Ferrum Technology Services Blog

Most people and businesses rely on computers to get things done. When you are looking to buy a new PC for your home or office, you need to understand all the elements so that you can make an educated choice. To assist you along in this process we’ve put together a five-part guide that outlines the different variables you have to take into account when buying a PC that is right for your needs. In part one, we take a look at the CPU.

Technology is something that experiences rapid change, and while it’s usually beneficial to businesses, change can often bring with it a set of growing pains. You might be able to get more done and reach more customers, but it might stretch your resources, frustrate employees, and force new processes upon your organization. When this change comes, will you lament the good old days, or will you seize the opportunity to improve your business as a whole? When it comes to technology, the answer might make or break the future of your organization.

When you work in the IT space, you get to hear some funny things - technology myths, conspiracies, and other rumors that are shared around the water cooler. We’ve heard it all, and we wanted to share some of these myths so you don’t get tripped up by them.

For the modern worker, the technology your company provides is a big deal. In fact, it has been known to be a point of contention among younger workers when their organizations don’t provide them with top notch tech. So, to say that there is a focus on technology would be accurate. Regardless of what your business does, there is a good chance that if you use technology regularly that it is made possible by other technology that you’ve probably never heard about. We’ll take a look at some of this mystery tech and how it helps run the tech you have come to depend on at work and at home.

The average business deploys plenty of technology, that much is true. You work alongside it--and often directly with it--but if you had to explain what it is to another person, could you? If you can’t, we’ve got your back. This month we will take you through a tour of the various technologies that your business uses, where they can be found, and what their general purpose is.

Some business decisions are easy, like when to go to lunch, for example. Others aren’t nearly as cut and dry, like where to go for lunch. If you think that one’s tough, consider the weight of some of the decisions you have to make concerning your business’ technology. Here, we’ll review a few ways to help simplify the decision-making process for you and your team.

Business of all types depend on transportation. Whether it be a distributor for a manufacturer, a taxi service, or a shipping company, being able to properly manage a fleet of vehicles is essential to the sustained profitability of the endeavor. Turning to technology to accomplish this is easier than doing it manually. We take a look at a few technology solutions that can work to help a business that relies on transportation to be the most effective business it can be.

The capabilities of business technology are truly incredible, and they’re only becoming more impressive. This means that the solutions you have in place now will certainly need to be upgraded to other options at some point.

In order for an individual to properly learn anything it has to be taught in a fashion commensurate with how he/she will use it in everyday life. For two decades schools, because of a myriad of factors, have been lagging behind society with the integration of technology. Nowadays, with four-of-five high school students coming to school with their own smartphone, it’s imperative that educators make adjustments to their curricula that sufficiently integrates the technologies and practices that people of the present utilize in practical life.

In business, making good decisions is a must. You have to manage risk well. Today’s business is using analytics to drive decision making, and therefore needs to design and implement platforms that make this possible. If a business doesn’t properly set up their analytics or intelligence systems, their decisions may not be made with a useful perspective. Let’s take a look at these systems to see if you may be being fooled by your own numbers.

Communication plays a critical role in the way you develop relationships and clients. To optimize communication with your clients and customers, proper use of technology is essential, but it also makes for a much nicer experience from an operational standpoint. How can your business utilize this powerful communications technology?

When a business uses its technology the right way, it typically has positive effects on the business. That’s not to say that technology is a major priority for EVERY business. There are some business owners that don’t prioritize having the newest, shiniest technology on the market; and, that’s fine, if the business functions efficiently.

There are moments when a technology solution presents itself and is simply too valuable to pass up, but they are generally few and far between. One particular solution you can use to great effect is augmented reality, and we believe that with the right implementation and support, you can overcome challenges that the future might hold.

The hardware that makes up your business’ IT infrastructure can be difficult to manage--particularly if that’s not where your specialty lies. While the first step to having a successful IT strategy is to have the proper hardware, acquiring it can be rather challenging at times, especially if your business doesn’t have an in-house IT department. Sometimes an outsourced approach is the best way to gain the best tech for your goals.

Sometimes it might feel like your technology never works as you want it to. You might try to open up a software application only to find an error message that keeps you from being productive. The error doesn’t go away no matter how many times you reload the application. How can you eliminate these issues that threaten to derail your productivity throughout the workday?

While you may not consider it at first, your mobile device has a sizeable amount of personally identifiable data on it - far more than should be left on an unsecured phone at any time. Fortunately, Google has added a considerable layer of protections to Android to assist users with their security. All a user has to do is know how to use them to their fullest potential.

Sometimes an issue on your computer causes it to be so far gone that drastic action is needed to get it back in gear. This is where the bare metal restore comes in, and it’s something that you only want to do in the event that you encounter a problem that is just too much to bear. We’ll walk you through what this is, what it involves, and why you might have to do it in the future.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, has been widely accepted by the business community as an excellent communication tool. This is due to both the cost savings that VoIP offers, as well as the many, many features that are inherently bundled into the solutions available. There may be more of these features than you may realize. Here, we’ll review some of these features, and disprove some misconceptions along the way.

Here’s an interesting fact: any business that makes money can be successful. It doesn’t matter if you catch and sell fish, offer financial advice, or cut people’s grass, if you make more than you spend, your business will likely stay open as long as demand for your product or service continues. For most businesses, investing in technology can bring with it greater profitability.

It’s no secret that technology is a big part of today’s business, but how much money should your organization really expect to spend on your IT? Of course you need to stay competitive, but can you justify dropping huge chunks of capital on solutions that may or may not come with a visible ROI, or that’s total cost of ownership (TCO) is going to affect your ability to spend elsewhere? Today, we’ll talk about what technology your organization definitely needs, and go into the corresponding cost of that technology.