Grove Networks Blog

Keeping track of your business' technology is really important for smooth operations and long-term success. You need to monitor things like computers, servers, mobile devices, and software licenses to avoid unnecessary costs and security problems. A good inventory system helps you know what technology you have, where it is being used, and when it needs maintenance or replacement. This ensures that your team has the right tools when they need them, which boosts productivity and growth.

It was very recently revealed that a global law enforcement effort took down a massive botnet that was in action for almost a decade. In light of this, we wanted to review what a botnet is and how it works, drawing from these events for some context.

How often does your business find that it’s struggling with new technology implementation, either on the software side of the house or on the hardware side? Have you considered that the cloud provides powerful solutions to your business’ woes in the form of virtualization? With the right resources at your disposal, you can use virtualization to create incredible opportunities to improve operations for your business and make it more secure and flexible in the process.

The cloud has become a go-to resource when businesses are trying to find and consistently depend on digital tools that otherwise would be out of their price range. One cloud issue that isn’t often mentioned in the course of choosing computing resources is cloud waste. Cloud waste refers to the inefficient or unnecessary consumption of cloud computing resources, leading to higher costs without delivering corresponding value. This month, we will look at some of the impacts of cloud waste and how to avoid it as much as possible. 

In all aspects of society, upgrades and updates have become part of life. For instance, consider how often you’re prompted to update your software—and how often some people may ignore these prompts, assuming that everything will be just fine.

As you might imagine, this is not the mindset that will allow your business to advance. Instead, it’s important that you can identify when your technology is no longer helping and is instead holding you back so that you can implement that which will help your business advance.

While we typically focus on how various technologies can be used in business applications as a way to boost a small or medium-sized organization’s capabilities, we occasionally come across a topic that is just undeniably cool (and that we can bring back around to business concerns, to boot). We recently heard about the development of a flexible new wearable that uses AI to monitor the health of the wearer that we wanted to discuss with you.

With businesses actively searching for ways to cut costs in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, one place a lot of businesses are considering cutting is their printing initiatives. Today, there are several new solutions that can provide businesses options without having to rely on printed materials. If your business is one that cannot, however, you should know just how much your printer is costing your business. In today’s blog, we’ll review how you can calculate this investment.

The server is the heart and brain of a business’ computing infrastructure. So much so that a failure can cause catastrophic effects on your business. If you are at a point where you are thinking about adding a server to your infrastructure, or replacing one that is a little long in the tooth, you now have less of a dilemma than you may have had previously. This doesn’t mean that it is not a serious decision, but today you have options on how you want to go about deploying your new server. This month, we thought we would go over some of the pros and cons that come with adding new infrastructure and whether purchasing a new server outright is the right decision for your business.

Businesses often struggle with the hardware side of running a business, whether it is finding the right solutions or taking care of them. Hardware like server units, workstations, and networking components are what keep your business functioning, and without it, you don’t have much of a business. How can you make sure that your organization is addressing this important aspect of running a business? How can you keep hardware from breaking your budget? We recommend starting with a network audit.

Today’s technology provides businesses with more options than they’ve ever had, including where they want to host their critical infrastructures. This decision will often boil down to between an onsite hardware implementation or utilizing the cloud. Let’s consider the differences that your decision needs to reflect.

Small Businesses don’t always have the computing or financial resources--or the need--to purchase a server. Lots of small companies will have a few workstations connected together through a wired or wireless Local Area Network (LAN), but when your business gets to a point where it needs more effective means of collaboration, running that LAN through a server can produce quite a few benefits. Today, we will look at why a server-based LAN is an improvement and what your company’s server options are. 

For the individual, it is exciting when you open the box that your new computer comes in. For a business, however, it can cause a bunch of problems. Sure, a hardware refresh can be an exciting time for a business, especially if it has been necessary for a while. One problem, however, is that some new hardware comes with unwanted software. Let’s take a look at what we mean.

Businesses need hardware and software to keep an infrastructure running, but not all organizations specialize in the management and acquisition of these systems. Furthermore, some businesses don’t even know what their specific needs are, which is shocking to think about. We’re here to help you make the best decisions possible with your hardware and software acquisitions.

As the business owner, are you the only person in your office who manages your company’s vendor relationships? Chances are that this is a huge responsibility, and one that consumes a significant portion of your time. While communicating with vendors is important for resolving issues or learning more about the service offered, it’s still a pain that you shouldn’t have to deal with.

Any business venture nowadays is apt to utilize a lot of data, and therefore will require plenty of digital storage space to accommodate its needs. As a result, selecting a storage device is an important decision to make - especially when one is trying to decide between a Solid State Drive (or SSD) or a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage solution. A quick comparison between the two will help you choose one over the other.

Hackers have proven that they will do whatever it takes to get to your valuable assets, even if it means taking advantage of physical objects that work alongside a specific frequency. As it turns out, this is exactly how hacking a garage door works, and all it takes is a decade-old communications device to capture the frequency and unlock any garage door that utilizes it.

Computer monitors have become streamlined in appearance and design over the years. One of the biggest improvements was the addition of the LCD screen, which in comparison to the old CRT monitors is more pleasing to the eye. However, its brightness means that there are side effects that can lead to eye strain and headaches. You can lower your screen brightness to preserve both your eyesight and your sanity, in addition to saving precious battery life.

With as many resources as you’ve invested in your company’s technology, you should do everything you can to protect it. An IT infrastructure that doesn’t have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) safeguarding its data, is putting the entire operation at risk. Here’s what you need to know about this important device.

It’s a known fact that technology doesn’t last forever. In fact, technology grows at such an astounding rate that some users often feel the need to replace their devices the second a bigger and better tech is launched. What if this unprecedented growth and increase in reliability become a hindrance to the sales of PC manufacturers?

Technology solutions for small and medium-sized businesses can be complex, which is why simplification is at the top of a lot of executives’ priorities. To this end, virtualization is a key component, helping organizations make their IT easier to manage. What effect does this have on data security?