Blue Ridge Technology

Charging in public places? Watch out for “juice jacking” “Juice jacking” has been in the news lately. Do you know what this threat is, and how to stay safe? And just how much of a threat is it, anyway? Here’s everything you need to know about how to keep your devices safe, even when traveling. What Is Juice Jacking? Juice jacking refers to a type of cyberattack that happens when people charge their devices. USB ports and chargers are the new standard; practically every new phone charges via USB-C, and so do many modern laptops. Juice jacking is a somewhat sophisticated technique where the bad guys compromise or hack a USB port that looks like a charger, like a charging station at an airport. When you plug into the compromised port, you may or may not get charged up. But if the hack is successful, you may also pick up malware or other nasty elements. How Does It Work? Unfortunately, USB ports and cables do more than just send electricity through to your battery. They also carry data. (i...

When did you last have a health check? As we’re rolling headlong through the early part of the year, many of us would benefit from a quick check-up — or at least a check-in. Every new year, health and fitness-related goals and resolutions are some of the most common on a personal level. And a few weeks into every new year, most of us begin to falter on those goals, if we’re honest. At a minimum, now is an ideal time for a health check-in, asking ourselves: how are those goals going? Do any of them need adjusting to be realistic and attainable? And how’s my health overall? Along the same lines, perhaps it’s time for something a little more official. When was your last health check-up or physical? Most physicians would rather see patients once a year proactively rather than wait until a problem grows more serious. Of course, we aren’t doctors, dieticians, or trainers— so please don’t take health advice from us! So why are we talking about check-ins and check-ups? Because your business — ...

Will your business be able to keep up with the pace of change? It’s hard to believe, but we’re almost to a new year (again!). We’re all starting to look toward what next year has in store— whether in personal development (the dreaded new year’s resolutions) or in our businesses. As we push onward into the new year, the pace of business technology innovations isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s moving faster than ever. Here are a few of the biggest business tech developments and trends that will shape the next year — or even the next decade — of how business gets done. Process Automation Grows in Importance and Capability First, expect process automation to take off, even more than it already has. Business process automation isn’t new; it’s been happening in physical manufacturing for decades, and the software variety is already happening in mid- to large-sized companies. In fact, process automation is probably already a part of your routine in small, less noticeable ways. For example...

Some bosses think their people do less when working from home We’re all getting more familiar with remote and hybrid work — whether we want to or not. The pandemic was the initial catalyst for many businesses going remote, and those immediate health crisis concerns are more or less behind us now. But a good percentage of employees who got the taste of working from home really, really don’t want to come back to the office full-time. So the question many business owners are asking now is this: is work from home helping or hurting productivity and the bottom line? Big corporations are divided: Apple and Google want people back in the office, even though many employees are vocally pushing back (or even resigning). Other firms (like Twitter ) have announced they never plan to return to an in-office requirement for most roles. To help shed some light, another big tech firm — Microsoft — commissioned a serious, wide-ranging survey on the topic. What they found may or may not surprise you, but...

Businesses are spending more on IT this year Right now, prices are going up everywhere — from the gas pump to the grocery store to the latest consumer and business tech and hardware. That’s just a part of life during a period of prolonged inflation. And before you ask, no, we aren’t using this blog post to announce price hikes here at Blue Ridge Technology. But we do want to talk a little about how inflation and other factors (like continued tech innovation) are affecting what companies spend on IT. If you’re not yet a Blue Ridge customer, right now is the perfect time to switch to us as your new IT partner. Costs are escalating all around you, so why not switch to a provider that will take the time to right-size your IT spend, finding areas where you can save and strategic areas where you can focus your spend? Reach out today if you’re ready for that conversation. Otherwise, let’s talk about the overall spending trends for a minute. IT Spend Will Reach New Highs This Year New research...

Two thirds of remote workers are using faulty tech Does your company have any workers who work remotely some or all the time? Your at-home or remote workforce can be a powerful contributor, and many love the flexibility of ditching the commute or being able to spend lunch breaks with pets or loved ones. Yet an increase in acceptance of remote work has led to a new round of logistical and practical concerns for business leaders like you. One that you might not think of? What happens when company tech breaks at home. A new report reveals that as many as 67% of remote workers fail to report damaged or broken technology to their employer. It’s a little weird that this is the case, but what’s more alarming is that this can turn into a security concern for your business. Here’s what you need to know. 67% of At-Home Employees Don’t Report Broken Tech If you’re working in the office and your keyboard stops working, what do you do? You request a new one. What if the reason your keyboard stopped...

When something’s wrong, you want a responsive IT helpdesk. It’s an all-too-familiar scene: in an office complex somewhere near you, an employee is fighting with a computer. Something that has always worked, something that’s supposed to work, something the employee needs to do their job— you guessed it, it’s not working. At this hypothetical company, there’s a structure in place to solve problems like this: the IT helpdesk. In theory, the employee should just call the helpdesk to get the problem solved. But the employee doesn’t call the helpdesk right away. They spend 30 minutes, an hour, maybe two trying to solve the problem themselves. They bother a tech-savvy coworker or loop in their manager. Two or three people — none of whom is trained for it — now sit around the computer, poking through menus and Googling the symptoms. This not-so-hypothetical scenario plays out countless times every day, wasting too many resources and destroying worker focus and productivity. If you’ve lived it,...

How to protect your webcam from spies A few years ago, news rumbled through the tech press that Mark Zuckerberg, leader of Facebook (now Meta), was doing something unusual with his MacBook. It showed up first on Twitter , and was quickly picked up by numerous outlets, eventually reaching general news markets like The New York Times and The Guardian . So, what’s the weird thing Zuck was doing? Taping over the webcam on his MacBook Pro (and the microphone, too). The reason is straightforward enough: someone as powerful as Zuckerberg doesn’t want to be caught on camera or on audio discussing trade secrets, future products, or even his personal life. And he knew then that there was at least a possibility that his webcam and microphone could be weaponized against him without his knowledge. Paranoia or Something More? So what was going on here? Did Zuckerberg know something the rest of us didn’t? Maybe. But if so, he’s never come out with it. In all likelihood, Zuckerberg didn’t know of any...