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.

What Does the Future of Mobile Power and Batteries Look Like?

What Does the Future of Mobile Power and Batteries Look Like?

You might have noticed the mobile technology around you, like smartphones, tablets, and wearables, getting noticeably stronger in recent years. As their strength increases, so too does their power expenditure, demanding more effective batteries and charging technologies as a result. Today, we want to look at the ever-fascinating topic of batteries for mobile technology and how innovations can help to fuel change in device design.

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Use Google Sheets for Easier Table Management

Use Google Sheets for Easier Table Management

Everyone should soon have access to a very handy feature in Google Sheets that helps close the gap between Sheets and its rival software, Microsoft Excel.

This feature? Simple table conversions, complete with advanced organization features.

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Password Managers Let You Protect Everything with a Single Password

Password Managers Let You Protect Everything with a Single Password

Password management can be challenging for both businesses and individuals, but it doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems. With the increasing threat of cybersecurity attacks, relying on a single password is no longer sufficient. Instead, you need to use complex passwords stored in a password manager, which simplifies the process of remembering them.

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How to Find Your Phone When It is Lost or Stolen

How to Find Your Phone When It is Lost or Stolen

What would you do if you lost your smartphone? While some might do their best to keep their composure and work to find it, there’s no mistaking the amount of data stored on our favorite mobile devices. Today, we want to walk you through some strategies for finding your misplaced or stolen device.

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How to Take the Sting Out of a Phishing Attack

How to Take the Sting Out of a Phishing Attack

We talk a lot about phishing on this blog, and for good reason. It makes up a significant portion of today’s cyberthreats, irrespective of size or industry. Today, we want to highlight how your business can protect itself from phishing attacks and keep their impacts to a minimum. We’ll dive into some details about phishing schemes and the solutions you can implement to keep your business safe.

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How Ransomware is a Danger to Your Business and Your Customers

How Ransomware is a Danger to Your Business and Your Customers

Ransomware is not just a business problem; it is also a consumer and user problem. While it might lock down your business’ files and make them inaccessible, there is also the possibility that the cybercriminals will steal and sell the data on the black market rather than safely return it. What happens to users who have had their data stolen during a ransomware attack?

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Take the Pressure Off Your Team with Co-Managed IT

Take the Pressure Off Your Team with Co-Managed IT

If your organization is fortunate enough to have an internal IT department, it’s likely that they are managing a complex infrastructure on top of being understaffed and overworked. We're not knocking your business or anything; it’s just the nature of the work and the reality of SMBs (trust us, we’d know). We can make managing your technology significantly easier and less of a pressure on your IT workers.

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Maintaining Security in File Sharing is Crucial

Maintaining Security in File Sharing is Crucial

Secure and reliable file sharing has become essential for businesses. It makes collaboration, communication, and better productivity possible. With the increasing prevalence of cyberthreats, however, having a comprehensive plan to ensure the security of your files in transport is extremely important. Let’s explore some of the best practices for secure business file sharing.

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AI and Big Data Present Interesting Opportunities for Businesses

AI and Big Data Present Interesting Opportunities for Businesses

All businesses use technology to varying degrees, typically to improve operations or offer innovation through a service or product. SMBs often benefit from the increased use of technology in the business world, as it’s generally quite effective at solving their problems and accessible enough that even companies on a budget can afford it. Let’s look at some opportunities your own business might have in 2024.

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Here’s What You Need to Do After You’ve Been Hacked

Here’s What You Need to Do After You’ve Been Hacked

Today, cybersecurity responsibility extends beyond the IT department; it's now everyone's concern. Experiencing a hack can be deeply unsettling, leaving you feeling vulnerable and uncertain about what steps to take next. This short guide aims to assist you by outlining the necessary actions to take post-hack, along with practical cybersecurity advice and measures to help you strengthen your defenses. Let's transform this stressful situation into an opportunity to learn and fortify your cyber resilience.

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How Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Work

How Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Work

Cybersecurity attacks happen when you least expect it, and data is often more susceptible to a cyberattack while it’s moving from one individual to another. This is what is commonly known as a man-in-the-middle attack, or MitM. Essentially, data gets intercepted while it’s in transit—but what can you really do to stop it? Let’s find out.

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Tip of the Week: Use Forms to Populate a Sheet in Google

Tip of the Week: Use Forms to Populate a Sheet in Google

Utilizing a form to gather data for your business offers myriad benefits, including insights into customer impressions, service needs, and employee feedback for collaborative decision-making. However, the challenge arises when it's time to consolidate responses—unless you're proficient with the available tools.

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Local Businesses Should Schedule Regular Cybersecurity Audits

Local Businesses Should Schedule Regular Cybersecurity Audits

The second you hear “audit,” your brain likely goes into damage control mode. However, the purposes of an audit are not necessarily malicious. In fact, they can be remarkably beneficial for a number of reasons, including network security. A good audit can help your business stay secure from threats and vulnerabilities.

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How Can a Four-Day Workweek Really Benefit Businesses?

How Can a Four-Day Workweek Really Benefit Businesses?

The four-day workweek is gaining traction among small businesses. It promises improved efficiency and increased employee satisfaction... but how can technology enhance this model? How can it help businesses reap the full benefits of a shorter workweek?

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Tip of the Week: Methods to Preserve Remote and Hybrid Employee Engagement

Tip of the Week: Methods to Preserve Remote and Hybrid Employee Engagement

With remote and hybrid work models becoming prominent parts of the business world, it’s time to start considering the challenges and benefits that such work can bring about for your own organization. Specifically, you want to examine how engagement is affected by these workplace models. How can you ensure employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention even while utilizing a remote or hybrid workplace model?

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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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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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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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