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It’s now easier to change broadband providers thanks to new government rules. Anyone who has ever wanted to change their broadband provider understands how difficult and frustrating this process could be. Until just recently making this switch was so complicated and difficult for customers that many did not even bother. Providers certainly didn’t mind the fact that jumping through so many hoops completely discouraged even their most dissatisfied customers from finding a better deal elsewhere. The flip side of that coin was that providers wouldn’t be attracting much business away from their competitors either. This has changed thanks to the efforts of telecommunications and broadband regulator Ofcom. Starting in 2015, Ofcom was successful in working with the government to remove many of the obstacles that prevented consumers from having a true choice in the marketplace. They were able to eliminate the requirement for migration authorisation codes necessary to make the switch.
You’ve no doubt heard of the Black Market. It’s the illegal underground marketplace where goods are sold without any oversight, regulation and certainly no VAT. It’s a shadow economy where you may find a good deal on a device, but you may also get ripped off with no recourse. The Grey Market is a term used to describe a marketplace where goods are sold, many of them imports, that is legal, but they can be just as shady.
It may have happened to you. You get a call from a person, perhaps with an accent. They say they are from Microsoft Tech Support and they inform you that your computer may be running slowly due to a virus on your hard drive. This may not set off any alarm bells. Maybe your computer has been running a bit slow lately and major companies around the world outsource their tech support to other countries. Why should Microsoft be any different?
Cyber criminals, hackers, phishers and other ne’re-do-wells will never stop devising new ways to part honest citizens with their money. Bogus websites are another way these fraudsters are tricking people out of their hard-earned pay. These criminals create web pages for businesses that look perfectly legitimate. They offer incredible deals on expensive items. They even use the widely recognised Trusted Shop Trustmark. They are far from reputable, however. How can you tell the difference? There are a few clues to look for. The first one is, if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.
The days of kidnapping and piracy have transferred effortlessly into 21st century technology. In the digital world, ransoms are now being demanded in exchange for unlocking a device after a “ransomware” virus has unknowingly been downloaded.. This virus, developed by hackers, locks its victims out of their computer files. It is no longer the Windows user who is affected, as the virus has evolved to target Apple devices, which it had previously been unable to do.
If you’ve read our two previous posts on the subject of outsourcing IT support, then you know two of the major benefits of doing so: saving time and money.Increased productivity is another benefit. This third installment highlights a few of the advantages of using a third party to provide IT support to your business, including keeping systems updated with the latest software and virus protection. Increased productivity is another benefit.
Just how important having is reliable IT support to your business? Just imagine operating without it. That means there would be no one to install the latest software updates across your network. There would be no one to help protect your network against malware and viruses and attacks and theft from hackers. No one who would get your computers and network back up and running after a power failure or natural or manmade disaster. How important is reliable IT support to a business? It’s absolutely critical.
Information technology support is essential to any business looking to stay competitive in the digital age. Any disruption to your IT can have a lasting effect on your business, whether it’s one terminal that goes down during peak productivity or a whole network. Your business needs to get back up and running quickly. Lost productively is lost revenue. Lost communication is lost opportunity. IT support professionals aren’t just digital emergency responders either. They help prevent attacks from malware and viruses and keep software up-to-date. They are essential to businesses in Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde.
Facebook is a huge part of the lives of so many of us. With over a billion users worldwide, this provides hackers with almost unlimited opportunities to wreak havoc. Yes, we may in fact be a little too dependent on social media sites like Facebook, and this does leave us vulnerable to cyber threats, this doesn’t seem likely to change any time in the near future. Given the amount of time most of us spend online, it only makes sense that we would want to stay as safe as possible while we do so. Protecting our devices from malware and viruses should be a top priority for everyone. Learn how to protect yourself on social media sites
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