We've had the privilege over the last couple of months to attend a couple of IT and tech industry conferences. The NSA, FBI, and Homeland Security had speakers at these conferences and they are sending a message: US Businesses are the target of...
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Managed Service Client updates
How serious is the end of support for Windows Server 2003?
After so many warnings about the end of support Windows Server 2003 (and last year, end of support for Windows XP), it might be easy to think that IT professionals are alarmists. How can the end of support for Server 2003 be that serious? Unfortunately, it is as...
Windows 10: Should you upgrade now?
With the Windows 10 update notification looming in the taskbar reminding you that it’s a free upgrade for those who would like it, many are considering taking the plunge and installing Microsoft’s latest offering. The question is, should you update to Windows 10 now?...
Convert Your Document to a Fillable PDF Form
If you have Adobe Professional instead of Adobe Reader (the latest version is Adobe XI Pro), you can edit PDFs and create and edit PDF forms. If you've ever seen a PDF form with fillable fields, like below… …this tutorial will show you how to quickly convert your...
Windows Server 2003/R2 End of Support Is Coming
used with permission from Microsoft Your Opportunity for Transformation In July 2010, Microsoft transitioned from providing mainstream support for Windows Server 2003 to releasing critical patches only. July 14, 2015 marks another transition, this time the end of...
Computers: Is Consumer Grade Enough for Your Business?
Sure, it's enticing. You’ll save money right now if you run out to your local big box store or hop online and purchase that computer or that combo firewall/wireless router that's on sale. But is that money saved really worthwhile for your business in the long...
Don’t wait until it breaks to upgrade
I'd like some of our clients to give serious consideration to retiring some aging hardware and software that is still out there: Server 2003 and Windows XP. Microsoft is ending support for XP on April 8, 2014. I still see hundreds of XP systems out there on...
How to detect phishing emails and spam
After some recent discussions with some clients and family, it occurred to me that many people still have questions about how to tell "fake" emails from real ones - so I thought it might be a good time to point out some sure-fire ways to know when to hit that delete...
We ask “why” – not what.
One of our main philosophies at SpireTech is to ask "why" - not what. Our motivation is to understand what you want to accomplish so we can find the best way to support your goal, rather than throwing money and equipment at a problem that may be misunderstood....
Java vulnerabilities and patches continue
We continue to note that Java vulnerabilities and patches continue to be discovered and issued at an alarming rate. Note that Java is different from Javascript. Javascript is very common and runs in your browser and is not subject to these...