Tolar Systems Blog

Malware, ransomware, viruses, worms…cybercriminals are constantly dreaming up new ways to attack businesses and individuals that use any form of technology. Learn how to protect yourself from Tolar Systems.

Yesterday, we discussed what consumers should do in the wake of the breach of data at Equifax. But what about its effects on your small business? Learn more from Tolar Systems.

The biggest news in the last few weeks in the world of finance and the world of technology is actually the same story: it’s the Equifax breach. Personally identifying data from more than 143 million individuals were breached by one of the world’s largest credit reporting agencies, leaving millions of individuals and businesses data vulnerable.

What does this breach mean to you, and how can you protect yourself and your business? Read on. 

As office workers spend more time on computers, poor workspace ergonomics are causing a number of common health problems. Among the most painful and aggravating of these are carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist tendinitis caused by overuse and poor ergonomics of your keyboard or traditional mouse.

As the Texas Big Country's leading authorized reseller of Microsoft products like Office365, we get a lot of questions about which Microsoft brands and solutions best meets our customer’s needs. Why are there so many brands and solutions, and what do they all mean for the customer?hy does a solution that sounds pretty similar cost more for a business customer than for a home or student customer?

We’re going to break down some of these differences, focusing specifically on Office365, in today’s post.

HIPAA has been a key issue for health care providers and the technology firms that server them for more than 20 years. But recently, more companies are being defined as a HIPAA business associate. This means that even businesses not directly related to healthcare may now be required to comply with HIPAA regulations.

If you’re looking to delegate your IT to a managed services provider or MSP, you'll typically need to sign a managed services agreement to outline the services the company you’ve chosen will provide and to set mutual expectations. For most businesses outsourcing with an MSP for the first time, there can be questions about what’s normally included in one of these agreements and what the components of the agreement mean.

The Internet has long been a great tool for business, but you can’t take advantage of it without putting your sensitive data at risk of threats, like hackers and malware. Granted, when it comes to cyber security, even the most cautious business will have a lot on their plate. We’ll go over eight of the most important security best practices, and how you can implement them for your business.

When you mention the term 'disaster recovery,' most people think about the big ground-shattering events like earthquakes, fires, floods, tropical storms, etc. While these natural events are certainly disasters and devastating in their own right, smaller things can constitute as a disaster for your business, and they aren't seasonal.

Your identity has quite a lot of value, especially in the wrong hands. Security firm ZoneAlarm put together some numbers in 2011 concerning identity fraud, and it even shocked us. Let's talk about a few of these statistics and what it means.

If you’re looking to hire an IT managed services provider (MSP), you might be wondering why there are so many different managed service pricing models and what they all mean. Some IT managed services providers use a tiered model of pricing (gold, silver, bronze, etc.). Others might use a per user or per device pricing model. Some have an option where you can get one specific service, others allow you to access all their services for a flat monthly rate. There are also hourly rates and even advance billing options in some cases.

Sometimes when your workstation feels bogged down, a relatively cheap and simply hardware update can make a huge difference in performance. Adding more RAM (Random Access Memory, often just referred to as memory) can be a game changer for your bogged down PC.

Email is (and has been) a prime method of communication for businesses of all sizes. With email comes a whole slew of issues that are essentially synonymous with the technology; spam, information overload, phishing, and information privacy. Even Texas small businesses that only do business locally are at risk of these issues. Personal email accounts are equally at risk. Employing proper precautions and practices whenever communicating via email is very important to prevent the risk of security compromises, monetary loss, and even legality issues.

Saving a little on your technology can go a long ways, but cutting too many corners can lead to additional problems and expensive downtime. Here are a few ways you can cut costs without creating long term issues.

An IT managed services provider delivers solutions to business owners who need high quality IT support but can’t or choose not to invest in dedicated IT staff and equipment to manage and maintain their technology. It’s a smart option that helps businesses stay competitive with their IT infrastructure without excessive investment.

If you’re a small business owner who spends a lot of time on the road, you’re probably never far from your mobile device. Increasingly, whether your travel is business or personal, staying connected to your office or business is a must. According to a recent Pew Internet Research survey, more than 92% of American adults own a cellphone; 90% of them carry it with them constantly.

As printers have gotten smaller and less expensive, most small business owners don’t think as carefully about what printer to buy as they once did. It used to be a big decision for a business to select a printer, particularly when all the printing done in an office might be done by a single high volume printer.

Whether the network you use is for personal or business needs, network security is something that should always be taken seriously. In 2016 alone, more than 2 billion records were stolen or breached due to problems with network security. The cost to recover from a network security breach can be astronomical for a small business – a recent survey indicates that it costs SMBs more than $50,000 to recover from a breach in their security.

Net Neutrality has long been a topic of heated controversy within the technology industry, but for people outside the industry it’s always been a bit of a question mark. In the world of small business, Net Neutrality is rarely even thought about, let alone understood.

If you’re selecting IT services for small business, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the choices available. You can choose from services associated with a box store, a local company that serves your hometown, or a national firm that may have an office in your area. You could select a service firm that is associated with a particular software or hardware provider.