Learning Center: Articles & Blogs

As we approach 2025, many businesses may not realize that their older Windows systems are reaching a crucial milestone. If you’re still using Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows SBS 2011, there’s an important date you need to know: March 31, 2025.

In the realm of IT infrastructure, certain devices are pivotal to the daily operations and success of businesses. These are known as business critical devices, and understanding their importance is key to maintaining smooth operations. Here's an exploration of what business critical devices are and why they matter.

When you store your data in the cloud, a common concern is, “Is my cloud data backed up?” Cloud providers typically employ built-in redundancy, meaning your data is automatically stored across multiple servers in various physical locations. However, it’s crucial to recognize that redundancy isn’t the same as a traditional backup.

The internet has come a long way since its inception, transforming from a military experiment into a fundamental part of our daily lives. Let’s take a journey through its history and see how it has evolved over the years.

A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device known for its speed, reliability, and efficiency. Unlike HDDs that use spinning disks, SSDs rely on flash memory chips to store data. This key difference results in faster performance and enhanced durability.

With the always evolving cyberthreat landscape and increase in cyber attacks, how we store our data has evolved dramatically. Thanks to the rise of cloud computing, we now have multiple options for data storage. But now begs the question, what is the difference between cloud data storage and locally stored data.

Over the past couple of years, working from home has become incredibly important. In the past, everyone worked in the office, so that's where all the data lived. But now, with the big push for remote work and downsizing office space, how do we give people access to the data they need?

In our fast-paced, digitally driven world, communication technologies play a crucial role in connecting people and businesses. One of the most enduring and widely used communication methods is SMS, or Short Message Service. But what exactly is SMS, and why has it remained relevant in the age of smartphones and instant messaging apps?

You’ve heard it a million times. “Turn on MFA, MFA saves the day, multifactor authentication is the best, etc.” We all know as cyber threats become more sophisticated, relying solely on passwords is no longer sufficient. This is where Multifactor Authentication (MFA) comes into play, adding layers of security to protect our digital identities.

Data exchange is a crucial aspect of communication between systems, applications, and organizations. One of the most fundamental technologies enabling this exchange is Extensible Markup Language, commonly known as XML. But what exactly is XML, and why is it so important?

Shiny new tech can be exciting! It promises increased efficiency, happier employees, and a competitive edge. But that promise can turn into a financial nightmare if you neglect employee training and change management. When employees have trouble using their business tools, productivity drops. Mistakes can be made, and customer service can fall.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is not just a threat to businesses; it's a modern-day manifestation of the classic con game, updated for the digital age. In essence, BEC is a type of cybercrime where attackers gain access to a corporate email account and use it to conduct unauthorized transactions or extract sensitive information from unsuspecting victims.

In today's digital world, smooth IT operations are crucial for businesses, but interruptions can pose challenges. High Availability (HA) addresses this by ensuring IT systems operate continuously and reliably, even during failures or heavy usage.

Microsoft has expanded the availability of one of its most dynamic tools to SMBs. A tool that can be a real game-changer for growth. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is a powerful new addition to the M365 suite. It was first offered to enterprise customers only. But Copilot is now open to businesses of all sizes as long as they have Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium.

Microsoft 365 has been adding some amazing AI innovations. They sit inside tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more. These smart Copilot features can enhance your experience and boost productivity. Copilot is designed to be your virtual collaborator.

What is the cost comparison between hiring internal IT vs outsourcing IT? When evaluating the cost comparison between hiring internal IT staff versus outsourcing IT services to a managed service provider (MSP), several factors come into play. Here’s a breakdown of the key considerations.

Your business is a complex ecosystem where different devices, machines, and systems interact to perform various tasks. Now, think about connecting all these devices to the internet, allowing them to communicate, collect data, and make decisions autonomously. That's essentially what the Internet of Things (IoT) is all about.

In today's world, email communication is at the heart of almost every organization, and ensuring the security of our emails is vital. Whether you're sending confidential documents or sharing personal information, protecting sensitive data against cyber threats is becoming increasingly important. This is where Secure Email Gateways come into play.

It can be challenging to keep up with the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. Companies need to process large amounts of data. As well as respond to incidents quickly and effectively. Managing an organization’s security posture is complex. That’s where Microsoft Security Copilot comes in.

In the ever-evolving world of technology, securing our wireless networks is crucial to protecting our data and privacy. If you've ever wondered about those cryptic acronyms like WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, this blog will to help you understand the basics of wireless security. Without delving into too much technical jargon, these protocols use advanced encryption algorithms to encode the data transmitted between your device and the Wi-Fi router.

You just submitted a service ticket and don’t know what’s next. Here’s what you can expect: Throughout the life of your ticket, you’ll receive emails when the ticket is updated. Sometimes these updates are automatically generated, and other times they are messages from real life technicians working on your issue.

Think of the browser cache as a temporary memory storage system. When you visit a website for the first time, your browser downloads all the necessary files needed to display the webpage properly. These files can include HTML documents, images, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, and more.

A smart city is a city that uses technology and data to improve the lives of its residents and make urban living more efficient, sustainable, and enjoyable. But what makes the city "smart?" and while technology improvements offer many benefits, what are the potential issues if safety measures aren't in place?

QR codes are everywhere nowadays, right? You see them on menus, posters, flyers—pretty much everywhere. They're super handy too! Just whip out your phone, snap a pic, and bam! You're directed to a link, a discount, or even a video. But hold up, there's a sneaky side to these little squares.

Ransomware is a type of malware that hackers use to encrypt your files or lock you out of your own computer or device. Once your files are encrypted or your device is locked, the cybercriminals demand a ransom payment from you, usually in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, in exchange for the key or code to unlock your files or device.

Innovation debt, also known as technical debt, is a term used to describe the costs that companies and organizations incur when they delay investing in new technologies or ideas that can help them remain competitive. This debt usually follows under a CFOs area of focus.

Submitting a service ticket is an important part of working with your IT provider, but it shouldn’t be complicated! Here at Simplex-IT we have an easy process for you! So how do I submit a service ticket? There are three options:

What is the difference between 3G, 4G, 5G? Let's break down the differences between 3G, 4G, and 5G in a simple way, without getting too technical. 3G was the third generation of mobile networks, providing faster data transfer speeds compared to its predecessor, 2G.

A Single Point of Failure is a potential risk caused by a flaw in the design, implementation, or configuration of a system. It’s the one fault that can shut down an entire system. This could be in your cybersecurity, networking, and similar aspects.

An operating system is like the brain of your computer. It's a set of software that acts as an intermediary between you (the user) and the computer hardware (the physical components like the processor, memory, storage, etc.). There are 6 different parts of an operating system, let's break it down.