December 21st, 2016 by admin
Phishing attacks are a dangerous and devastating method hackers use to steal personal information and accounts—primarily by striking the user instead of the machine. According to the APWG Phishing Activity Trends Report, the first quarter of 2016 saw...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Security
December 13th, 2016 by admin
In a rare move, Samsung fully recalled and discontinued production on its previously well-reviewed Galaxy Note 7 model following several verified cases of the devices catching fire. This unexpected turn of events has left a vacuum in the large smartphone...
Posted in: Knowledge
December 9th, 2016 by admin
We understand that feeling of being overwhelmed by the newest technologies on the market, the competition between service provider, and the conflicting reviews of software, prices, and quality. You have a business to run, and yet too much of your time...
Posted in: Services
December 7th, 2016 by admin
If your company’s antivirus software is letting you down, you should think twice before installing a second one on a computer: It may actually make things worse. Multiple antivirus programs working in conjunction on the same device is not a case of...
Posted in: Security
November 23rd, 2016 by admin
In September 2016, half a billion Yahoo account users received the bad news that their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and security questions were potentially stolen in a 2014 hack. According to CNET, the Yahoo hack is the largest data breach...
Posted in: Security
November 16th, 2016 by admin
Even seasoned IT pros have made the mistake of not backing up a device—and panicked after losing countless important files because the device failed. We may know better, yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re perfect. On the flip side, we’ve all...
Posted in: Backup, Managed IT Services
November 11th, 2016 by admin
In September 2016, Apple announced that the iPhone 7 will not feature a 3.5mm jack—meaning anyone who wants to use standard headphones (or the credit-card scanning Square Reader) will need an adapter. Only time will tell if removing the century-old...
November 7th, 2016 by admin
When you're working with a new service provider, you're often unsure of how processes will work, whether they'll deliver quality service, and if you can trust them. That's why we like to share our customer testimonials. By reading a few, you get to know...
Posted in: Company News
November 1st, 2016 by admin
As you probably know already, the United States experienced its largest Internet blackout in history on October 21, 2016, when Dyn—a service that handles website domain name routing—got hit with a massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack...
October 26th, 2016 by admin
Work-disrupting messages like “please connect charger” and “plug in or find another power source” can be a huge source of frustration—not to mention a major productivity killer—for employees on the go. Nobody wants to see their phone battery go belly-up...
Posted in: Data, Managed IT Services, Solutions, Knowledge
October 19th, 2016 by admin
Good news: Your IT staff can stop running regular hard drive defragmentation on your office computers. Improvements in technology have rendered this decade-old practice largely irrelevant. One less thing to worry about, as far as we’re concerned. Hard...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Knowledge
October 12th, 2016 by admin
While modern computers are much more stable than their ancestors, trying to get work done on a slow, malfunctioning computer is still a business world rite of passage. Troubleshooting bad behavior on your work computer can, of course, be a tedious...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Knowledge
October 7th, 2016 by admin
Why tempt fate by putting off a disaster recovery plan? Being unprepared might mean loss of sales, missing connections with clients, and lost data. Most businesses can't afford that kind of downtime. ATS can provide proactive measures to protect your...
September 28th, 2016 by admin
If your staff is complaining about slow Internet access at your office, it’s time to consider how well the Wi-Fi network is configured. Slow Wi-Fi is best known, after all, for transforming an otherwise ideal work environment into a slow-boiling pot...
September 21st, 2016 by admin
IoT devices have incredible potential to make your office more efficient. Previously we’ve discussed the caveats IoT devices bring to the workplace a few times, but today we’re going to focus on how these devices can increase productivity. It’s easy...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Solutions
September 13th, 2016 by admin
Make sure your staff and business is protected from crime with our video surveillance systems. Our surveillance systems are beneficial to any size business. With detail that surpasses analog cameras, you are able to capture events in your office or at...
Posted in: Security
September 13th, 2016 by admin
Water-resistance probably isn’t on the feature checklist for your employee smartphones—but judging by how many of these devices meet an untimely end via liquid damage, it should be. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that dropping the device...
September 7th, 2016 by admin
Google’s Chromebook platform has the potential to replace traditional laptops and increase productivity for businesses, much like it has in the consumer market at large. For the uninitiated, Chromebooks are Cloud-oriented laptops that run most operations...
Posted in: Knowledge
August 30th, 2016 by admin
Those old servers your business no longer uses—and keeps running anyway—are more than just a security risk: They’re hurting your firm’s bottom line. The term comatose server describes a functional server, connected to a network, that sits idle virtually...
August 24th, 2016 by admin
Secondary monitors have incredible potential to increase productivity in the workplace. It might not seem like much, but minimizing, maximizing, and arranging application windows on a single computer monitor can take up a significant amount of time....
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Solutions, Knowledge
August 16th, 2016 by admin
Can you believe just last year we turned 40?! Within this amount of time, our company has developed into a professional team of voice and data specialists that is committed to your satisfaction. We offer top quality products at competitive prices and...
Posted in: Company News
August 16th, 2016 by admin
Secure passwords and recovery strategies are an essential part of doing business in the digital age—and password manager programs can help streamline the process. Password managers store and, often, automate login credentials for individuals across...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Solutions, Knowledge
August 9th, 2016 by admin
There was a time when printers—in your office or home—were considered relatively "simple" office equipment: plug it in, connect it to the local network, and keep the ink fresh, and there wasn't much else to worry about. But times have changed. Today's...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Knowledge
August 2nd, 2016 by admin
Not all storage devices were built to stand the test of time, so it’s important for every business to ensure its data is backed up on a reliable platform. If you’ve ever needed to reference financial records or court cases from a decade ago, you’ll...
July 26th, 2016 by admin
Last time, we talked about several handy do-it-yourself online tools to measure your office broadband speed. If your online connections aren't quite as fast as you expected from your service provider, don't be afraid to show them the "hard numbers"...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Support, Solutions, Knowledge
July 19th, 2016 by admin
How fast is your company's broadband Internet speed compared to ten years ago? Chances are that while your online connection at work back then was faster than your first home Internet service (think of that annoying dial-up modem noise), if you tried...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Support, Knowledge
July 12th, 2016 by admin
If you've looked over our previous posts since we've started our blog, you know how serious we are about protecting your company from everyday cyber-threats—mainly phishing, ransomware, and various other malware. Today we'd like to discuss a different...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Solutions, Knowledge
July 7th, 2016 by admin
It's a fair bet that one of your employees has already shown off a trendy new wearable gadget around the office. What began with Bluetooth earpieces would branch off into smartwatches, smart glasses, wrist-worn fitness trackers, and even smart clothing...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Security, Knowledge
July 4th, 2016 by admin
Tired of managing your network? With our managed IT services, your can forget about your network and focus on your business. Some of the benefits of our services include: reduced costs, stability, guaranteed service levels, accessible and responsive support...
Posted in: Managed IT Services
June 29th, 2016 by admin
Readers of our blog over the past few years know we were among the first in the Bay Area to warn our customers about the growing threats of ransomware—from the emergence of CryptoLocker and CryptoWall to our federal government's startling admission...
June 21st, 2016 by admin
More and more businesses are switching their storage solutions from hard disk drives (HDDs) to solid state drives (SSDs) for one simple reason: the appeal of faster loading times and increased productivity. However, HDDs can still be the better choice...
Posted in: Solutions
June 14th, 2016 by admin
A WISP is one of the most important documents for any company doing business over the Internet—which, in this day and age, is pretty much everybody. Who's responsible for drafting and maintaining your company's WISP? Or are you even sure what a WISP...
June 12th, 2016 by admin
Don't miss out on the opportunity to give your business the best continuity plan. At ATS, we take measures to eliminate the obstacles that could disrupt your business and help implement reliable networks. Let ATS help you go above and beyond basic backup...
Posted in: Backup, Cloud, Managed IT Services
June 7th, 2016 by admin
One of our pet peeves with some of our new customers is that once we come in to upgrade their IT network, they're careless about disposing their old hardware—specifically, their PC hard drives. They think that by simply deleting their existing files—email,...
Posted in: Data, Managed IT Services, Knowledge
June 1st, 2016 by admin
Being the cyber-security geeks we are, we took great interest in combing through this year's California Data Breach Report, released by the Attorney General's office this past February. The report tabulates data collected from breach incidents which...
May 24th, 2016 by admin
Those “Upgrade to Windows 10” notifications seem to be showing up everywhere, even in the middle of a weather forecast on Iowa television. What would’ve otherwise been an embarrassing interruption turned into a watercooler moment that anyone who used...
May 17th, 2016 by admin
Let’s talk about desktop monitors. In many companies, large or small, an onboarding employee gets whatever display hardware might already reside in their assigned cube—no matter how old it is. But like most computer products, the technology is always...
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Knowledge
May 15th, 2016 by admin
Datto Drive is a new product we are offering that was just released this month! It is similar to Dropbox; it provides an easy way to share files and work cohesively with everyone in your organization! There is an introductory offer of 1 year of 1TB of...
Posted in: Solutions
May 11th, 2016 by admin
Smartphone users can be broken down into two camps: those who can't live without lining up to buy the latest and greatest model the day it hits the stores, and those who hold on to their tried-and-true phone until it suddenly dies one morning. There's...
May 3rd, 2016 by admin
Today we'd like to pass along a critical security advisory to all our customers: If any of your company's Windows systems still retain Apple's QuickTime for Windows software, uninstall it immediately—as soon as you finish reading this post (if not...
April 26th, 2016 by admin
Earlier today the cashier at the local drive-thru miskeyed the amount of cash I gave him into his register. Somewhat sheepishly, he asked if I had a smartphone so I could verify the correct amount of change. Fortunately, I never leave home without it....
Posted in: Managed IT Services, Support, Knowledge
April 19th, 2016 by admin
If you've been a regular reader of our blog, you know we've spent plenty of time discussing phishing, malware, and other cybercrime. It's all part of our modern online world, and we know it will never really go away. We've talked about the tricks scammers...
Posted in: Security
April 12th, 2016 by admin
Protecting vital business information is a priority of any business. ATS can help ensure that your network, users, and data are protected from continually evolving threats. A firewall is often installed in a specially designated computer separate from...
Posted in: Security
April 12th, 2016 by admin
A couple months back, we touched on the story of our normally tech-savvy friend who got tricked into allowing his desktop PC to be infected with obvious malware. At first, he had the sickening feeling that comes with a virus-infected computer—but thanks...
Posted in: Security
April 7th, 2016 by admin
We're only a few months into 2016, but we've already seen two high-profile ransomware attacks—where cyber-crooks heavily encrypt a victim's computer files before demanding payment for a decryption key only they can provide. Two notable incidents grabbed...
March 30th, 2016 by admin
If you think there's a new cyber-threat to worry about every week, you're probably right. The latest vulnerability to send shockwaves through the enterprise security community has been given a rather ominous acronym: DROWN, short for Decrypting RSA...
March 28th, 2016 by admin
If you’re thinking about investing in the cloud, we can help. The cloud is an emerging, growing solution. The cloud alleviates many of the problems associated with premise-based communications, physical space constraints, hardware obsolescence, incompatibility,...
March 23rd, 2016 by admin
Since Apple famously introduced the Macintosh over three decades ago, Mac users have been confident that their computers are virtually immune to ransomware and other malware threats which plague their Windows counterparts. But those days are over. ...
March 15th, 2016 by admin
Hackers can take advantage of a newer technology prevalent throughout your business to break into your network and compromise security: Internet of Things devices. Your business may have never considered that the handy new Smart Thermostats throughout...
Posted in: Security
March 8th, 2016 by admin
February's big story in the tech world was the conflict between Apple and the FBI over the creation of a "backdoor" to retrieve encrypted data on iPhones. The government is looking for any clue as to what—or, more specifically, who—motivated Syed Farook,...
Posted in: Security
February 6th, 2016 by admin
As technology continues to develop, more and more businesses are moving their data to the cloud. The cloud offers a variety of features and has become extremely cost effective. However, we understand that it’s not always practical for a business to move...
Posted in: Cloud
January 29th, 2016 by admin
At ATS, protecting your business’s valuable information is a top priority. With the help of our industry-leading partners, we deliver high performance network security solutions that help you protect your network, users and data from continually evolving...
January 5th, 2016 by admin
What is the current state of your company's IT security training program—if you have one? Many companies settle for an annual group training session to broadly review the major types of cyber-threats—viruses, malware, and phishing. The problem with...
Posted in: Security