Anti-virus

My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

By : Joaquin Hernandez |August 31, 2017 |Internet, Small Business IT |Comments Off on My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

Top 10 Small Business IT Questions

#10 ? My Internet Connection is Slow, Should I Change Providers?

There are several reasons your internet connection may seem slow. Before you jump to the conclusion the problem is with your internet provider you need to do some investigation.

First, run a speed check of your internet provider. This is actually quite easy to do. A speed test program will test the speed of your computer connecting to the Internet – called the “upload” speed. It will also test the speed of copying data from the website onto your computer – called the “download” speed. There are many speed test programs available. You can search by typing “internet speed test” into your search engine. One I found on Google is http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/.

After you run the speed check and have both the upload and download speeds, compare them to the contracted speed of your internet provider. Most of the time you’ll find the internet provider is not the problem. If yours is not, continue the investigation.

The most common cause of a slowing computer is a virus or malware. Check your virus protection or malware program status. You may find your computer is infected and needs attention. Take steps to clean or quarantine the problem.

Another possibility can be a problem with a specific program or website. If one program seems slow, log in to a completely different program to determine if the problem is widespread or limited. I use Quickbooks to manage my accounting so I’d log in to Quickbooks to see if I still notice a similar response time problem. If the slowness only occurs in one program, you have probably found the culprit. If the slowness affects multiple programs, your computer may be to blame.

After investigating all of these without finding any issues, your computer itself may be the source of the problem. You will most likely need help from a local computer expert who can evaluate further. If you live near Torrance, I’d recommend PC Parlor run by Tony Musorafite. Ask for his bench rate which is very reasonable.

Hopefully, these tips will help you find the problem and get your computer back up-to-speed!

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I’m concerned about identity theft, how do I protect myself?

By : Array Systems, Inc. |January 20, 2015 |Security, Small Business IT |Comments Off on I’m concerned about identity theft, how do I protect myself?

Top 10 Small Business IT Questions

#3 I’m concerned about identity theft, how do I protect myself?

Identity theft for your business is different than identity theft for an individual. Rules governing your business are stricter which could result in greater exposure. Here are a few tips to follow to protect your business:

  • Review your banking agreements. There are shorter timelines for fraudulent activity on business accounts. In some instances, if you don’t notice fraud until you reconcile your checking account at month end, it will be too late. Other activity like wire transfers require reporting almost immediately!Thief Through the Internet, Business Identity Theft
  • Implement two-factor authentication (two people) for any outgoing wire transfers. Even better, implement multi-factor authentication, using different people and different facilities (email, fax, telephone or special tokens).
  • Utilize online banking and increase your reconciliation frequency, especially if your transaction volume is high. Along with online banking, implement an electronic alerting system, i.e. email alerts that will notify you of potential fraudulent activity.
  • Use a different computer, than the one you use for email, when accessing your account online. The best set-up is to use one computer only for financial transactions and connect it to your network when you need to access online banking. Make sure that this computer has all the latest security patches and virus upgrades.
  • Enroll in Positive Pay with your financial institution. Positive Pay requires a financial institution to process transactions only if information regarding the payee and amount has been provided by the account holder in advance of each transaction.
  • Use high security checks and always keep your check stock, deposit slips, and authorization materials in a secured location.

It’s better to be safe than sorry in today’s world. If you would like to better educate yourself on Identity Theft, access the website: www.businessidtheft.org.

Want to know how Array can help protect your business identity and secure your computer systems?

 

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Top 10 Small Business IT Questions

The Top 10 Most Common IT Questions Asked by Small Business Owners

By : Array Systems, Inc. |December 02, 2014 |Small Business IT |Comments Off on The Top 10 Most Common IT Questions Asked by Small Business Owners

Below are the top ten most common information technology questions we hear from small business owners.  Over the next couple weeks our President Sid Kato will be answering these questions here on Tech Talk with Array.  If you are a small business owner and you don’t see your question listed here, please let us know by submitting an article suggestion to the right –>

We’re here to help!

  1. What is the Cloud?

  2. How can Social Media help me find potential customers?

  3. I’m concerned about identity theft, how do I protect myself?

  4. How do I protect myself from hackers?

  5. What is the best way to protect against viruses?

  6. Do I need a website?

  7. What is the best method for backup of my data?

  8. What email system should I be using?

  9. I have some old equipment still in use, what is the typical lifecycle for this equipment?

  10. My Internet connection is slow should I change providers?

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