tekRESCUE has been nominated for two separate Best of Hays awards this year, and your votes will help decide who wins. Curious what we’ve been nominated for and how you can help determine the final Best of Hays 2021 winners? Just keep reading!

tekRESCUE Best of Hays Nominations

Below are the categories tekRESCUE has been nominated for in Best of Hays 2021. To vote, simply follow the links and select “Vote” for your candidate of choice. You will be prompted to log in with a valid email.

BEST TECH SUPPORT

BEST COMPUTER REPAIR

Haven’t voted in Best of Hays before? Here’s what it’s all about

Every year the citizens of Hays County, Texas vote to choose the best businesses in a variety of categories for the previous year (in other words, the businesses you’re voting for in 2022 will be receiving awards for their performance in 2021).

The contest is administered by the local newspaper, the San Marcos Daily Record. Voting has historically taken place by newspaper ballot, but this year the contest has gone digital. If you’re concerned about being able to access Best of Hays online, your San Marcos Public Library has guest computers available for use daily.

This year, nominations for Best of Hays took place early in February. After nominations closed, the top three businesses in each category were determined. Voting to determine the final winner in each category will take until the March 11th at midnight, after which the final tally will be determined by the San Marcos Daily Record.

Be a part of the results and vote!

Who is tekRESCUE?

tekRESCUE is a web developer and IT service provider based in San Marcos, Texas. We have been serving the hill country and beyond for nearly a decade. Our team is proud to provide the best IT, digital marketing, and web design services possible to clients across a wide variety of different specialties.

Interested in learning more about our services?

Managed IT Services

To keep your business running smoothly, your technology needs to be secure and up-to-date. tekRESCUE offers IT service options for businesses of all sizes. We keep your devices safe and running smoothly so you can concentrate on your customers.

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Website Design & Development

Whether you need web hosting, a website redesign, or a whole new website built from the ground up, tekRESCUE is here to help. Our expert designers have built countless sites for a variety of business, all made to fit your brand and perform well in today’s online market.

SEE PORTFOLIO

Digital Marketing

Our experienced team is available to help with a wide range of digital marketing campaigns. From search engine optimization (SEO) and social media management (SMM) to geofenced ad campaigns, we’re here to make sure your brand gets seen in online.

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Need more information about how technology services can benefit your business? Contact tekRESCUE to speak to a professional who can help!

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is when an attacker uses multiple systems to flood a target with so many connections that the server cannot respond to legitimate traffic. This cyberattack can be used for extortion, revenge or just plain vandalism. This article covers what a DDoS attack is and how you can mitigate one if your site comes under attack!

How Does a DDoS attack work?

A DDoS attack floods a target with illegitimate traffic. The attacker will use multiple systems to send requests to the target server, overloading it and preventing legitimate traffic from getting through. This can cause your website to become unavailable for users or crash.

What are the different types of DDoS attacks?

1) UDP floods

A UDP flood is a DDoS attack that sends illegitimate packets to a target system, overwhelming it with traffic and rendering it unavailable. These attacks can be difficult to mitigate because they use spoofed IP addresses, making them hard to filter out.

2) ICMP flood

An ICMP flood works much like a UDP flood, but instead of using packets with data, it uses an overload of ping requests. These floods can be mitigated by disabling port-echoing or blocking echo request messages from outside your network’s boundaries (you will need to add this rule on every device sending pings).

3) SYN flood

An SYN flood is a more advanced type of DDoS attack that overwhelms your network with the first step of the three-way handshake used to establish TCP connections. These floods are very hard to mitigate because they can be generated from large numbers of IP addresses, making it difficult for simple firewalls or routers’ ruleset filtering (this means you will need help from an expert).

How do you know your website is under a DDoS attack?

A DDoS attack can often be identified by a sudden spike in internet traffic. This increased traffic can cause websites to slow down or even crash altogether. In addition, you may notice that your computer is working harder than usual and taking longer to load pages. Contact your internet service provider immediately if you think you’re experiencing a DDoS attack. They will help mitigate the attack and protect your website from further damage.

How do you mitigate a DDoS attack?

To prevent an attack, you need advanced traffic filtering and monitoring. The process of mitigating the effects of DDoS attacks usually involves identifying the source IP addresses that flood your website with illegitimate requests so firewalls can block them.
Filtering traffic at the source is key in mitigating DDoS attacks, but this can be difficult with advanced attackers who use multiple sources to flood your website. You also need real-time monitoring, so you know when an attack is taking place; even if it’s only affecting a small portion of your traffic, it can still bring down your site.

DDoS attacks are a grave threat to any website, and it is important to follow best practices if you want to minimize their effects. For more information on DDoS attacks and how to protect your website, contact tekRESCUE today!

One of the biggest shifts in business has been the move towards a managed service provider. An MSP is a company that is hired on to remotely monitor a business’s IT infrastructure and to often manage other aspects of their online presence. Though most companies large and small do have their own IT departments, the benefits of hiring a managed service provider has caused the industry to grow by hundreds of billions of dollars. If you own or run a business, consider the services that could be offered through an MSP that might help your business to grow!

Improves In-House IT Services in Austin

The majority of companies that work with managed service providers are not doing so to replace their own IT operations, but instead they are reinforcing it. Typically, the work of the MSP allows the in-house IT operations to focus more on the creative and strategic projects that pertain to the growth of that business specifically. Most IT operations for small to mid-sized businesses often fall on just one or two people, causing them to often be overwhelmed with keeping up with the basic maintenance needed to keep a modern day business afloat and secure. By outsourcing this role, your IT department is able to focus on what really matters for the growth of your company.

Maximize IT Budget

Hiring a managed service provider is one of those investments that you very quickly see the financial benefits from. Even compared to hiring more IT personal alone, a basic MSP package is likely already a more affordable option when you take into account salary, workspace, and benefits. When you start factoring in the various equipment and programs needed to adequately manage the ever changing technology for your company, the weight of the IT budget often starts to become a problem for many companies. This is one of the reasons why many IT departments are so burdened and overwhelmed. By bringing on a managed service provider, you are not only giving some relief to your current IT operations, but you are able to redistribute part of that initial IT budget to other aspects of your business!

Maximize Security

Technology is a beautiful beast that has allowed for so much growth for businesses, but it is still a beast nonetheless. Often times, once you start experiencing the symptoms of a system vulnerability on the user end, your IT structure is already in bad shape. One of the major benefits of a MSP is the proactive aspect of the security services. Managed service providers take it upon themselves to be aware of the new vulnerabilities and tricks hackers are using to infiltrate your system, and they can often dissolve any detected issues before it has the opportunity to slow down operations for your business. Time is money, and a managed service provider’s goal is to save you and your business both! Also, it’s best not to leave issue like security to amateurs.

Looking for a reliable MSP to provide IT services to your business? Contact tekRESCUE, a technology company offering IT solutions, web design, and SEO in Austin, TX, to learn how to take your business to the next level.

UPDATED: 5-6-2020 to reflect changes in the Industry.

Google has become the world’s largest network of information that we have ever seen. It’s no surprise that, in today’s modern world, google has also become the cornerstone of most successful businesses. If you are a business owner, your relationship with google and all of its online patrons can be the lifeblood to your success, so understanding the different types of marketing available to you is crucial.

SEO Marketing

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is using your website and its contents to organically increase your google rating. Your google rating is established by how high up on the results page that your website appears when someone searches for your related goods or service. SEO is affected by several different aspects of your website, and by paying close attention to these details and being strategic, you will likely see an increase in online traffic. 

One of the biggest factors that affect your SEO is your usage of keywords on your website. Everything that you include on your site should be relevant and strategically described in order to connect online searches to your goods and services. Posting regularly consistent and related blogs on your site that are chalk full of keywords can greatly affect your SEO. On top of the actual content, SEO is now also moving to a more mobile friendly rating meaning that if your website is not smartphone friendly, then this will affect your rating greatly. You have to keep in mind that google has earned its place in society by staying ahead of the culture and forming trends, so for your business to be successful, you will need to have a similar mentality. 

PPC Marketing

Pay Per Click Marketing is quite different from SEO in many ways. If you are not sure what this is, you may have noticed PPC advertisements without realizing it. These are the links for businesses at the very top and very bottom of the google page before the regular search results appear. Underneath the headline is the actual website address with the word “ad” next to it. This is a pay per click advertisement. You pay for these ads only after someone clicks on them in their own search. These can also come in the form of google advertisements that appear on someone’s page after they have visited your website but didn’t purchase anything. This can help chase those clients that are still on the fence about their purchase by reminding them about you and your product. 

The Difference

One of the biggest differences between SEO and PPC is the time it takes to take effect. While SEO is a completely free process that does create organic results, it does take time and dedication to reach that high google ranking. PPC ads can thrust your site to the top of the page over night, but it will come at a cost. And keep in mind, your website still needs to be mobile friendly, user friendly, with related content and consistent good reviews!

More Insight from Your Digital Marketing and Austin Web Design Team

If you’re interested in more insight into the different types of digital marketing in Austin, we would recommend starting with our business branding guide. You may also be interested to learn how Google Ads work. And as always, don’t hesitate to contact your Austin web design team at tekRESCUE for a personalized consultation!

While the age of the internet has brought on so many benefits and conveniences to everyday life,  it hasn’t been without downfalls as well. With almost everything being digitized, a new realm of danger has also been created in the form of “cyber crimes.” Cyber crime has become a very real threat that individuals, businesses, and agencies alike must defend themselves against. The FBI considers cyber security a high priority, as there has been a collective loss of several billion dollars due to cyber crimes and the repairs needed as a result. To celebrate cyber security month, we put together this outline of types of threats and ways to avoid them! Practicing good cyber security is just as important as locking your doors at night, as both protect the people and things you care most about from outside threats. 

Types of Threats

Unfortunately, there is not just one type of threat when it comes to cyber crimes, and while individuals over the age of 50 are more likely to be the victims of these crimes, there is not one specific targeted people group. Everyone should practice thorough cyber security!

Identity Theft – Because of the high volume of personal information being digitized, it’s easy for a low level hacker to gain pertinent information about you and use it illegally. In the past, someone would need to steal your physical credit card in order to hijack your finances, but now, with online access, this can be done remotely for a cyber criminal. 

Predators – Not only is our private information like banking and criminal records online, we also put day to day information on the internet, sometimes without even thinking about it. Social media, while it can keep us connected and increase networking capabilities, can be a breeding ground for online predators. Almost half of the world’s population uses some form of social media, and over 70% of Americans use social media daily, including children. Some social media sites, like Facebook, allow you to list your age, school, and activities right next to a profile picture of your choice. This, along with our own habit of tagging our locations, often sharing patterns in our daily routines, gives online predators a road map into our personal lives. 

Phishing and Ransom – Email has always been one way for hackers to infect your computers making your information vulnerable, and this process has become more and more sophisticated in recent years. Now, these emails look strikingly close to legitimate emails you would want to open from associates, your bank, or even the government. Typically, these emails include a link for you to click, and BAM – you have just been the victim of a phishing scam. 

One of the worst types of phishing scams involves ransomware. This is a type of malware that causes individuals or even entire agencies to lose all access to their database until they pay a ransom to the cyber criminal who orchestrated the attack. Hospitals, police departments, schools, and banks all have very valuable information online that needs to be accessed, so this gives hackers leverage to try and get large sums of money in exchange. For example – most hospitals use digital pads to keep track of patient medical information instead of paper clip boards, so if a phishing scam held that database for ransom, patients lives would be at stake, motivating hospitals to pay money in hopes of getting a decryption key to get up and running again. Any individual or business can be a target for this type of malware, and any unexpected email received should be approached with caution. 

Cyber Security Tips

With all of the potential threats to our personal information online, it is important to practice good cyber security on all platforms. Here are a few tips you can follow to strengthen your cyber security and protect yourself against online predators, hackers, and identity thieves. 

Update Your Software – Your personal devices like your laptop, smart phone, and tablet will regularly have system and software updates available. While sometimes these updates include obvious aesthetic changes to the layout, often times these are small updates that have to do with securing the system. You always want the most recent software update on your devices to ensure your information is secure. 

Use Software Protection – Investing in an anti virus or software protection is huge in fending off cyber crimes. Not to mention, some malware is just damaging to your device all together, so actively using software protection can also prolong the life of your equipment. 

Be Wary of Public WiFi – Using an unsecured WiFi network to access information online can leave you vulnerable to remote hackers. If you must use public WiFi (hotels, airports, coffee shops, etc), avoid logging into sensitive material like banking accounts. Also, if you find yourself needing to use public WiFi often, consider investing into a VPN (virtual private network) which allows you to share and access data on public networks as if it were a private one.  

Up Your Password Game – The average person has over 25 different online accounts that require a username and password. Between work accounts, online banking, social media, insurance records and more, people often find themselves recycling the same few passwords for all of the above. Having unique, personalized passwords for your accounts is a huge factor in your online security. This year alone, over 7 million people utilized “123456789” as a password, and over 3 million simply used the word “password.” Be smart with your passwords, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols that you can remember to protect yourself and your information online!

Don’t Over Share – We aren’t just concerned with your cyber security but your personal security as well! While it might be fun to brag to your friends and family about your upcoming vacation,  by posting a status update on facebook stating you are leaving town for the week, you could be letting a predator know your house is going to be empty. This is especially true if you don’t have a strong vetting process for your friends list or if your profile is set to public. It’s fun to share with your friends and family online, but by making your personal plans or routines aren’t available to the internet world, you might be making yourself vulnerable to less desirable spectators in the cyber world!

Be Smart – There are certain practices you learn to be common sense in the real world like looking both ways before crossing the street, not walking down dark alleyways alone, and avoiding gas station sushi. There are basic common sense practices in the cyber world as well like never sharing any passwords, keeping your social security, banking, and log in info private, not clicking on links in your email from senders you don’t know, and always using software protection on your devices. By following some of these golden rules in cyber security, you can avoid being added to the ever growing list of cyber crime victims.  

Why Trust tekRESCUE’s San Marcos Web Design and IT Experts?

As an all-in-one technology consulting company offering managed IT, website design, and SEO in San Marcos TX, tekRESCUE has experience approaching the topic of cyber security from multiple angles. From setting up the IT infrastructure of local businesses to taking on website design in Austin TX just up the road, our team has hands-on experience not only in network and data security but also in navigating the web space safely. And with experience as an Austin SEO company as well as practicing SEO in San Marcos TX, we have experience in large markets as well as small. Contact us if you have any concerns about cyber security, and we’ll be glad to help!

If you have a business, your number one priority beyond monetary gain is probably going to be growth. There are so many practices that can help you gain recognition in your community, and the rise of the internet has created a whole other realm to conquer when it comes to business strategy. While there was a time that having a great service or product was all you needed to be successful, now a days you have to be intentional with your online presence. One of the most crucial ways you can keep your business at the top of the competitive food chain is by constantly fine tuning your SEO (search engine optimization). If you have a business but are not familiar with optimizing google friendly content for your website, we would love to help get you started with this abridged guide to your SEO. 

What is SEO?

When you type something into the search bar of any search engine like google, in a matter of seconds there are pages and pages of resources for you to click through. The order in which that content is displayed has to do with the relevance and how the content for each of those websites or links is rated. This is SEO. Your goal, as a business, is to be sure that your page pops up on the first search results page and as close to the top as possible. The statistics for where your weblink falls on the google search page and how many clicks it will get are staggering! According to DataBox, there are well over 6 billion daily google searches, and 67% of all clicks following that google search goes to the top 5 search results. Meaning, mastering SEO will mean more traffic for your website as people search for content related to your goods or services, and more online traffic means more business for you!

High Quality Content

When it comes to the content that is shared on your website, it should meet a couple of parameters in order to boost your SEO. Whether this is in the form of regular blog posts, web page content, social media posts, or any other form of writing done for your business site, the information needs to be engaging and relevant. “High quality” does not just apply to writing error free content (which should go without stating), but your posts should be both useful and entertaining and the type of content that others want to read and hopefully share!

Choosing Keywords

When you are writing content for your website, one of the most important aspects you need to lead with is the keywords you use. Planning this prior to writing the content is recommended. Consider what keywords are most associated with the topic and utilize those as much as possible. Knowing the right keywords will likely require you to know the market well and what others in the industry are posting. Your keywords should be chosen based on what people are actively searching for, so catering your posts to the latest trends is highly recommended. If you aren’t sure how to get started on strategic keyword usage, don’t fret! There are dozens of online databases that you can use, like Word Tracker, to help. Not only does this assist you in carefully choosing keywords, but this is also market research that is invaluable to you as a business owner. By choosing your posts based on need and then stacking those relevant posts with the right keywords, you are likely to boost your SEO rating so that more people visit you website, read your content, and subscribe to your services!

Capitalize on Images

We live in a visually driven society, and your online presence is no different! If you are already using images in your content, great! Keep it up! If you aren’t, you should start immediately. If you fall into the camp of people who have been using images regularly in the content that you are posting, be sure to follow some of these basic guidelines in optimizing them, because, yes, refining what you are doing to make it better is what business is all about!

Size and placement – The file size for the photos you use is very important for your SEO ranking mostly because this affects load time. If your photo size is too big and it slows down your page being loaded, this will greatly affect the traffic on your page. 

Title and caption – Giving the photos used for your content a little caption along with a solid title really helps to optimize the image, and in turn, the entire post. Be very intentional with this caption by utilizing the keywords related to it while still remaining very brief in the overall description. 

File name – Be sure that the image is saved with a strategic file name utilizing those relevant keywords. So, instead of a series of numbers and letters that many JPEG files comes standard as, name the photo something related to the content. Your intentionality for the sake of your SEO will do wonders even in these small details!

Make Your Content Shareable 

Now that you have created a well thought out, strategic, and visibly pleasing content, you will want to make it easy for viewers to share it with their followers. One of the most beautiful (and sometimes painful) aspects of social media is how easy and fast information can be spread. With just the push of a button, your content can be shared and made available to a whole new pool of potential clients/followers/subscribers for them to click on, and clicks in the digital world are like gold. There are several resources, like Simple Sharing Buttons, where you can make custom “share” buttons to post to the many popular social media sites. 

When it comes to your business, your online representation and SEO matters a great deal in terms of success. We, at tekRescue, pride ourselves on taking your online presence to the next level while putting the highest priority on network safety. If you are looking to take your business to the next level, consider letting us take care of your cyber presence so that you can focus on the big picture, creative aspects of business that you love!

It can be easy to overlook social media sites as strategic business opportunities, but that would be a mistake! What seemed to have started out as a means to search for fun new recipes, fashion, and do it yourself projects, Pinterest has become much more for your business and its online presence. Recently, Pinterest has made some major changes, catapulting it ahead of other sites like it. With over 2 billion monthly searches, on average people are spending more money on Pinterest than on other leading social media sites including Facebook and Instagram. This opens up a world of opportunity when it comes to your business as you follow some of these tips to expand your search engine optimizatio, or SEO, in San Marcos.

Know the Algorithm

Every social media site uses different algorithms to decide what content shows up in user’s feeds over others. Pinterest is no different, and knowing the major factors in what Pinterest goes by to show your content is a huge factor in maintaining the online presence that you want. If you want to give yourself the best shot at having your “pins” show in search, pay attention to these 4 top Pinterest algorithm factors:

• Domain Quality
• Pin Quality
• Pinner Quality
• Relevance

Domain Quality

Increasing the domain quality for your business is a huge factor is Pinterest promoting your posts as it legitimizes your company. Be sure that you have claimed your website and are using a business account on pinterest that reflects your website. 

Pin Quality

One way that Pinterst will judge the quality of your domain is by the quality of your pins, and this is mostly determined by the frequency that people view, like, save, and comment on your posts. Therefor, you should be making posts with the consumers and viewers in mind. What do people like to see? What is most likely to engage someone that would otherwise scroll through? There are a few practical answers to these questions that will increase your pin quality and drive traffic to your posts. 

Remember that pinterest is a picture driven site, meaning your posts should be high quality and aesthetically pleasing. Make sure that your titles are both representative to the content while still being compelling enough to grab the attention of readers. Even the format of your blog posts can either draw or deter someone actually spending time reading, liking, and repinning it. With this in mind, utilize multiple relevant photos strategically placed in your blogs, and avoid throwing too much text at one time to read. We live in a fast paced society, and consumers thrive on snidbits more than overly lengthy posts. 

Increase Pinner Quality

Because you are the creator behind your page, Pinterest will judge you based on your content. The frequency of your posts come into play here, as Pinterest wants to know if you are dependable and consistent. If you are like most busy business owners that can’t spend all day focusing on Pinterest, utilizing one of the many apps that allows you to schedule posts will come in handy. This makes posting several times a day throughout the week possible, which then boosts your pinner quality. 

Relevance

Like in all assets of business, your posts on pinterest need to be relevant to the consumers, otherwise, what’s the point? It can be difficult to always know what is relevant all of the time, but luckily, there are several clues to help guide your posts. For starters, use the search bar to establish what is most commonly searched for. Like on google, as you type in keywords, it provides options for similar posts (this appears as a drop down menu beneath the search bar as you type in keywords). These autocompleted searches are the most frequently searched phrases for that topic, so using these as a blueprint for your own posts is wise. 

One way to keep your posts relevant is also by intentionally using keywords in your descriptions. Every post you make should have a detailed description that is loaded with relevant keywords relating to the topic. Even this small detail has the capacity not only to increase relevance, but brings in more traffic to your posts which then ups your SEO rating for your San Marcos business!

Consider tekRESCUE as your Web Design & SEO company in San Marcos, TX

Whether for business or personal use, the passwords you choose to protect your various accounts matter. Even for seemingly harmless social media sites, there is a lot of personal information that, in the wrong hands, could be used in negative ways. When you are dealing with a business, the risks are that much greater. This is why many businesses are choosing to use password managers, and if you haven’t already, it is definitely something to look into!

What’s the Deal with Passwords, Anyways?

Even though it is a pretty common understanding that poor cyber security leaves a lot at risk, too many people exercise some of the worst password habits. In fact, many people use the same very common passwords for Facebook, personal banking, work log ins, and more. Over 60% of data breaches are a result of either weak, overused, or unguarded passwords. If you consider the type of data you have in various online accounts, then strengthening your password security will begin to become more of a priority. Need to improve your cyber security? Learn about managed IT services in San Marcos, TX.

What Does a Password Manager Do?

Because using a different login for each account is an important part of cyber security, it can be hard to keep track of all of your different usernames and passwords, especially considering that the average person has around 90 different accounts. A password manager is an application that organizes and securely stores this information for you, so you can access the information when you need it, but it is still safe from outside threats. Password managers also make it possible to share passwords in an encrypted form. This way, when you need a login from a coworker or your San Marcos managed IT company, it can be shared securely.

Why is a Password Manager Good for Business?

While using a password manager is great for an individual, it is that much more important to utilize one when you are running a business. When it comes to cyber security, there really isn’t a length too far to go for your company. Not only do you have your employee’s and team member’s info, but your client’s as well. Once implementing a password manager, you will start to experience the benefits on many fronts.

Web development companies in Texas As Resources

Because keeping track of complex passwords has thwarted many people in the past, a lot of time is wasted resetting logins. By having access to their login information, your employees will not have to submit as many new requests to your IT department to reset their passwords. While a password manager might seem like too easy and simple of a solution, it can really offer your IT department a lot of space to focus on more important aspects of the company. Many large IT and web development companies in Texas utilize password managers not only because of the vast improvement to security, but also as a time and resource saver.

Consistency 

Any one of your employees probably has a couple dozen other personal accounts that they keep track of. The risk of having a repeated password used in your business could end up costing you, but then again, remembering so many new unique passwords is almost impossible. Because of this, your team members are probably already using some method of keeping track of their logins. The question is whether or not their method is one that you want them to be using. Have you ever seen someone (or even been someone to) scribble down their username and password on a post it note and stick it on their desk? A shocking 30% of employees save their info like this. By utilizing a password manager, you are giving some much needed uniformity to the system. When it comes to cyber security, you don’t want to throw caution to the wind. Give your associates a secure system that guarantees an accurate record of any login associated with your company!

Looking for more tips about improving security for your business? Contact tekRESCUE, a San Marcos technology company to learn more about security, website design, and web hosting in San Marcos, TX.

One of the many beauties of technology is that it is constantly advancing, offering you, the user, much more in terms of quality, security, accessibility, and more. While these advancements can be great for you, the updates that they come with can feel inconvenient at best. On top of your general software, every app you have downloaded probably has regular updates. And while many of these updates occur without any interruption, you have probably experienced instances when your device had to shut down entirely until the update was completed. This might take a couple of minutes, but on occasion, it can take much longer. While these updates might seem like an unnecessary evil, the benefits of these updates absolutely outweigh the downfalls, and updating your software, at its core, is a very necessary part of owning and using technology. 

Software Improvements 

Your software creators are constantly competing with others in their market to create a product that is efficient, effective, and user friendly. As a result of this cutthroat industry, you, the user, benefit greatly. Every update is the creator’s way of saying, “hey, we’re here to make this experience great for you” as they constantly look for shortcuts and customization options for their target audience. Each update is created with you in mind and how you can benefit. 

Security

Often times, an update for your software is due to filling a security hole that was discovered in the older version. As hackers are constantly upping their game by searching for vulnerabilities in your technology and creating new malicious software or “malware” in order to infiltrate your device or account, it is important to do everything you can to give yourself the best line of defense. Odds are, the first step in protecting yourself from malware is having the most updated version of the software you are using. 

Protecting Others

Aside from protecting your own pieces of technology from the downfalls of malware, by updating your software you are also shielding the people you interact with online from these same potential viruses. This is especially true in the business world where the damage could end up costing you more than just the piece of tech that is infected. This is why many companies use “phishing tests” in order to prepare associates for potential scams sent through emails. Once a hacker has a leg into your contacts, the negative domino effect could be greater than you ever imagined.

Data

Consider the information stored in the various accounts you have on your computer, phone, or tablet. There is probably financial information, emails, social security numbers, medical information, and the list goes on. When a weakness in software is exploited by malware, all of this information and more is at risk. This could result in your information being obtained by criminals, you being the victim of identity and/or credit card theft, or access to your accounts being held for ransom (blocked until you pay the hacker a set amount). We put so much trust in our technology that it is important to be sure that we are protecting it and ourselves not only by actively using protective software, but by updating the apps and software we use in order to give ourselves the best cyber security. 

Is your business’s technology at risk? Contact tekRESCUE, a HIPAA certified managed service provider in San Marcos, TX, to learn more about cyber security and protecting your information.

Network security has been and will continue to be a topic of conversation for businesses large and small. As hackers step up their game and use methods to manipulate, extort, and jeopardize the personal and private information of your clients and employees, our efforts to protect said information also has to adjust, change, and improve. Beyond doing the minimum of achieving HIPAA compliance, you should always be looking to improve your network security ensuring the privacy of every associated part of your business.

Recognize Your Gaps

When it comes to your business’ network security, you do not ever want to be overconfident. You should regularly review your network from end to end. Every computer, server, and device should be regularly inspected as any one of these could open the door for intruders into your network. Vulnerability assessments should be run by a managed IT department in Austin regularly in order to pinpoint any area that might be considered a weakness. This can help identify out of date software, evidence of malware, weak passwords, unusual activity, and more. 

Training

Educating anyone in or associated with your company that might have access to the network on how to properly approach usage is critical in maintaining security. This should be an ongoing aspect of your professional development as standards, softwares, methods, and forms of threat are often changing. Any individual with access should be well aware of the requirements expected of them and also the consequences of failing to maintain a HIPAA complaint network security. 

Outsourcing Network Management

Because of the ever changing technology along with new methods outside hackers could use to put your network at risk, it might be in your business’s best interest to outsource your network security to a company that is specifically dedicated to network safety. Even if you have onsite IT personnel, consider the scope of work and responsibility in maintaining a tightened network security. Especially if you are handling sensitive information, it might be worth your while to hire an outside company to manage it. If you are in the majority of businesses looking to increase their IT security budget, outsourcing the job can also save your company money in the process. Instead of putting additional people on your payroll with required benefits that come along with that, hiring an outside company can alleviate a lot of that pressure for your business while still maintaining a strong and secure network. tekRESCUE is a small business that specializes in cybersecurity in Austin Tx and can be there for you for all of your security needs.

Limit Access Points

Any device that has a connection to your network can be used to contaminate the server, even if done unintentionally. If your business has multiple network users, or even a third party partner, creating a virtual private network can help protect your main database from any weak points that might be created by an infected device logging in. Requiring any user with access to your network to have a company wide malware protection can also create some consistency in your protection as well. Remember, it is your job to prove at least a good faith effort in not only remaining HIPAA compliant but also in protecting your employees and clients from the dangers of outside network threats.

Here at tekRESCUE we specialize in managed IT for all Austin Tx companies! Give us a call today. We would love to hear from you.

If you are a Windows user, then you are probably at least vaguely familiar with Windows 10. This latest operating system was released initially in 2015, and with several major updates since (in some cases twice a year). There are many features that have either been added or changed since it launched. With such a complex system, it can be tough to take advantage of everything it has to offer. Here are some tips and tricks to using your Windows 10 operating system!

God Mode

God mode is especially helpful for advanced Windows users or anyone working in IT. It allows you to access the operating system’s control panel from one single folder (hence the actual name for “god mode” is Windows Master Control Panel). Once in god mode, you will have access to all the different settings for your computer in one place that you can change. To access god mode, do the following:

1. Make sure your Microsoft system account has administrator privileges.
2. Right-click on the Windows 10 desktop and “Create a new folder.”
3. Right-click the the new folder and rename the folder:
   “GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}” 

Virtual Desktop

If you do a lot of work on your computer, chances are, you tend to multitask with multiple different tabs and windows all working at the same time. If this is you, Windows 10 has a new feature that is right up your alley. The virtual desktop allows you to separate different apps that you use for different purposes (work, personal, social, etc). When you have many of these different windows open, click the task view (the small icon directly to the right of your start menu and search bar). This will separate all of your currently open apps into small icons that you can click and drag into separate virtual desktops. You can then switch between your different virtual desktops by clicking the Windows button+Ctrl+right/left arrows, and when you are finished having your apps on different desktops, click that task view button again and delete them. This will keep your open apps open, but it will put them back on your original desktop again.

Screen Recording

Windows 10 has a new built in Xbox app that allows you to easily record your screen activity. This is super useful in making “how to” or instructional videos for your colleagues, for a professional development, youtube tutorials, and more. 

Nearby Sharing

Just like Apple’s “AirDrop” feature that allows you to send a photo or note to someone near you, windows now has a feature achieving this same thing. By clicking the “share” button or icon on the top of your photo or document, you will be able to see available recipients in the drop down menu. 

Smart Home Control

Cortana is Microsoft’s digital assistant, and now with Windows 10, she can connect to your smart home apps for easy control. To locate Cortana, search “Cortana Notebook” and click on the Manage Skills button at the top of the window. If you scroll down and enable the “Connected Home” option, you will be able to log in to your smart home devices. Once this is done and they are enabled, you will be able to command Cortana to operate them by saying, “Hey Cortana” and then instruct her on what you want. This is a really easy hands off way to do tasks like change the thermostat or view your live home security cameras. 

Looking for more tips and tricks for your operating system, or need help troubleshooting an issue on your device? Contact tekRESCUE, a San Marcos IT company, for more information.

Maintaining  a HIPAA compliant system is crucial for any business. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act specifically holds you responsible for safeguarding any health care or medical information of your clients or employees. In the event you are found not HIPAA compliant, there are legal ramifications that vary based on the severity of the offense. Penalties can range anywhere from $100 to $50,000 per violation, and if the neglect is extreme or foul play is involved, penalties can also include criminal charges and jail time. To avoid any penalties and finding your company on a permanent and public list of violations, here are a few tips to maintaining a HIPAA compliant facility.

Personnel Training

HIPAA compliance entails technological security and also a personnel element as well. Any individual with access to patient records or who maintain knowledge of patient information should be trained on the policies and procedures on how to handle such content. Training should always be up to date, and any time there is either a personnel o systems change, this training should be revisited. 

Put Someone In Charge

A specified security officer should be identified to be responsible for monitoring your organizations HIPAA status. This does not have to be an additional hire, but identifying someone who is taking charge and understands what is required to be HIPAA compliant helps at least maintain a chain of command for the rest of your employees. 

Physical Security

Beyond the basic requirement of having your hardware locked in a specified room, it is your responsibility to show a good faith effort of securing information. In addition to being locked somewhere, it would be ideal to put this in a low traffic area to minimize visitors contact with the access point. 

Cyber Security 

The use of wireless internet can open the door for people to access information who are not intended to through the network. You must have a network that is designated for people who cannot have access to privileged information. Neither guest nor any uncleared individual should never have contact with the network your secured files are accessed through. If you do not have two separate systems, at the very least, you should have a guest account on an isolated subnet.

Business Partners

Any system or company you use or work with should also receive proper HIPAA training. If you bring in an outside company, you can still be held responsible for any breaches as a result of their lack of security. Keep all of your associates on the same page, and always be sure that the people you are trusting maintain the same values that your company does in regard to client and patient privacy. 

Reporting Breaches

In the event client or patient information is stolen or improperly shared, you must identify, document thoroughly, and then report this security breach in full. Inability to identify a breach could be considered neglectful and the repercussions could result in a loss of licence. Reporting all discrepancies immediately is also crucial, and attempting to hide your security breach will result in far worse penalty fines and ramifications than the breach itself. 

In modern day business, your online presence has the capacity to make or break you. Not only do people want to look you up online, but they want to view your instagram, your facebook, your youtube channel, yelp reviews, and more. The internet has been a driving force for business for a long time, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. Beyond just having an online presence, there are strategies that you can follow in order to increase your traffic online and also to appeal to a wider variety of people.

S.E.O.

Search Engine Optimization is the concept of increasing the amount of and which people see your website everyday. What you post has a lot to do with your rating, and how you post it is just as important. There are specific things you can do in order to up your rating so that people are more likely to see your website and engage with you.

Photos

We live in a photo-obsessed society. People love to take and look at beautiful, symmetrical, aesthetically pleasing photos online. We love looking at photos so much, that there are multiple photo web and social media sites online with millions of members. The photos you post are very important to the success of your website. While a photo needs to be aesthetically pleasing, it also needs to be relevant. What you are talking about on that page or in that post needs to be represented in a clear way by the photo you are including. A description set aside with the photo will help you know if your photo is relevant. If you cannot find a way to caption a photo while being on topic of your post, it is likely you need to choose another photo.  

Videos

Your inclusion of videos affects your SEO as well, and there are a couple of basic steps you can take to increase your rating. For starters, include a transcript to your video for the subtitles. Everyone knows people sneak phones into classrooms, meetings, etc. Because of this, people often watch more videos on silent than they do with the volume up. By creating a transcript, not only are you giving viewers more opportunities to watch your content, but the text is easier for search bots to decipher, meaning those posts will naturally have a higher rating.

Resolution

The quality of your photo or video is crucial in your rating as well. You would not want a grainy photo representing your company as it decreases the value of your website aesthetically. These are common video resolutions and aspect ratios that are a good rule to follow for posting a video, and there are many programs that will let you edit these ratios like Final Cut and Adobe Premiere Pro.

• 1080p: 1920×1080
• 720p: 1280×720
• 480p: 854×480
• 360p: 640×360
• 240p: 426×240

Titles and Meta Description

Using keywords for the search engine to recognize and connect your brand with your videos and pictures is crucial for your google rating. When editing your meta description or any description for a photo or video, you should be very specific and descriptive. Anything you write on or for your website should be on topic, and the more concise your info is, the higher your SEO ranking will be.

Placement

Even though people get caught up in scrolling when looking online, you should be controlling where their eyes naturally land on your page. Be strategic in the placement of your video and photos. For instance, by putting the most updated, relevant, and interesting photo or video first with a clear, concise description, you will increase the likeliness of someone spending more time on your page instead of clicking through.

While SEO might seem like a factor that you don’t need to worry about or even learn about, if you want to increase traffic on your page, you must become savvy with boosting your ranking. Don’t fall into online oblivion. Instead, up your ranking and watch your business grow!

Need help optimizing your videos and images for the web? Contact tekRESCUE, a technology and SEO company near Austin, TX, to learn more.

In our technologically run world, privacy has become a big topic of conversation, especially in the rise of cyber crimes. Beyond safety for safety’s sake, there are strict laws requiring your company to put in safe guards in order to protect your clients and employees. There are a few basic rules to follow to ensure that you and your company are HIPAA compliant.

What Does HIPAA Mean?

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is United States legislation put in place in 1996 that requires data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information.

There are 3 main aspects of HIPAA requirements:

• Administrative — measures to ensure patient data is correct and accessible to authorized parties.
• Physical — measures to prevent physical theft and loss of devices containing electronic PHI.
• Technical — technology-related measures to protect your networks and devices from data breaches and unauthorized access.

HIPAA laws force you to maintain your record keeping to a legal standard, ensuring that your clients and employees are protected from their private information being shared.

What Does a HIPAA Compliant Password Look Like?

Some areas of HIPAA law are very specific as to what you can and cannot do, but there is some vagueness in regards to password standards, and even these standards are likely to change as technology continues to evolve. What we can gather from what is communicated from the HIPAA standard is that your business is expected to legitimately put in its best effort to protect its clients and employees, and any obvious negligence will be met with potentially hefty fines. Some basic password standards are as follows:

• Minimum of 8 characters: It is often required that you include both capital and lowercase letters within these 8 characters just to further ensure your password security.
• Include both numbers and letters in your password.
• Create a password you can remember organically: There was a point in time when your password was encouraged to be a random series of letters, numbers, and symbols in order to deter hackers. However, your inability to remember such a password posed as a security thread in itself. Because of this, your password’s memorability is key in your cyber security.
• Avoid common words or phrases: Using the word “password” as your password would be considered a very weak password that would not be HIPAA compliant. Other commonly used weak passwords would be using your name (either first, last, or both), matching your password to your log in, the numbers 1-8 in order, and offering a clue that too obviously reveals your password. There is a master list of the most common words or phrases used as passwords. You should avoid using any form of these commonly used passwords.

What Is The Punishment For Not Being HIPAA Compliant?

On top of actual legal fines for violating HIPAA that depend on the scale of the negligence involved (these fines range from $100 to $50,000 per violation), there is a legitimate “list of shame” as well. This list can be accessed by the public, and it reports every breach in HIPAA compliance. Not only does it state the name of the businesses guilty of violating HIPAA, but it also specifies the date the breach occurred, the amount of people affected by it, the type of breach, and through which avenue the breach occurred. If a fine wasn’t bad enough, having your company’s name plastered on that list to be viewed by any google search should push you in the right direction of securing your data and enforcing proper, HIPAA compliant passwords.

Time, energy, and resources are all valuable aspects of business that no one wants to waste. For online advertising, Google Ads provides a significant return on investment to many marketers interested in saving their resources.

Google Ads is a form of paid advertising known as pay-per-click. This type of marketing can yield better ad campaigns, more clicks to your ad, and a higher likelihood of reaching new customers.

Google Ads appear across numerous large online channels, including Google, YouTube, and the several million websites known as the Google Display Network. This incredible reach is part of what makes Google Ads so effective for many online advertising campaigns, as you’ll see below.

Why Google Ads Works:

Google is currently the most used search engine online with an astonishing 3.5 billion searches per day. The proof of Google Ads’ effectiveness is in the numbers.

Consider the following: Google Ads have a click-through rate of approximately 8 percent. Display ads average 180 million impressions every month. 43% of customers buy something they’ve seen in a YouTube ad. Google Ads work because they meet buyers right where they are with an offer they have been looking for. With an optimized ad campaign and lead flow, your work has the potential to see a massive reward.

How Google Ads Works:

Google Ads showcases your ad to potential customers and leads who are interested in your product or service. Advertisers bid on search terms, and the winners of a bid are placed at the top of related search results pages, on YouTube videos, or on relevant websites, depending on the ad campaign selected.

Research on search terms is vitally important for paid ads. Google matches your ad with user searches based on the keywords you have selected, so your keywords must match searcher intentions as often as possible.

Every ad group that you create will target a set of keywords, and then Google will display your ad based on those selections. Need help? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Keyword Research.

How to Set Up Google Ads:

Getting started is quick and easy. The Google Ads platform walks you through the setup step-by-step and gives hints for better ad performance along the way.

To set up Google Ads, visit the Google Ads website and begin by selecting the “Start Now” button. You’ll be provided with a series of steps to get your ads up and running. If you take time to create copy and select images, the setup process usually takes no more than 10 minutes.

What is often less obvious is the additional steps you should take to ensure that your ads are optimally configured and easily traceable. Here are some tips to consider trying once your ads are submitted for review.

Connect Google Analytics

Link your Google Analytics account to Google Ads. Linking these accounts together provides tracking, analysis, and reporting between channels that makes tracking your campaign performance much easier because you can view relevant statistics all in one place.

Set Up Conversion Tracking

Conversion tracking will tell you exactly how many customers or leads you’re acquiring from your ad. It’s not mandatory, but without it you’ll be guessing the return on investment of your ads. Conversion tracking also allows you to track sales on your website, application installs, and even calls from your ads.

Assimilate Your Google Ads With Your CRM

Systems help your business run smoothly. Keeping all of your data and information in one place where you can track and analyze it is vital. You already use your CRM, so now you can connect Google Ads to it so that you have the ability to track which ads are working for your audience. This helps track current ads and allows you to create ads in the future that are more relevant to your consumers.

Google Ads is extremely powerful and can be a great asset to your advertising strategy. With these tips covered, you are well on your way to getting your product or service in front of an audience who has been waiting for it.

Need a hand setting up your next Google Ads campaign? Contact tekRESCUE, a technology and marketing company in San Marcos, TX, to learn more.

If you have a mac, you know most of the time it’s a fantastic experience. When things run smoothly, work is easier, creating is a breeze, and staying connected is a blast. Because macs often run for long periods with seemingly no issue, it can be nerve-wracking when a problem surfaces. Issues arise from time to time, but no need to fear!

For many years it was rumored that Macs were immune to things like network issues, bugs, or poor app behavior. While macs are incredible machines, that isn’t true. Similar to a vehicle, your computer may run for a while without attention and maintenance, but eventually, things will slow down and need attention. Taking time to maintain your equipment can add years to its life. Here are some simple steps for maintenance on your Mac:

Uninstall Apps You No Longer Use

Every application you have installed on your computer is taking up space. One application at a time, your Mac begins to fill up with all sorts of apps. Over time, download after download, the performance of your Mac will start to slow.

A significant first step in cleaning your Mac is to remove applications you no longer need. Sending an app to trash is not enough. Leftovers from the application remain on your computer, taking up a lot of storage. Avoid this issue and uninstall applications properly. Need help uninstalling applications? Click here!

Install Anti-Virus Protection

Keeping your device safe and secure is important, and even Macs need protection. Installing a reputable anti-virus software that works with your Mac will help keep it, and your information, safe. A secure anti-virus program used by many today is Bitdefender. This established leader in cybersecurity offers trustworthy protection for desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and more. Check here for more information on Anti-Virus for Mac.

Clean Up Files

Once unneeded applications are gone, the next step to tackle is unwanted files. You can use Mac’s Optimized Storage feature which can erase trash automatically or manually drag items to the trash, emptying it once finished. Both methods are effective and will help you free up space quickly. To permanently remove old files, applications specially made to scan your system and detect all broken or outdated files for removal can be extremely useful.

Restart Your Mac Periodically

Because Mac allows you to close the computer to put it to sleep, people can tend to go long stents of time without a full shutdown and reboot. Switching a Mac on and off again is one of the best ways to fix a problem. Restarting your Mac from time to time will free-up RAM and quit unnecessary applications running in the background. A great rule of thumb is to restart your system every two weeks or anytime a noticeable slow down in performance occurs.

Back Up Your Data

Our last tip is an absolute must, and this cannot be overstated. Backing up your data must be a top priority. Macs are unfortunately not indestructible. If something goes wrong and you have a backup in place, all of your hard work and precious photos will be safe and sound, and that should let you rest easy.

Here is what you need to do! Start using the Time Machine! Yes, you heard that right. Mac has a Time Machine that will routinely backup every file to an external storage device so they can quickly be restored. Set up the Time Machine by connecting an external hard drive to your Mac. Once that is complete, scheduling a backup is easy:

• From the Apple menu select System Preferences > Time Machine.

• Click Select Backup Disk, Select Disk, or Add or Remove Backup Disk.

• Select your disk from the list, then click Use Disk.

So take some time today, follow these simple maintenance tips and you’ll prevent your system from running into trouble and continue to enjoy the excellence of your Mac for years to come! For questions about repairs or advanced maintenance, contact tekRESCUE, a San Marcos IT company, to speak to an expert.

The huge explosion of social media use has allowed individuals to stay connected with friends, family, and all sorts of social trends. However, while it seems that it was designed to help people burn time on their lunch breaks, the reality is that using social media as a strategic tool for your business could be the factor that helps you see exponential growth. Social media has so many different uses and access to wide spread data that many companies are even hiring designated social media managers to fully benefit from what it has to offer.

Branding

Creating a brand is way more than designing a symbol and putting it on hats and t-shirts to advertise your company. Having a platform that allows you to post visual representations of your company to a wide audience is huge for your brand. Every post should aesthetically, phyllisophically, and practically represent your company. You might think that it is not possible to hit all of these points in a simple social media post, but humans tend to stick with their initial impulse reaction to what they see, especially as they scroll online. Strategic brand representation is crucial for this reason.

Engagement

Consumers want to feel connected with businesses they use. When you humanize your company by interacting with the people you are trying to reach, they are more likely to patronize your business. Even politicians have now taken to social media to post videos of them putting together ikea furniture and using an instant pot in order to allow voters to view them as more approachable and likable individuals. While it might seem unnecessary, this is an incredibly smart strategy that has been used by hollywood stars for years, and now businesses are using the exact same strategy. Because people thrive on validation, when individuals feel connected to your company, they are more likely to care about what it has to offer them.

Data

Most people log into at least one of the top 3 leading social media sites (facebook, instagram, and snap chat) at least once a day. Good social media managing allows you to get real time data on who is actually interacting with your posts. This information is invaluable in knowing your market and adjusting accordingly. You need to know who you are actually reaching, and social media is one of the best ways to get an accurate representation of this.

Advertisement

With over one billion active social media users worldwide, this opens up a world of opportunity for advertisement. Most social media sites have algorithms that will allow you to advertise specifically to people who are most likely to have an interest in your product or services. Using google search patterns, other sites visited, videos watched, and products purchased, social media allows your business to cater advertisements to the right audience.  

News

In addition to allowing you to stay connected to your audience, social media also allows you to stay connected to other events happening that involve your company, your competitors, or affect your market. The fastest way to keep track of the aggressively changing news cycle that we have now is through social media management. You want to know what innovations or concepts other companies are posting about, and you definitely want to know what your consumers are posting about. Social media is not going away any time soon, and for the sake of your business, that is a good thing! When used to its fullest potential, social media can be the resource that boosts your company’s capacity for success.