Defining web hosting
Every business, regardless of size and industry, needs to have an online presence these days. One of the best ways to do this is to create your own website. To do this, you’ll need a web host. Here’s a quick overview of what a web host is and the two most common types of hosting. What is a web host? A web host sells or leases memory space on its servers so your website can have a virtual location on the internet. Their services include online storage for all of your site’s files and web pages. Many web hosts also offer domain name hosting, which creates a web address that users can type into a web browser to access your website (e.g., google.com, inc.com, etc.). Combine these two hosting services and you have the main foundations for your website. You can also get domain-based email addresses (e.g., robert@acmeenterprise.com) and website databases from web hosts. Essentially, your web host can store everything your website needs. When you sign up with a web host, you will usually pay a monthly fee, which the company uses to maintain and invest in new servers for hosting, increase access speeds, and provide better services. What are the two most common types of web hosting? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of web hosts around the world, but they usually fall into one of two categories: Shared hosting – Multiple, different websites are stored on one physical hosting server. Sites have their own partition (section of storage) that is kept separate from other sites on the same server. Dedicated hosting – One website is hosted per server. This means you have all of the server’s capacity to yourself. Which hosting type is best for my business website? Most websites use shared hosting because it’s more affordable while still offering generally stable access and access speeds. This is the ideal hosting type for most small- and medium-sized businesses with fairly simple websites. If your website is going to be large (e.g., thousands of pages) and you are going to host complex features like advanced eCommerce, streaming, and the like, then it would be best to opt for a dedicated hosting service. Examples of large sites include Google, Amazon, and government sites, among others. With numerous web hosts out there, selecting the right fit can be quite challenging. But with our IT expertise and solutions, we can help you find the web host that will work best for your business needs. Contact us today to get started with your online presence. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Give your SMB more flexibility with a hybrid cloud
When it comes to the cloud, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are often presented with the choice of either a private or a public cloud. But there is a third option — a hybrid cloud. And this is the choice that provides SMBs with greater flexibility. How so? Read on to find out. Hybrid clouds are a combination of private and public clouds. In private clouds, data and applications that require tighter controls are hosted either internally or privately in an off-site facility. Meanwhile, public clouds are managed externally by third-party providers with the express purpose of reducing a company’s IT infrastructure. Here are three significant advantages of hybrid cloud environments. Adaptability Having the ability to choose between on-site or privately hosted cloud servers and public ones let you pair the right IT solution with the right job. For example, you can use the private cloud to store sensitive files while utilizing more robust computing resources from the public cloud to run resource-intensive applications. Cost efficiency and scalability Does your business struggle to meet seasonal demands? With a hybrid cloud solution, you’ll be able to easily handle spikes in demand by migrating workloads from insufficient on-premises servers to scalable, pay-as-you-go cloud servers whenever needed, without incurring extra hardware and maintenance costs. So if there are last-minute computing demands that your hardware can’t support or if you’re planning for future expansion, hybrid cloud solutions allow for on-demand increases or decreases in capacity. Security Last but not least are the security advantages of a hybrid cloud solution. You can host sensitive data such as eCommerce details or an HR platform within the private cloud, where it will be protected by your security systems and kept under close watch. Meanwhile, routine forms and documents can be stored in the public cloud and protected by a trusted third-party. To set up a hybrid cloud model based on your SMB’s requirements and the providers available to you: Employ one specialized cloud provider who offers comprehensive hybrid solutions. Integrate the services of a private cloud provider with those of another public cloud provider. Host a private cloud yourself and then incorporate a public cloud service into your infrastructure. Our experts can help you transition to a hybrid cloud solution without interruption and huge costs. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits that a hybrid cloud can bring to your SMB. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
SEO recommendations for website images
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of improving your business’s online presence. Web services and platforms that provide automated SEO reports like WordPress, Google, and Raven Tools tend to oversimplify their advice. If you’re trying to get a green light for SEO, you might need to look more closely at the images on your site. Do images really affect SEO? One of the reasons images tend to be overlooked when auditing SEO is because it’s easy to forget just how many images your website has. Maybe you only had a few photos on your homepage when you first built your site. Over time, however, you probably added more visual elements to blog posts, landing pages, and About Us page — drastically increasing the impact of your images on your SEO. Image resolution and load speed The first thing to check is how your images affect your site’s load speed. If you’re using ultra high-resolution photos, those accessing your site on mobile devices or using satellite data connections will have trouble loading your site. Site load times affect your site’s ranking on Google, so make sure to pair your images down to a more reasonable resolution and save them as web-friendly file types. Choose the JPEG format for illustrations or large photos since it provides clarity and good colors in a smaller file size. Select the PNG format if you want to preserve background transparency. Use the SVG format for icons and logos. Combine this with Javascript or CSS to resize SVG images without losing quality. Keywords and image title The days of keyword-stuffing are long gone, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with uploading images with filenames like “DSC2558.jpg”. When adding images to your website, make sure their names are relevant to their content, such as “gym-trainer-helping-lift.jpg” or “call-center-customer-service.jpg”. This makes it easier for search engines to derive information from the images on a page. Alt text and title text Even though Google is getting better at recognizing image content without any help from text identifiers, describing your images in your website’s back end is still important for SEO. Every image on your site should have enough text-based information without disrupting the user experience. To see how this works in WordPress, open your site dashboard and click on Media. This will display all the uploaded images, videos, and audio. Click on any photo to access the text editing tools. Whatever you include in the Caption field will be shown below the image, so check that it corresponds with your content. If not, skip it. In this case, user experience takes priority over SEO. The Alternative Text and Description fields will be visible to visitors only if the image doesn’t load or if they select it manually. They may not seem that important, but these should be considered nonnegotiable for SEO purposes. Check that your site’s images are properly optimized before requesting another SEO report. If your score changes, audit your image optimizations regularly. If you’re still seeing red, there are a number of web- and cloud-based platforms that can help improve your content. Give us a call today to find out more! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Quick tips to save on cloud costs
Small- and medium-sized businesses are adopting cloud technologies. However, some business owners may not be aware of certain hidden costs. These costs don’t seem much at first, but they can eventually snowball. Follow these five tips to keep the cloud from breaking the bank. No standalones Cloud services come in various shapes and sizes, many of which are standalone platforms with rates that increase over time. Opt for a cloud service provider that offers a suite of products that all work together. It is often less expensive than a group of standalone products. Another benefit of working with a cloud provider is that you receive a single point of contact to resolve your issues quickly and effectively. Experience matters If you plan on integrating a standalone cloud service into your system, make sure you hire an experienced integration consultant to facilitate a smooth transition. Integration mishaps can cause serious downtime and cost a lot of money. Backups are important Unnecessary or inefficient backups waste cloud storage space. Review your cloud storage data by asking yourself the following questions: How many versions of this data do I need to store long-term? The more versions I store, the more it’ll cost me. What regulatory demands do I need to meet? Some data may need to be accessible for up to three years, whereas other data can be deleted after 30 days. How quickly do I need to access my backups? If it can wait for a day or two, I can archive that data to a less expensive service or offline at the provider’s data center. Remove users Many cloud service providers charge by the number of users in your system. If you neglect to regularly manage the list of users, you’ll end up paying for people who no longer work for you. Implement processes that remove users when they leave the company and consider scheduling a regular audit. Ideally, conduct an audit once every six months to ensure your cloud user list is up to date. Monitor proactively Ask your cloud provider whether they can proactively monitor your account and notify you of potential issues before they escalate into major problems. This is especially important if you have a pay-as-you-go license that charges based on resource or storage consumption. Utilizing the right technology resources is vital to your business’s success, and so is knowing how to prevent such resources from racking up an overwhelming monthly bill. If you wish to enjoy all the benefits of cloud computing without breaking the bank, give us a call. We’ll be happy to help. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Top 5 tips for a successful web conversion
Grabbing people’s attention and converting them to prospective customers is the goal of any professional website. To do that, you need to create a terrific-looking and user-friendly site that encourages visitors to sign up for eBooks, consultations, and other services. Be sure your website follows these five rules that make it easier to convert visitors. 1. Optimize your website for mobile devices More people are now surfing the web on the go via smartphones, tablets, and laptops. If you want a piece of this traffic, you need to make your website’s design responsive to all mobile devices. To give your visitors an enjoyable mobile experience, make sure your website design fits the screen of any device. Additionally, all elements of your website, including inner pages, resources, and call-to-action buttons should be easily accessible. If not, visitors will get frustrated and click away to a competitor. 2. Make it easy for customers to contact you This means displaying your phone number in the upper-right corner of every page and providing a simple, easy-to-find contact form. While some people prefer not to give up their email address for fear it will be picked off by spambots, it can serve as another contact option for those who hate web forms. Ideally, your customers will have more than one way to contact you. 3. Keep it simple People are always busy. They don’t have time to navigate a complicated website, dig through dozens of pages to find a contact number, or try and figure out what it is that you’re selling because your mobile site doesn’t display content properly. So when it comes to design, simplicity makes sense. When producing a simple website, every page, word, and image you create must have a singular purpose: to get visitors to contact you. Don’t distract them with excessive information, silly games, or flashy animations. Instead, have a nice clean layout so they can quickly understand what you’re offering and can contact you with a click. 4. Include custom photos whenever possible Say you have to choose between two different websites that sell the same thing and look virtually the same. The key difference is that one uses real photos of the owner and his or her staff, while the other uses generic stock images of business people. Assuming images from both sites are of the same quality, which one will you more likely choose? Undoubtedly, the one that looks more authentic. So the next time you need images for your website, invest some time and money in quality pictures taken by a professional photographer. 5. Move social media icons to the bottom of the page Everyone loves throwing social media icons on their websites. And while it’s not a bad idea to show your credibility, putting social media icons at the top of the page makes your visitors more likely to click on them immediately. When this happens, you just created an exit for them to leave your site and never return, and we all know how easy it is to get distracted on social media. Instead, place your social media icons at the bottom of the page or in the footer area. Remember, the goal of your website is to convert. If your visitors leave before they get a chance to explore your services, content, and offerings, you’ve lost them before you even had them. Need a website or another solution to enhance your digital presence? Give us a call and leverage our IT expertise for your business. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Gmail hacks for busy workers
Gmail is a staple for businesses nowadays; all stakeholders, from investors to clients to suppliers, use Gmail to manage their email. But despite its ubiquity, many users — especially smaller enterprises — can stand to improve their Gmail experience. The following tips can make your Gmail usage faster, simpler, and better for your needs. Undo Send In the fast-paced world of business, mistakes happen. And because everybody deserves a second chance at writing that email, Gmail has provided a way to recall sent emails — as long as you do it immediately after hitting Send. To recall your email, simply click on Undo or View Message > Undo beside the “Message Sent” prompt at the bottom left of your screen. Gmail templates Gmail templates, formerly known as canned responses, are pre-written email formats that you can use as is or as the starting point of a fresh email. These are great for regular messages that follow a specific template. Instead of writing the same lines of text over and over again, you can simply choose any of the customizable templates with a click of your mouse. Access your Gmail templates by composing a new email and clicking Templates > Insert Template. Send large attachments with Google Drive Need to send a high-resolution RAW image to a client but Gmail’s attachment size restrictions won’t let you? You can simply upload your files to Google Drive and click on Share to get a sharing link you can send to your client or your boss. Alternatively, you can click on the Google Drive icon at the bottom of your email composition window and choose the files you wish to send. Turn on Priority Inbox The Priority Inbox feature organizes your messages by their importance using machine learning. You’ll be able to divide your inbox into five sections, where the messages will be displayed in the following order: Important and unread messages Starred messages [Customizable section] [Customizable section] Everything else Enable advanced settings Configuring Gmail’s Advanced Settings is an excellent way to increase email efficiency. Some of these features include Multiple Inboxes, Preview Pane, and custom keyboard shortcuts. Access them by going to Settings > Advanced. Spending the right amount of time with emails while managing other crucial business areas is a balancing act many business owners find difficult. If you have questions or need further assistance regarding Gmail or IT in general, feel free to contact us. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Benefits of SaaS: What you should know
Technology continues to create more solutions that enable businesses to cut costs and improve efficiency. One of those solutions is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Learn more about what SaaS is, and how it benefits your business. What is SaaS and what makes it appealing? SaaS is a software delivery model that allows you, the user, to access software from any device through the internet. This gives you more flexibility since you don’t have to go to the office to use the software. You can work from anywhere as long as you can go online. As opposed to a traditional on-premises setup where software is stored locally, SaaS is hosted in the cloud. By transferring software hosting to a third party, you’re outsourcing all the responsibilities that come with maintenance, such as upgrades and troubleshooting. In a way, getting SaaS is like renting a car: somebody else owns and spends for upkeep of the vehicle, but you get to drive it. Shifting software ownership away from your business also changes how much you spend on it. With on-premises software, you purchase a license and pay yearly support fees, which can amount to 22% of the price of license fees (ouch!). With SaaS, you pay a monthly or annual subscription fee that covers licenses, support, and other fees. This is better since it allows you to spread out costs on a monthly basis, instead of purchasing expensive licenses outright and ending up with a huge maintenance bill every year. Will my data be safe? Some companies hesitate to switch to SaaS because of data security concerns. Who will own my data? Will my data be safe? What if the vendor goes out of business? Here’s something for your peace of mind and safety: when you’re outsourcing your software to a SaaS vendor, you have to sign a service level agreement (SLA). This should specify that you own the data and that the vendor is obliged to provide access to your data even if the vendor suffers from extreme circumstances like economic difficulty or disasters. Data hosted by a SaaS vendor will be more secure than that stored on the average SMB’s network. That’s because SaaS vendors regularly undergo strict security audits, forcing them to invest more in security, backup technology, and maintenance than a typical SMB. Should I switch to SaaS or stick to on-premises? SaaS is an ideal solution for small- and mid-sized businesses that want to reduce upfront costs. Large businesses or those with complex processes will benefit more from a traditional on-premises solution since it offers more functionality and allows for full customization. Still unsure about whether SaaS is the right answer for your organization? Want to know more about SaaS before making the transition? Call us today! Our experts are ready to answer any questions you may have about SaaS. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Does private browsing secure your data?
If you’re getting targeted with surprisingly relevant ads, there’s a chance your internet activity is being tracked and analyzed by market researchers. While this doesn’t bother most people, private browsing mode can offer you some protection against online marketers and data thieves. What is private browsing? Your web browser — whether it be Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, or Opera — remembers the URLs of the sites you visit, cookies that track your activity, passwords you’ve used, and temporary files you’ve downloaded. This can be convenient if you frequently visit certain pages, can’t remember your login details, or if you’re trying to recall a website you visited a few days ago. But if someone else uses or gains access to your computer, your most private (and embarrassing) internet activities are exposed for anyone to see. With private browsing — also called Incognito Mode in Chrome and InPrivate Browsing in Edge — all the information listed above does not get recorded. In fact, all the websites and information you accessed in the private browsing session are immediately discarded without a trace as soon as you close the browser. This can come in handy when you’re using a public computer because you’re instantly logged out of all the accounts you accessed after closing the window. Your cookies also won’t be tracked. In a normal browsing session, sites like Facebook will display highly targeted ads based on the sites and pages you’ve visited. But in private browsing mode, your internet activity can’t be tracked by marketing companies. Another benefit of private browsing is that you can use it to log in to several accounts on the same site, which is useful if you need to log in to two different online accounts at the same time. What are the limitations of private browsing? Although private browsing does prevent your web browser from storing your data, it doesn’t stop anyone from snooping on your online activities in real time. If your computer is connected to the company network, system administrators can still track what you’re browsing, even if you’re in Incognito Mode. Also, if spyware or keylogger malware is installed on your computer, hackers will still be able to see what you’re doing online. Even though private browsing has quite a few benefits, you shouldn’t solely depend on it for online privacy. Instead, you should use a virtual private network (VPN) when you go online. These encrypt your internet connection and prevent anyone from intercepting your data. And don’t forget to use a strong anti-malware program to scan your computer and keep spyware and other malicious web monitoring software at bay. If you want to know where you can get these solutions or learn more about web browser security, call us today. We have the tools and expert advice you need to prevent anyone from snooping on your internet browsing. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why does HTTPS matter?
Almost everyone in the world browses the internet every day. People look up information, shop, chat with friends, or just pass the time by surfing the web. Internet browsing has become second nature to us that we often forget one thing: checking our address bar for an “S” after the “HTTP” prefix. HTTPS encryption The “s” in HTTPS stands for “secured”. It was introduced in 1995, so older websites that have been left on its own without regular maintenance usually don’t have it. But even to this day, unsecure websites exist, and fraudsters can easily take advantage of them. When you visit a site with an HTTP connection, everything you type or click on that website is sent without encryption. This means that anyone who intercepts the data transferred between the website and your computer can readily view them. Cybercriminals can exploit this fact to gain access to your personal data, Social Security number, credit card information, and the like. This puts you at risk of identity theft and other fraudulent activities. HTTPS certificates When you visit a website, your computer uses an online directory to translate its alphanumeric name into a numerical address. It then saves that information on your computer, so that it doesn’t have to check the online directory every time you visit the same website. In the event that your computer gets compromised, it could be tricked into directing a perfectly safe web address like www.google.com to a malicious website. Most of the time, users are sent to sites that look exactly like the legitimate site, but are actually fake copies designed to trick them into divulging their credentials. To prevent such things from happening, the online directories mentioned earlier issue an ecosystem of certificates that turn HTTP into HTTPS, making it impossible for anyone to be redirected to a fraudulent website. How does this affect our daily browsing habits? We often visit a multitude of websites in a short period of time without checking each one for padlocks and certificates. Unfortunately, we can’t ignore the importance of HTTPS, so here are a few things to consider the next time you browse the internet: If your browser marks a website as “unsafe,” think twice about clicking “Proceed anyway.” Only click the prompt if you are absolutely certain nothing will be transmitted. Add web browser extensions such as HTTPS Everywhere that create encrypted connections to unencrypted websites. These extensions encrypt your communication with websites, and are compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers. Always be vigilant. Some sites may have HTTPS but it doesn’t mean they’re safe. For example, goog1e.com (with the “l” replaced with a one) could have a certificate, but the misspelling indicates it to be an untrustworthy site. Cybercriminals use similar spellings of authentic websites to fool people into thinking that they’re in a secure site. This is called typosquatting or URL hijacking. And perhaps, just follow the easiest step of all: avoid sites that don’t use the HTTPS protocol. If you want to learn more about safer browsing habits and endpoint security, give our office a call. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Why you need the cloud in the middle of COVID-19
With the COVID-19 lockdowns forcing most economic sectors to slow down, cloud technology can help your business survive and remain competitive. More specifically, you can cut costs and increase operational efficiency using the cloud. Ensuring continuity and efficiency with the cloud The need to stay at home and practice social distancing have changed the way many businesses operate. With their employees unable to come to the office, organizations are forced to function with a remote team whose members are often miles away from each other. This is where cloud technology helps. When you migrate your data to the cloud, your files are stored in a centralized server that can be accessed via the internet. So as long as a user has an internet-connected device (like a smartphone or laptop) and has the right login credentials, they can access these files from any location. The cloud also allows multiple users to work on a single file at the same time. Any change to the file is seen in real-time, which makes it feel like team members are collaborating in the same room. Moreover, with cloud-based communication tools like Slack, your team can communicate with each other through chat, voice calls, and video conferencing. By incorporating these technologies into your processes, your organization can function efficiently while following social distancing protocols. Saving money with the cloud Suddenly adopting a remote work setup after years of strictly on-site operations can take a lot of getting used to. One of the most difficult parts of transitioning is making sure you and your staff have the right hardware and software to perform work-related tasks. Instead of buying hardware with company funds and issuing these machines to your staff, you can have them use their personal laptop computers and mobile devices instead. With this tactic, however, you’re not sure if your employees’ devices have the appropriate specifications to handle their workload. If you use special software, you may also have to buy and install them on your staff’s personal devices. In short, whether you issue computers or adopt a bring your own device approach, you’re bound to spend a lot of money to facilitate remote work. But with cloud computing, you won’t need to buy new hardware. You can host your applications on the cloud, enabling a user to run them through a web browser even if they are not installed in his or her device. And because hosted applications use the cloud provider’s resources, they don’t strain user’s devices and can be used even with older or lower-end computers. Furthermore, hosting applications on the cloud eliminates the need to install programs in each of your staff’s devices. This is particularly helpful if the software you use has a limit on the number of devices it can be installed on. This way, you save money by not having to invest in newer devices for your staff and wasting time locally downloading the software. Should you migrate to the cloud now? The short answer is yes. Thanks to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the ability to work remotely has now become essential to a business’s survival. And the cloud easily facilitates a remote work environment. See for yourself how the cloud lets you continue doing business even in the middle of a pandemic. Contact us today to get started! Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.