Ferrum Technology Services Blog

From the outside looking in, network security can be intimidating to consider. There are so many moving parts that go into protecting a business, it’s understandable that you might not know where to start. Fortunately, we do, and we’re happy to provide this list of critical network security tools that should be seen as the foundation for your company’s protection.

Technology helps us do more than we’ve ever done before. Unfortunately, the more that we do, the more that is expected of us. That means the search for more productivity is endless, and therefore considerations on how to be most efficient in the way that you go about doing this is extremely important. Unfortunately, there is a limit on how productive people can be and there are definitely some situations that exacerbate this limit. This month, we thought we’d take a look at some of them:

Regardless of the business attempting it, data migration (or the process of moving data and systems to a new piece of infrastructure) is critical to get right. One way to improve your chances of success is to create and follow a migration strategy, evaluating it as you go. Let’s walk through some practices involved in doing so.

If your team has trouble using the technology in your office, then you might be staring down an opportunity to completely revolutionize the way your business functions through the use of new business technology. It could be something as simple as your hardware being old or your systems needing a reexamination of your business processes; whatever it is, upgrading your business technology can pave the way forward.

If you consistently find that technology in your office causes more problems than it’s worth, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at what you could be doing better with your infrastructure. We want you to look at failing or inoperable/inefficient technology as an opportunity for improvement rather than another large expense. A good hardware refresh centered around your organization’s needs can revitalize operations and improve your bottom line.

There’s a misconception in the business world that being too nice will make you appear as a pushover, but as far as cliches go, “Nice guys finish last” doesn’t have much supporting evidence in favor of it.

Now that AI tools are more publicly accessible than ever before, the question of whether or not it’s good for business looms ever closer. These tools are limited in their capacity to help, but they do show enormous potential that could be indicative of success in the future. Let’s go over some of the questions people have about AI tools.

The blockchain is a technology that has really taken off in the past couple of years, with many people asking if the same technology behind cryptocurrencies can be applied to other uses and applications. Let’s consider how the blockchain might be used outside of cryptocurrency and in various industries—particularly for security—in the future.

With the Internet cementing itself as one of the best tools to get work done, it’s easy to forget just how sluggish it used to be back when it first became available for use. Internet speeds have undergone some dramatic shifts over the years, so let’s remember the good old days when it took ages to do just about anything with it.

The smartphone app ecosystems today are extraordinarily vast. The Google Play store has over 3.5 million apps available, while the Apple App store has over 1.6 million apps. The question becomes, with so many different applications available on these platforms, how can you be so sure that the apps you are downloading to your mobile device are secure? Let’s take a look at mobile app store security and why it’s become more than just a security issue. 

IT support is crucial to the success of any company in today’s fast-paced technology-focused business environment. Some organizations have an internal IT administrator, while others choose to rely on outsourced resources. Both of these are perfectly acceptable responses to the problem at hand, which is guaranteeing you have access to IT resources to keep your business running effectively.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become one of the fastest growing technology industries in history. As of 2022, there are over 14 billion connected devices on the IoT with the number to reach over 20 billion by the end of 2026. With that many devices, you may find yourself wondering what types of devices they are. Today, we’ll go through exactly what devices make up the IoT and how to get the IoT to work for your business. 

Technology is a major player in today’s business environment, and in most cases, companies have someone in their executive suite whose sole purpose is overseeing their technology systems. This individual—the Chief Information Officer, or CIO—is incredibly important to the everyday operations of businesses.

You’ve probably seen the word “metaverse” pop up in your news feed at least once or twice over the past couple of months, but the concept can be a bit difficult to understand, as it’s a bit complicated by nature. Let’s discuss what the metaverse is, why it’s important today, and what you might expect from a metaverse in the future.

If a business seeks to make important decisions, there is always going to be a little bit of hesitation. After all, the wrong choice could mean financial or operational ramifications. Therefore, the most logical way to approach these decisions is to maximize the value you get out of your investments. Today, we want to focus on how technology can be a driving factor for maximizing your business’ value from major decisions.

The cloud as a computing strategy is helping millions of businesses be the best version of themselves. The main reason for this is the inherent scalability that is made available through cloud solutions. Let’s take a look at how scalability benefits a business and how it works.

Communications are important for small businesses, but how much do you pay attention to your telephone system? While it might have been useful in the past, chances are your team members and clients are communicating with you in different ways, rendering your telephone system, more or less, obsolete—at least the traditional telephone systems, anyway.

Compared to other options like Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, traditional telephone solutions are simply outdated in nature and scope. Let’s go over what you need to know about VoIP.

In the coming years, digital transformation is going to change the way people conduct business. So much so, that the shift has an anticipated value of approximately $767 billion by 2026. If your business is looking to get less analog in the way you go about your processes, you need to understand the pitfalls that many businesses are going to experience so that yours can thrive. This month, we take a look at why digital transformation objectives fail and what you can do about them. 

Your business’ operations and performance will vary depending on how you choose to invest your IT resources and budget. If you see marked improvements over the years, then you are doing something right. If things remain the same, however, perhaps you could benefit from a different approach to your technology investments. Let’s examine the subtle art of IT investment and how you should approach it.

Business technology is far from the easiest thing to manage, and it’s mostly because managing technology is not the sole focus of companies (unless you’re us, of course). If you can’t overcome your IT challenges, your business could be held back needlessly. Let’s go over some of the common issues your organization might face with regards to technology management and maintenance.