31478 Industrial Road Suite 200, Livonia, Michigan 48150 sales@xfer.com

XFER Blog

XFER Blog

XFER has been serving the Livonia area since 1994, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Make the Best Decisions Possible with Business AI

Make the Best Decisions Possible with Business AI

AI can have transformative effects on your business' operations, provided you can navigate its various pros and cons. Today, we want to highlight some of the greatest benefits and disadvantages that AI poses for any business looking to implement it into its operations.

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How to Ward Against Getting Ransomware

How to Ward Against Getting Ransomware

Every year, there seems to be a notable increase in high-profile ransomware attacks. If you haven't yet devised a plan to shield your business from these dangers, the time to act is now. Luckily, there are proactive steps you can take to reduce the impact of ransomware attacks, and it all starts with preparation.

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The 3 Most Essential Cybersecurity Best Practices for SMBs

The 3 Most Essential Cybersecurity Best Practices for SMBs

The misconception that small businesses are immune to cyberthreats is dangerous. In reality, their size and often lax security measures make them attractive targets. The cost of a cyber incident can be devastating for small and medium-sized businesses. It can lead to downtime, reputation damage, and significant financial loss.

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Three Types of Software Every Business Should Consider

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Software plays a crucial role in every business, regardless of its nature. Whether you rely on a CRM system, a point-of-sale solution, or more intricate software profiles, understanding key aspects of modern software is essential for maximizing its potential. Here are three vital insights into modern software.

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Explaining How Opportunity Cost is Not Synonymous with Value

Explaining How Opportunity Cost is Not Synonymous with Value

Sometimes, in business, you will hear about the opportunity cost of a decision. You may not be familiar with this concept that involves the investments you make in your organization's technology. In today’s article, we will discuss the opportunity cost of technology and why that cost may not be one you should be unwilling to take on. 

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We Attended Platform//2024 in Las Vegas!

We Attended Platform//2024 in Las Vegas!

By doing so, we had the chance to meet other technology professionals and hear more perspectives on today’s hot topics in IT. The Scale Computing Platform Summit, held at Resorts World from April 16th through the 18th, allowed its attendees to learn more about and discuss automation, data protection, edge computing, hybrid cloud, and other modern information technology topics.

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Tip of the Week: Hover Over Links to Prevent Hacking Attacks

Tip of the Week: Hover Over Links to Prevent Hacking Attacks

The fact is that phishing messages are all over the place. It doesn’t matter if you are a large corporation or a small business with only a dozen employees; the threat of phishing attacks is real and should be prepared for. Thankfully, one of the easiest ways to avoid phishing messages is as easy as moving your mouse. We are, of course, talking about hovering over links.

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The VPN Has Become an Essential Tool

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Remote workers face a significant challenge in ensuring data security. While safeguarding data stored within the company's internal network is feasible, protecting data accessed by employees outside the office presents different obstacles. How can businesses protect sensitive resources from unauthorized access?

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Printers Can Pose a Security Risk If You Aren’t Careful

Printers Can Pose a Security Risk If You Aren’t Careful

Multifunctional printers can be indispensable business tools. However, they also pose significant security risks, potentially serving as entry points for cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities and pilfer sensitive data and resources. Safeguarding your organization against these threats is paramount. This blog post will explore key measures to fortify your networks against printer-based vulnerabilities.

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If Your Backup Isn’t Automated, It Isn’t Worth It

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You don’t want to take chances with something as important as your data backup. In the past, businesses would use tape backups performed manually at specific intervals to back up their data to physical drives for storage. However, tape backup has largely become obsolete compared to modern solutions like automated backup and disaster recovery (BDR).

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Five Tricks to Keep Your Tech Secure While Traveling

Five Tricks to Keep Your Tech Secure While Traveling

You or one of your employees may need to work while on the road for many reasons. Unfortunately, this can be dangerous if you aren’t careful. We wanted to take a few minutes to (hopefully) review some security best practices your entire team should follow should they ever find themselves working as they travel.

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The Right Investments Can Positively Influence Your IT Budget

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Managing a budget is difficult, let alone budgeting for something as complicated as your IT infrastructure. Even though IT is notoriously difficult to budget for, it still continues to grow as a priority for organizations. How can you ensure that your budget can keep up with the projected expenses of your IT in the next several years?

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Hardware Prices Continue to Climb

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If you've been in the market for upgrading your hardware, be it a new graphics card, CPU, or even a laptop, you might have experienced something alarming: soaring prices. The once-stable cost of computer hardware has been inflated recently, leaving consumers frustrated that they can't find the hardware they are looking for at reasonable prices. Let's briefly go into what's causing this unprecedented spike in hardware prices and how we can help you navigate through it.

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XFER Turns 30!

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XFER has always been a family business. It started in 1994 when Mike Hartke, the father of our current CEO Brandon Hartke, started providing wide-area networks and digital equipment servers.

During the early years, the business expanded into telephony through the acquisition of an existing company. This led to XFER's expertise in unified communications integration between data and voice networks. A transition into the role of a managed service provider was easy, given the relationships established by working with area businesses.

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Tip of the Week: Clean Your Laptop with These Helpful Tips

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It might not be as obvious as with a desktop computer, with their visible fans and external components, but laptops also must be kept clean and tidy, free of dust and debris. There is a bit of a different process to keeping a laptop clean compared to a traditional desktop, though, so today, we want to highlight these differences and walk you through how it’s done.

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XFER launches new website!

XFER is proud to announce the launch of our new website at www.xfer.com. The goal of the new website is to make it easier for our existing clients to submit and manage support requests, and provide more information about our services for prospective clients.

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How Has Ransomware Evolved Over the Years?

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Did you know that the first case of ransomware surfaced in 1989? Since then, it has grown far more dangerous and common. Let’s examine some of the numbers regarding ransomware and how you can avoid it affecting your organization. 

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How Today’s IT Can Help Your Business Operate More Sustainably

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In 1987, the United Nations defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Today, almost 40 years later, businesses have various options to help promote their own sustainability. Let’s discuss just a few options and how we can help you enact them. 

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What Does the Windows 10 End of Life Mean for Your Business?

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After the major flop that was Windows 8 and the 8.1 Update, Microsoft hit a home run with Windows 10 in both the personal and professional contexts. However, Windows 11 is now in a position to succeed Windows 10, and Microsoft is making plans to end support for Windows 10. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

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How Business Management Styles Influence Your Operations

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No two leaders will have the exact same approach to the considerable task at hand, but it can be remarkably helpful to see what others do so you can make better decisions regarding your own management style. Let’s take a look at some specific leadership styles and whether they work well (or don’t).

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