Laptops may be more affordable than ever, but we’re also using them for more advanced tasks than ever. This means you run the risk of overheating your laptop and causing long-term damage. Here’s how to avoid that.

Causes of overheating

Laptops create heat during their normal operation. That’s why they’re designed with internal fans that blow out hot air and suck in cooler air. When your laptop keeps shutting down or suffers serious slowdowns, chances are it’s overheating.

One of the most common causes of overheating is when the fan doesn’t operate normally. This may be due to dust and grime clogging up the fan, preventing it from rotating properly. It’s also possible that the air vents are being blocked, preventing air from flowing into the laptop.

Another thing to consider is the age of your laptop’s battery, which relies on lithium to store electricity. This chemical naturally decays over time, no matter how carefully you use it. The older the battery, the less efficient it is and the more heat it generates.

Software use can also contribute to overheating. Too many apps and programs running in the background can overwork your laptop.

What to do if it’s overheating

The first thing you should do is check your hardware. Turn your laptop off and inspect the vents and your fan for any dirt, grime, or other possible causes of blockage. Also check whether the fan itself is not physically dented, which can slow down its rotation.

Sometimes overheating is simply caused by bad habits. Do you use your laptops in bed or on the carpet? Do you use pillows as padding? Uneven or soft surfaces often block the air vents, leading to overheating. Always place your laptop on a hard, even surface.

Aside from the hardware, check your software. Are there a lot of apps and programs that start automatically when you switch on your laptop? If yes, then you may need to limit them.

Keeping it cool

To prevent your laptop from overheating, always make sure that there’s adequate airflow for your laptop. Better yet, invest in a cooling pad. These pads lift your laptop and add more fans to facilitate better airflow.

Limit the number of programs that run when you start your laptop. Change your settings to “power save.” And shut down your laptop whenever you’re not using it.

It’s easy to take laptops for granted because they’re billed as plug-and-play devices. However, with a little extra care and attention, your devices will last much longer. If you want to prolong the lifetime of your IT hardware, call our experts today.

The post How to prevent your laptop from overheating appeared first on Parallel Edge, Inc.

Source: Pronto

The first thing you’ll notice in the new Gmail for web is its uncluttered look, but there’s plenty more to be excited about. Greater security, easy-to-use sidebar apps and inline buttons, and more have been added to improve Gmail users’ experience. Here’s a quick rundown of all the features you need to start using now.

Confidential Mode

This feature lets you set an expiration date for your email after which it self-destructs. Sending mail on confidential mode doesn’t just auto-eliminate them; it also prevents receivers from copying, forwarding or downloading the message and its attachments. A sender also has an option to set a password for a receiver to open the message.

Assistive Unsubscribing

Managing email remains a time drain for many business users, so the assistive unsubscribe function is a welcome addition. With this tool, users can easily unsubscribe from unwanted promotional mail or newsletters without having to open an email to do so. This feature recommends unsubscribing from particular senders based on whether you open their email frequently or rarely.

Snooze Mails

Like the ‘Mark as Unread’ function, snoozing email reminds you to read or reply to important messages. The clock icon that appears within the email is the snooze button, which allows senders to have an email redelivered at a later time. Users can snooze emails based on a pre-set date (Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week, Someday) or pick a specific date and time.

Sidebar Apps

On the right-hand side of the new Gmail is a sidebar that allows you to quickly access your Google Calendar, the new notes button, and Google Tasks. You also have an option to install Gmail add-ons from the G Suite Marketplace, which includes various productivity tools that integrate with Gmail.

Moreover, you can conveniently archive, delete, mark as read or unread, and snooze mail without having to check the box next to the mail, via the inline button. Just hover over the right-hand side of the email line and these buttons will appear.

Security

Users of the new Gmail will also benefit from an added security feature that warns them of potentially harmful email content, particularly spam. The risk warning text doesn’t merely tell you of a possible risk but also offers an easy way out via a ‘Delete Now’ button, which lets users eliminate risky emails on the spot.

Other features include smart reply which lets you choose quick responses like ‘Thanks for the mail’ or ‘Not interested’ to reply to emails requiring you to respond to a meeting invite and similar messages; a nudging feature, which reminds users to respond to messages that haven’t been replied to; and an offline mode, which allows users to search, create, and delete emails when they’re not connected to the internet.

These and other seemingly minor Gmail updates will help you save time and manage your inbox more efficiently. For more productivity tips and recommendations, call our experts today.

The post New Gmail features you need to use now appeared first on Parallel Edge, Inc.

Source: Pronto

Social Media can be an effective tool for sharing experiences, building professional connections, and broadcasting conventional healthcare announcements to the public. However, careless posts that have client or patient-specific information could ruin the reputation of any healthcare organization.

On April 14, 2003, the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA) became law with the goal of protecting the privacy of patient medical records, hospitals, doctors, and health plans. The regulations set forth by this legislation allowed patients to freely access their medical records and gave them more control over the disclosure and use of their private health information.

Billions of people consume Social Media content every day, and over 30% of healthcare professionals use the same platforms to build and expand their professional network. There are advantages to utilizing Social Media in the medical field, such as notifications about new services, and interacting with patients. However, there is a possibility that using this platform the wrong way will lead to violations in patient privacy and HIPAA regulations.

What actions on Social Media violate HIPAA rules?
According to HIPAA regulations, a violation or breach is unauthorized use or disclosure under the Privacy Rule which exposes the privacy or security of Protected Health Information (PHI).

Examples of common violations include:

• Sharing pictures (like a team lunch in the workplace) with patient information visible in the background.
• Sharing any form of PHI (such as images) without the patient’s written consent.
• Posting “gossip” about a patient to those who are not concerned, even if the name is not mentioned.

How much do HIPAA violations cost?
People in the healthcare industry cannot treat HIPAA lightly. If an employee were found guilty of violating a HIPAA rule, that person could face a fine between $100 and $1,500,000. Depending on the severity of the violation, the employee might face a 10-year jail sentence, lawsuits, termination from the job, and the loss of medical license.

How can healthcare organizations prevent violations?
It is a good idea to have employees undergo training on HIPAA Security and HIPAA Privacy procedures and policies when they are hired. Topics that should be discussed include workstation use, workstation security, and bringing personal devices into the workplace. These procedures are crucial to making sure that employees comply with HIPAA rules and are protecting patient information, whether it be electronic, written or oral.

Do you work in the healthcare industry and need help managing IT and privacy issues? Feel free to give us a call today!

The post How HIPAA Impacts Social Media Usage appeared first on Parallel Edge, Inc.

Source: Pronto

Thanks to social media, businesses can stay in close contact with their customers and while also attracting new ones. But what happens when one of these platforms doesn’t guard the information you’ve given it? How does this affect its users?

Last month, news broke that a firm known as Cambridge Analytica collected private data from over 50 million Facebook users. The British company supposedly used this information in 2016 to influence voter behavior during the US presidential election and UK’s Brexit campaign.

How did they harvest the data?
In 2015, a Facebook personality quiz app called “This is Your Digital Life” was created by Cambridge psychology professor Aleksandr Kogan. Around 270,000 Facebook users signed up and gave information about themselves in exchange for humorous results.

What users didn’t know was that Kogan’s firm, Global Science Research, struck a deal with Cambridge Analytica to share the information that was gathered. Aside from collecting information about the Facebook users, the app also mined some data about the users’ friends.

Information collected was based on:

• Data from other platforms that are also owned by Facebook, including Instagram and WhatsApp
• Advertisers and other third-party partners
• Apps and websites which use Facebook services
• Your location
• The devices you use for Facebook access
• Payments handled by Facebook
• Your Facebook connections and networks
• Messages, photos and other content that other users send to you
• The information you disclose to Facebook
• Your activities on Facebook

What happened to the sourced information?
Cambridge Analytica analyzed the collected data to create psychological profiles and invent better political drives to influence whom people would vote for. Although there is still a huge debate about how effective this plans were, there’s no doubt that tens of thousands of users were manipulated into signing away their data without knowing it.

What can I do to keep my information safe?
Remove third-party apps that use your Facebook account. Visit your “Settings” menu and go to “Apps”. You should see the list of all the services that are using information about your Facebook profile. Check on each app, and if you don’t need it or use it anymore, delete it to revoke its access.

If you need more information on how to keep your data secure, feel free to give us a call today!

The post The Facebook data breach scandal explained appeared first on Parallel Edge, Inc.

Source: Pronto

Did you know you can keep your laptop connected to the Internet in areas without a Wi-Fi connection? All it takes is a portable, low-cost 4G router to make a private wireless network for their devices. These tiny devices are a great investment for employees working from the road, and we’ve got some tips on how to use them.

A mobile hotspot usually provides faster Internet connection and better security compared with public Wi-Fi. But if this kind of mobile networking is not utilized well, it will accumulate expensive data charges. The following tricks will maximize the efficiency of mobile hotspots while lowering their data usage.

Place the router in a strategic spot
For your equipment to offer optimal coverage, put it in an area where it can best broadcast signals. The goal here is to cover as many devices as possible, so you want to carefully plan where the router is placed. Wireless signals reach only up to 100 feet indoors and 300 feet outdoors. The signals can pass through floors, walls and ceilings, but fewer obstructions will result in better transmission.

Less Wi-Fi range for longer battery life
If your settings allow, tweak your mobile wireless network for low-power, shorter Wi-Fi. Users must move closer to the hotspot for better Internet connection, but the router’s battery will thank you for it.

Check for LTE coverage
It’s a good idea to research the area you will use the portable router in. There are locations that do not support cellular 4G/LTE, which means you will still have Internet, but at slower speeds.

Watch out for background apps!
Laptops, tablets, and smartphones may be running applications in the background that are using up Internet bandwidth. The most common examples of these apps are location-based services, social media and email. Minimize the amount of data you use by disabling background apps you don’t need.

Avoid multimedia usage
Loading an email or text on a webpage with your mobile device will consume minimal amounts of data. Streaming videos or music will require more bandwidth, using up more data. Try to avoid using multimedia so your battery and data plan lasts longer.

Mobile hotspots let users remotely connect to the Internet without being dependent on possibly unsafe public Wi-Fi networks. With the ability to connect multiple devices to a single hotspot, these devices are an easy way to increase productivity.

We specialize in hardware solutions that improve your bottom line. Call us today for advice tailored to your business and its industry.

The post Tips for optimizing your mobile hotspot appeared first on Parallel Edge, Inc.

Source: Pronto