Tech Solutions NC

Your one stop for home and small business computer and network support

Tech Solutions

How do you know who to trust to work on your computer?

by 1 Comment

Who do you trust with your computer

Trust. Integrity. Reliance. Faith.

When it comes to the matter of your computer, perhaps the biggest determining factor on who should service your system really comes down to trust.  Experience is a big key, of course — you wouldn’t want someone who never turned on a computer to troubleshoot your issues, after all — but more than anything, when it comes to working on your computer, you have to have trust that the team working on your system will fix the problem, not introduce any other issues onto it, and most importantly, will not invade your privacy. As we mentioned in our post about why your home network must be secure, privacy issues are a key player in securing your environment.

So when your computer is acting up, who do you call, and why do you call them? There are probably a million answers to that question, such as:

  • My relative who “knows” computers.
  • Geek Squad, because they are at Best Buy and I can look at a new computer while they look at my computer and tell me that it’s old and needs to be replaced.
  • My IT Department at work, because they obviously know these things and I know them.
  • The first name that comes up in my Google search results.
  • The company that I find in the Yellow Pages.

The possibilities go on and on.

So, the nuts and bolts question of the day: “Why should you trust Tech Solutions NC to help you and solve your computer issues for you?”

That simple question with a complex answer could take a year to write, but I’ll try to answer that question quicker than that.

  1. My partner, Hardin Sigmon of Sigmon Construction is a man known in the community as a man of integrity. Hardin has been my friend, my mentor, my Bible Study leader for five years now. If you trust Hardin, you can transfer that trust on to me, because I won’t let you — or him — down.
  2. My faith. Being a Christian, I know firsthand that we all fall short, whether we are saved or not. However, I have learned over the years that the Truth is paramount.  If I make a mistake on something, I will own up to it, and I will make it right. I stand by my word, for that’s the one thing that I truly have control over.
  3. My upbringing. My parents raised my sister and I to be truthful, caring people, and my wife’s parents did the same thing with her and her siblings. My wife and I, in turn, are passing on those character traits to our rising High School Sophomore.  The big key here is that we are only as good as our word — something that far too much of the world has forgotten.
  4. Lastly, my experience in over 22 years of Information Technology work has prepared me for just about any possibility. However, the one thing that I promise you here, now, and forever, is this — if you call on me for a service, and we aren’t able to get it right for you, then we’ll keep at it until it is right — guaranteed!

At the end of this post, the one final thought I want to leave you with is this:

Thank you for reading my post, and for considering Tech Solutions NC when you have a computer issue. Give us an opportunity, we won’t disappoint you!

Why Your Home Network MUST be Secured

by 1 Comment

©Technology Media, LLC
©Technology Media, LLC

{Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on LinkedIn. Click here to read the original post.}

For many of us, the thought of our home network is an afterthought at best.  Far too often we tell our friends or associates – or even those in the IT department at work – that we have nothing to hide, there is nothing that I have that someone else would care about.

In today’s reality, though, you have many things that someone would like to have, and I’m here to tell you why the little things matter.

Five Reasons your home network must be secure

  1. Your Identity. According to IdentityTheft.info, the number of people that have had their identity stolen is approximately 15 million people per year, totaling around $50 Billion dollars. While there have been instances of Identity Theft outside of the home, most people do their banking in their home, so securing your home network is a must because of that.
  2. Your safety within the home. Smart Home Technology is increasing each and every day. You can use your SHT devices to secure your home, adjust your lights, regulate your heating and cooling, monitor the job your babysitter is doing, and more.  The vast majority of that runs right off of your Wi-Fi network.  Improperly secure your home network, and you are setting yourself up for potentially risky situations down the road.
  3. To prevent your network from being used for illegal activity. In one of my training classes, I remember the instructor talking about how a man was arrested under child pornography laws. The only way that he was cleared of the charges was because he was away from the home network where the activity took place.  What law enforcement found was that the man’s home network was not secure, and the person that was actually spreading the child pornography was parked in his car on the street, connected to the improperly secured network.  Not having his home network secured almost cost that man dearly.
  4. To prevent virus propagation from your network to other devices. In the early days of computers, viruses were written by disgruntled employees who had a bone to pick with their employer. They would spread the virus in the work network with the sole purpose being to ruin a computer so it couldn’t be used.  In today’s computing environment, though, the focus has shifted from destroying a computer or a network to using that network or computer to spread the virus to other unsuspecting users.  Quite often, hackers will hop through an unsecured home network in order to try and hide their activities, and to point the finger at the person who is on that network more – namely, the unsuspecting home user.
  5. To protect your children from online predators. With all of our connected technology, reaching the internet is easier than ever. Smartphones, tablets, computers, even TVs and refrigerators all provide an easy access to the internet.  Protecting your home network is the first step, but certainly not the only step, in making sure that your children are safe online.

These are just some of the reasons why it is crucial that your home network be secured from intruders. If you are unsure of what steps to take in securing your home network – or if you have any other computer issues you need help with, Tech Solutions NC can help.  Reach out to me by phone at 919-606-6725, email at Mike@TechSolutionsNC.com, or book an appointment on our website. We can help you secure your network, keep your computer working properly, and so much more!