A Helpful Practice To Minimize Loss Of Data

Data loss is something we all fear. Imagine, losing all our important files, photos, and videos. Data loss affects everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are. Whether you’re a business owner, home owner, or an employee, data loss can be detrimental to your health. Yes, just like smoking, it can kill you. especially if you don’t know how to handle it.

Seriously, data loss hurts. The thing is, it’s the last thing anybody thinks about. Do you think about it? You probably don’t until it happens to you. That’s the thing; it can happen to you.

The loss of data is always considered as something that happens to others, such as a situation where one is naturally exempt or sheltered.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

There’s just no doubt that the consequences of data loss could be catastrophic.

The problems created from this loss can be huge, very serious and usually synonymous with budgets of large sums of money for recovery.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

Can you imagine what data loss can do your business? You probably don’t want to think about it now because it’s such a negative thought. If you don’t have any preventive measures in place, you have to think about it now.

A loss of data can leave a company out of service for several hours, and even days, and sometimes resign itself to never being able to recover certain batches of information.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

You can deal with data loss. It won’t be easy but you can deal with it.

When dealing with this type of events, it is important to know that data recovery in general terms is possible.

(Via: https://demotix.com/loss-and-recovery-of-data-tips-and-good-practices-that-can-be-very-useful/)

It’s good to know that data recovery is possible. However, that could take up some of your time as well. What you could do is to minimize data loss. Here’s a helpful practice to help you minimize data loss.

Do you back up your files? Is this a practice you do regularly? if not, then it’s time to instill this practice at home and …

ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC Ranks No. 2619 on the 2019 Inc. 5000 With Three-Year Revenue Growth of 149 Percent

inc5000NEW YORK, September 3, 2019 – Inc. magazine today revealed that ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC is No. 2619 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Microsoft, Dell, Domino’s Pizza, Pandora, Timberland, LinkedIn, Yelp, Zillow, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

“We are absolutely thrilled and honored to be ranked on the prestigious 2019 Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies,” said Joseph Rabinowitz, Co-Founder of ManhattanTechSupport.com. “I am truly humbled to be listed among so many incredible companies that are driving innovation and growth. This achievement is a testament to the great passion and skills of our valued staff, which continues to be our strongest asset. I would also like to express our appreciation to our incredible clients for allowing us to achieve this milestone and constantly ranking us as one of the top IT services companies in the nation.”

Not only have the companies on the 2019 Inc. 5000 (which are listed online at Inc.com, with the top 500 companies featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 20) been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists. The 2019 Inc. 5000 achieved an astounding three-year average growth of 454 percent, and a median rate of 157 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $237.7 billion in 2018, accounting for 1,216,308 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000.

“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have followed so many different paths to success,” says Inc. editor in chief James Ledbetter. “There’s no single course you can follow or investment you can take that will guarantee this kind of …

Paradigm Shift: Reasons You Should Consider IT & Tech Support as an Investment and Not an Expense for Your Business

Today, some businesses persist in seeing IT as a cost center. This attitude is rooted in the past, when the high price of hiring in-house IT staff paying for hourly support, combined with the expense of network infrastructure, put reliable IT out of reach for most small and midsized businesses (SMBs).

Today, things are different. IT now permeates every aspect of most businesses and shapes the direction of their development. In this current technology-driven climate, most successful businesses understand that IT is a driver of productivity and value — not a cost center. Moreover, new models of technology management have emerged, providing a cost-effective means to extract the greatest ROI from investments in technology.

Information Technology Won’t Deliver Solid ROI Without Proper Maintenance

Information Technology Won’t Deliver Solid ROI Without Proper Maintenance

While IT is now a core driver of business success, there are dangers too. According to data from research firm IHS, network downtime costs businesses in the United States upwards of $700 billion every year. Even at small and midsized businesses, it’s not uncommon for the cost of network downtime to reach into the thousands of dollars per hour, when you factor in all the associated costs.

Reliable Technology is Central to Employee Morale and Engagement

When your technology systems go down, your busy employees can’t get their work done, and morale deteriorates. According to DataBarracks, one-third of companies have not done an effective calculation on the real costs of network downtime, and very few businesses have considered how downtime devalues their team’s work and makes them feel as if they’re unsupported.

While good technology has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on employee engagement, especially young employees, it’s also true that bad technology can have the opposite effect. This should make ensuring reliable network availability a priority for any business that wants staff members to stay active and excited about their jobs.

How can you calculate the total cost of IT downtime in your organization? Here’s a useful guideline.

Cost Of Downtime Formula (1)

 

The Previous Forms of IT Support Enforced the “IT as a Cost

…

Here’s How You Can Permanently Delete Data From Your Hard Drive

Accidental deletion of data is inevitable. It happens. Data can be deleted accidentally either by human error or destructive forces. When accidental deletion of data is caused by destructive forces, you pretty much can’t do anything about it. Unless, of course, your hard drive is still intact. If it is, there’s a huge possibility that you could still get back your data. After all, data can live in your hard drive for a very long time.

That is the reason why permanently deleting data from your hard drive could be a huge challenge as well. Yes, there are times when you just have to do it. These are the times when you no longer need your computer or maybe even your external hard drive and you want to give it away or maybe even sell it. For safety measures, you need to permanently delete data from them. As a matter of fact, you need to do the same thing on all devices that store your personal data.

Making sure that your personal information is safely and securely erased from devices that you are no longer using is a good thing.

(Via: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-securely-erase-the-data-off-your-iphone-or-ipad-android-device-windows-pc-hard-drives-ssds-and-flash-drives/)

In this article you’ll know how to permanently delete data from hard drive. Keep in mind that this is permanent deletion. That means, once you delete, it’s gone. So, say good bye now.

Let’s start with Windows.

Yes, you can wipe a drive using the Windows format command.

Fire up a Command Prompt and type:

Format volume /P:passes

Where volume is the drive letter, and passes is the number of format passes you want to make.

To wipe d drive with 4 passes, use the following:
Format d: /P:4

Under Windows 8 and Windows 10, the wipe passes use random numbers to overwrite data on the disk (on previous versions 0 were used).

You can also wipe the drive that Windows is installed on by booting from a Recovery Drive and choosing the Troubleshoot > Advanced options option to access Command Prompt.

(Via: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-securely-erase-the-data-off-your-iphone-or-ipad-android-device-windows-pc-hard-drives-ssds-and-flash-drives/)

Here’s how …

Finalists announce: 2019 ITAC Ingenious and CanadianCIO of the Year Awards

 

 

5MISSISSAUGA, ON (September 10, 2019) – The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) is pleased to announce the jury-selected finalists for the 2019 ITAC Ingenious Awards and the ITAC CanadianCIO of the Year Awards.  These awards programs were created as a way to recognize Canadian talent and initiatives designed to improve performance, introduce new services, solve programs and grow businesses through the use of technology.

The ITAC Ingenious Awards finalists, together with the finalists for the ITAC CanadianCIO of the Year Awards program, will be judged by a second panel made up of senior CIOs and CEOs, including a representative from the CIO Association of Canada, who will select the final winners in each category.  Winners will be announced on November 27, 2019 during the ITAC Ingenious Awards Gala at the Omni King Edward Hotel, in Toronto, ON.

2019 ITAC Ingenious Awards Finalists:

Large Private Sector

  • PCL’s Hazard Inspection App: Eliminating Job Site Hazards with Artificial Intelligence
  • PCL: Building Smarter with Job Site Insights

Large Public Sector

  • Ministry of Government & Consumer Services, Infrastructure Technology Services, ON Public Service – TechLounge: A Positive End-User Experience Transformation
  • Humber River Hospital – iPlan

Medium Size Private Business

  • Active Exhaust – Shop Floor Control Solution

Small Size Private Business

  • MetaOptima Technology – DermEngine: Future for Intelligent Skin Cancer Diagnostics
  • Daisy Intelligence A.I. Solutions

Small-to-Medium Size Public Sector/ Not-for-Profit

  • CAA Club Group – Geo-Temporal Generation 2
  • eHealth Centre of Excellence – Virtual Visits: Delivery Primary Care through Innovation
  • Oakville Enterprises – Grid Intelligence

Ingenious Spark (start-up)

  • Highmark Interactive
  • Novation Solutions o/a Dealmaker

2019 ITAC CanadianCIO of the Year Finalists:

Public Sector:

  • Alex Benay, Former CIO of Canada
  • Annette Butikofer, Canada Revenue Agency
  • Dana Sanderson, University of Prince Edward Island
  • Helen Wetherley Knight, Calgary Drop-In Centre
  • Johanne Duhaime, Hydro-Quebec
  • Julie Leese, Transport Canada
  • Sylvain Chalut, Bank of Canada
  • Wendy Gnenz, City of Edmonton

Private Sector:

  • Alan Fong, Fleet Complete
  • Darryl Vleeming, Aurora Cannabis
  • Mark Bryant, PCL Constructors
  • Peter Sweers, Interac
  • Peyman Parsi, TMX Group

Our Partners

ITAC is proud to partner with …

CommScope, Ruckus and the Federal Market

It’s been a number of months since Ruckus was acquired by CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks. The combination of the two companies is supposed to “shape the future of wired and wireless communications,” according to the press release announcing the deal. As we’ve progressed with the integration, I can truly see the meaning of this statement.

smart city

This is especially the case when you consider the federal government. The combination of CommScope’s wired capabilities with Ruckus’ wireless solutions can drive forward some of the government’s most notable trends, including network convergence, fiber, and mobility everywhere, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and rapidly changing network and technology architectures. How, you ask?

In addition to its industry-leading portfolio of wireless network infrastructure solutions, CommScope brings the foundation of a network through its copper, fiber and hybrid cabling – whether it’s a building, data center or base/campus. CommScope’s fiber-optic solutions deliver optimal bandwidth and lightning-fast data transfer speeds while enabling migration to faster, more complex applications. Ruckus, on the other hand, adds the wireless fabric, delivering ubiquitous connectivity with access points, switches, and cloud services. These combined capabilities now offer federal agencies the ability to connect almost anywhere, both inside and outside a facility. In short, it enables the government to think “smarter” about its connectivity through the establishment of smart buildings, smart campuses and smart cities/bases.

Smart Buildings

Federal offices are often dense with old construction, resulting in low
bandwidth options and other networking/telecommunications issues. CommScope
brings:

Combining these solutions with Ruckus’ indoor wireless access points allows agencies to deploy capabilities to enhance the communications environment within buildings, making them smarter in the process.

Smart Campuses

Government campuses are seeing exponential growth in connected devices, wireless technologies, and IoT functionality. The CommScope/Ruckus solution set enables agencies to extend the network outside of an office to a campus environment. Specifically, the CommScope/Ruckus comprehensive portfolio of network solutions allows agencies to design …

Governments’ resistance to progressive digital transformation coming at considerable cost; national tech industry association

Mississauga, ON (September 9, 2019) –  According to national industry association the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), which released a new White Paper today, governments’ slow adoption of cloud computing is wasting resources, slowing down innovation, limiting the delivery of digital services to Canadians and resulting in missed opportunities for technological competitiveness.

“Embracing cloud computing is a non-negotiable in driving in Canada’s quest to maintain global competitiveness.  Transition to the cloud will ensure governments move away from the reliance on outdated, expensive data centres and traditional IT,” explains Angela Mondou, president and CEO, ITAC. “Demand for public cloud-based services is increasing in all sectors and with the Canadian public – the time is now for our Governments to take advantage of this momentum and to take on a leadership role.”

The White Paper notes that holders of the most sensitive data in the world, including many national governments – including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia – have already adopted Cloud First policies and are reaping the benefits. Their experiences offer valuable lessons learned on improved policy outcomes, enhanced efficiencies, higher levels of service quality, greater agility and improved levels of trust with citizens and businesses.

“While the vast majority of Canadians are connected, technologically adept and comfortable accessing digital services, government has not been keeping up – and that is of great concern.  ITAC strongly supports the adoption of a cloud first approach to IT modernization and offers the Government of Canada nine recommendations that will drive efficiencies and savings, protect the interests of citizens and spur innovation,” added Mondou.

Important to note – while many governments have been slow to migrate to the cloud, due to the technological debt load they are carrying, the Government of Quebec by contrast announced a bold move in February to migrate 80 per cent of its operations to the cloud by 2022.

Virtually all digital transformation initiatives depend on cloud services for access to key technologies and supply and distribution networks.  Global spending on technologies and services that …

Fact: Hard Drives Fail And Here Are The Reasons Why

External hard drives are computer accessories. You can either have them or not. It depends on you. However, doing without them could be a risk you’re taking. Unless you have an online backup service to rely on, you just can’t rely on the internal hard drive of your computer. You need a backup for all your files.

So, chances are, you do have an external hard drive for all your backups. That’s good. Now, the next thing you need to consider is that they fail. While it’s good to them, it’s also good to keep in mind that they’re not exactly 100% foolproof.

So, why do they fail? Read on to see the various reasons why.

Damaged recording surfaces are responsible for 70 per cent of hard disk drive (HDD) failures.

Damage is generally caused by the hard drive experiencing a physical shock; being hit, falling over or being dropped. The shock can result in a head crash or damage to the platters.

(Via: https://blocksandfiles.com/2019/07/12/the-reasons-disk-drives-fail/)

It’s, undoubtedly, convenient to have an external hard drive. You can take them with you anywhere you go. You don’t even have to take your computer with you. All you need is your external hard drive to keep your files. Unfortunately, the portability of an external hard drive is what makes it fail as well.

Who hasn’t dropped an external hard drive? You’ve probably done so several times. You see, it’s that portability that exposes it to danger. Sure, you can be careful but only to a certain extent.

If there’s one thing that’s already been proven is that hard drives fail. A huge part of the reason why they fail is because of damaged recording surfaces brought about by physical shock. So, think about it. Take a good look at your external hard drive. Honestly ask yourself how long it’s going to take until it fails you.

Circuit board failures can also end the life of your ever-reliable external hard drive.

Circuit board failures account for 18 per cent of drive failures and

…

Understanding and Creating Respect in the Workplace

Respect in the Workplace

Neglected and disgruntled employees can get in the way of your company’s success. This often occurs when they feel disrespected by fellow employees or by upper management. On the other hand, employees who feel respected in their workplace are more confident and loyal. For a company to be successful, employers and managers must know how they can nurture and sustain a culture of respect in their organization. 

A majority of employees regard respect as the most important leadership trait. However, more and more employees continue to report massive instances of disrespectful behavior from their seniors.

Surprisingly, many leaders do not fully comprehend the main elements of workplace respect. Thus, even the most genuine initiatives aimed at establishing a respectful workplace are treated with open suspicion. 

So, how do you create a workplace that prioritizes respect?

Know the Types of Respect

Respect is generally classified into two types. All employees are entitled to owed respect. However, it is common for some employees to outperform others and become essential to a company’s growth. These rare crop of employees deserve earned respect. 

A seasoned team leader knows how to infuse the two types of respect into the daily operations of the company. You can use owed respect to increase cohesiveness among employees and earned respect to motivate exceptional employees.

Be Consistent

Always display a great degree of equality when showing respect to employees. Low-level employees are adept at noting seemingly negligible cues that they may interpret as respect or disrespect. Feelings of being ignored or favored are likely to develop within the lower ranks. To prevent the emergence of such an unsuitable workplace culture, you should set a consistent level of respect across the workplace.

Be Sincere

Nothing creates an atmosphere of respect than unhindered expressions of honesty. Flattering and suspicious compliments can cause havoc to your company’s culture of respect. 

Contact us for more information.

The post Understanding and Creating Respect in the Workplace appeared first on AE Technology Group.

from AE Technology Group https://www.aetechgroup.com/understanding-and-creating-respect-in-the-workplace/…

Ransomware Attack Rocks Rockville School District in Long Island. Who’s Next?

Daily News on Ransomware V2 (1)

Headlines such as the ones above are sadly commonplace as we see them in the news all too often these days. Unfortunately, 2019 has seen an unprecedented level of ransomware attacks on state and local governments, public institutions and small businesses. As my eyes get blurry from reading the news, the recent ransomware attack on the Rockville Centre School District has hit too close to home.

So, what happened exactly?

In July 2019, the Rockville Centre School District’s servers were hacked with a ransomware virus that encrypted files in the system. As a result, the school district was locked out of their computer networks and was not able to access any critical files or data. Ultimately, the Nassau county school district decided to make the payments to the hackers in order to get the decryption keys needed to get their systems back up and running. According to the Rockville Centre Superintendent William Johnson, the payment, covered by the school’s insurance, was necessary to restore the district’s communications systems, as well as other data needed to run day-to-day operations.

Misconceptions, misconceptions, misconceptions…

Education institutions might have to find out some facts and truths the hard way. Or not – if they understand the following:

The Rockville Centre Union Free School District, upon discovery of the issue, rightly contacted the Nassau County Police Department, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security. However, contrary to what you might have seen in the movies – or what you may expect to happen – the intelligence agencies of the United States will NOT magically become your cybersecurity services provider as a result of a ransomware attack. Sure, these government agencies came in and analyzed the data, and perhaps even helped stop the ransomware from spreading, but they are not the heroes the school system was relying on.

If you are expecting the cops and the FBI to swoop in and save the day – you’re relying on the wrong partners. Local governments and school districts need to realize that they are on …