Cybercriminals Confess:The Top 3 Tricks And Sneaky Schemes They Use To Hack Your Computer Network That Can Put You Out Of Business

Cybercriminals and hackers are rarely shy about the methods they use to attack their victims. Many of them are more than happy to share how they broke into a business’s network or how they walked away with thousands of dollars after successfully extorting a business owner whose company is now destroyed.

There are new stories out there to get your blood boiling as cybercriminals work to ruin people’s lives and livelihoods. These criminals don’t care what kind of damage they do. They only care about one thing: money. If they can get away with it – and many do – they’ll keep on doing it.

It’s up to the rest of us as business owners (and employees) to stay at least one step ahead of these cyberthugs. The single best way to do that is to stay educated on the latest threats. The second-best way is to stay up-to-date with the latest technology designed to combat cyber-attacks.

Here are three tricks of the trade cybercriminals are using right now in an attempt to get their hands on your money:

Ransomware. This is very common. It’s a form of malware, and it can sneak onto your network and into your computers in a number of different ways:

  • Ad Networks. These ads can appear on social media sites and on familiar websites. Someone clicks a compromised ad or pop-up, and it initiates a file download. It’s quick and it can be confusing. This is where anti-malware and anti-ransomware come in very handy.
  • Malicious Links. The cybercriminal sends you a legitimate-looking e-mail, supposedly from your bank or a familiar online store. It may even be disguised as an e-mail from a colleague. The e-mail contains a link or file. If you click the link or file, it installs the ransomware.
  • Hidden Files On Thumb Drives. This happens way too often where someone brings a thumb drive from home. While the user doesn’t know it, the drive has a malicious file on it. When the thumb drive is inserted into a networked machine, the file is installed.

No matter how the ransomware gets onto your devices, the result is basically the same. The ransomware goes to work and begins encrypting your files. Or it may completely block you from accessing your computer altogether. You’ll get a full-screen message: Pay up or never access your files again. Some ransomware programs threaten to delete all of your files. Others say they will never restore access.

DDoS Extortion. Short for distributed denial of service, DDoS attacks are a relatively easy way for hackers to take down your business’s online presence and wreak havoc on your network. These attacks mimic online users and essentially “flood” your network with access requests. Basically, it’s as if millions of people were trying to access your website at once.

Your network simply can’t handle that kind of traffic and, as a result, it goes down. The hackers can continue the attacks until you take action. That is to say, until you pay up. If you don’t pay up, the hackers will do everything they can to keep you offline in an attempt to destroy your business. If you rely on Internet traffic, this can be devastating, which is why many businesses end up paying.

Direct Attacks. Some hackers like to do the dirty work themselves. While many cybercriminals rely on bots or malware to do the work for them, some hackers will see if they can break through your network security in a more direct way. If successful at breaking in, they can target specific files on your network, such as critical business or customer data.

Once they have the valuable data, they may let you know they have it. Sometimes they’ll ask for money in return for the sensitive data. Sometimes they won’t say anything and instead simply sell the data on the black market. Either way, you’re in a bad position. A criminal has walked away with sensitive information, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Except, that last sentence isn’t true at all! There are things you can do about it! The answer is preventative measures. It all comes around to these two all-important points:

  • Stay educated on the latest threats
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest technology designed to combat cyber-attacks

If you do these two things and work with an experienced IT services company, you can change the outcome. You can put the cybercriminals in their place and have a digital defense wall between your business and those who want to do your business harm.

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Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

Why you need to keep your servers cool

Why you need to keep your servers cool

Servers have become an essential tool for many businesses. They manage and keep business data secure, and improve workplace productivity. However, overburdening your servers causes their operating temperatures to rise, which can lead to reduced server reliability and data loss. This is why it’s important to keep your servers constantly cool.

How does temperature affect servers?

High server temperatures can cause it to crash, resulting in costly data loss and service interruptions. If a server’s temperature rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the server’s reliability decreases. In fact, an increase of 15 degrees leads to a 50-percent decrease in server reliability. When servers reach these temperatures, they will start to perform poorly, and computers connected to the server will start to struggle as well. Keeping your servers cool is vital to maintain optimal performance and longevity.

Effective methods to keep servers cool

    1. Use low-heat lighting

Incandescent lights produce too much heat that can raise the temperature of your server room. Go for low-heat options such as LED arrays and fluorescent tubes. Not only do they produce less heat, but they also provide better illumination compared to incandescent bulbs.

    1. Ensure your server room is well ventilated

Server rooms are usually small and contain other hardware aside from servers. Without proper air circulation, all that hardware can raise the temperature of the room and your servers. Make sure the server room you choose has good air circulation. If you have no choice but to place your server in a small room, install a ventilation system that will let hot air escape from the room.

    1. Use cooling fans

Cooling fans work well with a ventilation system to move hot air away from your servers. They are also a more affordable option to air conditioners. Placing a small and powerful fan next to your server’s heat vent will keep it from overheating.

    1. Air conditioning system

Installing an air conditioner in your server room is probably the best way to keep servers cool. Make sure that the air conditioner you choose is perfect for your server room. If you have a big server room, a small air conditioner won’t do much to cool it. Also, don’t be tempted to use residential air conditioners, as they are not designed to run 24/7/365. Go for industrial air conditioners instead. They can be a bit costly and require semi-annual maintenance checks, but industrial air conditioners will ensure your servers are constantly operating in cool temperatures.

Servers work best when kept at a cool temperature constantly. While manufacturers continue to build more resilient servers, proper care and maintenance still play a vital role in ensuring high operating quality and longevity. If you need more information about server management or have any other questions about your server setup, contact us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

New admin capabilities for better Microsoft 365 delivery

New admin capabilities for better Microsoft 365 delivery

In the past few months, the pandemic has driven businesses to utilize every tool available to them to keep operations going. This largely meant deploying cloud-based solutions that can support remote work setups and connect multilocational workers. During these critical times, the job of IT administrators has become more crucial and demanding. So to help make their work just a tad easier, Microsoft has added new features in the Apps admin center that will allow IT administrators to be more efficient and productive.

Intelligent insights

Intelligent insights include features like Apps Inventory, Add-In Inventory, and Security Currency that allow IT administrators to find and mitigate any issues immediately. With these tools, administrators can gain an in-depth understanding of the organization’s Microsoft 365 environment and be privy to information such as:

  • What devices are running Office apps and which versions they’re running;
  • What Office add-ins are installed or running; and
  • Which servicing channel each device belongs to.

Knowing all this information can help administrators identify and manage unsupported Office versions and add-ins to ensure security and compliance. Data is also easily exportable for reports or audits.

Servicing automation with controls

This feature streamlines and automates Microsoft 365 Apps servicing to eliminate manual deployment and accelerate the rollout of updates and security patches, thus saving effort, time, and costs. With this new feature, admins only need to apply a specific servicing profile to a set of devices to automatically deliver monthly updates for users or groups.

What’s more, IT admins are now able to view, pause, and resume updates on a per-device basis. If a user experiences issues during rollout, for instance, administrators can pause that user’s update and restore their software to a previous version while they troubleshoot.

Admins can also specify exclusion date periods, or when Office apps updates should not run, such as during holidays or company meetings. They can schedule this to happen only once or on a recurring basis, depending on their organization’s schedule. And for compliance purposes, admins can schedule updates to happen at a certain date and time, or they can let users install Office app updates at their most convenient time.

Microsoft 365 Apps health

With Microsoft 365 Apps health, IT admins can see how well Microsoft 365 apps are running during and in between deployments. It also calculates an organization’s overall app health based on three criteria: app reliability, app performance, and supported versions. On top of these, Microsoft 365 Apps health gives pertinent information such as Office app session crash rates and who reported such crashes. This allows admins to quickly identify issues and take actions to increase app performance and reliability.

With these new features, administrators can better manage Microsoft 365 apps, and users can count on better experiences and fewer downtimes. If you want to learn more about how technology can increase your business’s operational efficiency, don’t hesitate to call us. Our IT experts are always ready to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

Give your SMB more flexibility with a hybrid cloud

Give your SMB more flexibility with a hybrid cloud

When it comes to the cloud, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are often presented with the choice of either a private or a public cloud. But there is a third option — a hybrid cloud. And this is the choice that provides SMBs with greater flexibility. How so? Read on to find out.

Hybrid clouds are a combination of private and public clouds. In private clouds, data and applications that require tighter controls are hosted either internally or privately in an off-site facility. Meanwhile, public clouds are managed externally by third-party providers with the express purpose of reducing a company’s IT infrastructure.

Here are three significant advantages of hybrid cloud environments.

Adaptability

Having the ability to choose between on-site or privately hosted cloud servers and public ones let you pair the right IT solution with the right job. For example, you can use the private cloud to store sensitive files while utilizing more robust computing resources from the public cloud to run resource-intensive applications.

Cost efficiency and scalability

Does your business struggle to meet seasonal demands? With a hybrid cloud solution, you’ll be able to easily handle spikes in demand by migrating workloads from insufficient on-premises servers to scalable, pay-as-you-go cloud servers whenever needed, without incurring extra hardware and maintenance costs.

So if there are last-minute computing demands that your hardware can’t support or if you’re planning for future expansion, hybrid cloud solutions allow for on-demand increases or decreases in capacity.

Security

Last but not least are the security advantages of a hybrid cloud solution. You can host sensitive data such as eCommerce details or an HR platform within the private cloud, where it will be protected by your security systems and kept under close watch. Meanwhile, routine forms and documents can be stored in the public cloud and protected by a trusted third-party.

To set up a hybrid cloud model based on your SMB’s requirements and the providers available to you:

  1. Employ one specialized cloud provider who offers comprehensive hybrid solutions.
  2. Integrate the services of a private cloud provider with those of another public cloud provider.
  3. Host a private cloud yourself and then incorporate a public cloud service into your infrastructure.

Our experts can help you transition to a hybrid cloud solution without interruption and huge costs. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits that a hybrid cloud can bring to your SMB.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

Is your business continuity plan doomed to fail?

Is your business continuity plan doomed to fail?

No business continuity plan is perfect. Each plan has risks that can result in your business’s failure if not taken into account from the start. But don’t blame it all on your managed IT services provider (MSP) — often, a system’s design has loopholes to start with. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why business continuity plans fail.

Over-optimistic testing

The initial testing attempt is usually the most important, because it’s when MSPs can pinpoint potential pain points in the recovery plan. However, they usually test the system in full, instead of in phases. This can cause MSPs to overlook specific points, with too many factors overwhelming them all at the same time.

Insufficient remote user licenses

MSPs give remote user licenses to businesses so that employees can access a remote desktop software when they need to, like when a disaster strikes. However, a provider may only have a limited number of licenses. In some cases, more employees will need access to the remote desktop software than a provider’s license can allow.

Lost digital IDs

When a disaster strikes, employees will usually need their digital IDs so they can log in to the MSP’s remote system while the office system is being restored. However, digital IDs are not automatically saved when a desktop is backed up. So when an employee uses their “ready and restored” desktop, they are unable to access the system with their previous digital ID.

Absence of a communications strategy

MSPs often use email to notify and communicate with business owners and their employees when a disaster happens. However, this form of communication may not always be reliable in certain cases, such as during spam intrusions.

Instead, you can use emergency communication applications such as AlertMedia or Everbridge. These programs automate necessary actions such as sending out mass notifications, sharing information, and mobilizing teams to prevent operational disruptions, so your MSP can easily notify you in case of any disaster.

Backups that require labored validation

After a system has been restored, IT technicians and business owners need to check whether the restoration is thorough and complete. This becomes an arduous task when the log reports are not easy to compare. This usually happens when MSPs utilize backup applications that don’t come with their own log modules and have to be acquired separately.

These are just some reasons why business continuity plans fail. While you should trust that your MSPs will secure your systems, it is important for business owners to be involved with any process that pertains to your IT infrastructure. Just because you believe something works doesn’t necessarily mean that it actually does. If you have questions regarding your business continuity plan, get in touch with our experts today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

What does proactive cybersecurity entail?

What does proactive cybersecurity entail?

Most managed IT services providers (MSPs) promise “proactive” cybersecurity consulting. All businesses embrace the idea of preventing cyberattacks and data breaches before they happen, and MSPs themselves would much rather brainstorm safeguards than troubleshoot time-sensitive downtime events. But it’s not always clear what proactive cybersecurity entails, so let’s take a minute to go over it.

Understand the threats you’re facing

Before any small- or medium-sized business (SMB) can work toward preventing cyberattacks, everyone involved needs to know exactly what they’re up against. Whether you’re working with in-house IT staff or an MSP, you should review what types of attacks are most common in your industry. Ideally, your team would spearhead this review a few times a year.

Reevaluate what it is you’re protecting

Once you have a list of the biggest threats to your organization, you need to take stock of how each one threatens the various cogs of your network. Map out every company device that connects to the internet, what type of data they have access to (regulated, mission-critical, low-importance, etc.), and what services are currently protecting those devices.

Create a baseline of protection

By reviewing current trends in the cybersecurity field and auditing your current technology framework, you can begin to get a clearer picture of how you want to prioritize your preventative measures versus your reactive measures.

Before you can start improving your cybersecurity approach, you need to know where your baseline is. Devise a handful of real-life scenarios and simulate them on your network. Network penetration testing from trustworthy IT professionals will help pinpoint weak spots in your current framework.

Finalize a plan

All these pieces will complete the puzzle of what your new strategy needs to be. With an experienced technology consultant on board for the entire process, you can easily synthesize the results of your simulation into a multipronged approach to proactive security.

Proactive measure What it entails
Security awareness seminars for all internal stakeholders Train everyone from the receptionist to the CEO about effective security practices such as password management, proper mobile device usage, and spam awareness.
Updated anti-malware software or cloud-based service Protect your data and systems against the latest and most menacing malware.
Routine software patches and upgrades Minimize the chances of leaving a backdoor to your network open.
Web filtering services Blacklist dangerous and inappropriate sites for anyone on your network.
Perimeter defenses (e.g., intrusion prevention systems and hardware firewalls) Scrutinize everything trying to sneak its way in through the borders of your network.
Policy of least privilege Limit users’ access only to the data they need to fulfill their tasks.
Data segmentation Rank data according to sensitivity and build micro-perimeters around high-value datasets.
Full-disk encryption Make data stored in computers and portable devices unreadable so that if these machines are stolen, the files they have inside remain secure.
Virtual private networks Make data transmitted across unsecured connections unreadable so that intercepting it would become futile.
Strict access controls Prevent unauthorized access to accounts by using strong passwords, multifactor authentication, and auto screen locks and logouts for idle users. 
AI-powered network monitoring Identify suspicious user and software behaviors such as employees accessing files outside their departments.

As soon as you focus on preventing downtime events instead of reacting to them, the productivity and efficiency of your IT infrastructure will increase to levels you’ve never dreamed of. Start your journey to enhanced cybersecurity by giving us a call for a demonstration.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

Choosing a mouse: A quick guide

Choosing a mouse: A quick guide

The two-button mouse with a cord is what most of us are familiar with — it’s been the standard design for many years. But times have changed, and the old mouse is now considered less responsive and uncomfortable to use. Worse, having a cord makes things more inconvenient when it gets tangled whenever you put your mouse in your bag. But choosing a new mouse can be confusing, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the new features. Here are some things to keep in mind before buying one.

Cable or wireless?

When planning to purchase a new mouse, it’s important to consider whether to get a wired or a wireless mouse. A wireless mouse is generally more comfortable to use since your range of movement isn’t limited by a cable, and it’s usually travel friendly. However, a wireless mouse can be less responsive, making it frustrating to use at times. Sometimes, a wireless mouse can also interfere with other wireless devices nearby. Using it requires batteries, which can create problems when they run out of juice. And if you use the same mouse for both work and home, you run the risk of losing the tiny USB receiver for your wireless mouse when you travel.

On the other hand, a wired mouse is cheaper and easy to plug and play. The only problem you’ll have to worry about is dealing with tangled wires. So when you’re deciding on a new mouse, think about whether you’re looking for comfort or convenience.

Ergonomics matters

You’re going to be using the new mouse for a while, so it’s important to choose one that feels comfortable in your hands. When deciding on the right mouse, focus on the size and the grip of the device. The size of the mouse usually comes down to hand size. For example, someone with smaller hands will find a larger mouse quite unwieldy.

Certain mice can also accommodate different types of grips — fingertip grip, palm grip, and claw grip. Users who want high-precision control of their cursor should opt for a mouse with fingertip grip, those needing comfort should get a palm grip mouse, and if you want both control and comfort, the claw grip mouse is the way to go.

DPI (dots per inch)

Higher sensitivity is necessary for precise mouse movements, especially if you’re editing images, videos, or audio files. A mouse with 1200 DPI or greater guarantees finer, sharper control.

Although mouse specifications like DPI might be the last thing on your mind when it comes to buying new hardware, your comfort is important. A good mouse with the right fit can make you more efficient and reduce the risk of injury.

If you need assistance setting up the best hardware for your company, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll be happy to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

How does Microsoft 365 prevent phishing?

How does Microsoft 365 prevent phishing?

Phishing remains one of the top cyberthreats to businesses today. Because of this, Microsoft invests a lot of time into securing its email service.

Among the many business solutions that Microsoft offers is email hosting through Outlook. This service is protected by Microsoft Defender for Office 365. Defender has many key features:

1. Anti-phishing

The most dangerous types of phishing scams masquerade as emails from a party the victims know, such as their boss, colleague, business partner, or bank. A phisher may use crafty impersonation tactics, such as referring to the victims by their nickname, making it harder to immediately identify the scam as fraud. A cybercriminal may even take over actual email accounts and use these to completely fool their victims.

Using machine learning, Defender creates a contact graph of contacts that users normally exchange communications with. It then employs an array of tools, including standard anti-malware solutions, to differentiate good from suspicious behaviors.

2. Anti-spam

Generalized phishing campaigns utilize spam emails, which are sent to a large list of email addresses, to catch random victims. Stopping spam is, therefore, a great start to protecting your company from a phishing attack.

Microsoft 365’s anti-spam technology addresses the issue by examining both an email’s source and its contents. If an email is determined to have come from an untrustworthy source or has suspicious contents, then it is automatically routed to your spam folder. What’s more, this feature checks the activity of people in your company to ensure that none of them sends out spam emails.

3. Anti-malware

Malware, such as ransomware and spyware, can spread via phishing emails. Ransomware locks data and programs from users until a ransom is paid. Spyware, on the other hand, steals data by recording keystrokes, copying clipboards, and taking screenshots, among other methods.

Microsoft 365 employs a multilayered defense against both known and unknown types of malware. This covers the different stages of email transmission, including filtering potentially harmful attachment formats, and real-time threat response. Microsoft also regularly deploys malware definitions to keep its defenses updated.

4. Safe Attachments

Some phishing emails contain file attachments that infect your computer with malware. Any email attachment should be handled with caution, but it’s not uncommon for some users to accidentally click on one, especially as they rush through the messages in their inbox.

Defender resolves this issue by opening all attachments in a sandbox first. This sandbox is an isolated environment, so even if the attachment contains malware, it would not affect your system. While in the sandbox, the attachment is meticulously scanned. If it’s clean, Microsoft 365 will allow you to open it as normal. If it contains a threat, the service will notify you of the issue. Microsoft uses some of the information collected by Safe Attachments to further improve the feature’s capabilities.

5. Safe Links

Instead of attachments, some phishing emails contain URLs that lead to websites — often spoofed versions of legitimate websites — that require victims to provide their personal information such as their account credentials. Some of these URLs lead to download pages that infect your computer with malware.

In a process called URL detonation, the Safe Links feature protects users by scanning the links in their emails and checking for malicious behavior, such as the transmission of malware. If the link leads to a malicious website, Defender will warn users not to visit it. Otherwise, users can proceed to click and go to the destination URL without a hitch. But even so, the service will rescan the link in the succeeding days and report any suspicious changes.

What’s great about Safe Links is that it doesn’t just scan links from unfamiliar sources. It also scans links in emails from people within your company and works on files uploaded to Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.

6. User Submissions

Microsoft 365 allows you to set a specific mailbox to send emails you deem a threat. The User Submissions feature lets you set criteria for both malicious and safe email and identify mailboxes besides your spam folder to keep these messages in. This feature gives your administrators greater control over which emails to flag and which to report to Microsoft.

7. Enhanced Filtering

If your company uses third-party services to route emails before they are sent to Microsoft 365, you will benefit from Enhanced Filtering for Connectors. Microsoft 365 uses inbound connectors to determine the trustworthiness of email sources. The more complex your routing scenario is, the more likely that an email’s inbound connectors will not reflect its real source.

Enhanced Filtering preserves authentication signals that may have been lost over the course of routing emails. This maximizes the effectiveness of Microsoft 365’s overall filtering capabilities, helping it detect spam and phishing emails.

If you need an email service that promotes efficiency while protecting your business, we can implement and manage Microsoft 365 for you. Just call us today to get started.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

SEO recommendations for website images

SEO recommendations for website images

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of improving your business’s online presence. Web services and platforms that provide automated SEO reports like WordPress, Google, and Raven Tools tend to oversimplify their advice. If you’re trying to get a green light for SEO, you might need to look more closely at the images on your site.

Do images really affect SEO?

One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time, however, you probably added more visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and About Us page — drastically increasing the impact of your images on your SEO.

Image resolution and load speed

The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s load speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those accessing your site on mobile devices or using satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types.

  • Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or large photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size.
  • Select the PNG format if you want to preserve background transparency.
  • Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality.

Keywords and image title

The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. When adding images to your website, make sure their names are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page.

Alt text and title text

Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience.

To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the uploaded images, videos, and audio. Click on any photo to access the text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO.

The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered nonnegotiable for SEO purposes.

Check that your site’s images are properly optimized before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto

4 Tips to help you capitalize on technology

4 Tips to help you capitalize on technology

Businesses that take advantage of innovative technologies often come out better equipped to compete as they grow. This is why many companies are continuously seeking innovations that improve operations and reduce costs. Small businesses like yours can take advantage of new tech too — just follow our tips.

Be an early adopter

One of the biggest factors in determining how successful your SMB will be in leveraging a new trend is how early you get in. Be careful investing in resources with high buy-ins and/or long-term commitments. Focus instead on low-cost IT solutions that allow you to test and see how well they work for you, and also let you pull out without suffering heavy sunk costs.

Invest in the right tools

New tech can be expensive, so how can one take advantage of an emerging tech trend without spending too much? The trick is to repurpose existing tech to do the same thing as the new tech.

For example, John Deere has been selling farming equipment for over 150 years, with no signs of slowing down. When the Internet of Things (IoT) craze began, John Deere figured that IoT would change the way their vehicles serve their customers. But instead of shelling out money for new IoT devices, they simply used already-available mobile devices and GPS tech. This tactic allowed the brand to jump ahead of their competition, especially those who chose to wait out the decrease in price of new tech.

Synergize tech with your business model

With a little creative brainstorming, most business models can actually integrate new tech into their processes. For instance, at first glance, it appears that clothing retailers have no use for AI that has deep learning capabilities. But one particular AI application — chatbots — has proven to be effective in helping customers find the clothes they want. Here, deep learning directly drives sales.

Prepare for possible difficulties

New tech inherently comes with implementation and integration difficulties. But what if you can’t find a way for your products or services to directly interact with the blazing new trend? The next best thing is to provide solutions to problems presented by it. Does interacting with the popular app or activity eat up a lot of mobile device battery? Remind passersby that your outlets are available for customers, or that you sell mobile battery packs. Does it require driving all over town? Inform customers of your latest car rental promotion. Sometimes just associating yourself with the trend is enough.

Not sure how to integrate your business with the latest tech fads? Turn to us — we’re the experts on all things technology related, be it machine learning or Oculus Rift. No question is too trivial — consult with us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.


Source: Pronto