Tech Resources & Articles

6 Easy Ways to Stop RoboCallers (and Regain Some Sanity)

October 12th, 2022 by admin

Cartoon man with phone in hand saying don't call me

Robocalls: The mosquito of the technical landscape. They’re annoying, seem to be everywhere, and can be downright dangerous. Here are some steps to take to keep the swarm away. Robocalls are now responsible for 60% of all calls made. According to the...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Solutions

Want to Steal a Password? Go Phish: How to Recognize Phishing Scams in Your Inbox

August 17th, 2022 by admin

Email caught on fishing hook illustration, phishing attack, scam, cyber crime concept.

With the world moving rapidly toward digitalization, cyber-crimes are more widespread than ever before. Phishing attacks especially, have become bolder and more sophisticated. They are one of the most prevalent security hurdles that both...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

Trick or Treat: Spotting the Difference Between Spoofed or Real Emails

October 25th, 2021 by admin

Closeup of hands typing on a laptop, with Halloween paraphernalia scattered around the laptop

A frightening three billion spoofing messages are sent daily, representing 1% of total email traffic. A spoofed email is a fake email that looks like it’s from a trusted source but isn’t. It typically includes links to malicious websites that can...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Search Result Quackery: Does Google Bias Politics?

October 30th, 2020 by admin

Row of Rubber Ducks on Gray Background

One minute you are posting, for the first time in your life, about how nice it would be to have a microwave you could reach from the bathtub. The next you know, you’re seeing ads for a waterproof microwave, thinking, “how did they know?” And “is this...

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Posted in: Protection, Tech Tips

Four Tips to Safely Shop Online for the Holidays

October 30th, 2020 by Sarah E Ashley

Phone with 'Online Shopping' on Screen and Shopping Cart in Surgical Mask Filled with Delivery Boxes

76% of All United States Adults Shop Online This stat was taken from a 2019 survey. Imagine what that percentage will be in 2021. Shopping online safely is so important considering more and more people are turning away from brick-and-mortar shops to...

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Posted in: Protection, Tech Tips

5 Money-Saving Extensions for Online Shopping

January 23rd, 2019 by admin

Shopping on a laptop during the holiday season

The holidays are upon us! For many, the joy of the season may be hampered by the presents that have yet to be purchased. Thanks to online shopping, gone are the days of being forced to face the crowds at the mall, or run all across town in search of...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Products, Technology

Phone Charging Mistakes You’re Probably Making

November 19th, 2018 by admin

Phone being charged

Seems pretty simple, right? Plug in your phone and let it charge. Oh, if only it were that easy. Chances are, you're charging your phone wrong. Here's how to do it correctly, and keep your battery in good shape. Most smartphone manufactures say that...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

Duel of the Digital Assistants

November 12th, 2018 by admin

Alexa digital assistant

In this age of information, we all need a companion. Just 10 years ago, a digital assistant may have seemed like something out of a futuristic flick, but today, with a simple, “Alexa” or “Hey Google”, we have access to a myriad...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Products, Technology

Kick Your Phone Addiction: Introduction to iOS 12’s New Feature (And Dupes for Android!)

October 23rd, 2018 by admin

Man using smartphone while dog licks his face

Yikes - the average person checks their phone 110 times a day. Learning the details of your personal phone usage can be an even harder pill to swallow. These details can be found in the new iOS 12 update. Here are some ways to make the best of this new...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

Scamming the Scammer: One man’s hilarious fight against phishing

October 18th, 2018 by admin

Two men sitting on front of laptops laughing

Each day our spam folders fill up with requests from supposed royalty, long lost family members with inheritance to spare, and hosts of other scammers looking to take advantage of the gullible. One man has had enough! Scammers beware! Rather than...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips

Cyber Crime Has Gone Mobile: 7 Rules to Protect Your Phone

September 6th, 2018 by admin

Man using a mobile phone in front of a cellular tower

It's hard to remember a world before smart phones. They are not only a means of communication, but our alarm clocks, calendars, flashlights, banks, and so much more. Not surprisingly, hackers have picked up on the trend; cyber crime has gone mobile....

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News, Technology

Tech Term of the Week: Encryption

August 6th, 2018 by admin

Whether you want to better understand how your personal devices work, what technologies can protect and enhance your business, or just want to learn a little bit more about tech to impress your friends—then we have the blog series for you! Each week,...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Technology

25 Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Know

July 27th, 2018 by admin

Why go the long way when you can take a shortcut? In today’s fast-moving world, we want things quick and easy. Keyboard shortcuts are a simple way to increase your efficiency and ease of navigation when working on your PC. So let your pup rest his weary...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

The Dangers of Public Wi-Fi: 10 Tips to Stay Protected

July 23rd, 2018 by admin

When you’re out and about, be it in your local coffee shop or the airport, a “Free Wifi” sign can be a welcome sight to see. But before you connect to that tempting public network, there are some important things to keep in mind about the potential risks...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Battle of the Browsers

July 12th, 2018 by admin

The world wide web is a part of our everyday lives. Though you may be surfing the net multiple times a day, how many times do you think about your web browser? Are you using the right one for you? What are the differences between the browsers, and what...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

What is Remote Monitoring?

April 4th, 2018 by admin

What sets expert technology users apart is their knowledge of how to properly maintain their PC, and prevent problems before they occur. IT professionals use remote monitoring tools to provide expert maintenance with as little interruption as possible....

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Products, Technology, Toolsets

Get Your Head Out of the Sand and Start Taking Advantage of Excel

March 30th, 2018 by admin

Have you ever been two hours into a tedious Excel task and thinking “There has to be a simpler way to do this!” Well, you can rest your weary, bloodshot eyes, because there is a simpler way! If you are just starting in Excel we recommend checking out...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

Feeling Sluggish? Speed Things Up With These Five Chrome Plugins

March 20th, 2018 by admin

We’ve all heard that efficiency is clever laziness. The problem is, most of us are too lazy to be clever. That’s why whenever possible, we should just use the cleverness that’s already been had, and save ourselves a step toward efficiency. For this reason,...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

Text Scams: The Long Lost Eleventh Plague of Egypt

March 15th, 2018 by admin

You’ve probably seen phishing scams before...you may have even forwarded a few. (It’s ok, this is a safe space.) We want to make sure you are aware of SMS phishing because it’s even more devious than regular phishing scams, it’s downright dastardly. But...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News, Technology

Inbox Overload? Here's Six Quick Outlook Tips

March 7th, 2018 by admin

Every office has that one person who just has it all together. From their color coded Outlook calendar and scholar-like emails, to their crisp inbox and record breaking response time, you can’t help but wonder, “How does Karen do it?” While, most Karen’s...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity

Hacking Your Dumb Smart Devices and Printers

February 8th, 2018 by admin

An infinite number of hackers, hacking an infinite number of printers, will eventually, accidentally print the complete works of Shakespeare. Why and how they ever hacked a printer in the first place, is the subject of the day. There are all kinds of...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Technology

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Internet

February 5th, 2018 by admin

The internet is a pretty cool invention. We now have staggering power and potential at our fingertips. It’s a beautiful and eternal spectacle of cats dressed like people, and people dressed like cats. Memes about memes, thousand year old prophecies that...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Productivity, Technology

Chicken and Cyber Security: Lessons from 2017

January 31st, 2018 by admin

Reading about hacks is a great blend of macabre intrigue, and education by bad example. As terrible as cyber-attacks are, there is always wisdom to be gained from them (and as long as we’re learning, it might as well be fun!). With that in mind, we’ve...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies

One Practice that will Save Your Company: End User Security Training

January 26th, 2018 by admin

One click of a button. One phone call. One suspicious email. It doesn’t take much for a hacker to get past your security defenses and into your business. All it takes for them to get inside is for someone at your company to let them in. You can see just...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies, Products, Technology

A Technical Look at 2017: A Year in Review

January 22nd, 2018 by admin

2017 has been an exciting and astonishing year for technology around the world. The internet of things took major leaps and showed some of the drawbacks that come from connecting many new kinds of everyday items to the web. Artificial intelligence facial...

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Posted in: Protection, Tech Tips, News

Unraveling the Internet of Things: What is IoT and When is it Coming?

December 20th, 2017 by admin

In 1990, Tim Berners invented the World Wide Web and shook the globe. In 2017, there is a lot of talk about a new internet on the rise, not of information, but an “Internet of Things.” While the Internet of Things presents a world of new opportunities...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, News, Technology

Take Charge: Nine Ways to Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life

December 15th, 2017 by admin

Picture this: You’ve got an important email to send so you hop on your laptop. With each word you type, it seems your battery dips lower and lower. 15%...10%...7%...2%...it’s a race against the clock! If this feels more like déjà vu than a distant nightmare,...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity

Shop Securely: Avoid Holiday Scams

November 20th, 2017 by admin

On the first day of Christmas, my scammer gave to me, three spoofed sites, two password loggers and a maaalware in a pear tree! The holidays are here and that means plenty of gift searching and online shopping. But before you begin your gift hunting,...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, News

Operation Cyber Monday: Make Out Like a Bandit with These Links & Tips

November 13th, 2017 by admin

The time is fast approaching to separate the champions from the cattle. Cyber Monday is just a couple weeks away, and with it comes opportunities beyond imagination. 4k HD TVs at slashed prices, gaming systems at their lowest prices ever, smart phones...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, News, Technology

Three Unique Tips for Creating Memorable & Secure Passwords

November 6th, 2017 by admin

In today’s cyber-world, you can’t afford to have a password like “123456” (which, unfortunately, was the most common password of 2016). Many of us know deep down that our passwords could be more secure. We’ve heard it all before - they should be at least...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Three Ways to Keep Your IT from Turning into a Nightmare

October 23rd, 2017 by admin

This time of year, the scares are all fun and games until your power goes out, the backups fail, and you realize your situation is eerily similar to the start of a horror movie. Fortunately we are here to help you steer clear of IT Nightmares. (By IT...

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Posted in: Protection, Tech Tips, Productivity

The Importance of Patching: The Best Offense is a Good Defense

October 18th, 2017 by admin

Ever had a pesky Windows pop-up ask you to update while you’re typing at 2000 WPM, keyboard smoking from the fury, and you can’t help but feel like it’s not your top priority? You’re not alone. Patches can be time consuming and can disturb workflow if...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Productivity

Navigating Your Old Operating System After "End of Life"

October 10th, 2017 by admin

On January 12, 2015 you might have called Microsoft support for help with your Windows 7 and found a benevolent and ecstatic customer support representative waiting on the other side. (Okay maybe not so benevolent…but they would be there!) However, on...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips, News, Productivity

English to Nerd Dictionary: Internet Terms Explained

September 21st, 2017 by admin

When you hear IT professionals (nerds) talking about how the flux capacitor hasn’t fully powered on to correct the quantum gyrofizzler and it’s impossible for the mainframe to maintain 90% output for more than a fortnight, you might find yourself wishing...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity, Products

MFA Is Not a Swear Word: The Benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication

September 18th, 2017 by admin

There are some words considered too vulgar, heinous or dastardly to say in the workplace without causing a scene or bringing the judgement of your peers – “Multi-Factor Authentication” is quickly becoming three of them. As annoying as MFA can be, the...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Know Your Enemy: The Many Faces of Malware Explained

September 11th, 2017 by admin

It’s the end of the month, you’ve got deadlines to meet, customers to care for and patients to treat. You need everything functioning perfectly and that’s when your computer seems to be possessed with some kind of unmanageable, poltergeist situation that...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Turn Your Phone into Fort Knox with these 4 Security Apps

September 3rd, 2017 by admin

In the past 3 years, over 1 billion new and unique variants of malware have been discovered and nearly 3 billion identities have been exposed in data breaches. You have protection for your desktop and laptop, but are you confident your cell phone is secure?...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips, Products

Phishy Business: 8 Tips to Protect Your Company

August 24th, 2017 by admin

Phishing emails can seem impossible to avoid. Hackers have grown increasing more sophisticated and intricate in their abilities to disguise phishing emails but there are still a few signs that give them away. Here are eight things you should be aware...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

The Top 10 Excel Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity

August 21st, 2017 by admin

Whoever said “there are no shortcuts to any place worth going,” never spent an entire day inside of an Excel worksheet. If you are a regular Microsoft Excel user, one of the following shortcuts will take you 15 seconds to learn and will save you hours...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Productivity

You Need a Vacation…And A VPN

August 10th, 2017 by admin

The bags are packed, the tickets are purchased, and you’re on your way to your dream vacation leaving work and worries behind. If that is your story go and enjoy it. If you are anything like the rest of us, then work often gets in the way of those dream...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

You Have Too Many Servers and Here’s How to Consolidate: A Simplified Guide to Virtual Machines

August 2nd, 2017 by admin

The phrase “virtual machines” makes some people turn their brain off and stop paying attention. It may seem like an incredibly “techy” term and way too complicated of an idea to understand, but the truth is that virtual machines have the possibility of...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

The Power of the Power Button: How Restarting Your Computer Will Save the Day

July 21st, 2017 by admin

Restarting your computer takes three clicks of a button and a matter of seconds...but the difference this action makes is huge. Restarting your computer will not only resolve most day-to-day issues that arise, but will also play a huge role in protecting...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips

What the Blip is Bitcoin?

July 12th, 2017 by admin

May 22, 2010 went down in history as the day that someone purchased two pizzas. That’s great. People buy pizza every day. What makes this so special? The reason May 22 hit the charts was because this was the first transaction to be made between bitcoin...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, News

5 Surprising Gaps Your IT Provider Forgot to Mention

July 6th, 2017 by admin

What are the chances that last night’s backup failed? (They might be higher than you think.) Is your IT provider doing all they can to proactively protect your company? What is the right mix of private and public cloud for your company? These are the...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

Three Best Practices to Make Your Major Upgrades Run Smoothly

June 20th, 2017 by admin

There are some things in this world that nobody likes: mosquitoes, root canals, the sound of nails on a chalkboard...Major software upgrades may be pretty close to making that list. They usually come with extra work, complications, and confusing new processes....

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Posted in: Tech Tips

If You Don’t Have a BDR Plan Today, You Might Not Have a Business Tomorrow.

June 13th, 2017 by admin

You have an insurance plan for your house, your car and your health. But what kind of insurance plan do you have to protect all the data your business relies on? Backups are the best proactive measure that your company can take to protect your data. But...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Our Equinox Philosophy: What It Means to Be "H2"

June 8th, 2017 by admin

To others “H2” could mean a Hummer model, an HTML tag, or the bonding of hydrogen gas, but for us here at Equinox, “H2” is our motivation for everything we do as a company. To us “H2” means Happy Clients and Healthy Technology. We keep our clients happy...

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Posted in: Tech Tips, Meet Equinox

How to Know If Your IT Provider is Doing a Good Job

June 8th, 2017 by admin

One of the most important IT practices that most people never think about is documenting their network. If something were to happen to your IT team would you know how to log onto your server or the passwords of all your employee’s workstations?  It’s...

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Posted in: Protection, Tech Tips, Meet Equinox

Why is Patching so Important? WannaCry Virus Infects Over 100 Countries

June 8th, 2017 by admin

A world-wide ransomware attack swept across the globe last Friday infecting over 100 countries and leaving companies reeling. The virus attacked a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The patches for this weakness had been released by Microsoft months...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips, Case Studies

Pop-Up Panic: The Tech Support Scam

June 8th, 2017 by admin

As an IT company we see a lot of viruses, scams, and other cyberattacks that businesses encounter. The Microsoft support pop-up scam is one of the easiest to recognize if you are prepared. The following article will tell you everything you need to know...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

HIPAA Compliance Simplified: The How-To-Guide for Healthcare Professionals

April 14th, 2017 by admin

The three main phases to reach HIPAA Compliance are (1) perform Annual Risk Assessments, (2) create a Policy Manual, and (3) Continue Improving. The Annual Risk Assessments help ensure that your clinic’s technology is secure and that the proper safeguards...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips

Five Hacks for Beating Hackers: How to Win the Fight with Ransomware

April 6th, 2017 by admin

Ransomware has rapidly grown into one of the largest cyber-security threats for businesses. Ransomware is a specific kind of malware that will encrypt or seize control of data files and not release them until a ransom has been paid. According to CNN,...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips

7 Tips to Help You Reach HIPAA Compliance

March 29th, 2017 by admin

If you aren't shouting "hip, hip, hooray for HIPAA"...you're a normal person. Adhering to HIPAA Compliance standards is a necessary and complicated process for healthcare professionals. With so many regulations in place it can be hard to keep up. These...

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Posted in: Security, Tech Tips

We support over 200 business networks. Here are the top 10 gaps we see.

March 13th, 2017 by admin

After 15 years around the block we've learned a thing or two. Many businesses run into the same weaknesses when it comes to their technology. Here are the top 10 gaps that we see in protection, performance, and productivity and best practices for how...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

The Ins and Outs of In-House and Outsourced IT

February 24th, 2017 by admin

Are you in or out? That is a question that many small and medium businesses face. There are advantages to both in-house and outsourced IT and the direction you choose can have a huge effect on the success of your company. No matter what you decide to...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

Take Back Control of Your Network

February 21st, 2017 by admin

It's time to be friends with your network again. Stop letting it control your business and start controlling it. Whether you are experiencing hardware or user issues, we've got some tips for how to improve your system and speed. And if you really want...

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Posted in: Tech Tips

How to Make a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan in Three Steps

February 8th, 2017 by admin

140,000 hard drives crash each week and 60% of companies that lose critical data are forced to shut down because they are unable to recover their information. Reliable backups should be every business' best friend. Unfortunately most companies don't realize...

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Posted in: Protection, Security, Tech Tips