Dymin Blog

Running a small business can feel like a constant struggle to keep up—with orders, with paperwork, and with the speed of technology. Your computers and myriad other electronic devices may become damaged, obsolete, or inadequate for your business needs every few years. (For computers, for example, the average lifespan is between 3 and 7 years before you’ll need to determine whether to continue to repair or replace.) As you consistently replace and upgrade your electronics, what do you do with the old devices?

One of the most valuable assets of your business is the data that keeps it running. Many companies, however, have data storage systems that are woefully inadequate, insecure, and insufficiently protected. If all of your client lists and inventory live inside your laptop or on your company’s physical server, you’re at risk of data loss. Theft, natural disaster, or technological malfunctions could cause your data to be corrupted, compromised, or completely destroyed. This could derail your business, costing you significant time, money, and customer goodwill. If you don’t regularly back up your business data, you could lose everything. Backing up to the cloud is an economical, efficient, easy way to back up data effectively and comprehensively on a regular, ongoing basis.

Your Social Security Number (SSN) enables government agencies to identify individuals in their records and businesses to track each individual's financial information. It was originally created to track the earnings histories of U.S. workers for use in determining Social Security benefit entitlement and calculating benefit levels. Nowadays, however, it is commonly used by both government and private entities to identify an individual and report all sorts of information, including financial data and credit history.

Even if you have the patience of a saint, waiting for your computer to load can be some of the most maddening moments of your day. Those seconds (or minutes) that you wait for programs or web pages to load can be incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, most of the time you can get rid of those delays without too much trouble or expense. Start by asking yourself the following questions and performing the most common troubleshooting steps.

Many people use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to keep up with news and current events, and to entertain themselves with funny videos, games, and other content. Users’ accounts often contain a great deal of personal information, including photos of friends and family. As more and more applications integrate into the Facebook platform, it’s more important than ever to ensure the security and integrity of your Facebook account.

Many people are passionate about their Apple products for many good reasons. Apple’s user-friendly devices integrate easily and offer simple solutions to many consumers’ professional and personal needs. It’s a common misconception, however, that Macs are virus-proof. Although Macs are less likely to become infected with malware, spyware, or viruses, they are not immune.

The internet has come a long way from when you had to patiently wait minutes for websites and pictures to load, but when your internet slows down, seconds of delay can feel like eons. If websites are slow to load, refresh, or time out before completing actions, or if your internet connectivity is spotty or altogether failing, start by trying these troubleshooting tips.

One of the most valuable and vital components of any business is the data that keeps it running. It’s essential that business owners back up this data effectively and comprehensively as part of regular, ongoing business operations. For personal files, backing up your home computer ensures that if your hard drive is damaged, destroyed, or suffers a complete failure, you won’t lose precious data. If you don’t regularly back up your data at home and at work, you could lose everything—forever.

It used to be that businesses controlled how their staff used and accessed data in the workforce by simple physical proximity: users came to work and accessed networks on company devices, and that was that. In today's more diverse workforce, people want to be able to work remotely and access their resources at any time without coming into the office.

Many companies allow or encourage workers to use their own devices, which makes it even tougher to regulate access and ensure consistent security for company data and networks. Microsoft’s new Azure cloud computing tools provide solutions to many of these modern issues.

You flip open your laptop to get some work done, expecting to see your login screen, but nothing happens. The screen is black, and there are no signs of life. What do you do when your device won’t power on? Here’s a checklist of potential problems to help you troubleshoot before calling in the professionals.