Blue Ridge Technology

In late September 2024, life changed for many of us in Western North Carolina. Our team was fortunate to make it through the storm safely, with relatively little damage or disruption (at least compared to many in communities near us). We usually use this blog to share tech tips and IT advice, but this blog post is going to be a little different. First, we want to let clients and readers know that we’re open for business . We’re already supporting our clients around the region, helping them resume normal operations and recover any data or infrastructure that was lost to Helene. Second, we want to pause and think of the hundreds of thousands of individuals and organizations impacted by the storm. Communities around us have been devastated. None of us have ever seen anything like this, and who would have thought that our mountain communities needed to prepare for a hurricane? Full recovery will be months, maybe years, in the making. Observations on Serving as an MSP Post-Helene Our organi...

Have you updated to the latest version of Windows 11 yet? If not, it’s time to act – Microsoft has announced when it will end support for older versions (and it’s soon!). Usually when people talk about digital threats to businesses, they focus on certain types of threats, like credential theft, ransomware, business email compromise, and malware. Those are all important threats that businesses need to defend against, but there’s another related type that doesn’t get enough coverage: cyber extortion. What Is Cyber Extortion? Cyber extortion is a malicious practice where criminals gain access to your organization’s data and then extort you with it, threatening to release it publicly or take some other action with it that will compromise your business or harm your reputation (or both). Usually this type of attack includes a request for ransom in exchange for not releasing your data or harming your organization. How Is Cyber Extortion Different Than Ransomware? Compromising your business an...

If your business is like most, you have plenty to worry about in terms of keeping costs low, and you’re constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and shed costs. This just makes good business sense. Still, savvy business owners know that there are areas where cutting costs can be strategic and other areas where doing so can damage the business, perhaps irreparably. In other words, saving money by making workflows more efficient is a great idea, but saving money by skimping on quality or service could be disastrous. Where does your managed IT services partner fall into this matrix? Should you look for the absolute cheapest deal around, or is choosing bargain managed IT support something that could cause deep problems in the long run? Here at Blue Ridge Technology , we believe the right answer is to take a holistic approach to managed IT support. Often, the best deals aren’t really the best: they don’t lead to the kinds of outcomes you want for your organization. Underpayment for...