Are you too old to become certified? No, no, I don’t mean certifiable — that’s something completely different. (And, as Diana tells me every day, even I’m not too old to become certifiable — but I’m not crazy. As Dr. Sheldon Cooper …continue reading
How to Quit Your Job with Class
If you want to quit your job, I certainly wouldn’t recommend an exit like JetBlue’s flight attendant a few years back. Although it rendered a lot of attention and definitely takes the prize for most dramatic exit, there are more appropriate ways to …continue reading
Microsoft Management Summit is for “Hardcore Geeks”
Unless you’ve been living off the grid somewhere in Alabama the past few years, you’ve noticed that Microsoft has stepped up its advertising campaign in just about every aspect of digital media. According to Forbes, Microsoft’s advertising budget …continue reading
Cubicle Etiquette: Getting the Word Out
Cubicle etiquette is something that everyone sharing space in an office — any office — should observe. Alas, one person’s “common sense” isn’t always as common as another might hope. Loretta McNeil writes:
Hi, Chris. I’m currently temping in a large office space with dozens …continue reading
Troubleshooting Electronics – and Life
There are several handy sayings and rules of thumb that experienced troubleshooters use to cut through whatever problem they’re trying to overcome. And while not all of them are specific to computers, they can usually be applied to computer-related troubleshooting tasks. Here are a few …continue reading
How IT Administrators Disable USB Ports in Offices
Desktop computers equipped with open USB ports are a common sight among offices. Unlike earlier computers that needed to sport obscure ports or connectors designed for each specific hardware, today’s typical USB port allows workers to utilize a multi-use, universal embrasure for a variety of …continue reading
Group Policy Management: Windows Vs. OS X?
Since I don’t deal with group policy management in Windows or OS X on a daily basis — and definitely never have to the extent of some of our resident IT professionals among the readership, I figured I’d open this question up to you guys. …continue reading
How to Troubleshoot PC Problems on Vacation
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Citrix. All opinions are 100% my own.
Going on vacation is hard when you work in IT. It’s even more difficult when you work for a small company and you’re the only person the …continue reading
The Future of IT is Not Behind a Desk
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of GoToAssist. All opinions are 100% my own.
Being the on-call IT support professional for your company once meant being tied to a PC back at home. Going anywhere you couldn’t readily plug in a …continue reading
Free Website Protection and Acceleration by Incapsula
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Incapsula. All opinions are 100% my own.
Every day, websites are subjected to a vast array of malicious scripts and attempts of subversion intended to break through any layer of security you’ve implemented. These …continue reading
CDW Data Storage and Virtualization Solutions Help Keep Data Secure
This post brought to you by CDW. All opinions are 100% mine.
Data is more important than ever in the world of business and IT management. Without reliable, secure data storage and management solutions, a small business could face …continue reading
What Small Businesses Could Learn from Pirate Bay’s Cloud
Not every small business or startup has to worry about being raided by International law enforcement agencies. The Pirate Bay has been under fire for years due to having provided a portal for piracy.
While Pirate Bay doesn’t exactly hand out pirated copies of Metallica’s …continue reading
Tips for Becoming an Independent IT Consultant
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of GoToAssist. All opinions are 100% my own.
I spent a brief time as an IT consultant for a company that had plenty of audio engineers, but no one with any website or internal IT …continue reading
Remote Brainstorming Modern Solutions
Brainstorming — whereby a project team attacks a problem by spontaneously thinking up potential solutions (no matter how ridiculous) and seeing what sticks — isn’t as easy as one would think. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult collaborative activities to carry out. What …continue reading
What Makes Programmers Good?
I’ve spent a long time in IT. In fact, when I started it was called Data Processing, which is a term that hasn’t been in vogue for 20 years. In all that time, I’ve had two kinds of job — development or …continue reading
The Most Dedicated Woman I’ve Ever Met
Everything seems to be reviews, news, and help. So when I was thinking about what I want to write about, I thought of a story that always makes people laugh and think “How could a person do that?” So, without further ado, here’s the story.
What is Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)?
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably either heard this term used by a member of your IT support staff or are looking into the technology for yourself. Either way, it’s important to clarify first and foremost that this is a technology used to save …continue reading
Help Your Staff Manage Stress
Even at the best of times, life can definitely be stressful, and today’s turbulent economy and sometimes bleak business environment only add to the stress. If you’re in a managerial position at your job, part of your role is to help your staff get through …continue reading
Should Your IT Department Embrace the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Era?
One of the fastest growing trends in technology is that of bringing your own devices to work. These devices could be phones, laptops, or even complete home offices that you use to telecommute to work. In many ways, it’s a trend that makes CFOs cheer, …continue reading
More About CompTIA A+
Following up with his earlier post recommending that aspiring IT professionals get CompTIA A+ certification, guest blogger D. J. Moore writes:
Why A+?
The CompTIA A+ certification provides a universally recognized way to demonstrate to potential employers that you know …continue reading
Adding a Computer to a Domain
Guest blogger D. J. Moore writes:
Adding a computer to a domain can seem like a daunting task at first if you are new to the procedure. Take it from someone who didn’t know a domain controller from a database server a few …continue reading
How to Become an IT Professional: a Personal Story
Guest blogger D. J. Moore writes:
Chris Pirillo was recently asked an intriguing question in his Geek Out segment on YouTube that is near and dear to this author’s heart. Someone wanted to know how to get started in the IT world. …continue reading
How to Co-author PowerPoint Presentations
Office 2010 makes it easier for you to co-author documents with multiple users. This co-authoring functionality is available in PowerPoint 2010, Word 2010, and OneNote 2010 documents that are stored on a SharePoint Server 2010. In addition, you can use the co-authoring functionality in both …continue reading
Windows 7′s Accessibility Features
Like its predecessors, Windows 7 includes several built-in accessibility features. These features make it easier for users with a wide range of physical challenges to use Windows 7 and their computers. Furthermore, many of the accessibility features carried over from previous versions of Windows are …continue reading
10 Simple Steps to Operating Microsoft’s System Preparation Tool
Guest blogger D. J. Moore noticed that we’ve not been covering IT content as much as we have in the past, and this saddened him. In an effort to correct our course, he’s submitted these 10 simple steps to operating Microsoft’s System Preparation Tool …continue reading
Work at the Same Time in Word
Word 2010 includes many features that enable to you work more effectively with others on documents. Some of these features include: Block Authors, Save and Refresh, and Conflict Resolution Mode. Here, we’ll look at these features in more detail.
Note: many of the co-authoring features …continue reading
10 Advantages of Using GoToAssist for IT Professionals
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Citrix. All opinions are 100% my own.
As more small companies begin to depend more on information technologies, the need for viable, inexpensive IT support solutions becomes a must. Small IT teams …continue reading
How to Use Advanced Sharing in Windows 7
In Windows 7, you use shared folder permissions to configure who has access to your folders and specifically what type of access they have. For example, you can give an individual or group access to a folder but only give them Read access, which means …continue reading
What is User Experience, Anyway?
If you’ve seen any of Chris’ various videos on technology, then you have probably heard him talk about something called “user experience.” Usually when he mentions this term, he is talking about iOS, Android, or some other software. But just what is user experience, and …continue reading
How to Bulk Up Your Resume
Having an impressive resume is a great way to get your foot in the door for the job you’re looking for. Unfortunately, not everyone has the most impressive educational and employment background. How do you set yourself apart from the rest of the field in …continue reading
