Category: Questions & Answers

Bring Your Own Device: Making BYOD Work in Your Company

Back in 2012, I wrote a post Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Is BYOD Bad for Your Company? based on the commonly available technology at the time.  Now that nearly 6 years have passed, I’d say it is time for an update. 

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is the allowance of employee-owned equipment onto company systems.  Typically, this involves employees using consumer computing devices (such as iPads or Surface tablets) to get work done, either in the office, at home, or on the road. Many of these devices are not designed to “get work done,” but instead to consume content (e.g., checking email, reading news, social media, etc.). These devices are not managed and may lack even the most basic security features enabled. Here is the problem: If your BYOD strategy is not planned correctly, this can spell disaster for any corporate network.  How is your company protecting its data on devices out of its control?  What happens when an employee leaves the company or a device is accidentally left behind at a coffee shop?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2019/01/it-security/bring-your-own-device-making-byod-work-in-your-company/

How to Shrink Large SQL Transaction Log Files

sqlserverSQL transaction log files should be maintained automatically by SQL Server, but sometimes grow too large when automatic maintenance is not being performed correctly. When this happens, transaction log files can grow unexpectedly large. It is important to take manual steps to shrink these files before they consume all available disk space. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2015/04/questions-answers/how-to-shrink-large-sql-transaction-log-files/

How to Set Your PC’s Default Printer

Your Windows PC or laptop may be configured to print to several printers. Some printers may be connected directly to your computer, while others are attached to the network. On each computer, one printer is defined as the default printer. The default printer is typically the printer to which all programs (Word, Excel, QuickBooks, etc.) print by default. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2014/08/questions-answers/how-to-set-your-pcs-default-printer/

How to Delete a User Profile from the Registry

When deleting user profiles, it is advisable to use the built-in GUI (graphical user interface) interface in Windows (Start >> System >> Advanced System Settings >> User Profile – Settings). This should delete all references in the registry, and the user’s profile folder (normally located in C:\Users).  But what if this doesn’t work as it should? Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2014/07/questions-answers/how-to-delete-a-user-profile-from-the-registry/

P2V (Physical to Virtual) Migration

In previous posts, I have shown you how to export and import machines from one Hyper-V host to another (see post titled “Importing & Exporting Hyper-V VMs in Windows Server 2012 R2“). I have also talked about building new virtual machines from scratch. There are many scenarios where it makes a lot of sense to virtualize an existing system as is. In essence, you would convert a physical server to a VM (virtual machine). We call this a Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) migration. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2014/05/questions-answers/p2v-migration/

How Do I Change Hibernation Settings in Windows 8?

For a long time Windows has had power saving functionality of various types. In Windows XP and Windows Vista we had a standby mode which used minimal power and a hibernation mode which would use no power. In Windows 7 and Windows 8 the hibernation and standby modes become one single mode called Sleep mode. You can configure how long the computer will be idle before it goes to “sleep”. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2013/12/questions-answers/how-do-i-change-hibernation-settings-in-windows-8/

How To Split an Internet Connection Between Two or More Computers

I was asked by a client recently: “Can we use a splitter on one of our internet connections so we can have two computers plugged into one? We only have one internet port in that office, but I need to plug in two computers.” Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2013/07/questions-answers/how-to-split-an-internet-connection-between-two-or-more-computers/

Video Conferencing: What’s the Point?

Although video conferencing technology has been available for decades, its use is not as common as other technologies.  Like any technology, there are pros and cons to using video conferencing for both business and personal use.  Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2013/03/questions-answers/video-conferencing-whats-the-point/

Should I Purchase Windows 7 or Windows 8

It depends…

Whether you are buying a new PC or thinking of upgrading an existing PC, the choice of Windows 7 or Windows 8 is not an easy one.  To determine whether Windows 8 will work for you and your environment you first have to consider: application compatibility, added benefits, and usability.  Once you have done that you can then determine which edition of Windows you should purchase (Windows 8 Core, Pro, Enterprise, or Windows RT). Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/12/questions-answers/should-i-purchase-windows-7-or-windows-8/

The difference between POP3 and Exchange

Microsoft ExchangeI have been asked many times by customers “What type of email account do I have”, and why would I want to upgrade from a POP account to Microsoft Exchange?  Let me explain some of the differences of each technology and the benefits of each. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/10/cloud-computing/the-difference-between-pop3-and-exchange/

Preventing Pop-ups and fake security

We have become so dependent on this electronic world we have built.  With such critical information as medical records and banking, it is imperative that we protect ourselves from the many cyber threats lurking at every turn.  

Common variants of these cyber threats are pop-ups and fake security applications (ie. fake anti-virus, fake anti-spyware, and fake anti-malware). The best way to stop these threats is to prevent them from ever taking hold of your system in the first place. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/10/it-security/preventing-pop-ups-and-fake-security/

People Keep Getting Spam Emails from My Email Address. What Do You Suggest?

There are actually several ways to send email as another person, making it look like they actually sent the email. Most of these methods don’t actually require access to the users Email mailbox. This is what we refer to as spoofing. If you’ve ever received an Email from yourself, then you know what I’m talking about. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/07/it-security/people-keep-getting-spam-emails-from-my-email-address-what-do-you-suggest/

5 Ways to Increase Your Computer’s Speed/Performance

Computer speed and performance can be greatly decreased due to many factors.  Normal, everyday use can slow down a computer over time.  The following tips will speed up a slow system or streamline a brand new computer.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/06/windows/windows-7/5-ways-to-increase-your-computers-speedperformance/

How to remotely access you home or office PC

There is no shortage to the number of methods one can use to remotely access another computer.  Now I’m not talking about any kind of Spyware, but rather remote control software or services which are perfectly safe, legal, and on the up and up. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/05/mobile-computing/how-to-remotely-access-you-home-or-office-pc-2/

Recovering from a Spyware or Virus Infection

In my previous post (Preventing Spyware or Virus Infections) I explained how to help protect yourself from virus and spyware infections. If you still do contract a spyware or virus infection, there are a few things you can do to clean up your PC or laptop. Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.robertborges.us/2012/05/it-security/recovering-from-a-spyware-or-virus-infection/