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IT SERVICES AND SUPPORT

How to Manage Those Annoying Auto-Play Video Clips in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has several features to manage auto-play clips. For starters, Edge is designed to automatically silence these clips on background tabs — in other words, on web pages that are open but not currently being displayed. (Their tabs are greyed-out.) Edge also lets you mute auto-play clips on individual web pages as well as stop clips from running automatically…

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The iPhone 11 Is Here But Is It Worth the Upgrade?

The iPhone 11 — the newest version of Apple’s renowned smartphone — is now available in digital and physical stores worldwide. Keeping with tradition, Apple released the iPhone 11 on the heels its predecessor, the iPhone XS, with only a year separating their debuts. Like its predecessor, the iPhone 11 is available in three models: The entry-level iPhone 11 (starts…

15 Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Excel and Word

Microsoft Word and Excel have been around for a long time, so they have many features, including more than 200 keyboard shortcuts. Using these shortcuts can save you time because you just need to press a combination of keys to perform an action. While trying to remember every single shortcut is impractical, it pays to learn the shortcuts for operations…

How to Choose Default Apps in Windows 10

It is common for people to have multiple apps that perform the same function on their Windows 10 computers. For instance, people might have several web browsers or email apps. Similarly, people often can open certain types of files with more than one program. For instance, they can open PDF files with a web browser such as Google Chrome or…

Strategic, Reliable, and Secure. Learn more about our services.

3 Ways Your iPhone Can Keep you Organized

If your iPhone is running iOS 11 or later, you can use it for more than just staying in touch with the office. Here are 3 features you can use to help your business trip go more smoothly: 1. Check a Flight’s Status If you are traveling by plane, you can use your iPhone to check your flight’s status before…

Is the Desktop Computer Becoming Obsolete?

The fate of the desktop computer has been the topic of debate for several years. Knowing both sides of the argument can be beneficial when you need to purchase new computing devices for your business. Why Some People Believe the Desktop Computer’s Days Are Numbered Some people believe it is only a matter of time before desktop computers become obsolete,…

What you Need to Know About Google Tracking Your Location

Google is tracking the whereabouts of billions of its customers, even when they tell the tech giant not to. Here is what you need to know about this practice, including how to minimize the amount of data being stored about you. What the Commotion Is and Isn’t About When people use Google’s apps and services, the company collects data about…

How to Stop Annoying Chrome Website Notifications

If you use the Internet regularly, you have probably encountered them — those pesky boxes that pop up when you visit a website for the first time and it wants to send you notifications. Fortunately, it is easy to stop these notifications from appearing if you use the Google Chrome web browser. Open your browser and follow these steps: Click…

10 Keyboard Shortcuts for Most Browsers

You can use many of the same keyboard shortcuts when working in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers. Here are 10 keyboard shortcuts that are handy as well as easy to remember: 1. F3 Pressing F3 in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox opens the search box so that you can search for text on a web page. Once…

What Is Digital Transformation and Why Are Companies Pursuing It?

To understand what is meant by the term “digital transformation”, it is helpful to know what it is not. If a company simply moves applications to the cloud, upgrades its IT infrastructure, or implements some other one-off IT project, it is not digitally transforming itself. Digital transformation involves more than just adding new digital technologies to business operations. It requires…

5 Ways to Spend Less Time Dealing With Emails

Business professionals often spend a lot of time reading and responding to emails. If you are one of them, follow the 5 tips below to reduce the amount of time you spend dealing with emails. 1. Read and Respond to Emails Only at Designated Times When you get a notification that an email has arrived, what do you do? If…

How the Latest, Greatest Smartphones Stack Up

If you’re tempted by the newest high-end smartphones, here’s what CRN’s reviewer has to say about them: In trying to compare Samsung’s top-of-the-line offering to Apple’s, the reviewer notes that the Galaxy Note8, which starts at $930, is only slightly less expensive than the iPhone X, which will start at $999. The Galaxy Note8 is an Android phone that packs…

Why IT Best Practices are Imperative for Supporting a Mobile Work Force

As illustrated by our medical device company case study, gone are the days when employees only worked out of an office and wielded a simple set of tools to get work done. In today’s world of mobile computing with anytime, anywhere work, employees use whatever device is most convenient, whether it is a desktop at home, a laptop at work,…

Installing Windows 10: Not For Amateurs

We recently surveyed Xantrion engineers to see whether the free upgrade to Windows 10 was something that people should undertake on their own. The answer is that, while Windows 10 is a fine operating system, most users won’t be able to complete the upgrade without some amount of professional troubleshooting. Putting the upgrade process to the test Our engineers have…

8 Ways to Save on IT Without Skimping

Looking for ways to save money in IT without sacrificing productivity or functionality? Here are 8 proven ways to help: 1.  Standardize your systems Every piece of software and hardware you add to your computer network will have its own issues, both in terms of its own operation and in terms of interoperability with other systems. Say no to things…

iPads in the Office

Back in December, we blogged about Apple’s growing popularity in the business world. Since then, we’ve received quite a few inquiries about iPads in the workplace. Our service manager has been handling these IT support calls. These are the three questions he gets most often — and the answers he’s most likely to give: •   Email on an iPad?…

Should I Outsource IT Support?

Organizations are always looking for strategic ways to manage costs. One proven method is outsourcing IT support and other non-core functions, such as HR and accounting, to a specialist. Specialization allows outsourced organizations to achieve economies of scale, which lower costs while improving service. What Kind of IT Outsourcing Makes Sense for Me? The next question organizations need to answer…

The Mac-Lover’s Solution to Working in a Windows Environment

By Darren Nyberg, Senior Consultant If you’re a stickler for quality the way I am, there’s no substitute for an Apple. Just look at the new generation of Macs: they have the highest screen resolution of any available, the trackpad is large and responsive, and the keyboard is so wonderfully tactile that just resting your hands on it is comfortable…

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IT PLAN AND BUDGET

How to Manage Those Annoying Auto-Play Video Clips in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has several features to manage auto-play clips. For starters, Edge is designed to automatically silence these clips on background tabs — in other words, on web pages that are open but not currently being displayed. (Their tabs are greyed-out.) Edge also lets you mute auto-play clips on individual web pages as well as stop clips from running automatically…

Keep current. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Subscribe Now

The iPhone 11 Is Here But Is It Worth the Upgrade?

The iPhone 11 — the newest version of Apple’s renowned smartphone — is now available in digital and physical stores worldwide. Keeping with tradition, Apple released the iPhone 11 on the heels its predecessor, the iPhone XS, with only a year separating their debuts. Like its predecessor, the iPhone 11 is available in three models: The entry-level iPhone 11 (starts…

15 Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Excel and Word

Microsoft Word and Excel have been around for a long time, so they have many features, including more than 200 keyboard shortcuts. Using these shortcuts can save you time because you just need to press a combination of keys to perform an action. While trying to remember every single shortcut is impractical, it pays to learn the shortcuts for operations…

How to Choose Default Apps in Windows 10

It is common for people to have multiple apps that perform the same function on their Windows 10 computers. For instance, people might have several web browsers or email apps. Similarly, people often can open certain types of files with more than one program. For instance, they can open PDF files with a web browser such as Google Chrome or…

Strategic, Reliable, and Secure. Learn more about our services.

3 Ways Your iPhone Can Keep you Organized

If your iPhone is running iOS 11 or later, you can use it for more than just staying in touch with the office. Here are 3 features you can use to help your business trip go more smoothly: 1. Check a Flight’s Status If you are traveling by plane, you can use your iPhone to check your flight’s status before…

Is the Desktop Computer Becoming Obsolete?

The fate of the desktop computer has been the topic of debate for several years. Knowing both sides of the argument can be beneficial when you need to purchase new computing devices for your business. Why Some People Believe the Desktop Computer’s Days Are Numbered Some people believe it is only a matter of time before desktop computers become obsolete,…

What you Need to Know About Google Tracking Your Location

Google is tracking the whereabouts of billions of its customers, even when they tell the tech giant not to. Here is what you need to know about this practice, including how to minimize the amount of data being stored about you. What the Commotion Is and Isn’t About When people use Google’s apps and services, the company collects data about…

How to Stop Annoying Chrome Website Notifications

If you use the Internet regularly, you have probably encountered them — those pesky boxes that pop up when you visit a website for the first time and it wants to send you notifications. Fortunately, it is easy to stop these notifications from appearing if you use the Google Chrome web browser. Open your browser and follow these steps: Click…

10 Keyboard Shortcuts for Most Browsers

You can use many of the same keyboard shortcuts when working in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers. Here are 10 keyboard shortcuts that are handy as well as easy to remember: 1. F3 Pressing F3 in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox opens the search box so that you can search for text on a web page. Once…

What Is Digital Transformation and Why Are Companies Pursuing It?

To understand what is meant by the term “digital transformation”, it is helpful to know what it is not. If a company simply moves applications to the cloud, upgrades its IT infrastructure, or implements some other one-off IT project, it is not digitally transforming itself. Digital transformation involves more than just adding new digital technologies to business operations. It requires…

5 Ways to Spend Less Time Dealing With Emails

Business professionals often spend a lot of time reading and responding to emails. If you are one of them, follow the 5 tips below to reduce the amount of time you spend dealing with emails. 1. Read and Respond to Emails Only at Designated Times When you get a notification that an email has arrived, what do you do? If…

How the Latest, Greatest Smartphones Stack Up

If you’re tempted by the newest high-end smartphones, here’s what CRN’s reviewer has to say about them: In trying to compare Samsung’s top-of-the-line offering to Apple’s, the reviewer notes that the Galaxy Note8, which starts at $930, is only slightly less expensive than the iPhone X, which will start at $999. The Galaxy Note8 is an Android phone that packs…

Why IT Best Practices are Imperative for Supporting a Mobile Work Force

As illustrated by our medical device company case study, gone are the days when employees only worked out of an office and wielded a simple set of tools to get work done. In today’s world of mobile computing with anytime, anywhere work, employees use whatever device is most convenient, whether it is a desktop at home, a laptop at work,…

Installing Windows 10: Not For Amateurs

We recently surveyed Xantrion engineers to see whether the free upgrade to Windows 10 was something that people should undertake on their own. The answer is that, while Windows 10 is a fine operating system, most users won’t be able to complete the upgrade without some amount of professional troubleshooting. Putting the upgrade process to the test Our engineers have…

8 Ways to Save on IT Without Skimping

Looking for ways to save money in IT without sacrificing productivity or functionality? Here are 8 proven ways to help: 1.  Standardize your systems Every piece of software and hardware you add to your computer network will have its own issues, both in terms of its own operation and in terms of interoperability with other systems. Say no to things…

iPads in the Office

Back in December, we blogged about Apple’s growing popularity in the business world. Since then, we’ve received quite a few inquiries about iPads in the workplace. Our service manager has been handling these IT support calls. These are the three questions he gets most often — and the answers he’s most likely to give: •   Email on an iPad?…

Should I Outsource IT Support?

Organizations are always looking for strategic ways to manage costs. One proven method is outsourcing IT support and other non-core functions, such as HR and accounting, to a specialist. Specialization allows outsourced organizations to achieve economies of scale, which lower costs while improving service. What Kind of IT Outsourcing Makes Sense for Me? The next question organizations need to answer…

The Mac-Lover’s Solution to Working in a Windows Environment

By Darren Nyberg, Senior Consultant If you’re a stickler for quality the way I am, there’s no substitute for an Apple. Just look at the new generation of Macs: they have the highest screen resolution of any available, the trackpad is large and responsive, and the keyboard is so wonderfully tactile that just resting your hands on it is comfortable…

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