Category: Tech Insight
Small business confidence on the rise
Small businesses, a main target audience of managed service providers (MSPs), appear to be regaining confidence in the post-pandemic economy. A Small Business Index created by MetLife and the U.S. Department of Commerce finds nearly half (46 percent) say they...
Tech Time Warp: California adopts groundbreaking ergonomics standard
Texting thumb. Mouse shoulder. Computer hunchback. In today’s always-on world, it’s far too easy to overdo your use of technology. You can effortlessly end up on the path toward a repetitive stress injury (RSI). In this edition of Tech Time...
Leveraging AI to streamline MSP customer management
In part one of this series, we took a look at how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to elevate managed service provider (MSP) efficiency and improve MSP operations. Here, we are going to look at how AI can improve...
Tech Time Warp: The curious history of QWERTY
From time to time, your inner Mavis Beacon might wonder about the seemingly nonsensical arrangement of your keyboard. What’s the story behind QWERTY? You’ll find out in this edition of Tech Time Warp! On June 23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes,...
Can AI help MSPs improve margins?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being touted as a magic elixir – whatever the problem is, AI is the answer. Unfortunately, it is not quite ready to do many of the more advanced things that people want to do. However, in...
Tech Time Warp: Far past time to move to AES encryption
In May 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC) released a whitepaper warning government agencies about the dangers of relying on the Data Encryption Standard (DES)—a nearly 50-year-old technology—for cybersecurity. Let’s get...
Pioneers in Tech: Nicholas Metropolis & and the MANIAC
While not the namesake of an Academy Award-winning film, “Nicholas Metropolis” is a name you’re not likely to forget once you’ve read this edition of Pioneers in Tech. Born on June 11, 1915, in Chicago, Nicholas Constantine Metropolis was recruited...
Tech Time Warp: ExploreZip offers yet another reminder to beware the unexpected attachment
The timing of news that pirated versions of Microsoft Office software are spreading “malware cocktails” is interesting. After all, it was also in early June (back in 1999) that the ExploreZip virus destroyed Microsoft Office files the world over. Let’s...
Tech Time Warp: The staying power of COBOL
In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we see how technology moves quickly. Each new iPhone renders the previous generation obsolete, with the earliest models now firmly in the quaint antique category. That’s why it’s so remarkable that COBOL, a...
Tech Time Warp: A look back at the “Woodstock of the Web”
“The feeling of delicious possibility was immense.” This evocative line comes from the founding curator of the Computer History Museum, Marc Weber. It sums up what it must have been like to attend the first web conference 30 years ago...
