How much do you worry about the ever-present threat of downtime-causing disasters? The hardest issue to wrap your head around is that the disaster itself is only the start of your troubles; it’s the downtime immediately following the disaster that really layers on the pain. It’s a slow bleed on your network and your business, and it can cost your business thousands if not proactively addressed.
Most business owners view remote work as a perk they begrudgingly handed out during a crisis and now want to claw back. They see it as a compromise on productivity.
They’re wrong.
The most talented employees on your payroll are subject to a specific kind of tax, one that saps their productivity and makes them feel like expensive data-entry clerks. That’s the tedium task, which is levied against employees of small businesses that use multiple tools that don’t integrate well. Ultimately, what happens is that these businesses have employees manually connect these apps in various ways, all of which waste time that would be better spent doing meaningful work.
In 2026, we spend most of our days managing cloud architecture, deploying automated security patches, and chatting with AI bots. If we dial the clock back exactly 40 years to 1986, however, business technology wasn't just a different world; it was a different dimension.
In 1986, the cloud that we use for business wasn’t even an option. In fact, the cloud was something that ruined your weekend golf plans. We thought it would be cool to take a look at what some of the cutting-edge business technology looked like if you walked into an office 40 years ago.
In business, it’s often the case that you spend more time talking about work than you spend actually doing the work. How many emails have you sent recently that could be described as “email tennis?” We won’t mince words; this endless back-and-forth discussing meeting times, checking calendars, and re-typing the same responses day-in and day-out is increasing your administrative friction and wasting your time.
Today, we’re exploring three ways you can automate scheduling and communication to put an end to the emails and finally get back to work.
For most small businesses, the manual reporting cycle is tedious, involving numerous different websites and applications, exporting data, and then trying to consolidate it all into one single spreadsheet to determine how well (or how poorly) your business performed last quarter. It’s necessary to look at historical data like this to better run your business, but it’s not necessary to waste so much time doing it. By the time you’re done running reports and putting all the data together, you have no time or energy left to actually analyze it, and that’s a problem.
We’ve all been there: You’re deep into a complex problem, finally finding your rhythm, when, bing.. A quick question pops up on one of the platforms you use to communicate (we all have several). You answer it in thirty seconds and try to get back to work.
If this happens one time, it might be okay, but if it happens repeatedly as the day goes on; the damage is already done.
Does your business view its IT as just another necessary expense? Many small businesses think of IT as a simple box to check, a cost center that eats into profits and breaks down too frequently to actually yield a return on investment. We have news for you; modern IT management gives you a means not only to maintain the status quo, but to grow into a business that remains competitive in the long term.
Historically, AI has been perceived by SMBs as complex, expensive, and outside their operational scope. Today, the democratization of AI via SaaS and integrated platforms makes it a cost-effective, practical IT asset with measurable ROI.
Here are three focused areas where AI can be strategically deployed to optimize your business performance:
Artificial intelligence has officially moved from science fiction into our daily toolkit. Whether you're drafting an email, brainstorming a new project, or debugging code, AI tools can dramatically boost productivity. Like any powerful tool, however, knowing how to use it effectively is growing in importance. This week, we thought we’d give you three tips on how to get AI to work best for your organization.
The hiring process is long and tiring, but hopefully by the end of it all, you end up with the perfect candidate for the position. While they might be eager to get to work, they might find themselves ill-equipped to do their job—a position you don’t want them to be in. Unfortunately, this is how many new hires start their tenure with a new employer, and while it might be tempting to claim that someone simply dropped the ball during the onboarding process, it’s more likely that the onboarding process itself is broken.
The concept of a four-day workweek has long been debated, with strong anecdotal evidence supporting its effectiveness. The nation of Iceland provides one of the most compelling real-world examples.
Their journey began small in 2015 with initial trials involving about 2,500 workers; or, just under one percent of the population. These efforts have dramatically expanded, however, and today, nearly 90 percent of Icelandic workers have moved to a reduced work schedule, typically around 36 hours a week for full-time workers. What’s more, this shift has occurred without any negative impact on the economy. In fact, Iceland's society has seen significant benefits.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what happens when you use the cut, copy, and paste commands in Windows? They all interact with the clipboard, but what is the clipboard, really? Today, we’ll show you the magic of effective clipboard usage and how you can make the most of it on your Windows device.
Do you feel sluggish, achy, or just plain tired after a long day of sitting? A simple change to your workday could be the key to improving your health and boosting your well-being: the standing desk.
The popularity of standing desks is growing for good reason. They are an easy way to combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Standing for even part of your day can make a big difference, and here are five of the top benefits you can expect.
Your business has a lot of technology at its fingertips, but how effectively are you using it? Chances are some of your tools might have more practical uses than you might expect. One such tool is Microsoft Excel, Microsoft 365’s spreadsheet building platform. Here are three ways you can use Excel for your SMB that you might not have thought about.
Resistance to new technology is a common challenge for businesses. The key to a smooth rollout isn't just about picking the right technology; it's about building a comprehensive strategy that addresses the human element of the change being made. As software is extremely important to any business, having a solid strategy in place to address the governance of your IT systems only makes sense. Today, we’ll give you a baseline on how to build one.
Most people look forward to the end of the workday, but what if that joyful end were to be hampered by a server crash? What if you had to work after hours because you missed an important deadline? Let’s make sure this is prevented so you never have to deal with it.
Do you find yourself visiting the same websites day after day for your work? This is essentially what it looks like for everyone, whether we’re working with calendars, applications, portals, or other systems. Bookmarks make this repeated navigation significantly easier, so today, we want to go over some best practices to help you get the most out of your bookmarks.
The moment when the technology you rely on suddenly stops working can be frustrating, but more than anything else, it can be expensive. If you understand these types of situations, you know that you need a plan to keep them few and far between. Let’s take a look at the costs of downtime and a few things you can do to keep it to a minimum.
Do you feel as though you're constantly battling the clock and never really making progress on your to-do list? You're not alone. Luckily, small shifts in your workday can lead to significant gains in productivity. Let's explore some actionable workplace hacks to help you thrive.
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