The ACCENT Learning Hub

I’m sure you’ve heard the terms “backup,” “disaster recovery,” and “business continuity.” What most business owners do not realize is that these are three separate things and without all three pieces, their business is in a vulnerable position. Data Backup First off, data backup is just copying your data onto another device. This could be a tape drive, an external hard drive, or an offsite backup. In most of these forms, your data is being stored in a raw format. This means that your applications, configurations, and network settings are not being backed up with it, so if you needed to restore, or recover, your network from the data backup, you may be down for days or weeks.

Did you make any new year's resolutions as the calendar turned over to 2019? In addition to the usual personal resolutions, such as eating healthy and spending more time with family, I encourage business owners and managers to add a few business resolutions to their list. Information technology is critical to operations for most companies and has the power to stop, or at least disrupt, business if things aren’t going well. When utilized properly, information technology can give companies a strategic advantage and help them accomplish their business goals and objectives.

Now that 2019 is almost here, have you decided what your New Year's resolutions will be? In addition to your personal resolutions of weight loss, spending more time with family, and getting organized, business owners and managers should be thinking about things they can resolve to do to make their companies more successful and operate more efficiently.

It’s that time of year in California. Dry brush and Santa Ana winds put thousands of lives, homes, and businesses at risk. The recent Woolsey and Camp fires remind us that wildfires can start any time and they make quick work of any area, destroying everything in their path.

Ready or not, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, signals the start of the holiday season and many people will be looking for the best deals online. While you are shopping for the perfect gift and trying the get the lowest prices, the scammers are ready to pounce. They're using the same old tactics they've been using for years, but guess what? They still work. 

It's not too early for business owners and managers to update their business plan for the coming year. Planning is necessary to not only make sure that you'll meet your 2019 goals, but to set up a realistic timeline for execution. For example, let’s just say that your 2019 goal is to add an additional million dollars to your business. How are you going to do that? What is going to be different about the way your business operates in order to make that happen? Can any functions be automated or outsourced? Will you be hiring any additional resources? Will you be moving or opening a new location?

As you may have heard, Microsoft will be saying its official goodbye to Windows 7 on January 14, 2020. The “end of life” of an operating system means that they will no longer be releasing any of the updates that keep it safe and secure.

Want to make sure your smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices are as secure as possible? Check out this 90-second video tip from Chris, one of Accent’s vCIOs, with 3 tips to secure your mobile devices.

You’ve just typed up your monthly email to your loyal followers and clients and you hit the magic button — send!

January 14, 2020 marks the end of support for one of the most popular operating systems for businesses – Windows 7. It was released in 2009 and has served us well, but the end is near and it’s time to start planning your transition.