ATECH MSP Blog

If you’re viewing this page on a laptop right now, I have some bad news. Studies have indicated that the keyboard you’ve been typing on is actually dirtier than a toilet seat. Pretty gross, huh? However, the last thing you want to do is ruin your laptop as you clean it… that’s why we’re reviewing the process of safely cleaning it - starting from the screen and moving on from there.

Google Chrome is the most popular web browser in the world, by a large margin. Not only is it often the go-to browser on the PC, it is also the browser used by a lion’s share of the Android OS-run smartphones in the world. One problem that users typically encounter when using the Chrome browser is that it is massively resource intensive and has a tendency to slow down the machine in which it is being used on. Today, we look at ways you can optimize Chrome to get the best performance you can out of it.

In today’s connected world, we expect to be notified when something happens in one of our applications. However, I’m sure you’ve seen an app notify you about every little thing, or just to remind you that it exists. Even if you caught on early enough to stop enabling notifications for each and every app, there are bound to still be a few irksome and distracting ones to take care of. For this week’s tip, we’ll discuss how to turn them off again.

When a business utilizes its technology properly, the chances of it yielding positive results improve. That being said, technology isn’t a priority for every single business out there. There are some business owners out there that don’t prioritize the latest technology releases, and that’s perfectly fine, as long as the organization doesn’t let it hold them back from greatness.

Microsoft OneNote is a very useful application, as its capabilities extend far beyond the basic note-taking that its name would imply. In fact, it has the capability to support a simple wiki-like system baked in. For this week’s tip, we’ll go over how you can use OneNote to set one up for your business’ benefit.

Countless business professionals all over the world are finding that they don’t have enough time in their work day to handle all of their responsibilities. The truth of the matter is that this is hardly something that’s anyone’s fault. If anything, it’s the poor time management skills that come from bad practices in the office. Today's tip is dedicated to how you can keep these tendencies to waste time in check.

Not too long ago, as of this writing, Microsoft began including Skype in their PCs. As a result, they created accounts for Skype based on a user’s Microsoft account…. Surprise! Now, you may not be comfortable with the prospect of people being able to find you via Skype, which is why we’re offering some tips to hide yourself from others.

Have you ever heard someone refer to an activity as “yak shaving?” Also known as “bikeshedding,” this is effectively a way to describe a specific kind of procrastination. For this week’s tip, we’ll explore how a freshly barbered yak relates to your business’ productivity, and how to keep you and your employees on the right track.

It is not unusual for the business that has been in business for a while to have used a number of software titles that either are completely ineffective, or are known to be security risks. The use of cheap, or free, software is prevalent among individuals and organizations that don’t realize that it pays to have a software strategy in place. For this week’s tip, we’ll talk about software and how something so crucial to the success or failure of a business needs to be taken seriously.

Communications can be difficult to manage, especially in today’s business world where workers are more mobile with more devices than ever before. How can you make sure your business’ infrastructure is prepared for the new developments in modern technology solutions? You can start by making sure your team is equipped with the applications and devices they need to stay in touch during the workday.

Some documents contain more sensitive data on them than others, making them important to protect. When it won’t do to have documents containing boatloads of sensitive data available to anyone who obtains the document, you can turn to Microsoft Word to have a feature that protects them: password protection.

A company’s wireless network is a big part of what they do. Not only does it provide the freedom for people to move around, it also spurs on collaboration, enhances coordination, and provides more availability for people to be productive. Problems abound with many organizations’ Wi-Fi strategy, however. If your business doesn't take proactive measures to properly manage your wireless connections, they may not be as effective or secure as you need them to be. Today, we’ll give you a few tips to make your wireless platform strong and resilient.

The holiday season is coming to an end, which means it’s time to get back to the grind in the new year. However, if you happened to receive an Android device as a gift (or maybe treated yourself to one, I’m not judging), you can leverage it to make work a little easier. We’ll give you a few tips how.

Shortcuts are one of the key parts of using a computer these days, and when properly used, they can make your experience with the device much, much more convenient. You can be more productive throughout the workday and be more effective at completing tasks, all thanks to shortcuts. There are four in particular that can help you be a better computer user.

Certifications are extremely helpful on both a personal and professional level, and it can make all the difference in securing customers or clients. Your staff can become Microsoft Office Specialists on Microsoft Office 2016, and in doing so, will improve their own value and self-worth in the process.

Of all reasons that a business doesn’t leverage IT, the one that makes the least sense to me has to be their size. There’s just a reluctance to adopt more than what - for whatever reason - is “enough” for a business of their capacity.

A backup is a critical consideration for any business, in more ways than one. We have a tendency to immediately jump to “business-ending disaster” whenever we mention a backup. However, we’ve realized that this may have the unfortunate side effect of lulling you into a false sense of complacency - after all, what are the chances of being struck by a “business-ending disaster?”

Microsoft OneNote is a very useful application for, as you may have guessed, taking notes. However, when we say taking notes, we feel as though we’re not doing the application justice. We’ll share a few tips to help you use OneNote to its full potential.

Did you know that switching from the keyboard to the mouse can eat up a full 8 work days worth of time per year?

An IT provider can do a lot for your business, but it can exceed your organization’s expectations in more ways than one. A growing business, however, often runs into issues that need to be addressed regarding its technology. We’ll outline some of the major benefits that technology management from an IT provider can offer for a growing business.