Horne & Benik Networks Blog

Today is Global Wellness Day. As such, we wanted to invite you to consider a few ways to prioritize not just your mental and physical well-being, but your digital well-being as well. After all, technology is what keeps us connected to the world at large… and if we don’t approach it appropriately, it can create some challenges that we should all want to avoid.

Let’s talk about some simple best practices that can help promote workplace wellness and a healthier balance in our lives.

One of the most significant advantages of operating as a small or medium-sized business is that you can provide more personalized attention to your customers, unlike larger enterprises and corporations. However, you need the right tools to make these interactions as effective as possible. With the right customer relationship management tool, or CRM, your business can dramatically improve sales, marketing efforts, and customer satisfaction.

A data breach—when a company’s sensitive data, from customer details to company secrets to financial information, is exposed—certainly isn’t a good thing for any business to experience. Once an organization knows it’s happening, it’s time to go into panic mode.

While this is an understandable response, it is crucial that you are prepared with a strategy to navigate such a situation should it ever arise.

We live in a time where all business owners should have some working knowledge of technology, but this lesson is often learned only after the fact. Sometimes it takes a crisis to thrust one into action, but we’re here to help you take the first step. Today, we have four lessons that you can learn about business technology today to hopefully prevent a crisis somewhere down the road.

While it might be tempting to take advantage of deals, sales, and even “free” technology, it’s crucial that you acknowledge you’re losing something valuable as a trade-off. The problem with tech is that “cheap” and “quick” doesn’t translate to “effective” and “valuable.” If you’re not careful, you might find yourself a victim of “tech debt,” an issue that can create serious problems for your business.

You rely on your vendors to conduct business, but these vendors are just as susceptible to cyberattacks as your business is. How can you make sure you’re working with vendors who prioritize security? That’s what we’re covering in today’s blog.

Shadow IT may have a pretty cool-sounding name, but its impacts on your business are anything but. The term “shadow IT” describes any technology used in the business setting without the express knowledge and go-ahead of the IT department. While it may be common, it certainly isn’t good… despite often having the best intentions behind it.

Let's be honest, technology can sometimes cause big headaches for businesses. Maybe your main computer system crashed right when you were busiest, or you had a scary data problem. These tech troubles can frustrate you and your customers.

Remember Y2K, around the turn of the millennium? It was a time when everyone worried that all computers would crash. The whole thing actually made many companies upgrade their tech and get better prepared. The lesson is that even big technology problems can lead to good changes.

Step into any modern medical facility, and you'll witness a complex interplay of human expertise and sophisticated technology. From the front desk to the operating room, information technology is not just a convenience; it's vital for nearly every aspect of patient care and operations. 

Consider the intricate systems within a hospital or clinic. When these systems function the way they are designed to, information flows efficiently, decisions are well-informed, and patient outcomes benefit. If this system falters, however, the impact can be immediate and significant.

A powerful feature built into Windows that can significantly enhance your daily workflow and organization: Virtual Desktops.

We often discuss how technology can be better leveraged for productivity. Many individuals, perhaps familiar with the "Spaces" feature on macOS from their personal devices, might be pleased to discover robust similar functionality within the Windows operating system. This feature, known as Virtual Desktops, is designed to help you manage your digital workspace more effectively.

What are your plans for the summer? If they involve getting out of the office and going on a vacation, then you’ll want to be armed with a couple of technology tips to help you make the most of your time in a safe and secure environment. Here are three tips you should keep in mind this summer.

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run or what industry you fall into. It’s likely that there are untapped opportunities for your business to implement better, more powerful, and more efficient communication and collaboration tools. If you’re on the fence about some of the latest trends in communication and collaboration, consider some of the following “easy wins” to make progress toward better operations today.

Today’s workforce is more digitally fluent than ever. Smartphones, cloud apps, instant communication; it's all second nature to most of us. The question becomes, does this everyday agility in using technology automatically translate into mastering the specific, often complex, technology your business relies on? Today, we will go into this very topic. 

There's a crucial difference between general technology use and optimized business technology application. We specialize in proactive business technology support, and we've seen firsthand that even the most tech-savvy individuals benefit immensely from targeted training on the tools and protocols unique to their workplace. This isn't just about fixing problems; it's about unlocking efficiency for every team member to contribute.

Sometimes, a real-world event vividly illustrates the importance of digital security basics. The recent NFL draft provided just such a case, involving an unlocked iPad, a prank call, and significant consequences.

The story centers around Shedeur Sanders, a highly anticipated draft prospect, and Jeff Ulbrich, the Atlanta Falcons' Defensive Coordinator. To maintain security during the draft, prospects use special phone numbers known only to NFL teams. Ulbrich had this sensitive contact list stored on his iPad.

You can’t run a business these days without hearing about how AI is changing the technology landscape and what that means for your organization. It gives SMBs like yourself some serious power, often enough to do more complex tasks that it couldn’t otherwise do without significant time and effort investments. But sometimes it’s more about the easy wins, so that’s what we’re covering today: the simple ways your organization can shift operations with AI.

Is your business technology a tangled web of frustrations? You're certainly not navigating this digital dilemma alone. We frequently hear from organizations grappling with sluggish networks, outdated software that feels like a relic from the dial-up era, and the ever-present anxiety of safeguarding crucial business data.

This technological turbulence doesn't have to be your reality. Today, we're charting a course to help you reconstruct your IT infrastructure from the ground up, paving the way for smoother operations and greater peace of mind.

Windows is, for the most part, the default operating system you can expect to see in a business setting. That said, some owners have never used a Windows computer before, instead using a simple Chromebook or a Mac. Still, it’s good to know how Windows works, especially since it seems there’s a significant gap in knowledge.

Today, we’re exploring how the different drives on Windows PCs work so you can make better use of your workplace tools.

Cybersecurity isn’t the most fun thing to talk about, but it’s still important. This is especially for your employees who are on the front lines, the most likely folks to encounter threats during their day-to-day tasks. Today, we want to cover how your business can build better cybersecurity training practices that can keep your business secure for the long haul.

There are a lot of sketchy parts of the Internet, but the sketchiest of all might be the Dark Web. Located on a part of the Internet that search engines don’t index and inaccessible to most web browsers, the Dark Web is a place where cybercriminals thrive. It’s a place where stolen data is put up for sale, and if you’re not careful, your business could be next.

More often than not, you have an employee on staff who rolls their eyes whenever you have to send out another cybersecurity email or reminder. This “who cares” mindset is dangerous and can infect your business in a profoundly disturbing way. Today, we want to get into why this “who cares” mindset is so dangerous and what’s really at stake when you have an employee who can’t get on board with your security policies.