Level 1 Help Desk Technicians

Slow tech support when you’ve got a computer or printer issue is rather frustrating. Your employee, and maybe a co-worker or two who are trying to help, have his/her productivity come to a grinding halt. Your employee is unhappy, and so are you, because it’s costing you money. Even if your company has a small full-time IT team, someone on that team, who could be spending time on truly important things like patches, updates, backups, etc., is spending time trying to figure out how to change Joe’s password.

This is the type of problem that should be handled on a help desk level, not by your IT administrator, but this is what happens when there are no alternatives to your high-level staff. These are events that should not fall on the shoulders of over-worked and stressed out IT admins.

They say don’t present a problem unless you have a solution. Here is ours:

Supplemental Help Desk Support (like that provided by DynaSis) and here’s why:

1: Your In-House IT team, even if it is a single person, should spend their time on keeping your mission-critical systems up and running at peak performance. Time spent fixing things that can be handled over the phone (and the vast majority of problems can) are counter-productive.

2: Increased Productivity: Our DynaSis Help Desk technicians have the experience and expertise to get your people back to work as quickly as possible. We have a full team of Level 1 technicians who can also rapidly escalate problems when necessary. No waiting for the IT admin who had a long list to get to…or went home for the day…or is on vacation!

3: Cost Effective: Our flat monthly fees are based on each company’s needs, without having to hire additional full-time staff.

4: Single Pont of Contact: No wondering who to call (or try to find). Every one of your employees will have the ability to call our help desk directly, or create tickets, so they can quickly get the help they need to get right back to work. BTW, Our help desk is available with live support 24 x 7 x 365 for those employees who like to work from home at odd hours, or are traveling in other times zones. (People sometimes ask: what do your overnight people do when they are not on the phone? Answer: they are monitoring, managing and maintaining the IT infrastructures of our clients that require full support, not just help desk.)

5: Brainpower: Technology today is so complex that it is impossible for anyone to know everything. By being part of the DynaSis team, our help desk technicians have access to our entire team of highly trained and experienced IT professionals. This is a tremendous asset to you, because no matter how terrific your IT administrator may be, even if he/she commands a team of two or three, there may be any number of things that they have not come across, or have not been trained in. Although you may be using only our help desk service, because we also provide full IT support for many companies here in Atlanta, we are fully knowledgeable in an extremely wide range of IT subjects.  Our people are constantly learning about the latest in technology and are equipped to use that knowledge for your support.

If you have been thinking about managed IT service, whether you are looking for help desk only, full support including Cloud solutions, or anything in between, give us a call at 678-373-0716.

Iris recognition

To get a good sense of technology of the future, think back 20 years. You probably already had computers in your office. But if you needed even the smallest shred of information in the middle of the night, you had to drive back to your office or you were stymied. If that ever happened to you, at the time you were probably thinking that you were better off when everything was stored in a paper folder in your briefcase. Well, we’ve made a lot of progress since then, but with so much progress, with so many products and devices sitting on real and virtual shelves, that it’s hard to know what’s best for your company.

Among these advances are Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that gave you access to your information from your home computer. Now that capability has expanded and we can access all our data through a phone or tablet…assuming your network is set up properly. And thanks to Microsoft, we can also use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on these small devices. But this can be a potential problem as our devices tend to morph into each other…laptops, tablets, phones, cameras…many are performing the same functions. We have to be careful that in the future, this convergence into simper devices and/or more advanced applications doesn’t come back to bite us.

Here is an example of how this can happen if companies are not prepared for this convergence:

There are companies that went straight from Windows XP to Windows 10, bypassing Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. There is nothing wrong with making that transition providing the company provides proper and adequate training on the upgraded application. For those companies that did not, workflow came to a screeching halt. While it can be expensive for a company to always upgrade to the latest version of Windows, it is much easier on employees to move to each new version (baby steps) as it is released. (As an aside, as an IT Support provider, this is one reason we recommend Windows 365, which functions online and is always updated automatically with the latest and greatest, at no additional cost.)

Looking towards the future, we expect that the day will come when your data is in the cloud protected by encryption that can only be unlocked by your DNA or a chip that is actually embedded in you. It can already be done through iris recognition and retinal scanning.

Because of these advancements in primary technology, we will also see tremendous improvements in supportive technology. For example, early laptops came with about 30 minutes of battery power. Not much compared to the eight hours some provide today. But expect batteries that will last days, not hours.

Internet speeds have grown from your old dial-up of 56kb to up to 1 GB (not actually available yet, but coming). That’s 18,000 times faster. There are already 20 MB business internet speeds available. That’s still 3,600 times faster than dial-up. And soon you will be able to recharge your devices without having to plug them in. Wait! You can already do that with some simply by laying them on a charging pad. But you will soon it won’t be necessary to do even that. The electric power will flow through the airwaves.

As a managed IT support provider, we keep on top of all these developments, sometimes long before they are available so we can be prepared to prepare you. Over the next few months, we will be posting blogs about upcoming technology in many fields, so keep on reading!

Managing the IT Workload

It seems that all but the largest cyber-attacks are now fading from the news. It’s certainly not because there are fewer attacks these days – the number of cyber-attacks are increasing both in number and severity. As a managed IT Support company highly focused on cyber security, we keep on top of these things, but the reason you aren’t hearing about the increased volume or severity is simply that we, the public, have already heard so much about cyber this and cyber that, that we tend to become desensitized so the media stops reporting. That’s unfortunate because the fact is, virtually every business is at risk.

Somewhere between 43% and 91% of cyber-attacks are against small to mid-sized businesses (depending on how you calculate “small to mid-sized business”.) In spite of this, a recent Better Business Bureau report shows that 70% of small to mid-market (SMB) owners believe that they are not likely to be targets of cyber-attacks (stealing banking credentials, ransomware, etc.) although these are the companies in cyber-criminals’ sights.

It’s the old “it may happen to someone else, but not to me” syndrome. It’s a disconnect from reality. And this same BBB report showed that 80% of these same business owners were aware of the disastrous potentials of cyber-attacks, but, of course, it couldn’t happen to them! The report goes further to explain why the lack of urgency and why the commitment wasn’t there:

Lack of Cyber-Education

On the surface, cyber-education is easy to understand, but when you start to dig deep, the complexity really shows. Most small to mid-market companies do not have the trained IT professionals they need to properly protect themselves. Hiring an IT staff is a big step and continued training of these individuals, while critical, is expensive and time-consuming. Retaining the services of a managed IT support company is a great option, but selection is difficult because, quite frankly, most of the people within an organization who make the IT support selection, as intelligent and experienced as they may be in business, simply do not have the background to make the very best choice. Selection may be left to choosing which ever company offers the best price. (See our article on Has Managed IT Support Become a Commodity?)

If you have an in-house IT department, on-going cyber security education is a must. It should also be required for every employee.

Lack of Resources

A recent article in Forbes stated, not surprisingly, that many small to mid-sized businesses lacked the resources to implement the level of security precautions that they require. Also, not surprisingly, cyber criminals know this and that’s why they attack small businesses. Their “reward” for breaking into a large corporation may be substantial, but difficult to achieve, so why not go after a large number of smaller prizes?

But there are many things an SMB can do.

1: Education – there are a great number of online resources that can help with cyber security education. Use them

2: Be on the lookout for malicious “phishing attacks”.

3: Avoid bookmarks and shortcuts. Criminals can actually modify these.

4: Never use public WiFi. The hotspots at cafes and coffee shops are not as secure as you would like to think.

5: Use spam filters, content filters, and email encryption.

6: Have an in-depth conversation with a Managed IT Service provider, whether to managed your entire IT infrastructure or to provide valuable assistance to your in-house team (learn about DynaSis Co-Managed/Co-Sourced IT Assistance.)

Lack of Time

No one doubts that running a small company is very time-consuming and we understand that overlooking something that’s “invisible” like cyber security is easy to do, especially when it’s not high on your comfort level scale. But consider this: the most basic goal of cyber security is to keep criminals out. Would you leave your office for the night without locking your front door, even if you were pressed for time? Think about this: going back to the BB report, 80% of consumers would not make a purchase, even though they wanted the product, if they suspected their data was not protected. This is why a large percentage of SMBs whose data is compromised go out of business within six months of a cyber-attack, especially if it is reported in the media.

Learn More

If you want to learn more, check out our Managed Security webpage and White Paper, or give us a call at 678-373-0716.

The right VoIP business telephone system is a powerful business building tool.

Switching to a modern, feature-rich VoIP business telephone system can be a big plus for your business, adding significantly to your bottom line. But this only happens if your people understand the benefits of the system and are willing to learn how to use it. VoIP telephone systems do not require any technical expertise, but they do require VoIP telephone training and practice. The best systems offer features that can speed operations, add sales power, and assist with customer service, but this takes training and employee buy-in, so it’s important to involve your people at all levels of selection, as well as at deployment, to get them excited about the switch-over, rather than fearful and resistant.

Involving Your End-Users in the Selection Process

When management makes decisions that affect the entire company, they often forget to involve those people who are going to be most affected by those decisions on a day-to-day basis: the employees. Executives tend to mull over costs vs. savings, features that can improve the company’s functionality and solve current operational problems, etc., etc., while leaving out this important step. Your staff will be living with your decision every day, hands-on, and while the decision will ultimately be yours, you will actually be better equipped to make the best decision if you do bring your people into the discussion and listen to their concerns and suggestions.

Arrange Meaningful Training Sessions

Suddenly and unexpectedly changing a telephone system can be disconcerting even to the most level-headed and stable employee, making VoIP Telephone training important. Pre-installation overview sessions that explain general features is a good idea. Post-installation sessions that cover features in detail are critical, especially for non-technical types who tend to freak out when asked to learn anything of a technical nature. You know, the ones still using flip-phones.

If you are in the Atlanta Metro area and are looking for a new business telephone system that can be a huge business benefit, give us a call. In addition to custom VoIP systems and plans, as a managed IT support company, we set up well-defined training sessions that are based on specific goals and objectives that you set.

Sell the “Sizzle”: Focus on the Benefits Each End-User Will Experience

Each employee, particularly those that are neither technologically adept, nor bottom-line focused, will buy-in much more quickly if they can get their arms around those features that will benefit them by making their jobs easier. While you may understand the cost benefits and the positive sales and service implications the VoIP phone system brings to your business, not everyone who works for your company has the insight to see things that way. “How will affect me?” This should be a major goal of both pre and post-installation VoIP telephone training.

If you want to learn more about how modern VoIP business telephones can have a positive impact on your business, read our white paper “Your Telephone System as a Business Building Asset”. For a no-obligation discussion on VoIP cost vs benefit, call Chas Arnold, DynaSis CIO and Principal, at 678-373-0716.

Two weeks ago, we gave you some IT terminology that have become popular among IT support technicians. As before, we included simple definitions, with links to more detailed explanations:

Datafication: We know that data is increasing at an amazing rate datafication is the process through which businesses take information from people’s every-day lives and turn it into useful business data. The use of social media is a great example. It has become fairly common for businesses to use social media to determine personality characteristics of potential employees, replacing the personality tests that have been in use for many years. The use of social media has been proven to be more accurate. The accumulation of this data is often best accomplished through the Cloud.

Decentralized Cryptocurrency: No, it’s not something you would find in a cemetery. And, yes, cryptocurrency has developed something of an “underground” reputation as a form of payment that is used for nefarious purposes on the “dark web”, (not entirely undeserved) but in actuality, they are virtual “currencies”, meaning there are no physical representations, like bills or coins. Think of it like this: when you pay your credit card bill online, no one is going to a bank vault and taking a pile of dollar bills and transferring it from your money shelf to the credit card company’s money shelf. It is all done electronically. If, however, you wanted to walk into your credit card company’s office and hand them a stack of bills, they would take it. Cryptocurrency is like this except there is no hard currency alternative. You do buy your cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin) with real money electronically, but after that, all transactions only take place over the Internet.

Gamification: Every day, as more young people enter the workforce, a larger and larger percentage of the nation’s employed grew up with video gaming as a major source of entertainment. Many employers, especially those that tend to employ younger people, have discovered that setting goals based on gaming protocols, rather than standard targets, prove more effective. For example, every sale completed may result is the awarding of “experience points”, and upon receiving a certain number of points, the employee “levels up” (reaching the next plateau.) When reaching a pre-set level, a cash or other prize is awarded. In other words, this is the “gamification” of goal setting.

Machine Learning: Machine learning is a function of AI, or Artificial Intelligence. What this means is that a computer gathers data from a variety of sources and then creates algorithms that uses this data to develop reliable predictions. This can help a business learn more about existing and potential clients needs and, thereby, increase the likelihood of making the sale.

Microservices: Microservices come from a form of software architecture in which easy piece of functionality is created as a separate program so as to be effectively independent of the other pieces. If a software customer needs a single piece of software functionality, they can purchase just that program and tie it together with similar standalone programs created by other software developers to end up with exactly the total functionality they need without having to have unique software written for them.

Open-Source: Open Source programs are those that are free and modifiable, and that can be used by anyone who wants to build an application around it. The use of open-source programs make the development of custom programs for small businesses affordable.

We hope these posts on terminology has been helpful. If there are any other terms, or anything at all about IT solutions or IT support that you are curious about, please feel free to speak with one of our team members at 678.373.0716, or visit us at www.DynaSis.com.

As an IT support company, we occasionally hear about slow running PCs with Windows 10. You already checked for viruses…none there…and aside from running like molasses, everything seems to be fine. Could be that your PC just has too much clutter. Clutter jams up the memory and can restrict performance to the point where everything just gets frustratingly slow. We’ve identified 5 kinds of “clutter” that can be doing this, along with ways to clean it all up.

Five kinds of clutter and how to clean them up.

The first thing you will probably notice in this post about slow running PCs is that the fix for items #1 and #5 is to Refresh Windows. For items #2, #3 and #4, it’s to Reset Windows. In Windows 8, there were two different buttons to click on and you had to decide whether to Reset or Refresh, the major difference being whether or not you would go all the way back to factory settings, deleting your apps and files, or save them. Windows 10 gives you a single Reset button, which options as you proceed so you can make choices that best suit your needs. As an IT support provider, we’ve included the terms REFRESH or RESET after each type of clutter to help you determine which track you should be following.

1: Pre-installed software. This is the stuff we refer to as “bloatware” or even “crapware”. These are the apps that software manufacturers pay the PC manufacturer to load into the computer. It’s advertising. It presents some security risks, but most importantly, it takes up RAM and disk space and uses up CPU capabilities. REFRESH

2: Windows Updates. Now, we are not telling you to not install Windows updates. These can be important. The problem comes because sometimes these updates do not download correctly and you can end up with corrupted and unusable files. Windows will remove some of them on its own, but some will remain there unless removed. RESET

3: Bloated Registry Files. Every time you do something in Windows, it gets recorded in the PC’s registry. This includes files and apps you have deleted, and sooner or later everything gets slowed down with all these repetitive and unneeded entries. RESET

4: Error Files. Windows also keeps a complete log of processing errors and crashes and these, too, accumulate over time. Unless you are having consistent recurring errors, there is really no point in keeping these. RESET

5: User Created Bloat. How many old files are you keeping that you don’t need anymore, including those that aren’t properly organized? REFRESH

Decluttering Windows

As you see, you have two choices: Reset or Refresh. When Resetting, a new, clean copy of Windows 10 is installed returning your PC to the original factory state. When you Refresh, your PC reinstalls Windows 10 free of any bloatware.

IMPORTANT: Both tracks will delete your Windows 10 apps and your personalized settings, so think about what you want to backup and what you want to keep notes on. Both tracks will give the option of keeping or deleting old files, so again think about backups. FYI, we ALWAYS suggest full backups before performing functions like this.

If you would like to read an article about slow running PCs with detailed instructions on fixing them: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2871133/reset-refresh-windows.html

or

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2477704,00.asp

Need a little more help? Your Atlanta managed IT support provider should be able to help…or give us a call.

Yes, it’s true. Those of us in managed IT support have our own language and we love to use it...and it can be confusing. Remember when "On" and "Off" become "Power Up" and "Power Down"? So here are some buzzwords that have become popular over the past few years with simple (we hope) explanations. Note that we have included basic information to help you in general conversation. In every case, however, we have included links to resources that provide in-depth explanations should you care to dig a little deeper:

1: _____as a Service (XaaS). First of all, the “X” is just a placeholder for things like SaaS (Software as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), and PaaS (Platform as a Service)…they go on and on. These terms reflect the cloud based services that many companies today are taking advantage of. For example: IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service – simply means that instead of having your own IT infrastructure on your premises, you are using the cloud based infrastructure of a service provider, such an an IT support company, and for that service, you are paying a monthly fee. Of course, this eliminates the need for you to have expensive equipment, which must be serviced, monitored and updated.

2: Actionable Analytics: There is sooo much data available today and with the use of digital technology, businesses are gathering more and more. Not all of this data is useful. In fact, most of the time, only a small percentage of this data can actually be translated into valuable information in terms of improving your business. The portion that can be useful, and thereby can be put into action, is called “actionable data”, or “actionable intelligence”, or “actionable insight”.

3: Artificial Intelligence (AI): Forget Terminator or The Matrix. That’s not what real Artificial Intelligence is all about. What it really is, in reality, is the use of computers that can process a vast amount of data coming from many sources and actually making inferences about what it all means, then using that information to grow your business. Pretty cool. This includes things such as speech recognition, problem solving and planning. The computers “learn” as they accumulate more data.

4: Blockchain Technology: We’re going to give you a simple explanation of what can be a rather complicated, though ingenious, concept. Blockchain started as a method of controlling virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, but has grown to encompass many other areas. It provides for encrypted and secure logs of changes made to all types of files. Say you have a Google document that requires changes by numerous people in numerous locations. Every edit made by every person is recorded and encrypted in a separate log that cannot be changed. For things such as legal or medical records, it means that no one can ever go back into a file and change its history.

5: Chatbots: These clever pieces of software are able to translate in real time conversations that are either spoken or written (typed). You can actually have a virtual meeting with someone who speaks a language completely different than your own and have the chatbot translate for you. But simple translations are only the beginning. Chatbot’s versatility has grown to make them valuable for many other uses.

………………………………

That’s it for now, but next week we will cover a number of others. If you find these terms and the concepts behind them interesting, use the links above to learn more.

At DynaSis, we have spent the past 25 years as a managed IT support provider keeping our clients and their employees safe and secure. Our more than 55 IT Professionals are experts in virtually every aspect of Internet security, both in the office, at home and on the road. Contact us at 770.569.4600 or visit us at www.DynaSis.com.

Stealing WiFi Signals

While the Summer vacation travel season has pretty much come to an end, this is the time of year when business travel starts to move into high gear, and since on-the-road mobile device security is an important part of managed IT support, we thought we would share some insights as to how to keep your Internet usage safe when on the road. (Some of these suggestions apply just as well to vacation travel.)

Mobile Device Security - Free Public WIFI

There is almost no end to the number of ways to screw up. Sorry about that, but it’s true. Using free public WIFI at a coffee shop or restaurant is one. Don’t assume that they are providing adequate protection. Instead, assume that someone sitting nearby in the same establishment is “sniffing” around collecting the information that you are passing back and forth, including your email, bank accounts, etc. Capturing that information is not that difficult when proper protections aren’t in place and these people can walk away with your login info, account numbers, email contacts, etc. If you’re working on business documents, they can also be grabbed. (The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides some great cyber protection insights on their website.)

This writer’s email account info and contacts were once stolen and I received an urgent email message from a dear friend stating that he had taken a last-minute weekend vacation trip to London and in a terrible misunderstanding, he had been arrested and needed $2,000 for bail. There was no way to call him, but he provided the routing number and account information for an international money transfer. In an odd twist of fate, this dear friend had passed away just two weeks before and, if he ended up in “the bad place”, no amount of bail money was going to help him! So, no, I didn’t send the money. But there are bad people committing cyber-crimes every minute of every day.

Securing Your Internet Traffic on Public WiFi.

By using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) every time you log in to a public network, you are protecting yourself. And it’s easy. CNET’s VPN referral page is a great resource for finding a VPN you can use. (CNET is a great technology referral source, in general.)  Once this is done, all your traffic, both in and out, will be encrypted. You can also check with your internet provider.

Another step in protecting yourself is to make sure that the sites you use are visiting are “padlocked”…look for that little green padlock. These sites have enabled HTTPS for “secure socket layering”.

Geo-Tagging Travel Photos

While geo-tagging is a bigger problem while traveling with the whole family, you can still get in trouble when traveling for business. The photo of the great restaurant you took a client to, or the cute doggie your five-year-old would love, can also tip off strangers that daddy (or mommy) is not home. And the incredible images of that family of tigers can tell criminals you are in Africa and away from the house for two weeks. Wait until you get home to post photos from your travels.

Leaving Phones, Tablets, and Laptops Unattended

Just turning your back for a few seconds, or walking away just a few feet, even in a “safe” neighborhood, can give an accomplished professional thief the opening he/she needs. Devices that are used for business, even those that are privately owned, should be managed by a Mobile Device Management program and through Multi-Factor Encryption. Multi-Factor Encryption makes it much harder to break into your device and Mobile Device Management enables your office back home to wipe your device clean of sensitive company information if it is lost or stolen.

Safe Travels!

Yes, following these mobile device security protocols can be a royal pain in the butt, but only a tiny fraction of the pain and anguish you can go through if you get caught up in one of these schemes. Be smart. Be safe.

At DynaSis, we have spent the past 25 years keeping our clients and their employees safe and secure. Our more than 55 IT Professionals are experts in virtual every aspect on Internet security, both in the office, at home and on the road. Contact us at 770.569.4600 or visit us at www.DynaSis.com.

Check Out These Email Subject Lines. Would You Click on Them?

Over the past few years, we’ve all been taught to be careful not to click on suspicious looking emails, right? The problem is that cyber thieves are working very hard at coming up with new ways to trick us, and they succeed at an alarming rate. Chances are, if you received an email subject line that seemed to be a security alert from Bank of America, but you weren’t a client of theirs, you would know better than to click on it. But what if you were a BofA customer and you received that alert? Chances are pretty good you just might click away. And then compound the problem by clicking on something within the email once you opened it.

Sending out false emails with email subject lines that look real is called “phishing” and is described by Wikipedia as a “the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as user names, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money) often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.”

One of the top providers of email security awareness training, KnowBe4, recently published its “Top 10 Global Phishing Email Subject Lines for Q2 2017”. While it did find that people generally were more likely to fall for subject lines relating to business, they also clicked on non-business subject lines with scary regularity.

Here are the Top 10 Phishing Subject Lines their research turned up:

• Security Alert – 21%
• Revised Vacation & Sick Time Policy – 14%
• UPS Label Delivery 1ZBE312TNY00015011 – 10%
• BREAKING: United Airlines Passenger Dies from Brain Hemorrhage – VIDEO – 10%
• A Delivery Attempt was made – 10%
• All Employees: Update your Healthcare Info – 9%
• Change of Password Required Immediately – 8%
• Password Check Required Immediately – 7%
• Unusual sign-in activity – 6%
• Urgent Action Required – 6%

*Capitalization has been kept as it was found in their research.

How many of your employees would pass up reading an email that said, “Revised Sick Time & Vacation Policy”? If they do click, they can be opening up your entire IT infrastructure to all types of malware, including ransomware demands. (As a side note, your infrastructure needs to be protected from ransomware by having advanced data backup and recovery systems in place. This is critical and should be an integral part of any managed IT support program.)

On a personal level, while no-one (at least very few people) will ever again fall for the plea of a Nigerian Prince looking to hide his family’s fortune with your help, a whole lot of people will click on fake emails that look they are coming from a financial institution, or a package delivery service that they often use. (The cyber-criminal does not need to have the customer list from the bank or delivery service. They just send out millions of emails with the expectation that some small percentage of the recipients will be customers of that bank or delivery service.)

For both your business’ sake, or to protect themselves, your people should understand that banks never request personal information through email. Certainly, these emails should never be the trigger for transferring funds.

Here at DynaSis, we have been in the business of providing full service Managed I.T. Support for 25 years, and we have seen it all. In fact, we have been at the forefront of developing cyber security techniques now in use across the USA. Among these are in-house security training for the employees of our clients. In you would like to learn more about how we can secure your I.T. network, please contact us by visiting our website or call us at 678.967.3854.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Sound familiar? As an Atlanta IT support team, these days what we more commonly hear is, “If it’s working fine, why bother with patches (also known as updates)?” Computer hardware doesn’t seem to have a lot in common with the internal combustion engine and other working parts in your car. Changing your oil makes sense; replacing worn out tires makes sense; even vacuuming your car floor makes sense. But updating a software program or operating system that’s working just fine?

Yes, computers are very different from other chunks of machinery in our homes and offices, but think of this: the patches that your software vendors want you to install can be critical to the longevity of your software, the security of your data, and the productivity of your employees. Why, you may ask, are your operating systems not perfect when they leave the factory so that it is not necessary to constantly install these updates? 

Consider this: The Windows 10 operating system consists of 50 million lines of code. How much is that? Well, if these lines of code were converted to a book, that book would have about two million pages. That would keep you occupied for quite some time. What happens is this: before a new version of an operating system is released, is it tested and retested extensively, but, simply put, until it is out there in the real world, it is just impossible to put it through every conceivable situation. 50 million lines of code and a single error in any one of them could lead to crashes and/or security vulnerabilities. Add to that (and this is a biggie) the fact that from the day the new operating system is released, cyber criminals are hard at work trying to figure out how to break in, so every time a new vulnerability is discovered, a new patch must be created and applied either by your in-house IT team or your IT support provider.

Network security is a big deal.

So is stability. Operating systems do not live in a world of their own. They share resources with many other programs and each has its own requirements and demands. Generally speaking, the needs of the operating system and each program are met with little difficulty…but not always. Sometimes programs conflict with each other. For the operating system to function properly, it must be able to deal with thousands upon thousands of different software programs (of course, not at the same time!) Sometimes the operating system and an application just don’t fit together just right and either the program won’t open, or data can’t be saved, or is lost, etc., etc., etc. This usually triggers an error message appearing on your screen.

Have you ever been asked if an incident that occurred on your computer can be reported to Microsoft? This is how Microsoft discovers these problems. When they learn of the problem, they create a patch to fix it.

Patches installed by your IT support team are also needed for the software that is running on the operating system. It’s hard to know exactly how many lines of code are in a program like Microsoft Word for two reasons: first, Microsoft doesn’t release this information. Second, there is a lot of code that is shared between applications. That said, it was estimated that the 2006 version of Word had 30,000,000 lines of code. Add in Excel, PowerPoint, and the other MS apps, and you can see how daunting keeping everything at 100% can be.

One more word – patches (updates) are different from upgrades, such as switching from Windows 8 to Windows 10, or from Office 2013 to Office 2016. Upgrades will include previous patches but will generally also give you more functionality.

At DynaSis, we have been providing IT support for small to mid-sized companies since 1992. Today, we monitor, manage and maintain computer networks 24 x 7 x 365 including the installation of critical patches. We also provide live help desk support around the clock and work closely with our clients’ in-house IT teams with co-managed support. Check us out at www.DynaSis.com or call us today at 678-373-0716.

Watch the video to learn more about our managed and co-managed IT Services.