If you own a computer, you have most likely experienced some “tech pain” on occasion.  Yes, at times Tech is a Pain!  When forging ahead with a “self-help DIY’ approach, results can be a simple fix or catastrophic case of making the problem worse.  Either way you may be at a crossroads where a technology support provider would improve your success rate in tech fixes and make a world of difference in your daily business routine.  

So why is it so tempting to fix our business computers instead of getting the help of experts? It could be because computers are so common and many of us use them all day. That familiarity makes it tempting to try to handle business computer maintenance and repair on our own.  There is a huge amount of help available on the internet that can even help us figure out how to fix a problem. 

However, there are several issues with a DIY approach to business computers systems;  

• Time spent fixing a computer problem is time not spent doing business 
• When maintenance and update tasks are an add-on to daily work, they end up not being done 
• Frequent crashes or lockups are tolerated instead of being fixed 
• Problems are only found when the system quits working 
• Every time you have a problem, you need a lot of research on how to fix it. 

When you use Cogent Technology Solutions as your IT consultant, we allow you and your staff to focus on core business tasks.  We can also reduce the amount of time you are down or unproductive when there are problems.  Our 24/7 remote monitoring even makes it possible to identify a problem before it causes downtime.  

The technology best practice for your business is a planned approach that considers short and long-term strategic planning. These plans consider budget realities, company culture and current system status.  Increase your company’s productivity and focus on the business of doing business. Avoid Tech Pain with Cogent Technology Solutions. We will focus on maintaining a stable and secure technology environment.

We have seen a few instances of a new credential phishing email that has been going out today. It is a classic example of a fake “password expiration” phish bait. While email services will start recognizing this soon and start to block them, it is a good example of what these look like so you can recognize them.

If you get an email telling you your need to reset your password, it is 99.99999% fake, and an attempt to steal your credentials. Don’t click on the link or button and delete the email.  If you can’t decide if an email is legitimate, forward the email to us and we can take a look at it.

In the graphic below, I have highlighted features of the email that tip off that is a phishing attempt.

As this example shows, the bad guys are very sophisticated in crafting phishing emails.  As a result, employees are the weak link in an organization’s network security, circumventing anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.  In fact, 91% of successful data breaches started with a spear phishing attack. Employees need to be trained and remain on their toes with security top of mind.  Please visit our Get Started page to start the conversion about our platform for training your employees and testing them on an ongoing basis.

The Cogent Technology Solutions Team wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season. 
Our offices will be closed on Friday, December 24th (Christmas Eve) and Friday, December 31st (New Year’s Eve..)

Emergency services will be available through our team on call.

Wishing you a prosperous New Year!   If you have not had an opportunity to complete the Cogent Technology Solutions 2021 Customer Survey, please consider taking it now. 

Cogent Technology Solutions delivers a full spectrum of services from offering short term support on a large project to providing full scale technology services to your business. We provide 24/7 local onsite support to companies with 5-100 workstations. We support the computing needs of small businesses and large corporations with remote locations across northern Michigan.

At Cogent Technology Solutions (CTS) we provide full service computer system support that guides our clients in maximizing their current technology investment and anticipates future trends and opportunities. We recognize the importance of delivering logical, cost effective technology. By applying sound business judgment we are your partner in facilitating business technology requirements from support, advance planning, budgeting, replacement, and implementation.

Our unique approach:
As your partner we work directly within your current technology support structure. We can be assigned to work with current employees or other service providers that work on your computers. Maintaining and improving your current technology to reliable functionality is our goal. As partners in this process, the CTS team works with you to define solutions and deliver technology that supports your business plan.