Video Transcription:

You go to use your computer like usual. You start it up, log in, and instead of seeing your empty desktop, there’s a pop-up saying that your computer is in immediate danger due to viruses or other kinds of threats. You might try to close the pop-up, but there is no way to do so. You might then notice that the pop-up gives you a phone number to call for tech support. They’ll claim to be Microsoft, Apple, Google, or some other reputable company, and before they can help you with your computer virus needs, they’ll ask for money. They’ll take that money and you will never hear from them again.

It’s called a tech support scam. A particularly popular scam currently because it works. When you’re being told that your expensive piece of technology is in immediate danger and you’re clearly given a phone number to solve your problems, it can be easy to forget that a world of scammers is out to get you at all times. However, it is important to remember that IT support will never contact you that way. Real support messages can always be closed, and companies like Microsoft will never ask you to send them money for help. If you do see such a pop-up, contact the company that manages your device or your IT provider. Also, you should be able to close the pop-up through the task manager which you can access by pressing the control, alt, and delete keys at the same time.
​
The most important takeaway, as always with scams, is that you should never send money to anyone who petitions you for it on the internet or over the phone. Also, if anyone ever asks you to pay via gift cards or Bitcoin, they’re most certainly a scammer. If you have any questions, or you’re a business owner in need of simple and effective tech support, feel free to contact us here at Nice Guy Technology. We’re here to help.
​

Video Transcription:

​You’ve won the lottery, they’ll say! Or maybe your computer is virus-ridden they’ll say. Before receiving your funds or your IT support, they might ask you to pay a small sum… with gift cards?

​Gift card scams are relatively easy to spot compared to the majority, but it’s still important to discuss them. A gift card scam is a scam where someone will ask you, for any reason, to direct a sum of money their way using gift cards. They might request gift cards for a service they’re promising to render or as a fee before you receive a prize. It works the same way as any other scam, but gift cards are simpler to steal. There’s a world of fraud and financial complexity that a scammer needs to brave when reaching into your wallet, but getting you to hand over the identification number on a simple gift card is a clean and efficient way of stealing from you.

To put it bluntly, no upstanding institution will ever ask you for a gift card. That’s just not how the trading of goods and services works, and if anyone ever does ask you, they are without a doubt a scammer. Just remember: Gift cards are for giving, nothing else! As always, if you’re a business owner and you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us here at Nice Guy Technology. We’re here to help.

Okay, computers are complicated. Everybody knows it, even IT professionals understand how infuriatingly complex computers can be sometimes! Unfortunately, the average computer owner doesn’t know what it takes to make a computer last, and you may have wondered in the past why that factory new performance and speed turns into the unbearably sluggish piece of junk we’ve all dealt with at some point or another. And you can’t be blamed for not knowing either, because a computer’s need for maintenance isn’t talked about and as widely known as a car’s for instance.
 
Even if you aren’t a big car person, and I am not, we all know about the basic upkeep that a car requires. Topping up the tank, getting an oil change, putting air in the tires are all things we know we have to do, because if left unchecked, they could cause much bigger problems. Computers are exactly the same way! If you don’t at least occasionally pay attention to your computer’s needs, it can cause lasting damages down the road.
 
Secondly, both need to be cleaned every once in a while. Neglecting a car’s hygiene won’t only make it look bad, it will also make it rust faster which in turn can interfere with its performance. While your computer won’t quite rust over, you have to be on the lookout for dust. I know, I know, the most common indoor annoyance since the existence of particles is difficult to keep at bay but checking the inside of your computer periodically will really go a long way. If you find dust clogging up the inside, use a can of air to blow it loose and a soft cloth to wipe it down. Dusting the inside of a computer can go a long way towards staving off damage down the road.
 
Thirdly, we like cars to go fast. Not everyone wants to be a speed demon, but at the very least we want to go fast enough to get where we’re going in a reasonable amount of time. Once again, that sounds exactly like what we expect out of our computers. Waiting for something to load on a computer is a comparable experience to sitting in rush hour traffic sometimes. And just like rush hour, you might be dealing with this problem on a regular basis, if not every day. There are a number of both free and not-so-free tips on how to speed up your computer on our video "How To Speed Up Your Computer".

Another huge similarity is the need for safety features and precautions. We care about them a lot on our cars, and for good reason. There’s a good reason that a car’s brakes can always overpower its engine. Turn signals aren’t only there for convenience, they’re there so that you can let nearby drivers and pedestrians what you’re doing, and everyone’s safer for it. Anti-virus works the same way. Sure, your computer’s security may not be a matter of life and death like a car, but it very much is a matter of financial ruin, identity theft, and losing your control of your social media, which is scary for a myriad of reasons. If you’re a business owner, this is especially important. For example, sixty percent of businesses that are hit with ransom-ware attacks go out of business within six months. Being lax on IT security can lead to the loss of your very livelihood. Consult your IT provider to make sure you have more than enough protection.
 
If you still need your IT secured, give us a call here at Nice Guy Technology. We’re here to help.

Video Transcription:
​Computers are constantly evolving. In a world where technological innovations are moving faster than ever before, your computer’s speed should be no exception. The days of dial-up, and even low-speed Wi-Fi, are largely antiquated and gone. With these advancements in connectivity and hardware, your computer should always run super quickly... right? Unfortunately, we both know that that’s not always the case. Computer manufacturers rarely prioritize speed over everything else, and because of that, we so often find ourselves in the multi-generations old issue of screaming at your computer because it won’t even Google something quickly let alone download a file. Luckily, we have some tips on how you can speed your computer up and stop dealing with those spinning beach balls and blue rings.

Let’s start with some things you can do that are totally free and won’t pose any cost to you: Firstly we recommend deleting unnecessary files from your main hard drive. Whether it be a solid state or a hard disk drive, your computer may be performing slowly due to the clutter of unneeded files. Scanning your computer for viruses also helps, as removing those viruses could and likely will speed up your computer. Also, if you have a lot of programs open at the same time, this can really slow down your computer, so try keeping your opened programs to a minimum, and see if you notice any difference. This is especially likely to be a culprit if you use particularly taxing programs such as video editors. Keeping your operating system up to date can help as well, because using a computer on an outdated foundation will likely cause various performance issues. It’s also very important to never download a program that promises to speed your computer up for you unless you know for certain that it’s legitimate. There are services such as the anti-virus Bitdefender that comes with a package for performance optimization. Choosing a less than reputable program for this, however, could give you viruses or malware.

If those free, less involved options don’t work for you, you may need to go a bit further in how you improve your speed. Namely, your computer’s hardware might need to be upgraded. The number one hardware upgrade that we recommend is from a regular hard drive to a solid-state drive, or SSD. This will make your computer so much faster with loading and opening programs, assets, and any other files you end up storing on that drive. Our second recommendation is to install larger amounts of RAM into your computer. RAM is also commonly referred to as your computer’s memory. Upgrading memory basically makes the computer a better multitasker so that having multiple programs open won’t be such an issue. Of course, sometimes even a hardware upgrade can’t solve an issue if your computer is too old or too beat up. If your goal is to pump some more life into a decade old computer, we recommend having a professional look at first to let you know if it would be a waste of your money. 

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us here at Nice Guy Technology. And, if you’re a business owner, there’s no reason that IT should be yet another responsibility for you. Please give us a call, we want to know how we can help make your life a little bit easier.

Video Transcription:
Hi, we're Nice Guy Technology and we're an MSSP - or Managed Security Services Provider. What does that mean in English? Well, business waste time and money every day on technology issues. We fix the problems and keep things running smoothly so that you can have peace of mind and focus on your business!

​We provide automated, remote monitoring as well as top of the line antivirus and antimalware so that your technology can stay secure and last longer. We'll even connect remotely to your computer to help you solve a problem on the spot! We also provide onsite assistance because sometimes technology needs a hands-on approach. If you're located in the greater Columbus area, we'll be there.

Nice Guy Technology strives to provide small to medium sized businesses with a simple, effective solution for tech management that doesn't require the elevated cost of a full time, in-house IT professional. You should be able to spend the time you need focusing on your business, not wrangling your technology.

​And, you should never have to deal with rude or complicated IT professionals. With Nice Guy Technology, you won't have to. We stand by our obligation to be... kind, committed and clear with everyone we work with. Thank you! We can't wait to help you accomplish great things!

Video Transcription:
​What exactly are the cookies and cache and what do they do? Well, when you visit certain websites, they’ll create what’s called a cookie. Unfortunately, not the baked treat cookie. Although that would be awesome. Rather, these cookies are files that save your browsing information so that things can run and load faster. The cache is pretty similar. It keeps pieces of and parts of the different pages you visit in its memory so that it can load faster the next time you visit those pages.
 
The problem is that cookies and the cache can do exactly the opposite of what they’re supposed to by clogging up your browser, especially if the data is older. This is why clearing them could help speed things up or fix problems you might be having with the site. Here’s how you can clear the cache and cookies:
 
I’ll be showing you how to do this first with Chrome, and secondly using Firefox. Other browsers should work quite similarly. In Chrome, first click the “more” button in the top right corner. It looks like 3 dots stacked on top of each other. Then go down here and hover the mouse over “more tools.” Mouse over here and click on the “clear browsing data” button. It’ll open up the settings tab here, and if you want to preserve your browser and download history, you can go to the advanced section here and uncheck everything except for “Cookies and other site data” and “Cached images and files.” Then click clear data at the bottom right of the popup, and you’re done!
 
On Firefox, you’ll want to click on the “gear icon” in the top right corner. This takes you to a menu that has several different tabs on the side. Click the Privacy and Security tab and scroll down until you see “Cookies and site data.” From here you will have the options for clearing data, managing data, and managing permissions as well as a box that can be checked that allows Firefox to delete the cookies and site data when Firefox is closed. To clear the cookies and cached images, just click “clear data,” then on the next menu, click “clear.”
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us here, at Nice Guy Technology! We’re here to help.

Video Transcription:
​We’re in the middle of Spring now, and despite the world being turned upside down, I think that the Spring-cleaning mindset is just as important as ever. In fact, more important than it ever has been! We’re all a little, or a lot, stir crazy, and setting some goals for yourself while in quarantine can do nothing but help. That’s why I’d like to give you some ideas for Spring-cleaning your tech.
 
I know that we’re probably nowhere near the first people to recommend physically cleaning your technology right now, but that’s because it really is a good idea to get those germ-infested screens nice and pristine! First of all, we recommend using canned air to get all that dust and debris out of the interior of your computers and keyboards. Dust accumulates in these areas much faster than you’d think, and with enough buildup and time, can and likely will do damage to your devices. To clean the grime off of screens and the outside of your tech devices, you can either use a solution made for that, or use a glass cleaning solution as long as it doesn’t have ammonia. You’ll also want to use a microfiber cloth to avoid being too rough.
 
Your hardware isn’t the only thing that needs attention, the software side of things should get a touch up as well. Check to see if your device needs software updates, or if your applications need updated. Also, one of the most important things you can do to ensure lasting security for your data is to back everything up! Systems, devices, and files all need backed up, and only then can you be sure that no matter what happens to your device, you’ll be able to find everything you otherwise would have lost. You’ll also want to delete all of the applications you no longer use. We’ve all downloaded applications that we wanted to use a year ago and haven’t touched since, but they unnecessarily take up space and can slow your computer down. Dormant apps could even pose a security risk depending on how secure they are to begin with!
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to comment on this video or reach out to us here, at Nice Guy Technology! We’re here to help.

Video transcription:

If you’re like me, you’re opening up the same few internet tabs every time you get on your computer. This is especially likely if you’re working from home right now, since you’d be using certain websites over and over again for your job. To make things just that much easier, I want to show you how you can set your web browser to automatically open certain pages when you get on.
 
I use Chrome, so that’s what we’ll be using here, but most other browsers are going to have really similar instructions. The first thing you want to do after opening the browser is click on the “more” button located in the top right corner, it looks like 3 dots stacked on top of each other. Near the bottom here you can find the “settings” button, and that’s where we want to go. Scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find a section called “On Startup.” If you click on “Open a specific page or set of pages” you’ll see the option to add a new page or use your current pages. One way to set this up is to go ahead and open every tab that you want to open automatically from now on. Then if you click on “Use current pages,” it will include every tab that’s open aside from the settings one that you’re currently using. You could also click on “Add a new page” where you’ll need to put in a URL. Do this by going to a page: Nice Guy Technology’s “News & Updates” for instance! – random example – and copy that URL. Then all you have to do is paste it back into settings, and voila: Everything you want is there right off the bat.
 
This can seem like a small thing, but by saving you a few seconds every time you go online, it really adds up quickly. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to comment on this video or reach out to us here, at Nice Guy Technology! We’re here to help.

Video Transcription:
­Ransomware attacks are a constantly growing form of malware that threatens to wreak havoc to your finances. Business owners are suddenly finding the entirety of their data locked behind a virtual safe, only accessible once a ransom has been payed. Here’s some tips to think about if you fall victim to this cyber-crime.

• Paying the ransom can often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, making the requested payment more than the data might be worth. The attacks and subsequent ransom requests have continued to get worse, resulting in millions of dollars in losses for larger companies that found themselves a target.
• It’s also important to know that the FBI strongly denounces the payment of these ransoms. Giving in to these criminals not only likely contributes to further illegal activity, but also encourages hackers to repeat the attacks targeted at your business.
• In comparison, refusing to pay ransoms will hurt the cyber-criminals where it really hurts: their wallets. This can go a long way in reducing even further long-term damage to your business’s finances. Even if you choose to pay, it’s far from guaranteed that you will ever see your data again.

So, if you see that dreaded message telling you to pay up, do not do it. It’s extremely important that you explore every option first, which starts with contacting your IT provider for an expert opinion. The attack may not have affected all of your data and may not be real at all. Your IT provider will be able to advise you as to the best course of action for your business.

​Hopefully we’re helping you grasp just how detrimental an affliction this can really be for your livelihood. So, the most important thing to talk about is how to avoid dealing with this in the first place. Taking preventative action can help guarantee that an attempted attack will not cripple your productivity. Backing up your data is a sure-fire way to protect yourself. You can back up your data to the cloud, which we highly recommend. It will keep your data protected and updated so that no matter what happens to your hard drive, you’re safe. You could also back up to an external drive, but for total security, we recommend doing both! That being said, if your business is looking for comprehensive cyber-security in qualified hands, contact Nice Guy Technology to hear all about our services!