Blog

If you're like most people, your smartphone is your go-to device for paying your bills, posting to social media, and checking your email. Just imagine the size of the knot in your stomach that you would feel if your smartphone suddenly stops receiving calls or text messages. On top of that, you get a notification from your cellular provider that your SIM card has been activated on a new phone. SIM swap scams are a growing problem. Check out these quick and easy tips to help

Convenience has always been king which has lead to a surge of using cashless payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo. However, with the convenience of cashless payments, there comes a certain set of risks. I know many of you may have a little reluctance in using cashless transactions, but in truth, these apps are safe if used correctly. One of the misconceptions is that someone can hack into your device and get access to your money, but this isn’t co

If you’re not already using a password manager, it’s time to start. In our digital world, there are many passwords you have to remember for all of your online accounts. It can become overwhelming which is why you might be tempted to use the same passwords for all of your online accounts. You want to avoid this practice as it's what cybercriminals are hoping you do so it makes it easier for them to break into your online accounts. There are many password managers on the marke

By now, I hope you've figured out social media, search engines, and everyone, in general, is trying to collect as much information as they can about you. Privacy online is a hard thing to have in this digital world will live in. Having a separate, anonymous email address is one of the best ways to keep a low profile online. When you have an anonymous email, it helps reduce the amount of spam you get in your inbox. It also allows you to shop online with electronic and brick-a

Telephone spoofing, also known as caller ID spoofing is the act of making a phone call appear as if it is coming from a different number when it shows up on your caller ID. Cyber Criminals use this practice as a way to carry out their various voice and text phishing scams. If you see a local phone number show up on your caller ID crooks know you're probably going to answer. Unfortunately, it is pretty easy to program a phone to show a fake caller ID, but there are ways to p

I'm sure there are a lot of reasons you would want to block certain websites. Maybe you're a business owner or a parent that wants to block inappropriate and dangerous sites from your workforce or children. On the other hand, you might be a remote employee or self-employed and you want to block websites to stay focused on productivity. Web sites can be a threat to your home or business as it's a gateway for cybercriminals to get access to your home or office computes. Thankf

I know you probably have a full plate with back-to-school time as this year promises to be another mix of in-person and virtual learning but in our digital society, there is something that parents neglect to do on a regular basis and that is to make sure you keep your children are educated on ways to stay safe online this school year. Your school-age students face many online threats during the school year. Threats like theft of their gadgets can cause undue stress as well a

Ever since people have relied on desktops, smartphones, tablets, and laptops, there has been a huge misunderstanding about hard disk drives and how they work, and how they can be repaired when they fail. It's my experience that when people encounter problems with their tech devices, the last option is to seek help from a professional. Many of you will seek out a computer-savvy friend or a tech hobbyist which puts you at risk of getting poor advice or gives you misguided inf

If you're a Mac owner like me (yes, as I'm a tech guru who owns several Mac products) you know they are very reliable computers. It's few and far between that you have to worry about issues with your Mac, but when you do, like most computer issues it always happens at the worse time. If you know how to fix common issues that can occur with your Macintosh computer and Mac OS, you can save yourself some headaches and get back on the road to being productive. At Integral, we've

If you're spending 8 to 10 hours a day in front of the screens of your computers and smart devices, you could be experiencing an overload of something called "blue light" If you're exposed to too much of this light, it can cause things like disrupting your sleep patterns, retinal cell damage, and digital eyestrain. What's worse, is that younger eyes are more at risk. Your tech devices play a big role in your life, so it's unrealistic to give the advice that you stop using t

I'm sure you've seen it many times. You're sitting with a co-worker or a family member and notice they have a piece of tape or a sticky note covering their laptop camera. You might not even have to look that far, as you have probably covered your own laptop camera for fear that cybercriminals may be able to peer through your laptop and gather secrets about you. Is this practice necessary? Cybercrime has picked up over the last year and you should take all precautions. Che

Tax-Free Weekend is the 2nd most wonderful time of the year, especially if you live in an area that offers it. You probably didn't know this, but it's a good time to purchase new technology for your home. If you're in one of the participating 16 states, you can take advantage of no sales tax on new tech at places like Walmart, Target, as well as online retail shows such as Amazon. If you're looking to purchase new gadgets for that student in your life or yourself, it's always

Back to school will almost be back to normal this school year. It doesn't matter if your kids are taking classes in person or virtually, it can be tough for parents to stay organized and help kids keep track of assignments. Students often have a difficult time with their class load. Thankfully technology can help parents and students alike stay on top of things this school year. Here are some useful apps that will help keep your family on track this school year. Acellus Acad

If you took the plunge and got your 'Fauci Ouchie' your vaccination card is the official record that you were fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, that vaccination card is a flimsy piece of paper that won't last long in a purse, let alone a sweaty wallet in a back pocket. It's bigger than a driver's license and most credit cards, which means it won't last long in your purse or wallet. Current smartphones allow you to keep limited medical information on them, so why not keep your

If you're reading this blog, you probably bank online. It's so darned convenient to be able to sit on a computer or pull out your smartphone to check your balance, transfer funds, and deposit checks. While online banking has made life easier for you to stay on top of your finances, it also makes it easier for thieves to see what's going on with your money and even help themselves to your hard-earned cash. Banks do their job to make sure your accounts are safe, but you need

I love vacations, but one of the things that makes me nervous is our home is unoccupied. I do all of the usual things you're supposed to do to make your home look occupied such as making sure mail and packages are collected, keep the lawn trimmed, and making sure lights are on timers. Anything could happen while you’re away. Thanks to our digital world, there are now a plethora of devices and gadgets available to help protect your home from burglars while you're enjoying a mu

Vacations are an exciting, happy time for you to get away and tune out the everyday worries of your day-to-day work and home routine. Before you head out for a day trip, stateside vacation, or international vacation you need to take some steps to prevent your personal information from being stolen. There are things you need to be cautious with such as, who you book your vacation with, how you use your tech devices, and what you share on your social media accounts. If you're

Summer is here and with it, comes summer day trips and extended vacations. If you're like me, your gadgets are a part of your everyday life which means if you travel, you're bound to take devices like, smartphones, laptops, digital cameras, tablets, and e-readers with you. I'm sure one of your worse nightmares is if something happened to your devices while you're traveling and it should be of concern. Every year, thousands of devices are stolen, lost, or damaged while peo

Ever wondered why your utility bill is so high? Even if you make a habit of turning off lights when you leave a room, you will probably be shocked at the number of things that are draining energy in your home or office. Did you know that up to 50% of your tech devices are using power even when they are turned off? Your gadgets you love are actually "energy vampires" that use electricity even when you think they are powered off. With the summer months approaching, I'm sure you

I'm sure one of the most frustrating things you experience with your tech devices is the inability to delete or clean up those old online accounts. Just think about how many of those sites have your information. If you're like me, there's a ton of websites and services you haven't used in years or barely use. You can't just delete an app off of your computer or smart device to delete an account. Also, the more online accounts you have, the more you're at risk of hackers ge