Technology and Hardware – Quick Response Digital Marketing

Capably Administered Companies Choose to Outsource IT Functionality

June 7, 2016
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Any capably administered company in need of IT support Austin should consider the option of outsourcing their IT department entirely rather than hiring an internal staff to perform this very crucial function. This advice is sound because when a company makes the decision to outsource its IT functions it will no longer have to concern itself with the one million and one technical problems that can arise when maintaining an IT system in house. This headache is assumed by the company to whom the IT functions have been outsourced.

Once the IT functions of a company have been suitably outsourced to a managed IT services Austin company it will suddenly find itself newly liberated to focus all of the energy that would have otherwise been expended on in house IT functions to the function of running the company’s business. Accordingly, the company will be able to focus its precious time, money and human capital on doing whatever it may be that the company does best. Moreover, once the company who has outsourced its IT functions has become liberated to focus its energy upon its business it is highly likely that said company will find itself in the position to possibly become more profitable in the process.

For all the aforementioned reasons logically elaborated upon above there can be no debating the fact that the outsourcing of a company’s IT functions is a necessity that must become manifest in order for it to survive and properly function. Fortunately there are many businesses to which the IT functionality of a company can be outsourced. This is what they do best and are designed to do. And if they focus upon the business they do best why shouldn’t any other company do the same thing? The simple answer must be that there is no reason why they should not.

Technology and Hardware

Why You Need Video Production Salt Lake City for…

April 14, 2016
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When you click on social media networks these days, you would notice a wide variety of video content and traditional text articles. The healthy mixture of the content formats is what keeps people engaged with a particular website. Online marketers are switching up with texts and videos because people vary. Some like to read but others find video production Salt Lake City more enticing. If you have a start-up business and you are planning to take your products and services online, this article would be of great help for you because we will assess which type of advertising medium is more effective: videos or texts? Let’s find out!

Online Marketing: Videos Vs Texts

Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to click and share a video rather than a text article. With the same case study, they also found out that videos have a higher click through rate compared to rich media or banner ads. If you go to Facebook, you can see for yourself that videos are shared even up to 12 times more than text posts and links combined! The main reason behind this is because people find watching videos more entertaining than reading a huge pile of text in their screens.

Choosing a Video Production Salt Lake City Company for Your Video Ads

Now that you know that videos are more effective in marketing your products and services online, the next step you now have to take is choosing the right video production company in Salt Lake City. What you should do is ask for their video rates. They have to have reasonable prices especially that you are opening a start-up business and you have to cut costs as much as possible. Be careful of the hidden charges as well so make sure you ask them regarding travel expenses, additional editing and music licensing – basically, the whole package.

Technology and Hardware

The A+ Practice Test and AUTOEXEC.BAT

April 11, 2016February 6, 2019
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The best way to prepare for the A+ certification exam is to take multiple versions of the A+ practice test. There are many versions of the A+ practice test available. When taking the practice test you may run into a question describing a scenario where a person desires his default Windows 98 installation to boot to the command prompt and not load Windows at every startup. The scenario then asks what is the best solution to this problem. The answer to the question is that by default there is no win statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT. However, placing a win statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT gives the same result as when the BootGUI option is set to 1.

A non tech person who has no interest in sitting for the A+ certification exam or taking the A+ practice test would have no idea what this question is about. Most people are familiar with Windows 98 and the process of installing an operating system. Even if they are not sure exactly how to accomplish this task it is likely that they have heard the terminology on a prior occasion. This same group of people, however, are probably not familiar with the term “AUTOEXEC.BAT.” Nor would they be likely to be familiar with the term “BootGUI.”

This only serves to illustrate the importance of proper preparation for the A+ certification exam. The exam will test the knowledge of the person taking the test about specific information related to both computer hardware and software. Even if the person taking the test considers himself or herself to be tech savvy there is no substitute for proper preparation. Proper preparation for the A+ certification exam of course must include taking multiple versions of the A+ practice test to both become familiar with the test format and also to bring attention to the areas of knowledge that requires further study.

Technology and Hardware

Deconstructing the 1xx Post Error Code

December 26, 2015February 6, 2019
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Some questions you might see on the A+ practice test are short and sweet. For example, what problem does a “1xx POST error code” indicate? To answer this question it might be helpful to know a little more about the terminology within the error code. POST is an acronym which stands for “Power On Self Test.” When your computer boots up the BIOS or Basic Input / Output System which is a set of computer instructions controlling input and output operations, executes several tests in a sequence to make sure all systems are running properly. If this is the case then Windows will begin to load. If there is a problem then the computer will display error codes sometimes accompanied by beep sounds.

The 1xx POST error code happens to be one of several codes used by IBM. Other codes include 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx,6xx, 7xx, 8xx,9xx and 10xx. Each number that precedes the “xx” refers to a specific area of the computer’s hardware. The 1xx refers to a “system motherboard error.” The system motherboard is a circuit board inside the computer that allocates electrical power to the CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and other parts of the computer’s hardware. The motherboard also facilitates communication between the various components of the computer’s hardware.

Naturally, if you were in the position where you were in need of taking the A+ practice test much of this technical jargon would already be familiar to you. By now (if you read this far) you should know the answer to the question, what problem does a “1xx POST error code” indicate? The error code (of course) indicates a problem with the system motherboard. This type of question is probably not one that can be figured out logically. Unfortunately, it falls under the category of information you will just have to know. Many of the questions on the certification exam will require you memorize information like this. Taking the A+ practice test will help you identify areas of knowledge where you will need further study.

Technology and Hardware

IP Address Inquiry

December 11, 2015February 6, 2019
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If you are planning on taking the A+ practice test there are many technical questions you will have to become familiar with. The following is a dissection of a possible question you might have to answer. The question is as follows:

Which of the following IP addresses would a technician see if a computer is connected to a multifunction network device and is attempting to obtain an IP address automatically but is not receiving an IP address from the DHCP server?

A. 172.16.10.10

B. 192.168.0.10

C. 169.254.10.10

D. 192.168.10.10

I am not well versed in this type of technical jargon so to understand the question I had to look up some of the terminology. The first thing I looked up was “IP Address” and found the following definition:

[An] IP Address is a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network.

Next I looked up “Multifunction Network Device and found this definition:

A multifuntion network device is product or device that has multiple functions. An example of this might be a printer that also makes copies, faxes, and scans.

I then looked up how to obtain an IP address automatically. These are the insructions I found:

Click on your Start menu and select Control Panel
Click on Network and Internet.
Click on Network and Sharing Center.
Click on Change adapter settings, located on the left-side menu.
Right click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties. You will need to have administrator access.
In the new window, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list of items and click Properties. If any IP or DNS information is listed in the new window, you may want to write it down in case you need to restore your settings at a later time.
Ensure the radio buttons beside Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected. Click OK. Close the remaining windows.

I then looked up Dynamic Host Configuration and found:

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network protocol used to assign IP addresses and provide configuration information to devices such as servers, desktops, or mobile devices, so they can communicate on a network using the Internet Protocol (IP).

Again, I am not very technical so I looked up the answer itself and this is what I found:

If the computer fails to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, Windows will take over and apply an Automatic Private IP Address (APIPA). This address will be on the 169.254.0.0 network. All of the other addresses could possibly be obtained from a DHCP server. 172.16.10.10 is a Class B private IP. 192.168.0.10 and 192.168.10.10 are Class C private IP addresses.

So now I have a vague idea as to how to approach the initial question quoted above. Hopefully you (the reader) has a better grasp on this material when you take the A+ practice test.

Technology and Hardware

A+ Practice Test – Tips and Tricks

September 21, 2015February 6, 2019
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A plus Training, Practice & Testing

So you want to get the CompTIA A+ certification. You will need to pass two exams both the A+ 220-801 Hardware and the 220-802 Software. As seen in the A+ exam objectives you have a lot of ground to cover. Here are the prerequisite as stated in the CompTIA published A+ exam objectives:

The CompTIA A+ examination measures the competencies deemed necessary for an entry-level IT support technician with the equivalent knowledge of at least 12 months of hands-on experience in the lab and/or field. To be successful at the A+ exam, candidates will have the required knowledge to assemble components based on user requirements and specifications, install, configure and maintain devices, PCs and software for end users. A basic understanding of virtualization, desktop imaging, and deployment is also in the objectives. Additionally they will need to understand the basics of networking and both security and forensics as they will need to understand how to properly and safely diagnose, fix and document typical hardware and software issues all the while applying best practice troubleshooting procedures. Finally the successful candidate will also have the ability to provide appropriate professional customer support.

CertBlaster
The CertBlaster products for the CompTIA exams is our new confidence-building online learning tool that adapts to your learning needs.

Classroom Training
If you are new to PC support then you will need classroom training to provide you with the best preparation experience possible. For those of you who prefer to study for the exam in a classroom environment this will be the solution. If not, then another alternative is self-study.

Self-study
There are a lot of books and online study options that cover the main CompTIA exams. One of our favorite ones is free and provided by Professor Messer.

Practice test
Our self-paced, interactive A+ practice test products offer a great training solution if you have the right prerequisite i.e. a working knowledge of the A+ exam objectives. If you do not have that go back up and read the training sections above. If you do have the prerequisite knowledge then CertBlaster will allow you to study for you’re A+ certification online anywhere, anytime.

Testing
You will sit for the exam at a Pearson Vue testing center. You will need to set an appointment and have in hand the two A+ test vouchers that you buy from CompTIA or any of their authorized partners.

Technology and Hardware

A+ Certification Practice Test – Tips to Know About…

August 5, 2015February 6, 2019
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CompTIA’s A+ Practice Test Certification takes strong passwords very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that it falls under not one but two exam objectives. This is pretty rare and shows how seriously this is taken. There is a really good reason for this. Studies show that the most prevalent security breach relates to passwords. As in week passwords. Did you know that 28% of security breaches are password related and that the two most common passwords are password1 and 123456? So it clearly does make a lot of sense for CompTIA to make sure that anyone possessing the A+ Certification credential is well versed in this potential threat to system security.

The strong password issue is handled in the A+ 220-802 (Software) exam in Main Domain 2.0 Security. The two sub-objectives it falls under are 2.1 and 2.3:

2.1 “Apply and use common prevention methods”

2.3 “Implement security best practices to secure a workstation”

Under sub-objective 2.1 it shows as topic point “User authentication/strong passwords” and under sub-objective 2.1 it shows as topic point “Setting strong passwords”. Under either of both you are likely to get a question relating to strong passwords. When we say “strong password” we are not formulating an opinion but addressing a definition as per the A+ exam. However the definition is also widely accepted in the computer industry. So what are the elements of the definition of “strong passwords”?

They should be no less than 8 characters but no more than 15 (the longer the password the more secure it is but extremely long passwords will put too high a burden on support by users not remembering them). As you can see above it’s not a good idea to “password” or any easy number sequence such as 123456. Another common one is birthdate, really easy to crack in ways too many situations. You should also ban:

Any words you can find in the dictionary
Names to anyone close to you (spouse, kids, pets etc.)
Yours or any other license plate number
Any of the above spelled backwards or with either a leading or a trailing number

An important part of the strong password is diversity of characters. The best strong password will combine alphabetic characters (capitalized and lower case), numbers and special characters. Special characters are the symbols you find on your keyboard, such as $ * ^ # @ etc.

Examples of how to come up with a strong password that is easy to remember:

Use the first address you remember living at “Apartment was on 5061 State Street. Rent was $800 monthly.” You then turn that into a password by using the first digits of each word which would make your password: Awo5061ss.Rw$8m

This password fulfills all the requirements of a strong password: It is 15 characters long, includes capitalization and lower case as well as numbers and special characters. This would be considered a very strong password (being at the maximum of 15 characters) but could still be reasonable easy to remember.

You could apply this method to a variety of items and come up with strong passwords you won’t easily forget. Another maybe easier way to generate them is to use Diceware.

As important as strong passwords are to the A+ exam this is only a small part of it (the exam objectives document is 44 pages long!) so there is still a lot more to master. A good way to get an idea of what the exam is like is to use practice tests. CertBlaster offers a comprehensive package covering A+ Practice test in a bundle of both the A+ 220-801 (Hardware) and A+ 220-802 (Software) exams.