the number of entry points a bad actor has to exploit vulnerabilities. You can also minimize collateral damage by keeping the attack contained.

Use multi-factor authentication – Better protect access to legacy systems with multi-factor authentication. This makes it more difficult for cybercriminals to get in. They’d need more than stolen access credentials for authentication.

Also, limit each user to applications or hardware that is essential for their role. This is a least-privileges-access approach. It keeps a bad actor from having carte blanche access to your systems.

Migrate workflow to modern systems – If part of a workflow doesn’t have to be done on the legacy architecture, move it to the more modern system. Transition to cloud technology to benefit from current systems with built-in redundancy. That can help you bounce back sooner if something does go wrong.

Develop a security mindset – Your people are often the weakest link in cybersecurity. When working with legacy tech, encourage your people to patch often and update always. Demonstrating you care about security can encourage caution. That can help you avoid costly mistakes or give the criminals a way in.

Partner with a managed service provider

By working with an external IT provider, you can enjoy a fresh perspective. An outsourced IT expert is skilled with legacy architecture and the latest tools, too. We can provide the know-how you need to protect what you want to hold on to a little longer. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

How to Know if a Laptop Screen Is Damaged

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You may not see broken glass, but you can know the laptop screen is damaged because you experience:

  • distorted images;
  • pixelization;
  • resolution lines
  • backlighting issues;
  • a blank screen.

You might want to turn that laptop into a piece of art. The screen, after all, is now showing very psychedelic, colorful images. If you have an LCD screen, the liquid inside might have spread, which can make deciphering your text or graphics like reading a Rorschach test.

Whether you want to get artistic with that laptop or not, replacing the entire laptop is one way to go, but it’s also the most expensive response. Ideally, you can avoid this approach. So, what’s left to do?

What to do with a damaged screen

If the laptop is under warranty, and the screen wasn’t dropped or damaged by you, you may be able to send it back to the manufacturer for repair.

Otherwise, you may be able to replace just the screen. The difficulty in replacing a screen depends on the manufacturer and laptop model. There are many screws and very fine cables that are easily snapped, and it’s going to be safer to go to a professional. Of course, you will also need to determine whether anything else was damaged.

Screen replacement is still a costly option. In fact, it may be more expensive than a new laptop. Plus, you might be without your laptop for several days while it is in for repair or even longer if you take it to a big-box store, where they will send it away for attention. That’s one reason to prefer a local repair shop.

Another option is to attach your laptop to an external monitor. This method has its own pros and cons.

It’s a more affordable option and can see you through finishing that report that’s due tomorrow.

The problem? This undermines the mobility of a laptop unless you want to walk around carting a monitor and its cords. Also, you may find the original, broken screen gets in the way.

Avoid damaging your laptop

Of course, we’re also going to share strategies to help avoid breaking the screen in the first place. Try these tips:

  • Never open or close the lid by one corner. Instead, use one hand to close the lid from the center, or hold the keyboard as the other hand opens the lid.
  • Don’t leave a laptop attached to cords that someone can trip over and bring the computer crashing down.
  • Avoid overheating your computer, as it can burn the laptop’s screen.

The price you’ll pay to deal with a broken screen will vary based on brand and model, as well as what’s gone wrong. Check with a local computer repair shop for an estimate and get back up and running. Call us now at (515)422-1995.

Automated Data Backups Still Need Management

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Your business is backing up its data in case of a cyberattack or other disastrous disruption. Yes, you can pat yourself on the back for that, but don’t get too complacent with backing up. Automated backup still needs monitoring and management.

Having decided to back up data, you may feel confident you can withstand an attack or recover from unexpected downtime. But if you simply trust the backup to run at a certain time, you might be surprised. Automated backups can make the job easier. Still, you should be monitoring these backups and checking them, too. There’s nothing worse than finding out months later that something went wrong with your automated backup.

Why you need to monitor backup

A technician can set an automated backup to run on a set schedule. They select a time that causes the least interruption while ensuring up-to-date data. Yet this is too important a process to leave unattended.

Things change. The automated backup is set up for the technology configuration when originally installed. A lot can happen in the meantime as the IT environment evolves.

Blindly trusting automated backup could leave you unaware of problems such as:

  • an unplugged backup device;
  • an altered device letter, which means it isn’t found;
  • moved folders;
  • software updates that might have changed what needs to be done and how;
  • the original plan not accounting for new servers or migration from on-premises to the cloud;
  • insufficient capacity for the backup.

If no one is monitoring that backup, your business could assume it went smoothly. Then, when you need that backup, you could find out the hard way it didn’t go as planned.

Keeping an eye on automated backup

It’s not that you can’t automate backup, and there is convenience in doing so. Automating the backup of a computer, network, or IT environment can save time and money.

Yet you need someone to pay attention. Monitoring backups ensures that the process is running smoothly.

A managed service provider (MSP) will take a hands-on approach to your automated backups. If there is a failure, they have the skills to address the issue quickly and alert you of any bigger issues. Plus, with an MSP in your corner, you gain IT experts skilled at data recovery, too.

The MSP’s techs can even run data-restore drills, helping you to prepare for challenges such as ransomware attacks or accidental data deletion.

Process automation helps businesses, but don’t rely on it unattended. Optimize data backup by adding a human element. An MSP can ensure quality and fully protect your business. Contact us today at (515)422-1995.

“Help, I dropped my laptop!” Now What?

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Dropping your laptop is not a good idea. Trust us: this is not a statement you want to test. Still, it can happen. Typically, this happens in painful slow motion where the laptop is just out of your reach to recover it in time. Dropping a laptop doesn’t always lead to damage, but it will depend on several factors. Learn more about this common concern.

What happens to your laptop if it is dropped will depend on different considerations:

  • how hard and far it fell;
  • what kind of surface it fell onto;
  • whether it was running at the time of the fall;
  • the laptop model;
  • whether you have a mechanical hard drive or a solid-state drive;

Drop a laptop from a footstool onto a thick plush carpet and you might not see any damage. Push that same laptop off a kitchen island onto a hard tile floor, and it might be completely destroyed.

Buying a protective cover for your laptop can help prevent damage. You can also get a screen protector. Another good idea is to be wary of where you put your laptop down. Don’t put it in high-traffic areas. Also, make sure corded accessories don’t create a tripping hazard that will see someone taking your laptop down as they fall.

Common red flags

Let’s assume the laptop appears to have survived the fall. You still have an intact screen, and the laptop continues to power on. Whew! That’s great. Still, after a laptop drop, you’ll want to look for the following warning signs:

  • noisy fan;
  • flickering or dim screen;
  • unresponsive keyboard;
  • a blue “screen of death”;
  • error message saying, “unmountable boot volume”;
  • computer won’t power up;
  • Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity no longer works.

Your laptop is a convenient, compact computer. That means that inside that hard case the parts are packed tightly. Dropping the laptop can jar important parts. It’s best to take your laptop to a computer professional to help address any boot, screen, power, or other issues.

What do I do when my laptop falls?

First, don’t panic. Yes, it’s scary to see your technology fall to the floor, but try to remain calm. Retrieve your laptop carefully and handle it gently as you take the following steps:

  • Inspect the exterior looking for scratches, dents, or cracks. Small, cosmetic injuries you might cover with stickers. The bigger ones? You may need a technician’s help.
  • Examine the screen to see if there are any cracks and if the screen still works as a display. Keep an eye out for lines, spots, dead pixels or a flickering display.
  • Boot the system to ensure the laptop remains functional.
  • Listen for unfamiliar noises which could indicate parts have come loose.

The earlier you respond to the damage from dropping a laptop, the better. So, don’t just hope that any issue you notice will go away. Instead, take your computer to a local repair shop for repairs or parts replacement. The reward could be a longer overall life cycle for your laptop. We’re here to help. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

Avoid This Top IT mistake: The “Wait and See” Approach

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Patience is often a virtue, and being budget-conscious is also a plus in business. Yet taking a “wait and see” approach with business tech is a top IT mistake.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the current economy. You may be looking to save money to give your business more budget leeway. But if you don’t make ongoing investments in your IT, your business could suffer.

You might skip software upgrades, but that can put your business at risk from cyber bad actors, who look to exploit weaknesses when people don’t upgrade their systems.

Deciding to put off replacing older devices or legacy hardware, you may be thinking, “What’s one more year?” It can make a big difference, actually. Your systems may have vulnerabilities that cyber-attackers will leverage. Your hardware may not be able to keep up with your business during its busy times, and your people could be working on devices that are no longer supported by the manufacturer. If something does go wrong, you’re on your own.

Trying to get by with less when it comes to business technology can hurt your business. We’re not saying you have to throw all sorts of money at every new technology out there, of course; it’s about fitting the right technology to your specific business needs.

Business tech: Better now than later

Businesses today are undergoing digital transformation. Across industries, people see the advantages of IT. The right technology enhances the quality of work and boosts productivity. You have the tools needed to support faster processing and wider information distribution.

Thinking only short-term about technology, as in “it’s working fine for now,” could hurt you in the long run, however, and by not looking after your tech and keeping it current, you could be missing out on:

  • keeping your software and systems patched and protected against the latest cyber threats;
  • enjoying the greater efficiency that comes from streamlined workflows and business process best practices;
  • being able to collaborate seamlessly with team members or clients and customers via the latest cloud communications tools;
  • getting things done more easily with the hardware and software you need to keep up with your business;
  • scaling up or down as your business needs with the convenience of cloud technology;
  • having peace of mind that if there is a data breach or other system disruption, you have a backup to get your business back up.

Moving forward with an MSP

There is an inevitability to investment in business tech. You know you’re going to need it. But taking the wait-and-see approach simply puts you at risk of a cyberattack or other productivity drains. Keeping your IT current and investing in this essential area can benefit employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and your business’s bottom line.

Not sure what technology to focus on while working within your budget? Our IT experts can help. We’ll get to know your systems and your unique needs. Then, we’ll make suggestions about the smartest investment areas for your business. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!

How to Select a Computer Repair Business

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Something is broken! The laptop is whirring. The computer won’t power up. In either case, you’re staring at a blank, blue screen. Yet you can’t live without your computer. You need to find a computer repair business. But what should you look for? This article will help you make your choice.

If a computer or laptop doesn’t do what we want it to do, we move into panic mode. You may want to run out and buy a new one. That’s going to be expensive and may be unnecessary, especially right now, as a global computer chip supply shortfall is ratcheting up prices and extending delivery timelines.

The next option? Find a repair shop to take a look at your home computer. Here’s what to look for.

#1 Good reviews and high ratings

Look up the business online and see what kind of customer feedback it gets. Don’t fall for a single five-star review, though – that could be the owner’s cousin. Look at the number of stars, as well as the number of reviews used to reach that ranking.

It’s also worthwhile reading some of the reviews. You’ll see what other customers are saying about problems resolved (or not) at that repair shop. Customer testimonials can help you sort out which shop is best suited to solving your current problem.

#2 Comparable price estimates

Ask for an estimate before you commit to working with a particular repair shop. You may not get a full picture. The repair team will typically charge you a diagnostic fee first to gauge the problem. Then, they’ll be better able to estimate the overall cost. They should be able to explain any large price jumps from their original estimate.

This is another reason to check out the reviews. You might see several people complaining about the cheaper initial estimate luring them in. Then, they get hit with a whopping bill after the fact.

#3 Go with relevant experience

You may not know the difference between a Dell and an Apple, but your repair person should. Prefer someone with experience addressing problems with your particular brand. This can save time and money. If the repair person is more familiar with that type of device, they may troubleshoot more efficiently.

#4 Location matters

If you go with a big-box store, you risk someone who doesn’t know much about computers shipping your device to a central repair hub. That means it can take longer. Your device could also be at further risk of damage while en route. Plus, you won’t get an accurate estimate for repair costs upfront.

If you select a local computer repair shop, you can get to know the individual working on your computer, and you know the device will be worked on in that store. Plus, if you ever have future issues, you can return to working directly with that same individual again.

Professional Help Matters

Sure, you might have a family member or friend who thinks they are a tech whiz, but that doesn’t mean you want to entrust your computer to them. Instead, work with a seasoned IT pro who can reliably address computer or laptop issues.

A computer repair professional will be customer-oriented. That means they’ll know how to meet your needs courteously. They’ll keep you informed and be upfront about pricing. After all, their business reputation rests upon your satisfaction. Can your cousin Edgar or friend Sal say the same thing? Contact us today at (515)422-1995.

Hardware as a Service: What Is It, and Why Use It?

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When IT infrastructure is out of date, you face performance and compatibility issues. Your business spends time troubleshooting faulty computer hardware, and productivity is lost. Yet your business can’t afford to update to more advanced technology. The solution? Hardware as a Service.

Hardware as a Service allows small or midsized businesses to lease needed computing power. The business gets access to new equipment they might not otherwise be able to afford. Plus, you save on operational expenses powering, cooling, and maintaining the tech.

IT infrastructure evolves so quickly, but Hardware as a Service helps you avoid becoming outdated. You no longer have to find the budget to purchase brand-new technology every few years. You simply lease the tech assets from a service provider.

How Hardware as a Service Works

There are different Hardware as a Service model. You might:

  • sign a contract for a provider to administer and maintain the computer hardware it installs in your offices;
  • use Internet Protocol (IP) connections to cloud computing environments and let off-site hardware do the work. This option saves on hardware costs and related OPEX, but also avoids heavy expenditure on IP bandwidth.

How does this solution differ from leasing computers? This is a managed services agreement, and you gain installation, maintenance, and support services, too.

More Advantages of Hardware as a Service

We’ve already mentioned cost-effectiveness and currency, but those aren’t the only benefits of using a HaaS solution.

Simplicity

Your business will pay a consistent monthly or yearly subscription fee for your HaaS. In return, you get systems that are automatically updated. The tech will be compatible with the latest software deployed. You don’t have to do the legwork to buy any hardware, and you avoid having to maintain the technology.

Proactive service

With HaaS, you don’t need an IT team in-house to manage and maintain the equipment. Additionally, the service provider offers value via effective customer service. You can expect the provider to be doing everything it can to ensure a robust hardware service so you enjoy the reliable infrastructure and round-the-clock IT infrastructure support.

Security gains

The IT ecosystem is always changing, and so, too, are the threats to cybersecurity. Your business would be more vulnerable to attack with legacy hardware. Using HaaS, you are working with more secure, up-to-date technology. This can cut the risk of downtime and service disruptions.

Scalability

If your business grows, you need your systems to grow with you. With HaaS, it’s easy to expand or upgrade infrastructure. You don’t have to worry about the huge capital expenditure for new tech; you’ll simply pay more to upgrade your HaaS solution.

With Hardware as a Service, you can affordably replace your technology before it becomes obsolete. Cut costs, and improve scalability and security, all while gaining an expert IT partner. Get in touch with us today at (515)422-1995.

Understanding the Cost of Downtime

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Business downtime is costly. Research abounds on just how much it can set a business back. Some small businesses can’t even rebound from the expenses associated with downtime. This article outlines the many expenses a business can encounter as a result of downtime.

What do we mean by downtime? There are many reasons a business might experience IT downtime. Say, the Wi-Fi goes down or there’s a simple power outage. Either could lead to a small-scale, short-term downtime.

Worse, you could be the victim of a cyberattack that sees criminals encrypting your data. A data breach or malware infection could force you to take systems offline to solve the problem.

Severe weather events such as tornadoes or hurricanes can also cause downtime. Or maybe the building suffers a gas leak or a fire, and your business isn’t immediately able to get back on-site. If you don’t have cloud-based access to your applications, you could suffer downtime.

Every minute you are without your business technology can add up. Let’s consider the various costs you could encounter.

Loss of business revenue

If your people can’t access business systems or network applications, productivity drops. Your sales team can’t close deals, or your product development team can’t access schematics. Perhaps someone in client development can’t get to their pitch presentation.

Remediation costs

Fixing your business technology after downtime takes extra work, which means added resource costs. You may have to pay overtime to the IT team working round the clock to get you back up and running, or there could be places you need to catch up when you had to spend time doing things manually. This disrupts efficiency and costs money.

Customer dissatisfaction

How often do you hear someone apologize for their computer running slowly? When you call a customer service line it’s a familiar frustration. Imagine telling someone instead, “our systems are down, and we are unable to help you right now.” You will be compounding customer aggravation. They don’t want to wait for your downtime to end to resolve their issue.

If there’s a data breach, customers will worry about personal data or compromise of proprietary information.

Legal and compliance fees

Your business could run afoul of compliance or face legal action. For instance, if you are in the health services industry and are breached, you could be hit with hefty fines for jeopardizing personally identifiable information.

Brand reputation

Say your payment processor goes down, and you’re not able to take any orders. Some customers will get impatient and order from a competing website. They may end up switching to that company permanently.

There’s also a misconception that any press is good press. But you do not want your business to make headlines for having fallen victim to a cyberattack.

Employee engagement

Every business owner recognizes the importance of retaining motivated and skilled staff. Employees frustrated by downtime may start looking elsewhere.

Morale and your business culture could decline. Turnover could rise. You’ll need to invest time recruiting, training, and retaining fresh new hires.

Key takeaway

Don’t think business downtime can’t happen to you. When it comes to technology, threats are ever-evolving. Keep current with updates and software upgrades, and be vigilant about fresh threats.

Partner with an MSP to develop backup plans. An IT vendor can help move systems to the cloud to ensure mobile access. MSPs can also be proactive. They perform preventative maintenance and help cut your cybersecurity risk.

We can’t promise downtime won’t happen, but we can make sure you are resilient and able to bounce back more quickly should problems arise. Contact us today at (515) 422-1995.

Supply Chain Shortages Making It Hard to Buy IT

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The computer chip and semiconductor shortage is an IT supply-chain stumbling block. Take, for example, Marvell Technologies, which develops and produces semiconductors and related technology. In late 2021, they were offering customers a 52-week delivery time.

Meanwhile, Intel’s chief warned the chip shortage could last into 2023. The founder of Dell said even cheaper components are proving difficult to source. In a Reuters report, Michael Dell said that “the shortage will probably continue for a few years” and that “even if chip factories are built all over the world, it takes time.”

What’s causing the shortages?

For one thing, more people bought computers during the pandemic for remote work. Meanwhile, COVID-19 created a logistical nightmare for technology production and shipping and continues to do so. In March, the major Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, went on lockdown to combat an outbreak of virus cases.

Critical international ports are also struggling to stay open amidst COVID-19 outbreaks. In March, trucks couldn’t reach container ships at the port city of Yantian due to lockdown. The port had already closed last June for a week, and it took months to deal with the shipping backlog.

Many manufacturers need Chinese components before they can start building their products. Thus, the shortage stops an entire production line.

None of this is helped by people hoarding products to take advantage of supply-chain shortfalls.

Plus, business tech manufacturers aren’t the only ones needing semiconductors and chips. If it’s got an on-off switch (e.g. your phone, your car, or any other electronics), it’s hit by this supply chain shortage.

What does this mean for your tech?

Business technology is going to cost more. No surprises there. It’s basic supply and demand. Not only is technology more expensive, but it’s also going to take longer to reach you.

What can you do? Plan ahead. If you’ve been thinking about a hardware upgrade, don’t wait to make your purchasing strategy. Anticipate your IT needs in advance to accommodate buying challenges.

You’ll also want to prioritize maintenance of your existing technology. You can’t risk a critical piece of your network failing. You might have to wait weeks (months even) for a replacement.

With hardware in short supply, a repair can also take more time and money. You’ll want to take care of what you currently use to make sure it lasts as long as you’ll need it.

Working with a managed service provider can help. Our experts can do preventative maintenance and support your long-term IT strategic planning. Our established vendor relationships could also help us access the technology you need. Let us take care of your short-term and future technology issues. Contact us today at (515) 422-1995!

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