The Thurston, Pierce, Lewis, and Mason Counties IT Experts

With Any Luck, It Won’t

Flash Player and other software based on Flash have been largely phased out over the past decade or so, so ultimately it was just a matter of time before Flash Player was officially retired. Furthermore, Flash has also experienced some security issues, leading to the major players—Google, Microsoft, and Apple—basically leaving it behind as well.

So, while this news isn’t unexpected, it does still warrant saying that Flash was a big part of what shaped the Internet that we know today. However, nostalgia aside, the retired software needs to be removed from all systems to prevent it from becoming a vulnerability in your network.

Just as is the case with any software that will no longer be supported, Flash Player will not be reinforced against any future threats. This will effectively turn it into an exploit that a cybercriminal could use to introduce a larger threat into your business’ infrastructure.

Fortunately, all it takes to avoid this outcome is to properly update your IT away from any Flash-based software.

PC Technologies can help with this, as well as so much more. For assistance with your IT management, maintenance, and security, give us a call at 360-491-2227.

Identify Purpose

There are pros and cons to utilizing a wireless network. If you are considering enhancing mobility and bringing more flexibility to your workforce, setting up a WLAN is the easiest and most cost effective way to do so. Sharing network attached resources with users inside your network is an absolute must for most businesses, so in that case, having a wireless strategy is mandatory. Wireless is very customizable as well, so you can do a lot more things, more simply with Wi-Fi than if you choose to wire everything up.

Plan Coverage Area

Your Wi-Fi has to do what you need it for, it’s that simple. If you are looking for a way to connect your users to your business network and don’t want the signal available outside the building, you can absolutely do that, but one would suggest that you’d by-in-large see faster transmission speeds if you used a wired network approach, but that can be costly. You will want to plan the space you need your Wi-Fi to go and then start planning where you will place your hardware.

Bandwidth 

You need to know how much bandwidth your business will need at the time of implementation and an estimate of how much it will need in the years to come. By estimating your organization's bandwidth needs you will be able to know a couple crucial details: How much you will pay for the bandwidth and how your bandwidth will be spent. Once you know all the particulars, you can successfully calculate your business’ networking costs. 

Procure Hardware

Getting the hardware you need is a pretty simple job, but you will want to consider what standard you plan on using. The most prevalent for high speed wireless transmission are 802.11a and 802.11g. 802.11b delivers slower Internet speeds, but also reduces the prices of the hardware substantially. For your business you will want something that meets the wireless needs of your business. 

Deployment

The placement of the hardware is the biggest and most important consideration. If you need more than one network to fill your business’ needs then you will need to work that out with your ISP. Most businesses build their wireless network to include guest use, so you will also want to consider how available your wireless signal is in order to fulfill the next task. 

Plan and Implement Security

Just like you work to secure your user accounts with password protection and other forms of security, you will want to ensure that all of your security steps are taken care of. Most times, this is a little more complex so your business would really benefit from a professional perspective. While you may understand that you need to update firewall permissions, assign user access, and much more, a professional will understand the specifics of it and can really work to keep your Wi-Fi network much more secure than it would otherwise be.

Here are a few suggestions, should you want to undertake this procedure yourself:

1. Change your router’s admin password - The first step in most security practices is changing the password. It is the same for setting up your router(s).
2. Turn off Service Set Identifier (SSID) broadcasting - This doesn’t allow passersby to see that your wireless network is up and available. 
3. Change default SSID - Since a lot of factory-provided SSID values are available, you can avoid them altogether by changing the SSID login name.
4. Enable MAC address filtering - This gives you control over which users have access to what access points. 
5. Add EAP authentication and enable encryption - Requires secure authentication from each user on the network. 
6. Consider secure remote access or virtual private networking - This provides users operating outside your network the means to send and receive data securely. 

Operability and security are the keys to any technology deployment, and to get there you may need the knowledgeable PC Technologies technicians. Call us today if you have any questions about your business’ technology at 360-491-2227.

Bootstrapped Startups and Very Small Businesses

Most businesses don’t consist of more than a few people toiling over their work to create products and services that solve the demands of people and other businesses. By and large, these very small businesses use technology to their advantage, but don’t really have the substantial marketing budgets that would allow them to dabble in different types of marketing. Since every marketing dollar has to be used conscientiously, social media becomes one of the best outlets to get their brands out. 

Whether your business is a new startup or has been in business, but operates with only a few employees, social media can really present it with an outlet to expand your brand’s reach. The most popular option is Facebook, but most of the major social media outlets have options that can help businesses get better exposure without a huge investment. 

Established Small Businesses and Well-Funded Startups

As a business gains access to more capital, either through revenue growth or outside investment, more options become available. For the established small business or the well-funded startup, you begin to see the use of marketing agencies that help use social media to promote businesses. A marketing agency is much like a managed service for your business’ marketing. It allows you to continue to focus on your business while you outsource your marketing to another company. 

Most startups with backing have a different strategy, however. They are busy trying to establish products and services that will provide a rapid ROI for their investor base. This means that many of these organizations establish marketing alongside the offering, speeding up the process, while looking to use industry best practices to get their message out. 

Both of these businesses rely on social media in many of the same ways smaller businesses do, but since many of them already have established marketing hubs in the way of company websites, they don’t rely on social media to act as one. This makes social media more of an external resource than a central part of their marketing strategy, although it remains important. Companies of this size create tutorial videos, webinars, and other marketing efforts that they promote through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. It also allows them to use client testimony to their advantage much more effectively than smaller businesses can.

Medium-Sized Businesses

For businesses in the mid-market, social media use is well-established. Medium-sized businesses typically have over 500 workers, which means that they already have an established brand and have already found some modicum of success. 

They have teams of people (internal or outsourced) that actively use resources such as business intelligence and business analytics to develop their marketing, advertising, and public relations strategies. This provides them the freedom to be more active in the social media space and be a little more creative because they have the capital backing their marketing efforts through the medium. 

What Social Media Platforms are Out There That Have Services for Businesses?

These apps are designed for sharing ideas so all of them are viable options. If you consider that these are some of the richest and most influential companies in the world right now, with literally billions of users, it makes sense to have a plan to take advantage of their relative cost effectiveness. Whether your business is using them simply for brand exposure, or if you want to use them for a hub of your company’s marketing efforts, knowing which platform is best for your business is important. Here are some of the options. 

• Facebook - 1.6 billion daily active users - Facebook is the largest social media firm by leaps and bounds, and it also owns Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Facebook is currently used by over 90 percent of marketers today.
• YouTube - 149 million individual daily users - YouTube is a great resource for the growing business. Not only is it the second largest search engine in the world, the video-sharing giant provides access to homespun content that can really take a business’ brand to the next level. 
• WhatsApp - 1 billion daily active users - With so much of the world relying on WhatsApp, it can really be a benefit for those companies looking outside their own borders for business. 
• Instagram - 600 million daily active users - The photo-sharing website, Instagram has been a big player in the marketing scheme for the past couple of years. Many brands look to build a campaign using influencers who direct business to specific companies. 
• Twitter - 134 million “monetizeable” daily active users - Twitter is extremely popular, and can be a great way for individuals inside your business to promote content and deliver their knowledge to others.
• LinkedIn - 303 million monthly active users - LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that many human resources professionals use when recruiting new talent. 

Other social media platforms that are actively used by marketers include: Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat and more. 

Social media can be a great tool for modern business. As your business evolves, having a social media strategy is crucial to its ability to expand its market. Do you currently use social media as a part of your business’ marketing strategy? Share your experience in the comments section below and return here for more great technology content each week.